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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 12:53:06 GMT -6
He was nervous for some reason but didn't know why. It wasn't like this was anything too terribly special, right? Really, he was just giving an animal to a friend, that was all it was, but he was still nervous. Obsidion chewed on his thumb nail for a few moments and eyed the living room of the house he was staying in, it looked nice, but he wished he could do something more for this whole thing. He had cooked, nice thick steaks cooked perfectly (or at least he thought so), and seasoned well, if he said so himself. Along with some salads for each of them, as well as rice and steamed broccoli with salt and butter, it would go well. He hoped. This was something he knew she would like though, the main surprise not just the dinner.
Again, hope.
Obsidion groaned and put his head on the table as he waited for her to get there, he didn't know when she would be home and this was driving him crazy. Watch her probably be late getting home tonight, he thought to himself as he rested there, eyes peering under the table at the doorway just in case.
In another room, something stirred...
[Obsidion: 1/5]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 13:05:02 GMT -6
As far as Nadia was concerned, it was a regular day. She was only making her way back to the house because she was hungry - feeding her veritable hoard of beasts had a way of forcing her to reflect on her own eating habits. As such, she wasn't dressed for a surprise in any way. A messy bun and stained jodhpurs from riding. Obsidion had seen her in that state multiple times at that point, so it mattered little to her.
When she opened the door, though... she could smell something delicious. Her stomach made an excitable little growl; she cupped it, embarrassed, and hoped that no one was around to hear it. But... then where would that scent be coming from? She crept forwards and closed the door behind her with a click.
"Obsidion? Are you at home?" There was no other reasonable explanation, but it didn't hurt to be sure.
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 13:14:50 GMT -6
To be honest, he'd only closed his eyes for a moment or two and then the door was closing somehow, he didn't know what had happened, but he heard her voice and his name and he popped up from the table, whacking his knee on the underside of it and swearing under his breath as he rubbed it to try and get the pain to go down. Smiling sheepishly, he waved his arm at the table and managed a quick, "Uh... surprise?"
Very good, very smooth, he would kick himself for this later, but hey, he wasn't the best at this kind of thing, even though he had the feeling he should be good at this. "I uh, hope you're hungry. I made steak! And if you don't like steak, well, I don't have a backup," Obsidion finished a little guiltily. Sure he should have thought of something else, just in case, but that wasn't the main part of this whole thing. This was just the first part of a good surprise.
Again, hope.
[Obsidion: 2/5]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 13:46:29 GMT -6
Nadia was... definitely surprised. Was this not the man who couldn't cook a pancake without burning it a matter of weeks ago? She stood for a moment, simply observing the spread, one hand still on her tummy as if it would suppress the rumbles. No such luck - before she could get any words out, it groaned in protest again.
"I... my goodness, this looks delicious," She said, trying to cover up her embarrassment regarding her hunger. "But I am hardly dressed for dinner. I could go to change, or--"
It would have been vastly inappropriate for her to sit to eat in such untidy clothes, back at home. Wait-- this was her home. Why was she waiting on her guest's approval? It was his surprise for her, but surely he wouldn't be interested in such stringent rules.
"Or... we could sit immediately. It is just you and me, after all."
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 13:52:05 GMT -6
The fact that she was willing to sit and eat immediately surprised him, usually she would go off and get ready or something first, but this was... quite different.
And he thought he liked it.
A grin split his face and he nodded eagerly, "Whichever you'd like, Nadia!" He motioned to the chair he'd set up for her and went to get the food from a warmer he'd borrowed, legitimately this time, and then set the places with the food. Truthfully he'd been practicing for quite some time to make this meal, he wanted to show he could be taught, though there were several things he still needed to work on, writing and reading were a couple of them, but for now, focused on cooking, his skill had drastically improved.
Obsidion shifted his weight from foot to foot, waiting for her to decide what to do so he could then sit down, he was at least trying to learn about her culture and be a gentleman, he'd only run into her room before she'd woken up once since the last incident with the Inkrum after all!
Soft rustling could be heard in another room, and his eyes shifted in that direction for a moment before switching back over to Nadia expectantly.
[Obsidion: 3/5]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 18:16:50 GMT -6
The sound of rustling didn't register with her. Nadia was accustomed to hearing creatures around the house, especially Boo, and thus automatically paid little attention to that kind of noise. He'd probably gotten into her jacket or something. She hesitated a moment longer, undecided about whether she should change... but her stomach gave one more groan of hunger, and she hastily took her seat.
"I am very grateful for this, Obdision. Thank you," She said, with a genuine, contented smile. It had been a long time indeed since she had eaten another person's cooking, and longer still since someone had cooked specifically for her. "I can hardly stand to wait."
Still, she managed, until her housemate was also seated and ready. Only then would she begin to cut into her steak. A bitesized chunk - cooked perfectly! - that she could pop into her mouth. Delicious...! What a distance they'd come from burnt pancakes.
"This is wonderful."
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 18:29:22 GMT -6
Smiling, he sat down after she did and started to eat as well, pleased that things were going so well. Hopefully... well... "How'd your day go anyway? Anything exciting?" he tried to make small talk, but he was itching to get to the point with all of this. Glancing down the hallway, he saw a little head peer around the corner before he motioned it back again. Frowning, it pulled back a little and then he frowned a little at the same time. Well... no time like the preset, maybe. "Hey so um..." Obsidion started and out burst a little puppy from the corner, barking and skidding to a stop next to Nadia's chair. There was a big red bow in each of her ears and an adorable little look on her face. She was ready to be seen, Obsidion wouldn't keep her down anymore! Though she was pretty sweet too it seemed, and she pawed at the woman's leg for a moment, ready to see her again. "Um, this is Mabel..." he started with. [Obsidion: 4/5]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 18:52:32 GMT -6
Nadia appreciated the effort Obsidion was making. It was clear that he wasn't sure how to manage the situation, but he was doing his best, and that was charming. After a mouthful of rice, she gave a small smile.
"Yes, quite good. I'm hoping to accustom Guppy to taking a rider soon. He is a darling," She began, getting lost in her own narrative. Her fork waved back and forth in her hand as she spoke. "I am glad I was able to take him in--"
Was that a bark? It wouldn't be so strange - she had quite a few young houluh around the place - but they were usually sleeping, and... wait. When she turned in her chair to look, she could hardly believe it.
"Mabel?" Just so! There was no mistaking those striking markings. "I... I had to send her back. Why is she here? Did she come loose?"
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 19:03:06 GMT -6
Scrambling back, the chair fell over behind him and he reached out to pick her up from the floor where she was whining and pawing at Nadia's leg. "Nono! Not loose, I uh... adopted her. For you! I trained her too, you wanna see?" Obsidion asked anxiously as Mabel yipped at him angrily. "Yes, yes, I know, but you have to let her answer," he attempted a conversation with the Houluh as well as with Nadia.
He wasn't sure how Nadia would take this at the same time. Maybe she wouldn't really want the puppy this time? Well, he would keep her then, if that was the case, but he held her out to Nadia, with her tail going about a mile a minute as she reached out with her front paws and tried to lick the woman at the same time. She was so excited to see her again she just couldn't stand it! The man smirked a little, well, this was going well from this end at least...
[Obsidion: 5/5 +1]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 19:09:01 GMT -6
Nadia was stunned into silence. Adopted? Trained? For her? Even after she had failed to give the pup the attention that she needed, Obsidion had done such a kind thing? Her hands shook as she reached out to take Mabel from him, immediately cradling her close to her chest. It couldn't be real.
"I... I don't know what to say..." Her voice cracked. A wave of emotion washed over her; she buried her face into the houluh's fur to hide the inevitable tears, but couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking. "Thank you so much..."
It was overwhelming. Where could she even begin, repaying him for this? It had been heartbreaking to let Mabel ago; she had wanted desperately to be able to keep up with the demands of the adoption, but the timing had been wrong. Giving her back was a shameful moment for her. She'd never expected to be able to hold her again.
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 20, 2020 19:32:06 GMT -6
A grin split across his face and he let her take the puppy into her arms. Honestly her reaction was the best thing she could give him, and he patted the puppy on her head before leaning back a little, leaning against the counter. "I'm glad you're happy," he told her with a smile, looking her over. What else could he really do about this at the moment anyway? Obsidion looked around and wished the other Houluh were awake and all that so they could see. She wasn't related to Gelert or Hael, which was awesome, new blood in a Kennel was the best thing.
Without a doubt, he was pleased with everything that had happened so far. "I uh, just wanted to say thanks for letting me stay here. I don't know what else to do for you really, so... here you go," he offered, crossing his arms over his chest with a little smirk on his face.
[Obsidion: 1/5]
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Post by Nadia on Aug 20, 2020 19:55:17 GMT -6
Nadia needed a few moments to compose herself. She could feel Mabel's fur getting damp with her tears; she pulled the puppy away from her a little, and the dear thing leaned in to lick her face, with a soft whimper.
"No, no, I'm quite alright!" To prove it, she petted Mabel's head, tweaking the cute red bows on her ears. They suited her... perhaps she'd keep them like that. "I am just happy, darling. Very happy to have you back. I'm so sorry I had to send you away."
Settling Mabel in her lap, she dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, trying to cover up the evidence of her crying. It would make her eyes puffy and her nose run.
"There was really no need, Obsidion. I am happy to help you," She said, but stood up and made her way over to him nonetheless. To show her gratitude, she leaned up on her tiptoes, and pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek. "But I am touched by your kindness. Thank you."
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Post by Obsidion on Aug 21, 2020 16:58:22 GMT -6
His eyes widened a little at the kiss. Well that was new, she never initiated anything like that and he kinda liked it. With a grin, he reached out to hug her for a moment, poor Mabel would be caught between them if he succeeded, and then pulled away again. "Hey no problem," Obsidion said with a bit of a smirk, reaching out to ruffle her hair a little, "You've been a little mopey since you had to return her anyway, so... I figured I'd be nice." A wink followed and he motioned to the food again, "Still want to eat?"
At least she seemed to really appreciate what he had done, all that work wasn't for naught. He certainly would have kept Mabel if Nadia'd had her reasons to return her aside from running out of time, but that didn't seem to be the case. Happily he crossed his arms over his chest again and wondered what else he could do for her in the future.
[Obsidion: 2/5]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 21, 2020 14:10:32 GMT -6
Nadia leaned into the hug. She never realised how nice it was to feel that physical affection until it happened; she typically preferred not to allow people close enough to manage it, but as time passed, her comfort zone was expanding. Mabel wriggled between their two bodies with a curious grunt. Puppies didn't understand these things!
"Forgive me. I have been feeling things... rather intensely, lately," She confessed as she stepped away, cradling the houluh in her arms. "Please, let us eat. I wouldn't want your efforts to go to waste, my friend."
Mabel was plopped onto Nadia's lap once she'd reseated herself at the table, and her curious snout was already leaning over towards her plate. The woman had to coax it away to be able to eat her own dinner. She wouldn't have swapped it for the world, though - she was elated to have her puppy back, and would allow her to get away with anything.
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