xp_logs | LOG: Terry & Adri, Backdated to Saturday

Terry and Adri have lunch, design secret lairs, and discuss the foibles of men.

One of the best things about being on summer vacation, Adrienne decided, was being able to have a liquid lunch. Now that she felt well enough to be out and about, she'd chosen a hole-in-the-wall Italian place near District X for her lunch with Terry, and had ordered a bottle of wine while she waited. "Welcome to my lair," she greeted Terry when her friend came in, referencing the rather dark, basement location of the restaurant.

Dark was just fine for the redhead, who had apparently tried to match hair and skin tone while in California. Terry threw her bag into the chair opposite and leaned in to offer an air hug of sorts, arms held stiffly away from contact. "Lairs are good. I should find one of m' own. A secret, no boys allowed sort of one."

Adrienne raised an eyebrow after she'd returned Terry's air hug. "No boys allowed? So, just you and some women, then? Is that it?" She smirked as she poured Terry a glass of wine. "Well, I don't think you'll have much trouble finding a lair like that in the city, sweetie. Welcome back, by the way."

"Thanks." Terry shot her friend a grateful look that ended with a slowly released sigh as she wrapped her fingers around the stem of her glass. "Yes. And decorated with pillows and chocolate and an absolutely endless supply of alcohol. Good start on that, by the by." She sat back in her chair and flicked an eye across Adrienne over the rim of her glass. "You will be invited, o' course."

"Cheers," Adrienne smiled in response to being invited, saluting Terry with her wine glass. "So is there any particular reason why there are no boys allowed in your lair? Or was it just an off-hand comment? Or do you not want to talk about it?" Adrienne didn't want to pry, but after her conversation with Doug about Terry going back to Bobby she felt like there was some sort of story there, and if Terry wanted to talk about it Adrienne would listen.

"Because they always screw things up, to be sure," Terry snorted, tipping the glass back for a large swallow. "I am sure they are in some way responsible for all our problems."

Adrienne raised an eyebrow as she perused the menu. "Well, I'm definitely not going to argue with that. Are we talking about men in general, though, or do you have a particular subset in mind?" she inquired innocently.

Terry leaned forward and put the glass on the table before picking up her own menu. Her cheeks flared red, though it was difficult to tell the difference underneath her sunburn. "The ones I fall in love with in particular, though never let it be said that I am discriminatory in that regard." She scanned the menu, mostly to avoid looking at Adrienne since she didn't seem to absorb any of the choices. "You've been busy yourself," she added in a lame attempt to deflect the conversation.

"Busy getting the stuffing beaten out of me, yeah," Adrienne chuckled wryly. "Still, working for X-Factor Investigations has been really great. I'm really enjoying things there. So how is Bobby responsible for all your problems?" She got that Terry was trying to change the subject, but after her conversation with Doug, Adrienne was curious about Terry's love life. And they were friends, right? Wasn't that what friends did? Pried each other about their love lives?

Apparently. Terry grimaced at the refocusing of the topic. "Sounds like a good job, stuffing beating aside. Would not mind a little less governmental involvement meself," she muttered, accent thickening as she leaned forward onto her elbows and laced her fingers under her chin with a sigh. "I tried t' make it work, Adri. I really did. I came back, did I not? I have chased him down twice now, blowin' m'own career out the window for him, and he does not want t'be caught again. Wants out, in fact," she admitted glumly. Banked bitterness pushed her upright again though, and she added as she slapped her palm against the table, "Well, so do I. We filed the paperwork."

Adrienne found herself jumping in surprise at the palm slapping and had to take a long sip of her wine to calm herself. "Good for you," she nodded, setting her menu down. "Staying in an unhappy marriage is never a good thing, and it's better to make a break than to keep trying at the expense of your own happiness. That's what I think, at least. At least you did try to make things work. Sometimes things just don't. I mean, you two were just kids when you got married, right? It's like I told Ramsey the other day," she added with a shrug, "people just change sometimes."

Terry blinked at the jump and peered over the table in new concern at her friend. "Aye, they do at that. How is the boyo?" she asked conversationally, though she left unspoken the extension of 'and yourself?' to the question.

"Ramsey? He's... you're his friend, right?" Adrienne didn't want to go around saying things about Doug that might get around to other people- gossip wasn't really her thing, unless it was about herself. Or people she didn't like. "So if I tell you, you won't spread it around?"

Terry's brow furrowed. "I am," she said slowly, eyes narrowing. "And I would not."

"Thanks," Adrienne nodded. "He's... not doing that well, I don't think. He told me it's partly to do with Genosha, but also with these... abandonment issues, I guess he called them? He blames himself for things that aren't his fault." She paused when the waiter came by to take their order, then resumed. "I mean, he apparently blames himself for my leaving the mansion a couple years ago, which is completely ridiculous. He gave me a list of people, and I'm pretty sure he had nothing to do with the decisions any of them made to leave. And for some, he wasn't even talking about... leaving leaving, but moving on to other boyfriends. He's got you on his list, too, just so you know," she pointed out wryly.

Terry's frown deepened during Adrienne's explanation, though it cleared entirely in favor of surprise when she found her name added to the list. "The man... argh," she growled, slumping back in her chair and tapping her fingertips against the table top. "Sometimes I do not think he is entirely happy unless he is feeling guilty."

"I know, right?" Adrienne mused, cracking a smile, figuring she was allowed to find it just a little bit amusing because she knew Doug was getting help. "And yet, being a man, I bet if it came to a point where he actually was guilty of something, he wouldn't take any responsibility at all! Men are so good at that," she muttered, shaking her head, tearing into a piece of bread the waiter had brought them. "So what was that you were saying about blowing your own career out the window? Things not going well with the Bureau?"

"And you had to ask me why I think they're the root of all problems?" Terry replied, tension drifting into teasing as Adrienne's own response lessened the seriousness of the situation. Not that Terry wouldn't check into things herself. She fluttered a hand and reached for some of the bread herself. "InterPol, actually. Not that they are coming right out and saying anything, but they are none too pleased about some of m' recent activities."

Adrienne cocked an eyebrow. "Sounds a little like what the Elpis people went through," she mused. "I hope these institutions realize that being pissy about their employees rescuing people, saving lives for Chrissakes, doesn't really endear themselves to anyone. I mean, personally, I feel less inclined to be a good law-abiding citizen when Interpol are being douches. It just makes me want to stick it to them. And hey, my deal with the FBI is almost up. I should go on a great crime spree." Realizing she was in public, and that she was still in a lot of trouble with the IRS for the Black Court's bullshit, she looked around, focused back on Terry, and quickly added, "totally joking, in case that wasn't obvious."

Terry sucked in her lips and bit them, trying to suppress the smile that peeked out at the corners. "I'm off duty," she vowed, crossing her heart and holding her hand up.