(no subject)
CJ: It's dinner time in the district, and CJ's knocking on Carol's door, bottle of very expensive... water in hand.
Carol: Carol opens the door, and blinks at the water. "Were they out of white?" she asks, dryly, and lets her in before hurrying back to the stove to continue with the salad. "I was in the mood for spicy, so I made enchiladas -- I hope that's OK?"
CJ: "Neither of us need it," she says, then, on hearing about enchiladas, her face falls a bit "Yeah, that's fine--" she says, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she can.
Carol: "Or not?" Carol shrugs. "I made a few of them not-as-spicy, so I don't knock anyone over if I take them for lunch -- you can have those. And salad. " She waves a handful of lettuce in the air. "Grab a seat."
CJ: "Not as spicy?" she requests, grabbing a few glasses for the water and sitting.
Carol: "All yours. Alix will have to deal with me reeking of hot sauce," Carol says, grinning crookedly, and sets the salad on the table. "Isn't that the super expensive stuff? You do know we have tap water here in DC." She's joking, she's actually kinda tickled by the idea.
CJ: She makes a face "I've become quite a connoisseur of water, since I stopped drinking," she says, seriously. "Plus, it's filtered and enriched and, you know, better for you."
Carol: Carol laughs. "Remember when we didn't worry about that stuff?" Carol's been saying 'remember when' a lot lately. "And let us not discuss drinking, since that always leads to discussions of how I do too much of it." She's also been harboring guilt.
CJ: "You do," she says, simply, helping herself to salad.
Carol: "Dressing?" Carol asks, waving her hand at the fridge. " I have...I forget." She goes to look, pulling out ranch and vinagrette and something with raspberry.
CJ: CJ shakes her head "I'm fine--" she says, taking a sip of water. "How're you holding up?"
Carol: "Just ducky," Carol says, tone artificially light. "Everyone's still scared of me. I'm dreading when the fear wears off."
CJ: CJ nods "The key," she says, "Is to be imposing enough that it never does." Sage advice indeed.
Carol: "I'm getting better at it. The newbies hide when I approach." She grins, wickedly, bringing the enchiladas to the table.
CJ: "Yell at Josh," she advises. "And don't let him fight back. Quickest way to gain authority in that place."
Carol: "Hmm. If I bribe him with cheesecake, he'll even pretend I really did beat him down." Carol muses on that one. "Definate possibility." She hands CJ the serving spoons. "Help yourself. Spicy are this side, not spicy that side."
CJ: "Bribe me with cheesecake and I'll beat him down for you," she offers, taking a few of the not-spicy.
Carol: "I thought we were eating healthy?" Carol takes the spicier ones, scooping up extra cheese and a side of irony.
CJ: "Drinking healthy," she corrects. "I'll eat what I want, thank you very much." And she pokes at an enchilada a bit, getting a forkful of cheese.
Carol: Carol has dove in, chowing down like a woman who's skipped breakfast and lunch and gotten through the day on a handful of Hershey's kisses and Powerbars, because, well, she did. "It's not good?" she asks, concerned. "Still too spicy? I should have made something less -- I"m sorry. Do you want me to make you something else?"
CJ: CJ shakes her head "It's fine-- I've been-- I can tell I'm getting old, I'm about to start complaining about heartburn--" she laughs, nudging away some of the tortilla. "I'm fine."
Carol: Carol watches her for a moment. "Okay," she says finally. "I don't mind, really."
CJ: She shakes her head "I'm /fine/, Carol-- Eat. Believe me, you had a longer day than I did."
Carol: Shrugging, Carol picks up her fork again, but continues to watch CJ push food around on her plate. "Ceej. Talk to me."
CJ: "It's nothing!" she protests, taking a defiant bite and shooting Carol a pointed look "It's good, I'm just-- I've had this weird stomach thing and have been keeping to rather bland and unadventurous food--"
Carol: Carol takes another biteful of her own. "You should have called. I would have made bland and unadventurous."
CJ: She laughs, taking a bite of salad "I have enough bland and unadventurous at home to feed a small country. I can live a little--" and she nudges a bit of sauce away from tortilla before taking another bite. "It's good, really--"
Carol: Carol scoops out another one for herself. CJ's really picking, and she's not buying a word she's saying. "Have you been to the doctor?"
CJ: CJ nods "I'm /fine/, Carol-- Stop mothering me."
Carol: "Well..." /Someone has to/. Luckily, she shuts her mouth in time.
CJ: CJ rolls her eyes at her, not missing the implication "I'm /fine/," she repeats. "I promise, they tell me I'm dying and you'll be the first to know."
Carol: "Let's not go there," Carol says quickly, unwilling to contemplate the idea.
CJ: "Fine by me," she says, smiling at her and nudging off a bit more sauce to take another bite "How's Alix?"
Carol: "Following me around like a /hawk/," Carol gripes.
CJ: CJ laughs "Good woman," she says, grinning at her. "I should send her a mug or something. A thank you gift--"
Carol: "She has enough mugs to supply the entire West Wing with coffee, and probably most of the East Wing," Carol points out.
CJ: CJ nods, considering "Something else then," she says. "What does she want?"
Carol: "Me to pull my head out of my ass, so I'm told," Carol mutters. "She's too damn uppity.'
CJ: CJ laughs "You hired her," she points out. "You get sick of her, I'll snatch her up in two seconds flat. I fired another assistant this morning."
Carol: "Hands off my uppity assistant," Carol says instantly. "She's so mine to bitch out. Find your own coffee expert."
CJ: CJ makes a face "I'd settle for one who could remember to tell me I had a one o'clock meeting before I left for lunch, so I knew to be back for it--"
Carol: "Maybe Alix knows someone." Carol shrugs. "I'll have her ask around."
CJ: "Please?" she says. "I'm seriously dying over there--"
Carol: "We'll find you someone," Carol promises. "Hell, maybe I"ll resign and come do it." She's joking. Really.
CJ: "You'll do no such thing," she scolds. "But seriously, ask Alix if she knows anyone?"
Carol: "I told you, we'll find someone." Because Alix will, because Carol asked.
CJ: "Thank you," she says, sincerely. "I'm just glad it was Josh I didn't know I was scheduled to meet with--"
Carol: Carol snorts. "Gee, lucky you."
CJ: CJ rolls her eyes "What the hell is he doing, pushing tort reform for Santos?" she asks.
Carol: "Honestly? No damn clue." Carol shrugs. "I've been hiding in my office a lot lately. Since there's no point in expecting honest information out of anybody, I've given up trying to find it."
CJ: CJ winces "It-- It's the hardest job in the administration," she says, softly.
Carol: Carol looks up at her. "No. That's Fitz. And Nancy, and Leo. I don't have nearly as much to answer for when I look in the mirror before I go to bed at night. Not lives, that's for damn sure." /Well, not lately./
CJ: "But then you get in front of the cameras and offer up reasons and excuses and you spin and reframe and-- And at the end of the day it's your face that's associated with the administration's failures."
Carol: Carol shrugs. "Failure's hardly a new thing for me, Ceej."
CJ: "Doesn't mean it's fun, is all I'm saying," she says, finishing off an enchilada, save for sauce which is pushed off to the corner of her plate.
Carol: "Well, very little is, in this town," Carol says dryly, and gets up to get the most important part of the evening: chocolate cheesecake. "I made raspberry sauce, too." Someone's got too much time on her hands.
CJ: "No sauce," she says, but she's eyeing the cheesecake greedily.
Carol: "More for me," Carol says, but she's /really/ concerned now. Cake is sliced, plated, and immediately devoured.
CJ: CJ wolfs down her first slice and reaches for a second one before she's even realized she's doing it "It's good," she says, suddenly self conscious with a second piece on her plate.
Carol: "Eat it, then," Carol says, dumping more coulis on hers.
CJ: "I am--" she says, taking a smaller bite of this second piece. "He stopped by my office today," she says, cautiously, watching carefully for Carol's reaction.
Carol: She keeps eating, but her movements are a little more stiff.
CJ: "I promised him I'd keep an eye on you," she continues, taking another bite. "He's worried."
Carol: She puts her fork down with a 'snap'. "Tell him I don't need -- no. Don't tell him anything."
CJ: She shrugs "I'd do it whether he asked me to or not," she says, backing off. "I just-- Forget it."
Carol: "Exactly. He can stick his damn nose in other people's business. Mine is off limits." She goes back to her cake, but she's not hiding her mood swing very well.
CJ: CJ sighs "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-- You're a big girl, and I love you too much to mind my own business."
Carol: "You can be nosy. That's about it." She's mushing her cake into the raspberry now.
CJ: "Yeah," she mumbles, polishing off her second piece of cake and visibly resisting reaching for a third.
Carol: "Eat it, I don't want it to go to waste," Carol mumbles.
CJ: She shakes her head "Nanh, I'm fine. I might take it home though..." and she gives Carol a hopeful little look.
Carol: Laughing, Carol gets up and finds her a tupperware. "Here. Oink oink."
CJ: She makes a face at her, barely biting back an incredibly cliched comment in favor of "Not my fault you're a good cook--" and she boxes up a good portion of the cake with a sigh "God, I should actually get going--"
Carol: Carol nods. "I should clean this up and get to bed."
CJ: At the mention of 'bed', CJ stiffles a yawn and gets up to help "God, I'm exhausted," she mumbles.
Carol: Carol snorts. "Get lost. I'll call you tomorrow." She follows CJ to the front door, giving her a quick, swift hug. "Take care of yourself, OK? Don't get sick or anything."
CJ: CJ nods "I am. Will. You know--" She shrugs and ducks out the door "You do the same--" she calls.
Carol: Carol waves as she goes, and closes the door, wondering just how much CJ isn't telling her.