A not too terribly dramatic entrance
From Torg Adventure
Maggie walks down the last flight of steps, then into the living room itself and into the circle of your family. They are all staring at you in their own fashion. Well, Amy is actually staring at Maggie. Lisa is looking at you and Maggie alternately. Sam just glances in your direction, then crosses her arms over her chest. Your Mom keeps her focus on Maggie, since she is the guest.
"Our apologies, everyone," Maggie said. "We got to our room-" and you notice how some of the people assembled there today react at the words "our room"
"and after we got the suitcase unpacked all the way I wanted it, I, um, convinced Max here to give me the grand tour of your house. I... I just didn't realize how long it was going to take."
"Exactly how long was it then, Maggie?" Lisa asks innocently. "I definitely hope it wasn't too long for you, but there's also a minimum length that needs to be considered."
"Well," Maggie says helpfully. "It may have been longer than it needed to be, I guess."
"That was Max's doing, I suppose," Sam says absently. "He's always to cram in too much of something, somewhere, and doesn't seem to take consequences into account."
You know that Maggie is picking up on the double-entente going back and forth, even if she was choosing to pretend she didn't. Apparently, she is capable of some subtlety after all. You half expected her to walk into the room and start trying to auction you off.
"It was so worth it though," Maggie gushes. "Max let me see the entire house."
"You saw it all, huh," Sam asks pointedly. "So, what did you like seeing the best? The ceiling of his room?"
"That's assuming missionary," Amy says thoughtfully.
"You... you knew what Max and I were doing up there?" Maggie impressively manages to get a decent blush going, as well as an appearance of embarrassment and shame. "Oh, I am so sorry. I never would have talked him into it if I'd known that you would guess what we were doing up there."
Lisa smirks. "It wasn't much of a guess, based on the amount of noise we heard."
"We... we were that loud?" Maggie asks, her hand going to her mouth, open a little in shock.
"Loud enough for the neighbors to hear, probably," Amy says.
"Who, incidentally, are Max's aunt and cousins," Sam says. "I'm surprised they didn't call to find out what was going on."
"It wasn't as bad as they are making it out to be," your mom assures Maggie. Although you knew she disapproved of the loud sex upstairs, she was too much of a good host, and a nice person overall, to want to make Maggie feel bad about it.
"I didn't really mind it all that much," Amy adds. "Besides, I'm sure my brother had something to do with getting you into bed with him." She pauses. "Guys tend to focus on that kind of thing."
"I'm sorry, that wasn't the kind of impression I wanted to make the first time I met Max's family," Maggie says contritely. "...especially after I kind of wormed my way into letting us share his room." She looks sad. "I should probably just sleep in the basement like you offered originally. Or maybe staying over here isn't a good idea under the circumstances."
Sam opens her mouth to start to say something, but a withering glance from your mother makes her slowly close her mouth and sink bank into her seat, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Don't be silly, Maggie," your mom tells her graciously. "You're still very welcome to stay here. And in Max's room." You had the distinct impression that Maggie knew that was how your mom would respond to her offer to leave.
Amy is quick to chime in as well. "Yes, you can't leave yet. You barely got here!"
Lisa just looks at Maggie, then glances at your mom. You get the impression that she wants to comment as well, but she's savvy enough to know your mom wouldn't tolerate her being openly rude to a guest. She just recrosses her legs and forces a smile while idly looking at her nails.
Maggie shows no sign that she's noticed the chill from Sam and Lisa, nor does she show that she's noticed the fawning from Amy. You know her well enough to realize that she has been taking it all in, but has just chosen to ignore their reactions until it served her purposes to do so.
"Thank you all so much," Maggie says, with a smile far more genuine than Lisa's. You think that if she does leave the military, she'd make a pretty good actress. She had the skill for it, and also the looks. "You've made me feel so at home."
"Not as much as Max..." Sam mutters quietly, although if anyone other than you heard the remark, they don't show it. There is a bit of a pause though before anyone else speaks.
"Well, since we are going to have company over for a bit, we should probably think about what we've going to have for dinner," your mother muses aloud, breaking the silence before it can get awkward. "I'm full now from lunch, but I know from experience that my kids are going to be starving when dinnertime rolls around."
"I'm no different," Maggie admits. "I'll be more than ready for some food later on."
You hear Sam muttering something about some people working up an appetite, although she's even quieter now than the last time she spoke, looking just a touch sullen. She knows better than to push her luck with your mom, though, especially with guests over.
"But please don't go to any big trouble because of me," Maggie continues. "I don't want to be a bother."
"Oh, it's no bother whatsoever," your mother says quickly, perhaps to get something in before Sam can mutter anything. "Cooking big meals is a pretty big occurrence around here." She smiles at Maggie. "Although the cupboard is a little bare right now. I should go out and get some groceries. I could also use some help with cooking, if you feel like helping."
Maggie smiles back, looking relieved. "I'd love to help with both. I've heard good things about your cooking from Max, and I've gotten plenty of cooking experience myself."
"I'll go too!" Amy says excitedly. She looks at you briefly. "I can help carry groceries and stuff, while Max stays here and does guy stuff."
"I'll stay here," Sam says glumly. "I've got some working out to do, especially with all this food." She gets up and briskly heads downstairs.
Lisa watches Sam go, then looks at Maggie and you. "It looks like we've already got enough people handling the shopping. Besides, grocery shopping is the only type of shopping I don't really care for. I'll just stay here, and stay out of the way."
"Well, it's settled then." Your mom gets to her feet carefully, although fairly gracefully for someone as far along in her pregnancy as she is. She glances at the clock. "Should we just go now, so we can take our time with the shopping and the cooking?"
Maggie stands up as well, followed quickly by Amy, who tentatively edges a little closer to Maggie while trying a little too hard to look like she's not trying to edge a little closer to Maggie. Maggie is doing a far better job of pretending not to notice, although you see a hint of her mysterious smile return to her face for just a split second.
"I just need to visit the little girl's room before we go," your mom says, and heads towards the hallway that leads to the main floor bathroom.
"I'll, um, just go and grab my stuff." Amy reluctantly leaves Maggie's vicinity and bounds up the stairs.
"I should go and get some things too then," Maggie says. She turns towards the stairs, but Lisa gets to her feet quickly.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd just like to talk to you for a second, Maggie," Lisa says, a little too sweetly. "If Max doesn't mind, that is." She looks at you.
Maggie looks at you as well. "I'm sure he's okay with it." She gives you a quick wink, out of view of Lisa. "Max, be a dear and go grab my boots and purse for me, please."
With the way Lisa has been acting, you're a little scared to leave Maggie and Lisa alone. You sense that there's a strong possibility that it could end with Maggie causing physical harm to Lisa. Sam could probably hold her own against Maggie, but Lisa's body was built more along the lines of "Make love, not war". Still, Maggie had given you that wink. And she did have the plan she was following, which as far as you knew was dedicated to you sleeping with your sisters, and not burying them.
You shrug. "Sure, Maggie. I'll be right back." You start heading up the stairs.
Then you pause, right when you get to the landing at the halfway point. You could wait her, just out of sight, and eavesdrop on their conversation, just as you and Maggie listened in on your family earlier. Was that what she wanted you to do? She had given you the wink. Or was that what she didn't want you to do, and the wink was just to let you know it was okay to leave her there alone with Lisa?
Continue on your errand for Maggie, or listen to the conversation?
