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[ Betty is painfully aware of what he's going through, she'd gone through it twice. But she had the knowledge that when she went home, Jughead would be waiting for her. And while technically Nick was in the next town over... that didn't mean they were from the same... verse. And she knew first hand, you don't remember this place when you leave it.

She gets them into the apartment and moves to squat down to let Moose off his leash so he can explore the apartment as he pleases. She's already put out two bowls to serve as his water and food dish, the former is full of water.] The second bedroom is yours to have and use however you want. [ Meaning, he can redecorate or move things around if he wants.

At his question, she lets out a laugh and nods.] A drink would be great. [ She waves her hand towards the little bar cart she has.] I'm going to check on the pizzas, they should be close to done.

Edited 2021-03-14 21:50 (UTC)

Cool, thanks. I'll take a look in a second.

[ That's exactly why the loss of Nick hits so different than losing Veronica or Archie had-- never mind the fact he loved and was dating Nick, obviously, but even if he'd had that sort of relationship with either of them here, he'd still see them at home again eventually.

Nick, on the other hand, he might never see again, and even if he does, it certainly isn't likely to mean anything to either of them-- both of them knew what happened in Duplicity would stay in Duplicity.

Then again, it's not like they'd know to mourn it, either.

Moose skitters off, nails clicking along the floors as he explores giddily, while Reggie unzips his duffel and pulls out a nearly full bottle of rum and a half-full bottle of tequila. ]

You got any mixers, by the way?

Yeah, check the fridge, I've got some orange juice, a can or two of soda, and some lemonade. Glasses are above the sink. [ She moves to open the oven to look at the pizzas, deciding they can come out now, so she goes about doing that.]

Sweet, that's perfect.

[ Two screwdrivers coming right up, maybe followed by rum and coke later on... the point is, there's options. Reggie sets about mixing the drinks while Betty readies the pizzas, feeling blissfully comfortable in that busy, distracted silence. It won't last, it rarely does, but that's what the drinks are for. ]

What kind of pizza is it?

One's just a regular margherita pizza with some pepperoni and the other is a white pizza with chicken and veggies.

[ She pulls both out of the oven carefully before she moves around him to grab the pizza cutter and some plates to serve them up on.]

Sorry that I don't have more ready. [ She wasn't expecting company but she offers him the pizza cutter and a plate to let him do the honors of getting his pieces first.]

Hey, it's cool. I'll eat pretty much anything.

[ And it's true. He puts the juice away, moves the bottle aside, and then cuts into the pizzas, helping himself to a couple slices from each. Once his plate is loaded up he hands Betty her drink. ]

Cheers?

Cheers-- [ she says as she takes the offered drink, lifting it in a toast, still leaning against the counter as he serves himself.]

I'm glad you're here. [ She takes a sip of her drink and moves to serve herself before she moves towards the sofa to sit, to show him that she's cool with doing that and not eating at the table which feels far too formal for this moment.]

[ He clinks his glass against hers and then follows her to the couch, sitting next to her-- not too close, but not far either, a respectable, neutral distance for the moment. ]

Yeah, I can definitely think of worse places.

[ He bites into his pizza, chewing, swallowing, then taking a generous gulp of his drink. The sooner he starts to feel drunk, the better. ]

And honestly, I always thought that church was kinda creepy anyway.

[ She laughs at his admission, nodding as she takes her own sip. ] Not that I spent a lot of time there, but honestly? Me too. [ She takes another sip before she digs into her pizza too, chewing for a second.]

Nick didn't really talk to me after I got back this second time, so we weren't really close anymore. So I only ever went there that one time you invited me. [ She always wondered if it was because of her closer friendship with Reggie or if it was because Jughead wasn't here for him to antagonize.

She realizes both are unkind thoughts and she tries to shed them.] But I think about moving out of here sometimes.

[ Reggie chews in thoughtful silence, thinking about what to say. It isn't something he and Nick would have talked about, so he can really only speculate, and his speculations about Nick's intentions are only sometimes accurate.

He takes another sip from his glass, shrugging after a moment. ]

I dunno. He's had some stuff goin' on. [ It's almost casual, between bites. ] We even broke up for a while after he went home and came back again, I don't remember if I ever told you.

[ Reggie and Nick have broken up more than once, after all, and really, it's not the kind of thing he'd go out of his way to tell people about every single time.

He takes another bite of pizza. Chews slowly, swallows. ]

Move where?

[ Reggie is not Nick's keeper and she knows that Reggie can't answer for Nick's choices, she isn't upset that he doesn't have clear answers. She could have asked Nick herself... ]

He told me, actually. [ She got the impression Nick wanted her to look after Reggie.

Shrugging at his question.] To a place not so obviously owned by the city but I'm not sure yet. I resisted leaving because I was waiting for... I thought I'd wait for Jughead to shop again so we could pick a place together again but... [ Jughead never showed up. And the thought has her taking another longer swig.]

Oh.

[ Well, he doesn't know what to say to that, or how much Nick told her, so he starts by just drinking again. He doesn't love the fact that she knows about that, getting dumped is humiliating after all, but there's nothing really to be done about it now.

He finishes slice #1 of his pizza, starts on another, but after a bit longer he finally adds: ]

Better to just get outta here, I think. I mean, you can always move again later. [ That's why Reggie has no problem moving out of his and Nick's place; if Nick came back, it'd be different. ] And sometimes a change of scenery doesn't hurt.

[ Nick had reached out to see if Reggie could stay at her place, he didn't give many details and Betty, despite her investigative spirit and obsessions, didn't press the issue. Despite what it looks like back home, she did know her limits.]

Yeah. I guess... I just got caught up in trying to distract myself and then find a submissive. I guess this is the next step.

Yeah, I get that.

[ Ish. Reggie hasn't had to find a new Dominant since... well, ever, as long as he's been in Duplicity. He sips his drink again. ]

Now you can, though-- like, if you wanted to. [ They won't be living together long (probably?), so it makes no difference to him. ] But it's not like this place isn't nice too. If it ain't broke, you know?

Yeah, I guess I just didn't feel like trying to settle here again. [ Not after last time, after everything seemed to fall apart once she tried. Still, he's not wrong and she nods, taking a bite of pizza.]

But I'm thinking about it.

What kinda place would you want?

[ He thinks idly about what kind of place he'd get, if he somehow had the option -- if he'd been a Dominant, or if Nick had included him more in the decision to move into the church -- but it's hard to know what he'd want without knowing the particulars, without knowing who he'd be living with, what their needs would be, what real houses in Duplicity even look like. ]

Something with a pool.

Something small and cozy, I guess.

[ Something like the place she'd had with Jughead, filled with blankets and books and warmth.]

This place has a pool, a heated one.

[ He nods, finishing off his drink in a couple more sips. It's not what Reggie would have said, but as a Betty answer, that doesn't surprise him. ]

Go big or go home, if you ask me. [ Not that they can, but. He shrugs, grinning a little at the pool revelation. ] Yeah? What else does it have?

I work at a bar... [ She reminds him with a laugh, that meant that going big wasn't exactly something she could do. Especially because she'd like to be able to support her submissive too.]

Room service at all hours. Jacuzzi tubs. A huge terrace.

[ Well, fair enough. Having worked in bars, Reggie even knows about how much that pays, so he won't argue the point.

He gets up to get a couple beers out of the fridge, bumping his eyebrows up at her on his way back to the couch. ]

Jacuzzi, huh? Sweet deal. [ He opens the bottle, letting it hiss before taking a swig. ] We should go.

[It's not that she doesn't have funds, she does. Bellamy pays her probably more than he should and she gets good tips. Not to mention, she's frugal.

At his suggestion, she laughs.]

Do you mean go now?

Sure, why not?

[ Reggie takes another swig of beer, another couple bites of pizza. ]

I mean, maybe after we finish eating, but...

[ She considers for a brief moment, as she chews her bite of pizza, before she laughs. If he's looking for a distraction, she happy to provide him with one in the form of a hot tub. ]

Okay. Let's do it.

[ With a grin, Reggie finishes off the last of his slice in a couple more particularly large bites, chewing it down quickly and then washing it down with beer. There's no specific reason for him to be this excited over just a jacuzzi, no, but now that Betty's mentioned it it feels like forever since Reggie's actually been in one.

He finishes his beer, too, wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand and then using it to gesture dramatically outward. ]

After you then, Cooper. Lead the way.

[ She follows suit, of course, moving to finish her drink and a slice of pizza before she moves to stand, offering to take his plate so she can take it to the kitchen.

Though here is the moment of truth, in a manner of speaking. ]

Do you want to change or...?

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