My Land, My Rules

There had been no children for Nell and Gladio this weekend.

Which was good.

Of course it was.

Right?

Nell had never had children come on any of these weekends, she wasn't even sure children were ever in the cards for her, so she wasn't expecting any. And yet...

And yet.


Dinner was catch as catch can tonight. Nell would be soaking in the hot tub for a while, thinking.

Nell had kept some of the favorite of the rubber ducks and hidden them around the house in odd places where Gladio (or anyone else who stopped by) might stumble upon them unexpectedly. She also kept out a small box of them to give to Prompto for Noctra.He and Liz might not thank her for that, but Noctra would surely enjoy them!

Today was a day for warming soups and stews and Nell had a lot of them going. More than enough to feed anyone who might stop in as well as enough to freeze and give to people as Christmas or Hanukkah or just holiday gifts - along with all the baked goods she'd made.

She was currently contemplating how best to have a soak in the hot tub and be able to get out and wrap herself in something warm for the trip back into the house. Maybe if they got some sort of heated towel rails for up there?

Nell did not open Covent Garden Flowers today. Their stock was vastly depleted after the weekend and frankly, Nell simply needed a day to take in everything that had happened this weekend. She had left a note on the door for anyone to call if they had a flower emergency.

So, instead she cleaned the house. Again. Though honestly it didn't take much since she'd cleaned it to within an inch of its life when she knew Iris was coming. Dinner was a spicy beef stew, that had been simmering since the morning, and the rest of the bread she'd baked fresh over the weekend.

She didn't honestly expect any visitors today - she knew it took time to settle back down - but in any case there was plenty of food for anyone who might stop by.

She spent most of the rest of the day on the roof, alternating between puttering in the greenhouse, checking that the hives would be ready for the coming winter, and taking breaks to soak in the hot tub.

Which was most likely where she could be found at twilight.

Nell was making hot honey glazed chicken for dinner and had made rice with honey and ginger mixed in with the stock. There was fresh-made cornbread with honey to put on it and an apple and honey tart for dessert.

Once everything was set she took a little time for herself and went up to soak in the hot tub. The kittens were always a bit disgruntled that she had immersed herself in the water thing again, but they were happy enough to curl up on the outdoor cat tower that was nearby so they could watch her.

Nell was still feeling rather sleepy after work, so she'd handwavily let Gladio know that she thought they should order something in for dinner. She had plenty of snacks and baked goods for anyone who wanted any of those, but she didn't feel like cooking tonight.

The kittens were only too happy to encourage her to curl up on the couch with her book where she may or may not have dozed off.

After (presumably) a very quiet day at the shop Nell was looking forward to having some company tonight. She had a variety of fixings for making sandwiches and wraps - on her homemade bread, of course - and lots of (moddable) sides to go along with them. Everything was all ready to set out when guests had come and easy enough to put away afterwards.

She'd cleaned the house to within and inch of its life over the weekend, so now she had time to curl her feet up on the couch and relax for a little bit.

Nell was still feeling quiet and thoughtful this evening. She'd put together a spicy beans and rice dish for dinner as well as a meat dish for those who wanted it. There were the usual snacks and desserts as well.

The kittens seemed rather sleepy as well and had tucked themselves up inside their little cat tree enclosures, though undoubtedly they'd come out to visit with any guests.

After work Nell headed home to get things ready for the evening. She thought simpler was better, both in case there were children and in case people chose to stay home with their children instead.

It would be easy enough to throw together an extra simple pasta bake or plain noodles to go with the fresh bread she'd made. And, of course she had plenty of cookies and brownies.

If she was perhaps a little quieter than usual, well, there were a number of things occupying her mind.

It had been a lovely weekend and Nell was feeling happy and relaxed. She'd arranged for someone to open Covent Garden Flowers in case she wasn't able to make it in, so she had the day off. She'd used the time to make some venison stew and some good bread to go with it. She'd also made chocolate chip skillet cookies and a skillet Texas sheet cake to serve with ice cream later.

The rest of the day was spent puttering around the house and spending time with Gladio and the kittens whenever they happened to find her and making sure the house was ready for guests.

Nell was glad that she'd arranged for someone else to cover her shift at the flower shop today. After their odd vacation she was glad to be home and able to relax a little - after she'd cleaned the house and shop from top to bottom (relaxation was a different animal for Nell).

She wasn't sure if people would be coming over tonight after the events of the last week, but there was fresh bread made and plenty of the usual stuff to nibble on. If anyone wanted more they could always order something in.

By midafternoon Nell had cleaned and organized everything to her standards and was able to settle in with a cup of tea and a good book to cuddle with the kittens - and Gladio if he was around.

Guests could stop by (or not) when they were ready.

Nell had messaged Gladio to see if he'd make sure there was some sort of food for the evening - take out was more than fine - since all she really wanted after work was to put her feet up and read by the fire for a while.

Liliana and Ignis were still away - or back away - and Prompto and Liz were having a quiet night after the party, so at most it might be Detective Watts, Steven, and Lana.

Or it might just be Nell and Gladio, which was just fine as well.

Still, there would be food and by the time anyone might arrive Nell would be rested enough to greet them properly.

Nell had brought some of the puzzles home with her, figuring that she and Gladio might have fun doing them in front of the fire on a snowy or rainy day. For some reason she hadn't felt like cooking today, so shehad ordered a variety of pizzas for them to have. She did have some freshly baked cookies and brownies as well as various ice creams and toppings for anyone interested.

This would be the first time everyone would get together at the now shared residence of Nell and Gladio. The overall decor hadn't changed much, though the number of books had at least doubled and there were 100% more swords around.

Nell had made a delicious all vegetable stew as well as a similar beef stew that was more than a little spicy. She made fresh sourdough bread to go with them both and had biscuits ready to pop into the oven for a mixed berries and cream version of strawberry shortcake for later.