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 Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2018 6:37 am
Evenings at the country club weren't exactly what Gansey would call thrilling but like a dutiful son, he showed up all the same. Dressed in dark slacks and a red button up, he'd even worked to tame his hair into something more slicked instead of the intention, haphazard-rolled-out-of-bed look that he had perfected for his days at school.
Tonight was a night meant for schmoozing, something Gansey had spent a life time being groomed for and something he thought he had perfected and, as it was also his twenty-first birthday, he was busy sporting a glass filled with wine as he circled through the old men that had turned up per his mother's request.
Truthfully, Gansey wanted nothing more than to slip out the back and return to his friends at the house, who would surely be celebrating his birthday the way he would have chosen, but family obligations were something that Gansey had never been capable of ignoring, even on his birthday.
So, like a good son, he put on his best, charming grin and let old bats chatter at him.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2018 9:13 pm
Suri did not care for the country club.
Schmoozing was her mother's game, drinking was her father's, and she was wasting her time with subpar food and worse company when she had numbers to look over before an impromptu flight to Italy for another 'conference'. She had other matters to attend to as well--Queenie was apparently snooping around in Chase's office, and she had to think of some way to navigate the discipline of her subordinate without making it some sort of challenge to be won. It was the worst kept office secret at Argent Industries that Queenie Powers had affections for their aloof CEO, but Suri had been wary to scold her assistant, so long as the girl kept to herself. However, now that the matter had crossed over to Chase's attention, it could simply no longer be ignored. Suri needed to discipline or deflect. But how?
Considering her options gave her such a headache that Suri had to wonder if Chase himself was going grey under all that pink. The way he carried himself, she would have never expected being a commanding officer to be so much like herding cats. She almost felt cheated.
But Suri was given only so much time to mull her thoughts over a white that cost far to much to be so unimpressive. She found herself collected by her father to meet and greet with the same old crowd as always--shareholders, esteemed businessmen, people with good enough breeding not to stare at the little stutter to her gait when she walked. Her prosthetic was covered by a smart pair of black slacks, but anyone at the club would have long since known the tragic story of her terrible car accident and slow recovery of the only Ellis child. All of that was old news--the latest tragedy was that she dared to be 29 and attend club events without a plus one. a workaholic and a pariah.
In between the mingling crowds, Suri paused, scrutinizing a boy who was too young for the glass in his hand. Or perhaps she was too old--Trey Cameron was 21, she reminded herself, even if it was a bitter pill to swallow. Her father left her arm, all too eager to show a colleague pictures of his fishing trip, abandoning Suri to a child she only vaguely knew and her cold silence.
"Mr. Gallagher," she greeted dryly, inclining her drink as a half-hearted toast. "I hear you're celebrating a birthday at the country club. Lucky you." Suri offered him a close-lipped smile while she drank--it was a terrible thing, to be at the beck and call of one's progenitors, but there were some shackles even her status as Zircon could not break.
"Are you enjoying your evening?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 4:56 pm
He was growing bored and if he thought he could get away with it, Gansey would have checked the watch hidden beneath the cuffs of his dress shirt and suit jacket but his mother was lurking in the crowd somewhere and he didn't think he'd get away with it. By the time someone was brought around to the old men who chattered away at him about his private education and the professors that were certainly old friends and once school mates.
It was all trivial chatter, things that Gansey could have done without and yet, he managed to look engaged enough when the topic of hunting, a skill he was rather proficient at, a man looped around with a younger woman, someone older than him, but not as old as his mother's cohorts. And she spoke to him, which had a dark brow lifting with interest as he popped a mint leaf into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
He let her greeting settle over him, hazel eyes taking her in and observing until who she was clicked. "Ms. Ellis," he greeted in kind, his smile nothing but polite and nearly charming, depending on your preferences.
Gansey was a schmoozer after all. "What mother wants, mother gets," he answered with a shrug, swirling the glass in his hand before lifting it to his lips and downing the rest of it. Fortunately, a waiter had circled round at that moment and he was able to trade glasses easily. This one, he didn't down, but he did take a sip.
"As much as one can, when attending a party they didn't ask for." Fingers tapped against the base of the glass. "You?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2019 4:25 pm
"Lucky her, too, to have such a devoted son," Suri replied, using two hands to keep her glass steady. Amber eyes watched him with a steady gaze, sharply focused on his polished dress and demeanor. She remembered what it was, to be the favored child, the pride of the elite, and for a moment it settled as a bitterness closing her throat to think about her own terrible wasted potential. But this boy had nothing to do with her own personal failings, and would no doubt get tarnished in his own way, given enough time. It was the fate of all bright children, to eventually fall and become massive disappointments. She wondered where he would settle, when he was subjected to the real world, and for a moment she almost pitied him. The moment passed, as did all things, and Suri sighed.
"I have better things to be doing," she admitted, more interested in honesty than impressing anyone here. No party at the country club was worth the effort of coordinating an outfit, even if she was proud of the way her pearl earrings matched her lapel pin, a small crystalline dove in flight. It was a pretty little lie, just like everything else here. Glancing out towards the general assembly, she scowled, bringing her glass to her lips.
"A bit of birthday advice--life will be full of parties you didn't ask for. It will be up to you to decide when to stay and when to use the staff entrance to sneak out before anyone notices." She glanced back to him, just at the edges of her vision, and her lips quirked into the shade of a knowing smirk. In her teens, Suri had escaped most of these sorts of parties in search of some peace and quiet, but the way she finished off the rest of her drink said she wasn't going to offer any more details.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 2:28 pm
Gansey's smile looked a little more strange in response to Suri's words.
His mother was the matriarch, the one who governed the family and made most of the decisions. He had a sister, but he was the pride and joy of the Gallagher clan. Born and bred for greatness and the intelligence to know that what mother said, he did.
Her second comment received an arched brow. "If there are better things to do, then why are you here?" While the inquiry was blunt, it was to the point and he found that Miss Ellis had drawn about a certain amount of intrigue from him.
He sipped at his one drink.
"Are you offering to show the way?" He asked, despite already having such knowledge. Gansey had been mastering the art of schmoozing since he was old enough to form words instead of gibberish babble. Still, he was willing to entertain the woman and make her think she had anything she could teach him.
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Posted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 6:56 pm
If his smile seemed more strained, Suri didn't comment on it, giving him a tepid twist of her lips at his words. "A good question," she responded dryly, glancing back out to the mingling crowds, to where her mother would be. "Well, it's as you said--what mother wants, mother gets. It's something we have in common, Mr. Gallagher. If we're lucky, it's a problem that will plague us for most of our lives."
Here in this plush gallery of the comfortable elite, it was easy to forget about the war, the many people lost to it, and the sacrifices made to repel the senshi forces. Suri had paid for her time out of herself, but many of her allies had paid out of their relationships, their families. She supposed she should have felt fortunate, to have the privilege to lounge in a cozy hall and complain about her parents to someone so blissfully unaware, but to be honest this felt more refreshing than trying to pretend to be grateful. There was something human about being able to idly complain, without a world-ending threat looming above them all. Suri felt like she could breathe. That was the sort of feeling she wanted inspired in Queenie, not...whatever she saw in Chase. She couldn't play nice with Ashley, but this boy...well, he had a respectful aptitude that her team sorely needed.
Suri needed to gather his interest, get him somewhere away from prying eyes, but he was likely to suspect her if she was too forthcoming. She had to make it seem like it was his idea. "No, it wouldn't be right to deprive the prodigal Gallagher son of his own birthday party," she shook her head, finishing the last of her glass and setting it aside with some nameless tray-carrier. Gathering her purse, she looked to confirm that her mother was engaged in conversation, then took a few steps towards the kitchen doors. She paused just long enough to glance back at him.
"Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather be?" Under the question was an invitation, subtle but sure.
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:24 am
Gansey found Miss Ellis to be an interesting creature. First, it was fascinating that she chose to intermingle with him, a man younger than her, and that she offered him 'life advice'.
He couldn't tell if she was hitting on him or simply trying to be a 'teacher' to him. Either way, he was amused and curious to see which way their interactions would lead them to.
"I'm sure mother wouldn't notice if I stepped away for a few minutes. She'd take it as me mingling. Besides," he lowered his voice, stepped a little close so that his words were for Suri alone, "you and I both know this party isn't really for me."
No, he was the prized show horse for his mother to tote around to the people she thought important.
"That depends on what you're offering Miss Ellis."
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