Quote Originally Posted by big teej View Post
Well Earned R&R:

A swirl of emotions chases across Raphael's face when John and Stella greet him, his eyes flick to Emilia, and the waitress next to him.

He sighs heavily, choosing relief.

"It feels like weeks, instead of just hours." He says to John, offering his hand. "It's been a long day. You're allowed to be a mere mortal like the rest of us." Raphael says with genuine amusement and a wink.

After shaking, Raphael slides in next to Stella and gives her a peck on the cheek.

"Emilia, it's nice to meet you."

He glances around the table. "So what is my unfashionably late arrival interrupting?"

While the others fill him in, he makes a slow scan of the room, looking for anyone he needs to worry about keeping up appearances in front of.

Satisfied he can be himself, in as much as he can be himself, Raphael visibly relaxes further and turns his whole attention to the table and his companions.
It appears I have miscalculated my way into a double date, John projects apologetically to Emi as he sits back down, providing time for her to return Raphael’s greetings, dragging you along with me for the ride. At least we are in the company of two who have been here before.

“Thus far,” he offers to Raphael with a smile, “we have touched on the culinary merits of different bivalves, learned that the ladies have both visited and enjoyed the South of France, and discovered Stella has been here before — albeit many years ago. Have you been here more recently? I was hoping for any recommendations you might have from the menu.”

His easy manner masked a certain internal panic. The conversation with Stella has proceeded well and she and Emi appeared to get on. Raphael was a different matter, however. He could be engaging and Stella had spoken of his warmth and generosity. The two of them, however, always seemed a half-step away from some kind of fencing match — rather than the cat and mouse game (where one could never be certain who was the mouse and who was the cat) one might expect of a vampire and an occultist tasked with helping the world. But even when he took a deep breath to muster patience or Raphael bit back the anger-fueled frustration at his cerebral caution, there had always been some kind of respect between them. Even their exchange in the Pocket Dimension, he had to concede, had been a series of feints and warnings instead of hostility or outright confrontation.

Perhaps after all of his losses, he — like Grayson — was in need of a friend. He suspected that role had been filled, to a degree, by Louis, but it never hurt to diversify in this realm.

Watching Raphael case the room made him realize that he had been so busy looking for complications and threats when they entered that he had not noted if Emi had done the same. Of course, it was also true that, while he had been able to do a quick visual sweep of the room, every time Emi came into view his attention wandered somewhat.

Comparative techniques could wait for a different time.

But still before Rhode Island.

Assuming this change of events was not going to derail that.