Tuesday Night at Nell's

[mylandmyrules]

Nell might just have hung some fairy lights around the kitchen and living room. Just because. Ignis wouldn't see them and Lana and the Detective, should they attend, wouldn't think anything of it, but Gladio would know.

She'd gone with finger foods for tonight, some sandwiches and a few hand pies both savory and sweet. Ice cream was also on the menu because the heat called for it. Otherwise it was mostly the usual fare. Which meant she had a little extra time to curl up in a chair with the kittens and read for a bit before people arrived.

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[pocketpretzels]

And at roughly the regular time, there was a Watts, with cinnamon rolls on hand, though these were drizzled with honey instead of the usual frosting.

“Good evening, Ms. Ingram.”

[mylandmyrules]

"Ooh," Nell said. "You used honey today! That looks wonderful!" She rescued his hat from wherever he'd abandoned it today and put it on its peg. "It's good to see you, Detective. How have you been?"

[pocketpretzels]

“In honour of the holiday this weekend,” Watts told her. “I’m- quite well. How have you been?”

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, is that the one with honey and apples?" Nell asked."I think that happened right after I came back last year. And I'm doing very well. I'm quite happy."

[pocketpretzels]

“The very same,” Watts said. “For a sweet new year. It sounds like things with you and Mr. Amicitia are going along nicely then. That’s good to hear.”

At least, given radio and other gossip, that was his guess for why she was quite happy.

[mylandmyrules]

"They are," Nell confirmed. "Very nicely. Not something I'd ever expected or thought to experience outside of a book, but here we are."

[pocketpretzels]

“I understand that feeling,” Watts told her solemnly.

(Though the kinds of books that featured the sort of romance he’d sometimes let himself imagine were… not widely published in his time by any means.)

[mylandmyrules]

"It's rather amazing, isn't it?" Nell said. "Who would have thought we'd end up so far from home and so happy."

[pocketpretzels]

“All it took was a little trip through time and the second universe to the right,” Watts said in agreement.

[sword_chocobro]

Oh, Gladio definitelt knew and was going to appreciate the hell out of the additional lighting strewn around the place. Because, of course, he was there, with Ignis in tow and beverages requested to satisfy a certain pear kick that his roommate had apparently found himself on.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell was definitely going to steal a kiss when the Detective was otherwise occupied and perhaps gesture to the Cup Noodle constellation that she'd recreated up here.

"Oh, pear and elderflower! That sounds wonderful! I bet they'd go well together in a tea also!"

[sword_chocobro]

Steal a kiss? Oh, no, there was not going to be anything so stealthy on Gladio's side of things. Still nothing too ostentatious, but when Nell moved in close, his hand was lightly moving around to her back and he was leaning in to meet her. He'd been looking forward to this kiss all day, and he was going to make it count.

"Guess we'll have to give it a try," he then said. "And I don't know if you noticed, but it looks like your sky has been leaking."

[mylandmyrules]

It was a good kiss. So good that she needed another befoer she pulled back.

"My sky is leaking? What do you mean?" She glanced over at the fairy lights.

[sword_chocobro]

"'Cause all those stars were only in the back room the other night," Gladio pointed out with a smirk, "and now look at 'em. You got 'em everywhere."

He threw in a wink.

"Looks good, though."

[mylandmyrules]

She laughed and gave him a nudge. "Leave it to the sky to leak upwards!"

[sword_chocobro]

"Before you know it," said Gladio, grinning proudly in particular at that laugh as he ndged her gently right back, "this whole place'll be covered with 'em."

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh boy," Nell said with another laugh. "Gonna have the constellations hanging over my bed before you know it."

[chef_chocobro]

Look, the aforementioned pear kick was just a distraction and a holdover until tomorrow, when he could focus on the food he really wanted to, but...yes. Pear kick. And, for the evening at Nell's, that would mean a gingerbread pear tart for everyone to enjoy.

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh Iggy! That smells amazing," Nell said. "I can't wait to try it. How are you doing today?"

[chef_chocobro]

"Luckily," said Ignis coolly, but with a faint smile, as he held the container out for her to take, "you don't have to wait at all. And I know you usually have excellent ice cream on hand; I imagine it will compliment the tart quite nicely.

"And I'm well," he added, as if that information was far less important when there was matters of food to be discussed, "thank you. And I trust you can say quite the same?"

[mylandmyrules]

She took the container and moved towards the kitchen. "Oh, I do, yes. I think the plain vanilla would be perfect with this. It would add a creaminess, but not overwhelm the pear or gingerbread."

Nell couldn't help but blush a little. "Yes. I'm very well. And beyond well. I never imagined that I could be this happy."

[chef_chocobro]

"Well," said Ignis, following Nell easily toward the kitchen, more out of familiarity and an assumption that she would be heading that way than anything else, "it certainly is well-deserved. And I promise I'm not just saying that because I have a favor to ask of you."

[mylandmyrules]

"A favor?" Nell said curiously. "OF course. What can I help you with?"

[chef_chocobro]

"Gladio's mentioned that some of your bees have been producing some honey now," Ignis noted. "I was wondering if you might be able to spare a little for me to use. I shouldn't need much, just a little for a salad I'm making tomorrow."

[mylandmyrules]

"Of course," Nell said. "I'd be happy to give you some. Just remind me before you leave and I'll give you one of my containers."