forced | d.m.

27.pearl

April '01 | H E R

Althea gazes down into her martini. Her third for this evening. "I want a cat."

"A cat?" Rhode flicks her wrist to a guy approaching their booth. For a while now, he's been staring while building up courage through shots. One dismissive move and he cowers away like a scared dog.

"Yes." Sinking against the leather bench, Althea lets her hands fall beside her thighs. "Very badly."

"Her darling love doesn't want one," Talia explains. And for the sake of being a bad sister and keep lying, Althea warned Rhode first thing about Talia being clueless about the cold war. Yes, Althea is being speared by guilt from the inside. "It's ridiculous. She can have everything but she can't have a cat? Let her have a cat damnit."

Speaking so casually to Rhode, regardless of how much alcohol is flushing through her veins, didn't come easy.

Talia's first impression of Rhode has not been good. It's not like anything happened, they simple went out to eat but Talia swore the blonde's vibe was off. Personally—not that Althea would admit it out loud—she thinks her sister might have been a tad jealous. Just a little bit.

Plus, it's two big personalities clashing. Two very confident young women who had to measure dicksizes. Turns out what one lacks in colorful vocabulary, the other does in composure. Kill 'em with a look down the nose.

A few nights out changed it though and now all is good. Going out with Rhode has it's perks. The woman knows some places and has led the sisters into this very bar through a lonesome car standing at the side of the street.

Right now, Rhode has that same look. The determined one. The superior one, knowing she has the solution in her cards. "I can arrange that."

"What?" The little smirk sets Althea at unease.

"Come on." Tugging her and Talia up to a standing position, she puts enough galleons on the table. "Get your coats on."

Not leaving any room for discussion, Rhode takes both their hands in hers and apparates away.

The nausea goes as fast as it comes, though her head spins for a few more moments after they landed on their feet. In a field. Nothing else is around other than a few hooting owls in the distant treeline.

Letting go of their hands, Rhode swings her wand in the crisp night air, mumbling a cantation and even her way of hexing looks incredible.

An a-frame type house materializes behind a ward spell, a warm glow of light coming from the wall of windows.

Too excited, Rhode takes both Althea and Talia's hands and in they walk through porch sliding doors. Maybe she owns the place.

"Baz!"

A head peeks up from behind a sofa. He takes in the three women in the house he sits in. "Oh shit."

The guy gets to his feet, muttering something to himself. As soon as there is the full picture, walking towards them, even Talia cocks a brow, because where do all these good looking people come from? His brown hair is a little longer, wavy and parted in the middle, though it seems his hand has combed through it countless times this evening. His black shirt is one button too much opened, revealing a toned chest but his pants are in order.

He wears half a suit but seems comfortable. The fabric has some creases, his shirt sleeves rolled up, no shoes. Rings coat his fingers, a bracelet is on his left wrist, a necklace dangling in that opening of his shirt.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Althea asks as Rhode takes all their coats and puts them aside on a stool.

The gagging sound Rhode does makes Althea's stomach tumble. "Merlin, no. That's my other older brother."