Winter our discontent (RP)

- Persephone -

There is a queue of people to see Zhiyu at his fruit'n'veg stall in Covent Gardens. Some are there to buy produce, but there is a shop boy manning the till, and this is a separate queue.

What do you do?

"Okay, perhaps another time then? In any case, I’m truly very sorry for not being there yesterday. I really don’t know how it happened."

- Emma -

David listens dutifully, agreeing with your frustration, but not trying 'fix' the situation. You have not shared the details with him, so he does not know the situation, he does not know why she had to leave where she was staying before, nor what sort of work she was engaged in. He also does not suggest she return, trusting that your reasons for taking Sarah out of there were good.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Head of the line is an old, Chinese woman, she hands Zhiyu a sheaf of papers. He indicates for her to sit beside him, then, as she leans in close, he reads the letter to her. It is not English and you can't hear the words, but you get the impression that he is relaying news from home. It takes a while. Next is similar, an old couple hand him paper, it appears he is interpreting their utility bill for them, explaining the costs and offering advice about some particular line-item. There is more like this, general life stuff, it puts you in mind of a village. Next is a girl who has clearly been crying, you can hear her loud voice as she alternates between demanding retribution for abandonment, and begging Zhiyu to find her boyfriend who is missing. Someone shows him something under their clothes, and he writes out a note, directing them to certain items in his stall and elsewhere.

Most of these seem to be one-sided translations. Only about one in every five people offer anything in return, but Zhiyu amicably dispenses his advice and services, gratefully taking what is offered when anything is.

You are near the front of the queue, but it has not gotten any shorter. Behind you is a long line, most of them Asian, but also a regal white woman, and some local beggars.

What do you do?

- Benji -

"OK, sure. No problem." Miriam says, she sounds a little extra miffed now, maybe she hoped for a little more effort from your side, and is disappointed you gave up so easily.

What do you do?

Benji makes a small, wordless noise of distress in response to Miriam’s tone. He doesn’t at all like when people are angry at him and, in this case, he doesn’t even fully understand what he’s done wrong. He’s pretty sure Miriam was lying about being busy but, beyond that, he’s not sure what he said or didn’t say to upset her. If she actually wanted to come over, why would she have pretended to be busy? Did she want him to accuse her of lying? That can’t be right. People don’t usually like when you point out that they’re lying, even when it’s obvious. He chases his thoughts around in bewildering circles for a few moments, trying to understand, before giving up and simply blurting out, "Are you mad at me? Why are you mad at me?"

- Benji -

"No, Benji, I am not mad." Miriam says, though it sounds like she is lying again. It is irritating how people say one thing and mean another, and expect others to pick up on the truth. "I'll talk to you later." She says and hangs up, seeming as disappointed and frustrated by how the conversation went as you are.

"Girl trouble?" Yasmine enquires with a sad shake of the head. She clearly overheard your side of the conversation, even though she could have moved to a discrete distance to give some privacy.

What do you do?

- Emma -

"Swanky!" David says when you mention The Lanesborough. He is trying to keep his tone light, but there is an undertone that may have minor elements of jealousy, over the places you get to go, but mainly over the time with you these places steal from him.

"The whole weekend?" He asks. Sounding worried about that.

What do you do?

- Persephone -

Most of the people in the Zhiyu queue know each other and are chatting among themselves. The white woman does not quite fit in, but does seem to know a few of the locals, at least enough to wave in greeting. She gives you a hesitant finger-wave.

What do you do?

- Emma -

David still has not seen the bill for the taxi ride from your last outing, so being in London carries a bit less weight than it might otherwise have. He can see that you are really keen on this, and does not want to stand in your way, but there was an expectation that, whatever you were doing, you would be 'home by midnight', and he has been very generous with his interpretation of 'midnight'.

"Are they getting you another dress?" He asks, slightly teasing about how good you looked the last time, and reminding you that there was a tacit agreement that you would wear that dress for him some time. Your previous meeting with Henry's people was 'smart' but the dress you fished out of your wardrobe was sufficient. This was described as 'a retreat', which sounds a bit more casual, but maybe the move from the seaside to an expensive hotel affected that? They did not give you a dress-code, you may have to pack a wide selection?

What do you do?

"Just Miriam," says Benji, scowling at his phone in a mixture of bewilderment and frustration. "I’ve apparently misplaced a day somewhere, although I don’t think that’s what she’s upset with me about, exactly."

- Emma -

"Everyone liked the dress." David says. "Except my mother, but it is her job to disapprove. That's what mother-in-laws are for."

Maybe the talk of sexy dresses has got him riled up, or maybe he does not want to continue talking about other men buying you dresses, David is not really the jealous type, but he still needs to lay his claim. "You coming to bed?" He asks teasingly.

You still feel icky from the blood-loss and what you have been through today, and will find you have significant bruising from where the first tube was yanked from your arm —straight out, fortunately, so there is no tearing, just the puncture wounds in both arms, and a purple mark spreading up and down you arm— maybe you can claim 'blood donation', and technically that would not be a lie.

What do you do?