Another Wild and Crazy Friday Night

[sightlesswolf]

Date: Friday, November 17, 2000
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Spinner's End
Characters Involved: Mandy Brocklehurst, June Connors, open to Spinner's End residents
Rating: G

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[sightlesswolf]

June felt a small, silly surge of victory when Mandy admitted to being actually hungry. She kept it to herself, however, and merely grinned. "Both sounds like an excellent plan to me!"

Pack hierarchy wasn't something June gave a lot of thought to, outside transformations. Oh, sure, Remus was in charge, and Glamis was everyone's stern but kind uncle - and she did feel a certain sense of responsiblity for the rest of them, not unlike a cadre of younger siblings, but they were younger. But she hardly thought of herself as 'above' them, or expected them to defer to her, not in everyday life - how ridiculous! They were still people above all, not wolves.

But Mandy was shy, and Mandy still wasn't comfortable with them, so however she chose to 'risk' herself was okay with June. "Help would be terrific," she said easily, as she carried a loaf of bread and a couple of containers of sliced meat over to the counter. "Could you grab some cheese, for starters? And maybe see what there is for fruit, what looks good? Thanks!"

Ha. Perry, on the other hand, had no difficulty whatsoever in 'forgetting' she was technically above him in rank. She heaved an exaggerated long-suffering sigh as she heard him flop himself into a chair. "And thank you, Perry, for your gracious offer of help." Wrinkling her nose at him, she added, "Ham sandwich it is. If you would kindly trouble yourself to put some water on for tea?"

[mind_over_mandy]

"Right then, both. Admirable really. Zak should win some sort of award for providing such an endless supply of health food for the house."

Her lips pursed as she retrieved the cheese from the refridgerator and moved to set it on the counter near June. Without actually placing it in her hand she moved it near enough that she might easily feel it. She didn't want to treat June's blindness as an inconvenience for June certainly never saw it that way, at least not outwardly, but did her best to make note and allowances for it. In the interest of being polite, of course.

It was nice to be outside of her room for a change. To not be curled up in that big stuffed, leather chair in her room. She would almost welcome June's company if she wasn't so awkward, unsure of it. She really had no idea how to act around the members of pack. Guarded and closed off seemed to be the safest way, but now and then she felt a bit of herself, her old self, when around them. When she loosened up and let her guard down. A laugh slipped out, or a hint of a smile. Beaming, infectious, like she had been in school.

As it had been for a brief second when she caught herself smiling, reaching into the fridge for a bowl of strawberries behind the carton of milk.

A brief second that was interrupted by Perry's baritone voice. Instinct had told her to run, and as she had straightened away from the fridge door her foot took a step in that direction. The little bit of comfort she had been finding in June's presence ebbing away. Two is company, but three is a crowd, and that she didn't quite feel she could handle.

Even if she honestly felt the most at home around Perry, and unexplainably so considering he had been the least accepting when she had been brought in. He never seemed to expect anything from her, and almost seemed to understand. As if her ever could.

Her lips tightened again as she eyed the door and held the bowl in her hands. She had two options. She could run or she could stay, and not even she knew when she made the choice and set the bowl out on the counter.

"I trust you can manage a teapot, Derrick?" Her voice rang with sarcasm as she shuffled through the fridge for anything else that might go along with their dinner, before turning with a single raised eyebrow.

[inner_human]

He grinned innocently at June's reply, but oh, not only had she started on him, but Mandy as well! And if he were more juvenile, he might have stuck his tongue out at them both. He'd already got himself very comfortable, hands in his pockets and legs crossed. He unfolded himself and met Mandy's sardonic glance with a raised brow of his own and a smirk.

"Very cute." He stood. "I can certainly 'manage' one if you think you're willing to risk it. I've been known to become something of a safety hazard in the kitchen."

Nevertheless, he stood and began the process of filling the kettle and heating it. It wasn't that he couldn't cook, he just didn't like to. He wasn't a culinary master and what he did know was very basic; edible, not always tasty. And besides, kitchens were tight, closed spaces. Especially difficult to move around in when there were more than two people.

...Like now. If only he'd known the mental debate that had gone through Mandy's head. He was quite familiar with such internal dilemmas. At least now he seemed much more comfortable than he would have even three months ago.

"Don't worry, I'll be quick," he continued dryly. "Merlin knows what you two were discussing before I came down."

[sightlesswolf]

"Convenient excuse," June teased. "But you're supervised at the moment. I'm sure that between Mandy and I, we can manage to contain any disasters that you might cause in the process of putting the kettle on." Not that June herself was much of a gourmet, but she could usually manage to avoid crises. Especially when they were talking sandwiches.

Locating the bread knife, she began slicing pieces off the loaf for all of them. "What we were discussing?" she repeated innocently. "Why, you, of course. Well, boys in general. And makeup, and the latest fashions. Really, Perry, everyone knows that's all we girls ever talk about." Truth, June couldn't remember a time when she'd even had any idea of what was in fashion, let alone had a serious conversation about it. And though she wouldn't pretend to know much about what Mandy's life had been like before she'd been bitten, she had the feeling Mandy wasn't much of a 'girly girl' either. The which Perry perfectly well knew.

"We were just getting to hemlines," she went on blithely, opening the container that smelt of ham and one she thought was turkey. "I thought the innovations in the last issue of Witch Weekly quite daring, didn't you? Though they almost went a bit too far with some of those lines. Would you fetch us down some plates, Perry?"

As if June, of all people, had any notion what had been in the latest Witch Weekly!

[mind_over_mandy]

It had been ages since Mandy had paid a mind to such girly things as make-up and clothes, or rather, it had felt like ages, and really she couldn't remember the last time she had put eyes on a copy of Witch Weekly. It wasn't that she didn't have the time, and there were usually copies of such media floating about the house if one was willing to leave the room and ask, but Mandy preferred to fill her days with pages of dry literature and academia. Far more boring, but a sight better for the mind than the drivel that filled Witch Weekly.

A decidely girlish laugh filled the room as Mandy listened to June babble on, honestly, pestering Perry was far more entertaining than the tome she had been reading minutes prior.

"Are you kidding, June?"

"They were positively scandalous. Honestly. Though I was quite impressed with this season's line of belts and those new feathered hats. It seems McGonagall is finally to become trendy."

She shrugged her shoulders and turned to watch Perry putting the kettle on to boil.

Her fingers worked nimbly slicing the fruit she had pulled from the fridge into a small salad of sorts. Bananas, strawberries, grapes, and what looked to be cantaloupe were slowly filling the bowl. "Although, June, I must say I was disappointed by this season's shoe selection. They're all equipped with heels tall enough.. Well I'm sure to break an ankle."

Truth? Mandy had no idea what she was droning on about, but she was enjoying herself none-the-less. Her eyes flitted to the door, her exit strategy, and back down to her fruit salad. Perhaps staying hadn't been such a bad idea.