mincingminuet | Empatheias Inbox

Well, on Ivalice there's really...being together like that. Or married.

I've gathered that people do other things here, and on other worlds.

[Well that's straightforward. Kind of skips everything in between, he guesses. He's a little amused.]

So that's what we are then. Together. I've picked you and you've picked me?

[It sounds a little silly but at the same time he likes it.]

[Her little mental image nods cheerfully.]

Mmhmm! That's right! Assuming you're okay with that. I don't know how it goes in your world

[Hers is just a little more antiquated in a lot of ways.]

[He laughs softly and then smiles.]

I'm more than okay with it, Penelo. Usually there's some dating and getting to know each other more in between, but I suppose that'll all come together anyway. If you're happy, I'm happy.

Well, it's not like we don't have chances to get to know one another. I mean, I know enough to know I like you. That's good for me.

[This isn't a marriage proposal. It's just...you know. A thing.]

Why don't we have dinner tonight? That way we can talk more, and not just in each other's heads.

[A thing. A thing is good.]

That sounds great. I know a place if you like pub food. If you're still tired I can bring some over and we can eat there.

Pub food is just fine. Send me a mental map? I'll head there. in...let's say an hour? I need to shower.

[Showers are awesomeeeee.]

Alright.

[He sends the directions to The Library Pub. He's not quite sure why it's called that but the food and drink is great.]

I'll see you in about an hour then, Penelo.

[Without another word, Penelo gets herself dressed and ready, heading out the door in a nice dress in a Verensian style. She doesn't hurry, definitely not wanting to arrive sweaty in the summer heat, but she does get there at least a half hour early and waits outside. Trying not to seem nervous...]

[Noel arrives after her, on time as he likes being punctual. So he's a little surprised to see her waiting for him early.

He's not the greatest fan of male fashion in the city but he can't always wear his normal Gran-Pulse blue. He opts for baggy shorts and a simple black shirt but not without his usual necklaces and leather arm wraps. That's cultural note he's quite attached to.

Seeing her though, in that dress. Verensian dresses look very cute on her.]

Hey. Where you waiting long?

[It's good enough for her. She's quite pleased with his outfit, and slides down from her perch on the railing to dart over to him. Immediately she reaches for his hands, smiling warmly.]

Not at all, I just got here.

[A lie but hey whatever.]

You look nice today.

[When she takes his hands he smiles in return and gives them a light squeeze.]

Thanks. So do you.

[She makes things so natural. Noel likes that about her.]

Let's grab a table, then.

[Pen nods and lets him lead, but as the door's about to open, she pops up on tiptoe and kisses him on the cheek.]

Absolutely.

[Though she'll give him a moment to recover...]

[dfgkhdfgdf--- Penelo. You're... too cute. You're going to kill him.

Before she can get too far from him he bends and reaches to pull her chin back up towards him gently and kisses her lips in return.

For anyone around to see but who the hell cares.]

[Maybe she is, maybe she isn't, but she returns the kiss happily. Arms reaching around his neck so he can't pull away too fast, she takes her time and enjoys said kiss.]

There. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go inside.

[She may or may not have been waiting for that.]

[She's going to have him wrapped around her finger easily then. And he won't complain.]

I could get used to this.

[He smirks and then moves to take her hand in his again and inside they go.

It's a decently busy place. It's no From The Hearth but still popular. A cozy hole in the wall with mix matched tables and home cooked tasting pub food. And shelves and shelves of books, apparently.]

[Honestly that's sort of the aim. The more wrapped around her finger he is, the less likely he is to leave her. That's her thought, anyway.]

Mmm!

[Once inside, she follows him to a table, looking at the rows and rows of books. It's...pretty impressive.]

Much, much nicer than the Sandsea. But that's just a dive bar back home. It's cozy. I like it.

[And why would he ever do that? Noel is the least likely person to leave someone once he's fond of them. As they say, the most lonely people are the the most kind.]

I'm glad. I've only eaten here a few times, but figured everyone's been to From The Hearth a hundred times over I'd show you something not as well known.

[He slides into a seat.]

Get whatever you like.

[Call it abandonment issues ingrained so deeply they're almost a neurosis.]

Fair enough. I'll remember this place.

[She scoops up a menu and pours over it, only half paying attention in between sneaking glances at Noel and smiling. He's just...cute, and it's still hard to believe he likes her.]

Um. What are short ribs? Do you know?

[Noel isn't about to go gallivanting away with royalty and sky pirates without her, at least.

He's busy looking over what he wants to get that he almost doesn't notice the way she keep peeking up at him. When she asks, he smiles.]

It's the part of the cow cut from underneath near the ribs called the plate. If you like beef you'll like that. It's usually barbequed or braised.

[Noel knows an odd amount about this. All in the line of work of being a hunter for a small village. He's also sort of a butcher, too.]

[Well that's good. The least she can expect, and hope for, is a letter.]

Oohhhh, that sounds pretty good. I'll have those then. Just to try something new.

[Decent cuts of meat? This is blasphemy. This is madness. And she's glad she asked, mostly because now she's learned somethign about him, that he understands meat. And he can answer a question without making her feel like an idiot. That's important too.]

Noel. You said before you were a hunter. What exactly is it that you hunt? I never asked.

[Noel lets out a small puff of laughter. It's a little bit of a loaded question and a long story. Even just explaining what he hunts.]

Where should I start... I was raised in a small village where there wasn't a lot around. So we hunted pretty much whatever we could get our hands on. Deer, wild boar, birds, rabbits... Monsters, too. Wasn't often we could eat the monsters but they had to be killed or they'd attack the village.

[So, not just a hunter for food. For protection too. Had to pull all the punches.]

That's fair.

[Weirdly, she'd imagined a more civilized world, but villages and monsters makes her think of the wilds, like out where the Viera live.]

Sounds...like a pretty hazardous life. You must've had a hard upbringing.

[Harder than she'd initially thought, anyway.]

I also imagine you were pretty good at it.

[A hard upbringing... That makes Noel go a little quiet as he looks at her. Almost like he's memorizing the way her face looks. Her cute nose and her long eyelashes and the way she tilts her head sometimes. Noel almost forgets how easily people are torn away from him... So he... Just wants to appreciate how pretty she is for a second or two.

Then he looks back down at the menu.] Yeah, something like that. I had to be good at it.

[He's not really into dragging down the atmosphere with his shitty past right away or so he taps a finger on the menu.]

Steak and eggs for me. You won't judge me for getting breakfast food at this time of night, will you?

[Penelo can tell when something's off, but there's no good way to really bring it up without making a mess of things. So, she simply doesn't. She's good at that. It's just a box ticked in her head, 'don't talk about the past much' and that's perfectly fine with her. It wasn't like being a war orphan was all that easy, nor being a resistance fighter.

So, she does what she does best. She smiles at him and reaches out, putting her hand on his.]

Why would I judge you for that? I used to eat eggs every night. They're great.

[Smiling warmly, she sets down her menu.]

Ready to order, Noel?

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