Raleigh Harper / Emily Watkins (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
callmeemily) wrote2021-07-19 09:34 pm
callmeemily) wrote2021-07-19 09:34 pm
Nice night for a white wedding!
Years. It felt like years since they'd all gotten together like this -- there had been a while that it was parties and cruises and monsters and--
You name it, and it happened. It had been a lot. Just a lot, for everybody. They'd all sort of drifted apart, after a while; something shifted, and life became less volatile. Less... fraught. You didn't have to worry about your friends dying every day, which, if you asked Raleigh? Definite improvement.
When things quieted down, Siren Cove slipped back to where it started. A little town where tourists came to visit, it was quaint. The local bookshop, bakery, and grocery were open year round, but as soon as it got warm, the knick-knack shops and lobster shacks opened their doors.
Now, everyone had two reasons to get together: the first was a Town Emergency, which Raleigh was more than happy to assume Would No Longer Happen, although she knew full well it may be wishful thinking. The second was a more mundane, but happier reason: Weddings.
Amber, the manager of The Orchard House, was getting married. She and James had been dating for years, and finally she'd popped the question -- and so here they were. The summer night made a perfect backdrop, and they'd invited all of their nearest and dearest -- and as her boss, Raleigh both made sure to be there, and the bakery was closed tomorrow, just so they all could keep their mine on what was important. The wedding was formal enough that the venue had approved catering from Portland, and, to quote the bride, 'Everyone had better show up looking fancy.'
So... here she was. Hair curled, new dress -- and no idea who most of the people here were. The ceremony had been touching (crying may or may not have taken place on Raleigh's part), but it had been dark for everyone who wasn't in the wedding party. Now, the immediate families of the bride and groom, the wedding party -- all of them went off for pictures, and Raleigh picked her way between the seats over to the cocktail area. She was more careful than she usually was, given the dark and the uneven ground -- so much so that she didn't realise that she should actually know some of the other attendees after all.
You name it, and it happened. It had been a lot. Just a lot, for everybody. They'd all sort of drifted apart, after a while; something shifted, and life became less volatile. Less... fraught. You didn't have to worry about your friends dying every day, which, if you asked Raleigh? Definite improvement.
When things quieted down, Siren Cove slipped back to where it started. A little town where tourists came to visit, it was quaint. The local bookshop, bakery, and grocery were open year round, but as soon as it got warm, the knick-knack shops and lobster shacks opened their doors.
Now, everyone had two reasons to get together: the first was a Town Emergency, which Raleigh was more than happy to assume Would No Longer Happen, although she knew full well it may be wishful thinking. The second was a more mundane, but happier reason: Weddings.
Amber, the manager of The Orchard House, was getting married. She and James had been dating for years, and finally she'd popped the question -- and so here they were. The summer night made a perfect backdrop, and they'd invited all of their nearest and dearest -- and as her boss, Raleigh both made sure to be there, and the bakery was closed tomorrow, just so they all could keep their mine on what was important. The wedding was formal enough that the venue had approved catering from Portland, and, to quote the bride, 'Everyone had better show up looking fancy.'
So... here she was. Hair curled, new dress -- and no idea who most of the people here were. The ceremony had been touching (crying may or may not have taken place on Raleigh's part), but it had been dark for everyone who wasn't in the wedding party. Now, the immediate families of the bride and groom, the wedding party -- all of them went off for pictures, and Raleigh picked her way between the seats over to the cocktail area. She was more careful than she usually was, given the dark and the uneven ground -- so much so that she didn't realise that she should actually know some of the other attendees after all.
no subject
He thought of the two of them in a different scene, on a different beach, under a different set of stars. Coop couldn't deny the sense of warmth that swelled in his chest at the thought of it. Still, Raleigh looked nervous, and he couldn't blame her. This wasn't quite like her but then, it'd been years since they'd seen each other. Neither of them could possibly be quite like who they used to be.
"You know, I'll have to check my schedule and get back to you," he teased. He paused, pretending to think just for a second. "Hey, what do you know? I'm totally free." Coop let another beat pass as he sobered a little, fixing her with a sincere smile. "Means we won't have to risk another few years going by before we see each other again."
no subject
Raleigh huffed out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, and smiled. "Yeah. I... I don't think I want to go years between seeing you, honestly." Shaking her head, she bumped her shoulder against his. "I mean, after all, somebody has to make sure..." Trailing off with a shake of her head.
"You know what? No. We don't have to make sure of anything, just...this sounds great, and I want to do it, and seeing you more is just really great." Smiling, Raleigh's eyes softened as she was about to say--
"That's where you two got to!" Amber looked at them pointedly. "Cake. You can catch up soon enough, and you don't have to flirt with my boss, Coop," she said with a wink, clearly joking -- but still, she urged them to stand up and rejoin the party.