2020-05-26 - The Honeybun Chronicles

Time for BFFs to catch up! It's been way too long since drinks were drunk, food was consumed, and tongues were wagged, so Jessica has invited Harper over to the Honeybuns to fix this lapse in the natural order of things.

A quick glance at the oven clock to check the time - Harper won't be too long - and then Jessica is serving up the entrees. How does she do it with one hand holding a glass of wine? Years of practice. Sweatpants and t-shirt are the order of the night since this is all about relaxing and spilling every manner of bean known to woman.

Harper will no doubt walk straight in when she arrives. There is a glass of wine waiting by the door for her guest.

Harper walks straight in when she arrives.

To the tune of 'Lollypop' she sings, "Honeybun, honeybun, oh honey honey honey..." She moves into view in comfortable jeans a blue and red plaid shirt poking up above her navy sweatshirt at the collar and red flats. With a toss of her purse to a chair she asks brightly, "What the hell smells so good?"

"Me, obviously" Jessica deadpans in reply without missing a beat. A wave of her hand towards the waiting glass of wine. "That's for you." Still she hasn't looked at her friend while she puts the finishing touches to their meal. "Voila!" She seems happy with the food preparation and only now does she turn towards Harper.

"Did I drag you away from a hoedown?" she asks with a laugh before heading on over for greeting hug and air-kisses. "You look fabulous, as always. No matter how much I try to plump you up, you're still disgustingly athletic looking. What's your secret? Are there all day gym classes in the library? But seriously, so good to see you again." A beatific smile for the best friend a girl could ever have. "How's Geoff?"

"Obviously," Harper agrees without pause. She reaches for the glass of wine, lifts it to her nose, and breathes in. "Thank you." She then gives her attention over to the expertly coordinated repast and says, "Whatever it is, it smells amazing."

Harper looks to her friend when she is turned to and regarded. "It's an Irish plaid, Jess." It's true. Harper looks somewhat tailored this evening in spite of the navy sweatshirt. "But I can get my ho' on as well as anyone. As long as there's only one client."

The discussion about Harper's frame has always been a game between the friends. "I don't know what to tell you. I eat constantly." They both know this is not the case. More often than not, reminding Harper to eat is a necessity. But the slender-gene has graced and cursed her. She doesn't have to watch her weight or exercise like a fiend, but neither will she ever be a physical threat. To anyone. Though that doesn't keep her from trying. Why just the other night at the casino ...

"Thanks for calling. I'm glad you wrote down that note." To call Harper.

Speaking of the one client, "Geoff is ... too damned informed." The librarian flashes a suggestive smile at Jessica. "The front half of my body may or may not be currently covered in an intricate henna masterpiece." Not even a pause, "How's Hera?"

"Hera's well" Jessica beings to reply, her smile making her face glow, before it suddenly disappears and her brow furrows. "Woah...rewind. Did you just say you were covered with a henna tattoo? Umm...okay...get your ho clothes off, I want to see. Don't worry, I'll keep my hands to myself."

"Did you enjoy the casino opening? Lose much money?" Jessica gestures towards the kitchen. "Let me get the food while you strip off. We're having slow-roasted lamb with jewelled yogurt. And roast peaches and basil ice cream for dessert." It only took twelve hours to cook the lamb so it is just as well that Harper is on time.

"Were you close enough to hear Byron promise me an interview? I'm still waiting. We were both friends with him back in school, weren't we?" Jessica brings out the plates to the small dining table. "I am sure there are Irish hoes and they go down too. And what is Geoff informed about? Other than every pore of your body if this henna exists."

"I'm glad to hear it. Everything sunny between you two? I haven't seen her in an age. What's she up to?" Don't think Harper doesn't see that glow, a hint of a sparkle lights her brown eyes. Jessica backs the conversation up and Harper slowly lifts her glass for a sip of the (we'll presume red, because lamb) wine. Get her clothes off? Harper tips her head and swirls her wine in the bowl of her glass. "I'm supposed to strip? You haven't even fed me yet." Harper has no worries about her friend's ability to keep her hands to herself. Aside from the lucky lady in her life, they've slept together too many times for that to even be a consideration.

Jessica details the menu, tells what's making the houseboat smell so good and Harper settles the hand not holding the stem of a glass on her hip. "Damn, Jessica. I think you've outdone yourself. Is this a special occasion?"

The casino. "No, I wasn't. I was playing blackjack while Geoff did something for Easton. At least I think it was for Easton. So you got an interview-pledge. That's progress." The librarian sets her glass of wine down on a counter and helps Jessica set the table, quite familiar with where everything is, and only pausing to ask questions like which glasses she wants on the table, whether to use the paper or cloth napkins, does she want placemats or a tablecloth? "I definitely thought of Byron as a friend in high school. I'm not sure that it was a mutual sentiment, but he's always been kind and friendly when our paths have crossed. I mean it's not like he and Lily invite me over for dinner or anything." Harper doesn't sound broken up. But she does enjoy both Byron and Lilith when their paths do cross. "Oh, and I fought werewolves with him in a Dream." Because that's normal.

Jessica and her lascivious word games. Harper places the last glass on the table. "I don't think I'd be a ho' in Ireland either, in spite of your aspirations and fantasies for my sex life, Jess." She pauses and adds, "At least not for the community at large." What is Geoff informed about? "That's a start," she agrees about the time he spent looking at her skin as he worked. The four hours it took to set. The scraping afterward once the paste had hardened. "But it didn't take henna for him to gather that information. He knows my fears, my tells, my weak spots, and how to change my mind when I'm feeling particularly obdurate. And that's just the tip of the iceberg." Jessica doesn't need an itemized list and the look Harper tosses at her says she knows this very well.

Up over her head and off, dropped into a chair comes the tailored navy sweatshirt. The darted, buttoned down, plaid shirt is slowly unbuttoned. Harper's not shy. She never has been. When she shrugs out of the shirt and it neatly goes the way of the sweatshirt; she's wearing a lacy bra of midnight blue. Her jeans are low and snug at her hips. Sure enough, incredibly intricate and stylized henna work radiates outward on her skin from her belly button, her breasts, the hollow of her throat, and down her arms to both sides of her hands. It's so intricate that one would have to be quite close to appreciate the details. Given the fair cast to her skin, the dark that stains her skin is quite a contrast. It gives her an exotic look. Like she's made a deal with some manifestation of Devil, or as though there were power to call in the markings on her skin. "Do you like it?" It's no more than a handful of days old, still clear on her clean, soft skin. "I'm not so sure a surly crowd of peasants with pitchforks won't show up at the library tomorrow." And there's Harper's predilection for double negatives. She turns so that Jessica can see that her back is still creamy-pale and untouched, though one can't say the same for her arms. There's a different style of marking emerging at one hip just over the belt-line of her jeans.

"Everything is wonderful" Jessica sighs happily. "Hera is wonderful. We both work hard though so we don't spend every moment together. Pretty much every night... Drop by her gallery, she's bound to be there. I'm sure she'd love to see you again." A smirk about stripping before food. "Oh, please, like you ever needed feeding first before."

Her brow furrows before Jessica rolls her eyes at Harper's ridiculous qurey. "Of course this is a special occasion. We're together again. And we are going to gossip like everyone's business. Could there be anything more special?"

"A worthless pledge it seems" the Latina points between setting the table and pointing out the cloth napkins. "Werewolves? Whenever I dream of Byron it's about me getting a Pulitzer after exposing his criminal activities. Never thought to have a dream about fighting werewolves with him. That being said, Hera is starting to get dragged into all that. The Dark Men have been tormenting her. Her and a group of her friends. They look to me as the expert." She frowns. "How wrong could they be. I try but you should talk to them too. I've told them to use their abilities as little as possible." A sad shrug. "Easier said than done." A beat. "I take it you beat the werewolves."

Now a look of shock and surprise. "Geoff can change your mind? Woah. I need to talk to him and learn his secret. This is a power that cannot be held in the hands of only one!" Jessica's tone dramatically dramatic now. "This could be the end of the world!" A wink for her friend before completing the serving of dinner and taking a seat to watch the striptease...art exhibition. Though she's not in her seat for long. When that artwork is revealed, she is back to her feet to have a closer look. She stares in awe and disbelief. "Like it? I love it. It's amazing. Such detail." Her eyes trace lines and swirls as they travel over Harper's body. "He was able to keep his hands off you for the entire four hours? That's pretty unbelievable too. How long will it last?" She does a walk-around to see that the back is bare before returning to the art. "And, of course, his choice of canvas really added to his work. Damn, girl, you're a walking Louvre. Now, come and eat." A playful roll of her eyes. "And put some clothes on, hussy, do you think this is a seraglio?"

Feeling way too casually dressed now, Jessica sits at the table, abundant food and drink available so they shouldn't have to move. "How much did you win at blackjack?"

As she finishes setting the table -- with pauses for sips of that lovely Pinot Noir -- Harper listens to what Jessica shares about Hera. "'Every moment together' is for people who want to kill each other," she replies as if she were speaking of the weather. Harper has always been fond of the Platonic ideal. Except for when she's not. A musical bit of laughter is her response to Jessica's teasing about just what it takes to get her clothes off. "You have a skewed perspective of my lines, Jess. Lucky for you, I don't plan to change any of them with you any time in the near future." Lucky for Jessica, indeed. "Thank you for making me a orgy of a feast. It really does smell like a savory Turkish Delight." Harper and her allusions. As for what could be more special? Harper arches a brow. "I should hope you could easily think of a few dozen things off the top of your head at this point, sweetheart."

Harper listens to Jessica's rant about exposing Byron and his alleged criminal schemes. "I don't know. Sure you'd win the Pulitzer or something, but I think I prefer a gray-area Byron in the world. One who isn't in prison, at least. It's just more interesting that way. And I enjoy the man. Sue me, Betty Lou." Harper nods slowly. "I zapped several of them. I think Geoff enjoyed my badassery. It was a thrill. At least until it turned out that Easton was one. But," Harper tips a finger back and forth in the air in a show of just injustices. "-- he said he would have killed me, too. So I think we're even there. I'm still waiting on Bennie to find a reason to stuff her hand down Geoff's pants to even up the score." Harper says this as though she believes Jessica already heard about that little shenanigan around New Year's.

"I don't like hearing that the Shadows are toying with Hera and her crowd." Harper listens to Jessica tell the tale. "I'm glad they have you." And she seems quite sincere about that, trusting that her best friend from high school knows how to be safely dangerous. Or as close to it as she can get. "I don't think I know anything you wouldn't have already shared. But I'd very much enjoy seeing Hera again. She's not injured, is she?" She adds a belated bit of a laugh, "I kicked ass with those werewolves. You would have been proud." There's a wicked gleam to those friendly brown eyes.

Harper lifts a hand to rub over her eyes melodramatically, "Yes. He can. It's incredibly aggravating. But I'm not entirely a pushover. Not even with him." Her laughter is bright beneath Jessica's claims that said power should be shared. "You've done it, too. It's just not frequent."

The stripping is done without much pomp or circumstance. Harper simply removes her clothes, or enough of them for Jessica to get the gist, and more of them than she'd be comfortable with guests walking in on to see. She stills for Jessica's closer inspection. "I honestly don't know how he did it. The detail is incredible." She lifts a hand to comb her fingers back through her dark, dark hair. "Of course he didn't keep his hands off me. How would he have done this without touching me? You are ridiculous, Jess." She goes into the details about the henna work and how long it is supposed to last before it fades away. She's compared to the Louvre and Harper simply shakes her head with a teasing smile. "And you are superlative, as always." Come and eat? Harper deftly pulls her clothes back on, sans sweatshirt. The subtle blue and red plaid tailored blouse is left unbuttoned to the center of her chest but is tucked back into her pants. The boots are left off to the side as well. Her nails are all painted a coppery dark brown that is faintly iridescent and sets off the tide of inkwork over her creamy skin. "I did, in fact, think this was a seraglio. I was hoping the Sultan would come and steal me away as his forty-seventh wife." And this, of course, is amusing because Harper is so anti-marriage.

Harper takes a seat at the table after catching her half-finished wine glass up. "You know? This time I didn't come out ahead. But my luck was better for the rest of the evening. I had a long talk with a new friend. Then Easton comped us a suite at the top of the casino." Harper takes a long drink of the wine to finish of her glass, then sets it down with a secretive sort of a smile. "Did you play after working that night?"

"I didn't play later, no" Jessica deadpans, "Not at the casino at least. How can I be the voice of sober morality if I played at the casino?" She gestures to herself. "I am the voice of sober morality. Right? Certainly not the Mistress of the Seraglio. If I was, I could probably get you up to forty-two."

"What was the room like? You know, in case anyone asked me where a nice place to have a dirty weekend was. Asking for a friend. Speaking of, who is your new friend? Anyone I know?" Jessica knows so many people, she doesn't have to take off her shoes to count them.

"Speaking of, I know Byron's a good friend of yours. I knew him at school as well. But people change" Jessica sighs. "Well, not us, we'll always be PBFFs. His avoidance of me is worrying, that's all. I don't want him to be up to anything shady but if he is, regardless of whose friend he is, shouldn't that be revealed? I mean, would we cover for each other if one of us murdered someone?" A beat. "Okay, bad example, we probably would have. But this whole casino things is fishy. I just want to get to the root of it to make sure this town is not being served a lie."

A mouthful of food before changing subject. "So, Easton was a werewolf that you killed. Wow, symbolic much?" she giggles. "Does Bennie really need a reason to stuff her hand down anyone's pants? She hasn't in the past. And you've always been a total badass. You've probably invented a librarian martial art in that basement sex dungeon of yours. Krav Biblio or something."

"No, I don't like them playing with Hera and her friends either. I do my best but I'm no expert." A shake of head. "No, she isn't injured. Stephanie, and EMT friend of hers has been. Her cousin, Devlin, another EMT, he's been hurt. No matter what I say to them, they still keep using their abilities both willy and nilly. And we know how dangerous it is to be using the willy without proper protection."

"You should play more, Jessica. I'm worried about you." Harper says this with all due (and some undue) solemnity. 'Not at the casino at least' eases some of that frown away. "I prefer Seraglio Mistress if my vote counts." Harper tips her brows up at the latter bit. "You think you have the lure of a true bodice-ripping Sultan? I'm not sure you have themanly chest for it, Jess. Or the pocketbook." There's love there. But she can't let the marriage talk get too out of hand.

She goes on to describe a particularly extravagant hotel suite (and its balcony for some reason). Her new friend? "He's a musician. He would say he's a 'fiddler'; but he's out of this world when he plays the violin. I don't think 'virtuoso' is too superlative. But he would argue that he left the classical world behind. I've seen him play other stringed instruments like a mandolin. He sings, too. His name is Itzhak Rosencrantz. I think I was with you when I first saw him perform at the Winter Festival." Harper's brown eyes are warm. She clearly likes this man. "He's brilliant. And great company. I met him in person later this Spring. And then we crossed paths at Bennie's birthday party out in the woods. He hangs around with a fascinating man who is also a retired astronaut and with the Captain ... hmm... he might be Police Chief at the GHPD now." Harper grabs the bottle of wine and pours a second glass for herself and more for Jessica if she wants some. Certainly they don't leave the delicious feast that Jessica has prepared getting cold. But Harper will stop everything to toast her dear friend before they truly dig in. "So. Do you know him?"

"I know you feel like you're doing what's right when it comes to Byron. And, darling, I would never tell you to compromise your journalistic integrity. But I think you and I might see the line between justice and all the rest in completely different places." Harper says this gently. There's no judgment there. And there likely never will be. She does speak up when Jessica suggests either of them would turn the other in. "You do what you need to do, Jess. But you will always have amnesty with me. From almost anything." She does add in the tiny caveat. But it's there to see in her eyes. A fervent faithfulness that is supported by everything she's been as long as Jessica has known her since high school. She softens after a few electric moments stretch and pass. "You know how I feel about things like this. And you also know that I respect your integrity. We don't always have to agree. I'm not that easy to get rid of."

Easton was a werewolf that Harper killed. "Yep. I don't think he was particularly aware of who he was at the time. But there were, I don't know, a half dozen or so of them. And he was headed for Geoff. That's just -- no one tries to kill Geoff without going through me first." Harper's zealous expression isn't one to argue with. The humor of Jessica's statement settles in and she rolls her shoulders a bit with a little laugh. "I didn't know it was Easton when it attacked. I just got crazy angry." That's not a version of Harper even Jessica has had much opportunity to see. That means the mask slipped significantly. Does Bennie need a reason? Harper slow-shakes her head at Jessica. "I think she's changed quite a lot since high school. She and Easton are pretty close as far as I can tell. But... yeah. I stuck my hand down Easton's pants first. I can't begrudge her the opportunity should it present itself. Or, I really shouldn't." Harper thinks about that for a few moments, her gaze in the middle distance. "I mean, I didn't just walk up to him and shove my hand down his pants. He challenged me." Harper isn't particularly good at backing down from bets. That stubborn side makes her the loser far more often for just that reason. "Then I won. And then he gave me this look like I didn't have the nerve." She tips a sharp smile at Jessica. "He was wrong."

Sex dungeon starts the librarian laughing. Her research space in the library basement. "I'm going to need a lot more chains and whips and ... whatever else you need in a place like that. Candle wax? Stiletto heels?" Harper's gaze turns distracted as the joke takes a sidelong turn in her imagination. "You might have a point." Krav Biblio dissolves her into laughter that brings tears to her eyes.

Harper sobers as Jessica turns the conversation to Hera and company and their forays into the world of Glimmer. "Why do they keep doing it if they know better?" Her frown is one of perplexity. She's bothered enough that she doesn't give Jessica's naughty joke any attention at all.

"Hey! Nothing wrong with my chest" Jessica pouts. "I've been told that a lot lately...that it's a nice chest, not that there is something wrong with it. I know that was just a ploy to get me to change subject but I shall not let comments about my chest past unnoticed." Another bite of food. "Now that my chest has retained its rightful place as Sultana worthy, we shall move on."

A shake of her head. "I don't think I know MIster Rosencrantz. It sounds like you're quite taken with him. Maybe I should meet this new man in your life?" Her eyes narrow about the Winter Festival, reaching back into her memory. A faint glimmer perhaps but talk of Ruiz has her frowning. "You're hanging around with some shady people these days, Harpo. Including myself I hasten to add. But, I won't spoil dinner and catching up talking about corruption and venality. Not when we're eating." Is that a look of sadness at not knowing anything about Bennie's birthday party in the woods? Jessica never gets invited anywhere.

"We love each other as we are, Harpo, and I wouldn't want you any other way than how you are. It must be tough being perfect" Jessica is serious about how wonderful her friend is. A look of shock that Easton dared Harper. Was he insane? Ignorance is no excuse. If you are foolish enough to dare Harper, then you deserve to be felt up. Though Jessica can't believe that Easton complained about losing. "It sounds like a win-win for Easton. If you didn't stuff your hand down his pants, he won. If you did...umm...I don't think there is any guy who would have complained at you grabbing their wedding tackle. Though I think you should ask Geoff if it is okay for Bennie to stick her hand down his pants. He might have a different position on it."

Jessica is always delighted to make Harper laugh. It is a lovely sound. "Don't ask me what goes in a sex dungeon. If I built one here, my house would sink. Or anyone in it would drown." A shrug about those crazy kids who keep poking the monsters. "Hera needed to heal Devlin at one point. The others think they are training. Which needs to be done, sure, but they go crazy with it. They may as well be wearing flashing red signs that read 'Here I am!!'. What about you, Harpo? Do you use your abilities often? Against werewolves and such?"

People are complimenting Jessica on her chest. This halts Harper's glass in the air and she just gives Jessica a look. "What have you been doing with your chest to get so many compliments on it?" Some amusement flickers behind her brown eyes. "No offense, Jessica. I'm sure you'd make the right harem girls very happy. I just prefer the one ripping my bodice to be male. It's a little detail, I know."

The new man in her life? Harper opens her mouth to speak but then just stares at Jessica for some stretching moments. "Can I have a friend who is male and not be linked to him romantically? I'm pretty sure that's a thing, or else I'm really in trouble."

She's hanging around with shady people? "I don't think Itzhak has any shady intentions. What makes you say that?" There's a bit of a frown from Harper before she finally takes that sip of wine and sets down her glass. "Regardless, I think 'shady' is interesting." She has no idea that Jessica is referring to Ruiz. Hell, she doesn't even know that Jessica knows the man. She takes a bite of the delicious food, then smiles. "If you're one of those questionable characters, then bring on the shade." She moves some food around her plate as she listens, then lowers her fork and reaches over to touch Jessica's nearer arm. "What's that sad look about, Jess?"

Harper's brows furrow as she listens to talk of perfection. Was that a sarcastic statement? It takes her a few moments to catch up to the change of subject to Easton. "Hey now, back up. I didn't grope him. I just slid my hand down far enough to make him wonder if I was going to." If Geoff is okay with another woman's hands down his pants. "I'm not arranging this event. If he challenges her and she wins, she has a right to a suitable pay-back. Honestly, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about the prospect. But the circumstances would have to be pretty specific for that to happen." She wrestles the possessive thought, her gaze drifting off for a few moments, then she nods her head with a little sound of dismissal in her throat.

"It's not my fault you can't have a sex dungeon," Harper tosses back, completely game. "Maybe Hera will build you one."

Training? I don't think that's a thing. I don't think you get better at it with practice. Even if it was, the consequences for frequent use are not worth the risk. Seriously. How do they not get that?" She sighs and picks her fork back up. Flashing red signs? Harper nods in agreement. "With very few exceptions -- maybe two or three times in the past year? -- I only use what I ... have when it will help after being pulled in. Sometimes things come to me, though. Without me trying. I don't think I can do anything about that." She finishes her food and dabs at her lips with her napkin. "Definitely against werewolves. Especially if they're bent on shredding Geoff to ribbons."

"Calm down. Only one person has been complimenting my chest. They just do so a lot" Jessica blushes like she's sixteen again. Maybe seventeen. Sixteen was a dead loss of a year in the blushing stakes. "You and your fixation on men. It's unnatural, Harpo" she teases with a wink.

"Of course you can have male friends that you don't dance the vertical tango with. Wait, horizontal tango." Jessica shrugs. "Do whatever angle you like. Just as long as there is tangoing involved, or not involved in the context of platonic friends." A beat. "How much have I drunk tonight? I'm rambling like a person who's gone rambling in the Welsh highlands.

"It's not Itzhak I'm worried about. I'm sure he's a lovely guy with no skeletons in the closet. It's more Police Chief Ruiz that has me concerned. He doesn't have skeletons in the closet either, he has them all in a marsh somewhere. There's something about him inherently...untrustworthy. I know of some people he bullied professionally even when he was just a detective. And that whole casino thing... Doesn't he have an interest in the casino now? With Byron? If so, wouldn't that be rather suspicious to be in charge of an investigation that ends up with you controlling the assets of the person you put in jail? I dunno, maybe I've got it all wrong." She snorts with amusement. "If Byron would ever talk to me, maybe we can find some truth."

Jessica summons up her smile for her friend. "I'm fine. No sad. We'll stop talking about all that is wrong with the world and more about all that is awesome. And you shove your hands down the pants of anyone you want to...if they are agreeable, of course. As long as everyone understands it's a non-sexual activity tied into the ancient art of 'dares'. Just don't get arrested for it. I'll bail you out, of course, but I don't want to have to write reports on the 'Gray Harbor Groper' outside of the fishing section."

A laugh about the dungeon. "I think Hera knows a lot more about them than I do. She's probably happily forgotten more than I will ever know. Since she runs a gallery, she could even put it in the main display room as an exhibit. A representation of how most people make their way through life - tied up, whipped, and poked in places they didn't even know they had." Her expression grows a little happier. "She's thinking of moving in here. We're not going too fast, are we? You don't live with Geoff...though I guess he lives with his husband."

"They don't get the danger because they're new. They want to see all the amazing things they can do, no matter the danger. Maybe they think they're immortal?" Jessica has veered subject again, back to the terrors of the Veil. "They've met those creepy guys. They've been hurt by them. But still...I hope it won't be a death that will finally make them understand." A nod about the inescapable aspect of Dreams. "You know, I'm still convinced that Dream was your subconscious going crazy" she teases. "Having to kill your lover's husband to save him? Paging Doctor Freud."

Standing, Jessica takes the plates into the kitchen are and prepares dessert. "Werewolves are all hairy too. Geoff and Easton have beards, right?" A wry shrug. "Just pointing that out." Eventually she returns with desserts and more drink. "You do look happy, Harpo" she sighs. "Not in your old 'always happy because I don't care' way, but 'happy in a do care way'. Your tangled relationships agree with you. So, what other goss do you have for me?"

"Well good for Hera for being so forthcoming with her praise and admiration," replies Harper about said complimenting. Definitely making an assumption. As for Harper's preference for the male gender? "I'm incredibly biased, though I don't at all judge other people's preferences, as you well know, beautiful." And it's true. Harper doesn't assign old norms to who people choose to love or lust after. To each their own, as far as the librarian is concerned. All's fair.

"Personally, I like the tango in all different directions. Horizontal, vertical, and definitely with some fluidity between the two," Harper answers with the suggestion of a sly smile and starry eyes given she's well through glass number two of wine. "I think my 'platonic' friends know exactly where they stand." Harper frowns faintly at Jessica's own wandering commentary. "Do people go rambling in Wales? I didn't know that was a thing."

"Since when is having no skeletons in one's closet a prerequisite for friendship? Personally, I think a full closet makes a person far more interesting." Police Chief Ruiz. "What are you saying? de la Vega is a murderer? Or are you being hyperbolic again? Just because a man has dangerous eyes and a predatory air about him doesn't make him a criminal, Jess. Besides, we've already hit on this point tonight: my moral standing is lying down. Now if he threatened something I hold dear, that would be another story entirely. But, Jess, the man and I have had coffee." Harper pauses as if there were something significant to sharing java; she stares down into her glass of wine, her thoughts faraway for a handful of moments. Finally, she shakes herself from her reverie. "He came into the library to check out some books and we had a delightful conversation. Do you think it's possible that you want to see corruption and crime when you look that direction? Or are you worrying that I can't handle myself, again? I'm made of stronger stuff than you give me credit for." She pauses and listens. "Bullying seems like a flimsy description. You'll have to be specific if you want me to take you seriously about this at all." Jessica moves on to the casino and potential dark connections there. "What connections are you talking about? Is he an investor? What dark alley transactions are you suspecting him and Byron of? And when the movie comes out, can I see it?" Sure, Harper supports her friend's instincts and nose for news. But when it comes to people she has befriended, who have made it past her initial vetting process enough to see a glimpse beyond her mask, she's more than reticent to readily accept any sort of allegations. And even then, her situational ethics have very deep-flowing currents. "I can only tell you that I rather enjoyed getting to know de la Vega. Yes, he's rough and edgy. Maybe that's part of what I liked about him." Jessica continues with the Byron connection. "I don't know about any assets."

"No, no," Harper laughs. "Not just anyone gets my hand shoved down their pants. I have standards." Her smile is playful, the words are tipsy.

"Hera can hold a little dungeon class for the two of us. Teach us a few things." Harper pauses, frowns. "No. I think I'd definitely be a third wheel there. You two have fun." Harper's eyes widen. "Moving in? Here? Wow, Jessica! That's huge. Have you set a date or are you just discussing it?" A pause, then she confides softly, "Geoff and I are living together now. We just decided to keep both places. He ... was sneaky about it. I just realized one day that he'd been living there for a few weeks and I hadn't noticed. We definitely had a talk, but ... see what I said earlier about him being able to change my mind. He's frighteningly good at it. But don't worry," she goes on to add. "I'm happy. I'm so incredibly happy, Jess." Is that fear behind Harper's brown eyes? There is, at the very least, significant trepidation to read there. Some panic, maybe.

The reference to Freud causes Harper to tip up her brows. "You have a point. But given the fact that I didn't know it was him at the time, it's really a moot point." She nods: both men have beards.

Jessica is spot on when it comes to what kind of happy Harper looks. She bestows a warm, companionable smile on her friend for noticing. "You look that way, too, Jess. All that tumult to your life last fall has settled into this confident woman brimming with affection. I can't really tell you, though, whether you're rushing into things." She comes full circle. "I don't think any two relationships are exactly the same."

What other gossip? "Geoff and I somehow ended up in a dream where we were in high school again. But it was in the fifties. It was ... I don't think I even have words for how compelling it was. Feeling that young again, but realizing then what we just figured out last fall. I .. didn't know that Dreams could be like that." Her words are soft, her smile faraway and dreamy.

"Hera can't help loving my breasts. She's only human after all." Jessica even throws in a hair toss over how gorgeous she is. "You're a liberal librarian. Or 'Lib Lib' as they say in the classics." Jessica has to applaud all the tangoing that is going on. "Wales is known for its ramblers. It's an Olympic sport in Wales. Shame no one else competes in the Welsh Olympics. Though I guess they win every time. All three medals."

As for serious conversation, Jessica takes it all in to process. This is her best friend, not one whose words she will disregard easily. She will keep an open mind to all that she has to say. "Okay, to be fair, I don't know if Ruiz is an investor. It's not as if people want to talk to the press around here. But what I do know for sure is that he did an illegal search on a business last year, hounding the owner for no reason other than he could. She's even left town since." She leans back in her chair, tapping lightly on the table. "Harpo, I know you have a perfect record with friendships, so maybe I'm completely wrong but...I can't say that I am. Not yet. Not when everyone hides everything, and not just about the Dreams and the Darkness. If I could get close and ask some questions and, you know, use my gifts. Even beyond protecting the town, to know that you're safe would be great to be certain of. Hopefully I haven't ruined our platonic date." Her brow furrows. "I wonder if that's what they call two Greek philosophers going out - a Platonic date. Geddit?" A wiggle of her eyebrows. "I know, don't give up my day job."

"No date about the moving in. Just something we chatted about. Though it seems you're the expert on that." Geoff and Harper live together! And have been for a while! "Wow, color me surprised. If not flabbergasted. Never has my flabber been so gasted." Her feigned shock quickly becomes a proud smile. "I am soooo happy for you, Harper." She reaches out to squeeze her friend's hand. "Hey, none of those old worries" she states firmly but softly. "You've been dreading being happy for as long as I've known you. Savour it, don't fear it. It won't go wrong. You have to face up to the fact that you may have to be happy the rest of your life. It's tough, I know, but it's something we can face together." A wink before another squeeze of Harper's hand. "Seriously, Harpo, it will be fine."

High school in the fifties? "So, Greased was the word? But it worked out all fine? You had fun by the sound of it. Unless the evil was that it was making you feel forlorn. Making you feel that you needed to be back there instead of moving forward?" Jessica sips at her drink. "Or just letting you enjoy what could have been. Hey...did I show up in this dream? Or would you and Geoff being in a relationship then mean that we wouldn't become the friends we are?" This makes her pout. "Sounds like a nightmare to me. Fancy watching a movie?"

Harper simply nods at the topic of Hera and her predilection for Jessica's perfect breasts. "I won't argue with the word 'liberal'," she replies. "At least not for the most part." There's a playful smile. Can Harper ever just leave things be without challenging them?

Jessica responds to Harper's shared confidence in just the way a decade-plus friend should. It's why there's really no off-limit conversation between the pair. "You keep calling him Ruiz. I thought his name was Javier." Harper looks mildly perplexed at that. "I guess he didn't strike me as a man with money to invest in something like a casino. Speaking of prejudices. I suppose he could have money." Food for thought.

A perfect record with friendships? What about September of last year? She gives Jessica an odd sort of look. Then she listens to what information her friend shares. "Interesting."

"How does that make you feel, considering moving in together? Any reservations?" The librarian rolls a warm, quiet laugh in her throat at how flabbergasted Jessica is. Harper squeezes Jessica's hand right back. "You're right. You're too right, Jess." Dreading happiness. "Geoff's theory about life and tragedy is that all we have is now, so why not enjoy it. I'm trying to work under that philosophy." Jessica's words might be teasing, but they're a balm to Harper's hidden fears.

"Something like that." Grease. "I wasn't a Pink Lady, though. But Geoff was part of a gang and he drag-raced. It started to go wrong and we ... I don't know... fell out of it. Whoever makes such things happened knew the perfect way to twinge my fears the most. But it was strange and lovely to experience high school Geoff again." She thinks a moment. "It skipped around. So I didn't see you. And no, nothing would change us becoming friends, sweetheart. That was meant to be."

"I'd love to curl up on your sofa and watch a movie. What shall we watch?" Harper will help clean up the kitchen, load the dishwasher, and put away any foodstuffs. She also might sneak a (gasp) third glass of wine. "Dinner was fabulous, jess. Thank you."

Jessica notes that odd look about perfect friendships and shrugs apologetically. "Okay, there was one less than perfect friendship but you normally don't go that far unless you're really sure about the person. Ruiz is one of his middle names. I don't call people by their first name while I'm trashing them" she smirks. "Besides, people won't know who I'm talking about." A wiggle of her eyebrows and a tap of the side of her temple. "Up here for thinking. If he does have money, he wouldn't advertise it if it would looks suspicious. I don't know for sure whether he's involved in the casino but it is an investment group. Not just Byron. Maybe, one day, when I finally get to talk to Byron, the truth will be revealed."

A deep sigh at the prospect of Hera moving in, Jessica considering the question carefully and honestly. "There's always reservations. It's not as if I've ever lived with anyone who wasn't my parents. No one's been interesting in being in my honeybuns before. What if we don't get on when we see each other all day? Other than the sex bits of course so let me rephrase to, what if we don't get on for those other two hours of the day?" She purses her lips and a little smile appears. "But I love her, Harpo. Totally and without hesitation." A little laugh. "Sounds like Geoff is a wise man. I should Carpe Diem like you two are. Who wouldn't want a fresh fish every day?" No one has ever done that carp/carpe pun before. Not according to the expression on Jessica's face.

"Was Geoff in a gang back in high school? You know me. Completely oblivious to what was going on socially in high school. Some may still say i'm socially oblivious." A frown at how the Dream ended up going wrong. "Of course, even the good dreams go bad. I think it happens on purpose. Lure us in with something nice and happy, and then crush it to make us feel worse than if it was a real nightmare. At least you got something nice out of it to remember. Geoff in short shorts wearing the school tie."

Dishes to the kitchen! Jessica notices the THIRD! wine and giggles sagely. "And I'll make sure to set the alarm for you in the morning." Of course she's staying the night after getting that 'sloshed'. "How about we watch...hmm...oh! 'Underwater' is on Netflix now. How about that? Because, you know, we don't have enough horror in our lives. Though, in this one, the good gals win."

"There are all sorts of imperfect friendships, Jessica. You just don't pay attention to the ones that slip through my fingers." Harper smiles fondly. More specificially: intoxicated and fond. "How do you even know de la Vega's middle name? What an obscure detail," Harper half murmurs under her breath. "Are you sure you're not smelling something that isn't there? What was the seed that put you on this search in the first place?"

Hera moving in with Jessica. Reservations. "Well, Geoff and I tried a part time home-share for a long time. He stayed at my place. I stayed at his place. As time went by we spent more than a night at a time. That worked well. You get to take things as slow as you want. You get to feel how you feel and have your own private time to consider what you're doing and how you feel about it. It just takes some communication." Harper carries her glass of wine out toward Jessica's couch across from the television. "I'm pretty sure you've got communication down." She pauses, a small wrinkle mars her brows. "Are you? Are you being incredibly up front with each other? I mean, I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but that's what's worked for me." She nods slowly, sets her glass on the coffee table. "Of course you love her. You don't move in with someone before that." It's probable that many people do just that. Harper simply doesn't consider it a wise course of action. "Yes. Geoff is incredibly wise. People don't realize. And I love that about him. He's so laid back and easy, people underestimate the mind underneath it all. And, oh Jessica: that mind." Jessica tangents down pun alley and Harper just shakes her head with a tipsy bit of a smile. "Whatever Geoff is serving always ends up being exactly what I wanted." She pauses. "I know. I know that sounds incredibly naive, but there's just this --" She tumbles her hand in the air in front of her in a few billowing circles. "-- wavelength we share. Maybe it's part of knowing someone for so long. Like you and me. The stumbles right themselves without too much fuss. I think I'd better stop. I'll spend the evening being all dreamy about Geoff instead of watching your shark movie."

Was he in a gang in high school? "I don't think he was in a formal gang. But he definitely hung around with a certain crowd. I think they gave him a pretty hard time about me. But Geoff has always had this certainty about his choices, about what he wanted and believed. I should ask him about his friends. I knew their names. I know they did some illegal fighting for money. But he pretty much kept me away from them back then. And today, it seems like they all moved away. I haven't heard him talk once about any of them. He does talk about some of the guys he was in prison with. When they get out, he gives them a hand. The ones who are still in, he sends money for their commissary accounts." Harper smiles, sighs, and throws herself back into the cushions of the sofa so she is half reclined and staring dreamily at the ceiling. The girl has it bad. She has it bad and it's almost been a year. She might even be more infatuated now than she was in the beginning.

"I don't find you socially oblivious. You'd be terrible at your job if you were, sweetheart." She listens, then nods about Dreams going bad. Then Geoff in strange attire. "No, no, no. Geoff in jeans, a white tee shirt, and a leather jacket. That is the stuff of Dreams." Jessica all but demands that Harper spend the night. Harper lowers her gaze from the ceiling to look across the room at Jessica. "I don't know if Geoff would be on board for that. Let me text him. He might just come pick me up when we're done." She smiles affectionately. "Besides, I intend to get you all drunk and then call Hera over with sort of improvised emergency."

"Jessica! Don't ruin the end of the movie for me!"

"I have friends in the police force" Jessica answers about knowing the man's middle name; they must have looked at his file for her. "As for why I don't trust the man, the seed was his bullying of that business woman I mentioned. But let's not talk about work."

They can talk about Harper mooning instead. "Wow, Cupid must have shot the whole quiver in you." This is so unlike Harper but Jessica always hoped she would see the day. The day the past was put aside and love given a chance. Even if they are talking about Jessica's living arrangements. "The slow build-up sounds like a good idea but does that help with figuring out what living with each other for long periods will work? It doesn't sound much different to all night sex sessions. And, yes, I am always up front. You know me. I don't bullshit unless it's required for fertiliser." She has all the sayings. A smile about their shared wavelengths. "Too true, Harpo."

There was high school illegal fighting? That has Jessica's eyes wide open. What a story that would have made for the school newspaper! All in the past now. And it is much better to concentrate on a Harper in Love. It brings a smile to Jessica's face; a warm, sincere, euphoric smile. Followed by a laugh at how good Geoff looks dressed up like the Fonz. "Well, sure, if you want to go back to Geoff tonight, I won't stop you. But you're not going anywhere alone after three wines." A snort of amusement about Hera coming over. "Well...I may forgive you this once if that happens. And the movie has nothing to do with sharks." She finds it on Netflix and hits play before grabbing another few bottles, and some nibblies, to see them through. "Did I mention I was happy for you, Harpo? It's way beyond happy."

Jessica doesn't want to talk about work; Harper concedes easily enough.

"I think spending time at one or the other's home together for increasing amounts of time ..." Harper stops with a wry, honest smile for her bff. "For Geoff and me? That worked. I expect every relationship is different. We spent months giving each other space. Continuing calling dates 'dates' and asking rather than assuming. We learned one another more deeply and found a space we could occupy together that felt better than our mutual spaces alone. But this was over months, Jess. I truly believe there's a way through that process to discover how you would be together. But for you? For you and Hera it could be entirely different."

"Geoff will pick me up," Harper says with a smile. "I told him we'd be drinking. He can handle me drunk ..." She was going to tell Jessica how well he maneuvers her when she's difficult and slurry. But she can't resist going literal with the statement halfway through. "... so damn well. God, that man." Jessica grabs more drinks and snacks (after that feast?!) and Harper snuggles up to her when she sits back down and manipulates the movie into happening. She's parting her lips to make a smartass comment bout the movie when Jessica tells her how happy she is for her friend. "Thanks, sweetie. Your seal of approval means so much. As for 'way beyond happy'? That's how I feel all the time with Geoff. It just isn't fading away like people say." She shakes her head, reaches for something sweet to nibble on and leans her shoulder into Jessica's. "I'm happy for you, too. It's like someone rang the 'round one' bell and you two dove straight in."

"That's the annoying thing. All relationships are different. It's almost like I actually have to think for myself and react appropriately instead of automatically" Jessica sniggers before nodding, sadly, to the talk of a pick-up. Before another laugh at the 'handling' comments. "I'm sure he does, Harpo. Sounds like he's had plenty of practice too." She rests her head on her friend's as they lean against each other. "We've grown up so fast" she sighs. "Relationship slash emotional I mean. I did the physical growing up years ago. Not that anyone noticed for ages. No matter how much we grow up. Or how much we love our partners. How much time we spend with them. We should do something mature and responsible and pinkie swear to be friend forever. Always be there, no matter what." She holds up her pinkie to seal the deal.

"Trust me, Harpo, Hera delivered a knock-out blow within seconds of the ringing bell. I won't deny that I needed someone. I was looking for something. But I got so lucky. What I found was the person I want to spend the rest of my life with." A roll of her eyes at her own words. "I sound so tragic" she laughs. "If my teenage self could hear me now, she'd disown me. Gosh, I was such a pigheaded creep back then. Thank goodness I'm more accepting of people now." She must be kidding.

A warm smile once more at how happy Harper is. "There's no reason for love to fade. Not if you find the right person. And I'd like to think that we've both done that." A dreamy look in her eyes. "You're right. I might see if Hera wants to come on over after Geoff picks you up."