meridian_rose

For #writingwednesday. A snippet from my supernatural drama WiP featuring shapeshifters and set in modern day UK, on the England-Wales border.
Romaine (Wolf) and El (Cat) are currently working at a supernatural helpline but Romaine was a field agent until taking leave after an incident, and El is biding time until her chance to make field agent.

In snippet fic, El doesn't want to go alone to a party her family is having; maybe her friend and colleague Romaine can help.

The Invitation

El glowered as she typed. "My family is having a party," she said. "Anniversary party for my great-aunt Madelana and her husband Grant. They've hired a room at a social club, a DJ, catering, full bar."

"Sounds nice?" Romaine ventured uncertainly, twisting on his swivel chair to look at her. El was upset about some aspect of this party.

"It might have been, except my cousin Laura will be there," El fumed. "Laura whom I hate, not Laura I like. Nor Lana from Texas. Laura the smug asshole."

Romaine typed a few things into the database, updating some records. El's extended family seemed impossible to keep track of but he was fairly certain he'd not heard of hated!Laura before. "Right."

"If I show up alone she'll make a snide comment. She's engaged to some dumbass but he's always too busy to come anywhere with her. He's supposedly jetsetting around the world, saving illiterate llamas or building toys for endangered children or something." El shook her head. "Flashes her engagement ring, talks about her So Important work in finances in fucking London, and how Findus is combating climate change by travelling the world in aeroplanes and helicopters."

Despite the obvious hyperbole and sarcasm, Romaine had to ask. "Findus?"

"Finley Dustynn Durant. The fourth."

"Honestly?" He saw where she'd got the nickname from.

El nodded. "Honestly. And when Laura heard about my field agent application being deferred she sent me this faux sympathy email about how I can't control my temper and managed to imply that's why I'm a failure living in the middle of nowhere without a fiancé and how sad I'll never have a litter of kittens if I don't hurry up and find a Nice Cat soon."

Romaine was angry on El's behalf. "This Laura sounds lovely," he said with sarcasm.

"Yes!" El's anger was abating and now she sighed. "Mum wants me to go - she and dad, my sister and brother-in-law and the kids are all going. So I'll at least have someone to talk to I guess, but I'll be there alone. Because of course I broke up with Roger! Not that he'd have gone with me anyway. He didn't like being around so many supernaturals."

Romaine blinked at that, inclined once again to think El ought to have broken up with Roger much sooner. This Laura business however suggested a reason she hadn't, a sort of rebellion to date a human, a certain need to be seen to be dating.

"Can't you take a friend?"

El looked at him, eyes widening in realisation. "You could come with me."

Romaine paused in his typing. "Me?"

"We're friends. You're a Wolf so at least you're not One Of Those Humans," El said, dropping air quotes as well as implying the capital letters to emphasize her family's disdain for her usual romantic partners. "Please?"

"What day?" he asked, more for time to think than out of any chance he had other plans.

"Next Saturday."

What the hell. Romaine nodded. "All right. I'll come."

She beamed at him. "Thank you!"

He'd have time to reconsider or regret it later but for the moment he'd made El happy and that was enough.

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