The Apartment Above Luke's, Monday Evening

[spin_kick_snap]

The lack of private function space was perfectly solved by the empty apartment above the diner. Kathy had spent the afternoon cleaning and setting up for dinner tonight. Her anniversary dinner, if you would.

A year ago today, she'd woken up in Eliot's house, surrounded by tight, worried faces. Her friends, pretty much en masse, had gone through a portal to LA and fought through hordes of exes to bring her home, in hopes that Nanika could bring her back to life. Or maybe just so she'd stop chanting Kathy's name. For whatever reason they'd done it, though, they'd succeeded. Kathy was alive again and had been for a full year.

A dizzying, challenging, terrifying year.

It seemed only right to hold some kind of commemorative dinner for it, somewhere between a celebration (which she still didn't think she'd earned, exactly) and an appreciation dinner. Not just for what they'd done, but for sticking with her this past year, for weathering the ups and downs, for reaching out and checking in, for reconnecting and promising to be better and stronger friends from here forward.

And, well, even if that didn't all come through, it would still be a delicious dinner cooked by Eliot and would give her a chance to just spend some time with the people she loved best, getting caught up with those she hadn't seen in awhile and offering an opportunity for them to get to know one another better, too.

If nothing else, they could all just stuff themselves silly with whatever delicious things the kitchen downstairs had whipped up and the super, extra, very chocolatey desserts Kathy had promised Alluka in her invitation.

[For those invited and up early for SP. No OCD, feel free to just ping in and around.]

Comments

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Not much exciting?" Ringo admitted.

"But I've decided that that's not necessarily a bad thing." She grinned. "I think I could use a bit more boring routine in my life, you know?"

[tigerundercover]

"I think so," Raven said. Another word for 'boring' was 'peaceful', after all. Just depended on your perspective. "It can be nice not to have any surprises come along, definitely."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo chuckled. "I'm okay with the occasional surprise, but, yeah. I think I'm at a place right now where having fewer surprises is giving me a better chance to figure out, well, me, I guess?"

[tigerundercover]

"That's good," Raven said. ". . . I'm not actually sure I ever bothered to do that. Maybe I should get on it."

Who needed figuring yourself out when you were in it just for barebones surivival?

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo grinned. "I've found it helpful, for what it's worth?"

"Talked through some thing with people, too. Though that was kind of hard."

[tigerundercover]

"You mean -- was it -- like the stuff we talked about that one time?" Raven wondered if she should apologize. She probably hadn't made the process any easier, if that was what Ringo meant.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Some of that, yeah." Ringo's smile was a little tired, but genuine. "Some other stuff, too. Just, you know, a lot to process?"

She shrugged awkwardly. "I thought I'd done lots of stuff back home, you know? That there wasn't much to figure out about myself once I got to Fandom other than what it was like to live my own life without anyone else's expectations." A small, self-deprecating smile played across her lips. "I've had to rethink that a bit."

[tigerundercover]

"Do you . . . wanna talk about any of it?" Raven wasn't actually sure what she'd do if Ringo said yes, but it seemed like the thing to do to offer.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Thanks, but I'm actually pretty good at the moment." Ringo smiled. "But the offer is super-generous."

She cocked her head. "What about you? Anything you feel like you've been wanting to talk about? I'm kind of getting to be a better listener these days." Though, given where she'd started, that didn't necessarily mean much.

[tigerundercover]

Raven shook her head. "I like doing better than talking. But thanks." She cocked her head, getting an idea. "How are your ATs at handling woods? Maybe we could do, like, an obstacle course out on the preserve some time. You with them and me with my shifting."

Probably working together rather than racing. Ringo wouldn't stand a chance on that front, with Raven being so familiar with the territory now.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"They're okay? Way better on a hard surface like concrete or asphalt, since it can be harder to get traction on something softer, but they do still work."

Ringo grinned. "And, actually, that sounds fun. I could definitely use the practice out among the trees. It's not something I can do much of back home, and you never know when that kind of thing might come in handy."

[tigerundercover]

Raven nodded. "Cool. And I'll have an excuse to practice some more shapes, too. Hey, maybe if it's warm enough out, we can convince Kathy to join in, too."

Since it wasn't a fight scenario, and thus she couldn't decide to get all guilty over trying to be a hero again.

[soniaroadsqueen]

"The more the merrier," Ringo laughed in agreement. "Though maybe you and I should figure out what kind of course we can set up before we invite too many people."

[tigerundercover]

"I guess that's a good idea," Raven teased. "Do you know the preserve at all? I can tell you where to find me."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"I've had a couple of classes there? I'm not, like, an expert or anything, but I can kind of find my way around? And if i get lost, I can probably give you a call, right?"

[tigerundercover]

"Definitely," Raven said. "And if nothing else, I can find you."

She knew the preserve inside and out now, after all. Assuming the island didn't get bored and rearrange it, anyway.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo laughed. "I can just start yelling if I get lost, then?"

[tigerundercover]

Raven shrugged. "Sure. I mean, you'll probably startle a couple alots while you're at it, but I'll definitely be able to find you that way."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Hmm, maybe I'll try your phone first?"

Though yelling for Raven might not be that far behind.

[tigerundercover]

Raven laughed. "You can do that, too. I try to keep it on me in case Kathy calls."

Kathy was the only one who ever called.

[soniaroadsqueen]

Maybe they could do something about that.

"How do you keep it charged, anyway?" Ringo asked curiously.

[tigerundercover]

Raven looked sheepish. "I sneak into the Perk before most people area awake."

[soniaroadsqueen]

"Ooooh, that's a pretty good solution." Ringo chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "Maybe you could also get a solar charger thing? I'm pretty sure they make those, right?"