@wolffteeth.
“that’s quite the outfit,” dinah raises an eyebrow as the other woman slides into the seat next to her. she makes a little room, moving over so that pamela can sit comfortably for the moment being. “what brings you here? starting trouble, free food, a date? all of the above?”
@scmmertimes.
a genuine smile takes over her expression as barbara approaches her, and dinah greets her with a friendly wave, walking in her direction, too. “wow, look at you,” she says, looping her arm through the others so that they can walk and talk. “i love your dress. are you trying to impress someone, and is it me?” she teases, before holding out the glass that’s in her other hand. “want some of this? the description on the menu was way too long, but it’s really good.”
@gcthambat.
“look who it is i didn’t know you were in new york,” she says, as soon as she catches sight of bruce and approaches him calmly. she doesn’t know if he saw her coming, it doesn’t seem like he did, but then again, he’s certainly far from being the most readable person out there. one eyebrow raised, she sets her glass down on the bar, regarding him with an amused glance. “it’s been awhile.”
❝ hey , you ❞ the familiar face was always a welcomed one, and the offer of food made it twice a blessing. ❝ oh , yes , i’m starved. ❞ plus it seemed as if her appetite has been endless lately, plucking the appetizer from the plate she put it to her lips and took a bite. chewing and swallowing it down , ❝ the food always makes these parties worth it. ❞ she grinned softly. ❝ how’s your valentine’s day going ?? ❞
“here you go,” she holds out the plate so that sharon could take some. there was still so much good food to try, dinah was certain that she’d end up having more soon enough just to try it no matter how full she felt. “i know, right? look at all of it, it’s endless.” at the other woman’s question, she shrugs, rather indifferent. “it’s been really, really uneventful,” she says with a laugh. “i was in my office this morning, and between that and getting ready for this, that’s been about it. what about yours?”
exhumcd:
“I own something that isn’t leather after all.” Jason joke a little, putting his drink down on the table. He has always liked dressing nicely, but he doesn’t wear a tie that often, but it was comfortable nonetheless. “Thank you. I like your dress.” He compliments, implying in his words that it was good to see her too. “I’m hanging in there, everyday is different. How have you been?”
“hey, leather’s good, too,” she says, smiling in agreement. while it wasn’t like her to usually dress up so much in the past months for anything outside of work events, she didn’t mind it too much. it was kind of fun. “thank you,” she sets her drink down for a moment, hands resting on top of the table. “i feel you there. but, i’m good. busy, but a good-busy, lately.”
“Good,” Erik gave her a nod, lips pressing together. “I’m glad. Esti can get a bit carried away.” “I heard that.” “I’m Erik. That’s Esti.” He jerked a thumb at the white-haired lady. “Matok, don’t even bother introducing me. I see some schnapps with my name on them,” she raised a hand toward a handsome waiter. “You two take care, now!” Erik rolled his eyes fondly as she zipped over to the bar. “That was not shocking… at all,” he muttered.
still wearing a small smile, dinah brushes the incident off with a friendly wave of her hand. “no worries,” she says. “it happens to the best of us. i was sort of zoned out, anyway.” her head turns in the direction of the other woman, and she says “hi” quietly before the other wanders away. it’s an amusing sight, really. “you too!” she calls after her, before turning back to erik and saying. “hey, i don’t blame her, it’s a free bar.” she lifts the near-empty wine glass in her hand gently, as to make an example. “i’m dinah,” she says a moment later, introducing herself.
“Oh man, and I was hiding it so well.” Roy says with a soft chuckle as he slumps down beside Dinah. Lian’s nearby playing with a new friend - Roy made her promise she’d stay where he could see her, and she seemed more than happy with that. “Do I? Jay helped me get something together, so I kinda figured I couldn’t go wrong.” He laughs softly and takes a sip of his water. “I’m doing okay, I think. You having a good time?”
quiet laughter sounds from her in return, and lean shoulders shrug indifferently. “it’s okay, there’s so much going on lately,” dinah replies. especially for roy, but above all she’s still really glad that he’s back and with his daughter again. she nods in confirmation and then says, “i’m glad. yeah, i am. free food and drinks, i can’t complain. and, how is lian?” she takes another sip of her drink before adding, “oh, and happy valentine’s day! i keep forgetting that that’s today, too.”
@songbrds, (x)
“It’s not black,” Erik was saying. “Look closer. There is blue, grey. Every time you think it is the darkest point, right beside is darker. It’s a commentary.” His companion, an older, shorter woman well into her 70s, scoffed. “It’s a canvas with some black paint on it. That’s going for a million dollars? It’s insane!” “You don’t appreciate subtlety,” the taller mutant elbowed her. “That is your problem.” “I can’t-now listen here young man-oh goodness, excuse me, I’m so sorry,” she knocked into Dinah accidentally. Erik immediately reached out to steady her. “Are you all right?” he asked, head dipping to examine her. It was an unconscious action, born from many years of medical triage.
in the others’ defense, dinah hadn’t exactly been paying that much attention to where she was walking. she’d simply been taking in the grandeur of the area around them she didn’t consider herself well-spoken or knowledgable as far as art went, but it was still interesting to look around at. it wasn’t everyday that you were inside the met, anyway.
she looks up at him, before giving a slow nod, a look of understanding settling gently over fair features. “oh, i’m fine.” she gives a small smile, so that they know that she means what she says. “don’t worry about it.”
@exhumcd.
“look at you, all dressed up,” she grins, in relatively good spirits, rounding the corner of the table next to where he’d been standing. “it’s good to see you.” it had been awhile but, it was hard to keep tabs on people, no matter how close they were or weren’t, with how much had been going on lately. at least, though, tonight offered a chance for everyone to catch up with people. “how are you?”
@cgentxiii.
“hey, i finally ran into you,” dinah greets the other with a warm smile, one hand raises as she waves gently in sharon’s direction. her other hand holds a small plate, a barely-touched appetizer on top. “do you want any of this? the food is so good and i’m sort of already full.”
@lostarrcw.
“you look exhausted,” is the first thing out of her mouth as he approaches her. still, dinah wears a smile, drink in hand as she slides over to make room so that he can sit. “but, you look really nice,” she adds before taking another sip. “how are you doing?”
Elie Saab Autumn/Winter 2017 Couture
She’s okay. She’s okay. Roy breathes a very long sigh of relief at Dinah’s words, nodding his head as he repeats them in his mind over and over. She’s okay, she’s alright - of course she is, it’s Dinah, she would’ve taken care of Lian better than Roy could’ve ever hoped. Roy knows that, he could never doubt that but - god, knowing she’s alright, hearing those words, it’s amazing to have that confirmation, to know his daughter is alright.
He follows Dinah through the place, making a beeline for the room she’s directing him to but before he can even reach for the handle the door flings open - Lian must have heard his voice or just happened to want to come out for something, but Roy doesn’t care why she’s here, only that she’s here. She’s here, staring up at him with wide eyes, and - god, she’s grown, of course she has, she’s not the sweet little four year old with her hair in pigtails and a smile on her face that could light up the world. “…Daddy?” She asks quietly and her voice is a little different but it’s still her, it’s still Lian’s voice and Roy all but breaks on the spot. She’s grown, she’s older, she’s - she’s still got that light in her eyes but it’s.. different, there’s something else there. Something a little sad, a little hard at living the past three years without him, and it breaks Roy’s heart to see it.
“Sweetheart -” He mumbles, rushing forward to scoop her up in his arms and he feels the tears in his eyes, feels them burning, feels his hands shaking as he squeezes his daughter a little too tight but he doesn’t care, not after three years without her. And she might be bigger but she still fits so perfectly in his arms, fits right here with him just as she always has, and for the first time in three years Roy finally, finally, finally feels some sense of peace. “I’m here, daddy’s here it’s all okay, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry I left you honey, it’s all gonna be okay.” He tells her softly, over and over again as he holds his daughter, assuring her that everything’s going to be okay - and it will. Now that he has her back, it’s going to be okay. It has to be.
Still holding Lian, he turns just enough to look up at Dinah, eyes shining with tears. “Thank you, Dinah - thank you, for taking care of her. You have no idea - thank you.”
dinah walks in the direction of lian’s room, with roy trailing close behind. there’s a lot going through her head, but, above all, she just hopes that this reunion goes well, for both of their sakes. they move across her apartment quickly, which is no surprise. when they reach the door of the room, she steps aside quickly, so that roy can be the one to enter. but, it even startles her a little bit just because she, and the other two she guesses might be as well, is so on edge. she watches as lian looks out from the doorway, and her heart swells. it’s out of sadness for the years lost between the two of them and out of joy, for, contrarily, seeing them together again.
she doesn’t know if she was afraid that the young girl wouldn’t it was a fleeting, irrational worry now that she thinks about it but dinah’s overcome with emotion as lian willingly goes into roy’s arms and she watches it all play out before her eyes. she takes a step or two back, leans against the walls of her hallway. her thoughts all over the place, but, she supposes that in all of the chaos, turmoil and heartache that the world has been encased over the past few years, at least moments like these are happening now. it didn’t change how hard things had been for anyone, but at least roy and lian had this, in the now.
momentarily distracted, she’s brought back to earth when roy speaks to her. dinah smiles warmly, takes a step forward and rests a hand on his shoulder for a moment. “of course, i you’re welcome.” it was hard to find words in the moment. she looks at the two of them again, before stepping past them gently to move the rest of the way down the hallway. “i’ll give you two some space. i’ll be on the couch.”
It’s a huge relief when the door swings open to reveal Dinah, the tightness in Roy’s chest beginning to loosen and fade away bit by bit at knowing she’s here, she’s safe, she’s alive. God knows he has a long ass list of people he needs to check in with but Dinah is very much near the top of that list, so seeing her definitely offers him a sense of calm. Just a little one.
“I’m fine, m’just fine.” He answers immediately, offering her the most convincing smile he can manage as he pulls her in for a hug. It’s - it’s good to see her, it’s good to see someone he can trust after years of absolute hell, and while she may not have expected a hug he definitely doesn’t regret it. “Where is she, Dinah?” He asks, his smile fading a little as he pulls back to meet her eyes. It’s not that he’s not glad to see her of course, and Roy knows they have a lot they need to catch up on all things considered - but it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Lian is his first priority. “Where’s my daughter?”
dinah flicks the lock on the door as he steps inside, and immediately returns his hug. still confused but calmer a moment later, she takes a step back, looking him over because, despite his words, she’s still concerned for him, too. she swallows, arms falling to her sides as he speaks again. no, it’s certainly not a surprise that lian is his priority here.
“she’s here, she’s okay,” she reassures him, though the anxiousness she believes he’s feeling here is entirely understandable. it’s still so strange to see roy in front of her again, but, if anything, dinah’s suddenly very, very glad that lian will have her father back in her life. but, it hurts her heart to think about how much he has missed over the years. “come on,” she steps to the side so that he can walk first. “it’s the second door on the right.”
Roy’s not sure how he got here, he’s not even sure this is all real, and he definitely has no idea what he’s going to do to try and adjust to being… back, but he knows he needs to find his daughter. He has to, he knows he needs to find Lian, hold her in his arms, stave off the stress and anguish and misery of having lived three years of his own personal hell without her.
And he knows exactly where to find her.
His heart is practically beating out of his chest as he steps up to Dinah’s door, hands shaking as he knocks frantically on the surface. Is he being an awful annoying nag, hammering on her front door like someone’s trying to kill him? Probably. Does he give a damn? Well - until he sees his daughter, definitely not. “Dinah! Dinah it’s Roy, open the door!” He calls out, rushed and panicked and desperate to see his daughter. [ @songbrds ]
dinah had been sitting in her apartment skimming through work papers on the couch, down the hall from where lian had been playing in her bedroom, seemingly unbothered. inevitably, it startled her when there was loud banging on her door and a moment later, she recognized roy’s voice immediately, which just startled her even more. she stands up slowly from her desk, she heads towards the apartment’s entry way cautiously. roy had been gone for years, now, but with all of the rumors of lost people reappearing, she wanted to believe it was him not some trick, which is what the logical side of her brain told her.
a knot forming in her stomach, she steps to the door quietly, looks through the door’s peephole it definitely looked like roy and unlocks it before slowly pulling it open, emotion immediately flooding the calm exterior she’d been trying to maintain a second before. despite maybe her better judgement, she says nothing at first, and grabs roy’s wrist to pull him inside and then shut the door behind him. voice lowered, so that lian doesn’t hear, she says, “oh my god. what are you are you okay?” it’s a pretty obvious question, but dinah is just, well, shocked.
“yeah, i am definitely listening,” nodding her head as she didn’t look up from her laptop, completely obvious that barbara was not listening.
the corners of her lips quirk upwards into a smile, before she says, “no offense, i love you, but i don’t think you put any effort into being convincing, there.”
