Pleasant

"Thanks for the dinner, Maria. It was lovely."

"My pleasure! I'm glad you liked it. It's nice that you got the chance to come over this evening."

"Probably shouldn't stay too much longer though... I'll need to put Julius to bed, at least."

"Aww yeah, definitely. Do you read to him?"

"Sometimes. Other times we just chat. He's quite interesting to talk to. More than people really give him credit for. He might be a little horror at times with his pranks but he's still my little boy, you know?"

"Of course. Hell, no matter how old he gets, Logan's always going to be my little boy too. Even though he's married!"

"Heh, that's sweet. Hey, excuse the intrusive question, but what was the transition like? I know he wasn't always your boy, as such."

"Strange! A very big adjustment for us both. But it was right for him. He's so happy nowadays."

"Good. He and Saraya make a lovely couple. You know, I don't think I'd mind if it were one of mine. I'd just want to make sure they were doing what they really wanted to."

"Yeah, that's it exactly! And with my own experiences, I can understand the feeling of trying to force yourself to be something you're not. It's kind of why he exists in the first place!"

"Aww. I suspect Zeus isn't straight, but if he does like men in any way, I don't see him admitting it while we're still with Tate."

"Is he homophobic?"

"Very. Not to lesbians though, because that's 'hot'."

"....Eurgh."

"Yeah. It might be, but we don't just exist for his pleasure. And it's no excuse to be hateful either. Ugh, speaking of which... my parents weren't happy at all with me being bi. The type who ask you why you can't just be straight. They think my marriage to Tate is the best thing I've ever done, let's put it that way."

"...Ouch."

"Oh, they love him. Think he's wonderful. He really turns on the fucking charm when we're there. You know what? He even has the nerve to criticise me, and they go along with it..."

"What? Why?!"

"I've never been good enough for them. They threw me out, after all... because they discovered my 'career'. Said I was a bad influence on my sister."

"Oh honey, I'm sorry. I never understood people who could reject their own children. Logan would have to do something horrendous for me to stop talking to him."

"I'm glad I never copied their parenting, that's for certain."

"Me too. Your kids are lucky to have a mum like you!"

"Awww, thanks Maria."

"It's okay. Really, I've seen some shit mothers around here, and you're definitely not one of them."

"I'm being nosy now, but who?"

"Hmm... Fran Everett's quite a contender."

"Is that Heath's mum?"

"Yeah. They're not talking, actually... although he's the one who cut her off. She's a nasty piece of work. Always was okay to me, but I'd see her turn up at school to pick him up, or I'd collect Logan from their house. Half the time she looked like she was on something."

"Wow..."

"The nasty part is her trying to make him choose her over Ellis and Nix. Of course, he was having none of it."

"Good for him! Oh, Ellis is lovely. My stepson... even if he is the same age as me. I should have run as soon as I found that out, but I was already pregnant."

"Didn't Tate tell you about his other children, then?"

"Not until I was moving in... God, what an idiot I was."

"You're not an idiot."

"I was being a gold-digger, though."

"It's hardly surprising, if you were... how old, exactly?"

"Nineteen."

"Wow. Okay, you were nineteen and your parents had thrown you out. No wonder you were desperate."

"I guess. Oh well."

"Everything's going to be okay, Roxxi. Don't you worry."

"Thanks... Ah, there's no point wasting time feeling sorry for myself. Gimme a kiss."

"Gladly."

Later...

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Seeing a friend. I'm entitled to a life too, you know."

"Well, don't make a habit of it. I have better things to do than watch over that little shit."

"Keep your voice down! And don't talk about our son like that! Maybe if you paid him more attention, he wouldn't try to get it by playing pranks on you."

"I'm not going to be lectured by you. Now listen to me. Tomorrow, we have important guests, so I need you to be here, and I need you to look your best. Nothing slutty, though."

"...Who?"

"The Fortescues. We need to make a good impression."

"Okay, okay."

"Make sure the kids are well-presented too. And will you at least try to get Zeus to do something about that horrible beard? Short of cutting it off myself, I'm running out of options."

"He won't be happy. You know he likes to express himself."

"I don't give a damn about his 'self expression' bullshit. It looks ridiculous, and it'll reflect badly on me."

"Can't make any promises, but I'll try. ...So am I cooking, too?"

"No. I don't trust you not to burn it, considering some of the failures you've had in the past. I can't afford to have you embarrass me. Just do what you're best at, okay?"

"What's that, then?"

"Shutting up and looking good."

"Like the trophy wife I am, right?"

"Exactly. Just remember that you're on thin ice, and if you mess this up... Well, you know what could happen."

The throwing stage

"Hello."

"Oh. Hello."

"My name is Nalini Faux. I'm looking for Ellis Farrington...?"

"Yes, you're in the right place. I'm Edward, his uncle. Come in."

"Ah. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. He's just through here."

"Thank you. Sorry I'm a bit late; I'm still getting used to where everything is."

"It's okay. How long have you been here now?"

"Hi."

"Hello. Aww, I'm going to assume that this is Nix. Um, not that long, only a few weeks now. How long have you and your family been here?"

"I've been here about twenty years now. It seems like forever!"

"About ten years for me? Not as long as the others."

"Ah. She's cute. You have just the two, correct?"

"That's right. And you've just got a daughter?"

"Yes, that's right. She's called Zaryn."

"And how old is she? Oh, sit down, sorry. Can I get you anything?"

"Thirty."

"And I'm fine, thank you. I don't eat, and rarely drink."

"Ah, okay. I've got a son. He's six."

"What's his name?"

"Vincent. You look a bit young to have a thirty-year-old. Erm, no offence."

"None taken. I'm actually far over five hundred years old."

"Wow!"

"Of course, I should have thought, with you being a vampire."

"Well for all you know, I could have been turned last week. It's hard to accurately guess a vampire's age."

"It was only a few weeks ago for me. Well, more like a few months now. So how are you finding Sunset Valley so far?"

"It's not so bad. Although the stares I've been attracting are testing my patience a lot, I have to admit."

"I know what you mean, Nalini. They're not really used to it around here."

"Yeah. I mean, Charon still gets weird looks sometimes."

"I did get that impression. Quite honestly I'm used to being gawped at by slack-jawed idiots, but it still never fails to pi- to irritate me."

"Me too."

"I'm sorry. It's never pleasant."

"N-no, it's not. Still. The people here are very nice on the whole. So was there any particular reason you moved?"

"A fresh start away from my ex-husband, if I'm honest."

"Oh, sorry."

"It's as good a reason as any?"

'It's fine. I was bound to be asked eventually, it's not an issue."

"Well, in that case, I hope you enjoy it here."

"Thank you. I'm sure I will."

*whoosh*

"Nix!"

"Oh God. Now there's a stage I don't miss."

"She's going through a throwing stage. Especially to Heath. She also keeps grabbing his nose."

"God, Zaryn was a little devil as a toddler, she really was. I'd be trying to work and suddenly this little baby hauls herself up onto my desk and actually snatches my phone clean out of my hands."

"Kids, eh? Who'd have them?"

"Only the insane?"

"You're not wrong, Nalini. I guess we're all crazy then. And then they make you crazier."

"Whoa! I suppose you want a feed, huh?"

"...That's something else I don't miss."

"I'll just take her off, won't be long."

"Not to worry."

"Fortunately, I never had that problem."

"Fortunate indeed. So... Tell me about yourself."

"Well... I work at the school, as the counsellor. I'm a single dad, just to one."

"Do you enjoy it? The work, that is. It already sounds as though you enjoy being a father."

"Oh, I definitely enjoy that. He's my world. As for the work, it's good. Sometimes a bit depressing... but fulfilling."

"That's something. I quite enjoy mine as well. It's satisfying to apprehend some nasty piece of shit, especially if they've been evading capture for a while."

"It sounds like it. It's a shame there are so many criminals who get away with everything."

"It is. At my last station, I got myself the ever so charming nickname of "the rottweiler" for refusing to let things go. Although from what I hear, it's going to be difficult to continue to do so over here."

"At least that's a good thing? Yes, I'm afraid things here are more corrupt..."

"I'm glad it was given for my determination rather than the more common reason for calling a woman a dog."

"Oh God, you're right. I hope the job will be okay, even if it'll be worse than your last one. It's just people with certain...privileges who can avoid punishment."

"It's not been so bad thus far. Granted, I haven't been there all that long, but I suppose it still could've been worse."

"Glad to hear it. Ellis seems to find it okay anyway. And he gets to work sociable hours so he can spend time with Nix."

"Ah, good. ...She's a cute little thing."

"Aww, she is. Have you met an alien before?"

"No, I must admit I haven't. I saw the odd spaceship flying overhead, but that's about it."

"Mm. I hadn't met one until Charon. That was a bit of a surprise! So what can you tell me about yourself?"

"There isn't really much to tell that I haven't already said, actually. Divorced cop, old as shit and a mother of one. Not overly sociable and a little awkward which is made even more awkward by fact that it's no doubt obvious as all hell. I enjoy reading and working out, too."

"Oh, I like reading as well. Not so much the working out!"

"Each to their own. I find it almost therapeutic in a way."

"Dad! I need your help!"

"Oh, that's Vincent calling. I'd better see what he wants."

"Okay. It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice you meet you too! See you later."