Lots of New Friends
The phone rang in the middle of the commercials. It was a boring American beer commercial, and Dayle wasn't too annoyed.
When the heavy British accent flowed out of the receiver, Dayle heard her own laughing echoing off the walls of the kitchen.
"Hello Mum."
"Greetings Blissot!"
"Mum, call me Dayle, please? I've asked you for years..."
"I know you have, poppet, but you do realize that I've been your mother for longer than you've needed a less strange name?"
"Mum, do you know how many people know what Blissot means anymore? Probably only folks who know Olde English and maybe people who pay attention in their language classes."
"Speaking of Olde English, I'm not calling you too late, am I dear?"
"No Mum, we're five hours behind you."
"You know I'd rather you be getting good sleep than worrying about the time."
"Thank you, Mum, I do try to keep my sleep patterns regular."
"Glad to hear it. You know I do still worry about you. How are you? How's your sister?"
"We're fine, Mum, we're both working now and ..." Dayle realized maybe she shouldn't tell Elsa about Ysabel's boyfriend. "It's quite a lovely city. Much more open than London, wider streets. Less rain, but we do have hurricane warnings."
"Oh, dear. Now that you've told me that you know I'll worry more than I already have."
"Mum, be serious. Just because your daughters moved to the other side of the pond -" she made a mock gasp "- and are living near and among Colonials doesn't mean we're destined for some nasty end."
"Don't be flippant with me, girl-"
"Mum. Flippant is my middle name. You should know that by now." She held her tongue in check, knowing the conversation was only going to become a mudslinging match. "How's Father? Still off on his Asian tour?"
"Oh, he's fine, he rang me earlier. Found himself a nice geisha to play with while he was there. He said the Japanese blood is a bit thinner than we're used to but the texture's quite different. Must be all the different food they eat. You remember Mrs. Hodges? Amelia, the upstairs maid? She died last week, had a heart attack while cleaning the Armory. I don't know why she insisted upon doing it, she couldn't even barely open the door let alone pick up the swords to dust them..."
"Oh, Mum, I'm so sorry. I know she was one of our oldest living familiars... Did she have any kin?"
"None that have come forward. We've put out the usual inquiries but she was over fifty years older than most of her kin would expect to remember."
"Well, I hope you find someone."
"We shall. If we don't, we'll manage. I suppose I could learn what some of the new cleaners do, instead of hiring someone for a few years."
Pursing her lips to prevent herself from laughing again, Dayle simply replied, "Whatever you think will work, Mother."
"Bob's your uncle? Belt up, Ysabel, everything was going bees knees and the chin wag is still ace. Sure his blinkers got him fagged to gen up the fit. He's not suffering Her Majesty's pleasure for not giving new things welly, and you won't hear me giving him aggro. New things brill, you know. Carry the bottle, same as you. I'm chiffed for you. I can see what you're on about, and he's not a one-off. You both have rock goolies for what you have, and I won't make a hash of it. It may have only been a half hour," she rambled on and tipped her can to Ambrose, "but the best of the British to you both." Turning back to her sister, she stomped on, "I still reserve the right to take him on an unblinkered bender and I won't allow him to start with any of that baloney about choices. If you really think I dropped a clanger, then do me, but since we're not having a dog's dinner I plan to take the full monty to gen up on your smashing chap."
Tipping her beer again to Ambrose, she echoed her twin, "All right?" and tipping her head back downed the remainder of the can's contents.
“Fucking hell. That translates right? Cause if you two keep that up I’ll be off on a bender on my own.”
See, he’d caught all of one word in that mess.
A twisted, arrogant yet teasing grin crossed his face. He really wasn’t put out but he was still slightly confused.
She shook her head. "Remind me if we ever get to the UK you're going to need my services as translator."
Pursing her lips, she rolled her eyes toward the ceiling thoughtfully. "Although, it might be fun to watch you flounder just a bit."
Ysabel wasn't usually so openly humorous, but here in private with Dayle it was different, and she had begun to be much more relaxed around Ambrose as well. She didn't mind allowing for a bit of light teasing, particularly knowing Ambrose enjoyed it.
Dayle stood and, crossing around the coffee table, plopped down on the couch opposite her twin. Leaning in, she too pressed a kiss to Ambrose's cheek. "You're hired. But just so you know, mine is an at-will employment contract, and refer back to my statement earlier."
Slapping Ambrose on the leg, she cracked, "Besides, can't have you going off on a bender either without us or alone. No sense getting yourself thrown out into the street at sunrise, right? And driving under the influence of sunlight is only going to char your seat."
Off the couch Dayle hopped and landed in her chair again. "What is it you do with your spare time, Ambrose? I mean, the spare time that you don't spend working or with my sister. Or, even if you please, what is it you actually do, if you work?"
Ambrose half growled. He didn't ask for direction or a dictionary when he didn't know what was going on he just plowed on confidant that eventually he'd be right.
Being book ended by Belle and her sister, however, had a consolatory effect and he no longer felt like grumbling. Although he still found it rather disconcerting to see Belle's face in a modern hair cut and cloths.
"Trying to figure out if I can take care of her in the manner to which she's become accustom?"Â?
A sideways grin split his face. No Ambrose was not rich. He was well off and could manage for a few years but he did need the occasional job.
"Since meeting her I don't have much spare time but I still pull a few gigs. I'm mostly a studio musician, guitar mostly."Â?
Leaning forward for some cheese and crackers, Dayle commented, "Do you have fun doing it? I've never been especially musically inclined, myself. If you enjoy it, you shouldn't let her monopolize your time," she directed her comment to her sister with a spiteful grin, "though I'm sure it's a mutual monopolization."
To Dayle she beamed, glad to have her sister's acceptance of her chosen lover. It hadn't been entirely necessary, but she still wouldn't have felt entirely right if Dayle hadn't approved. "I only monopolize him half the time," she said. "The rest, it's all him."
She didn't mention that she'd been spending almost all of her time at the Manor in Ambrose's suite. Ysabel still felt bad having her own rooms, however small and cozy, when she was suddenly rarely there.
That was neither here nor there however, and she would put that concern on the backburner for the moment. Right now she was happy enough just to be in such company. Her two favorite people in the world were in this room with her, and it was immensely enjoyable. For all her insistence on manners and propriety, Ysabel wasn't obsessed with them, and this was as loose as she'd been in a very long time. It felt good.
Ysabel refused to comment on anything of a financial nature, doing her best to hold back a chuckle when it seemed Dayle might be prepping to do further interrogation. Her sister approved however, she knew that... so any questioning now was mere curiosity.
Looking back to Dayle he confirmed.
“Nothings going to hurt her.”
Not while he was around to make sure of it. He’d answered a bit more possessively than he’d intended but Belle was his and she would be taken care of.
Finally overcoming his skepticism of the cheese and crackers he picked up a few and began munching.
“I enjoy the flexibility it gives me. Let’s us monopolize each other a lot. What about you. Belle’s told me she the sweet and innocent one so you must be the… other one.”
Twisted and evil, trouble, rabble rouser, rebel, they were al good words but for Belle’s sake he was trying to play nice and keep the misunderstandings to a minimum.
Snickering behind a badly maintained straight face, Dayle busted out laughing a moment later. "See-hee-heriously," she managed, coughing and sputtering, she held her breath to calm herself. "We're quite alike, actually, and yet vastly different. Where Ysabel likes older styles, I'm partial to newer, more risque fashions. Where she's pale, I'm more honeyed. Where she's liable to sweet-talk you I'd rather give it to you straight. We're sisters, Ambrose, and we always will be... We'll always be alike in someways, and we're as different as you can imagine in others. So... yes. I am the 'other one.'" She smiled when she saw him finally partake of the snacks. "More water?"
She wondered, briefly, how Ambrose would interpret Dayle's words. She knew a bit about Ambrose's family and it wasn't anywhere near as close-knit as her own was. She did stand though, and give Dayle a hug from behind, holding out her hand past her sister to take Ambrose's glass. "I'll get it."
The she stood on her toes, levitating herself just a bit off the floor for extra height, and dropped a kiss on Dayle's cheek. "I couldn't ask for a better sister." She winked at Ambrose. "Sometimes I think I should try to be more like her, but that would never do. I'm me and she's her, and it's for the best that way, I'm sure."
"Now ma'am I can't have you talking about me like that. I might blush and no self respecting gentleman of my class could be seen to do that."Â?
His class being the 'if it moves shoot it' types but they hadn't gone into that yet.
The idea of grabbing Belle and pulling her into his lap was very tempting as she got him more water. He really would have liked that, or at least a beer but he just couldn't deal with the can thing.
The two of them were close, even if they did belong to different clans. It was impressive. Dropping the accent he continued.
"I'd say you've got it worked out well. I tried to kill my brother once, it didn't do much to cement the relationship... so it's good you compliment each other rather than clone each other."Â?
She nodded at Ambrose's compliment. "It's good that we do, too, or we'd likely have killed each other a long time ago. Or at least had fun trying. Then again," she said musingly, "that could be a dysfunction only found in movies or telly dramas. We have our share of drama, Ambrose, but all throughout and at the end... we're still sisters." Dayle tossed her empty can towards the kitchen, aiming for Ysabel's back. It bounced off with a slight 'tink' and fell into the recycling bin. "Of course, the occasional prank and goofy nudging notwithstanding... we do love each other."
Practical jokes, hmm?
She merrily hummed as she refilled the glass and plunked a few ice cubes into it. She was no singer, but she could carry a tune reliably, so it wasn't horrifying, at least.
It said something about their lives, she thought, when Ambrose could casually mention attempting to kill his brother and they all just glossed over it. Dayle was either being very polite or hadn't caught that he'd been entirely serious, and for Ysabel's part, she'd actually heard it before so it wasn't exactly a shocker to her.
It never ceased to amuse her that the man she'd wind up with would be the black sheep family delinquent, but who was she to judge? She done her fair share of less than savory things.
"We do, indeed, love each other," Ysabel confirmed as she returned to the living room. She looked straight ahead at Ambrose, handing him his glass with a little curtsey as the ice cube she'd floated along with her was released down the back of Dayle's shirt.
For a second he wanted to pry in to Tàcharan business, ask why Dayle had defected and how the two of them over came that difference. But Belle had rather firmly put him in his place on that score before hand and Ambrose didn’t open his mouth.
The idea, though, of Ysabel doing anything less than proper was a stretch. Sure she’d been a little silly around him, slightly ‘cheeky’ and she sure wasn’t shy but goofy didn’t fit the picture.
“You sure you’ve got the right person? A few hundred years old and looks suspiciously like you?”
"Yes, we've got the right persons... Though," she said, looking at Ysabel pointedly, "I don't think we should have told him how old we are. More mystery."
"You really shouldn't play with your food, Dayle," she chided loftily as she resumed her seat next to Ambrose and reclaimed her wine.
At her sister's pointed statement she arched her eyebrows, porcelain features modeling themselves after the very picture of innocence. "I didn't tell him how old you were. Just myself."
With her sweetest smile she plucked out another strawberry from the tray and considered its suitability before once more dipping it into her wineglass.
“Don’t worry I’ve never been much for math” Untrue but the appropriate answer and he could be appropriate when he needed to be. “and some things do get better with age.”
That was it, he couldn’t take Belle playing with her strawberries and wine like that any more, and she had to know it was driving him crazy. Ambrose caught her hand as it left the glass and brought the strawberry to his mouth efficiently biting it in two while looking her meaningfully in the eyes. Later, it would have to be later but she also needed to know she had started something now.
Settling back, he switched back to ‘we’re not alone’ mode.
“And there’s plenty of mystery. One fact doesn’t give much away at all when you think about it.”
Leaning back over the tray, Dayle collected a few more bits of assorted veggies in her hand and nibbled slowly. "I am glad I got to meet you, Ambrose. One less mystery about my sister. We still have them, and they're fun to boggle through." Crunching down on a baby carrot, she shrugged and smiled at her sister, displaying orangey bits in her teeth. "Usually."
Just like that he was releasing her, munching on the strawberry, and smiling winningly at Dayle. Ysabel sadly observed the bitten half of her strawberry, but she perked up at the idea of what would surely be happening later on.
She gave Ambrose an impish grin, made that much more mischievous by the fact that she was in such good company with him and her sister, and dunked the bitten strawberry into her wineglass, swirling it around and popping it into her mouth with arched brows.
"I try not to be mysterious," she offered contritely to Dayle. "Not unless it seems appropriate anyway."
Quite possibly, Ysabel was the better of the two at acting the part of mysterious. She supposed it came with the years and years of flirtations and coy glances and dropped fans and the list went on and on. She sniffed haughtily.
"I am a product of my environment," she maintained.
He casually touched his tongue to one of his fangs, strawberries and wine. Maybe he’d have to keep some of those around for her.
“A pleasure to meet any of Belle’s family. I wouldn’t have expected I’d be able to.”
It was hard to imagine that either could keep mysteries from the other for six hundred years. That was his first thought, but then again it might be easier time apart, time to learn, time to cover your trail.
He raised an eyebrow at Belle’s defense of her mysterious ways, as if to ask what part of her environment some of their more ‘playful’ moments was a product of.
“If you haven’t figured her out in all these years I’m doomed.”