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Who: James, Helen and Ashley
What: Dinner
When: Sometime last week
Where: James's room
Rating: PG-13 ish to cover Ashley

James had thought at least for the three of them, that a simple dinner was long over due. So it was with that thought in mind he had asked both women over for dinner, and had made it himself and was just now putting it on the table, smiling at his guests.

"Sorry for the wait, I didn't start as early as I thought I would."

He had too, but he had also had to scare off both dog and pokemon so they wouldn't disturb them while they ate.

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"Well James, I do believe you've outdone yourself. This looks exquisite." She leaned to press a quick kiss of greeting to his cheek. She offered up a bottle, Lord only knew how she'd saved it from Nikola as the vintage was excellent.

"Few people can claim the wine is a good year, and actually recall the year it was bottled." A quirk of a smile hitched her lips and she set the wine down, hands folding one over the other.

"It looks amazing," Ashley agreed, taking in that kiss with a smirk. She was used to the two of them using cheek kisses as greetings but somehow this one felt a little different. If she was right, she totally approved.

"Oh come on, rub it in why don't you?" she teased as she moved up to the table in one very specific place where she hoped she wouldn't end up between them. Really, she could deal with some things, but not when they were happening over her head.

"It's nothing particularly fancy, honestly," but he takes that kiss with a bit of a bigger smile now as he returns it, then gently rests a hand at the small of her back, a bit more familiar then Ashley was used too.

"Yes, well, I have other things here, some of which you may be surprised, you're free to ask." But he can't help the grin at the wine, and he silently makes a note to thank Ashley later for sitting where she had. "And few can claim to remember when the dawn of the twentieth century was important darling, how can we expect them to remember such a fine year?"

Helen tried to cast a serious look at Ashely, but the game was lost before she'd begun. She relented to the humor of her diner partners. "Well no point standing on ceremony."

She took her seat, normally James would have insisted to seat her but they had come to agreements that such was reserved for more formal occasions. Her seat was close enough to James that Ashely need not worry about being caught in the romantic cross fire.

"One can hope that they at least remember the things worth remembering; family, friends and being together." Oh dear, when had she grown so poetic?

Ashley had a feeling being poetic was a result of losing people she loved and being forced to live without them. For a moment, her talk with Galadriel flitted through her mind, but she swallowed hard and pushed it aside, focusing on the two people with her -- the people she considered her parents, her family.

"Okay, let me just lay this out, if you two keep that up, I'm leaving."

This would be their only "get a room, I don't want to see all of that," in fewer words.

Edited 2013-02-26 04:52 (UTC)

James had similar thoughts to Ashley but kept them to himself, he had his own thoughts on Helen. On her past, on her future and well, many things. So instead he just takes a seat next to Helen, (a little mental grumbling because he would have liked to seat her but yes, their deal), and gives Ashley a look.

"Now, why ever would you say that?"

"I'm terribly sorry dear," She turned to her daughter while lifting her glass of water for a sip. "I'll be sure to keep things G rated from here on out."

Helen hid her smirk behind the water glass and after a long slow sip she was composed again. "I think I will help myself to the entree, would you care to open the wine, James?" As if nothing had been said, she just moved smoothly on with polite conversation.

Ashley just glanced from one to the other with her eyebrows raised. "If I have to say 'I knew it' or 'I told you so...'" What, exactly, she meant by that she wasn't saying. And she wasn't even trying to hide anything behind a water glass. No one ever said she had tact and this was something she'd approved of for years.

She was beginning to think she really would be leaving early with the way things were progressing.

"Think I'll pass on the wine for now. I don't think you guys want to see how much of that I can handle now."

James took the chance to mess with the wine bottle as if it were the most fascinating thing in the room, really Ashley, they are no that easy to read. It's all in your head, really.

So it takes him a little longer to open the wine, really don't mind him as he does it and then pours himself and Helen a glass, smiling a touch sadly at that. "If you are anything like Nikola I fear my wine stores will never be full."

"Perhaps you have one of those canned energy drinks or soda?" She couldn't abide them but Ashely and Henry had practically lived on them as she remembered.

Helen offered to fill Ashley's plate since she was more centrally located at the table. It wasn't overly greasy, fat saturated, sugar laden, processed foods, but she thought they could manage.

So obvious.

"Water's fine." Ashley lifted her glass to prove it and took a sip. "Really, I think I've had enough caffeine for one day."

She held out her plate for the food, more than willing to let her mother do the serving at the moment. As far as wine... "Good thing I won't be testing that." Her voice was slightly strained at the mention of Tesla, but not enough to be concerning. She was still trying to figure out how she felt about him.

No the food is honestly mostly pasta and meats and a few things James liked to cook but didn't get a chance to when it was just himself. He likes something different to do on occasion, okay?

"He's not all that bad, nor is Maladict. Make good neighbors too," he said it casually, so as to not push the subject if neither of them wanted to pursue it. He had no ill will towards Nikola, especially here. Instead he focused on getting food for himself.

Helen nodded and filled James plate as well, stuff fussing James she has a reason. Once she set his plate back and they were all situated Helen raised her water glass. "At the risk of sounding theatrical, I'd like to propose a toast."

She turned toward Ashely, a long silent moment passed before she spoke. "This castle has offered up curses and pranks and all manner of deception, but I will forever be thankful to it for the chance to have Ashley with us."

"...Please tell me you're joking," was all she offered to James before she managed to shake off the sticky feeling of imagining Tesla nearby. Still unsure.

As for the toast, she managed to raise her glass to wait, frowning at her drink as she heard the proposal. She wasn't entirely sure what that meant, how good of a thing it might actually be, and more than one strange expression crossed her face. Reminded of her talk with Galadriel yet again, she took a very long sip to distract herself.

"Better than the alternative, I guess."

One day, she would stop cracking jokes about being dead, right when she finally came to terms with it. Knowing her, that would be a while.

He just grins at Ashley before he sobers up. He instead takes a sip of his wine, looking slightly withdrawn at that. No, he wasn't going to correct her on that, he wasn't going to correct the Magnus women on a lot of things but on the topic of Ashley and her death well...

No that's not something he's tackling over dinner.

Instead he just glances down at his drink, looking a little more thoughtful. "It's not often I have you both to myself, and even rarer when I can have you over for a meal. I'd like to say I'm thankful for that at the very least."

Helen wanted to say something, she wanted to counter her daughters flippancy toward her death. It was hard to bite back a comment but this was supposed to be a nice meal for the three of them.

Thankfully James was there to save her, as always. "Thankful or a glutton for punishment." She smirked and sipped her wine before digging in to her pasta.

"You know, this might be a good weekly event, getting together for dinner. Maybe include some friends on occasion."

"Sap," Ashley muttered, trying to at least ease some of the tension she could sense. A good deal of it was her fault, she knew, but she was still trying to get over what had happened just before she'd arrived. For her it was recent history, something to work through, even if it was years for them.

"Can't say I would mind much. Kinda missed you guys."

In the castle and at home, yes. It could go either way, really, and she wasn't specifying.

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