Glass Houses [Closed] - Printable Version
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RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-13-2016
The smile on the receptionists face was one of a trained customer service professional. Empty and yet somehow vaguely judgmental. Dr. Hart apparently had a visitor named Anita on the same day that he’d announced that he’d been dumped. The gossip beat was on fire that day.
“Of course.” Her voice was that of the perfect drone of the service industry as she picked up the phone at her desk and punched some numbers. “Dr. Hart you have a visitor in the lobby. Dr. Hart a visitor in the lobby.” Her voice resounded over the hospital intercom.
A few seconds later her line was ringing. The receptionist’s face scrunched up in one of those awful fake smiles people usually use on children. “I bet that’s his assistant.” She said as she picked up the line.“This is Candice,” she greeted. “Hey Indigo! Is he busy? Okay well, do you wanna come get her?” She paused and then glanced at Anita and laughed, “No girl. Relax. It’s not her." There was no question based on the intonation as to who the 'her' was that Indigo was inquiring about. Cain's ex. "This one’s name is Anita.” Another pause followed by another laugh and then that awful corporate ‘mbye’ instead of simply ‘bye.’
_____
Cain’s heart felt like it skipped a beat when he heard the announcement over the intercom. He had a brief moment to hope it was Akiko coming to get back together with him already. Running back to him before lunch. A boy could dream.“Cain, someone by Anita is here to see you.”
Talk about dashed hopes.
“Are you serious.” Cain’s voice was flat and a touch on the angry sounding side.
“Is there a problem? Should we have security escort her?” Indigo felt a pang of jealousy. When she’d learned of the news of Cain’s failed relationship she felt confident she had been the main factor. For a split second she doubted her skills upon hearing another woman was already calling on him. She wondered whether this Anita chick was the one who’d come between. Well if Cain didn’t want the little slut around Indigo could have her forcibly removed.
The irony of these thoughts was completely lost on Indigo who had convinced herself that working on breaking up Cain and his girlfriend was a noble cause. Because she’d concluded, with zero evidence, that Cain’s girlfriend was the root of all of his misery.
“No. No security. It’s my little sister.” The frustration was clear in Cain’s voice but his hands were poised as he administered anesthesia to the python on the table. He hadn’t been scheduled for procedures that day but the snake needed a heart monitor placed for suspect arrhythmia and nobody else was available to do it. “Will you just -”
Indigo brightened and was already opening the door before Cain could finish his instructions. “I’ll go greet her for you! I’ll show her around a little bit. You don’t need me for this!”
“Sure fine whatever.” He muttered something about how his day couldn’t get any worse under his breath.
_____
Indigo rushed down the hall making a pit stop at her locker to apply more red lipstick and check her hair. She felt the need to be cute for Anita already imagining herself as Cain’s little sister’s new bestie. She was planning the Instagram poses and hashtags. When she was ready, she threw open the door to the lobby and found her mark. There was no question as to who was Cain’s sister as there was only one girl with a feline tail like his in the lobby. She crossed the room in a hurry her owl-print scrubs swishing with the motion of her legs. She wore a huge smile and held her arms out as if to greet a long lost relative at the airport. “Hey girl! I’m Indigo, Cain’s assistant.”
“I’m so excited to finally meet you!” The words came tumbling out of her mouth as if she’d known for longer than 1 minute that Cain even had a sister. She pulled Anita into a familiar hug.
“I just love your sunglasses, hun, where didja get ‘em?” She said backing away holding Anita at arm’s length and looking her over appreciatively.
Indigo was determined to be Anita’s new best friend. To know everything about Anita. To get closer to Cain of whom she knew next to nothing. This is how she could win the painfully handsome and painfully aloof vet over.
She was very proud of her plan.
Very proud.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-13-2016
Anita’s expressions were usually in her eyes. Another thing the sunglasses were good for. Most of the time her mouth remained a barely noticeable half smile. It faded into a flat line when she was feeling negative. As she listened to the receptionist speak to someone on the phone, the line appeared, painted matte black to match her outfit. Behind the shades her eyes narrowed into thin slits as Candice cackled into the phone. “Thanks,” she replied, flat and a touch on the angry sounding side. An unknowing mirror to her brother’s tone somewhere else in the building at the idea of her visit. She turned her head slightly to the sound of the door behind the counter being opened. Anita almost frowned, almost, at the sight of Indigo. Pushing herself away from the counter she had been leaning on Anita forced her tail to be still, before an agitated twitching give away her feelings. She watched the other woman come out from behind the counter, babbling on and on like they were already best friends. Anita’s only impression of Cain’s assistant was what she heard from Akiko, so her bouncy and innocent overture was having no affect on her.
Anita didn’t respond to the hug, just sort of stood there while it happened around her. Were she anywhere near sober the unwanted contact would have been met with an unpleasant sort of resistance. “They’re Dolce and Gabanna,” she said of her sunglasses with no ounce of enthusiasm. Her response was the nice way of saying they were very expensive and limited edition, and that there was no hope for the vet tech to possess them.
Indigo’s plan would be suffering a failure to launch if she planned to go through Cain’s sister.
Very pointedly looking over Indigo’s shoulder she asked, “I came to see Cain. Will he be able to come up here soon?” The thought of spending an extended period of time in Indigo’s care did not particularly please or excite her.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-16-2016
The stiffness of Anita’s body was a stark contrast to Indigo’s enveloping hug. This was not lost on the vet tech and she quickly pulled away. She chalked it up to Anita being also uncomfortable with physical contact like her brother. “Oooh very nice!” Indigo crooned over the sunglasses wondering if the girl planned to take them off since she was now indoors. The brand name and expense of the accessory wasn't lost on Indigo who could never hope to afford such a thing without risking not paying her rent.
She glanced behind her when Anita looked over her shoulder wondering if something or someone was there. Indigo was feeling a little nervous by the attitude put out by Cain’s little sister. She fiddled with her earring to give her hand something to do. The siblings were...so much alike. Whereas with Cain she knew how to deal with his mood, Anita was a mystery as of yet.
But Indigo was determined to prevail and charm the girl.
“He is in a sterile patient procedure right now. It might be a while, I’m not sure.” This was true, if the heart monitor registered an abnormality, Cain would have to deal with the snake. “Why don’t you come around back to the break room? We can hang there a little bit and talk. I can introduce you to everyone.”
She dangled the breakroom out in front of Anita as if it were an exclusive VIP room at the club. The invitation was meant to flatter and placate.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-16-2016
Anita’s smile never returned. Between the one-sided conversation she had overheard and the presence of Indigo, her mood threatened to sour with any prolonged exposure. She was glaring daggers at the other woman behind the safety of her dark lenses. Which, no, she would not be removing. The youngest Hart sibling found a sense of safety behind her collection of shades. Since she was usually drunk or high or some combination thereof, they hid her bleary red-eyes from the world. Their second purpose was to allow her to glare and such with her company none the wiser. Indigo was somewhat mistaken in her assessment that Anita and Cain were alike. Cain had his reasons for behaving the way he did; even if they did not necessarily excuse him. Anita was just mean. Especially if she didn’t like someone, and she did not like Indigo. She didn’t like the stories she had heard from Akiko and she didn’t like the forceful way she had approached.
Her tail swayed behind her head. In another world, one in which Indigo wasn’t actively trying to ruin her brother’s relationship, the girls might have been friends. This was not that world however.
The break room didn’t appeal to her like the vet tech would have liked. Nor did the idea of having to wait an extended period of time for Cain. Her munchies were acting up and she really wanted a greasy cheeseburger with extra fries. She doubted the animal hospital had that in the break room. She was however interested in meeting the rest of Cain’s coworkers and keeping Indigo talking wasn’t a bad idea.
No information, was bad information. She learned that from her father.
“Is there a vending machine back there?” she asked, forcing the smile to reappear and shrugging her bag higher on her shoulder. The contents within clashed noisily. “I could really use a snack.”
She weighed how inappropriate it would be for her to smoke another joint in the bathroom.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-20-2016
Indigo was left staring at her reflection in Anita’s dark lenses. She felt as insignificant as she looked mirrored in those expensive glasses. Though Anita’s eyes were concealed, Indigo felt a chill down her spine no doubt from the look she sensed but couldn’t confirm. This girl was positively arctic. Sucked all the warmth out of the room. A thin lipped smile played out on Indigo’s face. She looked askance at the receptionist who shrugged openly with an air of ‘you’re on your own with that one’ and popped a piece of gum in her mouth. The receptionist stood and rounded the desk to employ her most sympathetic tones in greeting a man who came in cradling his dog with a sad looking woman hanging on his arm.
Indigo’s eyes tracked Anita’s tail as it made its languid movements behind her hair. She had nothing else to focus on except her own reflection which made her uncomfortable.
“There sure is.” She chimed still trying to sound cheerful. “Let’s go see what we can get for you.”
Indigo turned to lead Anita into the back hall. When the door opened the cries, mewling, and squawks of the animal patients became noticeably louder. Techs in scrubs rushed by as did the occasional vet in a white coat. The vending machine, incidentally, was in the break room which is were Indigo led Anita.
She pushed open the door, inviting Cain’s sister inside where a company of eyes glanced up at the pair. A couple of vet techs and a kennel tech were on break sitting around the table quietly engaged in phones or books and munching on their respective lunches or snacks. One of the office workers was digging around in her locker.
“Who’s this?” Asked another tech who had been looking positively bored with her phone a moment ago as she lounged with her feet up on the chair next to her.
“This is Cain’s little sister, Anita.” Indigo introduced the girl to the room with extra emphasis as if she were some rare aged wine to be awed over. This earned Indigo some raised eyebrows and much more curious gazes given the recent developments in Cain’s love life that had made the rounds in the hospital gossip circuits already. Rudely, she did not orient Anita to the names of the others in the room, leaving her to fend for herself if she cared to know.
Indigo moved to the table, grabbed a chair to turn it around, and straddled it plopping down next to her curious colleague. She folded her arms across the back and rested her chin on her forearms. “She’s gonna give us the dish on her brother.” Indigo promised bravely though she had nothing to back it up.
“Oh really.” The phone was put away. The other tech was all ears.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-21-2016
Anita silently followed Indigo further into the animal hospital. As they trekked deeper into the back rooms the sounds of distressed animals put Anita’s teeth on edge. She tried not to let it get to her, ignoring the chill down her spine. She couldn’t help but identify with the animals in some way; hurt and confused, most of them without homes or caretakers. The difference was Anita had thrust her situation upon herself. Could remedy the situation at any time, but had chosen not too. As if she deserved the feeling. Her tail was still as they walked, fingernails pressed red half-moons into her palms where she clenched her fingers together.
She calmed as the door to the break room shut, blocking out the noises. Anita was ignorant of the eyes upon her, and made a direct line for the vending machine she spotted against the back wall. She didn’t seem to care the introductions were supposedly happening, fishing around her jacket pocket for loose change. At the sound of her name she half-turned at the waist to nod her head in a vague sort of acknowledgement. “Whaddup,” she said, before turning back around and pushing her quarters into the machine.
Snorting a laugh as she heard Indigo imply that she was going to give some hot gossip on Cain, she punched numbers into the machine and watched her selection slowly fall forward. Because she was most certainly not going to do that. There was something condescending about the sway of her tail as she bent to retrieve the package of mini chocolate chip cookies. A gesture she was proud to have learned from watching her mother address the court during her summer visits to the Isles. Standing straight again, Anita tore open the package, letting her eyes wander across eager and attentive faces from behind her sunglasses.
Selecting a cookie she pushed it into her mouth and chewed slowly. She laughed again. “Oh, you’re serious?” she asked from behind her hand. “Wow,” the one word was derisive, a drawn our emphasis on the vowel. “Cain’s about as deep as a shallow bowl,” she commented, before treating herself to another cookie. “I’m sure if you put your little heads together, you can figure him out.”
The insult of her words was obvious and deliberate, but she continued eating cookies, standing in front of the vending machine as if she were the most pleasant company. So far, she felt no amount of affection for Cain’s co-workers. She wondered if her brother felt the same way.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-22-2016
An uncomfortable stillness and silence fell over the room. Indigo and her colleague stared questioningly at Anita and then back at each other. In the awkwardness, the office worker who had been digging around in her locker found occasion to giggle. “Damn.” She laughed as she pulled a phone charger from the locker. There was a question of whether the girl was laughing at Indigo and her gossip partner's expense or if she were laughing at the insult Anita let fly.
“Aren’t you supposed to be helping Candice with the phones?” Indigo snapped at the girl, which lent itself towards the conclusion that the two weren’t exactly friendly.
“I’m on break.” The girl sassed back. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping Cain with that python?” She hadn’t meant the double entendre in the words. It had been a legitimate question as to whether Indigo was attending to her vet tech duties.
However the comment caused Indigo’s partner in crime to burst out laughing. She drummed her hand on the table and tears threatened to ruin her mascara. “Oh my god. Yes Cain does need some help with his python girl. God knows whatsherface isn’t helping with that anymore. If she ever did.”
Indigo made a sort of squeal and covered her mouth with her hands as if scandalized by the suggestion that Cain needed help handling his own dick now that his girlfriend was out of the picture. The office worker rolled her eyes and moved back towards the door.
“We’re still waiting to hear what happened with those two.” Indigo said pointedly looking at Anita. She had figured out Anita wasn’t keen on being friends, but that didn’t mean Indigo wouldn’t press her to see if she could get even an ounce of information on her secretive crush.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-22-2016
Anita continued to eat cookies through the silence, the only one who wasn’t bothered by it. She found that she actually preferred it when the other option was conversing with these catty girls. Her gaze darted between the brief, snappy conversation between Indigo and the nameless office assistant. Her eyes narrowed as the innocent question was turned into a dirty joke regarding her brother’s anatomy. Oh my god, if only he could hear the way these people talk about him. Like he was some sort of prize at a carnival and Indigo was trying to get enough quarters from her friends for a chance to win him. Everyone knows carnival games are rigged, anyway.
For the first time, Anita pushed her sunglasses into her hair. It revealed the heterochromia of her eyes. The left was a verdant and brilliant green. The right was a dark and stormy grey similar to Cain's. Her eyes were a perfect summation of how she was a near even mix of both of her parents. Removing the glasses also revealed the serious, albeit slightly annoyed expression that she had decided to gift upon the gossipy assistants. In their acquaintance, though brief, she could decide that these women knew nothing about her brother.
“You want me to talk about Akiko? Okay.” The subject had not been their exact request, but she wanted to annoy them in a similar fashion. Besides, these women didn't deserve to know anything about her brother. The bag of cookies, now empty was discarded appropriately and she dusted crumbs from her fingers. “Akiko is sweet and smart. She's beautiful and loyal and caring and she was pretty much the best thing to happen to Cain in his short, miserable life.” She crossed her arms coolly over her chest. Anita was a mirror for postures she had picked up from her family, and this one in particular she had adopted from her father.
Akiko wouldn’t be so easily replaced as they would like to think. Even if she were, Anita imagined it would be short lived. Her brother, though attractive and aloof in a enticing sort of way, was just a category five disaster; self-loathing and self-destructive.
“If you want to know what happened between them so bad, why don’t you just ask him?” She posed this question directly at Indigo, looking down at her from her lofty height both figuratively and literally. “Since, the two of you are such good friends.” She said this last with no small amount of sarcasm. Anita had seen the pictures, had heard the stories, and knew exactly what Indigo had been up to. The desperation practically oozed from the other woman.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-24-2016
The office assistant had huffed and rolled her eyes. She moved towards the door. Her break was over but she stopped in shock when Anita started her speech on Indigo. Hand poised on the break room door the woman half turned at the waist to hear what she’d have to say.
Indigo was stuck in a half open-lipped stare at the intimidating expression on Anita’s face which made a greater impact by the stark contrast made by dual-colored eyes. She tried to recover herself, setting her face into a tight lipped near sarcastic smirk. An expression that said ‘try me bitch.’ Apparently the siblings were more alike in their attitudes than she’d initially surmised. Indigo was determined she could handle the little sister.Before Indigo or anyone could respond, the door was swinging open, pushing the office assistant with it. Cain had rushed into the room in a billow of white coat and whip of gold tail twitching behind him.
The news that his sister had made her way into the break room had met him as he was finishing his procedure and Cain had hurried down the hall to run interference. He did not need any more drama at work today. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Cain’s day because his sister seemed to be content to add fuel to the fire.
“Ask me what?” He was standing in the doorway as the office assitant struggled to move out of his way. His ears were perked to attention and tail flicked impatiently back and forth. Cain’s eyes made the rounds to each face looking at him as he waited for whatever embarrassing question would no doubt hit him.Indigo cleared her throat and glanced nervously at her gossip pal. “How the snake did.” She blurted chickening out of the dare that Anita had laid down.
“Symptomatic sinus bradycardia.” Cain answered with a bored tone. “I started an atropine drip. The orders are on the chart.”
His attention turned to Anita who dominated the middle of the room with her Owen-esque aggressive posture. “So what do you want?” Cain sighed the question and moved across the room until he was in front of his sister. Reluctantly he held his arms out for the hug he knew she’d force on him anyway. This might have seemed like a harsh or at least undeservedly unenthusiastic way to greet his sister, but that was simply Cain’s way with Anita. It was really more a sign of endearment at this point.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-25-2016
Anita’s smile shifted towards triumphant as Indigo balked under the weight of Cain’s questioning. With a nod of her head her glasses toppled over onto the tip of her nose and she lifted a hand to push them where they belonged. She however, did not falter under the weight of his stare as he stalked towards her. “I wanted to see my favorite big brother, obviously.” She remained looking cool and confident in front of the vending machine. When he held his arms her icy exterior melted and she beamed, crushing herself against him, her tail swaying excitedly. It was true, Cain was her favorite, they’d grown up closer together than she had with Keiavan. Despite his air of reluctance, Cain had always been there when she needed him, and now she planned on returning the favor. I her own special way.
“Akiko didn’t tell you I was in town?” she asked, pulling away to look up at him. Her chin bounced off his chest as she spoke. “It’s okay. I’m sure you two had a lot to talk about.”
Her face had returned to impassive neutrality. Sure, she planned on returning the favor, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to give him a hard time for being an idiot first.
“She took me to sushi when you bailed on her,” Anita explained, freeing her brother from the hug. “Oh, sorry, you were ‘working a double.’” Her sarcastic tone was obvious and she would have glared at Indigo from behind her sunglasses if the other woman wasn’t hidden behind Cain.
“Anyway, we went shopping. Made a whole girl’s day of it. That girl cannot resist a sale apparently. She bought these hella cute panties at Victoria’s Secret. Personally, I thought it was kind of ambitious but I guess she had some plans for you.” Anita’s wagging brows could barely be seen over her sunglasses. “Normally, you’d think I’d be kind of weirded out by someone wanting to sleep with my brother, but we both know how you are,” she said the last from behind her hand, like it was some sort of secret and like she wasn’t speaking at a normal volume. The whole room could hear. “So I was just like yassss queen get you some. Well, try to get you some, anyway.”
Anita shrugged her bag higher on her shoulder, looking the picture of innocence. As if she hadn’t just had her brother on continuous blast for a whole minute. She didn’t appear to have a filter when it came to pot and airing out her brother’s dirty laundry. “She was acting like sushi was big surprise for you. It’s super weird that she tries to take you on dates like she’s still trying to woo you.”
She stopped talking long enough to let her words sink in; to make him aware that he had royally fucked up. “I’m hungry,” she said, suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen across the room with the absence of her own voice. She placed a hand over her stomach, frowning. “Take me to lunch. I want a cheeseburger.”
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-26-2016
Cain returned Anita’s squeezing hug with what could be called ‘Cain-esque enthusiasm’ meaning he loosely wrapped his arm around his sister and endured the contact as long as she wanted. The initial comfort he felt at seeing his sister - who would certainly provide a good distraction from his Hurt Feelings - melted away when she proceeded to blast his ass in front of the room. Supplying everyone with a healthy dose of hot gossip that would no doubt make the rounds before his lunch break was over.His ears swiveled to the sides and fell immediately onto his scalp when Anita began her roasting. His ears didn’t move during the entire encounter. They remained crushed to his hair as if glued down. The white tip of his tail flicked rapidly with his anxiety and ultimately the appendage curled around his leg as he was emotionally decimated. A red flush took his cheeks at the mention of Akiko’s new panties which, of course, he had yet to enjoy. Because he was himself.
Having nothing to say, no way to defend himself against her massacring of him, Cain stood tense, tight lipped, and blushing. When she finally demanded food, Cain let out a breath he hadn’t been aware he was holding and his shoulders slumped some.
“Fine.” He said unknowingly sounding just like his father. “Let’s go.”
For Indigo the encounter with Anita was a gold mine of factoids and impressions of Cain which left her encouraged. Indigo had learned that there may be another Hart boy sibling from favorite big brother. Anita and Cain seemed close. And Anita was certainly close with Akiko if she went on panty shopping ventures which meant Indigo’s plan to be her new best friend would likely fail or be harder to succeed at. She wasn’t easily discouraged and felt there may be still a chance to get in Anita’s good graces.
Indigo’s favorite little factoid was that Cain’s previous relationship seemed largely sexless. We both know how you are, Anita had said following up with the idea that Akiko would try to get sex and ultimately fail. And all on the same day and night that she had gotten to go out with Cain. Indigo was very encouraged by this all. Never mind that it was Cain who was the roadblock to sex not his girlfriend. But Indigo took whatever she wanted from the information, hearing only what would confirm her predetermined notions.
She brightened and stood to join the siblings in the room, “Yeah, Cain. Feed your sister. And me too, since we had lunch plans already.”
Cain glanced between Anita and Indigo. It was not a happy prospect to think of both of them on lunch with him when he just knew Anita wanted to keep running her mouth at him. But he had promised Indigo lunch earlier that day.
“Oh. I guess you can come?” He was as noncommittal and acquiescent as ever. The statement came out as a question that waited for Anita to affirm or deny.
“Great!” Indigo chimed without waiting for a possible dispatch by Anita. “We can go to Marco’s across the street.” Apparently Indigo was used to being the conductor of activities done with Cain.
Cain slid his arm around Anita’s shoulders pulling her around and towards the door with him. “Sure whatever. They serve burgers.”
Indigo was left trailing the pair. A third wheel.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-26-2016
Anita didn't feel bad despite Cain’s fallen ears and still tail. He deserved to take whatever she dished out. She could have chosen a better place to do it, but she was inspired and couldn't risk losing her words when her high faded. She wasn't surprised when he succumbed to her demands despite his obvious embarrassment, so she leaned against him, sliding her own arm beneath his lab coat and around his waist. She glared at Indigo from behind her lenses. “I don't want her to come,” Anita complained in Veridian, walking with Cain as he ushered her towards the door. She didn't give a shit if they'd already had plans, mostly because she didn't want her brother hanging out with the desperate home wrecker. That aside, she was the baby and was sort of used to getting her way. Today would be the exception, it seemed. “Don't you think you spend enough time with her,” she challenged, still using the language she'd learned from their parents. Though Cain had a hard time speaking it she knew he could understand her.
Indigo seemed content to trail along, because Cain hadn't actually told her no. He so rarely told anyone no. Though he'd given her a window to complain, hers had gone unacknowledged so Anita was reduced to pouting as the trio traveled across the street to the chosen restaurant.
If the place didn't have a decent cheeseburger Anita was gonna hate Indigo a little more.
They were led to a table and Anita flopped into a chair, dropping her bag on the ground unceremoniously. The contents within clashes together, but she didn't seem to care. Anita immediately pulled her knees up to sit cross-legged in the stiff-backed chair and folded her hands in her lap. She was a weird mix of careless behaviors and lady-like manners. She did not remove her sunglasses. “I'm gonna be staying with you for a while,” she told Cain, and it was not a question or a request. He honestly should have known her self invite would be coming eventually.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-26-2016
Cain walked smoothly with his sister, matching strides with her. He scoffed when she complained about Indigo. “I don’t give a shit. Try to get along.” He responded back in Veridian. Cain’s employment of the language was broken and mixed in English when he couldn’t think of the appropriate word. Sometimes he conjugated verbs incorrectly or used the wrong pronouns, but he could communicate effectively enough with an experienced speaker to get by. “I already got hell from Akiko about it. I don’t need extra from you.”
Indigo followed quietly sulking that they had switched to using some language she couldn’t possibly hope to understand. She caught the occasional word when Cain used English, and her ears pricked when she heard Akiko’s name.
“So, whatcha talkin’ about?” She slyly tossed her bag into the seat next to Anita as if her purse needed the whole chair. That forced Cain to sit next to Indigo and across from Anita.
The question went unanswered by Cain who sometimes pretended not to hear questions he didn't feel like answering. He might respond if asked multiple times as if he’d finally heard the speaker. He occupied himself with staring at the menu, glancing up at Anita to see if she would say anything. She merely announced her plan to stay with him.
“I figured. I kind of need help with Daisy anyway. Perfect timing for crashing in unannounced.”
The waiter delivered their drinks and Cain switched to Veridian again. His eyes narrowed at Anita in warning. He could tell when his sister was high. “Just don’t sell any weed out of my house. You can smoke if you share with me. Consider it your cost of living.” He cracked a mischievous smile at the prospect of getting high with his little sister. One of Cain’s favorite activities could be shared with one of his favorite people.
“You could speak English.” Indigo muttered into her own menu, frustrated with being left out of the conversation.
Cain shot a glare at Indigo who tried to look saucy. “Just saying.” She said with that ‘told you so’ kind of intonation to her voice before placing her order with the waiter that hovered nearby.
“Anyways. I was thinking we could all go out to the Warehouse this weekend. That DJ you like is playing a set, Cain.” Indigo continued on, nudged his arm flirtatiously, leaning close to him. “Getcha out of that lonely house. Hm?” Practically batting her eyelashes at him.
Cain shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unaffected by Indigo’s advances. Whether he was naively ignorant of her obvious flirting or chose to purposefully ignore it was questionable. He was so easily influenced and manipulated by Indigo.
“I could be down, I guess. What do you think?” He addressed the question to Anita before leaning to sip at his soda through the straw. Though Cain knew Anita and Akiko were close, he didn’t assume that Akiko had revealed much about their break-up to his sister.
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - megs - 10-27-2016
“Oh did you?” She continued, not at all worried about being presumed as rude in front of Indigo. Her tone also implied that didn't give a shit about what he did or did not want to get continued he'll for. “So now you're not listening to me or her? That's comforting.” Anita's eyes followed the path of Indigo’s purse and then flicked to watch Cain sit next to her. She frowned. “Nothing,” she snapped in an answer to the question Cain ignored. She didn't bother to pick up her own menu. She'd been craving the same thing for about two hours and restaurants such as this one were all the same.
“I don't sell drugs,” she argued, eyes narrowing at him even though he couldn't see them. “And I only share my good shit with brothers who aren't being total idiots.” Anita was doing a very good job of voicing her opinion on the circumstances of Cain and Akiko’s break. He could probably figure that she knew more than he wanted her too.
She listened to the conversation between the other two, observing the way Indigo tried to influence Cain. She was baffled at how oblivious he was to Indigo’s obvious interest and not so subtle flirtation. Her jaw clenched at the implication that his house would somehow be lonely even with Anita there. Indigo seemed to think pretty highly of herself and her chances to edge in and take Akiko’s place.
Anita forced a smile. “I think you're a dumbass,” she replied in Veridian, pulling her root beer float closer with her right hand and reaching for a fried mozzarella stick off the appetizer sampler she'd taken the liberty of ordering with her left. Her left hand didn't seem to be accommodating for her wishes, the three middle fingers not quite bending properly; her thumb and pinky weren't able to make up the difference. She switched hands, wordlessly shoving the useless one into her lap and curling her fingers into a fist.
“I already have plans for us this weekend,” she informed the table, unapologetically. “Quality brother-sister bonding time. I'm sure you understand, Indigo.”
RE: Glass Houses [Closed] - saronym - 10-27-2016
“She’s my friend and co-worker, okay. It’s really not that scandalous.” He tried this in Veridian but the sentences came out jumbled and inaccurate as he didn’t have the vocabulary to express it. Hopefully Anita could pick up what he meant. The idea being Cain still had not come to the realization that he had done wrong by Akiko because of his interactions with Indigo. In Cain’s mind he was innocent because he hadn’t touched her -- in the sense that, he hadn't touched her with any romantic or sexual intention -- and didn’t want to. Never mind the lies, drugs, suggestive photos, and Indigo’s adverse intentions. Cain picked up his sandwich and rolled his eyes at his sister who apparently found occasion to continue insulting him. “How long did you say you were staying?” He asked pointedly to signal he was done with her verbal bashing for the time being. He bit down into the simple BLT he ordered, a tomato slid out and flopped limply onto his plate.
Out of consideration for potential shame, Cain policed his eyes away from Anita's hand which refused to function properly for her. It reminded him of unpleasant past memories. He remembered helping his mother drive Anita to physical therapy sessions in the months following their father’s death. Akiko had sometimes tagged along too. They would drop Anita off and sneak away to a nearby coffee shop and bring her back sweets to cheer her up after painful sessions that hadn’t been completely able to restore her functioning.
His ears fell when he was reminded that he had yet to tell Anita about their father. Making a mental note to talk to her about that Cain grunted in response to Anita’s plans for them that weekend. “Whatever you say kiddo.” He wasn’t unpleased with her plans so much as nervous about how he’d breach the topic of their recently un-dead father.
For some reason, Indigo had found occasion to order the pricey lunch special surf ‘n’ turf, almost to one-up Anita’s order. As if by forcing Cain to pay for her expensive meal that she was more special than Anita. Anita ordered a platter of starters and her own meal. Cain had only ordered a simple BLT.
She cut the steak into tiny pieces and ate them daintily between sips of strawberry infused water as she listened to the siblings chatter in Veridian and English, switching between the languages seamlessly. Cain’s ears pinned at the prospect of Anita commandeering him for the weekend and Indigo immediately concluded that he wasn’t as excited for her plans as the idea of going to the rave. She dropped her fork and reached for his ears. “Aw look, he’d rather go to the rave, Anita.” She whined seemingly on Cain’s behalf. Her fingers grazed fur lined ears for just a moment before Cain batted her hands away.
“Could you not!” He raised his voice garnering the attention of curious guests nearby who earned a death glare by Cain. He averted his eyes as the embarrassment caught up with him. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. “I hate when you do that.” His voice was much lower, words said through nearly clamped teeth.
Indigo giggled as if it were merely a playful routine they did. As if Cain wasn’t truly bothered by her touch. "So what's the story with your hand, Anita? Sports injury or something?" Indigo changed the topic, displaying yet again that she had no sense of personal boundaries.