75 Godiva Street, Sunday evening

[vdistinctive]

Eliot wasn't sure who had first started using the term for the occasions when the whole team got together for a friendly meal, instead of eating during a meeting for a job, but somewhere along the lines, "family dinner" had become official. With Nate and Sophie on the island, that was just what the team was doing now, with Eliot putting the finishing touches on his spaghetti sauce (one of the few dishes they all could agree on), Hardison and Parker grabbing dishes and napkins to set the table, and Val skipping about excitedly underfoot, all of them moving easily in and around each other with the ease of long practice.

Nate stood in the doorway with a beer and watched the process with a small smile.

"I take it Hardison bought your home out from under you, too?" he asked when he managed a moment with Eliot alone. The look on Eliot's face wasn't entirely quantifiable. It contained rather a lot of fond amusement, though.

"Sure," he said. "Somethin' like that.

[ooc: for the teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeam!]

Comments

[andiamathief.livejournal.com]

Nate looked down at his drink, then raised the glass and took a sip. "No, no, I'm sure that won't be necessary." He'd seen photos. He wasn't certain enough that Eliot was bluffing to risk seeing the thing in person. "If this island is as weird as you say we're bound to wander across something."

[thenameislara.livejournal.com]

"I'm still sorry we never got to Caritas," Sophie mourned. "You would have been ever so impressed, Nate."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"We got a standin' invite there from the bar's owner," Hardison agreed. "I think you'd appreciate the karaoke band. I ain't seen 'em yet, but I'm assured they're...surprisingly good."

For, you know, zombies held together by duct tape.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"They are! They weren't playing the one time we were there with Hardison. It was strip night. I brought my own pole." Parker paused. "Not that I took off my clothes, but they were letting people try."

[vdistinctive]

Eliot grinned. "It was a hell of an evening."

[andiamathief.livejournal.com]

Nate took in the look on Eliot's face, then glanced over at Parker and frowned. "Of course," he said slowly. "I've noticed this town seems to be populated with rather a lot of attractive people."

[thenameislara.livejournal.com]

"Mmmm. Are you still seeing that cop, what was her name, Vic?" Sophie asked Eliot. Even though she knew better. But if they wanted to create a smokescreen, she'd help.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Tell them about Navaan," Parker said out of the side of her mouth, with an evil smirk. "I liked Vic."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

Hardison shot Eliot a sour look. "Why we gotta bring her up?" He wasn't entirely fond of the cop, either, but compared to the weird vampire... "She tops out the crazy-hot scale. An' not the hotness side."

[vdistinctive]

"I wasn't the one who brought her up!" Eliot protested. "And no, I ain't seen Vic in a little while, actually. And Navaan was one time."

[andiamathief.livejournal.com]

Nate leaned back in his chair. This was much more the interaction he was used to. "She seems to have left quite the impression, though."

[thenameislara.livejournal.com]

Sophie rolled her eyes at this reaction, and took another sip of her wine. "I'm glad the dating pool of the island isn't disappointing for you, though."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Navaan was weird. And bitey." Parker was pouting, and nibbling on her salad. "We saw Kate-Lynn at the American Music festival this summer."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"I'd love to hear what Eliot thinks about the island's dating pool," Hardison said, leaning forward to help himself to some of the spaghetti. He was grinning, of course, because he was a brat. "Sure is filled with pretty people."

[vdistinctive]

"Honestly Hardison, I ain't been lookin' that much lately." Eliot smirked. "You know, not since that psionics teacher. What was her name? Emma?"

Two could play at brattiness.

[andiamathief.livejournal.com]

Nate said nothing, but his eyes widened fractionally.

Good lord. They were flirting.

[thenameislara.livejournal.com]

Sophie gave them her indulgent smile, then her Mona Lisa one to Nate. Really. It took him quite long enough.

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker snickered at them, leaning into Hardison for just a second. "I knew there was another reason you took that class." To Sophie she said, "She was very pretty, and seemed potentially kind of evil. You know, their type." She placidly speared a mushroom, and then grinned over at Eliot, too.

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Eliot's always had a thing for hot blondes with weird brains," Hardison said, winking at Parker and throwing an arm around her. "Guess I can't blame hi--what do you mean their type? Who's they?"

[vdistinctive]

"Hot blondes with weird brains," Eliot said, laughing a little. "And I wouldn't call Emma evil. Morally gray, sure, but not evil."

And what kind of thieves would they be if they weren't into moral grayness?

[andiamathief.livejournal.com]

"Wh-what," Nate stammered. "What is -- What precisely is going on here?"

[thenameislara.livejournal.com]

"Finally, he asks!" Was that so hard? Really? Sophie shook her head at him. "Can I just say how happy I am? For all of you?"

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

Parker gave her a small, complacent smile, but her eyes were watching Nate. "Yup."

[geniuswithasmartphone]

"Honestly, I thought he was supposed to be smart," Hardison said, winding spaghetti on his fork, though his body language was stiff and alert. "I mean, not as smart as me, but then, I was always special."

[vdistinctive]

"Yes dear," Eliot said, smirking pretty hard now. "But it takes some of us a little longer to shift the paradigms." He leaned his elbows on the table and gave Nate a sympathetic look. "We're sleepin' together. The three of us. We were all basically doin' the rest of the relationship anyway."