Tuesday Night Baseball at Nell's

[mylandmyrules]

Nell had made and bought a variety of snack type goods for the evening. There were several types of beer cooling in the refrigerator and brownies baking in the oven. As usual her house was clean enough that you could practically have eaten off the floors.

Had she in an unusual fit of nervousness looked through her closet trying to figure out what one wore to watch a baseball game? Perhaps, but since she decided not to be silly and gone with what she'd already been wearing (and of course put everything else back neatly) no one would ever know for sure.

The kittens were up in one of their cat trees watching the preparations with interest - when they weren't dozing or tussling with each other.

Now all that was left was to wait for her guests to arrive.

Comments

[sword_chocobro]

"Iggy refused to let me leave the apartment empty handed," Gladio offered, by way of explanation, when he showed up knocking at the door with a dish of pastrami sliders.

Look. At least he'd been able to talk the guy out of insisting he bring a bottle of wine to a baseball night. Theirs was definitely a relationship built on compromise.

Well, and shared trauma, but that was beside the point.

[mylandmyrules]

"Hospitality and safety to you while you're here," Nell said with a warm smile, then was distracted by the smell of whatever dish Gladio was bringing in. "Oh, those, what are they? They smell wonderful!"

She led him up into the kitchen and showed him where he could set it down - among the chips and dips and various other snacks. "Thank you for coming. I'm very glad you're here."

[sword_chocobro]

The rote little greeting got a faint grin out of Gladio as he followed Nell in, especially with it being far less groggy and exhausted as the last time he'd heard it. "They're just little pastrami sliders," he said, before going to set them down amidst the spread. "Good game food. I'm sure he spent all day fussing over them.

"And thanks for inviting me," he added, with a small, grateful nod and a faint smile to go with it. "Glad to be here, too...need any help with anything?"

[mylandmyrules]

"You'll have to thank him for me. Perhaps he can join us another night. Steven said the Detective might be interested in joining as well. And I think Lana was interested." Her small gethering seemed to have the potential to grow much larger.

"I've never heard of pastrami before, but they do smell delicious," she said with a smile. "Hmmm... perhaps bring these extra napkins in and set them by each chair?"

[sword_chocobro]

"I think he'd like that," Gladio said with a nod. "He's kind of back on not really knowing what to do with himself much, now that the diner's out of commission for a while. It'll be good for him to get out a bit more."

Granted, he couldn't exactly watch the game, but these things weren't really about watching the game, anyway.

"And, apparently," he added, going to locate those extra napkins she mentioned and smirking just a little at the hard work it would entail, him carrying them over, but it was nice that she'd fielded him something to do, "Marc's gotten it at the diner a few times, so he figured that'd be a safe bet for what to bring."

[mylandmyrules]

"Well, then he'll definitely have to come," Nell said. "Any word on when the diner will be back up and running?"

She smiled as she watched him set the napkins out - hey, it was hard for her to let anyone do much of anything to help. If he caught her watching him she'd have an explanation - one that didn't actually explain any fluttery sorts of feelings that she might or not be having - but a real explanation.

"That was very thoughtful of him," Nell said. "I should have asked if there was something in particular that you liked beyond a type of drink - which ... we have several types of beers," which she rattled off, "or water or tea if you'd prefer. I could also make coffee."

[sword_chocobro]

Even if Gladio wasn't one to just naturally notice things, he'd have probably caught Nell watching him when he looked at her, all set to give her a reproachful sort of look since they'd pretty much already had the discussion that he didn't really need anything in particular.

Noticed it, felt a small tug of curiosity for the reason why, but not enough to mention or bring attention to it. Probably just judging his napkin placement but was too polite to say so, a thought that made him grin a little, probably not as much to himself as he thought it was.

"You know I'm good with whatever," he reassured her, "but a beer sounds like the thing, right, for a game night. If you don't mind."

[mylandmyrules]

He didn't need any kind of drink in particular! He might have a snack he liked! She could have gotten his Cup Noodles that the mun doesn't know how to make the trademark symbol for!

Maybe she blushed the tiniest bit when he looked at her and smiled that quiet little smile to himself. Though it was probably just anticipation of him telling her again that he didn't need anything special.

"Of course," Nell said, "Not a problem at all." She showed him the options and let him pick the one he liked best. "I'm sticking to water for now, but I'll probably have some tea later. Would you like to come in the living room and have a seat?"

[sword_chocobro]

It was fine! Nell wasn't contractually obligated to include the trademark!

'Liked best' was kind of generous, though, as Gladio didn't really have strong opinions or preferences when it came to nom-Cup Noodle^TM-branded or favorite-bartender-blended drinks, so he just sort of considered the options before plucking one out with a shrug.

"Sounds good," he said. "You can grill me on any burning last minute baseball questions you might have.

"And no word on the diner yet," he added, realizing belatedly that he hadn't really answered that yet. "Not that I know, anyway, but I hope it's sooner rather than later. It was pretty good for Igs, having something else to focus on that isn't his own kitchen.

"Not that I mind," he added, with a snort, and a swig from his drink. "I do kind of reap the benefits either way."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc was 100% that asshole who didn't think to bring something. Steven would have told him to if he'd been given the chance to point that out but Marc had not given Steven the chance.

So it was around the invited time that Marc had totally texted to confirm and ignore how the mun forgot to do that please and after Gladio got there that Marc came knocking.

[mylandmyrules]

"Marc!" Nell said with a smile. "Hospitality and safety to you. Thank you for coming. Gladio's here, so come on in and make yourself comfortable."

She led him into the kitchen which had snacks of aLl kinds on it and the smell of the baking brownies scenting the air.

"We'll be depending on you to tell us about the game if we get confused," she said cheerfully. "Or if I do at least."

[hasaknightjob]

"We'll stick to the basics," Marc said. "Which team to cheer for when other people cheer."

[mylandmyrules]

"That I can do," Nell said with a smile. "Please grab a beer and some snacks and make yourself comfortable."

[hasaknightjob]

That was easy enough. Marc figured Nell was going to go all out on the food so he'd saved his appetite for the most part. The sliders Gladio brought caught his interest especially since there'd been permission to mod some as not having dairy so Marc grabbed a couple of those first.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell got a plate with one of the sliders and some other nibbles and made her way into the living room. She didn't have a huge tv, but it was big enough. "I'm glad you're here," she said.

[hasaknightjob]

"It's a nice spread," Marc said, since she always did a good job with the food.

[mylandmyrules]

"Thank you," she said happily. "I'm in charge of the food and you're in charge of any baseball questions."

[hasaknightjob]

"Do my best," Marc said. Of course Steven was the one who was actually good at explaining things compared to Marc. But Steven knew fuck all about baseball. He liked cricket. As though that was a sport. "Day go okay?"

[sword_chocobro]

"Marc," Gladio gave him a nod, once he'd gotten a bit settled. "Long time, no see."

[hasaknightjob]

"Gladio, right?" Marc replied. Which did backfire on him as a joke if Gladio noticed that in general Marc couldn't be bothered with people's names.

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio shrugged magnanimously. "Close enough," he allowed.

Well, it was just a nickname, after all.

[hasaknightjob]

"Sliders your thing?" he asked. Nell had been thrown by the concept of delis so Marc was going to spitball a guess that she hadn't been the one to try a pastrami sandwich. Someone who lived with Ignis, on the other hand, seemed like a fair guess. (Certainly fair enough for Marc's not so great detective skills.)

[sword_chocobro]

Gladio shook his head. "Iggy's," he explained, not about to take credit for just pretty much being the delivery boy. "He wouldn't stand for being a poor guest and not bringing something, and he figured pastrami would be a good bet, considering the company. He sends his regards, by the way."

[hasaknightjob]

Was Marc the kind of guy who might twig to how, by extension, he should've brought something as a guest? Nope. Though if Steven had heard it there would absolutely have been a smug look from a nearby reflection.

"He doing okay?" Marc asked. "He didn't get hurt when the diner... whatever happened?"

The diner was currently not a diner, Marc bothered to remember that much.

[sword_chocobro]

"Yeah, he's fine," Gladio assured him. "Well, relatively speaking. He wasn't near the diner when it happened, but, even if he was, he and I were out there taking care of those things no problem. In fact, I'd be less worried about him getting hurt than practically anyone on this island. Stuff like that is practically all we did back home for a long while. If he could survive even half the stuff thrown at us back there, a little diner fire's barely going to be a blip.

"But he is pretty itchy to get back. He doesn't do...well...with being idle."

None of them did, really.