My Land, My Rules

Sometime in the afternoon Steven, with Marc awake in the background, made his way to 43 Unicorn Street with Layla in tow.

Even though the door was open Steven knocked on the frame. "Hello? You all right for visitors?"

From:

Nell spun around, hand going to her large pocket, then smiled when she realized it was Steven and made a show of brushing her hands off on the apron she was wearing to try and make it look less as if she was making sure her gun was in reach. "Steven," she said warmly. "Sorry, you startled me. I figured everyone would be at the picnic."

She noticed the woman with him and smiled. "Please, come in. Hospitality and safety to you."

From:

Steven didn't recognize what it looked like when someone reached for a hidden gun, but Layla absolutely did. She didn't betray that she noticed, though, instead keeping her face friendly. Layla didn't know Nell's whole story but Marc had shared just enough that she got the gist to not make a big deal out of it.

From:

Steven very much didn't notice that what Nell did was reach for a gun, but in the back of his mind Marc did. Since Steven was oblivious, though, he continued with leading Layla into the shop, and then gesturing between the two women. "Nell, this is Layla, Marc and mine's friend. Layla, this is Nell. She's the one with the plants and the cooking we've told you about."

From:

"Oh my," Nell said. "Welcome, Layla. And me with my hands all -"

She brushed her hands off again, then turned quickly to the sink to rinse and dry them before offering a hand to Layla. "It's very nice to meet you. Apologies for the mess."

From:

"That's all right," Layla said. She shook Nell's hand. "I'm used to mess. Steven tells me you're a friend of his and Marc's?"

The stressed and implying that Nell knew the connection between the two. Yes, she'd heard it from Steven. But Layla liked judging people based on her own observations.

From:

"Yes," Nell said with a smile. "Marc and I actually became friends first and I met Steven later." She would never be so impolite as to say that she felt a bit closer to Marc than Steven - and certainly never in front of Steven whom she considered to be a very dear friend as well - but if Layla could read between the lines - or the narrative - she might pick up on that.

"They've both been such good friends to me." She smiled a little wistfully. "The memory of them got me through some very dark days back home."

Knowing that someone somewhere cared about her enough to try and talk her into staying here had been a light in the darkness.

From:

As kind as the impulse was, Steven had already figured out how Nell felt about the both of them. He was fine with it. Marc needed friends of his own. Or as much "of his own" as it could be, under the circumstances.

"It was much like that with Layla as well," Steven said. "She knew Marc for years before she met me."

A very polite way of saying Marc was the worst when it came to being truthful with people.

From:

Nell smiled at Layla, "Then you know how very kind he is inside, even though he doesn't like to admit it." Yes, Marc, Nell knew you were probably around too in some fashion or would hear about it in any case.

She smiled over at Steven. "And I'm sure one of them has told you that we met because Steven signed Marc up for a class."

Nell stopped and covered her mouth her mouth in horror. "But what am I thinking? Please, come in. I have some freshly baked scones - vegan and non-vegan as I was going to bring some to Steven later and, of course, I'd be pleased to make you a cup of tea."

From:

"Steven did tell me that," Layla said, which she'd been delighted to hear. She hooked arms with Steven so they could follow where Nell led. "That sounds great, thank you."

From:

Nell took a moment to choose and lock the shop door before ushering them up the back stairs to her apartment. "Steven, you haven't been here yet, either," she said. "So please, be welcome to my home."

It was still very spartan with only the bare minimum of furniture and plants as the only decoration. "Have a seat at the table while I put the kettle on and pull out the scones."

She busied herself setting out plates, napkins, cups and spoons as well as both raspberry and strawberry jam. "These are the vegan scones and the ones here are just regular."

From:

Layla did have some dietary concerns that mirrored Marc and Steven's, but veganism wasn't one of them. She took one of the regular scones so that Steven had more options. "I've heard you're like Liz's - boyfriend?" She looked at Steven for any indication that was the right term "You were gone for years?"

From:

For a moment Nell thought Layla was saying she thought that Nell was Liz's boyfriend and she was quite startled and rather concerned, wondering what the other woman had heard about her. So she might be forgiven for a small sigh of relief when Layla finished what she was saying.

"Yes," she said, "I was gone back home for nine years, but only a week passed here. It's been a bit disorienting."

From:

"Us as well," Steven admitted. He was sat beside Layla and quietly encouraged her to try one of Nell's jams. "She was not nineteen yet when she'd gone. All the way adult now."

From:

"Twenty-eight in a few weeks," Nell said. "Not that I was ever much of a child."

Right or wrong, it was the way it was.

"I wasn't even sure they'd remember me when I returned," she admitted. "They'd only known me for part of a summer, while because they were two of the very few friends I'd ever had I could never have forgotten them."

She stood again as the kettle whistled. "Do either of you have a preference for a tea? I have regular English as well as a mint and a variety of other herbal teas "

From:

"Herbal if it's one of yours," Steven said, looking to Layla to get confirmation she was all right with that as well. "It's your birthday soon? That's exciting. Have you had time to make plans yet?"

From:

Nell nodded and set out several different herbal varieties before bringing the kettle over. She hesitated and looked at Steven. "Exciting? And what do you mean, 'plans'?"

From:

"To celebrate your birthday," Steven said, as though the problem was only that she'd forgotten and not that she'd possibly never heard of the idea. "You know. Cake. Presents. 'For she's a jolly good fellow' and all that?"

From:

Nell looked rather surprised. She supposed she knew people here has birthday parties, but it had never been something she'd paid much attention to.

"I've never celebrated my birthday," she said slowly. "Certainly not with cake or presents." She didn't think she'd ever gotten a present for anything in her life.

From:

"Oh, well then we'll have to, won't we?" Steven said, then grew more serious as he realized several problems with that idea. Starting with: "Only if you'd like it, obviously. Don't mean to force anything on you if it wouldn't be comfortable."

From:

"It might be fun," Nell said. "You'll have to tell me what's expected in terms of cake and presents so I can prepare, but yes. I'd be pleased to celebrate my birthday with friends."

Perhaps she could invite Liz and Lana as well.

From:

"Well there's all sorts of ways of doing it," Steven said. "Friends bring the presents, that's a hard rule. Sometimes the birthday person throws the party and brings the cake and other times it's the friends who do it. That'd be up to you."

Also there was the question of if Marc would want to come given his feelings about birthdays, but Steven decided to table that for a private conversation for him and Marc later.

From:

"Seems to me the person with the birthday should be giving presents to thank the others for their presence in the person's life," Nell said. "I wouldn't want anything big. Just maybe a sort of friends' dinner. I have few enough that we could fit here around the table easily."

From:

"There are some cultures that do that," Layla said. "With the presents."

"Yeah but Nell's always giving to others," Steven pointed out. "She's earned a little spoiled. Er - I mean if she'd be all right with it, of course."

From: