(no subject)
Feb. 7th, 2010 06:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmkaternater[ Set in the days following this. ]
"I just don't know what to do with these earrings."
Martha Castle descends the stairs in a cyclone of teal and gold silk, her red hair teased high and as bright as a match head. She slams a pair of gold filigree earrings down on the counter where Castle is busy arranging an edible tour of the Orient, courtesy of the Mandarin Garden take-out place down the street. He gives the earrings a sideways glance. Grins. Watching his mother get wound up before a night out on the town is more entertaining than most spectator sports. He shovels a mound of fragrant white rice into a container.
"Judging from the size and shape, I bet they'd probably be pretty good airfoils for short-term flight."
Martha gives her son a sour look and plants her hand over the earrings, holding them up as evidence. "I'll have you know that these were given to me by a Broadway producer whose version of Annie Get Your Gun was delivered from the jaws of tragedy by me --" she fans a hand against the brocade at her throat "-- in a knockout performance." She begins affixing the earrings at her lobes. "He was very grateful."
"Yeah, to be rid of the curse of the displaced maharaja who used to own the things."
"That's the Hope Diamond. And someone should adopt you."
"Speaking of good parenting, where's Alexis?"
Martha drops a tube of lipstick and her cell phone into an ornate clutch purse. "At a group study session for her astronomy class."
"On a Friday night?"
The Castle family matriarch shakes her head ruefully. "I keep telling her that the only stars she really needs to care about are between Hollywood and Vine, but," she waves a dismissive hand, "you know how young people are."
Castle arches an eyebrow. "Educated?" He starts to start geometric take-out boxes on top of each other. "What am I gonna' do with all this food? I ordered extra because I thought you and Alexis were staying in tonight. I'm up to my eyeballs in udon."
Martha checks her reflection in a compact and shrugs. "Call detective Beckett. Aren't the two of you working on a case? Something about murder, mystery and macabre intrigue?"
"Just about."
Martha leans in and presses her lips against her son's cheek. "Do something with yourself, will you? You've been moping around here for three days. We're too pretty to have real problems."
Castle squeezes his mother's hand and sees her out the door. Suddenly, the apartment is much too quiet. He flicks the stereo system to life and cues up the Shuffle function on his iPod. 'Gives the entire thing up to the Fates and gets Aerosmith's "Love In An Elevator" right out of the gate.
Terrific.
"I just don't know what to do with these earrings."
Martha Castle descends the stairs in a cyclone of teal and gold silk, her red hair teased high and as bright as a match head. She slams a pair of gold filigree earrings down on the counter where Castle is busy arranging an edible tour of the Orient, courtesy of the Mandarin Garden take-out place down the street. He gives the earrings a sideways glance. Grins. Watching his mother get wound up before a night out on the town is more entertaining than most spectator sports. He shovels a mound of fragrant white rice into a container.
"Judging from the size and shape, I bet they'd probably be pretty good airfoils for short-term flight."
Martha gives her son a sour look and plants her hand over the earrings, holding them up as evidence. "I'll have you know that these were given to me by a Broadway producer whose version of Annie Get Your Gun was delivered from the jaws of tragedy by me --" she fans a hand against the brocade at her throat "-- in a knockout performance." She begins affixing the earrings at her lobes. "He was very grateful."
"Yeah, to be rid of the curse of the displaced maharaja who used to own the things."
"That's the Hope Diamond. And someone should adopt you."
"Speaking of good parenting, where's Alexis?"
Martha drops a tube of lipstick and her cell phone into an ornate clutch purse. "At a group study session for her astronomy class."
"On a Friday night?"
The Castle family matriarch shakes her head ruefully. "I keep telling her that the only stars she really needs to care about are between Hollywood and Vine, but," she waves a dismissive hand, "you know how young people are."
Castle arches an eyebrow. "Educated?" He starts to start geometric take-out boxes on top of each other. "What am I gonna' do with all this food? I ordered extra because I thought you and Alexis were staying in tonight. I'm up to my eyeballs in udon."
Martha checks her reflection in a compact and shrugs. "Call detective Beckett. Aren't the two of you working on a case? Something about murder, mystery and macabre intrigue?"
"Just about."
Martha leans in and presses her lips against her son's cheek. "Do something with yourself, will you? You've been moping around here for three days. We're too pretty to have real problems."
Castle squeezes his mother's hand and sees her out the door. Suddenly, the apartment is much too quiet. He flicks the stereo system to life and cues up the Shuffle function on his iPod. 'Gives the entire thing up to the Fates and gets Aerosmith's "Love In An Elevator" right out of the gate.
Terrific.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:36 pm (UTC)"They do circle around here, right?"
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:39 pm (UTC)"We've got hover-cabs this far uptown. They only accept platinum bars for cab fare. You're good for it, right?"
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:45 pm (UTC)He holds up her coat so she can slip her arms into the sleeves.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:46 pm (UTC)She reaches under the collar of her coat to free any rebellious strands of hair that have fallen out of her clip.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:51 pm (UTC)"So, you'll call me if there are any heinous murders tonight, right? I'm bound to need a break at some point, the image of Nikki Heat in harem pants notwithstanding."
no subject
Date: 2010-02-09 11:56 pm (UTC)"I'll call you," Beckett promises, and then, quietly: "Thank you, Castle."
She's not entirely certain what she's thanking him for (thank you for the food, for the conversation, for not making this entirely weird after it could've been), and none of it really matters in the way of explaining. Not when she follows it with only a brief, hesitating pause before she inclines her head, in and slightly to the right, to let her mouth ghost over his cheek.
no subject
Date: 2010-02-10 12:01 am (UTC)He tucks his fingers around her upper arm. Squeezes gently.
"See you soon, Detective."
no subject
Date: 2010-02-10 12:07 am (UTC)"Count on it."