Chapter Seventy Six
...
"Good morning, my name's Honey. I'm a reporter from Labyrinth. I understand that you're protesting the UN's treatment of supers. Would one of you care to expand on the topic?" Honey asked, holding out her voice recorder.
Grant stepped out from the picket line he was in, resting his sign (UN super unfair!) against his shoulder. He was wearing a felt eye mask that made his face itchy, but he and the others had all agreed that it was best to keep their identities hidden while protesting, just in case their alter egos were recognised by villains later.
Ritchie's sign read 'more super reps!'; Katherine's said 'UN needs a super change!'; and Jewel had written 'all countries deserve super representation!' on her sign, the 'representation' part squished as she'd run out of room.
Like Grant, Ritchie and Katherine were in regular clothes and their own eye masks to cover their faces. Jewel was wearing her super outfit as Gemstone, hoping for some recognition (and perhaps a job) while she was protesting.
"Good morning. The UN currently has one super representing all supers across all countries, while they have one-hundred and ninety-three citizens representing each country. The imbalance is unfair and unjustly biased against supers."
"That's a good point. Have you spoken to the supers' current UN representative, Babel?"
"Yes, we have. She currently has to do the same amount of work for each country as the one-hundred and ninety-three citizens do for each of their own countries. The citizens also have an assistant, but Babel is on her own. She has to translate each of the documents herself and ensure that every single policy is acceptable for supers across the world, while the citizens only have to consider their own countries' needs. Despite this, Babel has the same deadlines as they do."
"That sounds like a lot of work for one person," Honey said sympathetically.
Grant nodded seriously. "Babel was still working the hour before her son was born, and then she returned to work the day after as well. She's missed dinners and outings and other things that the rest of the world - citizens and super - take for granted. Babel said that she hasn't seen a movie in theatres since The Aristocats; that was released in 1971."
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Tasha from Westville's Evening News. Who wants to be on TV?" Tasha called to the group, smiling broadly. Her smile faded and she glared over at Honey. "Honey, why don't you leave this to the professionals? That little rag of yours couldn't sell a serious story like this if it tried."
"Speaking of rags, I love your dress," Honey replied. "The latest style from Trash Runway?"
Tasha smirked. "You wouldn't know fashion if it bit you on your fat ass, Honey. Oh, hello dear, what's your name?" she asked Gemstone sweetly as she stepped out of the picket line.
Realising that Jewel was pissed, Honey grabbed Grant's hand and reached across to snatch Gemstone's exposed hand before she touched Tasha. "Sorry, I just have to ask: who designed your outfit? It's an amazing piece of fashion."
"Honey, you're stealing my interviewee," Tasha hissed.
Jewel clenched her jaw, forcing herself to relax as she turned to Honey. "Bright Designs. They're a new design company in town, specialising in super-wear."
"Great, thank you so much; my readers will love to know about a new designer. I think you dropped your glove," Honey said, nodding to the glove that had fallen on the ground.
Tasha quickly picked it up and held it out, frowning at the material that didn't seem to be connected in any way. Honey let go of Jewel's hand and let go of her firm grip on Grant with an apology. Jewel grabbed her offered glove with her gloved hand and fitted it back on, the jewelled seams stitching together with a burst of power.
"If you're done, can I return to my interview?" Tasha asked, sneering.
"All done," Honey quipped, then returned her attention to Grant, starting her recorder again. "Now, what prompted this protest?" she asked with a smile.
...
"I just don't know if this dress works. It's nice at the front, but the back looks like someone forgot to finish the dress and just taped some material there," Wendy muttered.
"It looked nice on the mannequin," Layla replied from outside the fitting room, trying not to yawn. They'd been shopping for more than six hours, her feet were killing her, and Wendy had gone through ten stores and what felt like a hundred dresses.
"They all do, but mannequins aren't an accurate representation of any actual living person. Remember Doll Face? Even she didn't look like that grotesque piece of plastic."
"She had so many medical issues, the poor dear," Frieda said, shaking her head.
"Why don't you just let Zach design a dress for you? You saw the design he did for me, didn't you?" Jewel asked.
"I saw it, but after your interview, he's been run off his feet. Ethan's changed his password so he can't check his emails anymore. Adam said there's another two hundred requests in there."
"Three hundred, now. Zach's got a design for you already. He actually did one for everyone, suits included. Craig was going to get a ruffled tuxedo shirt. Ethan melted him down to stop him."
"Oh, Super Jesus. Thank you," Jewel said.
"Can you send the design to me? I'll see what it looks like before I go back. The black and white dress in that last store was nice," Wendy said, pulling a face at the words.
"You hated the way it pinched under your arms," Layla reminded her.
Wendy's phone chimed with a message and she looked at the design that Zach had made, frowning slightly. "You could've sent this to me three hours ago."
"Three hours ago you were all eating churros and I didn't want to interrupt. Then it was my turn to be fitted for a suit, so..." Adam trailed off.
"Zach's designed it, sure, but who's actually making it? He can't sew to save his life."
"Honey has contacts, apparently."
"Of course. Is there anyone Honey doesn't know?" Wendy asked, rolling her eyes.
"Of course; it's far too exhausting to consider the idea of knowing everyone. I just know the right people to get the right things done," Honey said, returning with another brown bag of churros and cinnamon doughnuts.
"Ooh, thank you!" Layla said, taking a churro and biting into it eagerly.
Wendy was out of her dress and back in her clothes in a split second, taking an offered doughnut. Jewel took one too, and Frieda set aside her cup of tea to take a churro.
"Thank you, dear. Is there enough for the others?" Frieda asked before taking a bite.
"Oh yes, I already gave Heidi, Nina, Anita, Edith, and Hyacinth theirs before finding you. I have more for Peggy and Ruby when I find them," Honey added.
"I think they went to the bathroom, they should be back soon," Wendy replied.
"Adam, tell them about the suits."
"I've already told Edith and Hyacinth. It's hard for them to be excited about the suits when the twins aren't in them. When did Eth un-melt you?"
"About a minute ago. Grant was annoyed with him."
"Yeah, but everyone's annoyed with you, dude."
"You realise we can hear you, right?" Wendy said, laughing.
"Oh, is Jewel there?" Craig asked eagerly.
"I'm busy eating a doughnut," Jewel replied.
"Aw, man, you get doughnuts?"
"I bought enough for everyone," Honey said. "We'll meet you back at Mum's."
"Aw, yes. C'mon, dude, let's get everyone outta here," Craig said.
"So you're going with Zach's design then?" Layla asked.
"It's almost what I want; I'll talk to him at Frieda's to see if he can adjust a few things," Wendy said.
"Good idea. Let's go buy the last of the doughnuts and churros. They're going to close up soon, so they'll be willing to sell the last of them for half price," Honey said with a grin.
"Buy them all!" Craig demanded, Adam pushing his friend's face away from his phone before ending the call.
...
"Tonight's Channel Five News exclusive story is about the United Nations and their views towards supers. We have three experts on the subject: Dr. Denizen, Dr. Settler, and Dr. Burgess. Are the UN biased against supers or are they simply being practical?" Brian Anderson asked the viewers, then turned his attention to his guests. "What are your thoughts?"
Channel Five had agreed to pay experts in the subject, rather than interviewing children as Labyrinth and Westville's Evening News had during their protest. The protest of the children was something that Brian Anderson had thought worthy of further investigation, so he'd set it to one of the interns. After they'd returned with their research - very little regarding the UN and super representatives, as Babel had been the only one since 1964 - Brian Anderson had proposed the idea to the producers and CEOs of Channel Five. They'd instantly agreed, sure to get in ratings where supers were involved.
"Well, I believe the UN are simply being practical. With the amount of superheroes that die in hero-villain fights every year, there's no way each country can have long-term supers represented in the UN and keep their countries safe," Dr. Denizen replied.
"I agree," Dr. Settler said with a firm nod. "It's just impractical to have active supers in the UN."
"What if their nemesis attacked them while they were working?" Dr. Burgess added, again in agreement.
Brian Anderson smiled at the three experts tightly. He was expecting more of an argument than this; this wasn't how ratings were made. "Well, Babel's not active," he prompted.
"No, of course not. But what active supers would agree to stop fighting villains just to work behind a desk?" Dr. Settler asked with a condescending laugh.
The other two experts laughed as well and Brian Anderson's jaw set. When it all boiled down to it, he worked behind a desk.
Forcing himself to smile once more, Brian Anderson turned his attention back to the camera, glad to see they were almost at an advertising break. "What do you think, viewers? Is it truly practical for the UN to restrict supers to one representative?" he asked.
Brian Anderson ignored the confused expressions from the experts, who had been assured a full hour before the viewers' opinions were asked.
"Oh, I'm calling them. What's their number? Three supposed experts and not one super?!" Nina snapped. "Now who's being bias?"
"Burgess' work has been rejected by nearly every major journal in the super field. There's no way he's an expert in anything," Adam called out.
"Ha, good. What about those other two?" Nina asked, dialling Channel Five's number and waiting impatiently for someone to pick up.
"Hello, Channel Five."
"Yes, hi. I'm watching the current special airing and I have some complaints about these supposed experts. Not one of them is a super themselves, so your whole show is already biased against them, never mind the UN. Besides, Burgess hasn't published anything since 1999; Denizen is no longer allowed to attend super conferences; Settler's thesis was about the benefits of super conversion therapy. Where on Earth did you find these so-called experts?" she snapped, Adam returning to his seat with his phone now that Nina had the information he'd found from a simple search.
"Uh. We... I... uh, just one moment."
Nina fumed as she was put on hold, the cheery Channel Five jingle irritating her now more than ever.
"Breathe, Nina," Honey called, reminding her to inhale and exhale.
"Hello, this is Brian Anderson. I understand you have an issue with our experts?" he asked.
Nina repeated her spiel, and in the lounge room, the others all watched as the experts paled considerably at her words.
Brian Anderson's smile slipped and he coughed. "These experts were chosen by an intern, and not by myself, obviously."
"No, you don't get to hide behind an intern, Anderson. You don't agree to interview anyone, so you should do your own damn research about it, too!" Nina snapped, ending the call abruptly.
"Hello? Ma'am, are you still there?" Brian Anderson asked, frowning.
"Okay, that's enough of that. Let's watch a movie instead," Frieda suggested.
"Another minute, Mum," Honey said, still watching the TV.
"Well... We'll have to redo this interview, for obvious reasons, and this time we'll interview supers themselves. If you know a super - or are a super yourself - and would like to talk to me, please send your answer to my earlier question to the email address on the screen," Brian Anderson said, his cheeks red under his makeup.
"Okay, now we're good," Honey said. "I vote for Godzilla vs. The Commander and All-American Boy," she added.
"Isn't that the one where they called him America's Boy instead?" Sarah asked, grinning from where she was seated with Jared.
"In the initial release," Honey confirmed with a nod.
"I don't think I've seen that one," Ethan said, frowning.
Beside him, Zach nudged him with his knee. "I've been trying to get you to watch it for ages."
"Any other suggestions?" Anita asked.
"I can watch it again," Warren said, shrugging.
"It's actually not the worst B-list movie about the Commander. Remember that one with... oh, was it the Ninety Ninjas or the Wolfman?" Nina asked Warren.
"Wolfman. They used a dog and a green screen. Godzilla they switch between an actual lizard and a guy in a Godzilla suit," he replied, Layla laughing from where she was curled up on the floor against his side.
"Sounds stupid; let's watch it," Craig said.
Victor laughed when Grant and Jewel started tickling Craig. "Not too loud, guys. Elijah and Elliot only just got to sleep."
Heidi pulled her bowl of popcorn out of the way before Craig could accidentally kick it.
"They're okay, Mr. Harland. Sleeping like proverbial babies," Donny said, grinning.
"They are babies, Donny," Wendy said, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend.
"All right, movie's in and ready. Everyone good?" Adam asked, looking around and waiting for them all to settle down before pressing play.
...
Josie frowned as she searched through her dresser. She knew she had her pearl earrings somewhere in the drawers. They'd been a gift from Queen Kamehamayhem after she and Steve had defeated King Kamehamayhem and restored her to proper power over the Hawaiian island.
She couldn't show up to King Kamehamayhem vs. the Commander and Jetstream red-carpet premiere without the earrings.
"Steve! Have you seen my earrings?" Josie called out, all of the drawers emptied and still no sign of her earrings.
Realising that she'd left Steve in the Secret Sanctum, Josie flew down to the sanctum to find her husband playing the pinball machine.
"Steve!"
"Yes, dear?" he asked distractedly.
"Do you know where my pearl earrings are?" Josie asked.
"I didn't know you knitted, dear."
"What? Steve, concentrate," Josie snapped. "Pearl earrings, not purling."
"Oh. Uh, I haven't seen them," Steve said over his shoulder, eyes on the three silver pinballs that were flying through the machine.
Gritting her teeth - Steve wasn't even dressed yet - Josie moved to the back of the pinball machine and pulled the plug. Steve's cry of distress echoed through the sanctum.
"I was this close, Josie! This close!" Steve said, indicating with a finger and thumb.
Josie put her hands on her hips. "We're meant to be at the movie premiere in an hour and you're not even ready!"
Steve looked from his wife to the pinball machine and back again. In the face of her angry expression, Steve conceded defeat and briefly mourned the loss of the top pinball score. "Of course, dear. I'm sorry, dear. You were looking for... earrings?"
Josie's fierce expression softened. "Yes, dear. The pearl ones from Queen Kamehamayhem."
"I haven't seen them for years. Are you sure you still have them?"
"I wouldn't sell them, Steve. I know how much real pearls are worth," Josie said pointedly.
"Of course, dear. If you fly me out of here, I'll have a look myself. I can get dressed, too."
"We added a secret staircase for a reason, Steve."
"I can never seem to find the right switch," he admitted, frowning.
Josie rolled her eyes and grabbed her husband, flying him up and out of the sanctum so they could find her earrings.
...
"Why can't we go to the gallery together, hippie?" Warren asked, buttoning his vest with his phone resting on the crook between his ear and shoulder.
"Because we already planned to go separately and meet there," Layla said with a smile, putting her phone on speaker and sitting it down to put her necklace on.
"Zach's been hiding the designs from me. You received your dress on time though, right?"
"Yes, it arrived this morning. It fits like a glove," Layla said, slipping on the fancy gloves that had been included with the dress. "How's your suit?"
"Fits better than my Dad's tux," Warren admitted, tugging his gloves on.
Citizens tended to wear gloves to stop any supers from accidentally using their powers on them, such as Patrick from AAA Contractors. Of course, some powers couldn't be blocked by gloves alone, but it was the sense of security that helped most citizens more than the gloves themselves.
"How are you going, dear?" Frieda asked, knocking on her doorframe. "Oh, you look wonderful, Layla dear."
"Are you going to tell me what dress she's wearing, Frieda? No one will tell me a thing," Warren groused.
Frieda smiled, her eyes bright. "Oh, I'm sorry, cutie. I think you'll have to wait and see her for yourself. We're heading to the hairdresser now. Wendy and Jewel are here, and Honey's going to meet us there with Sarah."
"Oh, that's great. I'll see you later, Warren," Layla said, smiling and hanging up after Warren had replied and said farewell to them both.
"Just wait until your hair's done, you're going to knock Warren's socks off," Frieda said with a smile and wink.
"I hope not; he's wearing the socks you made for him," Layla said with a laugh as she slipped her earrings on and grabbed her heels and clutch. "Okay, I'm ready to go."
"Wait until you get downstairs for your heels, dear. No sense in falling over," Frieda said, taking her hand and patting it lightly.
"Good idea. You look lovely, Frieda. Silver really suits you," she said as they headed downstairs to where Jewel and Wendy were waiting.
"Thank you, dear. I haven't worn this dress for some time, so I'm glad it still fits," Frieda said, looking down to the black and silver dress she'd chosen for the gala.
Wendy and Jewel were talking in the foyer, Jewel wolf-whistling as Frieda and Layla descended the stairs.
"Looking nice, ladies," Jewel said with a grin.
"Thank you, dear."
"Jewel, what happened? You're not wearing a cuff?" Layla said, frowning when she saw Jewel's pale skin but no power-repressing cuff on her wrists.
"Apparently it's a new design; they're trying to make it look more glamorous rather than bulky. It won't last past today though," Jewel said, showing her wrist where three thin white bands were wrapped around her glove.
"Well, never mind that, you look lovely with or without it," Frieda said with a smile. "Now, let's go before we're late. Philipe and Philomena hate tardiness," she said, ushering them all outside.
"We have to take the Toyota?" Wendy asked.
"Unfortunately, dear. Philipe and Philomena do wonderful things with hair, but they refuse to move out of Westville. I'd prefer to still have a car when we came out, wouldn't you?"
"It's fine, Frieda. It's not the bus," Layla added, Wendy conceding with a reluctant nod.
Frieda ushered them over to the car, making sure they were all strapped in before reversing out of her driveway and heading to the hairdressing studio in Westville.
...
"Thank you for attending this special exhibition and gala at the Maxville Art Gallery. A special thanks go to Frieda Bettendorf for her wonderful donation of an original Monet painting," the gallery owner added with a bright smile, clapping for Frieda along with the other guests. "We have included the official appraisal with the painting so everyone can see that it is real, and the wall next to it displays a video of the last two months' testing process.
"As a reminder: the proceeds from the charity gala go towards the Maxville Art Gallery's local art program, so please donate as much as you can to this great cause," the owner said, clapping again.
"Oh, look at it, Frieda. It's such an exquisite painting," Edith said.
"It really is. That rat ex-husband of yours shouldn't have locked it away like he did," Hyacinth muttered, sipping at her champagne.
"I know, but it's where it belongs now," Frieda said with a smile.
"Oh, Victor's here with the twins. Don't they just look adorable?" Babel asked, smiling brightly when she saw Elijah and Elliot dressed in their charcoal grey suits.
The painting practically forgotten, they all headed over to Victor, the twins, and Craig and Adam. Craig and Adam were each carrying Elijah and Elliot, making the babies wave at people with chubby fists, the twins laughing and babbling at each other.
"You look very handsome, dear," Edith said with a smile, kissing Victor's cheek.
"Thank you, Mother. You're not going to try to set me up with anyone, are you? Cara only just signed the divorce papers yesterday," he muttered.
"No, no. I think we all deserve a break, and these two cuties need some quality time with their papa. Isn't that right, cuties?" Edith cooed at the twins.
Craig grinned and kissed Elliot's cheek before handing his nephew to her. "He's been squirming, so he might try to jump out of your arms."
"Oh, Victor did the same thing as a baby. Luckily your father had the reflexes of a mongoose," Edith said to her son, then turned her attention back to Elliot.
"A mongoose?" Adam queried softly, Craig shrugging in response.
"Oh, do you mind if I take him from you, dear?" Babel asked Adam.
"No problem. He's been doing the worm thing, too, so y'know, be careful," he replied, handing Elijah to her.
"Of course you have. You're eager to get out and see the world, aren't you?" Babel murmured, smiling and stroking Elijah's cheek gently.
He babbled up at her and Babel's eyes widened.
"Well, that too. Uh, let me see if I have this right," she murmured, then started to babble back.
Elijah squealed happily, reaching for his toes before babbling again.
"You actually know what he's saying?" Adam asked incredulously.
"Oh, yes. It's just another type of language. Specific to every individual, of course, but there are some commonalities with the main language of the household they're living in. I believe Elijah's spent a lot of time listening to his father talking Latin. Ah, a lawyer," Babel murmured.
"What's he saying?" Craig asked curiously.
"He wants to be pretty like the sparkling lady. I'm assuming that's someone you know?" Babel asked.
"Yeah. He means - "
"Jewel," Craig said, his jaw dropping.
Jewel smiled at him and the blush on his cheeks, making her way over. Her low-cut dress was sparkling gold with a slit on either side to show her legs as she moved, her brunette hair done up in a long curl over one shoulder, and a long golden necklace around her neck with a long chain heading down towards the small of her bare back.
Adam snorted beside him and closed Craig's jaw with an audible click. "You're drooling, dude. Hey, Jewel. You look nice."
"Thanks, Adam. You look good in a suit," Jewel replied with a warm smile.
"You look lovely, dear. I'll give you some privacy," Babel said, trying not to sound too amused at the expression on Craig's face as she headed back to Frieda, Edith, and Hyacinth with Elijah in her arms.
"Did I break Craig already?" Jewel asked, seeing the stunned expression on his face.
"Yeah, I think so. How'd you get, y'know, non-Jewel?" Adam asked curiously.
"New prototype. It's just for today, but it helps," she said with a wink as she showed him the bands around her wrist. "Oh, look at Elijah and Elliot! I'm glad you went with charcoal grey, they look so cute."
"We spent ages finding suits for them. Craig was going to go with Dumb and Dumber ones at one point, y'know, the orange and blue things?"
"I think you mean the monstrosities. These suits are much better," she said, smiling.
"Told you they were hideous," Adam said, nudging his best friend.
Craig finally seemed to snap out of his daze. "Jewel, you look..." he made a sound similar to wheezing.
"Did you time this on purpose?" Adam asked Jewel, nodding behind her where Grant was arriving with his mother.
"No, but we should have just to see Craig get flustered like this. I mean, whoa," she cut off sharply when she saw Grant in his three-piece suit, his jacket folded over his forearm and his hair in a stylish mess.
Adam rolled his eyes at them. Seeing a waiter approach, he grabbed two champagne flutes of juice from the tray with thanks. "Hi, Ms. Read. You look nice," he said, smiling at her simple black dress and offering her the orange juice.
"Thank you, Adam. It is black-tie, isn't it?" she asked, confused at Jewel's gold dress.
"Yes, but I don't think she's going to be arrested for it," he said, grinning outright now.
"You never know at functions like these," Peggy said. "I practically had to carry Grant over here myself after he saw them."
"I'm thinking they could be those clowns at fairs, y'know, with the mouths wide open?" Adam said, grinning.
Peggy laughed. "I can see that. Oh, is that the painting? It's lovely," she said. "I might try to see it up close. Maybe these three will come to their senses in the next few minutes."
"Doubt it, Ms. Read," Adam snorted, sipping at his juice.
Peggy was only gone for a few seconds before Grant, Jewel, and Craig seemed to come to their senses once more.
"Jewel, you look fucking amazing," Grant said, grinning.
"Were you just waiting for your mother to leave? That's cold, dude," Adam said, shaking his head.
"I've been reading their minds for the last six minutes. Best six minutes of my life. So far," Craig added, smirking.
"I hate you all. Oh, the waitress has food," Adam said, leaving the trio to try to get the mini spring rolls.
"You two need to turn around so I can see all of you," Jewel said.
Shuddering, Adam walked away from them faster.
Warren arrived with his mother and couldn't stop himself from immediately looking around for Layla. Nina grinned when she saw Craig, Grant, and Jewel comparing each other's outfits and moving close to hug and kiss one another. Jewel was a golden vision in a sea of black, yet somehow, Nina wasn't at all surprised by her colour choice. Seeing her son looking around the room eagerly, Nina couldn't help but laugh briefly.
"What's so funny?" Warren asked.
"It's cute watching you get all flustered over a girl," Nina said, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "Oh, there's Frieda. She might know where Layla is."
Warren winced, but sighed heavily. "All right, let's get it over and done with. I'm allowing one cutie and that's it."
Nina laughed again as they headed down the stairs and over to their friends. "Oh, grab me a champagne. Thanks, kid," she said, taking the flute from him. "Frieda, you look amazing."
"Oh, thank you, dear. You look wonderful, I adore that dress!"
Nina grinned. "I've had it since the mid-80's; I had to take the shoulder pads out last night."
Frieda giggled. "Well, it doesn't show at all. Now, you look absolutely delicious, Warren. Have you seen Layla yet?"
Surprised at not being called cutie for once, Warren shook his head. "Not yet; do you know where she is?"
"Right behind you," Layla said, smiling with dark red lips as he faced her and his jaw dropped.
Warren had thought that Layla looked amazing in her dress from Homecoming, but this dress transcended amazing. Two pieces of material flowed over her shoulders, the material curving in a slight V over her breasts to be cinched together with a sash below her breasts, her mother's brooch holding it all together. The rest of the dress flowed down simply, but as Layla stepped back, Warren could see a pale expanse of skin and her heels. It took him a moment longer to realise that Layla's dress wasn't exactly black. In the light of the gallery, he realised it was actually a much darker green, close enough to black that most people probably wouldn't notice without staring.
As she turned around, he saw that Layla's hair was done in curls that reached to the middle of her back, the top of her hair held back by a red, black, and green headband that matched the brooch. It sparkled and Warren vaguely realised that it was probably a product of Jewel's power. The rest of the dress came to a V over the small of her back, Warren already itching to touch her there, to see what her bare skin would feel like against his palm.
"You look amazing, Layla."
"So do you," Layla said, stepping forward to kiss him.
He'd left his suit jacket in the car, deciding it was too hot to wear it inside, and had already rolled his sleeves up to his forearms to be comfortable. Why Zach had insisted on him wearing a black shirt, black vest, and a black jacket, Warren would never know. But he had to admit that the hot curl of desire he could feel from Layla's vine brand made it worth it.
"Bernard used to look at me like that," Babel murmured, sighing wistfully.
"I don't think Henry ever looked at me like that after my fortieth birthday," Frieda said, rolling her eyes. "Ah, there's Honey. Don't you look lovely, dear?"
"Oh, thank you. It's not too much?" Honey asked, looking to the design on the skirt part of her dress.
"Not at all, dear. It's wonderful," Frieda said, kissing her cheek.
"Oh, look at Heidi. She's growing so tall, isn't she?" Edith mused, smiling.
Layla looked over to see Heidi arriving with Zach, Ethan, and Anita and Richard. Heidi was wearing a black dress with an intricate lace design over her shoulders.
"Wow, Anita looks divine."
"I think Richard thinks so too," Hyacinth said, smiling at the way Richard kept stealing glances at his wife every few seconds like he couldn't believe she'd chosen him.
"I think this is the first time I've seen Ethan and Zach wear black," Layla said with a smile.
Warren bit back the reminder of her mother's funeral and simply nodded instead. They were both wearing new suits, Zach in a white shirt and tie with a black suit, while Ethan was wearing a black suit with a red shirt and black tie.
"Have you seen Donny or Wendy yet?" Warren asked curiously.
Layla laughed. "Donny saw Wendy and dragged her away. Apparently several people thought 'get a room' at them, so that's what he planned on doing."
"The whole gallery probably thought it when they saw him, dear. Donny wasn't exactly subtle; even Craig and Grant were more subtle than him," Edith said, laughing.
"Adam, dear, will your parents be here?" Hyacinth asked.
He nodded. "Da's picking Ma up when she finishes her shift at the hospital. They should be here soon," Adam added, seeing the time.
"Oh, that's good. I'm glad they won't miss out," Hyacinth said with a smile.
"Same."
"Ah, there's Wendy. She's looking awfully smug, isn't she?"
"Oh, hush, Edith. You'd be smug too if you looked like her at her age."
Wendy's navy blue dress was cut at the sides to accentuate her breasts, a gold chain weaving around her torso to become several chains hanging between her shoulder blades. Beside her, Donny looked thoroughly kissed, his lips swollen and his cheeks red.
"I'd still look smug if I looked like her at her age," Edith corrected Frieda, laughing.
Babel smiled at Craig as he came over with Grant and Jewel. In her arms, Elijah tried to reach out for Craig eagerly, and she held him a little tighter. "I think this little one wants your attention, Craig," she said.
Craig grinned. "Always happy to give you attention, kiddo. C'mere," he said, gathering Elijah up and kissing him noisily, Elijah giggling in his arms.
"So what's the charity part of this thing, anyway?" Warren asked curiously.
"They auction off pieces by local artists. There's usually some of the usual pieces: abstract, contemporary, statues, nude photos and paintings," Edith said.
"Last year's charity function raised a quarter of a million dollars," Ethan said, adjusting his glasses. "It's listed on their website," he added when a few people looked at him.
"So which ones are the nude ones?" Zach asked.
"Zach, no. We're not getting nude artwork for the house," Anita said.
"What about a statue? Y'know, some sort of thing that you really have to stare at for hours before you realise what it is?" Zach asked brightly.
"You're sitting at the back of the auction with your sister so all you see are blobs of colour."
Zach laughed. "All right, I won't bid on the nude things. It's not like I've got the money for it anyway. Oh, free food," he said, waving a hand to get the passing waiter's attention.
"Hey, there's Mr. and Mrs. S. Looking sharp, Mr. S," Craig called, grinning. "Run away with me, Mrs. S?" he asked, while beside him, Adam rolled his eyes.
"I know how you spend your chore money, Craig; we ain't running very far," Ida said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Craig laughed in delight. "That wasn't a no. You look amazing," he said, smiling broadly.
Ida's expression softened and she smiled. "Thank you, Craig."
"You look great, Ma," Adam said.
"No one's going to want to look at the painting while you're in the room, dear," Curtis said, kissing her cheek.
"What painting?" Zach asked with a grin.
"You're all being ridiculous. Come on, Curt. I want to see the painting for myself," Ida said, taking his hand and heading to the line.
As they were waiting, Ida couldn't help but overhear the conversations by other people in the line. She ignored it for the most part, until she heard Layla's name.
"That's Greta's great niece, you know, the one who ruined her life?" one woman whispered.
"Oh, please. Greta sounded crazy with all that talk about plants destroying her house. I've been to her house since then, it looks fine. There's not even a plant in sight, and she said she salted the earth."
"You didn't hear about the fire?"
"What fire?"
"Her kitchen caught fire while she was cooking; her neighbours called the fire department."
One woman snorted. "Greta doesn't cook if she can help it."
"Exactly. And one of her neighbours said she saw some kids through the window. One of them was a redheaded girl."
"Really?"
"Which neighbour?"
"Mrs. Quinton, from down the road. She was walking her dogs."
"Mrs. Quinton is a lying old cow. She'd say anything to stir the pot. Besides, Greta said how she changed the locks the day her niece moved out, so how would Layla even get inside?"
There was a long moment of silence and eventually, the topic returned to the painting.
"Everything all right, dear?" Curtis asked.
Ida nodded. "I think so."
Across the room, Donny frowned at the three women Ida had been listening to, then made his way over to Layla and Warren.
...
"After all that stuff about how I wasn't allowed to buy anything nude, and then you bought the nude painting?" Zach asked Anita, laughing at the irony.
"I didn't realise it was nude," Anita said. "It was a much smaller picture in the auctioneer's catalogue."
"We'll put it in our room so it won't traumatise you kids," Richard said.
"That just traumatised me," Ethan said, wincing.
Heidi signed to Zach, laughing when he paled and Ethan did a full-body shudder.
"What did you say?" Anita asked, glancing to Heidi in the back seat.
Heidi just smiled and signed nothing.
...
"Thank you for the lift, Frieda. I'll text you when I'm on my way home tomorrow."
"You're most welcome, dear. Have a nice night. Be safe, cutie!" Frieda called out, laughing when Warren groaned.
Layla kissed Frieda's cheek before grabbing her bag from the car. Warren took it from her and shouldered it, heading down to the Hive's forest. Frieda waved goodbye before reversing and heading home, some brand new artist sculptures in her passenger seat.
Warren had been quiet for most of the drive from the art gallery to the Hive, but Layla could feel his desire coming from her wrist, a slow build up that had her shifting on her seat by the end of the ride. She took his hand now, squeezing firmly, both of their hands hot and burning between them.
"Did you like the auction?" Layla asked as they entered the Hive, heading straight down to the lower Hive without looking at the rest of the house.
Layla knew that the shelves she'd commissioned from AAA should have arrived for that week's grand opening, but they could wait for the moment.
"It was okay; a little stuffy and not as exciting as most movies make them seem," Warren admitted. "Couldn't stop thinking about you, hippie," he murmured, stopping in their room and setting her bag down before tugging her close to kiss her firmly.
Layla grinned as she pulled away from their kiss, slowly letting her emotion through the brand on his wrist. "I had to keep blocking it, otherwise I was going to drag you off like Donny and Wendy did."
Warren made a sound somewhere in his throat, picking Layla up and pressing her against the wall to kiss and nip and lick at her mouth. Layla wrapped her legs around his waist, one of her heels dangling off her foot precariously while the other dug into his buttocks. Without really meaning to, Layla let go of her emotions all at once and Warren was flooded with the desire, the lust, everything she'd felt since seeing him standing there in his suit. Warren let go of Layla due to the force of her emotion, staggering back a few steps, his eyes wide.
"Holy... Fuck, hippie," he breathed, staring up at her and only vaguely realising that he'd actually fallen back onto his ass.
Layla bit her lip. "Sorry."
Warren shook his head, his hair coming out of his ponytail. "Don't be. Don't ever be sorry for that. Fuck," Warren said, exhaling again.
With a broad smile, Layla moved so she was straddling his thighs. "One day soon, promise," she murmured, sealing her promise with a kiss.
Warren cupped her thighs, ran his hands up over her ass, and stroked Layla's bare skin along the V of her dress. He grinned when she shivered at the light touches. "Love you."
"Love you, too," Layla said, then tied her curly hair back with a vine to kiss him senseless.
...
End of the seventy-sixth chapter.
Author's note: as URL links don't work on FFNet, please see this chapter on my AO3 account for links to the dresses/suits/outfits they were wearing for the gala.
