She sipped at her wine as she finished up the salad she was making for the meal. Vera had to admit she was rather impressed with her culinary skills, after all this kitchen and everything in it wasn't just for show. A little like Jack Morton Vera hadn't settled on a major until much later, almost the last two years of school. It just meant in the end she's acquired a lot of surprising skills and Vera did like to surprise. She tried to look nice but not too formal, just a black dress and her hair done up a bit. Honestly for her it was hardly any different from what she would normally wear. There were a few candles set on her dining table with a white cloth and dinnerware set in accordance to a finishing schools approval.
Once she had finished tossing the salad Vera put a little in two bowls and set them down on the silver plates upon the table. She had nearly gotten everything set up when a knock came to her door and a little smile broke out across her face. Giving herself one quick look over in a hallway mirror Vera fixed her hair and went out to the front door. It was nice to have a house that was mostly windows and a door that was mostly glass since she spotted Hamish standing there looking as dashing as ever with a bottle of red wine in his hands. She had to pause for a moment to catch her breath, looking him over in his nice suit with a grey vest and powder blue tie. His taste in attire was always impeccable. Oddly enough that was one of the things she was attracted to.
She finally reached out and opened the door leading against the edge like a shy sorority girl. "Hello Hamish." Taking a step back she invited him into the house with a wave of her hand letting the much taller wolf cross the threshold before closing the door behind them.
"I brought some wine, I couldn't come empty handed." Hamish handed the bottle over to her and followed her into the kitchen. When she set down the bottle and started going for the corkscrew she was a little startled to see Hamish had already grabbed it and was handing it off to her.
"Hamish, you clearly come here too often." She smiled and took the corkscrew from him. Unwrapping the foil from the top she twisted the screw down into the cork.
"Yes, well you refuse to come over to my place Grand Magus." Noticing Vera was struggling with the cork a little he took the bottle from her and popped it out. "Allow me." Hamish grabbed two glasses from her wine rack display and started to fill them up.
"Hamish, I'm not going to go to that abandoned house ever again. I've seen it once and I still don't know how you can live there."
"Vera, I wasn't inviting you to the den." He took a sip of his wine and smiled at her. "I should show you around the building sometime. I think it's more to your taste."
"Building?" She paused and looked him over. It was news to her than he had another place, then again she'd heard Randal talking about Hamish's balcony once before. As she had recalled the 'den' didn't have a balcony. "Well, I'll have to come by and see it sometime." She raised a brow and took another sip. Honestly if it had a bedroom in it then what was the harm? "Could you grab that?" Vera pointed out the bowl of bread as she grabbed their dinner plates. Hamish took it more than happy to help her out. Taking both their glasses he carried them to the table and set them down before pulling out Vera's chair for her.
Again, just another reason she found Hamish so attractive. He was nothing but a gentleman, those typical cocky men who enjoyed strutting and showing off their power had never been an interest to her. For instance she never liked Edward, certainly when she had been forced to tell him the truth she admitted she'd fuck him but not sleep with him. Vera had a strong separation between the two, you could fuck people you hated because it was all about sexual attraction. On the other hand she was sleeping with Hamish, there was a more meaningful connection not just a primal mingling of bodies but rather meeting on equal grounds and enjoying being around the other person. Of course Hamish never complained about a primal mingling of bodies either.
Once they were both seated Vera started to dig into her salmon first, the fish was a nice even pink color garnished with lemon and parsley. For a wolf she was surprised Hamish went for a salad first. Sometimes the wolves surprised her, well, aside from Randal. Randal was exactly what Vera imagined a werewolf to be like. They ate a moment in silence which was very rare for Hamish. He always had things on his mind and unlike her he was always happy to share them. Either that or he was trying to get her to talk about her day. "Alright Hamish, what do you want to talk to me about?" She was on to him, of course she was. There was something he wanted to say but he was afraid to say it, she was giving him a window to speak his mind and if he didn't answer soon she was closing that window.
Hamish put his fork down and took a deep breath knowing he didn't really want to get into this right now. Not while they were enjoying a nice dinner. Vera was so damn breathtaking under the candlelight, he could stare at her forever but she could also look pretty damn intimidating in the candlelight as well. "It's the knights Vera, if they don't have leadership they will fall apart. Lilith needs help and Gabby, she isn't taking killing Alyssa well. Randall is upset enough with me and Jack is still missing. Vera it's a mess and I have to fix it. You have to let me be with them so I can fix it, it's what is best for the Order. If the wolves turn on you Vera now more than ever your life would be in danger."
She let out a sigh, this wasn't the conversation she wanted to have today. After nearly losing the position of Grand Magus she was still trying to pull the council back onto her side for their full support. It was even harder with Kepler missing and of course Vera was top of the list for their suspicions. "Hamish, I need you with me, I need you around so you can…."
Hamish cut her off, "So I can keep up the illusion you still have your powers? Vera I know, I know what could happen if they found out and I said I'd help any way I can to get them back. But you have to help me too. We need to find Jack, we need to help Lilith, we need to pull the wolves together again. It's now or never Vera. You're going to lose them."
She looked a little hurt at the suggestion, not because she feared losing the knights, just one in particular. "And you?" There was almost a sound of accusation in her voice. A small fear that sometimes crossed her mind that Hamish might just be using her just as she knew Hamish might fear the same thing.
"Vera, no, I'm here for you no matter what but you still need to let me do this please." He was begging her now, giving her those big blue puppy eyes that she just couldn't resist.
Tapping her fingers against the table she wondered if she really had a choice. If she lost the knights now the council would turn on her. She had to have one damn victory after this whole mess. "Fine, but I want to be there with you. If you are going to help me get my powers back it's only fair I help you get the wolves back." She knew the other wolves wouldn't like that, not after everything that had happened but she was reluctant to admit she didn't want to be caught anywhere without Hamish right now. Praxis was still out there and without her powers an assassination attempt would be sucsessful.
Reaching over the table Hamish took her hand in his, he hated to throw more on her shoulders and sometimes he just wished she would let him hold some of the burden for her. They had been working together now so well. "Vera, thank you and don't you worry. We will get it back, we will set everything right and once we do I'm taking you on a much needed vacation. Someplace tropical with drinks that have tiny umbrellas.
She curled her fingers around his hand and held it tight trying not to give away her look of worry. "That sounds like a nice fantasy that is never going to happen. Even if we can manage to get everything stabilized Hamish I don't have time for vacations as the Grand Magus."
"You can Grand Magus from a distance during the summer months."
Vera looked up at him and crunched up her nose slightly. She hated when he was right, it was making her look bad. Not that Vera always had to be right but she was mostly right. "Stop that."
"Stop being positive?" Hamish responded with a little laugh.
"Stop trying to get my hopes up."
"No Vera, because it's a promise. When things settle down I'm taking you someplace nice and tropical to sit back for a week and relax beachfront with a drink in your hand."
Somehow after he dropped a heavy weight on her like the knights falling apart he also tried to instantly uplift her with something like this. "That's sweet Hamish but admit it, you just want to have sex with me on a beach." And normally she came at him with something like that.
Hamish looked shocked for a moment. "Well, I can't deny that idea has come to mind though I think the sand would get annoying quickly. Not as pleasant as your bedsheets Vera my dear and I do know you prefer the comforts of your 1800 thread count bedsheets."
Vera acted a little insulted even if by now she was playing along with his game a bit. Two and a half glasses of wine could do that to you and yes Vera had started drinking before he showed up. "That is not true, I'm very comfortable just about anywhere."
"Yes, I forgot about the desk, the reason you needed to have that leg sturdied up...and the vault."
"You started that one Hamish. Don't blame me for that."
"Don't make me fight you Vera I'm going to win, you start most of it and you know it you flirt." He wasn't lying either, maybe Vera wasn't doing it intentionally but she normally had a very sexual vibe about her, especially when she was bent over a table reading a book when a chair was right next to her. If that wasn't supposed to be distracting with her short well tailored skirts then Hamish didn't know what was.
"Do you want to take this to the bedroom because I'll win this argument." She pointed down the hall with an authoritarian tone that made Hamish's heart flutter.
"See Vera, you always start it." He smirked at her. God he liked being right, he liked leading her on into her own traps.
"Well, in that case it's been a good night Hamish, get home safely." She smiled at him, a devious glint in her eyes. It was nice to think she'd just kick him out tonight but they both knew that's never how it went down in the end.