Surprise Engagement || February, 2020 || Captain Issott + Kelly + Peter + Marion
Leslie: A thick sunken fog covered the town of Edenton like a protective blanket. Stubbornly lingered since the night before. Equally relentless clouds refused the sun. Had since its attempted greeting that morning.
It was Saturday, which meant freedom for Leslie. Everything about today felt quiet, calm. He treated the energy with respect in all things, including his entry into Pete's Pub.
Not a table today, despite expecting company. He took to the bar before craning his neck in search of Kelly Rose or the other Fera. He wasn't here for his little games. It was lunchtime, and he had a feeling there was something comforting in Pete's kitchen.
Peter: Kelly wasn't anywhere in sight, but Pete Graham was. "Hey," he called as Leslie sat, nodding in greeting from the other end of the bar. "I'll be over in just a sec, I'm closing out a tab right quick." Despite it being the weekend, the bar wasn't too, too busy. The cold and the fog had kept the tourists away or sequestered them in their hotel rooms or rental cabins.
He approached a couple of minutes later. "Whatcha having today?"
Leslie: "I'm waiting on Tristan." Having encouraged him to come for lunch. Still, he was nowhere near as Leslie had been, which meant waiting.
"Please tell me you have a stew."
Peter: "It's your lucky day. Bobby made chicken and dumplings to ward off the cold. Want a bowl?"
Leslie: "I will, but not yet." He offered his signature smile, though today something was missing.
"How are you?"
Peter: "Can't complain. Business is good, family's good. You? Want a drink while you wait?"
Leslie: "I don't think red wine goes well with chicken and dumplings. Have unsweet tea?"
Peter: "Sure do." Pete grabbed a glass and turned to fill it from the pitcher sitting on a black tray. "Want some lemon?"
Leslie: "Can't say no to lemon." Oh yeah, he'd asked something else.
"I'm okay." And he was, physically and 97% mentally. The remaining 3% shown in his tame expressions.
Peter: Pete noticed. “You seem down. Must be something in the air today,” he said as he set Leslie’s glass in front of him, followed by a small plate of lemon wedges. “Kelly’s in the back looking like fifty miles worth of bad road.”
Leslie: Which did nothing to help polish his usual glint.
"He needs to be looked after."
Peter: “Nah, it’s not a cold. He has a hangover. Bobby was giving him a little hair of the dog a few minutes ago.”
Leslie: How was that any better? "Mm."
Leslie turned to the opening door. Not Tristan, but still, his smile returned at the sight of the schoolteacher. Catching his eye, the woman made a beeline to the witch and hugged his head, which he had leaned down in offering as it seemed to be her favored means of affection.
"Hey, Les!"
"Hey, Mari."
A lemon was taken from his bowl, the seat beside him climbed. "Oh man, long day?" she asked. "I thought the truck was closed on weekends now."
"It is, but yeah, long day."
"Oh," she tisked, parting strands of blond from his eyes, which fell closed.
Peter: An icy cold wind that had nothing to do with the temperature outside seemed to chill the entire room. Pete's jaw twitched as he moved to the other end of the bar just as Kelly finally emerged.
"How you feelin'?" Pete asked.
Kelly slung a rag over his shoulder. "I'll live."
"Good. I'll be in my office."
Leslie: When Leslie finally opened his eyes, it was due to lack of affection. He wanted her hand back. She knew this, and that's why it was absent. Perhaps by a margin.
"Hey." It was his turn to reach for her. His finger pressed to a rose gold band and sapphire on her finger.
"What's this, huh?" His smile returned.
"It's an engagement ring." Her voice had become giddy.
"Get outta here. Congrats, Mari."
Peter: I'll send the poor bastard a condolence card, Pete thought bitterly, having heard. Wishing for a legitimate reason to ban her, he locked himself in his office.
Meanwhile, Kelly approached their end of the bar. He nodded in greeting to Leslie before asking, "What can I get you?" to Marion.
Marion: "Oh." Marion leaned away from the bar and against Leslie's shoulder. Like a balm it was. "Um, whatever the special is. I need two to-go. Please and thank you."
Kelly: "Chicken and dumplings." He shouted the order to Bobby (Bobby's preferred method of communication) and turned back to the lady. "Anything else?"
Marion: "I'll take a glass of Chardonnay."
"I'll have a red," said Leslie. "To celebrate."
"Yes!" she laughed.
"So, do I know him?"
"Do you go to the pawn shop across the street?"
"Only a few - you and a pawn shop guy? Not a prince?" He made her laugh again.
Kelly: Two glasses of wine were poured. The lady was engaged to the pawn shop guy? Looked like he was going to be cleaning up a lot of broken glass when a certain one of his coworkers found out. Either that or she'd clean them out of ice cream and tissues.
The door opened just as Kelly put the glasses down in front of their respective owners.
Tristan had arrived.
Leslie: Tristan was given a smile that was actually brilliant.
"Hey! Our Marion is getting married!" he greeted.
Tristan: Tristan's smile would've been a lot bigger if Leslie had been alone, but it was bright just the same. "Hey, puddin'. You're getting married?" he added to Marion. "To who?"
Marion: "Fletcher Goodman," she said.
Leslie patted the stool beside him. Come, sit so I can lean against you.
Tristan: Tristan blinked. "Really?" And she'd decided to come here to--oof. Shit was about to hit the fan.
He sat and wrapped an arm around Leslie, squeezing him briefly. "When did he pop the question?"
Marion: "Last night while we watched a movie. Simple and sweet, you know?"
Tristan: "Mm." Just keep smiling and nodding. Not your monkeys, not your circus, Tristan. Just smile and nod. "Well, good for you. Can I get a beer?" he asked Kelly.
"You got it."
Leslie: Having lived here five years, Leslie still had little knowledge of that soap opera. Besides, he was on Team Marion. She'd been nothing but kind in his regard.
"To your happiness. Bless you."
"And to yours." She wouldn't bother waiting for Tristan's beer to cheers, clinking her glass to Leslie's.
Kelly: Kelly set Tristan's beer and the lady's order on the counter at the same time a few moments later. "This gonna be all, miss?"
Marion: "Yes! Thank you."
Leslie placed his hand over hers. "I got it."
"Oh, honey, you don't-"
"First wedding gift," he smiled.
He was rewarded with a cheek kiss. His expression became heavenly.
"Thank you." She returned his smile.
Kelly: In that case, Kelly would ring up the order and hand Leslie the receipt. There was some...tense energy in here. Sailor wasn't as cheerful as the other two, he looked like he was biting his tongue.
Leslie: And that intensity lingered as the receipt was taken from Kelly. Marion said her goodbyes to the trio and headed out the door and across the street.
Tristan: Tristan blew out a long breath and gave a humorless laugh as soon as the coast was clear. "Set of balls on her. Your boss here?"
Kelly nodded. "Yeah."
"He hear any of that?"
"Went upstairs when she came in."
Another laugh. "Jesus Christ."
Leslie: "I didn't take you one for drama, Tristie."
Tristan: "I've known Pete since we were kids. There's a sense of loyalty there."
Leslie: "Battle lines, then." But he smiled.
Tristan: "Just when I thought the bullets had stopped flying." He shook his head. Poor Pete. He'd been so happy these past few months. "Ah, well. Ceasefire was nice while it lasted."
Leslie: "What does her marrying the pawn guy have to do with Peter Graham?"
Tristan: Tristan kissed Leslie's cheek. "That's a sad, sad story that'll give us indigestion before we have our lunch. I'll tell you someday."
Leslie: "You know gossip is a form of witchcraft," he smiled.
Tristan: He chuckled. "Does it still count as gossip when it's all true?"
Leslie: "Mmmm probably. Those that gossip create hexes."
Tristan: "Then Marion is queen of the hexes."
Leslie: "She is." Leslie ducked his head to hide his smile.
Tristan: Another kiss. "Enough of that minefield for today. Hi, baby."
Leslie: "Hey, sailor." He didn't care who was watching, he was going to have a proper kiss.
Kelly: Nobody was. Kelly's attention had been taken by someone who'd sat a few seats down from Leslie and Tristan.
Tristan hummed softly, giving Leslie a proper hug to go with the kiss. "You okay? Felt a weight in my chest all morning."
Leslie: "See, you're a witch," he chuckled. He nuzzled that shoulder before leaning away. "I'm alright."
Tristan: "Maybe you lit that fire in me. Larry will probably be back any second." He offered Leslie a gentle smile. "If there's anything you need to talk about or just...anything at all, I'm here."
Leslie: "I know you are, Tristie." He gave that shoulder a kiss. "Captain Hero."
Tristan: "Nah, just a captain." Have another one-armed squeeze. "Hungry?"
Leslie: "Yes! Was waiting on you. Today is chicken and dumplings." He took a sip of his wine.
Tristan: "That sounds so good right now. It's crazy outside, can barely see past the hood of your car and it's cold as fuck."
Leslie: "Someone should tell whatever witch made it to calm down."
Tristan: "I think this one might be on mother nature. There's a weather advisory up and down the coast for miles."
Leslie: "Well, I'm not gonna tell Mother Nature what she can and can't do," he whispered. Not for something like this.
Tristan: "Darlin', I've been begging and pleading with her for years." Tristan smiled that brilliant smile reserved only for this man. "She never listens."
Leslie: "Gotta ask nicely, and make no demands of her."
Tristan: “Let’s ask her nicely to lift the fog so we can go for a sail.”
Leslie: "We'll see how she feels when we get back to your place," he smiled.
Tristan: “Hopefully a little nicer than right now. Ready to eat?”
Leslie: "Mhm. And you can tell me about your day."
Tristan: Tristan waved Kelly over. “Wanna eat here at the bar or grab a table?”
Leslie: "Wherever you want, sailor."
Tristan: “Let’s get a table by the fire and warm up.”
Leslie: He glanced to Kelly; certain he had heard. He got to his feet with both wine and unsweetened tea.
Kelly: Kelly had indeed heard and had already relayed the order to Bobby. Their food would be delivered to their table within moments of them taking their seats.
Leslie: Leslie took to leaning against Tristan in the brief moment before their food arrived. He was indeed tired. Several reasons why, but one of them was serving them chicken and dumplings.
"Thanks, Kell."
Kelly: Kelly nodded and disappeared again.
Tristan waited until he was out of earshot before asking, "Are you sure you're okay, Les? You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders."
Leslie: No such thing in this building. "Nothing that drastic. You worry too much, sailor."
Tristan: "It's been said." He pulled Leslie close and kissed his temple.
Leslie: "Mhm." Time to eat. He would add after a bite, "Maybe later, okay? I'll figure out how to explain in the meantime."
Tristan: "Okay, baby." Tristan was still concerned, but he wouldn't push. He trusted Leslie to confide in him when he was ready. Until then, lunch.
