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

[whenshewasnice]

Envy's bedroom looked like her closet had exploded. There were clothes everywhere: draped over anything possible, hanging on hangers, laid out on her bed. The only piece of furniture not currently covered in layers of fabric was her vanity table. And that had a bunch of Polaroids on it. All of Envy in different outfits.

Even right now, she was posing for another one in a sleek black-and-white dress in front of her full-length mirror. She snapped a photo and took it out before setting the camera aside for the time being. As she waited for the photo to develop, she kept looking at herself in the mirror, still judging the outfit. She felt like she was on to something, here. Getting closer, but not quite there yet.

But, she had an idea about what direction to take it.

So, she picked up her phone and texted Peter, the latest Polaroid still in her other hand.

Bring me one of your white button down shirts. I need to try something.

[ooc: NFB but open.]

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[whenshewasnice]

Envy snickered, and leaned forward, until her forehead just about touched his again. Her nose brushed against his.

"You're such a fool, Peter Wiggin."

[lockestheway]

"A fool who conquered the world," Peter said. "As far as epitaphs go, it's not bad."

Both hands now on her knees, he smiled at her. "And I really would like you to be my date."

[whenshewasnice]

"Good thing," Envy replied. "Because I think I'd really like to be your date, too."

It'd been too long since her last party with diplomats, anyway.

[lockestheway]

Peter nodded. "I'm glad you've set up shop here," he said. "It's been strange not having you across the hall."

[whenshewasnice]

"Please, you just like the booty call ease," Envy quipped with a quick smirk before her expression softened again. "But it's not like I seem to know how to live anywhere else."

Hotel rooms were impersonal and her place in New York was a poor fit, somehow.

[lockestheway]

"I don't know if that's a bad thing or a good thing," Peter said, "But I'm grateful for it."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's bad for me as an independent, modern woman," Envy replied with a little smile. "It's good for you."

[lockestheway]

"You can be as independent and modern as you'd like in here," Peter said. "Bar dealing with a few security guards."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's not the same as living somewhere without guards," she pointed out, leaning in to kiss his cheek just because she felt like it. "I don't mind them, too much."

Well, she'd lived in the Compound for a long time before. She was used to the realities.

"But it's a change from an apartment in a good part of New York or Montreal and never being monitored by anyone."

[lockestheway]

"True," Peter said. "Though you've got more experience with that than me."

[whenshewasnice]

"You chose a different path," she replied, sighing, as she rested her head against his shoulder again. "And it probably helps that I can kick people in the face. I won't ever actually need guards except for show."

[lockestheway]

"Except in your world, the chances of running into someone else who can kick people in the face is high," Peter pointed out.

[whenshewasnice]

"Ramona came at me with a hammer and I was okay," Envy murmured.

For a certain value of 'okay', anyway. She hadn't been okay but it had had nothing to do with Ramona's hammer (with its +2 against girls!) and everything to do with Todd being a jerk.

Her lips moved against the side of his neck. "I'll be fine."

[lockestheway]

"Am I allowed to be worried anyway?" Peter asked.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy quirked a smile that was maybe a little bit more pleased than she would have allowed it to be if he'd actually been able to see it.

Yes, she'd agreed to being a little more open, but she wouldn't be Envy if she leaned too hard into openness right away.

"Yes," she replied. "But only because there's a sense of novelty about it."

[lockestheway]

"Chalk it up to my being from a world where people don't routinely survive being attacked by large hammers," Peter said breezily.

[whenshewasnice]

"I don't routinely get attacked with large hammers," Envy pointed out as she picked her head back up. "Not now that I'm no longer in someone else's story."

Hah.

[lockestheway]

"Someone else's story...?" Peter said, frowning.

[whenshewasnice]

"You know, that whole Scott thing," Envy replied, with a precise little wave of one hand that was supposed to signify 'that whole Scott thing'. "And before you say anything, no, I wouldn't peg him for a protagonist either if I didn't know better."

Sorry, she hadn't gotten meta on him for a very long time.

[lockestheway]

"You were in Scott's story?" Peter said, frowning harder. "Now that's just deeply unlikely."

Yes, he said it anyway. It was still Peter.

[whenshewasnice]

"I would say 'unfortunate' instead of 'unlikely', but yes."

She'd consumed enough fiction during her ife to know that sometimes the secondary characters were superior to the protagonist, anyway."

"It was just for a couple of volumes. It's over now."

[lockestheway]

"So you're free," Peter parsed.

[whenshewasnice]

"It's just my story now."

Well. More or less.

[lockestheway]

"That explains the changes around here," Peter joked.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy snorted. "Which ones?"

Yes, she was going to pick his joke apart. Lovingly.