[GP/EP] Check-In Day

[st_oriedqueen]

Why Caroline had needed her to help with Check-In Day she hadn't bothered to say. Just, "you said you'd help," and when Regina protested she wasn't good with people, "aren't you a Queen or a Mayor or something?" complete with shooing gestures. While Regina found Caroline more exasperating the terrifying, she did have a point.

So Regina suited up--literally, gathered her files and folders, coffee mug, pens and pocketed the wooden carving of Henry/Roland Robin had made for her, then headed for the cafe. If, polished and politic and patently Busy, she didn't offer newcomers the brightest or warmest smile when they arrived, it was nevertheless confident and quite possibly reassuring.

Caroline did friendly. Regina...did knowledgeable and polite. Dot and Ignis had been asked to provide finger food on catering trays. The still-grieving Miss Pryde had been tasked with samovars of tea and coffee and ice chest of soda and beer. Caroline's welcome baskets sat on the table beside Regina's for easy access. And though she didn't when she was alone in the office, Regina spent the magic to fix her eyesight so she didn't put glasses between her and new arrivals.

Madame Mayor was in.

Comments

Re: locked to Percy, Vax, eventually Kash

[st_abby]

"Friends who are brazen, yes, always," Vax quipped back at her. "Brazen friends, I think you know better, sister dear."

She was teasing, of course, not that he minded. Even before Keyleth, he'd never got into quite as much of that kind of trouble as she had.

Re: locked to Percy, Vax, eventually Kash

[st_ockandbarrel]

Percy, for a moment, looked both suspicious and disapproving. While Yasmeen was certainly a friend who was brazen, Percy had his concerns about others of Vax's friends. But he could update Vex on that particular blonde wrinkle at another time.

"You'll like the Captain, I believe. Reminds me of Zahra in many ways, come to think of it."

Re: locked to Percy, Vax, eventually Kash

[st_ingofthehundred]

She reminded Kash nothing of Z. She had none of her warmth, thoughtfulness, expansiveness, nor any of the painful darkness that had made Z who she was. The Captain had ferocity and a capacity for violence, strength and charisma, but that wasn't what made Z who she was.

Kash shrugged more or less impassively. "I wouldn't want to cross her," he allowed. "She reminds me more of Vanessa."

Re: locked to Percy, Vax, eventually Kash

[st_ubby]

Brazen friends and the trouble they could bring were usually more Vex's style than Vax's, and she knew how he felt about Keyleth, but there'd been curiosity behind the teasing. She had months, apparently, to catch up on.

"Either way, she sounds delightful." The three of them knew Vex, Vanessa and Zahra. She'd leave it to them to decide how much of that was sarcasm. Some, but not as much as most might think.

Re: locked to Percy, Vax, eventually Kash

[st_abby]

Mostly all of the Zahra-or-Vanessa talk (to say nothing of Kashaw's set jaw and sad eyes) just served to make Vax think of Keyleth. At the rate they were coming through from Exandria... Well, it was probably just a matter of time before the druid turned up, wasn't it? There was just no saying when, or... How.

"There are dozens of people here, for that matter," he tried to speak to Vex's curiosity. "From all other kinds of worlds to ours. It's a one-way trap of some kind, from what we can tell. A comfortable one, at least. It's all so strange, but it's been safe enough so far." A bit... Too safe, honestly. As in, boring for long stretches with not much to do.