Tuesday Night Baseball at Nell's

[mylandmyrules]

Nell had done a little extra baking today, cookies and brownies, and had picked up some ice cream to go with them if anyone was interested. The popcorn and other snacks were set and she'd even picked up a couple of Cup Noodles for Gladio in case he wanted something more substantial. They'd keep if he didn't.

She'd even been able to check on her bees once again and was excited that they were thriving and beginning to make honey.

Now she just had to wait for her friends.

Comments

[sword_chocobro]

They would keep if he didn't get around to eating them! Yet another great reason why Cup Noodle^TM made a great addition to almost any pantry!

Of course, it would probably be a pretty cold day in hell if any Cup Noodle^TM managed to remain untouched long enough for it to not keep when Gladio was around! Even with the added food he was bringing because Ignis insisted he didn't arrive at that door empty-handed.

So there he was, arriving at the door, not empty handed, but with another pastrami-related game food offering (if it wasn't broke, don't fix it, after all) instead, ready to watch some baseball.

Well.

To shoot the shit and hang out with friends with some food and drinks, because did anyone really watch baseball when they watched baseball? Really?

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh that smells delicious!" Nell said as she let Gladio in. "Hospitality and safety while you're here. Come on in and make yourself comefortable!"

[sword_chocobro]

"I'll be sure to pass the compliments onto the chef," Gladio said, lest anyone think he was actually capable of putting anything like that together. "And thanks. Anything you need help with?"

[mylandmyrules]

"I think I'm about set," Nell said, "You can set out the napkins again if you want and get yourself something to drink."

[sword_chocobro]

"I'm gonna be an expert at napkins at this rate," Gladio snorted a faint chuckle, finding a spot to set down the pastrami puff before absolutely going for those napkins before deciding on what he wanted to drink. "M'glad we're doing this again. It was nice, last time."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell smiled fondly at him. "It was, wasn't it? Even if baseball is mostly an excuse to be together, it was more fun than I thought it would be."

[sword_chocobro]

"I mean," Gladio reasoned, "that's a big part of sports, too, isn't it? The social aspect, getting together around a game, even if you're paying only half attention to it. But I'm glad you had a good time. You definitely make a better host for this kind of thing than me or Marc ever could be."

[mylandmyrules]

"I don't know if that's what it's supposed to be, but it's true for me. And a year ago I could never even have imagined having real friends, much less being able to invite them to my house," Nell said. "Not where I was."

She smiled at Gladio. "You two would be fine hosts. Maybe it wouldn't be so organized or neat, but you'd have your drinks and snacks and prob'ly wouldn't care about napkins or anything fresh made, but you prob'ly wouldn't even miss it."

[sword_chocobro]

"The way I eat sometimes?" Gladio smirked. "I'd definitely miss napkins. And I'm not just saying that for job security," he lifted up the last of the napkins to be set out, "either. But I guess you're right, if the absolute bare minimum could be considered fine, then we'd definitely make fine hosts, too."

His grin softened, though, in deference to the rest of what she'd said. "Kind of amazing what can happen in a year, though, huh?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Eh, paper towels," Nell said with a grin. "Same purpose and can use them right off the roll. Or so I've been told."

She gave him a gentle smile as well. "It's unbelieveable. I have so much freedom here. I never imagined how much I could have, but after nine years of being spied on, and condemned for everything I did... this is incredible!"

[unusual_sith]

Lana brought some mead from her galaxy, hoping it might be welcome, and she'd read up enough about baseball that hopefully she wouldn't be too lost.

She knocked and called up, "It's Lana!"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell hurried down to let her in. "Lana, thank you for coming. Hospitality and safety to you while you're here. Please come on up and join us.The game's about to start."

She smiled at her. "Not that we worry too much about that."

[unusual_sith]

"May the Force serve you well," Lana answered with a bow. But not worrying about the game, after I learned all about it?" She grinned to show she was kidding. "How are the bees?"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell laughed, "Then by all means hurry up so you don't miss anything."

She led the way up to the kitchen. "There are plenty of snacks and a pastrami bread that Ignis sent over. And I have brownies and cookies with ice cream for later if we want. And the bees are wonderful, laying eggs and starting to make honey."

[unusual_sith]

"That all sounds fabulous," Lana said. She lifted her bottle. "I brought mead, in keeping with the honey theme. How long does it take them to make it?"

[mylandmyrules]

"They'll have made a lot of honey by the end of summer, but they might not have made enough for me to harvest any of it. They need a large amount to keep them through the winter." She looked at Lana curiously. "Mead, oh, I've heard of that. I might have to have a taste."

She hesitated. "Marc won't be joining us, just so you know "

[unusual_sith]

"No?" Lana frowned. "Is everything all right?"

[mylandmyrules]

Nell shrugged, but her face showed her unease, "I don't know. He told Gladio he wasn't coming and I think he's avoiding me, but I don't know what I did m"

[unusual_sith]

Lana frowned. "Knowing Marc, it's nothing you did. Or nothing you did wrong, anyway."

She still might confront him about it, but she wasn't going to say that to Nell.

She smiled. "So, it'll be you, me, and Gladio, and we'll know much less about the game, which could make this interesting."

[sword_chocobro]

"Lana," Gladio offered a nod and a lift of his beer in greeting, once she eventually got settled in for the game. "Good to see you could make it."

No. Seriously, Lana. Very good, he couldn't even begin to tell you...

[unusual_sith]

Lana lifted her glass of mead in turn. "As am I. How have you been?" Most of what she knew about Gladio was from radio.

[sword_chocobro]

"Pretty good," Gladio answered, and didn't even add the requisite all things considered. "How 'bout yourself?"

Gladio's own familiarity with Lana was pretty much also from radio, and from little tidbits here and there from Nell mentioning her, really.

[unusual_sith]

"I'm doing well. Taking everybody on a tour of my galaxy this summer, which has been fun. What about you, are you teaching?"

[sword_chocobro]

"I am," Gladio said, with a nod, because, really, what else was he going to do around here? Well, besides preaching both the gospel of Getting Gains and Cup Noodle^TM. "Nothing as exciting as all that. Camping, this time around. It's been nice. Great weather for it, so far."

[unusual_sith]

"Camping in mud or snow is significantly less fun," Lana agreed. "Unless you're aiming to teach them survival rather than enjoyment."