Mhmm. [ Some smug warmth in his own wry hum of a reply, but he lets him get away with avoiding eye contact, takes another sip of his own drink. It's only a temporary reprieve. ] I'm sure she wouldn't mind. If you asked.
[ There's an attempt at a quelling look, though Giles already knows from long experience how well that works on Stephen (i.e. not at all). Then he gives it up and frowns instead, looking down into his glass. ]
We haven't been in the same room since.. [ Joyce died, is the end of that sentence, though he doesn't need to say it.
He doesn't necessarily want to linger on the subject, but now they've arrived, he can't stop himself. ]
They cared about each other, you know. Sometimes I wondered if Joyce wouldn't have been happier with her.
[ Ah. A blink and a draw of breath over the rim of his glass, a second of quiet flooding in to fill up the vacuum left behind by that last admission. Then - ]
Rupert.
[ Rare use - old habits die hard - but some things can't be said within the ease of old habits. Name a call to attention, glass lowered and gaze fixed as he shakes his head lighty, once, a soft no. It's not that Stephen doesn't want to hear it. It's that wondering in past tense is one thing, but it does somewhat open a door. ]
[ Giles' expression turns wry, a self-deprecating twist to his mouth. He dares a glance at Stephen, taking strength from his friend's presence, the air of sophisticated confidence that he always manages to bring to the occasion. ]
Easy for you to say. You were always.. better, with women. I seem to recall you practically fighting them off.
[ A cough of laughter, the brief stretch of a grin at the throwback to brighter days. ]
Perks of studying abroad. [ People either loved, loathed, or loved to loathe an American, and it worked out fine for him in all permutations - an opening point of interest he didn't have to do anything to cultivate. More to the immediate point, though: ] You don't need to be Casanova to say hello to an old friend.
[ The point is acknowledged, Giles tilting his head and lifting his glass a little in Stephen's direction. It reminds him to refill it -- he leans over to pick up the bottle again, sloshing another measure into his glass and doing the same, if required, for Stephen. He means to make good on his desire to see out the afternoon as obliterated as possible. ]
True. But I don't want to intrude. She's made quite a life for herself here. We all have. Things have changed.
[ He remains evasive over which of those things concern him the most, hiding somewhat behind his glass as he leans back on the couch, one arm slung up along the back. Then, almost as an afterthought, he adds: ]
[ Excuses, excuses, he thinks but doesn't say, making the comment mostly with the cant of his eyebrows and the lingering look over the rim of his glass as he takes another swallow. Giles would be intruding on Alicent only as much as Stephen's intruding on him now: a welcome distraction, not an imposition. But there's no use in challenging him further, at least not for the time being. He's thinking about it. He'll get there.
So: ] Of course. We're going to catch up properly over a lunch. To which, you'll be devastated to know, you're formally not invited.
[ He's welcome for the afternoon of free babysitting, even if his baby is now a legal adult. ]
[ Stephen gets the required roll of the eyes as Giles drinks some more whisky. ]
Oh yes, I'm quite put out, I'll have to rearrange my entire afternoon.
[ The booze is going down with dangerous ease. Vaguely he reminds himself that they'll have to get something to eat at some point, or he'll be in danger of falling asleep on Jonty's couch. For now, he just studies his friend. ]
Just don't encourage her if she talks about going to Paris. She says she wants to look at the Olympic venue but it's really just a cover for shopping and ogling French boys, as far as I can tell.
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Date: 2025-06-12 09:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 09:24 am (UTC)We haven't been in the same room since.. [ Joyce died, is the end of that sentence, though he doesn't need to say it.
He doesn't necessarily want to linger on the subject, but now they've arrived, he can't stop himself. ]
They cared about each other, you know. Sometimes I wondered if Joyce wouldn't have been happier with her.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 10:05 am (UTC)Rupert.
[ Rare use - old habits die hard - but some things can't be said within the ease of old habits. Name a call to attention, glass lowered and gaze fixed as he shakes his head lighty, once, a soft no. It's not that Stephen doesn't want to hear it. It's that wondering in past tense is one thing, but it does somewhat open a door. ]
All the more reason to see her, surely.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 10:59 am (UTC)[ Giles' expression turns wry, a self-deprecating twist to his mouth. He dares a glance at Stephen, taking strength from his friend's presence, the air of sophisticated confidence that he always manages to bring to the occasion. ]
Easy for you to say. You were always.. better, with women. I seem to recall you practically fighting them off.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 11:18 am (UTC)Perks of studying abroad. [ People either loved, loathed, or loved to loathe an American, and it worked out fine for him in all permutations - an opening point of interest he didn't have to do anything to cultivate. More to the immediate point, though: ] You don't need to be Casanova to say hello to an old friend.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-12 01:39 pm (UTC)True. But I don't want to intrude. She's made quite a life for herself here. We all have. Things have changed.
[ He remains evasive over which of those things concern him the most, hiding somewhat behind his glass as he leans back on the couch, one arm slung up along the back. Then, almost as an afterthought, he adds: ]
You've spoken to Buffy, I assume?
no subject
Date: 2025-06-13 09:46 am (UTC)So: ] Of course. We're going to catch up properly over a lunch. To which, you'll be devastated to know, you're formally not invited.
[ He's welcome for the afternoon of free babysitting, even if his baby is now a legal adult. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-06-23 10:33 am (UTC)Oh yes, I'm quite put out, I'll have to rearrange my entire afternoon.
[ The booze is going down with dangerous ease. Vaguely he reminds himself that they'll have to get something to eat at some point, or he'll be in danger of falling asleep on Jonty's couch. For now, he just studies his friend. ]
Just don't encourage her if she talks about going to Paris. She says she wants to look at the Olympic venue but it's really just a cover for shopping and ogling French boys, as far as I can tell.