Quail Eggs and Questions

"You always do this."

Mr and Mrs Flint had wanted Caleb and Camila to spend the weekend with them, and considering that neither twin had been able to stay at the family estate for Christmas due to the demands of their respective careers, neither found much room for argument or excuse. And so they took to their old rooms, freshly tidied and laundered by the small horde of house elves that managed the estate. It was Sunday, the last day either sibling could stay, and their parents had decided to make the morning interesting with a brunch. Unfortunately, the Rookwoods were busy, the Krums scattered to the winds, the Avery's occupied, and the Zabinis in school. The Flints did not often stoop to the company of the Nortons, but Gavin Norton had recently made a very public donation to the Ministry, and Marcus decided he could make a good enough ambassador and would thank the man with a brunch.

In truth, the Nortons were getting more grace these days than they had when Elsie had been growing up in the pureblood scene. True purebloods were in short supply, and the amount of blood traitors were beginning to overtake the population. A family who had money and could appreciate maintaining a more sophisticated way of life would have to do.

As it turned out, Natasha Norton had agreed before Gavin surprised her with a cruise to Morocco. So the Nortons would not be arriving a family, but Elsie and Ben would be sent in their place.

Marcus and Victoria could not decide whether or not to pull out all of the stops to further impress their superiority over the Nortons, or if they should do the bare minimum of civility as a reminder that they still had to earn their place. However, Benjamin Norton had rightfully earned the respect of the community, and Elsie had indeed grown into a beautiful young woman. So champagne was ordered, a sophisticated menu arranged, and the dress code decided.

Camila Flint was, of course, wearing yoga pants and her reading glasses, with only twenty minutes before the supposed arrival of their guests.

"If I always do this, why do you continue to be surprised?" Camila asked, the light from her laptop reflecting off of her glasses.

Caleb let out a sigh as he stepped further into her room, throwing himself into a comfortable armchair, over which her dress had been draped. "I don't know," he said, massaging his face between his thumb and middle finger. "I just don't understand why you insist upon defying every cliche that women take forever to get ready?"

She didn't have to look at him to ensure he knew the smirk was for him. "That's not enough of a reason?"

"No," he shot back, his voice revealing his amusement despite the heavy dose of exasperation he applied for her sake.

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Maybe I just like the drama." Another clack on the keyboard and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze for a second, before cracking her face into an impish grin. "Done." She closed the laptop and stretched out her arms, cracking her fingers before lifting off of the bed. As she passed him on her way to the walk-in, he held up the dress and she took it from his fingers. The curtain was drawn and he let out a groan of boredom, his head drooping over the top of the chair.

"Why are you so antsy? You don't even like the Nortons," Camila called from within the walk in.

The accusation caused Caleb to frown and lift his head. "I like the Nortons."

"You said Gavin's insufferable and that Natasha's a phoney."

"Well, yes, that's true, but you can hardly blame the children for the sins of the parents, all that, yada, yada." He stretched. "Besides, Elsie's entertaining. She makes me laugh."

"Pretty, too."

He tsk-ed, shaking his head as a grin stretched across his face. "What would mother say?"

"Set your sights higher," came Camila's bored, almost disapproving voice. "She'd only mind that I was complimenting a halfblood."

There was an ever-growing smirk on Caleb's face, one he had to fight off so none of his his amusement crept into his voice, ruining his trick. "However, I can't stand Ben. Now that's a boring man."

"What?" came Camila's voice, and he could tell she had stopped the process of getting ready to ask.

"Oh, sure. He's one of those fellows, all appearance, no substance. Not a clever bone in his body. I'm exhausted just thinking about how long it takes him to piece together two interesting thoughts-"

Camila stepped out of the walk-in, dress and earrings in hand, her eyes narrowed. "You're joking?" It wasn't often that he managed to play her as the fool, but she realized the second she said it that he was. The grin unrolled on his face, and the tension dropped from her stance as her eyes flicked skyward. She turned on her heel and went back into the walk-in, but he could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "You're not half as clever as you think you are."

"Yeah, well, my ego's horribly inflated, so I'm probably still pretty clever."

The twins stepping into the family courtyard, and managed to keep straight, pleasant faces despite their shared exasperation for the effort. A silk-laden table had been erected, with comfortable chairs all around. A warming spell was obviously keeping the air warm, and the spot had been chosen as it overlooked the most picturesque acre on the entire property, a rolling, green knoll that disappeared into an orchard. Fresh fruit was covered and champagne waited in an ice bucket.

Victoria was not far behind them, and both reached for their mother to deliver kisses upon her cheek, as she informed them that they'd be having quail eggs, salad with salmon, strawberry tarts- Caleb quickly realized they were about to be subjected to the entire menu and interjected, asking after their father.

"He's finishing a letter in his study," she said. "Oh, and Camila, Phaedra Rosier is coming. That was a very considerate thought - oh, your father wanted me to pick out a tie for him."

She was off and Camila was pouring a glass of champagne, ignoring Caleb's shrewd gaze up until she took a drink, finally giving him a look of false innocence. "What?"

"Phaedra Rosier," he repeated.

"Mm," she said, lowering the glass from her lips. "She's in town. Did you know?"

"I did," he said. "I didn't know you asked our mother to invite her."

"I thought it'd be nice to catch up," she said, lifting the glass once more. She paused however and shook her head. "Really, brother, you should be passed surprised by now. It's embarrassing, really."

She had paid him back for the Ben comments, and he knew it. He rolled his eyes and reached out to pour himself a glass of champagne.