Envy's Former Duplex, The Hegemony Compound, Brazil, Monday

[whenshewasnice]

Enough time had passed. It was time to face the world again.

Envy had spent the last couple of days emailing back and forth with Gideon Graves. They had half a plan in place. Or at least a starting point from where to begin seeing if they could build some things up together. It felt like a safety net. It made her feel ready to take the next step.

So she'd booked a portal, and she was packing her things up: what little she'd brought with her as well as things she'd bought here (she could only get by for so long with the outfits she'd brought ove from Toronto). And she'd sent Peter a text, telling him to come by when he had a moment.

She'd considered just leaving. No goodbyes. But she... hadn't. She had no interest in thinking about the reasons for that. And if he didn't show up before it was her time to go, well, his loss.

As always.

[ooc: NFB, but open.]

Comments

[lockestheway]

Peter had taken some time to finish up his business, first; he had no idea how long saying goodbye to Envy was going to take. Could go either way, the way she was now.

He made it there an hour or two after getting the text, two cups of coffee in hand. He knocked with his elbow.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy was just about ready. Not really anything left to do but wait a while for the portal.

She came to the door. Said "Hello" and stepped back to give way. It was probably the politest she'd been the entire time she'd been here.

[lockestheway]

"Hello," Peter echoed, his eyebrows shifting upwards.

But he took the opening and stepped into the apartment.

[whenshewasnice]

At least she wasn't cordial or anything of the sort.

"So, I'm leaving," she said, as she closed the door.

[lockestheway]

"I assumed so," Peter said. He shot a look around the room. "What's your plan?"

[whenshewasnice]

It looked like she'd never even lived here, again, apart from the piano and her bags neatly on the floor by it.

"Montreal, to see my parents and sort out the apartment issue." Meaning paying someone to cart all of Todd's belongings to storage until she figured out what to do with them. "Then New York. I'm meeting with Demonhead's manager and a producer to talk over the future."

[lockestheway]

"Any ideas on what that future will be?" Peter asked.

He sounded genuinely interested.

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, we've agreed it's not really worth it to try and gather up another full band," she said, idly brushing her bangs back. "Not one where everyone's supposed to be a star in their own right, anyway."

So.

Solo, with backing musicians. Maybe.

[lockestheway]

"I heard you play last week," Peter said casually. "It sounded good."

[whenshewasnice]

"Of course it did." No modesty, though there may have been something to her tone. Like she was pleased. If you squinted, anyway. "I need new material," she added, as if as an afterthought. "The Demonhead songs are... Well. Old news."

She didn't want to sing them anymore. Not for a while, anyway.

[lockestheway]

"You can take the piano with you, if you'll need it to write," Peter said. He nodded at it. "Or we can keep it parked here."

And maybe she'd come back to it every now and again.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy rolled her eyes. "Do I look like someone who'd lug a piano across the multiverse? There's one at my parents' house, and I have the keyboard at h–– the apartment." Not home. Home was an abstract concept with no physical manifestation at this time. (This wasn't home, either. It wasn't.) "And I'm sure Gideon will provide one in New York if I need it. So this one stays here."

You know. Just because.

[lockestheway]

Peter shrugged. "It's still technically your property," he said, "I have no interest in making presumptions."

You know. About the location of the piano.

"Who's Gideon?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Gideon Graves." Somewhere, Sam was inexplicably breaking out in hives. "He's this rising star in the world of indie producing. We played his club in New York a little while back."

[lockestheway]

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "Good," he said.

He held out a coffee for her. "I'd like to see you soar," he said. "And it sounds like you have that well in hand."

[whenshewasnice]

She accepted the coffee.

"I do. And I will."

There was no doubt about that.

"I'm not about to let one cheating asshole of a boyfriend take that away from me."

[lockestheway]

Was Peter not supposed to smile at that? Because he was. Smiling.

"You know what they say about success being the best revenge," he said. "And I have no doubt in my mind you'll get that and then some."

[whenshewasnice]

Yeah, well.

It felt good to see him smile like that at her. Not that she'd admit it.

"It won't have anything to do with revenge. It'll be all for me."

[lockestheway]

"Even better," Peter said. "That way, it'll last."

He took a sip of his coffee. Watched her.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy let him, for a moment.

Then, because it was customary, she asked, "What?"

[lockestheway]

"It was good to see you again," Peter said, an idle shrug in his voice, but not in his body. "And even better to see you like this."

[whenshewasnice]

There was an 'Oh' that tried to escape, but Envy had most things on such a harsh lockdown these days that it didn't make it anywhere near the surface.

"Mm." Yes, that again. And a long pause. "Thanks, I guess, for the loan of the apartment."

[lockestheway]

"It's your apartment," Peter said.

This time he did physically shrug. "I mean, there's a nice piano. I'm not about to let some grubby staffer get their mitts all over it."

[whenshewasnice]

"It wouldn't matter."

Liar.

She was watching him, too.

[lockestheway]

"I think we both know that's not true," Peter said, meeting her eyes.

[whenshewasnice]

Heh.

Almost – almost – despite herself, Envy felt her lips twitch into the ghost of a lopsided little smirk.

"I don't think you want to get into things we both know, Wiggin."

[lockestheway]

"Well, I hadn't been planning to have a huge heart to heart on the matter," Peter admitted freely. "So you're right, in that respect. All I'm saying is just take the sentiment for what it is."

[whenshewasnice]

"Not what I meant," Envy replied, idly dismissive. Her phone made a sound in one of her bags. "That's my cue," she said, already moving towards the piano and the bags. "Time to go."

[lockestheway]

Peter stuck his hands in his pockets and walked after her. "Envy?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Peter?" Envy replied, parroting because she could. She slung one bag over her shoulder, picked the other one up. And managed to keep her coffee in the process.

[lockestheway]

Peter almost went for the hug.

But they hadn't quite done that, exactly, even before she'd left.

So he held out a hand instead.

[whenshewasnice]

An attempt at a hug wouldn't have gone well for anyone right now, anyway. She didn't do hugs right now. (As Scott had already found out.)

For a second, she didn't look like she knew what to do with the hand, either. And it was only a little bit because she had just filled both hands with things, Peter.

But she shifted the bag onto her arm and her cup into the hand that freed up, and she took his. The squeeze was mostly businesslike. At least if you asked her for the official version of her take on it.

[lockestheway]

"I know you don't need it," Peter said, "But for the record, I've got all the faith in the world in you."

He squeezed back. It was exactly two seconds longer than the handshake he used on diplomats.

Then he dropped her hand. "Go get 'em."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy snorted. For all that her public image called for it to be derisive, it really wasn't. More like old times. Making fun of his choice of phrase in the subtlest little way that ended up being more affection than anything.

Anyway. It was just a small noise.

(And that, that was all she'd wanted to hear the last time they'd done this. He was right, she didn't need it. Didn't mean it didn't feel good to have.)

And she was brushing past him now. "Tell Theresa and John Paul it was nice to see them."

[lockestheway]

"Will do," Peter said, sounding amused, now. "I'll lie to Suri and say you said the same of him, too."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy made another quietly amused sound of her own.

And then the door slid open, and she was gone.

[lockestheway]

Peter shook his head, smiling quietly to himself.

He stayed there by the piano for a few moments more. Then his phone rang.

Time to go.