HM-MDV: Tea Instead of Dinner

It was getting late. Was he even coming? Did she do something wrong in inviting him..? No he must be busy with work. Perhaps she should take it to him. At least then he could eat it at his convenience. Yes that sounded like a good idea. Elaine hurried about, quickly putting her own food away and packing his up to take to him. Recomposing herself, she left her house and calmly walked towards Octavian's home.

Octavian was indeed busy with work. He was in the process of arguing with dark skinned woman with frizzy hair. Trying to negotiate prices.

Cam was out on the front porch of the house, a pair of oversized headphones on his head as he lounged on the porch swing scribbling in a book. He was the one who spotted Elaine walking towards the house. He glanced to the office window, where he could see the woman's silhouette still, then to Elaine. He muttered something under his breath as he pulled his headphones off his head letting them hang lazily around his neck as he rolled out of the swing.
"HEY!" He says waving his hand towards her. "What you doing here?"

"Oh." Elaine seemed surprised to see him on the porch. "Good evening Cameron. I was just-" she seemed slightly unsure of herself as she continued. "Going to drop off Octavian's dinner... He was running late so I thought.. Maybe he was working late and would appreciate his food here when he finished?"

"Ahhh Yeah..." Cam says rubbing his head, he looked back at the office window. "Shit though. Is it really that late already...  Uh yeah he's been in there with her for a while. I was bout to go play bouncer to be honest." He says with a nervous laugh. He moved to open the door. The office doors were shut, and while the voices were audible they weren't quite intelligible.
"Lets uh... get that in the kitchen then" Cam offers as he stands there holding the door for her.

Elaine tried to not appear too relieved at the fact that Octavian was in fact working as she walked inside. "Sorry if I am interrupting than." She went to the fridge to place the food inside. "I hope you have been well though."

"Oh nah you really aren't" Cam says with a shrug. "I was just writing my mom. She refuses to upgrade to a computer." He says as he follows her. "Can't really trust her to answer her phone either, Police work an shit" He says shrugging heavily.  "I'm good though. Broke my knuckles though" He says holding up his well bandaged left hand with a proud grin.

"That's nice of you. I've never used a computer, Grandmother didn't see a use in them." Elaine glanced back at Cameron with a smile.

Cam frowns, "Wow Some one needs to have a word with your grandma." He says with a shrug. "I have to video chat with my Parole Officer every week. If I couldn't do that I'd have to drive like three hours to see his stupid ass." He says with a laugh as he starts rummaging for bread in the cabinets.

"She passed last year so I don't think that is really possible." Elaine watched him rummage with some concern. "Would you like me to make something for you?"

"I can still go fuss at her" Cam says with a shrug. He pauses and looks to her then at his hand. "I Was just gonna have a ham sandwich?" He offers, "I mean I don't mind help.... But yeah My nan passed a year or so too. So like I feel you. I still fuss at her though. I mean goddamn. Why did she think it was a good idea to let me dye my hair black jeeze"

Black hair? Elaine couldn't help but snort back a laugh at the idea. "I do not think I could ever have qualms with mine, she was wonderful... But also would never have gotten away with something like that." She moved forward. "I can help if you want."

"Oh don't get me wrong... My nan was my best friend man. She took me to get all my shitty piercings and tattoos." He says with a chuckle as he moved out of the way. "Even this dumb ass one" He says lifting the bottom of his shirt to show off a belly button piercing with a smiley face on it. "Thanks though I appreciate it... Octavian has no mercy. His motto is 'You did this to yourself.' and then he walks off"

"Did you grow up with your grandmother as well?" Elaine seemed curious but tried to hold back on showing it too much. "Though mine was technically my great grandmother.. She raised me."

Cam shrugs, "Sooorta. She lived with my family for a while then she moved out to her own place in the city. Cause my mom has a stick up her ass." He says as he leans against the wall. "After that I just visited her a lot. We'd sneak off and do shit my mom hated." He says with a warm smile. "It was so great...." He pauses for a moment as he registers her statement. "Shit... that's impressive! I mean great grandmother and all that taking you in like that"

Elaine smiled wide with happiness. "Mhmm! She was amazing. When I was little I was really sick and she said my parents weren't good for my health... I truly believe she's the reason I'm alive today.... But your Nana sounds like she was incredibly fun. I wish I could have met her."

Cam listens and frowns a little, "Shit though... I'm sorry all that happened" He says quietly, "And yeah, Nan was great. A little fire cracker" He says with a small grin. "But uh yeah... Doesn't sound like she was NEARLY as dangerous as yours" He jokes.

"Those are my prices. Please LEAVE unless you are going to pay them." Octavian could be heard from the hall way.
"HOW can you treat family this way" A woman protested. But was cut off by him slamming the door. Octavian placed his hands on his face and just stood in the hall for a while.

"Mercy was she ever!" Elaine laughed lightly with a grin. "So many rules and structure.. and her house always had to be just so and she expected people to behave in a dignified way around her. Even at 103 if one used improper words in her presence, they'd feel her fan on the back of their heads!" She was honestly so happy to actually have someone she could talk to about how much she admired her grandmother... so much so that the sudden closeness of yelling and slamming door startled her greatly. Elaine practically jumped within her own skin as wide eyes turned to the closed door and Octavian. After a moment of quiet, she whispered with concern apparent. "Are you... alright?"

Cam reached out for Elaine when she jumped, placing a hand on her shoulder. Just instinct. He Leans to look towards the door and at Octavian.
The dark haired man gave a little start when he heard Elaine's voice. He turned to look down the short hall and into the kitchen.

He stared at her with some level of confusion and then... It dawned on him. He glanced at the watch on his arm. His shaking hands returned to his head and into his hair. "Oh god... How... How late..." he stammered in a breathy voice. Like he'd been running for a while.

"Late enough she came to make ME dinner" Cam says with a shrug.

"Eeeeeh????" Why would he say that?! Elaine gave Cameron a confused and almost offended expression before looking back to Octavian worried. "It isn't that. I had thought work might have been running late.. so I thought I would drop off your dinner.. because I thought if you were working late you would be tired and wouldn't want to come over.... Then I had offered to cook for Cameron because he seemed hungry.. We were actually conversing about our grandmothers till just now. I can go if you'd like?"

Cam just winked at Elaine. But it turned out to be the wrong thing to do. Octavian just groans and rubs his face again, pushing his glasses up into that messy brown nest of hair of his. "No. Stop... You are fine. Don't.. You don't have to leave" He says sitting down. "I just need a moment or two... To recover from all that" He have a vague shaky gesture towards the door. "I'll just listen...." He says as he takes a seat at the table.


Cam nods a little. "Yeah yeah... there's one some where round here." He says as he turns and starts pulling open cabinets. After a few moments he pulls down an old fashioned kettle style percolator. "Here?" He says as he holds it out to her.  It was dusty brass with a little glass crystal on the top of it.

Octavian lifted his eyes, even without his glasses he could tell what it was. "I haven't used that in a very long time..."

Elaine gratefully took the kettle with both of her hands and moved towards the sink. His words made her pause though and she glanced back over her shoulder. "Do you not care for tea?"

Octavian shakes his head a little.
"Nah its more that he never figured out how to make decent tea" Cam says with a shrug.
Octavian just sighs a little and moves to his little wicker cabinet and pulls open the doors. Showing off all the cheap rum and expensive brandies.

Cam whistles at Octavian for his attention and jerks his head towards Elaine with a frown. An almost silent discussion. Octavian looked a little blank and confused for a moment before muttering "Oh... right" And shutting the doors. "He's right though... I'm not to great at brewing tea..."

"And I just drink it by the glass anyway" Cam says with a shrug as he brings Elaine a metal container full of teabags in little individual paper wrappers.

"I always make time for tea. Grandmother always said that sitting down with a nice cup of tea was good for reflecting on the day and rejuvenating the soul... and more so if it was with good company." As she spoke Elaine had already started washing off the poor dusty kettle. When she noticed Cameron to her side with the tin she looked inside and was confused. Glancing up at the big guy she asked. "..... What do the papers do?"

Cam just stares at her for a moment, "What? Keep them fresh??" He says with a shrug as he looks down at the individually wrapped tea bags of varied flavors.

Octavian just sat there his head resting in his hand as he watched them. "My mom wasn't to big on tea... we were more juice people."

"Oh! The tea is inside!" Elaine's cheeks grew in color slightly as the growing realization of how foolish she must appear dawned on her. "I always just got it by the tin..." As quickly as she could she took one of teas that had a blend listed that she knew to have calming effects before taking the kettle and her strange new tea bag towards the stove in an awkward slip around and dart away motion. Because slight distance would restart the interactions and hopefully she could make herself less foolish. She also used the movement to shift her attention back to Octavian with a smile, albeit a bit forced past her own awkwardness. "What kind of juice is your favorite?"

"Aged Grape" Octavian let slip his snide humor.
Cam just frowns at Octavian. "That's wine you ass..."
Octavian shrugs, "Cider then..."
Cam just sighs a little and rubs his face in disappointment.

"Wine is actually quite good, though I prefer white over red, and favor sparkling most." Elaine shrugged slightly. She didn't drink often, but that didn't mean she never drank. As she clicked the heat on she added. "But Cameron is right, that is hardly juice."

Cam continued frowning at Octavian. Octavian just stared him down with a dead pan expression. Just daring him to say something. Anything.
In the end Cam just sighed and gave up. "I don't drink personally." He says with a shrug. "Never really had much of a stomach or tolerance for the shit so"

"I've only drank a few times, for special occasions." Elaine shrugged slightly and turned back towards the boys. "Admittedly, there were very few of those while I lived with grandmother." She was partially picking up the tension between the boys, though she had no idea why it was there. "But.. I did hear that the mayor was planning some sort of star gazing party later this week." She attempted to change the subject in a more smooth way. "I think it was supposed to be based on a local tradition?" Her smile grew slightly, if a bit awkward. "Would you care to go together Octavian?"

"Octavian will drink you out of house and Home" Cam murmurs as he leans back against the counter.
Octavian just rolled his eyes and went right back to staring at his empty cup. "I would not... That would be rude." He says with a sigh.
When She asks Octavian to the party Cam's face just lit the fuck up.
"Aw SHIT yeah! HE wants to go!" Cam says excitedly before his friend could protest.
Octavian's arms shot out to stop the idiot, "WHAT!? DON'T JUST.. I mean... Yes... But Thats MY decision to make jesus Cam"

She watched the back and forth between the two boys, trying her hardest not to laugh. "I had intended to ask you alone.. Sorry.. But I am looking forward to going with you." A faint color came to her cheeks and she turned back to the kettle to check on the water.

"No its better you asked with me here" Cam says folding his arms. "He woulda said no otherwise."
"DOn't.... say that like that you dumbass" Octavian says rubbing his face. "I would have said yes you idiot. You don't know that."

"He woulda said no." Cam says looking back at Elaine, "Not cause he wanted to... its just his default."
"It is not! I just.. Its star gazing. I mean how crowded could it even be" Octavian says with a nervous laugh.

Her brows moved together ever so slightly in thought as she looked over at Cameron then back to Octavian. "If.. Your only reservation is the crowd, I would not be opposed to leaving early or finding a quieter spot away from the party if you find yourself uncomfortable." Elaine enjoyed being around others, but she certainly didn't wish for him to be uncomfortable at her expense. She gave him a gentle smile then went to take the kettle from the heat so it could brew.