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"Mav." Mike scolded her from across the table at the way she was eating the risotto like there had been no tomorrow, smearing it across her face in the process. She stopped chewing and looked up with innocent eyes, wiping her face and straightening her posture.
"So there I was, headed down the I-5, going to see a client in Ventura. I'm looking for a motel to stay in for the night and suddenly, bam, it hits me." Murray went on with his painfully long story. "Didn't the Byers move here?"
"Small world, isn't it? It's a small world." Joyce gave a forced laugh.
"So I thought, 'Hey, you know what? Why don't I drop in, say hello to my old friends?'" Murray grinned as he made sure to look around at each of them.
"So sweet of you." Joyce agreed, her tone made her sound flirty but that clearly hadn't been the case. El frowned her eyebrows as she watched Mav go back to eating risotto like it was her last meal.
"Sweeter of you to let me stay." he giggled her way.
"And he cooks." Joyce over explained.
"Cooks so good." Mav hummed in delight, Will squeezed the bridge of his nose.
"I clean too!" Murray fluffed up his hair. "A regular little housewife."
"You should just stay." Joyce waved her hand.
"I'd be tempted, Joyce, except you know, you have that, uh.." he trialed off, his eyes wide with a nod.
"Right." Joyce nodded. "That business trip."
"Business trip? What business trip?" Will looked up quickly, as did El. She looked up when she felt a foot touch her ankle, meeting Mav's eye as she gave her a little wink.
"Oh my gosh." Joyce faked a gasp. "I almost forgot to tell you guys. This thing came up at work-"
"Mav, you've got a little-" Jonathan slurred his words as he motioned around his face. "-like an explosion."
"And it turns out I have to go to a conference tomorrow. In Alaska." Joyce carried on.
"It sometimes is just daylight there." Mav hummed as she washed her food down with her juice. "Bet you'll sink into some snow."
"Not everyone sinks in snow." Mike looked over at her. "Not everyone does a lot of things."
She realized he was talking about her influence on El earlier. "Not everyone is okay with being walked all over."
"Not everyone is on probation." he rose his voice in her direction.
"Alaska?" Will brought the conversation back to Joyce.
"That's where they're based, the Britannicas." Joyce shrugged casually. "Joan and Brian Britannica."
"So do Eskimos, like, still live in igloos, or, uh, are they, like, fully-blown like, living in the..in the suburbs now?" Argyle turned to face Murray in questioning.
