houseofcards_rp | [OTA] Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

Zoe's twenty-first birthday had started well enough, with murmured birthday wishes from Victor and a promise of dinner tonight before he left to start his day either in his office here or the one over at Club Castle. And it had, for a few hours at least continued well. She dropped in on the accounting office to check on Penelope - she might be taking the day off, but her assistant was still new enough that she liked to check in before disappearing for the day. Then she'd dropped into the Head of Finance's office to hand over the expenditure reports for September and smile at Edison's side-eye. He was a Six, after all, and had some idea that Zoe had plans to challenge him at some point, but there was little he could do about that.

And he wouldn't be wrong, anyway.

The day only went south when she headed down the hall and found a pair of Heart Twos with a box. The library was quiet this time of day, and she hated to let people into Victor's rooms, so she nodded in that direction, letting them put it on a table deep in the stacks and dismissing them before she opened the note. She recognized the handwriting, after all.

Darling, Happy Birthday and a belated congratulations on your impressive achievement of Five. Of course, if you'd stayed put, you could be a Nine with your dear, dear brother by now, but I'm sure you're intelligent enough to not realize that.

I'd hate to leave this day unacknowledged. These are some things I thought you'd enjoy, dear.

Charlotte Huntly Kattalakis

Well, Zoe thought as she picked up the yellowed letters and unfolded the first. They ran the gamut: letters from Charlotte, letters from Aunt Maggie, letters from someone named Maria. Correspondence of a more...professional sort - off-Deck jobs, compensation for them.

It was all supposed to upset her, Zoe thought. And it...didn't, really. She'd known even if she'd pretended not to, what kind of man her father had been. She'd seen things, she thought, and then she blinked when she saw a black velvet box tossed carelessly in the corner of the box, reaching over to pick it up. Inside were earrings, and a note old enough that the paper had started to yellow.

Για Ζωή, για εικοστό πρώτο έτος της ηλικίας της.

"Papa," she murmured, and leaned back in the chair as she looked down at the jewelry. Would he be upset with her for what she'd done with her life? Did it matter? It shouldn't, certainly, especially not after this summer, but...

Well.

Maybe it did, a little.

[Translation: For Zoe, on her twenty-first birthday.]

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...Really, Evan. Really.

Really. She's going to stare at the Kraft Dinner for a good long time before she finds the earrings - but then she'll put them on instead of the garnets.And the text will get a smart reply.

Evan. You realize my butler might burn 95% of your present.

She wanted Canada, right? That's Canada. In a box. Avec fromage.

I did, and they're pretty. I'm wearing them now, in fact.

Though at some point she might take Victor's advice and wear her father's garnets. She just doesn't think today.

Also, Evan? Avec faux fromage.

Ridiculous. Kraft wouldn't promise the real thing and use cheap flavoured powder instead.

He's getting better about Victor. Just. It'll take time.

It's cute that Evan has such faith in multinational corporations, really. Just like it's sort of cute that he still has the doubts about Victor as Good Boyfriend Material.

Victor also went the jewelry route, actually. A bracelet and a necklace. And Hadyn got me shoes.

Baby steps to being a real adult. By the time he graduates, he'll be people. Promise.

Evan is already one of the best people she knows. He'll be amazing people by the time he graduates.

I feel completely spoiled, let me tell you. Mostly by the Kraft Dinner. We're going out for Italian, and then later I'm dragging Hadyn out to the Wild Card. You're missing a crazy night of dancing.

That's the hope.

It's a platonic date, darling. I'll save some extra special shoes for the occasion.

Is there any other kind?

What? His study buddy's a model. He's got pictures of these things lying around now.

Clearly.

Clearly this is the moment for Evan's phone to actually ring.

"Do I even want to know?"

Plot twist. And surprised snort.

"Am I not allowed to have pictures of shoes?"

"The only reason I can think of for you to have pictures of those shoes is if Philippe has a secret life as a crossdressing dominitrix."

Pause.

"Or if you/em> do."

"First of all? I'm hurt you'd pick Phill before me." Hear the pain in his voice. Hear it. Feel guilty about it. "But we're not nearly that excitin'. Bennie was showing me. That's all."

"His accent's better." This is simply an irrefutable fact, Evan. Accept it. Be happy for Phill.

"Bennie, hm? Are you telling me your 'study buddy' also just happens to be a ridiculously gorgeous fetish model on the side?" Go on, Evan. Lie about that one.

...okay, touche. He's got nothing for that.

"Not a fetish model. Just a regular one." He's not equipped to lie, woman. You know that. "Still gets t' see all the weird shit they do in high fashion runway."

"I knew it," Zoe says. "That if you went off to college, you'd get yourself mixed up with a beautiful Canadienne." And a handsome Canadien, possibly, from what she knew of Philippe.

He can do both. He's a talented man. Still, snort. "What 'mixed up?' We're study partners."

Who make out. This is. Ideal, really. Not mixed up. Certainly not like he's in love with someone else.

Of course he's not. That would be ridiculous. Just like this isn't a skeptical noise Zoe is making from the other side of the connection.

"Just you and the model, and accounting."

"...is that super hard to believe?"

Can she hear the confused puppy face. It's pretty loud. Like the tapping of nails as a puppy paces back and forth trying to figure out how to get down off a thing what is too high.

"....A little bit?"

The puppy eyes are coming through like a megaphone, and her lips quirk up a little.

"But only because you're a boy, Ev."

Huff. Huff huff huff, madam.

"But a special and fantastic and well-behaved boy. Right?"

"You're getting there, I'll give you that much." But she's laughing - with him, not at him. Really.

"When are you coming home again?"

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