Rory was surprised how good she looked with so little preparation. A lacquered chopstick, a pin, and some drugstore makeup, and she looked at herself in the mirror. Perfect. Almost. Her gun was a tight fit, but she managed to strap it into her bra, out of Darryl's sight. The dress came with a pair of strappy sandals, but all the straps were just simply connected green and white rhinestones. That, and the satin purse and she was sitting on Darryl's bed, watching him dress in a stunning tux.
"Wow. Will I have to pistol whip these bitches to keep them off you?" She stood up, wrapping her arms around Darryl's waist, reaching up to his chest and shoulders.
"Eh, I'm a big boy; I can take care of myself."
Rory raised her eyebrow. "I noticed."
He turned and was about to advance on her with a growl, then thought the better of it when she reached for his jacket on the bed. He turned and allowed her to put it on him. This is how it should be, he thought. He wanted to settle down, but that would only work if he had Rory. They were ready, so they left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rory tried to hide her amazement at the sheer opulence of the place. This is a charity function? She thought to herself as she held onto Darryl's hand, weaving back and forth between vine covered columns and sarong clad servers. Tantra was bedecked as a Polynesian paradise, its real grass floor tickling Rory's feet. She'd decided to check her shoes when she arrived, just to enjoy the paradox of being inside, but feeling grass with every step. She thought she saw a familiar face in the crowd, but then was quickly drawn closer to Darryl's side. "Hi, Paris."
"Hi, Dr. Laughlin." Rory looked up and saw the willowy figure of the heiress. She was holding an appletini and swirling her tongue around her swizzle stick, in a gesture VERY familiar and reminiscent, so Rory couldn't help but laugh. Paris pursed her lips and raised her eyebrow. "What is it your escort finds funny, Doctor?"
Darryl stood straight up and pulled Rory closer to him protectively. "My date" β he accented the word β "Is remembering a joke we shared earlier, right?" Darryl knew EXACTLY what Rory was laughing at, but he knew that if he reacted the same way she had when discussing the incident; it was going to be hard to keep the peace.