FAMILY DINNER

[falsify]

[Having Nancy over isn't as common as it used to be, life is busy and whatnot, but Eames sometimes makes an effort. He's even gone so far as to make something to eat that he knows Nancy loves, and he is well stocked with wine for the two of them.]

[Arthur's off visiting a friend or something, so it's just the two of them for tonight. The two of them and a dog who is always happy for familiar company and spends a good chunk of time sat by Nancy's feet, only slightly hoping maybe she'll share some food even if it's against the rules.]

Comments

[stauncherhearted]

Well for one, it bloody hurts!

[Nancy is a small person, Eames. And most clients didn't know that you needed a good solid bottle of lube.]

I don't know about intimacy- I don't have that with sex.

[falsify]

I meant the biting.

[Though he does laugh, even if it's a shame her experiences with anal have been so bad.]

Being bitten is very intimate, you have to open yourself up and trust someone in that moment. Especially if they're feeding from a vein.

[stauncherhearted]

Oh.

[Well then.]

Maybe. I had to trust a lot of 'em. And, ah, a lot of close calls. [Cooper, how she'd been strong-armed into letting her best friend feed off of her to cement her transformation.]

When they bit me, it really did get me off a bit. I don't know if it's because they're vampires or... I don't know. Sex and blood went hand in hand.

[falsify]

[Eames nods in understanding, he can see it, even if he'd never be willing to risk it himself. No time he's been bitten has ever even been good-adjacent.]

[Not by a vampire anyway.]

That's not unusual really. Not for people who are willing to sleep with vampires in the first place at least.

[He smirks a little and adds:] The fact that I don't like it probably makes me the outlier there.

[stauncherhearted]

That's... helpful. Thank you.

Some clients, they'd get so frustrated that I always told them I liked whatever they did. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all bad- gods, that's another awful thing to say, isn't it?

Why don't you like it? Because you're fae? Or like- if it's not a vampire is it alright? [She's gonna figure out his kinks.]

Oh- I do like being dressed up all pretty. Does that count? I had a few clients that wound send me dresses and shoes. [Jewelry. Most of it was pawned, in favor of cheap fabrics, unless she'd been with Cooper. He always made sure she was dressed well on his arm.

Maybe she should call him.]

[falsify]

[Good luck, Nancy. His kinks are between him and a room of observers.]

You like to be something precious, yeah? Beautiful and polished and special.

[stauncherhearted]

Yeah. Yeah, I guess so.

[Someone to take care of her, at least.

This totally was part of her daddy kink, wasn't it?]

[falsify]

See?

[Eames grins.]

It's not so bad talking about this, is it?

[stauncherhearted]

I'm still not ready for you to play matchmaker.

[She didn't know if she ever would be, honestly.]

My vibrator's just fine.

[falsify]

It's going to happen, I know some people who will show you a great time.

But until then, you should focus on yourself some more. On what you want and need.

[stauncherhearted]

Can we not? Gods, it's like a parent setting me up. [Nancy makes a face, ignoring the irony here that Fagin had set her up with Bill. When she was considerably younger.]

Yeah? Like what? I don't even know how to focus on myself. [Her entire life has always been about everyone else.]

[falsify]

I don't think I've ever heard of a parent setting their child up with a fuckbuddy. Or a few.

[He's making a list in his head it's too late for Nancy to back out. At some point he'll have to enquire on Nancy's feelings about women and other... Situations. But he can get to that when she's a bit more amenable to this.]

Anyway. We're talking about sex right now so obviously I think you should focus on that, but there's other stuff too. Like-- I know you never saw yourself living this long so maybe spend some time thinking about what you want to do from here.

I feel like this is set in a weird side universe where everything is peachy

[stauncherhearted]

[Nancy stares at him.] You do know how I met Bill, right? [Set up by her dad.]

Obviously. Honestly, my libido's been nearly nonexistent lately. But... I've no bloody clue what I want to do. We're in uncharted territory.

what do you mean that's not how things are for them already

[falsify]

[Eames waves a dismissive hand, that's totally different. She was supposed to help Fagin control Bill, this is entirely for Nancy's benefit.]

You've got time to figure it out. It's not like you have to leave tonight with a plan for the next decade.

my bad. they live in the happiest timeline.

[stauncherhearted]

Well that's a relief. [She rolls her eyes]

Problem is, what I've always wanted isn't exactly an option. [Bill. His children. Marriage.]

I could bartend.

correct. everything is always ultimately fine

[falsify]

Yeah, you could.

[He doesn't think she'd feel particularly fulfilled doing that, but whatever. It's her life to figure out.]

Just don't let yourself get stuck in something that's doing nothing for you.

[stauncherhearted]

[Do you mean: her whole life?]

I have no idea where to even start, Eames.

[falsify]

Think about what you enjoy, what you're good at, what you'd like to try.

[He leans back in his seat.]

You've gotba pretty big safety net, you can afford to experiment.

[stauncherhearted]

I only have a safety net because you murdered my boyfriend.

[Always always bitter. Even in brightest timelines.]

[falsify]

[They were having such a nice time too.]

[Whatever, Eames refuses to feel bad about it.]

Right. But you do have it.

[stauncherhearted]

[At least feel bad for the anguish you've caused and the ridiculous amounts of alcohol consumed by one tiny witch.]

By rights, I should take complete and total advantage of it and live like a bloody Kardashian.

[falsify]

There's a difference between a safety net and me funding an outrageous lifestyle.

[Does he feel bad about her suffering? Yes. But he's not about to be guilted like this.]

[stauncherhearted]

What? You're saying if I hosted a party with Beyoncé, you wouldn't go?

[falsify]

Are you trying to use Beyoncé as leverage for me to make you a millionaire?

[stauncherhearted]

Yes.

...Is it working?