Spreading the news

[nica_hepcat]

WHO: Nicam tag Katie and whoever else might be around
WHEN: Thursday afternoon
WHERE: Katie and Chester's house

Nica spent her school day talking to Lynn about what had happened at the camping spot, and about the dead man who wasn't dead, and then wouldn't die. She didn't talk about it with anyone else; she hadn't seen Rex or she might have flirted with him again, poor guy. He was nice ... And there was Juice, but she would go see him later and give him all the gory details. Literally, gory details, complete with blood and ichor. She didn't know exactly what ichor was, but if anything she'd ever seen was ichorous, it was poor Stu.

Anyway, it crossed her mind that maybe not everyone she knew and liked in Pleasantdale had heard about what happened. So, on the way home, she stopped off at Katie and Chester's house, hoping that Katie was around. Books clutched firmly in her left hand, she knocked at the front door.

Comments

[nica_hepcat]

Nica gave Maxine a similarly sheepish look, and a little wave. "Hello, Miss Maxine. I haven't heard anything new, have you?"

[time_goes_by]

Janie hadn't been able to concentrate on work- okay, she rarely concentrated on work, but today had been so bad, Phillip handed her some money and told her to go shopping. So after a failed trip to the shopping mall, Janie knocked on Chester and Katie's door. She needed to let Katie know what was happening, and wanted someone to talk to. She'd tried to ring Maxine, but she wasn't home.

[katherine_the_great]

Chester was just starting to walk back to his chair, when... someone knocked on the door. He stormed over to answer it, practically yanking it open. "What? What do you want?"

[time_goes_by]

"What do I want? If I say some of your fine brushes will you get that look off your face? Can I see Katherine, please? It'll only take a moment."

Janie was annoyed now, and was trying her hardest to be civil.

"Phillip wants to meet with you about them brushes anyhow." She wasn't sure if he did or not, but hoped that would smooth things over a bit.

[katherine_the_great]

"Are you women planning some sort of church thing? It's dinner time and suddenly her entire bridge club is coming over," Chester groused. "Make it quick and take those other two with you when you leave."

[time_goes_by]

"A bake sale." Janie said, though she was never involved in those things. The time she tried to sell a cake, it was hard enough to be used as a doorstop. She walked past Chester and towards the kitchen, where she assumed Katie would be if it was almost dinner time.

[katherine_the_great]

Katie was indeed in there, and looking a bit worried. "Nica said there was trouble, but you all were alright. So stay away from the woods, hmm?" She wasn't honestly sure she believed Nica, but the fact that there were multiple people showing up wasn't exactly convincing her that nothing was wrong here. "Janie, Maxine... perhaps the three of you would like to stay over for dinner?"

[nica_hepcat]

"If I could call Vito and let him know to just hit the cold cuts until I get home," Nica said.

[time_goes_by]

"Yes." Janie said "I- something's happened,and you need to know."

After waving to Nica and Max, Janie noted that Katie was working on pie. "Is that cherry?"

[katherine_the_great]

"Yes, and there's a roast in the oven -- and the telephone's right over there on the wall," Katie instructed, gesturing. "Anyhow, let me just finish this up and get it in the oven. Chester, we're having company over for dinner!"

"Why?" the surly voice from the other room replied.

[max_ine]

"Thanks, that'd be swell."

Maxine ignored Chester's grumpy, and gave Katie a smile. "Really we just all had the same idea I think. Checking in on our friends after that horrible ... incident we had."

She looked to Janie and Nica. "We were all there. Plus Eric, Vito, Joseph from the theater, this Doc lady from the university lab, and even grumpy old Mr. Chow from the chinese place. And we all saw it."

[nica_hepcat]

"Joseph, that's right, I missed him. And Rex, who's in varsity everything."

[time_goes_by]

"There's a strange rabies." Janie began, trying to explain "That makes a creature or person attack after they're dead. Stu Henderson. He went out hunting at some point and got attacked and it got him, and he almost got us.

Oh God, someone is going to have to talk to his family. How do we even explain that?"

[katherine_the_great]

Katherine opened the oven to check on the roast, hmming. "Just a bit more to go, and this should be ready... ... so what are you doing about this, if there are crazy diseased people in the woods? I mean... are the police looking into this, or..."

She was interrupted by Chester, who poked his head in and rather pointedly commented, "Katherine, the table isn't even set yet, and we certainly didn't plan on having guests over for dinner. Whatever girl gossip you need to do can be taken care of during the daytime, can't it?"

Without glancing back, she chided, "Chester, these are friends and neighbors and we are being hospitable, and you'll get what you want later. Just please leave them be, it's been a rough day for them."

"I've had a rough day, and I'm your husband," Chester groused, "and I don't need to listen to women's chatter when I should be enjoying my evening."

[nica_hepcat]

Nica frowned and turned to Katie. "Maybe I should go, after all ... "

[katherine_the_great]

Katherine's hands tightened slightly on the oven door's handle at the tone of Chester's voice. "Well... if you need to." She looked to Janie and Maxine.

[max_ine]

"Well I think it's up to you," Maxine said pointedly, looking at Katie. Chester could spew whatever bluff-and-bluster he wanted, but Katie was the one extending the invitation and making the dinner.

"Do you want us to stay? If so, we will."

[time_goes_by]

"It's up to you." agreed Janie "Would you like me to set the table for you? I am a maid, after all. Whatever makes it easier for you."

[katherine_the_great]

"Well, it would be nice to have guests over," Katie began, a little hesitantly.

"Fine," Chester magnaminously acceded, "they can stay." He'd make sure Katie made up for this later when guests weren't around... and besides, they were potential customers, and one of them reminded him of that cute little secretary in New York. This might not be so annoying.

"Thank you, darling. Yes, Janie, if you wouldn't mind setting the table, and I can get started on on a nice large batch of potato salad to help make sure we have enough for everyone. Nica, if you're staying over, you should go ahead and give Vito a call so he doesn't think you've been abducted by hospitality. And what would you all like to drink? Chester prefers a lovely red wine with supper after a big day." Katie headed for the refrigerator to start fetching ingredients, back to all smiles. "The roast should be coming out shortly, and the pie will be ready just after dinner, I think."

[nica_hepcat]

Nica's expression brightened. "Thank you Miss Katie ... Thank you, Mr Cester!" she added, raising her voice a little, and she picked up the phone's handset and dialed the gas station's main number.

[max_ine]

"Thanks," Maxine said, though mostly to Katie. Chester reminded her of some of the guys at the factory - guys who thought women's place was beneath a man in a variety of ways. "Wine is fine."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

[katherine_the_great]

"Certainly -- if you can do me a favor and get the potatoes out of the cabinet next to the stove, please?" Katie started setting out ingredients. "And there's a large bowl on the top of the cabinets, if you could get that down, please."

Chester nodded to Nica at the mention of thanks, mostly out of politeness, but made no offer to help. Instead, he turned and headed back to the living room. "Just call me when dinner's ready, dear, I'm famished and it's already late."

Katie waited until he left, and apologetically added, "He's had a hard day today. They're going over the new product lines and what they expect sales figures to be like for the new year and all, and that always puts him in a foul mood when he gets home."

[nica_hepcat]

Nica told Vito where she was and reassured him that she would be home in plenty of time to make him something to eat, finish her homework and get some sleep, and turned to Katie again.

"You need me to set the table or anything?"

[katherine_the_great]

"You can help get the dishes for Janie; plates and glasses are right up there, and silverware's in the drawer," Katie instructed.