Making Plans (Artskaf)

[Cadence]

Cadence beamed as Ezvin kissed each cheek. It was a gesture she returned amiably. The way he so easily shook his hair into something presentable was completely unfair, but she absolutely adored it the way she seemed to adore everything he did. He put his coat on the rack and revealed a well fitting outfit, and handed her her new beverage. She thanked him.

She smiled as he spoke. He brought up her friend and Cadence looked towards Lore in thought, unsurprised to see that she was already back to her charts. ”Well, I just met her - so not sure if she’s protective, but I find her quite delightful. I am certain though she’s not judging you. I’m fairly sure she hasn’t noticed you exist yet. She’s a little like me when writing a song. The world disappears.” she gave a smile and nodded at his question as he picked up the final cup - Lore’s cup. ”But we will remedy that. Come!”

She took his arm at the elbow, careful not to pull so he spilled the coffees. ”I will admit, we are talking about my schedule and making it work better for me so that I’m not so overwhelmed by things all the time and I can quit running on depleted all the time. Might not be too interesting. Hope we don’t bore you too much. Oh and I’m working on hiring a PA to help with that. Less things to worry about so I can focus on the important things.”

She smiled as they arrived. ”Lore,” she waited until Lore looked up. ”This is Ezvin. Ezvin - this is Lore.” she gave Ezvin’s arm a squeeze before sitting down across from Lore and scooting in so he could sit next to her.

[Lore]

Someone called her name. Cadence being the someone. Lore looked up from her screen on rote, the awareness behind her eyes following half a beat afterwards, just as Cadence was introducing the man she had acquired from… somewhere. Since he was the one placing the drinks on the table she might have wondered if he worked here, but even Lore saw the way Cadence had suddenly lit up like a bonfire, and logically speaking she probably wouldn’t have introduced the cafe staff like that.

“Hello,” she said amiably instead, glancing between the two of them.

[Ezvin Marveet]

Ezvin’s smile deepened just slightly when Cadence took his arm. And he liked that. A little more than he meant to.

She guided him with the cheerful warmth of a bubble bath. Her laughter, her slight chiding about Lore not noticing him was easy to bask in. He let her chatter, let her squeeze his arm, and wore the amused expression of someone who had just been roped into a meeting he was perfectly happy to crash.

When they reached the table, Ezvin set the drinks down like the kind of man who never fumbled in front of others, and turned his attention to the woman with the laptop and the quiet confidence of someone who could take over the world with a spreadsheet.

He offered Lore a polished smile, and a nod that was both greeting and appraisal.

“Lore. A pleasure,” he said, voice smooth as espresso. “I’ve been hearing good things—especially about your ability to wrangle this one’s calendar into something vaguely resembling humane.”

He sat beside Cadence, allowing their shoulders to brush lightly as if it were coincidence, though nothing Ezvin did was ever that. He didn’t lean away, nor did he lean in. It was a balance so natural it was almost indistinguishable from sincerity. He reached for his coffee and glanced at Lore again, this time with a half-grin curling at the edge of his mouth.

“Lore, do you think you can help me convince her to slow down a little? Maybe even have a little fun?”

He raised his cup slightly in a little conspiratorial toast.

[Cadence]

There was a warmth in her chest as Ezvin introduced himself. She wasn’t surprised at Ezvin’s use of the word humane with regards to her schedule. Cadence herself knew how terrible her schedule was. In truth she was glad she had met Lore to help with that.

Cadence’s smiled broadened slightly as Ezvin’s shoulder touched hers. She was also aware of Lore’s gaze between the two of them, which made Cadence think that Lore had put two and two together. Despite getting drawn into her work, Lore was an observant person. Either that or Cadence’s little crush was just that apparent. It was certainly the first.

Her mouth opened in mock incredulity at Ezvin’s final comment. ”I’m trying!” she said with a teasing laugh. ”And I’ve been having more fun! But I guess I can improve on that. It would help if my producer wasn’t pushing me so hard!” she pushed her shoulder to him in playful teasing. Ezvin had been a godsend in the studio and he knew how much she appreciated everything he did.

[Lore]

Lore smiled in the slightly bewildered way of someone who took a moment to catch up when they were ensnared in something unexpected. Ezvin’s features looked somewhat familiar, but in a way that even squinting she couldn't quite put her finger on yet. And she hated that; the unrelenting nag of a piece of knowledge held just outside of reach. It wasn’t something she could let go easily. She didn’t know him, but she felt like she ought to recall something that helped her place him.

It was maddening.

He was entirely friendly, the sort who could orchestrate a roomful of strangers and make it look effortless. Lore was more accustomed to attention sliding away from her, in social situations at least. She continued to look between the two of them.

“Fun is scheduled for the weekends,” she added with a small, amused chuckle. Not because she’d made a joke, though perhaps it’s how it would come across, but because the change in Cadence was profound and entirely adorable.

[Ezvin Marveet]

Ezvin leaned back in his seat just slightly, cup in hand, and offered a grin that was as boyish as it was smug. The kind of look that said he knew exactly how good he was at this, and wasn’t in a rush to pretend otherwise.

“Weekends?” he repeated, feigning disbelief as he looked at Lore, then to Cadence, then back again with an exaggerated little scoff. “Play is a weekday survival tactic, not a weekend luxury. If you’re saving all your fun for Saturday, no wonder you both look like you need me.”

He let that that light tease linger before continuing, the corners of his eyes creasing in complete amusement. Cadence’s playful push to his shoulder was returned with a lazy smile and a nudge of his own, like the shared language of people who had already learned how to orbit each other.

“She pretends I’m the problem,” he said to Lore, his voice low and conspiratorial, “but I’ve seen her in the studio. She’d work through her own funeral if I didn’t stop her.”  Then, he winked and tilted his head. “Maybe you could schedule some fun with me... like tonight. For the three of us.”

His smile was warm, easy, maybe a little too casual except for the way his eyes flicked between them with just enough mischief to keep the suggestion hovering somewhere between a friendly outing and something more. “You can ask Cadence,” he added with a small shrug, tossing her a glance that held a trace of daring. “I know all the best places."

He tapped a finger lightly on the rim of his coffee cup as if already imagining the night. “Nothing too wild, of course.” He flashed a smile that was nothing but trouble. “Unless you want it to be.”

[Cadence]

Cadence's smile grew as he pushed her back playfully. His words to Lore were simply ones that said both her and Lore needed to relax and he had the answer to that. It was a very Ezvin thing to say. Ezvin was an observant man - observant in ways that Cadence wasn't so good at. He seemed to get people more than she did, even if she was getting better at it.

This conversation showed her that she was getting better at it. Part of it was that she knew Ezvin better and was able to see the way he looked between the pair as he suggested that the three of them doing something fun tonight. There was mischief in his eyes - a dare in his glance to her when he mentioned that he knew all the best places. Then finally the smile as he suggested it could be wild if that's what they wanted.

When they had kissed at the Nest, Cadence had invited Ezvin to her house. It had surprised her, but she had known what she had wanted that night. He hadn't come with her that night, suggesting they not move too fast. Since then, there hadn't been a night when she hadn't thought of Ezvin. Trauma had kept her from exploring a lot of things - physical affection being one of them. Ezvin's kiss had been her first not for lack of opportunity, but of fear, and with that kiss, a wave repressed feelings had sored through her. She hadn't just thought of Ezvin. She had thought about her self wrapped around him, touching in ways she didn't think she would ever be touched until he had kissed her.

There could be a lot of different meanings applied to the word "wild" in this case, but Cadence's mind went to sex because it was just where her mind had been for awhile. She was glad for that because she was able to keep the heat from rising to her cheeks even as her thoughts of Ezvin shifted to adding a third person to it. Cadence wasn't surprised that her mind had followed that path.

What surprised her was that she liked it.

Cadence didn't want to make Lore uncomfortable though, so when she did speak it was simply to say. "He does know city well - lots of good places around." Her hands squeezed her cup in anticipation before she lifted it to her lips. As she took a drink, a slight smile came to her lips.

[Lore]

Lore’s brows rose. She hadn’t been talking about her own schedule, but literally answering the question Ezvin had asked about Cadence finding time. They’d just had quite a long conversation about it, so she felt qualified to answer. But apparently the teasing was more abstract than that, and also apparently Lore was included. It wasn’t the information she was riffling around in her brain for, but she realised then how much Ezvin reminded her of Damien. In a “force of nature with good hair” sense. She wasn’t sure yet if that was a good or bad thing.

She glanced slightly for Cadence’s response, a little bewildered to find herself at the centre of the social gravitas rather than on the outskirts. It rather seemed like the two of them ought to be the ones making plans, and Lore had no problem bowing out. But Cadence only lightly confirmed the recommendation and suddenly seemed to be quite heavily invested in her beverage. The coffee was indeed good here, but given how encouraged Cadence had seemed by Ezvin’s company it seemed an odd response, like she didn’t want to push Lore into a decision despite Lore having said she was new to the city.

“I suppose it could be scheduled… though I’d need a buffer of at least an hour for contingencies. Can’t have things getting too chaotic,” she said mildly, her voice calm and even. It was impossible to tell whether she was being serious. A smile did hover on her lips, but it was more bemused than invested. Lore was accustomed to being on the outside of inside jokes, and this felt like that kind of situation. But she did want to see the city, and she was never overly perturbed by feeling out of her depth. And scheduling for this evening gave her plenty of time to figure out why Ezvin seemed familiar, and to read up a little on Cadence. “You can consider me a willing participant.”