Meat and Meetings with Hidden Perils

[Zodiac]

Her little old car pulled up and a quick quip of "Everyone out," was made as she parked, turning the vehicle off. Now. Time. Manners. And propriety.

Something had clicked about this whole 'being a Herald' thing, and dressing nice seemed like a thing she should probably do. Once she'd gotten herself out of the car, she only briefly looked to the others before leading the way into the Charity and knocking lightly three times.

"And... manners. Please." She reminded the trio.

[Star]

Star was dressed for business. Not the business. He had his loafers on, and a half-hearted or very poor attempt had been made to iron an oxford. Which really annoyed him, since it claimed it didn't need to be ironed when he bought it. The tags had clearly said so.

Lies. Everywhere.

He popped a piece of gum in his mouth, and slid out of the car. Because minty fresh breath.

His mouth opened as he looked at Zoey. Because that's how you dress for a date. Not the weird top she'd worn. He'd tell her later. Someone needed to. But then he closed it. Because it was clear she was In The Zone. A side looked slipped out towards Asp and Avis, half amused, half speculative. Zoey's doing the All Business thing.

But?

Maybe Zoey did have her dating A-game clothes on, yo.

[Avis]

There were no dresses or slacks for Avis. Nothing that could even be called semi-casual. She was dressed much like she usually did, except this time her slate grey track suit was new and untarnished, and the tank top she wore beneath the sweatshirt was a pure white. Even more noticeable than all of this, however, were the bright blue, and ice white tennis shoes that almost seemed to glow as she walked. While there usually wasn't much effort that she put into her appearance, there was definitely pride that she took in her footwear. The feet were sacred, after all. Life was movement, and there was no movement without feet. Well, not without Arcana, anyways.

Aside from the clothes, the scent of cinnamon also lingered around her, no doubt coming from the fragrant piece of wood between her lips. Occasionally, the toothpick would migrate from one corner of her mouth to the other, but her face was otherwise blank and calm. Explicitly so. Even Star's look provoked only the hint of an eyebrow twitch.

For some, the stillness of her features and the minimal responses might have might have been the symptoms of an ice queen delusion, but for her Cabalmates it was clear that she was just creating a bit of mental distance while she prepared for the meeting, and things were closed for business until then.

Thankfully, for things like this, it was Zoey on the front lines, and not her.

[Zodiac]

She raised a brow at Aquinas' expression, wondering at it for a moment before letting it pass. She'd given up on Avis, but at least she was dressed in clean attire. Such was life. There was something to be said about trying to make Mastigoi do what they didn't want to do...

... but she was on good behaviour, and entirely not appreciating how adorable Asp looked in her little summery dress. Those legs, girl. Ouch.

"Hierarch, good afternoon," she greeted with a polite smile, gesturing clearly to each person as she mentioned them. "Please allow me to introduce Asp, Avis, and Star, my cabalmates."

It wasn't that she thought the man didn't know them, it was simply a matter of propriety and manners that she made sure that this went smoothly. The best thing to do was to get everything out in the open and make sure that all information was available, regardless. That way there were no mishaps to be had, and anyone who didn't remember names wouldn't have the opportunity to stumble on trying to recollect them.

"Thank you for seeing us," Zoey added with a polite inclination of her head. Dress or no, the concept of a curtsy really didn't sit with her.

He was... not coming across particularly formal, though, and the Herald was left to feel almost a little over-prepared. And maybe overdressed. Trays of food? She hadn't exactly prepped the gang for table manners. Something told her that Star would totally talk with food in his mouth, too. She sighed a little mentally. At least she had information prepared for this meeting, in the small book she carried. Because fuck folders.

Well, it was better to come prepared and not need to be than to come unprepared and need to be.

[Star]

He nodded in agreement at the shoes comment.

The new track suit? Adorbs. Like the whole anecdote about Einstein. Of course, he wouldn't know what he was looking at if he saw Avis in something other than her standard uniform. Not criticism -- just fact. Because khakis.

When Asp looked his eyes widened slightly in mock fear. Oh noes. Serious. Mastigos. He mouthed three words:

Angel. Of. Harlem.

What this meeting needed? Sing-a-long, yo. He could already tell. Honestly? It was tempting. He was pretty sure the human body was incapable of spontaneously exploding, but he was also pretty sure Zoey would give it a good try. Sure, she could totally stir-fry his hamster wheel, but it just might be worth it.

A hand went half up when he was named. Here. Just in case. It's wasn't like the cabal was filled with genderrific s'names.

Food? No thanks.

It's all fun and games until some Space Ace sprinkles toe nail clippings into the sea salt, yo.

Don't. Ask.

[Avis]

Avis nodded at the comment too, a slightly forced smile appearing in recognition of Asp's compliment. She appreciated it, especially considering the last comment Asp had made about her shoes. Also, the smile was a good warm up now that they were at the meeting. Flat affect did wonders for helping one relax, but it also made the face muscles feel unwieldy and odd, as though they had been asleep.

Again, she was thankful that Zoey was spearheading their introduction. It gave just a bit more time to wake up and reconnect. A simple nod greeted Aquinas once Zoey mentioned her name, and she followed after as they all trooped into the meeting room.

"Thanks, uhm, also, for providing snacks," Avis added, pausing only to clear her throat and rid it of that grating quality that came from not speaking for a time. "And we've been good. Ya know, living, breathing, still settling into our Sanctum. No problems beyond stuff a chore wheel might fix." Aquinas had asked, after all.