Renee / Emilie / Ry / Slink / Scarlett / Jude - The wake - PG

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"Mother?" Renee called down as she descended the stairs.

"Oui?" Emilie's voice returned from the lounge room. She was lying on the couch watching some dreadfully vacuous reality show. No doubt she was critically eyeing all the scantily-clad female bodies for so much as an extra milligram of fat.

"I've invited a few guests over for... well, in lieu of a wake."



Well, why would she know what a wake was? She never bothered learning much English that didn't pertain to "healthy" eating and fashion tips.

"Somebody's father died," Renee told her bluntly. "My friend Ry. We shall be having some drinks and drowning our sorrows. Or in Ry's case, our apathy."

Emilie nodded, then her eyes lit up. Goddess, what did she have in mind? "So you're going to be having a party? A party with boys?"

Renee sighed. "Yes, Mother. A party with boys."

"Well, then I simply must change!" She disappeared faster than Renee would have thought such a frail-looking woman could move. "How old is this Ry, dear?" she asked from her bedroom, the door only half closed and she stripped.

"Too young for you, Mother," Renee growled.

"Oh sweetie, you know I just like to flirt. Your father wouldn't know a romantic word unless somebody wrote a thesis on it."

"So you keep telling me. Will Father be here?"

"No dear, he's working late."

Not that it would have made any difference either way. He rarely showed his face when he was at home.

Moments later, Emilie reappeared wearing a slinky red dress. "Mother!..." It was the closest Renee's voice ever came to whining.

"What, dear?"

"Do you really think that is appropriate?"

"Oh, nonsense. You're all just going to get drunk anyway. Oooh," she trailed off and disappeared once more, to return with a bottle of Midori. "Maybe I will join you!"

Renee groaned and rolled her eyes, but there was nothing to be done. If Mother was that intent on embarrassing herself... really, what was it with models who weren't Jude or... Deirdre. Of course her mother would have to have a profession that would always remind Renee of her ex-girlfriend. She was just that annoying.

She had just finished replacing the CDs in the stereo system when the first of the guests knocked on the door. After making a quick stop in front of the mirror to check her hair and make-up (vanity apparently being genetic), she opened the door to find...

"Hey." Stephie said, with a half smile. "Thought I'd show up kinda early, cos I haven't seen you in ages, 'n I wanna make sure things ain't weird."

Scarlett peeked her head other the other girl's shoulder and smiled. "Not early enough," she told her with a playful smirk.

As Ry rounded the corner leading into Renee's driveway, he took a double take at his watch. "And here I was thinking I was early," he muttered.

"Well, there goes that plan." Stephie muttered under her breath.

"Why don't we just all step inside," Ry questioned, winking welcomingly at Scarlett as he passed her. "You don't mind if I make myself all comfortable within your own home, Renee."

With his usual arrogance, it wasn't phrased as a question.

Renee rolled her eyes, but smiled nevertheless as Ry passed her. She let her fingers brush his hand as he passed, clearly more than comfortable here after their last... adventure.

"Do not worry." She gave Slink a smile and a kiss on her cheek. "There is no weird. Please, come in," she added, motioning after Ry.

Her expression became even warmer as she turned to Scarlett, her eyes glowing with love. She moved close to the girl and wrapped her arms around her waist, holding her close. She could feel Scarlett's heart beat against her chest...

"I didn't know you were coming tonight, Scar," she spoke in a loving, almost sultry tone.

"Well, hello there," a sultry voice spoke from the archway leading through to the lounge. Renee's mother was addressing Ry, her body pressed against the frame, dress gripping her thin model's figure tightly. She was pretty for her age, in her late thirties but barely marred by the years. She could even still get a reasonable amount of work modelling. Long, dark brown hair trailed past her shoulders, and though she was overly made-up for a house party, it was still artfully applied to her petite features. Whatever else she might be, she looked as stunning as a vacuous, too-skinny woman could.

"You must be Renee's friend Ryan."

Stephie smiled at Renee. Good, with that out of the way, onto the Absinthe! This thought was brought to a sudden stop when Renne's mother pressed herself against Ry- calling him Ryan? What the hell? She couldn't help herself, she cracked up laughing. "Ryan! Hahaha! You gotta be kidding me!"

"Of course," she told her, not removing herself from Renee's arms. "Ry invited me. How could I decline?"

Her eyes flicked to Renee when her mother started getting snuggly with Ry. "Oh god," she whispered under her breath. "Renee, your mother...is...hitting on Ry..."

She pulled herself quickly from Renee arms and wandered over to Ry, sliding her arms around his waist from behind and whispered seductivly, loud enough for mother to hear. "Honey, don't stay too far. Even if she is gorgeous, you have to least pretend I'm more beautiful as your fiance." she smiled sweetly at Renee's mother and kissed Ry's cheek. Her next words were addressed to the other woman. "He's really quite a wonderful boyfriend." She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Hmm. I'm sure," the older woman replied, giving a patently false smile. Who was this little upstart, trying to steal Emilie's thunder in her own house? She was only flirting, after all.

"Renee, darling," she called, "are there any boys coming who do not have such... luggage?"

Renee growled and rolled her eyes as she switched the stereo on, hoping to drown out her mother's embarrassing everything, at least to some extent.

"I think the word you are looking for is baggage, Mother. Why don't you try it in French instead?" she admonished her as :wumpscut:'s Wreath of Barbs began playing.

She mouthed a silent thank you to Scarlett before heading towards the kitchen where she could begin serving pouring drinks.

"I told you so," she whispered to Ry as she passed him.

A flash of jealousy crossed Stephie's mind as Scarlett played the girlfriend to spite Renee's (rather scarily clad) mother. Stephie berated herself; jealousy was a stupid girl emotion and she would have nothing to do with it. Besides, she had no claim on Ry anyway- and wasn't Scarlett gay? So it didn't matter anyway. Good.

With the emotions out of the way, she had to admit it had been a decent peice of flipping off the parental unit. She liked this girl, and gave her a thumbs up and knowing nod as she followed Renne into the kitchen.

Wow, this was almost as... interesting as what he could have imagined at his own family gathering, had he gone. Of course, his mother would not have been hitting on him, nor would she have attempted to call him 'Ryan', if she had addressed him at all. He coureously held back a sneer for Renee's sake, and rolled his eyes as Scarlett flirted with him.

"I might have thought she had a slight amount of subtlety," he whispered back to Renee before she was out of hearing.

Scarlett smiled at Slink and then walked out into the kitchen after Renee. "And the night already proves itself interesting," she said to no one in partcualar, sounding amused. She slipped her arm around Renee's waist and rested her head on the other girl's shoulder. (Renee was shorter so she had to lean a little but other than that it felt perfectly comfortable and natural.) "So," she asked. "Are we everyone?"

"Everyone I invited seems to be here," Ry murmured, looking around.

"How 'bout Jude?" Stephie asked. "Or is she still holing up in her room?"

Ry dashed his hand across his forehead and rolled his eyes. "Of course. Yeah, she said she'd be here later, but not trying of the absinthe. Poor girl, needs to take more risks."

"Yeah... More risks." Stephie raised an eyebrow at Ry. "Cos she doesn't take enough as it is."

He gave her a look. "You know what I meant. Fun related risks anyway."

"Getting into fights can be fun." Stephie retorted. "And risky. Two in one."

"Absinthe is more of a risk of waking up the next morning and finding you've sold yourself into naked slavery." Renee smelled nice tonight, Scarlett noticed.

She smirked at Ry. "So what time is the Green Fairy making it's appearance tonight anyway?"

"Ooh, better direct that one towards Renee, I think," he murmured, glancing towards her. "It's her absinthe we shall be consuming."

"And for the record, I've never woken up sold into slavery, naked or otherwise."

"Oh no," Stephie winked at Ry, "you hadn't sold yourself, you'd gone perfectly willingly."

Scarlett smiled at the other girl. "Sounds like a story there, Steph."

Stephie nodded at Scarlett, and said, perfectly deadpan. "Oh yes, Ry gives great oral sex."

Scarlett nodded as well, hers more appricitive. "Rare trait in a man." She looked at Ry with a flick of her hair. "Congratulations, darling. That's an impressive seal of approval"

"Oh yeah. Wanna tell us all about that then?" Ry questioned mildly.

She raised her eyebrow again and laughed. "Oh come on, you haven't forgotten; you weren't that wasted."

Ry gave a little smile, showing something of what he was feeling. "I don't forget much of that night at all, darlin'. Merely interested to hear that night in your words..."

"Hmmm," Stephie pretended to think about this for quite a while- ah hells, she was thinking about it. She'd barely stopped thinking about it. But she didn't let herself let too caught up in her thoughts or else she'd have to jump him right now and drag him off to the nearest broom closet and have her way with him.

She didn't think he'd mind, but Renee's mother was still at the door. Although, that wasn't really a deterrant- she hadn't taken a skine to that woman. A better reason would be that they might miss the absinthe.

"Porn." Stephie said, nodding slowly and keeping her face thoughtfull. "Porn and sex would be the words I'd choose."

Renee couldn't help the grin spreading across her face as Slink gradually revealed the details of her and Ry's sex life. The girl certainly didn't have any inhibitions. Ry didn't seem to mind, either... that was good. It probably meant that he actually felt comfortable around this company. With Ry, that was pretty special.

She busied herself pouring glasses of absinthe for all of those present in the kitchen around her, then loaded a silver tray with an many varieties of alcohol as she could fit and hopefully still be able to carry. The conversation continued around her unabated until she finished and turned to the others.

"Let the debauchery begin," she grinned, motioning for the others to all take glass. She let her gaze wander over her friends, all coming together tonight for Ry. It was a beautiful gesture, even if Ry hadn't specifically needed it. She was just glad that he could see that he had friends who loved him... even if some of them might never admit it.

"To beautiful friends," she toasted, raising her glass. Though she included everyone, her own gaze came to rest, of course, on Scarlett. She smiled to the redhead as she sipped her absinthe. She could just imagine tasting that same flavour on Scarlett's lips... Damn, all that talk of sex had gotten her all worked up!

"Flatterer," Stephie rolled her eyes at Renee, but they were laughing eyes. She stepped forward to grab her glass from the bench and used it as an excuse to reposition herself standing next to Ry.

Jude walked back into her bedroom, worrying filling her, and she reached for her mobile phone and texted a message off to Slink. Can't make it tonight. Tell people sorry.

"Beautiful friends indeed," she agreed, beaming at them all and took a sip of her absinthe.

"Friends and forgetting," Ry joined, reaching an arm around Slink's waist and pinching her butt oh-so-subtly.

Renee knocked back a good swig of absinthe, and smiled at the others as they similarly imbibed their beverages. Placing her glass on the bench, she picked up the tray of drinks and took them into the living room. It was a good party room - more than enough comfortable seating to go round, the large television and stereo were both in here, and the lights could be dimmed to create the appropriate atmosphere... she had even brought a few candles down for the event. It made it seem quite romantic, though that hadn't been what she was going for at the time. Still, with Scarlett here, Renee was hardly going to complain. She returned to Scarlett and slid her arms around her as the others followed her in. Then her mother appeared once more, a smug look on her face. What was she going to do...?

Emilie smirked as she folded her arms and leaned up against the doorframe. "So... is Deirdre not coming tonight, dear?"

Deirdre hadn't been here since Renee had moved back. As soon as that had happened she had had her suspicions. She hadn't said anything until now out of sympathy and tact, but she was damned if she would let her daughter get the better of her in front of company...

She hoped she wasn't wrong about the current state of play between them.

Renee's eyes widened at her mother's question. Bitch! Her eyes flicked pleadingly to Scarlett for a moment, but there was nothing the other girl could do.

"She... had homework," she lied, unable to meet her mother's eyes. One second. Two. Three. Look up, dammit! Finally she raised her eyes to her mother's triumphant face.

Bullseye! Emilie's smug expression grew even more insufferable. Rather than reply and risk retaliation, she simply raised her eyebrows knowingly, turned and left. No doubt Renee's friends were all quite as boring as her anyway.

"Friends and forgetting," Ry repeated, looking significantly at Renee, lifting his own glass of absinthe. His gaze shifted slightly to encompass Scarlett beside her, and an indulgent though lopsided smile took his mouth before he swigged.

Renee raised her eyebrow slightly at Ry, letting him know that his expression had not gone unnoticed. It didn't take a genius to put together her feelings about Scarlett, especially when they were in the same room together. And honestly, she had no idea how much she had told him when they had smoked together. She didn't really remember what had happened with Scarlett, either. Had they snogged? Gone further? They had woken up naked in each other's arms, and it had been the most wonderful experience Renee had ever known. Her memories of that night, so fragmented... she had howled at the moon through her window, crawled on hands and knees, run her nails down Scarlett's back, licked her neck... she had the distant memory of a desire to worship her. What had become of that?

Friends and forgetting. Yeah, no kidding.

"Well, now that she is gone, please, everyone, help yourselves to as much food and alcohol as you desire," Renee smiled.

Ah, what the Hell... she grinned at Scarlett for a moment before pulling her down on the couch with her and tickling the girl like crazy.

Renee's mother was quite the unpleasant woman, Scarlett though. It made her even more pleased to have her own wonderful parents.

"Friends and forgetting" has been said. Oh, how true. She spent too much time drinking and having interesting things with these people. One day she'd like to attend something she fully remembered.

Hmm...but not tonight perhaps...

"Ooooh, drinking now- eii!" She'd barely had a chance to finish her sentence before someone was TICKLING her! Oh, the inhumanity! "ohgodohgodohstopI'llDIE!" She was shrieking in the middle of someone's living room. This wasn't very ladylike.

Renee giggled at Scarlett's adorable protests as she set upon her once more, and then finally stopped to just wrap her arms around the girl. This was more like it. This was what a party should be. Friends. Love. Goddess, she hadn't had this in so long.

She grinned and lightly touched her nose to Scarlett's. Wow... how long had it been since she had been this cutesy with someone?!