Envy's Duplex, The Hegemony Compound, Ribeirao Preto, Tuesday

[whenshewasnice]

At the end, Envy's multiversal tour had looped back in on itself: there'd been an extra leg of shows in universes where the initial attempt had been successful in creating interest. Several shows per universe. Kind of like a tour made up of smaller tours. No one could say Envy wasn't a professional.

But today, the tour of tours was done.

She had security carry her luggage up to her apartment. She had many more bags now than when she'd left, filled with souvenirs as well as clothes and general necessities she'd had to purchase on the road as she ran out of things or a bag got misplaced on a portal layover.

She had the bags set down by the door. She figured she could go through all that crap there instead of lugging all of it further into the apartment. Efficient. She thanked the guards, and closed the door behind them. And then she kicked off her shoes, and walked into the living room.

And laid down on her back in the middle of the floor.

She was home.

[ooc: NFB, but open for all the usual. And SP-y as hell.]

Comments

[lockestheway]

It'd been the guards who'd alerted Peter to Envy's return.

He didn't rush to go see her; he couldn't afford to. He had to finish off high-level negotiations with several East-Asian diplomats first, and that took at least another hour.

"I'm going on a lunch break. Let me know if anything changes," he informed his Chief of Staff. She threw him a knowing smile, which he ignored.

And now he was here, knocking on Envy's door. As per usual. Like she hadn't been gone for months.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy was still on the floor.

The main difference was that after an hour on the floor, she was a little more inclined to actually get up when there was a knock. Which she did, although with a sigh, and came to answer the door. She probably wouldn't have bothered if she couldn't have guessed who it was. It was hard to enter the compound without Peter noticing, after all.

And there wasn't really anyone else she wanted to see right now.

"Hey," she said, as the door opened between them. She had the faintest air of someone who'd just woken up from a nap.

[lockestheway]

"Hey," Peter answered, his tone light. "You look rested."

In comparison to the last few (few) times he'd seen her.

[whenshewasnice]

"Liar," Envy replied anyway. "Come in."

She had no interest in standing by the door any longer than necessary. Or standing, full stop.

"Watch out for the luggage pile."

[lockestheway]

Peter stepped into the room - and immediately realized what she meant, barely side-stepping a bag.

"I see we're still into traveling light," he said.

[whenshewasnice]

While closing the door, Envy gave him a withering look, although it was a very mild one. "I was, when I left," she said. "But life on the multiversal road doesn't work like that."

[lockestheway]

"Picking up a lot of gifts from admirers?" Peter asked, patting a bag on his way in.

[whenshewasnice]

"Not as many as you'd think." It had been a groundwork tour. Sowing the seeds for more gifts in the future. "Mostly the bags are just full of underwear and toothbrushes. That's what it feels like in retrospect, anyway."

[lockestheway]

"Sexy," Peter commented. He kept walking until he reached the sofa. "Pleased with the end results?"

[whenshewasnice]

"It's too early to tell."

Envy followed him – but not quite to the couch. Instead, she unceremoniously laid down exactly where she'd been before. On the floor, flat on her back.

"But all the numbers seem to be indicating positive developments, and almost all the shows were hits for both attendance as well as energy, so..."

[lockestheway]

"I'd say that sounds like momentum," Peter said, raising his eyebrows at her from the couch.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy would've ignored his eyebrows even if she hadn't been looking at the ceiling. He was one of the few people who were even allowed to see her like this.

Relaxing.

And unconventionally.

"Yeah," she said. "And we're using it. Album's launching in several places soon. Some got it on streaming just today."

[lockestheway]

It wasn't like he had any problems with her being on the floor. He was just amused, was all.

"So does that mean you actually have a vacation?" Peter said. "That doesn't sound real."

[whenshewasnice]

"Yeah."

She sighed. No, it did not sound real to her either.

"I need to go to some island resort with a luxury bungalow and a private beach, and not see people."

[lockestheway]

"I've got a small building along the Rio Pardo for you," Peter counter-offered, jokingly. "As long as you don't mind large amounts of file cabinets."

[whenshewasnice]

With an uncharacteristically lazy turn of her head, Envy threw him a vaguely amused look.

"I deserve better than file cabinets, Wiggin."

[lockestheway]

"Unfortunately, not even a century of climate change can get you a beach that reaches this far inland," Peter said, still amused.

[whenshewasnice]

She shrugged.

"Good thing I wasn't intending to vacation here."

[lockestheway]

"Ah, so you're passing by," Peter said. He considered getting up to join her.

[whenshewasnice]

Well, she wasn't moving. Didn't seem to be, anyway.

"Well, the colourful drinks with umbrellas are abysmal at this compound," she quipped. "And I need a break that feels like a break."

[lockestheway]

"So how long are you planning to stick around?" Peter asked.

He swung his legs over the edge of the couch. Paused. Then got up.

[whenshewasnice]

"Until the weekend?" Envy offered, because she didn't know. She wasn't inclined to plan or schedule anything too tightly, right now.

She'd been doing more than enough of that for the last couple of months. "I'm hoping for a weekend getaway."

[lockestheway]

Peter sat down on the floor next to her, leaned back, and stretched his arms behind him. "You know, we could get mattresses set up in here, if you're so inclined," he said.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy gave him a vaguely fond look – which turned amused as soon as he spoke.

(There was still a splash of fondness mixed in, all the same.)

"Do you think I'm intending to spend all week on the floor, or...?"

[lockestheway]

"At this point, I'm not ruling anything out," Peter said, looking over at her. He looked merry.