[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.]
[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'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.]
[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.
[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.]
[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.]
[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.
[He'll tell her eventually, it's something pretty important to Noel's life. But right now that's a soft no. They just "got together" and are about to share a meal together. Why bog it down with, "We were the last humans alive in the world in that village so yeah I was good at it but they're all dead now." It's not exactly pleasant dinner talk. So he's silently glad she doesn't press.
Her hand on his is a silent comfort too. He gives her a gentle smile as if promising he'll tell her more someday soon.]
Ready. [It's not long before someone comes along to take their orders. Once that's done he does continue on the topic of hunting. There's an obvious enjoyment there for Noel to talk about that.]
I love hunting, I could teach you the smallest of tricks to even catch a rat. Or how to spear a fish through in the water.
Well, I'm not so bad at hunting myself, but big game? Not something I've a lot of experience with. Just monsters. Rats though...well, I am an orphan. I've caught a rat or two.
[May as well get that out of the way. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise though, she's not exactly mentioned parents or family much.]
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mincingminuet) wrote1998-05-06 11:36 pm
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Not at all, I just got here.
[A lie but hey whatever.]
You look nice today.
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Thanks. So do you.
[She makes things so natural. Noel likes that about her.]
Let's grab a table, then.
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Absolutely.
[Though she'll give him a moment to recover...]
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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.]
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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.]
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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.]
no subject
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.
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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.
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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?
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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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
[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.
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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?
no subject
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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Her hand on his is a silent comfort too. He gives her a gentle smile as if promising he'll tell her more someday soon.]
Ready. [It's not long before someone comes along to take their orders. Once that's done he does continue on the topic of hunting. There's an obvious enjoyment there for Noel to talk about that.]
I love hunting, I could teach you the smallest of tricks to even catch a rat. Or how to spear a fish through in the water.
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Well, I'm not so bad at hunting myself, but big game? Not something I've a lot of experience with. Just monsters. Rats though...well, I am an orphan. I've caught a rat or two.
[May as well get that out of the way. It shouldn't be too much of a surprise though, she's not exactly mentioned parents or family much.]
no subject
Then I'll have to show you how to hunt down a deer or something just as big. If you're interested in learning. And deer tastes a lot better than rat.
[He chuckles softly.]