Bobbi, Sue and Hope: battle plans.
Sep. 23rd, 2023 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsHope and Sue help Bobbi prepare for the realities of being Warren's wife. Wine is enjoyed as well.
"A bottle of 2015 Ramey Hyde chardonnay and some ice water please. And the mixed platter, please." Hope tucked away the menu firmly and smiled at her companions. "I hope you do not mind me ordering, but this chardonnay is quite lovely." She waited till the wait staff had withdrawn before adding: "How have you been settling in, Bobbi?"
"I've been ... adjusting," she said, nodding her thanks to the server. "The time difference kicked my ass for a bit, but I got through it." It didn't help that she'd become more of a night owl while away so getting up early here was even earlier for her, but it was fine after a few weeks of adjusting.
"You have exquisite taste, Hope, always did, so I'll defer to your judgment." Bobbi grinned at them both. "Thanks for meeting with me too, I'm so happy we've got a chance to get together again like this. It's been way, way too long. How're you both doing?"
"I mean, she's hanging out with us so that already speaks volumes about her taste," a bright smile touched the blonde's lips as Sue leaned back in her chair, a slim finger pressing on her fork rocking it back and forward on the table, the shiny metal catching the light. "It's been way too long, and you know any excuse to have a meal that doesn't consist of Chinese food," Blue eyes flicked over the table as she inclined her head towards the older woman, "We've been ticking along, but I hear you've been having quit the adventure."
"It is good to have you around again." Hope smiled mischievously. "Warren though... that remains to be seen. But he is surely livening things up." She paused when the waiter arrived with wine, water and the various glasses and held out the bottle for her to inspect. After a nod a small amount was poured in a glass and Hope carefully gave it a sniff before tasting and once again nodding to the waiter.
Glasses were poured and as soon as the waiter left again, Hope raised her glass: "To reunions."
"To reunions" Sue echoed the toast as the glasses rang off one another in a sound much like a bell echoing around the room as she smiled. "And Warren always manages to liven up the room, he doesn't even need to be around. I think everyone's waiting to see what he'll do next. So...what's it been like on your whirlwind adventure?"
"Reunions," she repeats, taking a big sip after they all touch glasses. "Mmm," she says, licking her lips of excess wine, "it was... well, it was lovely. I enjoyed our time overseas, doing something different, living in an old castle." She gave them a wry smile. "It was seriously updated and all but built in 1300, which is still hilarious to me that I could even visit such a place, let alone live there, but... I missed home." She sighed and took another sip.
"Work there was different, Warren's status opened a lot of doors for me but I didn't have citizenship so I was kinda limited in what I could and couldn't do. Worked some cases, some investigative work, but it was mainly supplemental as I couldn't run my own business. And then with the wedding, well... that was a surprise that he wanted to commit," she grinned, "and having it here made so much more sense, so when he was able to come back to his old job it was a no brainer. So now you're all caught up," Bobbi finished with a chuckle.
Hope sipped from her own wine, closing her eyes in pleasure as she savored the taste. "It sounds like a wonderful adventure, but one that was ready to end?" She gently inquired. "I have to be honest with you, Bobbi. Sue and I did not invite you just to catch up. As Warren's future wife a lot is going to be coming your way... even more than it did in Switzerland. We wanted to check in with you, maybe see if we can get ahead of some of that."
"Wait, is that why we're here? I thought I was here for the free wine and to look pretty." Sue took a sip of the aforementioned wine and batted her eyelashes coyly, lips twitching as she struggled to hide a smile...for a moment. The younger blonde lasted all of 3 seconds before a giggle broke out as she let the smile out and inclined her head at Bobbi. "In all honesty, it's a whole new world and you're about to get thrown into the deep end. The women at the galas and parties are more cutthroat and deadly than any thug you might have to face on the streets, why do you think I took up messing around on the streets as a way to get stress relief. You're gonna kill it but, if you need backup or just want company when dealing with them well, happy to offer our services."
"I can take my batons with me though, right? Seems only fair," she rationalized, wishing it was true but of course it wasn't. "I will definitely take you both up on that because there were a few outings overseas where it would've been so nice to have had either - or both - of you there, if I'm being honest." Bobbi can handle cattiness and pettiness for sure, but Hope and Sue were right, some of the elites socialites were on an entirely different level than what she'd been used to dealing with.
"I would suggest a little more than backup though." Hope threw Sue an affectionate smile. "You grew up in this world... it is all quite obvious to you. But if you come in as an outsider, it can be quite overwhelming, sometimes nigh impossible to figure out. There are gala's and events out there, yes, and there are some that everyone goes to, but if you get to the tier below it, you might suddenly get stuck in what is basically a turf war. They will be watching you like a hawk to see if you might be ally, foe, friend or just a tool they could use and discard."
Bobbi inhaled a deep breath and exhaled loudly, puffing her cheeks out. "I am in over my head, aren't I?" she asked them both. "It's ok, you can be honest. It's not too late to call off the wedding, right?"
She was joking, of course. Mostly. Like 73% joking, give or take.
"I mean, let me ask you this, would you want to inflict an unshaven, pajama at work, drinking at 9am Warren on Felicia and me? I mean, ok, that sounds like Warren on a bad day, but you know what I mean." A small smile touched Sue's lips before dying as she leaned forward, voice dropping into a comforting tone as she rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Honestly, it looks worse than it is. Hope's right, I tend to be oblivious about how hard it'll be cause well...this is my world and I'm...well let's say I was brought up to succeed in it thanks to a loving Grandmother. But you've got a lot to help you out. Warren's a big name and gives you a big stick to hit people with, and Hope and I can run interference for you...well a little. You know, it's prison yard rules, you show them you're not to be messed with and they'll leave you alone."
"Sue is right though. While it certainly will not be easy, you have many tools at your disposal. Besides, if you were going to crash and burn in the social scene, you would have done so while you were still in Switzerland." Hope tried to reassure her. "But that does not mean there is quite a bit we can do to set you up for success. A big first step might be to figure out which message you wish to send out and then we can take a look at how to carry that out with which events you attend, which organizations you support and even which clothing you wear to certain occasions."
Bobbi listened to them both and nodded as she thought about their words. "True, and I managed to survive long enough to come back here," she said. "That all sounds like a lot of work but I really kinda expected that when I got engaged to Warren. Or at least I shouldn't be surprised at this point, heh," she chuckled, shaking her head but grinning just the same. "If we never had complications, we'd never have anything at all," she murmured to herself a little.
"Alright, then, I'm officially asking - begging, honestly - for both of your help, if you're sure you want to throw yourselves into this chaos," she said, relenting and raising her glass to toast them both again.
The blonde lifted her glass to salute Bobbi back, "What better reason to dive into the chaos but a friend?"
"If some literary characters are to be believed, chaos is a ladder. So we better put as much truth as possible into those words." Hope pulled out a little notebook and a pen. "So let us do a bit of work. With what kind of charities and institutions were you involved in Switzerland?"
"Mainly the Swiss Red Cross, though we also helped out Save The Children Switzerland and several others... though those two got the most hands on time since you can only be in one place at once," she said after a moment's thought. "Warren's funds let us donate to a large number of them, but those are the two that stand out for sure. And I tried to be there as much as I could for their version of STEM too," she added, remembering that as well.
"Sue leaned back in her seat, slim fingers slowly rolling her wineglass around in her fingers as she thought, "STEM is a good cause, and one that should be easy enough to get into here too, and you can never go wrong with Save the Children, you could mix them together, focus on the schools that don't have the funds or facilities, inner city schools that need the support maybe?"
Hope scribbled a few notes, then tapped her pen on the notebook. "It is a good idea and a decent place to start." She allowed. "But a lot of work is actually already being done in that area, especially with a STEM focus. I would suggest that we consider broadening the focus a little? The arts and the social sciences are also valuable, but not as well supported, with children falling by the wayside." .
The younger blonde tilted her head to the side for a moment before a smile spread across her face, "Why not get the best of both worlds, pick a school and invest in improving it across the board, I'm with Bobbi, I like to invest in STEM, but if you invest across the board you could give them advantages they'd never have. And they could even name it after you and Warren, though then he'd be even more obnoxious....we've gotta do this."
She snorted at that, then nodded. "Well, when you put it that way, I kinda have to now, right?" She raised her glass in a toast to them both. "Cheers... though, um, you can leave my name off of it, just Warren's is more than enough," she added with a grin.
"No." Hope shook her head firmly. "You need to establish your own identity here. Separate from Warren. You have a chance to build some things of your own here."
"I would like that," she admitted. "Not that I don't care for him, obviously," she said, looking down and twirling her engagement ring around her finger, back and forth a little. "But it would be nice to have something of my own. He's encouraged it before, even," she added, but she didn't want to take advantage of him. Now that they were going to be married, though... "You're right. Let's do it."
"You need something to keep you busy outside of work, and as much as Warren would want that to be him, you do need something of your own. But, we can figure out the specifics tomorrow. Tonight is a girls night so I'm declaring a moratorium on work talk." A blue eye settled on her girlfriend's face, "And yes, this counts as work talk. Don't even try."
"Spoilsport. You know I enjoy this, especially when I can thumb my nose at the "career socialites". Hope pouted at Sue. "But okay... you better make it worth it though."
"A bottle of 2015 Ramey Hyde chardonnay and some ice water please. And the mixed platter, please." Hope tucked away the menu firmly and smiled at her companions. "I hope you do not mind me ordering, but this chardonnay is quite lovely." She waited till the wait staff had withdrawn before adding: "How have you been settling in, Bobbi?"
"I've been ... adjusting," she said, nodding her thanks to the server. "The time difference kicked my ass for a bit, but I got through it." It didn't help that she'd become more of a night owl while away so getting up early here was even earlier for her, but it was fine after a few weeks of adjusting.
"You have exquisite taste, Hope, always did, so I'll defer to your judgment." Bobbi grinned at them both. "Thanks for meeting with me too, I'm so happy we've got a chance to get together again like this. It's been way, way too long. How're you both doing?"
"I mean, she's hanging out with us so that already speaks volumes about her taste," a bright smile touched the blonde's lips as Sue leaned back in her chair, a slim finger pressing on her fork rocking it back and forward on the table, the shiny metal catching the light. "It's been way too long, and you know any excuse to have a meal that doesn't consist of Chinese food," Blue eyes flicked over the table as she inclined her head towards the older woman, "We've been ticking along, but I hear you've been having quit the adventure."
"It is good to have you around again." Hope smiled mischievously. "Warren though... that remains to be seen. But he is surely livening things up." She paused when the waiter arrived with wine, water and the various glasses and held out the bottle for her to inspect. After a nod a small amount was poured in a glass and Hope carefully gave it a sniff before tasting and once again nodding to the waiter.
Glasses were poured and as soon as the waiter left again, Hope raised her glass: "To reunions."
"To reunions" Sue echoed the toast as the glasses rang off one another in a sound much like a bell echoing around the room as she smiled. "And Warren always manages to liven up the room, he doesn't even need to be around. I think everyone's waiting to see what he'll do next. So...what's it been like on your whirlwind adventure?"
"Reunions," she repeats, taking a big sip after they all touch glasses. "Mmm," she says, licking her lips of excess wine, "it was... well, it was lovely. I enjoyed our time overseas, doing something different, living in an old castle." She gave them a wry smile. "It was seriously updated and all but built in 1300, which is still hilarious to me that I could even visit such a place, let alone live there, but... I missed home." She sighed and took another sip.
"Work there was different, Warren's status opened a lot of doors for me but I didn't have citizenship so I was kinda limited in what I could and couldn't do. Worked some cases, some investigative work, but it was mainly supplemental as I couldn't run my own business. And then with the wedding, well... that was a surprise that he wanted to commit," she grinned, "and having it here made so much more sense, so when he was able to come back to his old job it was a no brainer. So now you're all caught up," Bobbi finished with a chuckle.
Hope sipped from her own wine, closing her eyes in pleasure as she savored the taste. "It sounds like a wonderful adventure, but one that was ready to end?" She gently inquired. "I have to be honest with you, Bobbi. Sue and I did not invite you just to catch up. As Warren's future wife a lot is going to be coming your way... even more than it did in Switzerland. We wanted to check in with you, maybe see if we can get ahead of some of that."
"Wait, is that why we're here? I thought I was here for the free wine and to look pretty." Sue took a sip of the aforementioned wine and batted her eyelashes coyly, lips twitching as she struggled to hide a smile...for a moment. The younger blonde lasted all of 3 seconds before a giggle broke out as she let the smile out and inclined her head at Bobbi. "In all honesty, it's a whole new world and you're about to get thrown into the deep end. The women at the galas and parties are more cutthroat and deadly than any thug you might have to face on the streets, why do you think I took up messing around on the streets as a way to get stress relief. You're gonna kill it but, if you need backup or just want company when dealing with them well, happy to offer our services."
"I can take my batons with me though, right? Seems only fair," she rationalized, wishing it was true but of course it wasn't. "I will definitely take you both up on that because there were a few outings overseas where it would've been so nice to have had either - or both - of you there, if I'm being honest." Bobbi can handle cattiness and pettiness for sure, but Hope and Sue were right, some of the elites socialites were on an entirely different level than what she'd been used to dealing with.
"I would suggest a little more than backup though." Hope threw Sue an affectionate smile. "You grew up in this world... it is all quite obvious to you. But if you come in as an outsider, it can be quite overwhelming, sometimes nigh impossible to figure out. There are gala's and events out there, yes, and there are some that everyone goes to, but if you get to the tier below it, you might suddenly get stuck in what is basically a turf war. They will be watching you like a hawk to see if you might be ally, foe, friend or just a tool they could use and discard."
Bobbi inhaled a deep breath and exhaled loudly, puffing her cheeks out. "I am in over my head, aren't I?" she asked them both. "It's ok, you can be honest. It's not too late to call off the wedding, right?"
She was joking, of course. Mostly. Like 73% joking, give or take.
"I mean, let me ask you this, would you want to inflict an unshaven, pajama at work, drinking at 9am Warren on Felicia and me? I mean, ok, that sounds like Warren on a bad day, but you know what I mean." A small smile touched Sue's lips before dying as she leaned forward, voice dropping into a comforting tone as she rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Honestly, it looks worse than it is. Hope's right, I tend to be oblivious about how hard it'll be cause well...this is my world and I'm...well let's say I was brought up to succeed in it thanks to a loving Grandmother. But you've got a lot to help you out. Warren's a big name and gives you a big stick to hit people with, and Hope and I can run interference for you...well a little. You know, it's prison yard rules, you show them you're not to be messed with and they'll leave you alone."
"Sue is right though. While it certainly will not be easy, you have many tools at your disposal. Besides, if you were going to crash and burn in the social scene, you would have done so while you were still in Switzerland." Hope tried to reassure her. "But that does not mean there is quite a bit we can do to set you up for success. A big first step might be to figure out which message you wish to send out and then we can take a look at how to carry that out with which events you attend, which organizations you support and even which clothing you wear to certain occasions."
Bobbi listened to them both and nodded as she thought about their words. "True, and I managed to survive long enough to come back here," she said. "That all sounds like a lot of work but I really kinda expected that when I got engaged to Warren. Or at least I shouldn't be surprised at this point, heh," she chuckled, shaking her head but grinning just the same. "If we never had complications, we'd never have anything at all," she murmured to herself a little.
"Alright, then, I'm officially asking - begging, honestly - for both of your help, if you're sure you want to throw yourselves into this chaos," she said, relenting and raising her glass to toast them both again.
The blonde lifted her glass to salute Bobbi back, "What better reason to dive into the chaos but a friend?"
"If some literary characters are to be believed, chaos is a ladder. So we better put as much truth as possible into those words." Hope pulled out a little notebook and a pen. "So let us do a bit of work. With what kind of charities and institutions were you involved in Switzerland?"
"Mainly the Swiss Red Cross, though we also helped out Save The Children Switzerland and several others... though those two got the most hands on time since you can only be in one place at once," she said after a moment's thought. "Warren's funds let us donate to a large number of them, but those are the two that stand out for sure. And I tried to be there as much as I could for their version of STEM too," she added, remembering that as well.
"Sue leaned back in her seat, slim fingers slowly rolling her wineglass around in her fingers as she thought, "STEM is a good cause, and one that should be easy enough to get into here too, and you can never go wrong with Save the Children, you could mix them together, focus on the schools that don't have the funds or facilities, inner city schools that need the support maybe?"
Hope scribbled a few notes, then tapped her pen on the notebook. "It is a good idea and a decent place to start." She allowed. "But a lot of work is actually already being done in that area, especially with a STEM focus. I would suggest that we consider broadening the focus a little? The arts and the social sciences are also valuable, but not as well supported, with children falling by the wayside." .
The younger blonde tilted her head to the side for a moment before a smile spread across her face, "Why not get the best of both worlds, pick a school and invest in improving it across the board, I'm with Bobbi, I like to invest in STEM, but if you invest across the board you could give them advantages they'd never have. And they could even name it after you and Warren, though then he'd be even more obnoxious....we've gotta do this."
She snorted at that, then nodded. "Well, when you put it that way, I kinda have to now, right?" She raised her glass in a toast to them both. "Cheers... though, um, you can leave my name off of it, just Warren's is more than enough," she added with a grin.
"No." Hope shook her head firmly. "You need to establish your own identity here. Separate from Warren. You have a chance to build some things of your own here."
"I would like that," she admitted. "Not that I don't care for him, obviously," she said, looking down and twirling her engagement ring around her finger, back and forth a little. "But it would be nice to have something of my own. He's encouraged it before, even," she added, but she didn't want to take advantage of him. Now that they were going to be married, though... "You're right. Let's do it."
"You need something to keep you busy outside of work, and as much as Warren would want that to be him, you do need something of your own. But, we can figure out the specifics tomorrow. Tonight is a girls night so I'm declaring a moratorium on work talk." A blue eye settled on her girlfriend's face, "And yes, this counts as work talk. Don't even try."
"Spoilsport. You know I enjoy this, especially when I can thumb my nose at the "career socialites". Hope pouted at Sue. "But okay... you better make it worth it though."
