Library /
Something old...something blue
/
Fallon
17 years ago
Something old...something blue
Having one's head in the clouds could be a good thing, as long as one also had the semblance to pay attention to where one was going. In Fallon's case, it never had been very easy to remain graceful without concentrating. With Cyrus it was different. He seemed to bring out the very best in her, and she was able to move with poise around him. But left to her own devices, she either focused on where she was going and what she was doing, or she ran the risk of landing on her ass.
Stumbling out of her RAV, she managed to catch herself before she wound up on the asphalt parking lot. Weddings, and everything that went into planning them, consumed Fallon's attentions at the moment. Even when she was again on an even stride, her mind was a whirl with things she had to take care of, if she wanted to get married next month.
Valentine's Day was, without doubt, way too soon to be planning nuptials for, but Fallon had two reasons for not wanting to go beyond that date. One, she wanted to be married to Cyrus as soon as possible. She loved him with every fiber of her being, and though she didn't expect things to change between them, felt the need to 'be his', in name as well as spirit. And two, it just seemed the perfect day.
Because the wedding would be in the evening, there was no need to wait for pretty spring or summer days. And even though she and Cyrus spent a great deal of time outside, getting married in the forest just didn't seem conducive to guests who would attend. So a wedding in an enclosed structure, in the evening, seemed to lend itself to a Valentine's Day event as well.
Besides...she thought it was a cute idea.
Wandering into the library, Fallon looked for Ana. No arrangements had been made between the women, so she knew there was a good chance Ana might not even be working tonight. But going to the library to research things for the wedding had been a spur of the moment decision, and while it would be nice to have both Ana, and Aishe with her, Fallon had found both women rather scarce the past few days.
From lack of contact, Fallon guessed Aishe must have still been wrapped up in her man, and understood that completely. Yet that fact didn't stop Fallon from missing her sister.
And Ana...wow, but that girl seemed to have her hands full. Between all the back and forth voice messages they had left on each other's phones, Fallon had come to find out that Ana had been dating! That was all she knew though, and was dying to find out more, and gave her an added reason for coming to the library tonight.
Not seeing her friend, Fallon went in search of the magazine section, and found several on brides, and weddings. Choosing six to start with, Fallon carried them to one of the more secluded tables, not yet inhabited, and spread out her find before her. Sitting down she began going through each publication, page by page, making notes on a small pad she pulled from her purse.
Aishe exchanged dubious glances with Fallon. She wasn't so sure about this self-assured, almost cocky man. But... really, he seemed harmless enough.
Offering him a grin but no inch and certainly no mile, she shook her head. "We're hardly likely to test you when we know you're ready and waiting for it." Resting her elbows on the table, she cupped her chin in her hands and looked at him with narrowed green eyes like a tabby cat watching a canary. "No no, we're subtle and tricky. We'll test you in plenty of little ways when you're least expecting it."
She ruined it with a wink, but in truth she was only half-joking. She would always be looking out for Ana's best interests. She wasn't going to write off a suitor on the basis of one meeting alone, but she wasn't going to give him two thumbs up right off the bat either!
((ooc: It's Ay-sha, actually, for those curious. ))
Joey chuckled softly and held a hand up in surrender. "Fair enough."
Joey wasn't entirely sure he wanted to make buddies with these two women. His nose was filled with the scent of cat from Fallon and it wasn't just the new kitten smell she had either. Though he was certain there were tiny kittens involved but the scent what was behind them was muskier, and more wild. That disturbed him a great deal. Though it could just be that this woman was a wild life rescuer or something equally benign. He mentally shrugged it off, and made a mental note to ask Ana about it some time soon.
"I think I could tell you a little about myself, just the same."
He gave her another dimple filled smile "My name is Joseph Micah Lo Duca. I was born in the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon. I graduated high school with decent grades and I have a degree in social sciences, which is a big fancy way of saying I took enough hours to get a degree but not in a specific field. I worked my way across the country, visiting relatives and taking odd jobs which helped hone my skills as an electrician, plumber, and general handyman. When I got to Nachton, I helped some family members build a house and now I live with some friends in a crappy loft with great lighting and a bad view.
I'm an artist and if you visit the Ramsey Gallery you'll find some of my pieces. I like them, but I'm not entirely sure how good they are." He grinned again. "To make a real living I work of The Studio. I do general maintainance and repair, plus the cleaning up every day. Wren's a great boss and the hours give me time to paint during the day when I have light."
He ran his hand through his hair and offered another smile. "That's pretty much me in a nutshell."
Hoping the man wouldn't take Aishe up on her offer to join them, Fallon was perturbed to see Joey do just that. That once again the girl talk had been interrupted was becoming normal, and Fallon only sighed in resignation. At least Aishe seemed to like him well enough, and consequently Fallon was fine letting the two of them chat, while she took the additional time to look the man over yet again.
There was something about him that Fallon just couldn't seem to make 'right' in her mind, yet the more she tried to figure it out, the less sense it made.
He was obviously much more than a janitor, having graduated college, and gone on to learn so many other things, besides having a talent for art. He seemed warm, and gracious, after all, the fact that he took the time to give a resume of sorts to Ana's friends had to prove something as well.
So why did Fallon think he was hiding something?
"You've been a busy man, Joseph Micah Lo Duca...for someone who seems so young." Was that it? Was this Joey older than he appeared? Perhaps he was a vampire as well? And if he was, certainly he hadn't told Ana...Fallon couldn't imagine her friend keeping that bit of information to herself.
What was it that made the fine hairs on the back of Fallon's neck bristle? How she wished Cyrus were here to meet the man. She didn't know how, but she knew Cyrus would have been able to pin down what it was that gave Fallon a sense of concern for Ana.
But Cyrus wasn't there, so Fallon could only continue to listen, and try to solve the puzzle herself.
Joey sent his smile Fallon's way, she didn't appear all that happy with his intrusion, and he would leave just as soon as he talked to Ana. "Joey, please."
He rolled his shoulders back, and ran a hand through his hair. He had to fight the urge to cock his head and stare at her like a curious puppy. "I'm just about twenty-six, Miss. Fallon. I'm driven, so I tend to take on more than I should, but I never back down from a project and I always see things through to the end."
It was a challenge he hadn't meant to give, and he regretted it even as it left his mouth. He did not want to make enemies of Ana's friends, but he needed them to know he wasn't a love'em and leave'em kind of guy. He loved Ana, and he was going to be in her life wether Fallon liked it or not. 'Ok see, you need to calm the fuck down dude. It's not like she's been hostile, but she's not been friendly either. Damn this is going all kinds of wrong. I totally need to make a graceful exit and go hunt down Ana and reschedule. Yeah that might be good.' But damn if he wanted to be the one to back down. Was it about territory now?
So, he was twenty five...Fallon reckoned he did look about that...maybe a year or two younger, but it was plausible that he might have completed all he professed to in that amount of time.
She hated that she hadn't automatically liked him, and the more she thought about it the less reason she could find with her trepidations. She wasn't usually a judgemental person, so why now?
"You're lucky to have such focus, and drive..." Though it was possible he had made the statement in an attempt to get a point across, Fallon did not connect it to his relationship with Ana. To do so would have reduced that relationship to something more like a scheme, or activity, and Fallon would never assume something so base or crass.
For now she would content herself knowing Ana was a bright woman, and one Fallon didn't think would simply be won over by a pair of dimples and pretty brown eyes. She hoped if this was an affair destined to last, that her strange reservations would eventually disappear.
"Please...if you're going to wait, have a seat. Though I'm afraid we were just talking girl things...weddings, flowers, dresses." Propriety dictated she be civil, and it wasn't like that was so awfully difficult. Still, she couldn't quite shake the prickle poking her neck. She hoped she had made her invitation friendly enough.
Aishe's eyes flickered back and forth from Fallon to Joey and back. There had been nothing untoward, she thought, in her own bluntness, but Fallon seemed to be feeling something even stronger. Aishe wished at that moment that she could send to her friend and they could pow-wow right there, but that would have to wait.
Smiling a bit, trying to break the ice some, she pushed out the chair next to her and gave a nod to Joey. "Anyway the grilling isn't supposed to begin just now."
She didn't expect him to have anything to add on the subject of the wedding, but she nodded along agreeably with Fallon when her friend outlined what they were discussing. "Ana should be back pretty soon," she added. She wasn't exactly sure how long Ana had intended to be gone, but knowing her, she'd make her way back to her friends with all haste.
Aishe was curious to see how Joey interacted with Ana... and even more, how Ana was with him. She couldn't judge a book by its cover, it would be far too hypocritical of her.
Joey's back was up and he hated it. He was too restless to sit. He gave Aishe and Fallon congenial smiles and a small shake of his head. "No thank you. I think I'm going to go find Ana. You ladies have a good evening."
He gave a nod of his head and turned around to go deeper into the library. He found her stacking large volumes onto a shelf. She stopped and turned to look at him, a smile breaking out over those lovely features, putting fire behind those chocolaty eyes.
"Hi, baby. I met your friends."
She fussed for a moment, but he just kissed her to quiet it. "It's alright I came out with only a minor scratch or two."
He pushed an errant lock of hair from her face, and kissed her lips again. "I'm going to head home, we'll do dinner tomorrow, ok."
The disappointment on her face broke his heart, so he kissed her again. "You should spend the evening with your friends. Let them grill you about me. Have a great time ok?"
"Yeah. Good night, Joey."
"Good night Ana, baby."
He kissed her lips once more, because he could and wound his way out of the library. Hopping in his Jeep he drove away and back to the Den, where he could run off the tension of meeting Ana's friend Fallon.
While it was true she hadn't fallen head over heels for Ana's new beau, Fallon didn't think she had been rude, or unfriendly. She had smiled at the man, and she had also invited him to sit, even if the invitation hadn't been gushing.
Since coming into her own, as a woman, and a person, Fallon's backbone had toughened considerably, but she doubted she had yet achieved sufficient strength to truly put anyone down. And yet she had the distinct impression Mr. Lo Duca might have felt otherwise.
"Was it something I said?" She asked Aishe, suddenly filled with guilt and fear that Ana would be terribly disappointed with her.
"I hope I wasn't rude. I don't know why, but there is something about that young man that I just can't reconcile. I really didn't want to be mean though."
And whether it was just the overall emotional state she'd been in since the proposal, or that in conjunction with her odd feelings about Joey, Fallon found her eyes tearing up.
"I hope he didn't think I hated him or anything...or that Ana hates me for treating him badly..."
Looking back in the direction Joey just took, that followed Ana's earlier trek, Fallon was even more upset not to see either one of them now.
Aishe eyed Fallon with one brow raised. "Don't be silly." Her tone wasn't chastising, it was the gentlest of rebukes. "Ana won't be mad at either one of us for looking out for her. And you weren't at all rude."
She gave Fallon a reassuring hug around the shoulders. Her friend had been filled with so much more confidence and self-assurance since Cyrus came into her life; it would be a shame to see her revert to timidity now. It was probably a passing thundercloud, or at least she hoped so.
"Anyway, I agree with you. It almost seemed like he was trying too hard," Aishe admitted. "But he probably was... after all, there are no worse critics than the girlfriends. In the end it's out of our hands no matter what we say, like or dislike. So we just watch and take his measure and quietly make sure Ana's happy. Because that's the important thing."
With a smile, she tapped the magazine in front of them. "We've barely looked at this yet," she said with a soft laugh. "We're supposed to be planning the happiest day of your very long life, and we've spent the whole thing gossiping like schoolgirls."
Getting her friend off the subject of Joey was, perhaps, the best course of action. Aishe knew they'd discuss the man again, but at least for the moment she might be able to get Fallon out of her brief bit of worry and doubt.
It was a paradox of emotions that filled Fallon's heart. She wanted nothing more than for Ana to be happy, and in Fallon's mind that included having someone truly special in her life, but then too, she found she couldn't just accept that Joey was that someone.
She didn't think her reservations were built around Joey 'trying to hard', but for lack of a better reason she nodded in agreement when Aishe mentioned it.
Then too, when she refocused on the magazines before her, and was struck with such a sense of futility, Fallon knew she was trying too hard herself.
"I think trying to get this all accomplished by Valentine's Day was just too ambitious. When I first began planning the wedding, I was thinking of it more along the lines of planning a party..." A small sigh escaped Fallon's lips, as she turned concerned eyes on her friend. "But that's just dumb. There is sooooo much more involved here. I'm thinking maybe I should shoot for June...?"
Would Aishe agree...would June conflict with any plans her friends had...would Cyrus be disappointed? Even in trying to shift the date of the wedding to make things less stressful, Fallon found she was still creating stress.
Throwing up her arms, Fallon sat back in her chair, and furrowed her brows. Changing things from February to June would also probably mean she shouldn't have red as the color for the attendants dresses, but she really wanted red.
"Okay, am I making too much of all this? " Aishe was probably the best person to be with Fallon now. She was so organized, and logical...Fallon knew if anyone could help her make sense of the plans, Aishe was that person.
Aishe let Fallon run through her questions until her friend threw her arms up. Then she laughed softly and shook her head.
"First things first," she said sensibly. "Indoors, or outdoors? Because if you're aiming for an outdoor wedding, June might be a little warm."
Aishe was certain her gown would be something delightfully strappy or airy or otherwise appropriately lady-in-waiting-like, so she wasn't incredibly worried, but there might be something unappealing about men standing around in tuxes in the middle of a hot June night.
Then another thought occurred. She cleared her throat. "At the risk of being a bit too practical," shesaid with slight hesitation, "Perhaps indoors might be best after all. You know... at night, mosquitoes... other little many-legged insects..."
The idea of a romantic outdoor evening wedding was appealing, but was citronella really the fragrance Fallon had in mind? And flowers of any kind might be enough to tempt even the most stalwart of citronella-hating bugs into their personal space. She watched Fallon expectantly, not only listening for her reaction but gauging her body language as well. If Fallon's heart was set on an outdoor wedding there had to be a way to do it.
Fallon was thinking of an outdoor wedding, but had yet to make that idea public to even Cyrus. It just seemed the most fitting way to join her life with her man's, especially since so much of their time was spent in the forest.
"Really, you think a midnight wedding might still be too warm?" If anything, since she'd originally been thinking of a February wedding, Fallon's major reserve was the cold. But at midnight, even in the warmest Nachton evenings, she assumed the temperatures would have receded enough to make for a perfect night time event.
And then bugs! She had never given the pesky critters a second thought, though she knew it was something she really did need to consider. While she had never been bothered by the insects much...something about the oils in her physical make up made her less than attractive she guessed...she did have to do what would make her guest comfortable too.
"Hmmm...maybe instead of the forest we could marry on the lanai. And if we kept the lighting low, and didn't do much to attract them, maybe the insects would leave us alone? I guess we could get some of those bug zapper things..."
And images of zapped bugs flopping onto the laps of guests made Fallon wrinkle her nose. Not to mention the sounds of the zaps competing with the sounds of violins...no, that wouldn't do.
"I wonder if there might be some place local, or within the general district, that might be more conducive."
She hadn't checked into that yet, but could easily do so tomorrow.
She had ruled out anything religious because she, herself, wasn't into such organized things, and if Cyrus was, he kept that to himself. She did believe in God, and the teachings of the bible, as far as she could fit such things into her own life, but she had never found the need to share such thoughts with a room full of other people, or a minister. Growing up as she had, without anything, including religion to offer her solace, Fallon just believed in the theories of christianity, because she had no reason not to. Right versus wrong, good versus bad, do unto others, etc...they all made sense, and didn't require any sacrifices on her part...so why not believe? But that was no reason to feel their wedding needed to be presided over by someone of faith.
If she could find some pretty building, maybe with a glassed in room, or wall, that could let some of the night light in, she could deal with an indoor wedding.
"If you don't know, I'll put that on top of the list to find." And she jotted that down on her small pad.
Flipping to some pages she had unceremoniously folded over, Fallon showed Aishe three of the red dresses she thought might be pretty for the attendants to wear. While Fallon wanted all the colors to be the same, she thought the idea of having each woman wear a different style would be fun, and also give each of her friends that much say in their choices. After all, they had every right to like the dresses they wore.
"What do you think about these? Any of these close to something you'd like to wear?"
Ana leaned over Fallon's shoulder. "Red's not my color, I don't think. But then I'm not much of a fashion goddess," she said with a wink to both women as she returned to her seat. Sliding her glasses from her nose, she rested them upside down on the tabletop. Rubbing her nose with thumb and forefinger of one hand, she used the other to scratch the back of her neck.
Blinking as she stared unfocused into the distance of the library, she admitted to herself she was confused not only at Joey's reaction - something had spooked him, and she didn't guess it was the Girlfriend Grilling - but at that little boy's need to climb up those shelves that had broken and crashed. "Some days I just don't understand males. I must have missed that class in college. 'How to Understand Mars' one-oh-one."
After a slight jump in her seat at Ana's unexpected reappearance, Fallon reached her arm around Ana when she sat down, and gave her a hug. It seemed important to show Ana affection now, in the wake of how things had gone down with her new boyfriend. Though Fallon had no idea if or what Joey would have told her friend about the encounter.
"I think the trick is not to try and understand them. but to just learn to live with them. They do have some tremendous attributes." Fallon laughed. For the most part she really didn't think there was a lot about Cyrus she didn't understand, but did admit when such a thing cropped up in her mind she either asked him to explain it, or let it go. Coming from a situation where nothing in her life had made sense, to the life she led now was so much more than she could have ever dreamed of, that she wasn't about to go poking and prodding at things she didn't have a dire necessity for.
Turning slightly in her chair, Fallon scrutinized Ana, trying to see if she could denote any changes in her friend that might indicate her true feelings about Joey. She also looked over the girl's coloring, triggered by her comment about 'red not being her color'.
"Red is everyone's color, it's just finding the shade, and then accepting that you can wear something so boldly, without feeling apprehensive. Am I right?"
Looking now to Aishe for support, Fallon truly believed what she said. Having never felt comfortable herself wearing red, she had been told recently by a designer that her feelings were unsupported. The designer said red was one of the most flattering colors someone could wear, but people did tend to shy away from it because of its boldness.
Aishe immediately felt sorry for apparently squashing Fallon's idea of an outdoor wedding. Sometimes, practical thinking was not the best-received. She strained her brain to come up with some sort of compromise, silently agreeing that an indoor venue did not sound nearly as exotic or romantic as an outdoor wedding.
"What if you put up a very fine screen around the lanai?" she finally suggested. "It doesn't have to be permanent, and would probably cost less in the long run than renting a fancy convention center or something. You could have some of the outdoors while cutting down on the chance that the elements might upset the ceremony."
It wouldn't even matter if it rained then; the open areas of the lanai could be covered in the event of inclement weather as well.
"If you don't want to have the wedding at home, though, I can check into it for you. I don't know of anyplace suitable off the top of my head, but I have my connections." The last was said with a cheeky Aishe-wink; naturally, either of the two women had enough resources who were familiar enough with Nachton to gather the information they needed.
Sitting across from Fallon, she saw Ana approaching once more, but she quickly flicked her eyes away so as not to ruin the surprise, peering instead at the pictures Fallon indicated and laughing softly at Fallon's jump.
She pointed to one of the gowns, a pretty, ankle length strapless thing that looked breezy and elegant at once. "I like that, it's pretty."
Red was a bold color, to her, but that didn't mean she was opposed to wearing it. She thought she had a chance at pulling it off with her dark skin and hair. On her it might look sultry; on Ana though, it would probably look brilliant. "I don't know much about fashion," she admitted. "It was never my forte."
She indicated her usual... cargo pants in an almost boyish style, a fitted, long-sleeved hooded sweater in soft gray-green, and of course, her thick-soled black shoes, with a wave of her hand. "I can only guess at how red would suit you, Ana, but I think you would sparkle."
As the conversation drifted, inevitably, toward their respective men, Aishe found herself resolved to silence. She had an unfair advantage in the game of understanding; not a moment of the day went by that she couldn't concentrate and determine without words Kem's emotions and reactions. Even before they'd bonded, there had been very little about him she didn't understand, particularly once she had solved the mystery of what he was for herself. She didn't take it for granted though... she was grateful to have the inside scoop at all times, and, she chuckled to herself, she knew Kem was too.
Ana seemed quiet, and Fallon would have appreciated a little more feedback from her, but mentally shrugged. Chances were Joey was still in her head...Fallon could relate...so she just hoped if something Ana really took exception to was suggested, that she'd say so.
"The screen sounds like a good idea. Since we didn't spend last summer there, it's something I hadn't thought about, but I'm sure you're right, Aishe. And truth be told, I'd rather get married at Ger Kogji anyway...there would be so much less to worry about...you know...security, and all. AND!!! AND!! We'd be able to have the little ones there too!"
Fallon laughed often when she spoke of the kittens. They were already getting so big, but she knew she'd always think of them as the 'young ones'. She hadn't gone totally around the bend to consider them 'children', but there was a fine line there. Since they would be the closest she and Cyrus would come to having in the way of offspring, they meant nearly as much to Fallon as real children would.
Turning back to the magazine, Fallon nodded.
"I think red will look good on both of you, and Ana...you'll still have veto power, but if you would give them a 'look see' first, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
Sticking her tongue through her lips, to barely peek out, Fallon touched her index finger to the soft, wet spot, and flipped through a few more pages.
"So then...the lanai for the wedding...red for the central color...flowers? I love roses, since they smell so wonderful, but can either of you suggest something else...besides carnations...maybe something exotic?"
The florist who took care of the housewarming had done a phenomenal job, and Fallon would be using them again, but wanted to have a good idea of what to tell him to use, when she visited him.
"And invitations? I'm not sure if I should go traditional, or with something really unique. Ideas there either?"
With regard to invitations, Fallon really had no ideas at all. The traditional styles were probably not her favorites, but barring ideas from her two friends, she was afraid that would be the default way to go.
"Red is good for an overarcing color, and again I'm not an interior decorator or wedding planner, but I think there should be a few contrasting or harmonious colors. Otherwise it could look like, well, a big red mess! Then again, I've never been in a wedding, let alone gone to one, and really need to stop basing anything I say on things I don't know much about off tv or movies." Ana shrugged helplessly. "I can pipe up and say what I think looks nice or might work, but really Fallon, this is your big day we're talking about, and you have Executive Power."
Ana pulled a small folded square of silk from her pocket and wiped her glasses before replacing them on her nose. "Will there be a theme to the wedding? If you were going to do, say, a luau type wedding you could put little scroll-like papers in a bottle and use those as invitations... Then again, a wedding is a wedding and perhaps traditional is best. I'd have to think about that more."
Glancing across the library at one of several clocks she'd had placed, Ana sighed. "I need to get back about my duties. I'm free tonight, it seems, if you ladies want to and don't mind dragging a geeky librarian about town or even just home to hang. 'Sup to you."
She leaned over in her seat to press a quick kiss to Fallon's cheek, then turned to do the same for Aishe. Unfortunately, her chair didn't lean exactly how she'd hoped and her chair tilted then fell, spilling Ana onto the floor. Scrambling quickly, she stood with minimum fuss and gave Aishe her kiss. "I'm okay, I'm alright." Straightening her chair, then her hair and glasses, Ana shrugged with a goofy grin at her friends and headed back to her counter.
Aishe pursed her lips for a moment. She was no florist.
"The only exotic flowers I can think of are blue lilies and birds of paradise," she said, "and even then, I'm not really sure what they look like. Of course, I am quite the accomplished internet-surfer. I could Google exotic flowers for you!"
Her little internet remark was made with a sly chuckle; she hadn't been allowed to forget that her internet-surfing skills had landed Kem in the world's most ridiculous shirt, and she was certain he was plotting revenge for when she least expected it.
Ana's invitation idea was cute, and she said so with enthusiasm. "I like that idea... but she's right Fallon, you tell us what you're looking for and we'll help. It's your special day, not ours."
Her reflexes weren't quick enough, nor was she close enough, to catch Ana as she fell, but their friend popped back up quickly enough to allay most worry. Still, she reached out to help Ana right herself. As her friend reassured her that she was fine, Aishe was treated to a colorful burst of shapes from her lips. She couldn't help studying it; muddied green... the obvious one, embarrassment over her spill.
There were little yellow circles, a color she was coming to realize meant hope. But there was some kind of funny haze over them, something grayish-brownish and smacking of discontent. Aishe didn't know enough to be certain. But she regarded Ana with concern as the woman headed off to finish her work.
She turned to Fallon. "A girls' night out? Or even a girls' night at home?" She lifted her eyebrows; Kem wouldn't mind if her friends came over to continue their planning. He'd said as much, and it wasn't as if they didn't have instant cell-phone capabilities. "We could haul this all over to our place," she suggested.
At first Fallon felt disappointed, but quickly realized she had no legitimate reason to be. She had asked for help, and was getting it, and even if it wasn't quite what she had in mind, she had specifically asked Aishe and Ana because she valued their opinions.
Plus, they were right when they reminded her it was HER wedding, and the ultimate choices would have to be her's anyway. She could hardly expect them to be as excited about the event as she was.
Stunned, but quickly relieved, Fallon smiled to see Ana hadn't hurt herself. She even managed to keep her smile when Ana left the table again. She had rather traipsed in on Ana at work, and couldn't expect her pal could just drop everything to spend time with them now.
But Aishe was still there, and the idea of moving the evening to Aishe and Kem's house made sense, and sounded fun as well.
Fallon didn't miss the look Aishe had given Ana either, though she couldn't figure the reason behind it.
"Aishe...you were staring...at Ana, just then...everything okay?"
Aishe hadn't looked worried, at least not in Fallon's opinion, but rather curious...or very interested. So Fallon wasn't worried either, but as curious.
Gathering up the magazines, Fallon pushed her chair back from the table and stood.
"If you're sure Kem won't mind, maybe we should take these to your place, to go over. That way when Ana gets time off, she won't have to worry about work, and can relax a little. And I won't have to worry about what I say, or how loud I say it...though I will try hard not to disturb Kem."
Bending over from where she stood, Fallon leaned to Aishe's ear.
"I do still have to feed though...how are you doing with that?"
Maybe a quick bite along the way? If Aishe had already fed, or was not inclined to do so now, Fallon would be fine until she got home, but she might need to cut the evening just a tiny bit shorter because of it.
Aishe gave Fallon a little shake of her head. "I haven't gotten used to the pretty colors I see sometimes," she said with a soft laugh. "And I still don't know what they all mean. So when it kicks in and I see rainbows..." she trailed off and let fallon draw the conclusion for herself, that Aishe still wasn't entirely comfortable with her strange ability.
"Kem won't mind," she reassured Fallon. "And you'll find it hard to bother him. I know you don't know him well yet, but he's really very easygoing. I'm sure you can even consult him on anything you think he might have a different viewpoint on."
The subject of feeding popped up and Aishe idly twirled a strand of hair around her finger, nibbling at her lip. "Well, we have the bagged stuff at the house of course. I'm fine for now, but if you want something fresh, I'm game."
Feeding for her had become a far more private matter than it might have under other circumstances. It was something yet to be worked out between her and Kem. He was touchy about it. He didn't criticize her, it never would have occurred to him to do so, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable with her standards, which, so far, were far looser than his. She was curious to see how Fallon managed. Thanks to her lessons with Chris Aishe knew a good deal about how to go about things, but she figured some more learning couldn't hurt.
))
