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 Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:06 am
Farrer and the remainder of the men circled around the dish nodded in approval. "Perfect. Leave it on the counter where he can find it," Farrer told Anita, before they all assumed their respective spots. Johan hesitantly looked at Anita as she took up her spot just in front of him. Duncan, meanwhile, was pleasantly surprised to see that Anita was sitting diagonally from him. Before Duncan could speak, though, Johan took a swig of his ale before saluting Anita, the hand motion of which caught the attention of a few men on the other side of the table.
"I believe we've met before," Johan began. He stood and offered Anita a handshake that way. "But I don't seem to remember if we ever formally introduced ourselves. I'm Johan Kantor."
Mordekai managed to return downstairs to the dining area a few minutes after everyone began eating. He absentmindedly found himself gravitating towards Cruz and Tango first, and he offered the canine a simple scratch on his jowl. He looked to Cruz and offered a small smile.
"I don't think I caught your name before. I might have met you at the garden party, but hell, I really can't remember," Mordekai glanced back at the table, the added empathically, "You gonna eat with everyone? Or do you just not have an appetite?"
"Hey, Kantor," Farrer said to Mordekai, while pointing at the counter, "Just so you know, we got you covered."
Mordekai stared at the towering plate at the counter. He felt strangely distressful at just looking at it, though he chuckled slightly, and a few of the other guests took notice and laughed along as well. He pat Farrer on the back, though he did not move any farther from the Frei nor his companion. "Hey, thanks. It's really a piece of work..."
"S'all the littlel lady's doing," Farrer responded. Though Mordekai initially glanced at Jillette, who was busy eating her food, Farrer pointed instead towards Anita.
"Hah," Mordekai added, "Yeah? I like the dirty rice on top, really pleasin' the coonass in me. Thanks, Anita."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:25 am
She did as she was told with a little more of a skip in her step, then returned to her claimed seat. Johan's salute stopped her just before her rear touched the seat and she hovered strangely for a second while he stood and extended his hand. After a second to register that he was being civil, pleasant even, she fixed her expression into a proper smile and stood back up as well to take his hand in a careful shake.
"Yeah, I guess we did. Anita Bishop," her voice didn't hold any of the mental apprehension she'd held before and, honestly, she was quick to push the rest that lingered away. The situation had been awful when they first met, so it was understandable for him to get carried away. It was pretty big of him to want to get off on the right foot, rather than harbor any weird feelings.
"It's nice to meet you properly," she smiled, then sat back down and pulled her chair in as she got a short start on a piece of corn bread.
Tango's tail thudded limply against the floor at Mordekai's approach and subsequent affection. The dog lifted his chin while squinting his eyes to accept the light scratching.
Beside him, Cruz smiled while still resting one of his hands on the dog's fur. His fingers idly ruffled Tango's mane just behind the bandanna. He looked to Mordekai when he spoke and returned the smile. "I don't know," he shrugged at the possibility of them having met at the garden party, not quite recollecting most of what happened after he found his way out of the hedge maze. Perhaps they had. To be honest, he didn't recognize Mordekai at all; he'd seen him in the gazebo but he hadn't gotten a good look and, then, everything looked different.
"I'm Cruz," one of his hands ran through his bangs. He tilted his head a little, scrutinizing the man when he looked back at the table. It was so full up, even if he had a reason to sit there he probably wouldn't be able to. "I don't eat human food," he explained simply while a few fingers hovered away from his lips, "I am hungry but I'll eat soon." Anita had already given him a snack, the kiss to his brow, and while it would tide him over for the duration of the humans' meal he had to admit some envy for the fullness they would feel. With Anita preferring not to feed him in the best way, with connected lips, he rarely felt a satisfied fullness.
Anita had glanced back when she saw Mordekai make his return, smirking at the fact he'd migrated immediately toward Tango, but her attention was quickly returned to her food until the plate was called into question. "They were beggin'," she announced loudly toward Farrer and the others. "Hope it's good enough."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 3:04 am
Mordekai managed to sneak in the question "What do you eat, then?" before turning his attention to Farrer at Anita. At Anita's remark, though, Mordekai at least managed to pick up the plate and admire its weight. Though he had no real motivation to leave where Cruz was, he quickly scanned over if there were any empty spots left on the tables. There were none.
Duncan managed to look back at Mordekai, though it involved completely rotating his chair to do so. Even though the passive chatting among other groups meant it wasn't truly silent, there was an awkward moment's worth of biting clarity before Mordekai laughed. "Oh, I guess the table's full up."
"Mordekai, here," Duncan immediately rose from his chair and offered the blonde his place-- the action aroused a few of the others to glance over. A few of them obviously felt somewhat guilty at displacing the cook of any seat, though Mordekai simply laughed it off. He waved dismissively toward Duncan before pressing the older man's shoulder back down onto the table.
"Don't be dumb. I can sit with the pup 'n Cruz," he glanced at the Frei, "If you guys don't mind, that is."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 3:32 am
Cruz was ready to answer the question, though he paused to watch the man as he ventured over to claim the plate.
With no one else engaging her for now, Anita felt a bit more at ease despite the conversation all around her. When Mordekai shuffled around and laughed, she caught on quick and had the same thought as Duncan. She started to adjust, to lift herself, but stopped just barely through the motion when Duncan offered first.
Stopped mid-chew, she pursed her lips a bit in sympathy to Duncan for being turned down but, if Mordekai didn't mind, then it was fine. Something about him wanting to sit with her dog, let alone Cruz, made her feel a swell of pride. Almost like it made up for the lack of help she'd been during the gazebo incident. Cruz glanced to her briefly when Mordekai looked for his confirmation but he was quick to return his attention to the man and smile.
"You can stay," he smiled and reached out to pat the floor beside Tango. At the same time, now that Mordekai had a plate full of food, Tango was watching him attentively with his eyes perked and wide.
Anita covered her mouth while she finished chewing, just watching the three of them for a second. "I dunno if you give dogs treats but, if you do, just make him do tricks first." It wasn't a big deal if Mordekai didn't share, she'd likely have stuff left over on this helping. She'd gotten a bit generous for her appetite but it all looked and smelled great. The corn bread was fantastic, too, and she was eager to get to the ribs.
"Kisses," the frei elaborated once there was a window, "Kisses feed me."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:17 am
"Appreciate it," Mordekai sat down next to Tango. Like Tango did upon seeing Mordekai's sizeable platter of food, Mordekai perked up at Anita mentioning the allowance of treats. And tricks.
He offered up a lopsided, boyish grin. "Really? Wow, thanks for the info."
Mordekai felt a pang of desire in eating something-- it was punctuated by the fact that his stomach was growling. When he looked down at the plate, though, he felt as though he'd fulfilled what he could with the food when he was cooking it all. He grabbed one of the rib frames and tried to scoop up some dirty rice with it, again and again, until he looked at Cruz with a quirked brow.
"Excuse me? You feed off of kisses?" Cruz was the only real Raevan he'd ever interacted with, save for the brief time he talked to the two Raevans that were on Duncan's Kahadlok party. He gave up on scooping up more of the rice and instead ripped off of a good chunk of the rib meat-- it was nice and tender.
"I don't know much 'bout Raevans, but you're not saying all Raevans feed off of kisses, right?" He offered his free hand to Tango to see if he would come near it, or lick it. "Should have asked earlier: what's his name?"
Though Johan was observing Mordekai and Anita's interactions briefly, he eventually turned back toward the table and began eating. His dish was evenly portioned, though the very floor of the plate was covered in dirty rice. Everyone seemed to be quite hungry, as there were moments in the living room area where it was briefly quiet. As noise began to pick up again, though, Johan noticed the silence of the group surrounding him and looked at Anita, then Duncan.
"He's got a thing for animals," Johan began, "Ten years my senior and I'd still see him get whapped for picking up strays by the road. Ridiculous, right?"
Duncan shrugged. "He still likes to do that kind of thing, it's just harder to find strays around here. There are a few that are kept at the farm store; we have a great dane there that he decided to name Seabiscuit. He seems to be getting a little old now, though."
Johan narrowed his eyes. "He named a dog Seabiscuit? Jee-sus."
Duncan shrugged again. "He claims he looks kind of like the horse."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:35 am
Cruz watched Mordekai interact with the food idly while he resumed petting Tango. The action confused the frei, since everyone else was tucking in. This man almost seemed perplexed by the presence of food on his place, unsure of what to do with it.
He perked up again when Mordekai questioned and gave a laugh as he pressed further. "It's just me. We all feed on different things." More talk of food, his rune panged longingly.
At Mordekai's offered hand, Tango was quick to sniff. His nose twitched rapidly and his eyes were big at the scent of food upon the man's fingers but there was none to be found yet. In case there was juice or flavor lingering, Tango lapped at his fingers but soon became frustrated. He adjusted how he was laying, pulling himself to face Mordekai more fully, and lifted his head to keep his gaze firmly between the plate and his eyes. A low hiss issued from his throat, barely a whine, as he attempted to restrain himself from begging fully.
"Tango," Cruz reminded, vaguely recalling saying it earlier but he wasn't entirely sure. "He's a very good dog. Nita says he is her brother." His nails lightly scratched the top of the dog's head and he squinted but kept his eyes trained on Mordekai's hands. "And you are... Mordekai?" he wanted to confirm, recalling Duncan's addressing but he didn't think the man ever introduced himself specifically -- at least not to him.
Anita chewed her own rib, biting right off the bone until Johan addressed her again. She gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment when her mouth was full and took a second to make sure there was no sauce around her lips. Duncan's continuation made her smile, green hazel eyes lighting up eagerly.
"Oh no, that's so cute..." she managed to get in under her breath but she wasn't sure either of them heard since Johan chipped in again, a bit more critically.
She scoffed a little and shrugged herself. "Danes might as well be dog horses," she picked some meat off the bone instead and nibbled it, "That's sad about his age, though. Danes usually have bad hearts, too. I hope he'll be okay for a while."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:18 am
"Hi, Tango," Mordekai chuckled and offered the canine a sympathetic pat on the back. He was aware that he was hungry-- he held out his right, free hand, while the piece of rib was held in between the fingers of his left hand. "Shake, Tango."
He took a liking to Tango as soon as he caught sight of him in the backyard, dirt and grass and all. He hummed in agreement to Cruz's sentiment, then nodded. "Yeah. Mordekai Kantor. Duncan's an in-law. He's spoken about you and Anita a couple times: all good things, promise." He wasn't too aware of how Duncan knew Anita or Cruz, either, and he never saw them visiting the house before now-- he assumed Duncan did things with Lab 305 he never quite delved into. It was nothing.
"Yes... I don't see Seabiscuit around too much during my shifts," the mention of the dane's name again caused Johan to roll his eyes, "BUt when I do, he's such a nice boy. The only thing I could really notice was that he has a limp, but we can't really afford to do anything for him anymore. Mordekai just wants to give him a comfortable life for now."
Johan finished off the last of his platter. "I keep telling him that it's not going to be good for him to keep picking these strays up when he's so damn sensitive. I mean, it's hard to lose a pet in the first place. What's he going to do when the great dane dies?"
Duncan glared at Johan, his disappointment clearly discernable. "We'll get to that point when we have to, but for now, they're good for each other."
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:31 am
The dog's subtle, near inaudible whine ceased as soon as Mordekai said his name. His ears stood up straight and he closed his mouth. Already his body was on edge, waiting for a command, and as soon as he was asked for his paw he lifted it and planted it squarely in Mordekai's open palm without breaking eye contact.
Cruz chuckled, watching. He didn't really know the logistics of an in-law but it also wasn't something that perked his interest enough to ask about. At the notion of being talked about, however, Cruz drew his gaze back on the man and couldn't help but smile that it was all positive. He couldn't imagine what had really been said, or worth mentioning, but the sentiment was appreciated; both of them quite enjoyed Duncan's company, as well, but Anita in particular seemed to take a shining to the elder man.
"That's nice," he rumbled, still smiling, "We'll say good things about you, too."
Tango's tail thumped once, his claws tightening a little against Mordekai's skin for a brief moment as if to remind the man he'd done what he was asked.
At that news, Anita gave a quiet hum as she brought another piece of meat to her lips. She hadn't caught Johan's eye roll, staring at a non-specific point on the table while listening to Duncan. Her brow furrowed a little without looking up when he interjected, his opinion contrastingly negative, but it wasn't until he posed such a heavy question that she looked up again. Her brows were set, eyes wide beneath them to silently ask why he would even say something like that. On that topic, she agreed with Duncan wholeheartedly.
"Why have a relationship with anyone if we're all going to die," she retorted blandly while averting her attention back to her plate.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 6:08 am
Mordekai chuckled. "Will you? Be much appreciated." He offered Tango the slice of meat and murmured 'good boy.' Though Mordekai was sorely tempted to rip off another piece to him, he figured he would stuff a few things down his mouth: he scarfed up the dirty rice fairly quickly, then marveled at the glaze and oils rolling off of the meat.
"Lookit that quanne," he whistled; he sliced off a bit of turkey and motioned his palm upward. "Tango, stand." Mordekai more or less simply wanted to feed the dog his entire platter without the use of tricks, as while he enjoyed them greatly, the space remaining in the living area was later limiting. Feeding someone else's pet an overload of meat would also be greatly unappreciated, he realized, but what else could he do with the food now? He exchanged an uneasy look with Farrer, who looked back to see how he was progressing, only to see him playing with a dog.
Duncan's pointed glare at Johan quickly melted into that of surprise at Anita's statement. Johan was equally as shocked, but not for the same reasons: one was worried by the subject matter, while the other was impressed at the unbarred cynicism, unaware the retort was not made for its own sake.
"This girl gets it," Johan voiced-- his girlfriend turned back from her discussion with her folks to stare at him, having eavesdropped for a majority of the conversation. Johan took no notice, and Duncan frowned.
"Gets what, exactly?"
"That's the kind of thing needs to internalize if something like death is going to ******** him up so hard--"
"You should know well more than I do that he isn't suffering just from that, Johan," snapped Duncan, mortified, "If you listened to him, you'd know how young he was when it all started. How dare you talk about him behind his back like that, especially when he's right there?"
At Duncan's remark, the two men fell silent, and the dinner continued on with a distinct lack in conversation.
---
In due time, everyone was finishing off their plates, and Mordekai occasionally offered Tango another reward in return for a simple trick. By the end of his dealing with his serving, he managed to eat the dirty rice and a smattering of mashed potatoes. It was enough to tide him over.
Once the Petit children managed to finish their dishes, Jillette pushed her dish away and waved her fork around excitedly. "Dessert," she announced, "I want lots and lots of whipped cream!"
Duncan managed to cool down considerably since his little spiel with Johan; he'd finished his plate long before most people went to retrieve seconds and thirds. "Dessert does sound fantastic."
He felt awful about his behavior in front of Anita when discussing matters with Johan, and he offered her an inviting smile in hopes that she was still alright. "We have pumpkin pie and ice cream, if you're interested. It looks like most of the people are pretty occupied with talking, but you're free to talk around." It was a vague way to tell Anita she was free to move away from Johan if she so pleased, as he found his company particularly displeasing-- nevertheless, he was still family, and there was no room to offend.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:53 am
As the meat was finally offered, Tango's mouth approached and he took the bit with surprisingly practiced gentleness. His lips and tongue barely grazed Mordekai's fingers and his teeth certainly never touched anything but the meat. Cruz giggled, though he and Tango both were unaware of what quanne was but the frei and dog were as equally uncaring on that matter.
Tango obeyed quickly and pushed up to his feet, the hand gesture assisting. His usual command for that was "up" but Anita'd taught him voice and silent commands for almost every trick. All other treats offered were as nicely received despite Tango occasionally growing impatient. If Mordekai took too long to offer again, he would very quietly whine or sometimes grunt and occasionally half gesture with his paw to try and get Moredekai's attention.
Johan's response to Anita's quip was not expected at all. Her spoon clattered onto the edge of the plate, though thankfully she'd been holding it close enough that the sound didn't carry through the whole kitchen over top theirs and everyone else's conversation. Duncan sounded like Anita looked, her now free hand moving to cover her mouth while her brows lowered into a flat line above half lidded eyes. She didn't feel justified or strong enough to glare him right in the face so, instead, her gaze was locked less impressively on his chest. "Something like death" threw her for an absolute loop and Anita leaned back hard into her seat, running both hands over her face with a frustrated sigh. She stayed like that for only as long as it took Duncan to snap, suddenly knowledge she'd been missing and also felt wasn't her business coming to light.
When both of them were quiet enough that it seemed discussion wouldn't magically resume if she were to chance looking back at her plate, she instead let her hands fall and turned her head just enough against the back of her chair to check on the trio sitting on the floor. Anita offered Mordekai a sympathetic glance, in case he'd overheard, but he appeared none the wiser and totally engrossed in his dealings with Tango. The same could be said of he and Cruz who, when conversation faltered, just took to listing off a few commands that weren't in the usual dog trick repertoire such as intentionally alternating paws or him sitting like a sphinx.--- Following the conversation, Anita's appetite took a bit of a negative turn but after downing the cornbread, most of the corn, two ribs, potatoes, and several bits of ham, her stomach was feeling completely indifferent toward cleaning up any more of her plate until it had time to digest a little. Jillette's announcement pulled her back a bit, allowing her to smile. She'd been careful not to look Johan in the eye for the rest of their meal despite being seated directly across from him.
Duncan's offered smile was returned wearily at first but the more he explained the more natural it became, her eyes all but lighting up at the prospect of getting up again. Honestly, sitting all cramped together like sardines at dinner tables were some of her least favorite parts of family gatherings and this one had at least twice as many people as she was used to being involved. That didn't mean they were any less loud, hectic, or stressful, though.
"Thanks, they both sound great." She didn't even care what kind of ice cream it was at this point, unless it was strawberry. Some distant part of her prayed for sherbert. Still too full to think about getting some of either yet she just took her plate and stood, pushing her chair in with a foot.
Anita rested a hand on Duncan's shoulder, catching his eye again, then nodded toward the pile up in the sink. "Can I help you knock some of those out?" It'd be a good distraction and maybe she'd feel more hungry after a bit of work.
By the time everyone was finishing up, Cruz had managed to show Mordekai nearly all of Tango's trick list. Some, he explained, needed to be done outside and in much quieter conditions. The pup felt pampered and he'd taken to laying directly between Mordekai and Cruz. Once the man was finished offering him tidbits, he relented from whining and gesturing and instead just rested his chin on Mordekai's thigh.
"Oh, you greedy little skank," Anita whispered from the side of her mouth upon seeing Tango's positioning with a short scoff and a playfully chiding grin.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:41 pm
Mordekai had settled in quite comfortably with both Cruz and Tango by the time everyone was full-up. He couldn't help but find amusement when Tango laid his head on his lap, and he took to petting him idly while shooting the s**t with Cruz. On the topic of dogs, he also managed to sneak in conversation about Seabiscuit and a few other strays as well-- he'd never owned an actual pet himself, but he appreciated the company of what dogs and cats he found dearly.
"Tango's a big guy," he remarked, "I mean, Seabiscuit's a little bigger'n him, what all with him being a great dane. Does he wrestle?" Soon after Mordekai asked his question, Rebecca excused Jerri and Jillette from the table and they roamed over to where the Frei was. They had a bit of a wobble in their walks-- they were clearly full, despite not having much-- and was staring in awe at the resting Tango.
"Is Tango tired?" Jillette was mostly remarking on the fact that Tango had taken to resting on Mordekai, but the man merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Nah, it's just Thanksgivin' afterglow."
"Oh!" When Anita circled over to where he was, Duncan stood up from his chair-- slowly, carefully-- and waved his hand in dismissal. He grabbed his empty plate, and exchanged an awkward series of inquiries to Johan to see if he was done with his portions. This, of course, added an extra five or six dishes to his own, as the rest of Johan's acquaintances-- his girlfriend and her family-- had also relented theirs.
"No, no, it's nothing. We don't wash these until we start cleaning up, anyhow. How about you relax while I go get the pie ready." A few of the other guests raised their attentions to Duncan at the mention of pie,[/] and Mordekai noticed, as well. The blonde was initially reluctant to sacrifice his moment with Tango, but he called to Duncan anyways.
"Wait up, Duncan, I'll be there in a flash. You can sit back down if you wanna, I still have to make the whip cream, anyways."
"It's no worries, I can at least do this much." Duncan was, frankly, reluctant to stay in the spot where he was. He didn't allow Mordekai to retort by immediately heading towards the kitchen, toward the fridge and freezer, and opened it up tO reveal an impressive steel vat, though the ice cream wasn't visible from it.
Mordekai pouted briefly, though he figured a break from kitchen work like this would be pleasant. Jillette and Jerri watched as a few army friends circled around where the wolfhound was.
"You in love with that dog or something? You're practically stolen him from Ribbon-legs."
Mordekai nodded towards Cruz to the rest of the group. "What? No, chuck it-- and Ribbon-legs' name is Cruz, by the by. Cruz, these are some of my buddies from the army-- Skye, Farrer, Twain, Garcia, and Lyons."
They all offered warm greetings to Cruz. The shortest-- Lyons, a redhead who looked around Anita's age, nodded towards Cruz and gestured toward the backyard. "You wanna join us for a smoke?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 3:15 pm
At Anita's attention, Tango's tail immediately thumped excitedly and his back legs shuffled slightly but he didn't move from his comfortable spot across Mordekai's lap. She crossed her arms and crouched, elbows on her knees, and grinned while the children came over. "Yeah, he wrestles. Give him a few minutes to digest, though. Dogs get that weird bloat thing if you're too active with 'em immediately after a meal."
His answer to Jillette was on point and she nodded in agreement. "He acts like he's starving but he's had two bowls of kibble today on top of all this and somebody's getting a raw hide later."
She followed Duncan's movements with her eyes, giving a pout as well when he dismissed her assistance as well as Mordekai's.
With the kids nearby, Cruz gave Tango another pat on his back leg before floating over he and Mordekai. His ribbon dragged across the dog's face unintentionally. Tango gave a short huff and closed his eyes until it passed but, aside from his slow and near perpetual tail wag, remained still. The frei took his place by Jerri and Jillette, floating low enough so they were eye level, and watched the others approach.
Once again, Ribbon-legs made Anita chuckle and she hung her head, braids practically touching the floor. Their introductions and greetings were noted, though directed at Cruz, and he smiled up at them attentively. "I don't smoke," he stated plainly, "but, yes--" he looked over at Anita for approval, "--if that's fine?"
"What the hey, I'll pop a squat with y'all too," she snarked, pushing off her knees to stand back up. Anita looked over at Tango with mock sympathy. With a single snap of her fingers he was back on his feet, though he stayed close to Mordekai still until Anita made her way to the door. His tail waved quickly and he stood at attention while her hand held the knob but hesitated to turn. "Oh, what?" she teased, leaning closer to him, "You wanna go out?" The wolfhound's feet shuffled and he gave a low growl that tapered off into a whine. "Say please." A single resounding bark. From there her movement was quick, pushing the door out, and Tango went from zero to five in an instant, barreling back into the garden.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:03 pm
"Got it," Mordekai nodded in compliance to Anita, "I'll give him some time to prepare."
The boys trailed out and said their thanks to Anita as they reconvened at their spot around the now-cold grill, which offered no solace against the autumn cold that breezed through the garden. Mordekai rubbed his upper arm and took note of how cold it was, though is immediate instinct was to run in Tango's direction. Upon realizing that he was quickly taking to the company of a hound over his human friends, Mordekai twisted his face into that of awkward bemusement before heading toward the house's front door, towards the jacket rack. Before he could get too far, however, Felicia walked over toward the backyard door.
"You never came back for a proper greet-in," Mordekai reprimanded, "You take what I said 'bout my new favorite seriously?"
"I was a little hurt," Felicia retorted sarcastically, before pulling him in for a hug. The two were hilariously towering in comparison to a lot of the other company. "Where are you going? You haven't been in the backyard the whole evening."
"I was gonna get a jacket first, not used to gettin' so cold."
Felicia untied the leather jacket from around her waist and handed it to Mordekai. "Here."
Mordekai quirked his brow at Felicia in resolute indignance, as he knew a part of her had given him the jacket out of amusement. He nevertheless put it on-- it was a bit snug at the shoulders, but it otherwise suited him just fine, and was thicker than most of the other jackets he had to his person. Felicia chuckled and pat him on the shoulder and innocuously led him into the backyard, where the boys managed to wrangle a few more garden chairs for Anita and Cruz to sit on. Jerri and Jillette had followed as well, out of indignance that they be able to see and talk to Miss Anita and Cruz.
"Do I look pretty to you?" Mordekai asked Felicia, who guided Mordekai by the shoulders to a seat next to Anita.
"Prettiest of them all, miss Louisianan peach. When can I steal you away?" she pulled out a case of cigarettes from her jacket. She sucked on it, and the cigarette magically lit itself, a trail of smoke ebbing with the wind. She turned to Anita, her smile worn but genuine, and offered her a handshake.
"Don't believe we've met before, miss. What's your name?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:20 pm
Once Tango was out he took a few laps around the garden, soon settling back into a leisurely trot. Anita watched him from the side, offering thanks, smiles, and chuckles to the boys as they got some new seats. She took hers and immediately sank in, flopping one arm over the back and crossing her legs with one ankle resting across her knee. Her foot twitched and bounced idly but, now that she was outside and company was becoming more comfortable, her smile didn't dip away so much as soften.
Cruz mostly stayed by Jerri and Jillette, though he also offered his thanks for a place to sit despite not having the right equipment. He could still rest there if he wanted to and he appreciated the gesture. Anita pulled her hoodie on but didn't zip it, letting it hang loose, while the frei rolled his sleeves down. They were a bit long, ending at his knuckles, but that was fine for him.
"Remember to go in if you get too cold, bud," she reminded Cruz, who nodded without looking.
She laughed when Mordekai was dumped next to her, offering him a thumbs up in agreement with the other woman. Anita reached over, taking her hand for the greeting. "Anita. I think you're -- Felicia, right?" she recalled earlier from putting the beer away, "That was your bike, right? It's got a great rev, I bet it purrs at idle. You got a two-stroke in there?"
The frei settled with the kids a bit in the grass, not far from the table but down wind of the smoke. It made his nostrils flare but Anita didn't seem to mind despite also not being a smoker. "Did you like your food?" he rumbled, hovering low. He was still hungry. Maybe the kids would be sympathetic to his food source.
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Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 5:01 pm
"Pleasure's mine," Felicia noted, then nodded at the mention of her name. Dr. Mancinelli peeked out toward the backyard from the kitchen, though she didn't say anything, and Felicia took no notice. She offered a bright grin at Anita at the mention of her bike; she nodded, then took another puff of her cigarette. She offered the stick to Mordekai, which he took a good suck of and held, slowly releasing the smoke in a steady stream.
"Yeah, I do, on an ancient Kawasaki, but she ran beautifully today. Flushed her engine and replace the throttle just a while back, but hey, she's lasted sinfully long for a two-stroke."
Felicia took her cigarette back from Mordekai and took another puff. Mordekai stared innocently up at Felicia with a shrug, "I have no idea the meanin' of any of that, Christ."
Felicia pat the blonde on the shoulder. "You have your looks, it's okay." She noticed the doctor then and beckoned her to the backyard, which the small brunette complied to readily. Upon actually reaching the backyard, however, Dr. Mancinelli clung to her jacket for dear life and beelined to Anita and company.
"It's freezing," the doctor noted, after taking a cigarette from Felicia, who afterwards offered her a small pyre just above her index finger.
"Easy fix," Farrer called out, holding several bottles of stout by their necks in each hand-- he threw one to Mordekai and Felicia, and tentatively held one out to Anita and Dr. Mancinelli. "You want this?"
The children, meanwhile, were blissfully contented with following Cruz toward the grass. Jerri and Jillette both nodded, though they stared curiously at Cruz-- they had remembered his food source, of course, and took ample notice of him sitting in the corner during dinner.
"Everything was so good," Jillette began, then extended a hand towards Cruz, "But Cruz, Cruz, you didn't get to have anything tasty, 'cause I didn't see anyone kissing you."
Jillette blushed, a little, and turned a bit bashful-- she hid both of her hands behind her back and stared inquisitively at the Frei. "Kisses are sweet, though, so maybe you can have some dessert with us, okay?" Boldly, Jillette offered a small, flighty kiss on the forehead, before holding her head down with embarrassment.
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