[MINGLE] Harvest Feast 🍂

[sixthiteration]

WHERE: 6I Inn
WHEN: 10 November, all day
OPEN TO: ALL - MINGLE POST
NOTE: Details can be found here.

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In the wee hours of November 10th, before even the earliest risers have roused themselves for another day, items begin to appear in the front room of the Inn. Decorations first — Boughs of autumn leaves in their reds and golds, wreaths of dried flowers and silken ribbon, flickering candles among the goards and berries and acorns. The food arrives next, the decadent aroma slipping up the Inn stairs to tempt those lingering in bed — Every imaginable harvest time delicacy, from roast turkey and ham to smoked salmon and oysters; fresh, soft bread warm from the oven to plum pudding and ice cream. And did we mention pie?

Once again, it's time for a feast. The bar is stocked, the coffee is brewed and the tables are groaning with food. Indulge, there's more than enough for everyone — That is, if you don't lose your appetite worrying about what it will all cost.

Comments

[theintercessor]

"Didn't you have a family though," he asks, hoping he hasn't forgotten--or somehow worse, misremembered--something Bodhi's said. He knows so few actual things, and it's always a possibility he's lost others. The only concrete thing is a hand in his own. Bodhi's leaning weight, the cadence of his steps in the dark. The scent and taste of tea. The folds of scarves and the fall of hair in his sketches. "Or just, people to go home to?"

[onlyeverdoubted]

He nods. "My... my mother and sister were still alive, but, well, family usually meant your own kids, or at least that you were married. There were... There were spots on the paperwork for that." Give people excuses just because they had mothers and you'd be giving your pilots time off all the time. Couldn't have that. Finding he's rattled himself, he turns his attention to his plate, mounded with one or two bites of everything he could fit on there.

[theintercessor]

The subject feels abruptly closed, leaving Jude to form an opinion, find another, and find something to do with his own hands and eyes. Talking about his parents isn't something that really even comes up very often, until he's at a gathering like this. Until someone wants to know: what does his dad do, did his mom have to push for art school, do his parents toke up, are they cool or some source of rebellion. Odd questions, pressing home more about the differences between him and the other kids than inspiring in-depth replies.

But he spent years not talking about his mom, not trying to fill the emptiness in any way. Should he keep doing that? Should he start doing that with Charlie?

He can save it for Jax, maybe. Write it down and ask him to hold onto it, in case Jude doesn't make it home. Bodhi--well. He doesn't really ask, and he'll probably beam back up to the stars if this place doesn't hold. Something else to whittle down an opinion on, when he isn't sitting right there. With every question deemed somehow terrible or just banal, Jude settles for swiping a slice of meat from Bodhi's plate and popping it into his mouth.

[onlyeverdoubted]

He doesn't mean to shut down the whole subject, just catch himself before he gets into really rough territory. But he's not at all upset to find that it's done. If he were to ask himself whether he wants to know more about Jude, the answer would have to be yet, but the problem with all those conversations is they go both ways. He doesn't want to have to say my home doesn't exist anymore or everyone I've ever cared about it dead or, worse, own up to his own miserable performance as a very unimpressive hero. This quiet is so much more welcoming.

He shoots Jude a smile that verges on teasing and shifts his lap a bit so the plate is in easy reach. He can always get more. "Well, kriff, piracy."

[theintercessor]

Jude smiles back as he chews, any misgiving quickly smoothed over. Bodhi has other ways of being accommodating, and other things Jude wants him to be than--well, even Parker was only ever so much of a confidant. Moreso, beyond him, Jude's never really had more than people he wanders off with at parties, and no matter how many times they did so, he never thought of them filling that role in his life.

For now, he'll settle on: Bodhi exists in a grey area. He might never be either of those things, and Jude's decided not to mind. Neither of those things enriched his life so much as to leave him bereft these last few months.

"Doesn't piracy require some kind of--transport," he asks, trying to carry the joke. "Should I grab another and walk away with it?"

[onlyeverdoubted]

"It just sounded more dignified than petty larceny, but you probably could. You're stealing from a pilot. Close enough, right?" Bodhi shifts a bit closer, apparently subconsciously trying to find a way into Jude's lap, and settles a hand on Jude's knee for just a moment as he winks. It's not the first time he's gotten comfortable enough to actually flirt, but it's probably the most direct attempt to date.

[theintercessor]

Both of his reactions let him drop his gaze, but while one has him do it with a smile and indirect roll of his eyes, the other is why those eyes settle in the other corner and briefly survey the room. The bubble they seem to create in one another's orbit is a lot of things, and Bodhi seems to thrive in it, but it doesn't make them invisible.

Coast determined clear, Jude lets his hand brush over Bodhi's at his knee, on its way to pick up another scrap from his plate. His gaze draws back, and he keeps up the smile. "I'm not really worried about dignity."

Having to defend Bodhi's with his own hands--maybe, a bit.

[onlyeverdoubted]

Bodhi catches that. It doesn't bother him. Jude can prefer whatever level of secrecy he likes. Just something to remember later, which is potentially a little bit of a pain. He's usually alright at remembering new things--it's old memories that have gone cracked and cloudy--but he's not perfect. Especially when he has a few drinks in him and a handsome face to deal with. Well, he'll just have to make it work.

"Fine, petty larceny it is," he says archly. And, since Jude's stealing off his plate, he helps himself to another sip of the spicy liquor, whatever that is. Besides pretty tasty.