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Seth: *slowly starts to come back to. Starts to move in an attempt to roll-over, but realizes that he is actually propped up against someone* o_o *wakes up a bit more fully now and sees that it's Dacj asleep next to him. Birthday, early morning, petting, right. He carefully tries to move away, but finds that she has wrapped her tentacles about him in his sleep* ._.; *this was going to be difficult*

Dacj: *stirs sleepily as Seth moves but doesn't appear to actually wake up so much as shift in position slightly, head leaning against Seth's shoulder as she snoozes. Difficult indeed...*

Seth: ._.; ... *crap. He ever so slowly and carefully begins attempting to untagle the first of the tentacles. If he did it gently enough perhaps it wouldn't wake her*

Dacj: *the tentacles are limp enough to make such untangling fairly easy...except for the part where /they/ seem to be "waking up" too, flexing slightly*

Seth: *pauses as they flex and tries to resume again once they are less active*

Dacj: *one of her clubs seems to object to his efforts to untangle himself, angling around to gently 'swat' at the offending paws*

Seth: *swats back lightly at the offending club. He's only trying to get loose after all*

Dacj: *the trouble is, she has two clubs, and both are perfectly capable of swatting back. She yawns against Seth's shoulder, and makes a sleepy 'murr' sort of noise as she seems to be closer to wakefulness this time*

Seth: *pauses again. Urgh, this was't going too well. at this rate she'd likely wake*

Dacj: *and waking was inevitable, though if the kraken had realized in her sleepy state that pretending to be asleep might let her snuggle longer, she'd've pretended instead. One eye cracks open blearily* Whas goin' on...? *she yawns again*

Seth: Um, morning. ^^; Or afternoon maybe. >>; We fell asleep on the couch it seems.

Dacj: Mmm... *she still seems very sleepy as she stretches her tentacles--and then seems to realize she's wrapped Seth up. Oops. Well, it's not entirely an accident. She didn't really mean to fall asleep though. And she is very reluctant to move...even though now it's just a matter of moments before she's expected to.* 'Mornin'.

Seth: Mornin. ^^; Um, mind untangling a bit...?

Dacj: *sighs* Give me a minute... *and it almost does take a minute, she managed to snare him pretty handily in her sleep. She scoots back as she untangles her tentacles, drawing them backwards and rearranging them carefully as she smoothes out her skirt over the tops of them*

Seth: Thank you. *sits up and stretches out a bit. Looks up at the clock on the wall. Crap! They'd been asleep for a good while* Um, i need to get going actually. I was supposed to be at mom's by now, and i still need to swing back home for gifts. You're welcome to tag along if you would like. *needs to get her her gift anyway*

Dacj: *was prepared to keep the disappointment off her face and bid him goodbye, but she manages not to look too surprised when instead Seth invites her along* Um, sure! If your mother doesn't mind someone extra along, I'd love to come.

Seth: *rolls eyes* You kidding? You all could visit on a daily basis and she'd be overjoyed.

Dacj: *protests* Well, it is Christmas! Sometimes people plan very elaborate things on account of the holidays. *grins* And I'll keep that in mind. Dragonriding, mm~

Seth: 'Elaborate' at our household mostly includes gettings everyone semi-orderly and managing to somehow eat together. Erm, hope you don't mind the scent of too much 'fresh meat'. ^^; We have a lot of carnivores...

Dacj: I'll be all right. *well, honestly, she hasn't any idea, but blood doesn't bother her, so meat shouldn't either, right?* And I'm sure the effort for a big group meal ends up worth it, right?

Seth: *smiles* Generally, yes. Let's get going then.

Dacj: *awhile later, she hovers near the door to Seth's apartment. Inside, but waiting for Seth to retrieve what he needs--well, and probably change? Shower? Depends how much of a hurry they're really in... She wonders if she should duck into the bathroom to try freshening up, but it's probably a lost cause...at least she doesn't look too bad even after a night and morning of couch sleeping.*

Seth: *had he ben going /anywhere/ else he'd have cleaned and changed clothes, but he knew full well how much would need to be done before dinner, and it was best on the whole to simply get cleaned up after the fact. In the meantime, he's collecting a large bag of small gifts from his room. comes out a moment later with a good sized pile* Make yourself at home, Dacj. This'll take a few trips to the car.

Dacj: *chuckles at the sight of the pile* I can help too, you know. Less trips that way.

Seth: Heh, I suppose that's true. But wouldn't you rater spend that time opening your own gift?

Dacj: *chuckles* How long's it gonna take me to open?

Seth: Not sure. You'd best go find you gift and find out. cool *pads out to put his current haul in the car*

Dacj: *calls after* Wait, I have to find it first? Meanie! *glances around the living room and kitchen just to double-check there aren't presents lurking before heading to the bedroom, where an even larger pile of gifts than the one he was toting out consisted of. Very much larger. He hadn't been kidding about several trips. She sits on the edge of the bed to sort through the tags, tentacles coming very much in handy as she sifts through the pile and tries not to cause a gift avalanche*

Seth: *returns a minute later for more gifts* Find anything yet? XD

Dacj: ... *so obviously it's distinctive enough he's sure it's not in the ones he's carrying off. Right. Well, back to the search...*

Dacj: *Her searching finally yields results when she runs across a present for Eli, and then a medium-sized box not too far from it indeed bears a tag with her name on it.* Ahah!

Seth: I assume the 'ahah' is for success? cool *just padded back in. At least the pile was diminishing. The curses of large families...*

Dacj: Indeed! *places the box in her lap as she looks between the remaining pile and Seth* Should I even ask what's in the others? Is all your money for December going to presents? *questions aside, she can't resist prying open her own gift, and though there is clearly more in the box the first thing that captures her attention is a small plush of a squid* Ohitssocute~ <3 *she dangles it by the tentacles in one hand, petting the plush with the other hand* And soft!

Seth: Don't be fooled by the number of boxes. It's pretty much all small stuff. *but that's still a yes. Smiles at her reaction to the squid plushie* glad you like it.

Dacj: A lot of small stuff still adds up to big stuff... *but leaves it at that as she deposits the squid plush on her head, one club hovering behind to retrieve it were it to fall as she looks back in the box. Another box lies inside* And of course I like soft things. *the second box is suspiciously jewelry-shaped, and her suspicions prove correct--a gold chain with a golden pendant, most of the face of which is actually covered in a slightly raised dark burgundy stone that matches the stone on her oft-worn tiara. When she lifts the necklace to mess with the fastener, she realizes it's actually a locket, and plays with the clasp, opening it and running a finger across the raised edging that serves as a 'frame'. The whole thing, really, matches her tiara, and it's a very thoughtful gift--not that she necessarily expected anything less of the cheetah.* Though shiny things are good too! Thank you, Seth. *she moves to put it on, brushing her hair over one shoulder as best she can while angling to clasp it properly with her nimble human fingers*

Seth: You're welcome. Here, let me help you with that. *holds her hair out of the way for her while she fiddle with the clasp. She was likely to have an easier time with it than he would have. Once the locket is on, he lets go of her hair and beginings grabbing up gifts again*

Dacj: And thanks for the help too. *she pats the locket now hanging in the vicinity of her collarbones, readjusts the squid plushie on her head, and eyes the remaining packages* So, my turn to help you? Or will I mess up your rhyme and reason to it all if I start mucking around?

Seth: Any rhyme or reason can be re-established at the house. No need to worry. Just leave anything for other Hytes last; the rest the order doesn't matter.

Dacj: Oh, because that won't take forever. Your call though~ *she helps back in the rest, managing to keep the plush on her head the entire time (well, with one or two helpful readjustments from club tentacles) and then there's the ride over to elf's. She attempted to help with unpacking presents as well but Seth shooed her off, and she figured the next most polite thing was to offer to help elf with whatever needed to be done...*

elf: *is in the kitchen, carving meat, prepping greens, and basically taking care of food in general*

Dacj: *ducks in, carefully trying to watch her step because you never quite know at this place what's running around.* Ah! Elf! Um, Seth invited me over, so I hope that's all right--and did you need any help? *the squid plush has been left in the car for safekeeping, though she'd been reluctant to relinquish it. Still, with the kind of chaos 'round here, best not to take chances about it. Plus, there was plenty of other stuff to pet...*


elf: Dacj! =D Of course it's alright! I'd come over and hug you, but I don't want to bloody up your clothes. ^^; If you'd like to borrow some clothes of mine to work in, I certainly wouldn't mind the help.

Dacj: Heh, s'all right. *though, looking at things, it probably will be best to change...* I'd be happy to lend a hand...or, you know, several. Where would I find these clothes...?

elf: My room is down the hall and to the left. Inside the top drawer of my dresser are the clothes I save more dealing with messes.

Dacj: Mmkay, be back in just a bit then! *waltzes off and finds the clothes as directed easily enough. She locates a shirt oversized enough to work as more of a short tunic on herself and folds her own clothes up neatly atop the dresser before returning. There's not a lot she can do to get her hair further out of the way, but at least it's tied back* Okay! Put me to work! *giggles*

elf: Hehe, hope you're not queazy. XD *hands a knife* Mostly carving up game at the moment. Makes things a bit easier for a dinner type situation.

Dacj: Not queazy, though I have to admit I've never actually carved up meat before. Mom outsources the tentacle monsters' grub prep. *eyes the knife and resolves to be very careful around her tentacles. She probably could manage a second or third knife in either club...* And I would imagine so. I'm amazed you can get everyone together, really. I think the Cottage is big, usually, and then I remember here and well...we cheat anyway, with all the magic floating around back home.

elf: Hehe~ Magic is wonderfully handy, isn't it? XD

Dacj: *wry* Sometimes. *does elf know about her training...? Probably. Didn't Seth say his mother was really good at finding things out once?* Though I can't say I see mine coming in particularly useful, except when I need to water plants. Or hose someone down. Or ambush people with water balloons. Still, not precisely everyday matters...

elf: Even if it's not something you can use every day, that doesn't make it any less useful. cool

Dacj: I guess. If nothing else, it's good for teasing Seth, and that's always a plus, huh? *focuses on her task for a moment; an idea has occurred to her but it's...well, a bit of an awkward sort of thing to ask, even for the "shameless" kraken*

elf: Oh, most definitely. XD *still slicing away* He's so easy to harrass, isn't he? Silly cheetah.

Dacj: Eh, Eli's even easier a mark, but it's like not even trying when I harass him. Seth requires at least minor provocation. That makes it more fun. *though she definitely agrees on the silly cheetah part*

elf: Aw, Eli's too cute for harrassing though~ XD At least too much. cool But yes, I suppose they are both rather easy to mess with, aren't they.

Dacj: S'why they get along so well, I suspect. Travel in likeminded packs for protection, or something. Or at least so they can shove the weaker one under the bus... *she could recall many instances of ganging up against Eli or Seth, typically with the aid of one against the other even* Well, not really, they're both too nice to actually consciously do that, but still...

elf: *snerks, amused* Indeed. XD Ah, Happy Birthday, Dacj! ^_^ *just remembered*

Dacj: Hehe, thank you! Though considering my late night and already claiming of varied birthday rights, and then sleeping, it's thrown me off a bit when I remember it's still my birthday... *shakes head lightly* And thank you for your aid this morning; it was much appreciated. *even if things hadn't worked out precisely as she'd've liked, between sanctioned earpettings and snuggling in sleep she'd still made off like a bandit*

elf: Hehe, that was no problem. XD I was glad to help. ^^

Dacj: And you ask surprisingly few questions... *quirks an eyebrow up as she glances over*

elf: *smiles* What questions am I to ask?

Dacj: Is it just my mother who tends to ask 'why' then? *amused. Her mother's actively nosy, and while elf might be too, she seems to hide it a lot better than Mena*

elf: XD You had mistletoe. The 'why' seemed rather obvious.

Dacj: *has the grace to flush* Well, I suppose that part was a bit obvious...

elf: *smiles* What part was not so obvious then?

Dacj: *has to laugh* I suppose it's all a bit obvious, in retrospect. *shrugs* So I take it you at least find my pursuit of your son amusing. *she's surprised to find she's actually very nervous--because elf's opinion actually matters to her? Seth seems much closer to his mother than, say, Sorcha is to her father-guardian..er, whatever Na-kun actually is to her.*

elf: You're a sweet girl. ^^ Although your particular methods are certainly amusing, yes. Loved the song.

Dacj: Hey, I am who I am, and that's nothing if not a source of amusement. Fear and terror and dread are way more great-great-something-granddaddy's style. I am a more modern styled descendent of Elder Gods, and all. *looks thoughtful* So what methods would you say would be more useful?

elf: *smirks slightly and puts her knife down* Well... *starts washing hands* I wouldn't really know what advice to give you as far as /methods/, but I will say one thing. *turns off water and dries hands* It helps to know what you're dealing with. Give me a moment. *disappears off to retrieve something from her bedroom*

Dacj: *watches elf go with a slightly confused look, trying to figure out what she means. Know what you're dealing with? What? She was no closer to pondering out the answer on her own when elf returned*

elf: *grins as she hands Dacj several pages of print-out material* Memorize that. If you can understand Seth a bit, it'll likely help you out in the long-run.

Dacj: *is startled at the smallish stack of paper, but her brows cease their creasing in confusion as she skims the pages quickly to get the gist of their contents--personality type stuff?* Know your enemy, huh? So he's really accurate to type, I guess? Or is it more the system is thorough?'

elf: There are a few minor points that are off, but I believe when you read it you will find that it describes Seth to a near T. cool

Dacj: Hmm, very interesting~ *it wasn't precisely what she'd been looking for, but it was probably more valuable...in the long run, anyway, like elf'd said. And skimming through, key points that resonated with what she knew of him did seem to jump out--well, and if his mother said it fit him, she probably knew what she was talking about too.* Ah, thank you...once again.

elf: *shakes her head and takes her place back at the cutting board* No problem, dear. Though you may wish to put that away someplace safe so you don't forget.

Dacj: Oh, I won't forget! But yes, safe place--ah, guess I'll be back! *the only really safe place she can think of is with her clothes, so back to the bedroom the sheaf of papers goes. The kraken returns with a bounce in her tentacle step, taking up the knife again to help once more*

elf: *is in the midst of sorting some sliced meat onto platters when several flitters pop into the kitchen* Oi oi oi! No stealing any food till dinner, ya hear? already fed you sillies lunch. *tries shooing them away*

Dacj: *giggles and helps in shooing as best she can, which is probably easier to do with all the extra "arms"* This is more than I remember, though I suppose I was more concerned with the big dragons than the small firelizards at the time~

elf: *chuckles* Oh, only one additional flit really. Although we /do/ have another dragon now. Adorable little thing. Her name is kaikuth.

Dacj: Kaikuth? Sounds cute! *grins, slightly teasing* So how many altogether is that, then?

elf: Hm... 3 greens, 1 blue, 1 brown, and 1 silver, so that'll be 6 then. ^__^

Dacj: *tries to put that in perspective with the sizes of dragon she remembers* ...six dragons. Huh. *blinks*

elf: *grins* Good thing the backyard is so huge, eh?

Dacj: Good thing indeed! So what does your house fall under with zoning laws? Wildlife preserve? *chuckles*

elf: Zoning laws? What might those be? XD

Dacj: I'm sure they haven't anything to do with you. *only heaven knows what the city would make of Mena's lab safely ensconsced underground...* Anyway, how's your Christmas been? Mostly just prep so far, or did you get some relaxing in?

elf: You keep speaking in all of these foreign terms to me~ cool Hehe, I only kid. Thus far it's been mostly prepwork. Whatever humanoids or creatures that /can/ help have been set to work since earlier.

Dacj: Might as well be. Everybody's got to pitch in an' all. *admiration creeps into her tone* And really, it is pretty amazing you can manage it at all. ^__^

elf: I have my ways. cool

Seth: *enters into the kitchen, looking a bit ragged* Anything I can help with?

Dacj: I am sure of it. *glances over to looking-the-worse-for-wear-Seth* You look like you've done a lot already...

Seth: Hm? Ah, nah, just got a bit mobbed was all. ^^; The chaos settled down after everything was distributed.

elf: *giggles* Just cut up the veggies if you would. Though if the smell in here becomes too tempting I'm sure Damien wouldn't mind more help outside.

Dacj: It's good that everything turned out well~ *amused at elf's suggestion of "too tempting" -- true as it might be, the kraken doesn't think Seth's going to suddenly bite into things, even if it'd just been him and his mother. Surely he's still private around her...or else why would elf go to all the trouble of developing information-finding-skills? That was more or less how Mena'd gotten into espionage...*

Seth: *rolls eyes* I think I'll live until dinner. Good though it does smell. *sets to work on the veggies*

Dacj: Carnivorus carnivore types... *shakes her head lightly, but she's smiling. Though, come to think of it, she's getting a bit hungry too...probably because she hasn't really eaten anything all day* Ah, when is dinner? Just whenever everything's all ready?

Seth: *smiles as well* Can't be helped.

*with everyone working together, they somehow all managed to get the food prepped and ready by the evening. The dinner was being held outside, as there was no where near enough room indoors for all of the creatures to be there at once. Meat platters were served to the carnivores while the herbivores received fruit and veggies platters. The more humanoid omnivores had a bit more of a normal Christmas meal*

elf: *to Dacj* Thank you so much for all of your help today, dear. Sorry to make you work on your birthday. ^^;

Dacj: Oh, no, it's fine! S'better to be of use than sitting around at home. Missy's prob'ly out tonight and Mom's really laidback about Christmas stuff, so... ^^;

Drakell and Ruby: *flutter over to land on Dacj and Seth's shoulders* :3 :3

Seth: *pets the crimson* Well, you've seen more of the household today than you likely have on your previous visits. ^^;

Dacj: Oh, hello there! *pets Drakell's soft hide* Heh, it's very exciting! I have to admit, your house is absolutely, totally crazier than mine. You have beat out my crazy house stories. I bow to the contained chaos. *adds a mocking little half-bow to elf in teasing respect*

elf: Hehe~ Why thank you, Dacj. XD We do try. cool

Dacj: I've noticed! XD Sorcha's house is madder than mine too. Really, I'm starting to feel almost normal.

Seth: Oh? What was that like?

Dacj: I think her house is sentient. The rooms themselves stay the same, but...the way to get to them changes? There are "set paths" and then other times certain rooms are only accessible at certain phases of the moon, or that kind of thing... That's just for starters! Sorcha said the house was always built a bit strangely, but it took Na-kun for the thing to really...uh, get going, I suppose.

elf: Oooo~ That's awesome! =D I'd consider doing that, except with my luck the bathroom would be hiding 90% of the time. XD;

Seth: *rolls eyes* You /would/ like a place like that.

Dacj: Yeah, they had to make the bathrooms part of the bedrooms ^^; It's the only way, really... *chuckles* It was very strange, even to me, but you sort of got used to it after a bit.

elf: Mm, still sounds fun to me. ^_^ Gives a sense of adventure to your home.

Seth: cause we don't have enough of that already...?

elf: You can never have enough adventure, Seth. ^-^

Dacj: *grins* It was very adventurous! And fun! Except for the part where the washing machine took personal affront to me. And the part where I forgot to take emergency food and got lost leaving the library. And then there was the time I got stuck in the labyrinth in the basement...

elf: Oh my. =o There was a labyrinth in the basement? =D

Seth: *facepalm* Stop looking so excited about this. *would really rather not have her emulate this with their own house*

Dacj: *catches the gist of Seth's dislike with the way the conversation is headed and so tries her best to look solemn and serious as she continues* It was a very scary labyrinth. I feared for my life, and everything.

*some time later, after dinner, when elf's gone off elsewhere*

Dacj: ...um, sorry about telling your mom about Sorcha's house. ^^;;; *she had looked a little too enthused. Though, on the one hand, it'd be one way to keep the tons of critters around...*

Seth: *chuckles* don't worry about it. as intrigued as she was, such a thing wouldn't be practical here. too many critters might get lost or stuck and starve, and that really wouldn't be a very good thing. ^^; Still, she may be curious enough to go stop by Na-kun's sometime. >>;

Dacj: ....I'm worried about that too >.>;;;

Seth: *smiles* Why? Think there would be trouble if she did?

Dacj: Not exactly trouble...just...oh, I'm sure she'd be fine. But I am certain she'd get some sort of Ideas out of it. It's that kind of place...

Seth: Well, even if she doesn't get them from Sorcha's place, she'd get them from somewhere eventually. ^^; By the way, do let me know when you wish to head home. I know you;ve been wanting to ride a dragon for a while now.

Dacj: And deprieve myself of the excuse to come back later? *grins* Besides, I'm sure the dragons'd rather sleep off their nice holiday meal than bother with me, right?

Taith: /Hey, I'm always willing to go for a fly. No cattlebeat is going to slow ME down./

Seth: Why would that deprive you of any reason to come back later? XD We have six dragons. They'll all need riding at some point, right?

Kaikuth: *pads up* /I wanna fly! =D/

Seth: You're a bit too young for that just now. ^^;

Kaikuth: /Aww..../ :<

Dacj: *makes a squeal of happiness and clasps her human hands together as she eyes the young green* Oooooooh, so pretty~ *she's clasping her hands together to keep her fingers from twitching. Then she remembers Taith made an offer* Hehe, well, I s'pose we could always do both at once and fly the long way home?

Taith: /Works for me./

Seth: I'll go get the riding gear then. It'll probably be easier if we both just ride on Taith for now.

*they make their farewells to everyone after Seth fetches the riding gear (though he will be returning of course), and together they climb aboard Taith and take to the skies. It is a pleasant ride, and even without Betweening it is not a long trip. The large green touches down in the Cottage's back yard*

Seth: Need help getting down?

Dacj: *unbuckling straps* Nah, I should be all right ^^ Oh! See, see, my treehouse! *points over at it. It looks very finished, a small house in the treetops with a platform and railing around* >w<

Seth: *looks over at the indicated house in the trees* Wow! =o You've done fantastic work, Dacj. Is the inside finished as well?

Dacj: Yup! Painted it, though it's still pretty fumey. Getting appliances later in the week...and of course I haven't done any decorating, but it's done! ^___^

Seth: *smiles* Well congatulations. That looks like it will be a nice abode.

Dacj: Thanks! I'm very much looking forward to moving out of Phoebe's room, and I think she's counting the days too, hehe. Should be properly installed by New Year's~

Seth: Excellent. ^_^ well, happy New Years, Dacj. =) Hopefully we'll see each other again before then, but just in case.

Dacj: Oh, I'm sure we'll see each other before then~ *she grins as she slide-scrambles down to the ground* Thank you for the ride, Taith, it was fun! I think this was a pretty fun birthday smile

Taith: /Anytime./ cool

Seth: Glad you had a good birthday. Pretty soon you'll be joining the seniors' club. cool anyway, I should be heading back to the house, so see you later, Dacj. *takes back off with Taith. Once they are high enough into the air, the duo disappears Between*

Dacj: *waves goodbye until they disappear, and then retrieves the sheath of paper elf'd given her, eyeing it speculatively. Time for some studying...*

[fin]

to be added!

The car-ride from Hytech to his apartment wasn't unpleasant (other than the chill; he really did need to get that heater fixed soon) nor was it very long. He pulled into a parking spot close to the front of his apartment and led Dacj along the rest of the way. "Well, here's the new place," he said, coming to an outside set of stairs. "Second floor. Not anything fancy, but it works." The stairs led up to a screened-in porch of sorts where the grill sat along with a couple of collapsed boxes that still needed to be thrown out. As he opened the front door to let Dacj in, he asked, "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'm all right at the moment," Dacj said lightly, getting a good look at Seth's new place. The grill they'd passed on the way in looked like something Seth was going to make good use of, and inside was spartan, but still cozy. He'd managed to unpack entirely, which was, in Dacj's opinion, still something of a feat. She was still randomly ferrying things over from the Cottage to her treehouse. "I like this new place." It didn't have the sort of too-empty feeling the other apartment had carried a lot of the time, especially after Eli had left. It wasn't...too much space? That was sort of what she'd aimed for with the treehouse, though she had needed to build big enough to host small gatherings.

"Glad you like it," Seth replied with a small smile, heading straight for the kitchen. He opened up the fridge and took out a couple of steaks, giving them each a careful sniff. Good, they hadn't gone bad. Ugh, it was so tempting just to eat them raw as they were, but that likely wouldn't be the best thing to do in company. "How do you like your steak cooked?" he asked, opening up a cabinet and getting out some seasonings. Let's see, did he still have potatoes? Ah, yes, there atop of the fridge. Excellent. And there were some frozen veggies in the freezer that could easily be steamed, so it looked like they were set.

She followed him over to the kitchen and hung just outside, leaning a propped-up elbow against the counter. "Hmm, fairly well done, I suppose? I don't eat a lot of steak, so I'm not really the best judge," she admitted. "What else did we need cooked? I'm guessing I get to handle that part." Equal distribution of labor and all. Plus, Seth really had to be starving... "Since you're the one that hasn't eaten in four days, worry about your food first?" Propriety might keep him from taking her offer, but she figured it at least ought to be made.

"If medium-well is what you prefer then that could easily be accommodated." Ugh, what a horrible thing to do to red meat. To each their own he supposed, but he refused to do full-out well done. Might as well serve shoe-leather then. "There are potatoes on the fridge and veggies in the freezer if you'd like those for sides. And it's fine, it's easier to cook it all at once." Well, almost all at once. Her steak would be on the grill long before his. "I'll just go fire up the grill then. Be right back."

"Whatever's best, really. I'm not precisely a carnivorousy connoisseur, so I'll leave it up to you?" She honestly didn't have much of a preference. As he went to go start up the grill, she took on the task of preparing the vegetables. She was slightly slowed by the unfamiliar kitchen and locating exactly where Seth had hidden various bits necessary, but she'd managed to get the frozen veggies steaming by the time Seth returned. "Baked potatoes? Or some other variety?"

In that case he'd err on the side of medium. It was easy to cook meat further, but if it was overdone then there was no fixing it. It took a small bit of time to get the grill going properly, but once the coals were aflame he returned back inside to get working on the meat. "Baked, smashed, diced-- whichever you prefer, really," he replied, getting out some Saran wrap from under the sink and clearing a small space on the counter in which to work. He evenly covered the plastic wrap with a spice blend before opening a pack of steak and carefully transferring it over with just his claws. Closing the plastic around the meat, he then used that to safely and effectively rub in the spices. Hey, one had to make adaptations where they could, right?

"A surprise then," Dacj said, chuckling, as she glanced over to observe Seth's method. It was certainly one way to avoid getting fur on food, and also avoiding blood in fur. And one that human hands could just as easily make use of as well. "So, using that grill daily?" she teased.

"Almost," he replied with a small smirk, readying another piece of Saran wrap for the next steak. "Most things taste better grilled anyway. Fish, vegetables, chicken, etc. I'd grill up some vegetables to go with this meal even, but it doesn't quite work with the frozen stuff." And he didn't have any fresh vegetables on him at the moment as he hadn't exactly gone grocery shopping in the past few days. It truly was nice to be back in his own skin again.

"I'll take that under consideration," Dacj said, choosing to take his word for it. "I'm sure grilled meat will be adequate for this meal--will you even be able to taste this food anyway? If I hadn't eaten in four days, I wouldn't be paying much attention to what I ate." Then again, she wasn't much of a foodie personally, and Seth seemed to take his meals a little more seriously.

"Maybe not the first steak," he replied jokingly. "Which reminds me, did you want one or two?" He had assumed only one, but it was probably best to ask before taking her food out to the grill to get started. Otherwise one might be less cooked than the other, and he was aiming to have them all done around the same time. For obvious reasons.

"Ah, one's fine," Dacj said, glancing over. Unlike him, she'd actually eaten as a frog. Not that she wasn't hungry now, because size changing would definitely kick your metabolism back in gear, but it didn't take much to make her full. "Just remember to chew, I guess. Heimlich maneuvers would probably put a damper on the whole meal experience."

"You mean the food's not supposed to get lodged in my throat when I eat?" he replied with a grin. "Well that just ruins the whole evening plans. Oh well then; perhaps another day." The cheetah shook his head lightly. "I'm going to go ahead and throw your steak on the grill then. Just a heads up, if the meat finishes before he potatoes and veggies, I won't be waiting to start." As it was the scent of the meat roasting on the grill was likely to drive him crazy already. He returned from the porch naught but a minute later and set to seasoning the third steak. These two wouldn't be going on the grill until Dacj's was almost done.

"Please, spare me the stories," Dacj said, shuddering for dramatic effect. "And I understand completely." She'd said as much earlier, hadn't she? She wasn't going to take any "lack of manners" personally--well, she likely wouldn't in most situations, but definitely not here. "I'll endeavor to get these done quickly." Though she was rather doubtful of the potatoes getting consumed at the same time as all the rest. Go for baked, she decided, and then there'd be something else to eat a bit later on? That could work.

"So, any critters at your mom's house that need to be taught a particular lesson now that you're big and not-so-squishy again?" she asked Seth when he returned to season the third steak.

'Perhaps only one or two," he replied. Namely Bouken, the little devil... "Ruby really did make for a good defense though. Ah, speaking of Ruby, where has that flit gotten to..."

Almost as if in response to his question, the firelizard appeared in the middle of the kitchen, fluttering about and chirping happily. She was quick to land on her master's shoulder and nuzzle against his neck while her eyes whirled a vibrant blue. The crimson was also quite free in flinging affection about. " heart "

The cheetah Hyte smiled and chuckled at her arrival. "Hey there. Good to see you again too." He cut off a small slice of his own uncooked steak and offered it to the crimson as a reward; it was quickly gobbled down.

Used to Kirel and Mirth winging in and around, Ruby's arrival generated only a small amount of surprise, especially as she'd been "invited." "Hello, Ruby," Dacj said warmly, noting a rather affectionate tone to the general mood she assumed was being generated by the firelizard. It was probably a good thing she wasn't humanoid, or else the kraken might have real competition. It was hard not to be fond of the little crimson though, she was just so tiny and cute. The empathy and Ruby's generally sweet nature probably helped too. "I understand you were very busy in keeping froggy-Seth safe," she added, addressing the firelizard. Ruby'd get the gist of it, even if words weren't really her thing. But Dacj was grateful for Ruby's efforts as well--who knew what might've happened around his mother's place elsewise.

Ruby gave a proud trill in answer to Dacj's question. Yes, she kept her master safe. Just like he keeps her safe. " heart " And feeds good meat.

"Well I'm not very likely going to buy bad meat now, am I," Seth remarked, amused at the mental image of the food she had been sharing with them. "Come on, you silly flit, let's see how Dacj's steak is coming along." She chirruped approval to this plan, and he had to roll his eyes at her next questioning thought. "No, not for you. You can have some of mine. You prefer rare anyway, right?" Another chirp of agreement.

Dacj was just as amused, though moreso at their dynamic together. Firelizards were definitely very different sorts of pets than most people got to have...

The potatoes of course were still baking by the time the steaks were done, but the steamed veggies were ready to go and everything was sorted onto the proper plates and ferried over to the counter (Seth had expressed no preference and Dacj had a fondness for barstool seats, as they were typically a bit easier to manage with her tentacles). "Remember, don't choke," Dacj said, teasing, before they started in on their meal.

"Mhm," he replied, though he was only half paying attention. As he had figured, the aroma during the grilling had been enough to awaken his hunger full force, and it was all he could do to force himself to use a fork and knife rather than diving right in. Never had steak tasted so good in all of his life.

Ruby remained comfortably perched upon his shoulder, her tail wrapped lightly about his neck. She decided it might be best to wait just a little bit before asking for some more. Especially if he hadn't already offered by now.

It wasn't until Seth was about 3/4ths done with his first steak that he even touched a vegetable. "Ah, is yours cooked enough?" he asked. He had cooked it to about medium, but had forgotten to ask after her first bite if she wanted it cooked any further.

"It's fine," she reassured him, trying to hide her amusement at his near-inhalation of the first steak. She had not made nearly as much progress on her own, but, then again, she'd been both eating more slowly and sneaking glances over to make sure he didn't actually choke. "And in fact very delicious. Thanks for cooking~" She was still a little surprised he'd bothered to offer the invitation to come over for a meal at all, but hey, no reason to voice that observation.

The cheetah Hyte shook his head. "It was nothing. Thank you for taking care of the sides." He received a light nudge from Ruby at that point, which he responded to by cutting a small slice for the her. She once again gobbled it down gladly. "Did you wish to try a piece of mine to taste the difference?" he asked Dacj. "Or does the color put you off?" It was quite bloody after all. Good though to him.

"Hey, I'll try nearly anything at least once," Dacj said goodnaturedly, leaning over to cut and try a small piece. She was pretty sure she could tell why a big cat Hyte would prefer it, though definitely she seemed to prefer her meat a little more cooked. "Very interesting...I think I'll keep on with the slightly more cooked variety, myself," she said with a chuckle, going back to her steak. "I think Sorcha likes hers on the rare side though. She's really very bloodthirsty for a bovine--I wonder sometimes..." Well, and she'd been raised by Na-kun, so that might well explain it.

"She's certainly one of a kind," he agreed before polishing off the first steak. He took a couple more bites of vegetables before offering another cut of meat to the firelizard on his shoulder. "So, before all of the frog business, what've you been up to? Had any time to visit with Sorcha recently?" Last he had heard around New year's the cow Hyte had been who knew where.

"Not really. I did get actual word that Na-kun has stolen her away, and immediate family does trump girlfriends, on occasion," Dacj said, shrugging. She did miss Sorcha, but things happened. Dacj just hoped it wasn't just the cowgirl's father reaping the benefits of whatever salvage sort of mission they were likely on this time. "I'm sure the stories will be very entertaining." Whenever she returned. Dacj was trying very hard not to feel uncharitable about it, considering Na-kun had agreed to let the kraken with potentially unstable magic crash for a few weeks, but it was difficult, sometimes.

On the bright side, there was still Seth. However confusing he might be on occasion...

"Entertaining stories are always good. You'll have to share them once she's returned," he said with a smile, looking back down at his plate and starting on the second steak. Inside his heart sank though. Noe had also been stolen away by her guardian for a supposedly small trip... but no, Sorcha was not Noe. She and Na-kun would be back. Probably. He really hoped. He didn't want for the kraken to ever have to go through that personal hell.

It was only when Ruby began crooning that he remembered that he had an emotional barometer sitting on his shoulder. s**t. "If you're that hungry all you have to do is ask," he replied jokingly, quickly slicing another cut of meat for the flit in hopes of shutting her up. Might actually have been a convincing cover too were it not for the fact that her eye color wasn't indicating hunger.

And if Dacj didn't also own a firelizard and knew perfectly well that the kind of crooning Ruby'd taken up was used for comforting, not begging for food. She tried to figure out what might've caused that sudden mood change--oh, duh. God, she was as bad as Kitten, wasn't she? Had the empathy of a stupid rock to stumble onto that subject. The question was, did she bring it up? Change the subject, as Seth so often did? This was way too frustrating. "Anyway, I suspect at this rate she'll have finished the airship by the time they get back, so I'm looking forward to a random rappelling down to my treehouse porch and getting stolen away by a dashingly beautiful airship pirate," she said blithely, wondering all the while if she'd made the right decision. Would talking about Sorcha's possible return rub in the fact Noelani hadn't returned, or...?

"And it's not like you're horrible company or anything, you know," she felt the need to add, returning to her food. Was that being too blatant? Probably.

"Airship adventures do sound quite fun," Seth replied, trying to be more optimistic than his thoughts had been a moment ago. Yes, Sorcha and Na-kun would return and there was no need to worry about Dacj. "What would you be 'pirates' of, pray tell, if there are are no other airships to raid?" He had to chuckle a little at the bit she added on to the end. "Is that a way of nicely saying that a pirate is more fun than me? I am so hurt, Dacj." Of course, he was 100% joking on that part. He'd be glad for her to run off and have some fun with her girlfriend.

"There's always something to pirate," Dacj said matter-of-factly, and she was quite sure there was. Besides, airship piracy was more of a romantic trope anyway, wasn't it? Just like sea piracy. Nobody ever wanted to remember the scurvy or bad hygiene or other realistic things, they wanted the idea of the thing. Medieval knights were the same way, thugs in reality, chivalrous gentlemen in literature and the media... "And nooooo, though I gotta say that generally Sorcha is more adventurous than you. But adventure and intrigue and mischief all the time is a bit much, and sometimes it's nicer to stay home and just enjoy some peace and quiet." And snuggling...

Oh, that was driving her crazy too from New Year's. He was giving her signals sometimes like...like he did like her, was attracted to her anyway, and then the rest of the time...like this. Friendly and teasing, sure, but not any more so than the average friend. She hated to assume anything that wasn't stated outright--it was why Sorcha had made the first move, among other things--and mixed signals were about the most frustrating thing she could think of. She kept trying and trying, but...well, when would she know if she succeeded or not? When he kissed her first?

Ruby tilted her head at Dacj and chirruped, echoing the confusion she felt from the other. So many mixed signals from everyone!

Seth reached up with one hand and pat Ruby gently on the head. "Ruby, why don't you go hang out at mom's for a bit, hm?" The crimson looked disappointed with the request, but after getting in one more quick snuggle she took off and vanished Between. "Sort of like having mini Eli's around, aren't they," he remarked wryly, looking briefly at where she had disappeared before cutting another piece of steak for himself. "I don't imagine empathy is a fun gift."

And of course she'd absolutely blank out on the fact that the emotional barometer in the room wasn't tied exclusively to Seth. Tonight just wasn't shaping up to be her night, was it? "Ahh, a bit. Though Eli's more likely to demand explanations," Dacj replied, equally wry. Eli. Did he know than she did? Would he tell her if he did? Probably not. He'd given her lectures in the past on Seth, anyway, so why would he change his tune now? Still, empathy could be useful enough in her current situation. Telepathy too. Why did she only get the kind of magic she couldn't really meddle in people's thoughts and feelings with? "Likely not, but I'm sure it comes it useful often enough to make it worthwhile, at least for someone like Eli now that he's got his shields." Apparently he wasn't using his empathy on Kamiko, with the kind of situations he'd gotten himself into lately, but hopefully the kuppy'd wise up.

"Not always," he replied to the bit about demanding explanations. Of course, by this point he figured the kuppy was just so used to feeling mixed things from him that he generally thought it better not to ask. Even if he still tried to 'subtly' ask about it in a round-about way. "The shields definitely help. With most areas of magic really." Just like they were helping Dacj now and had helped Seth when the telepathy first manifested itself. "How has Mena been, by the way?" He hoped that Eli's positive feedback loop had brought about some improvement.

Not always? It definitely felt like it to Dacj. Maybe Eli was more circumspect about dealing with Seth? And that didn't tell her much, there were probably a million things Eli'd picked up from Seth empathy-wise that the kuppy was too respecting-of-boundaries to go pry into.

"Ah, Mom's doing much better. One of empathy's better uses, and all," Dacj said, fervent in that belief. The cat woman slept regularly, ate regularly now--that alone was enough for the kraken, but Mena'd even been making sure to spend more time out of the lab these days. "Eli says you can tell she's still a bit off sometimes, but I think he's referencing a time I don't remember--before I was born, I guess." That was a little painful, the idea that she'd never quite known the best and happiest of her mother. But not too much more painful than the fact she'd never actually met her own adoptive father, or met Eli's identical twin brother, or any of the other small family tragedies surrounding the kuppy branch of the Sabina family. That was before the Empire, too...

Had her life on Phanes been this utterly tragic? She really hoped not, especially since she'd lived longer and all. Still, the sibyl's untimely death would point to some kind of tragic undertones...ugh, she ought to have Eli work on her next. She was just as bad in the brooding department, and likely looked it too. Why couldn't she just focus on the moment and the current company and not go all depressive?

Seth gave a relieved smile. "I am glad to hear that she is doing better." And it was only natural for her to be 'a bit off' still, given the circumstances. But if Eli's trick was able to help her even under these circumstances, then more power to the both of them. And once again he had to commend Mena for even being capable of holding out as long as she had, for he knew he himself couldn't have done it. He didn't have it in him.

The cheetah Hyte noticed that it had gone rather quiet, and looked over to see Dacj brooding (he had seen it enough times from her to immediately recognize it for what it was). "Penny for your thoughts?" he offered, spearing another piece of broccoli on his fork. It was probably a good thing that they were nearly done eating.

"Oh, just realizing how utterly tragic both my lives seemed to have managed to be," Dacj said, trying to come off as lighthearted and suspecting she was failing rather badly. "I'm beginning to wonder if it's me. I mean, change planets, change families, change histories and still manage to be depressing...I might possibly single-handedly prove nature over nurture."

"'Utterly tragic'?" Seth repeated with a faint smile. "Other than your previous life's death, please do explain the tragedy to me." He expected it was much more just a case of extreme pessimism more than anything else, but he did wish to hear her out.

"My family was probably happier before I was born--and I know that's not my fault, but it's still the case. I haven't properly met half my family." And Noelani probably never did want to meet her again, with the track record they had together... "That's just this lifetime." Then there was the unrequited love angle (she brought that on herself though), not to mention whatever actually had happened on Phanes... "Even if none of it's my doing...still pretty tragic."

That was the utter tragedy? Not that he could say that of course-- that'd be rude-- but compared to so many lives and families out there that was absolutely nothing. "In all fairness, I think that describes about half of Hytech," he pointed out. "Life has it's ups and downs, but that doesn't mean that there won't be happier times in the future. You will met Colton and Zane and Noe properly one day, but even if things are never as they once were that doesn't mean they can't be good. You and Sorcha may even start a family of your own someday." He smiled at her, though inside her felt another stab at the thought of kids. "Imagine your future children running about, creating chaos with Kitten. Hytech will never have a dull moment again."

He was probably right about her family, but since it was her family, she supposed she was a little more protective of the...ideal of it? It was hard to explain in a rational way. And idea of her future children... "You know, as fond as I am of chaos and mischief...the very idea of my children and Kitten interacting strikes fear and terror into my krakeny heart," Dacj said wryly. "Because then I'll be responsible for other lives, and the trouble they get into..." She shook her head. "Sorcha wants kids. I think as long as they stay cute and cuddly forever I would be okay with that. And they'd have to be cuddly. I'm not inflicting tentacles on a second generation unless they get to be fuzzy." She wasn't trying to be selfish or cruel--she knew the topic was probably a tough one for Seth. He'd been engaged, and surely he'd expected to have children with Noelani, and then everything had sort of fallen apart... But she couldn't exactly talk to many others about the general subject, too many biases. Seth was relatively removed enough to be slightly more objective when listening to her own pro/con list.

"I don't imagine that'd be too hard to arrange if you expressed this wish to Maxx and Jun," Seth replied. "With Sorcha as the other parent, fuzzy kraken-cow babies are definitely not beyond the scope of possibility. And as far as Kitten goes, we don't really have any idea how far into the future she is from. For all we know your kids could be fully grown by the time she arrives." It was true, raising kids along with Kitten was a rather... interesting thought. At the same time, however, Kitten always spoke rather fondly of her Aunt Dacj, so he had no doubts that they would get along well enough.

"Or even better, the minx could be grown by the time my kids get around to showing their little tubies," Dacj said, wry. She wouldn't want to babysit cousins, right? One could hope... "I am not exactly in a hurry to make myself responsible for young impressionable minds." Hell, she was just barely grown up herself (and there were those who'd argue that assertion). How Mena had done it, having Eli and his siblings before she was even a year old...Dacj was really impressed with her mother on that score alone. "I dunno. It all seems very far off, and there's so much more to worry about in the here and now. Guess I'll procrastinate, as usual, and worry about it later." If it worked for everything else...

"True enough," he replied, finishing the last of the food that was on his plate. "The present is plenty busy." He was content now from the meal, though he'd certainly be eating plenty again later to make up for the three and a half days of no food. Of course, that was his own fault, but still. "I suppose we shall just have to wait and see what this year brings."

She was finishing off the remains of her own meal as Seth turned to the platitude she hated most. "But waiting can also be very annoying. Sometimes a crystal ball might come in handy, you know? I mean, yeah, precognition is generally about the worst thing you can ask for, but a bit of divination would not go amiss sometimes." Like when dealing with Seth, actually. Was he starting to like her, or just tolerate more? Should she back off before she pushed him over some invisible line? It'd be nice to know if she had a hope or any real chance at all...

"And just what are you wishing to 'divine'?" he asked jokingly, getting up to put his dish in the sink. Of course, after he asked it he realized that was a rather stupid question. There were quite a few things Dacj would likely like to know about if given the opportunity. "Would you like another drink?"

He was joking, but she was in a slightly more serious mood as she slid off the barstool, following him into the kitchen--she'd need to turn off the oven anyway, the potatoes were probably done and Seth could save those for later. At any rate, Seth asked, but did he really want to know the answer? Or was it like Eli, who on occasion seemed unable to contain himself from asking questions he never would want to actually know the answers to? "All kinds of things. Like where we're standing," she said, trying hard to sound glib and not as nervous as she actually was to bring up the topic. Still, she usually prided herself on forthrightness, so...might as well get to the point. "Flush when I kiss you, way more snuggly--without complaint!--than I'm used to...you're not just trying to humor me, right?" Because that was the heart of it, that was all she cared about. That it wasn't some misguided attempt to make her feel better. She could understand if he couldn't say he was ready to try another relationship after the wreckage that'd been his last, but...

Was she just imagining things, somehow? "Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Just kind of wondering if I missed a memo."

Why did he always have to open his mouth? He really needed to learn to start evaluating everything he planned on saying before actually saying it. "I... No, there was no memo," he replied placing his dish down in the sink and turning on the water. He was silent a moment before speaking again. "I don't even really know. I can't tell what I feel." It was all too wrapped up, scrambled, confused... He thought back to New Year's, to the feel of her lips against his, and found himself flushing again. Why why why did he have to say things that triggered these kind of awkward conversations?

Well, that was...not good news exactly, but not bad news either? She'd take what she could get. "Okay," she said, coming up beside him to slip her own plate in the filling sink. She placed a light hand on his shoulder, and tilted her head slightly to try and catch his gaze, though she was pretty sure it was a futile gesture. "Hey, don't worry too much about it?" Not that she didn't want him thinking about her, but... "Like I said, I'm not complaining. I'm even a fan of platonic snuggles." She tried to inject a bit of teasing humor into it, though she didn't know if that was taking the wrong approach.

The cheetah Hyte smiled in spite of himself and turned off the water in the sink. He'd save the actual dish washing for later. "Well, now that the crystal ball has revealed that not-so-clear picture, what else would you have it show you?" he asked, using their prior subject to sort of divert the conversation a bit. No sense in lingering in the awkward zone.

"Good question. Probably more depressing things, like when all that Empire stuff's supposed to go down," Dacj said, pulling a grimace. "That'd be more of an exercise in morbid curiosity and emergency preparedness than actual desire to want to know." She pulled away, performing a light twirl on her tentacles. "But enough about that, I think. What next, now that you are properly fed for the first day in days?"

"Hm, tough to say," he replied, holding his chin in a thoughtful manner. "I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I suppose eventually I'll have to go kill your sister, but that can wait a bit. In the meantime I'm pretty free." And by sister he of course meant Melisande. He definitely hadn't forgotten her part in all of this and needless to say he was more than a bit peeved by the whole thing.

"You know, it's part your fault. You agreed to it, and Missy's worse than I am when it comes to ulterior motives," Dacj said, trying to keep a straight face. "Speaking of which--I'm still amazed you're walking around not looking like something out of a fashion mag, the time you spend with her." She'd probably have been vaguely jealous had Missy herself not made it abundantly clear that Seth was not in fact her type. Actually, there had been slightly more unkind implications of Dacj's taste involved in that repudiation...Melisande was definitely a character. "I don't think I ever asked--did she dress you for the contest, or was that your mother?" Either one seemed likely--and it had been a good bit of eyecandy. She appreciated eyecandy.

"I didn't 'agree' to it-- I was coerced into it. There's a difference," he replied. He chose not to respond to the fashion magazine part, but he did flush again at the reminder of the contest. "And the outfit was also Missy's idea." And what an embarrassing outfit that had been. Even more reason to hunt her down at the nearest opportunity. ... Though not in her own room. she could lock both doors then and end up trapping him for fashion reasons.

"Just because she's big and scary doesn't mean you ought to let her coerce you into things," Dacj protested, but had to chuckle at Seth's flush. "I thought it looked nice. Not exactly daily wear or anything, but...you can't fault Missy on that much, you looked good." Her opinion was not exactly unbiased. "Anyway, it seems like Aubrey'll keep her busy enough for the next while, so you're probably off the hook for now." Pigs and toads--Dacj didn't get it. Sure, Aubrey seemed a nice kid...and she kind of hated to let Missy try her wiles on a young Hyte. Then again, this was a young Hyte probably raised in part by Katsu. Missy might be the one needing to watch out...

"True enough. Seems they've hit it off quite well, haven't they." It was slightly disturbing considering the fact that the toad boy was still only a kid, but it wasn't like that was an entirely new thing around here. "I've heard rumor that he may be the last new kid around here for a while actually. Seems rather a shame." He always enjoyed seeing new young Hytes around the shop. Of course, Liesel was still young past her age, but he didn't see her around too much these days. Only brief appearances.

"It does seem a shame, but I guess that's how it is sometimes." She'd miss having kids around Hytech--she'd been a bit spoiled by Jovany and Liesel and now there might not be more little ones until months from now... And, conversely, it did help save her from Gen? For now, anyway. "There's still the kids now left to grow, I suppose."

"Anyway, enough about that. Let's do something?" she suggested. She wasn't really sure what but...they'd think of something. They always did.

"Sounds good to me," Seth replied, grabbing his drink off the counter and taking a small drink. "What sounds good though? TV? Card games? I might have a board game or two packed away in the closet..." Not that he ever really used them, but they were good to have around for company.

"We're playing a board game, we're getting intoxicated first," Dacj said, half serious. Especially with two people. "Though, you know, it's not half a bad idea. Drinking games can be hilarious." She looked considering, gaze flitting over the apartment, before adding, "And this is one of the first times you've had someone over, right? Alcohol and housewarming parties totally go together. Though I think the guest is actually supposed to provide a bottle of something--a shopping trip may be in order." She wasn't going to assume she was the very first (Eli had a way of finding Seth too, after all), but likely Seth hadn't gotten around to having lots of company after the move.

"You know, I've never actually tried any drinking games," Seth remarked, half-way considering it. It was certainly likely to be entertaining, and with less people around he wasn't quite so worried on letting himself be inebriated. "But no, haven't had anyone over until now. I wouldn't exactly consider this a house-warming party, but there is a bit of unopened sake if you wanted to go the board game route."

It was either vaguely touching he'd invited her over first, or simply more evidence of Seth's really needing a social life outside, say, Dacj and Eli (and Missy now too?). Mostly the latter, no doubt. "The house is warm and the party kraken is here, thus, 'house-warming party,'" Dacj said playfully, grinning. "Sake works. Tell me where to rummage for it and you pick the board game? Ideally something involving not terrible amounts of math, so Monopoly's probably out...my math skills are sketchy enough pre-inebriation!"

"Upper right cabinet there," Seth replied, gesturing the appropriate location before padding out of the kitchen to look through the games. He looked through the closet in his room, looking over the boardgames within and trying to figure out which might work best. Most were for three or four people, so that didn't help... He was half considering trying a computer or console game when he ran across a stack of Uno cards. Now that showed some promise. "How does Uno sound?" the cheetah Hyte asked as he came back out of the bedroom. All of the different card varieties would surely make for an interesting game.

Dacj retrieved the sake from the cabinet, grabbed a couple of glasses, and headed for the table for now--though she supposed they could likely play over by the futon-couch too. "Sounds just about right for a drinking game. All those skips and reverses and wild cards~" she said, chuckling. "Over here or by the couch, d'ya think?" They could always move after a game or two, too.

"Whichever you prefer, really," he replied, shuffling the cards a bit. "Couch may be more comfy, but the table may be batter for placing cards and drinks. Your call." The cheetah Hyte didn't really have much of a preference on the matter. It was mostly about having fun anyway, right?

"Table first then--the better to judge how many drinks we'll be needing," Dacj said, chuckling, as she perched on the edge of a chair. "I'm thinking skip and reverses, since reverses will be skips, that makes the person the card is played on take the drink. Whereas wildcards, everybody drinks--because, you know, wild and all. Draw two ought to make both drink too, just because. Sound like appropriate game rules?" She was pretty sure there was going to be a lot of drinking with this method. But it wouldn't be too bad with just the sake on hand, right?

"Do we even have enough sake for this?" he asked jokingly, finishing the shuffling and dealing out the starting hands for each of them. "If not then I suppose we'll have to break out some more." He probably should have gotten a bigger stock than what he had. Ah well, best not to carry things too far anyway. Now to see who could win the game while remaining the most sober.

"Well, it's one way to keep from getting a hangover? If there's only so much to drink..." Dacj said, shrugging with a grin. She eyed her starting hand with her solemn poker face--pretty good hand, a couple skips in hand, though neither of them matched the card that Seth, as dealer, flipped off the top of the deck to start the game. Oh well, she'd gave those for later... She played a green six, and made a mocking half bow to Seth. "Your turn." And please let him play a red or yellow soon.

"Why thank you," he replied dryly, placing down a red six atop of hers. He also thought he had a fairly decent hand, but it would probably take a little time before he could play it properly.

The game started out slow enough with them only playing a few cards at a time, but after Dacj played her first skip things began to take a turn for the more competitive side. They each began to play more complex combos, but inevitably would have to draw more cards later on. "Blue skip," he announced, laying down his next card and following it with a blue two. "Drink up."

Dacj wiggled her glass at him with a chuckle and went ahead and drained the rest of it--that hadn't been that much left. She glanced towards the fanned out cards in her other hand, selected a blue draw two, and played it with a lazily smile. "You two. And me too, I guess." Well, she was willing to make sacrifices to put dents in Seth's sobriety. Though that would mean she'd also have to pour another glass first...

"So it would seem." He drew his two cards before taking a drink. There was a pleasant light buzz by this point, but he suspected they weren't feeling the effects any stronger just yet since they had just had a good meal. It looked like Dacj's draw two was going to work against her though. Well, against both of them actually, but more so her. "Wild draw four, changing to green. Green skip, yellow skip, and yellow draw two. So that's... five for you and three for me?" the cheetah Hyte remarked with a smirk. And now he had only two hands left in his hand, which he was hoping to unload next turn.

Dacj made a face at his excellent play, and eyed her newly poured glass with scrutiny. "So that's what, probably the whole thing then?" she said, holding up fingers against the glass guesstimating "portions" of a drink. It probably would've been easier if they'd been using shots, but they'd managed all right... "Bottoms up then--just give me the cards?" She'd hate to lose even a card game, but it was less of a tragedy than losing at, say, Twister. Losing at Twister for a tentacle monster was just kind of silly.

She managed to chug down most of the glass in fairly quick succession, and the alcohol was definitely starting to get to her for sure now--and would even more so, once that last drink really sunk in. "Aaah...so yellow or draw two then? Hmmm..." Drat, huge hand and nothing yellow worth playing, nor draw two. Time to draw then. Still not yellow. "Your turn."

Seth dealt Dacj her six cards before drinking what he guesstimated to be about three shots' worth. Unfortunately for him, his remaining two cards were neither yellow nor draw twos. He drew a card from the deck and played a yellow seven. "Your turn." He took the liberty of filling his glass back up with sake, just in case that seven happened to produce a favorable combo for the kraken.

"Lucky seven!" Dacj giggled, playing a blue one to match it. Seth did not seem nearly as under the influence as she was, but she'd been the more reckless player, generally. So naturally she'd be further along...she wiggled a tentacle or two, wondering if she'd gotten to the point of not really being able to walk yet. It came for her much, much sooner than it typically did for others--she had so much more to trip on.

Blue, excellent! That was exactly what he needed. He placed down a blue nine atop of her card and waited for her to go. If they managed to stay in blue, he would win next turn. "Uno."

Uno eh? Could she possibly prevent him from winning? It was looking very unlikely. She played a blue one and wished intently his last card was not blue. The look on his face was telling her otherwise though; Seth did not have the best poker face... "I assume congratulations are in order?" she asked dryly, waiting for him to make his move.

Fortunately poker faces were not necessary at this point, as it did not make much of a difference. "Good game," he said with a grin, placing down his blue three. He took a moment to take a sip of his sake, simply for enjoying the taste. "Another round? Or shall we take a break." He had a fairly good buzz going, but he wasn't sure whether another round would send them overboard or not.

"Break's fine," Dacj said, stretching her clubs out and up in preparation for using them to help shuffle along; she suspected she'd need them. "You'll be insufferable if you keep on winning. To the couch?" she suggested, slowly feeling her way vertical. She was a little unsteady, but she could make it across the room without major upsets. Drink in one hand and carefully compensating for horrible balance, she nevertheless made it to the couch and plopped gratefully on one end.

"'Insufferable'?" Seth echoed, amused. "Sure, the couch is good." He followed her to the couch with his own drink, also amused by how careful she was having to be. Drinking game victory was sweet. "Having a little trouble there?" the cheetah Hyte teased, sitting down next to the kraken. This was much more comfortable than sitting at the table.

"Hey, are you makin' fun of my tentacular condition?" Dacj said, raising an eyebrow as she playfully pulled up her tentacles and threw several of them across his knees and lap to the other side of the couch, leaning herself against the corner where the frame of the futon-couch turned to armrest. It was probably not the most comfortable spot, but the futon was padded well enough and this way they were half facing each other, the better to carry on conversation. Though Dacj wasn't sure it would even be very sensible, nearing to drunk as she was, and Seth had to at least be buzzed by now... "S'not very nice to comment on what a lady can't help, Seth."

"Not at all," he replied, lightly picking up one of the tentacles on his lap before letting it flop back down. "I would never make fun of your tentacles. I might make a crack or two on your tolerance though." Not that he was exactly one to talk, but it was fun to tease. He took another sip of his drink before lightly running a claw of her tentacles, just to tickle her. "Comfy I take it?"

"So my tentacles are lighter-weight than the rest of me! S'only sensible since there's so many," Dacj said, feeling that this explained everything. Naturally her tentacles would be affected by alcohol sooner than the rest of her. Though really all of her was pretty under the influence by now...aaah, driving was out, wasn't it? She hadn't really thought that far ahead when suggesting drinking games, and now she was probably going to have to crash on Seth's couch...first guest and first guest to spend the night all in one, that was her all right. She shivered at the ticklishness of his claw running across one of her tentacles, and gave the cheetah Hyte a very pointed look. "Comfier if you're not tryin' to tickle me. I'll tickle back! An' I've got more limbs so I'd win so there." She emphasized her point by wiggling tentacle-tips around and back towards the sides of his legs and torso, just enough tickling to make it clear if he intended to start that fight, she was going to make sure to win, by whatever means necessary.

"Hey, hey, not with drinks!" he said, holding his drink up as if that might actually defend him. Fortunately sake was clear, but still. Didn't necessarily want his futon smelling of alcohol either. "And can I help if they are in easy-access tickle zone? Seems like a perfectly natural response to me." One that was likely to have him yelling 'mercy' in the near future, but he couldn't help himself.

"You started it," she said, amused. "But there's another way to take care of that, huh? Just drink the sake and then it can't spill!" It was very solid logic. "And just because it's easy-access doesn't give you leave to go an' do whatever you like! Or else you can't complain when I start snugglin' up to you because your arm is easily accessible..." And she proceeded to do just that, shifting to cuddle up to his side as she placed her head on his shoulder. "So there."

"But if I drink all the sake then what will I use as a shield?" he replied, taking a good drink regardless. Ok, he was definitely feeling buzzed now. "But see, in both of those case you come into easy tickling range. Does that not mean that I should take advantage of such situation then?" He emphasized the point by lightly wrapping his tail around her waist, using that to tickle her instead.

"We start a habit of takin' advantage of situations, that's the way to anarchy or somethin'," Dacj said with a chuckle, which quickly turned to light giggles as Seth tried to use his tail as a tickling weapon. "And who says gettin' into range isn't what I want? I'm still gonna win. Can't beat a tickle monster at ticklin'. S'fact." She was very certain of it.

"Oh?" he replied. "Even if said tickle monster is inebriated and suffering from a lack of motor control?" He downed the rest of his sake and set the glass down on the ground to keep it safe. Of course, Dacj still had some left in her own glass, so the wouldn't be starting anything just yet. Though he discovered that bending down that far while buzzed was not a generally good idea.

"Still got more limbs to motor control, therefore I win!" Dacj said matter-of-factly as she finished off her drink as well. She was able to use a club to put her glass on the ground for safe keeping, and though it wobbled a bit ominously on the way down, it made the trip safely. "Doesn't matter if I can't control them well. It's not like dancing."

"You so sure about that?" He slid his tail slowly along her waistline, still tickling her. He really probably shouldn't have been doing this, but it was fun, so... "How do they respond to tickling with said lack of motor control, I wonder." And, since he was pretty much doomed anyway, the cheetah Hyte launched into an attack to get one up one the kraken.

"They'd prolly smack you in the faaa--Seth!" Dacj had managed to squirm only slightly when it was just his tail, but his all-out attack sent the kraken in squeals and giggles. It took a few moments to sort through her muddled facilities in order to retaliate properly, which she did with immense satisfaction and a wide grin. She held the nearest arm of the cheetah's up and out of the way with a club tentacle wrapped around his forearm, and ducked under to attack his side with her fingers. Her tentacles counter-attacked as well, though, as suspected, they were somewhat less likely to obey her properly, and more often than not her tentacle-tip attempted tickling proved easy to deflect...except for the part where there were eight tentacle-tips involved.

The first few seconds of victory were immensely satisfying. What followed after that... involved a lot of laughing and squirming. "No! Hahahanotthesides! Hahahanonononon--" He definitely wasn't winning this fight. It tickled less than usual due to he tentacles being more sloppy, but that didn't mean that he had any mre chance at victory-- especially with one hand captured. He tried to counter as valiantly as possible with his one free hand while desperately trying to pull the other back down to both protect and attack with.

"No mercy!" Dacj crowed in victory, wrapping her other club around the still-fighting hand and continuing to tickle his sides, since clearly they were his weak point. Occasionally he would manage to jerk forward enough with his hand to attempt to fight back or shield, but her clubs were much easier to control than the rest of her tentacles and she was mostly able to pull his arms out of range. It was much easier to do when one was facing him, though, so slowly the kraken attempted to crawl into his lap (it was moving around a lot on account of the squirming), the better to get to both his sides. "Surrender to your twelve-limbed superior!"

Victory was basically declared once she'd managed to secure both of his hands and hold them at bay. He alternated frantically between trying to pull away and trying to push forward to catch her off guard, but in the end nothing worked. "I surrender! I surrender!" he exclaimed when she made her 'offer'. With so many limbs on the attack it was tickling so much that it hurt.

She chuckled and switched to clinging instead of tickling with her tentacles, relaxing her grip on his hands and letting him do as he wanted with them, but not bothering to unwind her grip fully. "The futility of your actions is always amusin'," she said cheerily, patting him on the shoulder with a hand.

Seth's hands fell to his sides as Dacj's grip slackened, and he took a good moment to simply catch his breath. "Glad I'm a source of amusement for you," he remarked wryly, giving the kraken Hyte a smile as he relaxed back against the futon. "In my defense, I managed to tickle you for a whole... 2? 5 seconds?" Ok, maybe that wasn't really much of a defense.

"It was a very valiant effort. Really, it's surprisin' you were able to that long~" Dacj said, giggling again. "Such an offense in the face of insurmountable odds--" (the kraken winked) "--deserves a reward, eh?" She paused, considering, before a playful grin lit up her face and she moved forward to kiss the cheetah as a 'reward', not really taking into account in her current drunken state that such an action might not be welcome.

The cheetah Hyte had to roll his eyes. "A reward, eh? What exactly di--" The question was answered before he could even finish asking it by the kraken closing the distance between them and leaning in for a kiss. He froze, momentarily, but didn't pull away. In fact, he even returned it a little bit. What was this...?

She was far enough gone that she took the reciprocity almost entirely for granted, with only a brief niggling in the back of her mind that something was a little out of the ordinary with this scenario. Since he wasn't saying or indicating "no", she took that as permission to continue kissing, gently insisting he play along with this new game of hers.

Seth continued to 'play along', but even with as buzzed as he was his mind was still a confused jumble. Or was it because he was so buzzed that it was harder to discern thoughts? Tough to say. It felt nice though, and despite the nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that he shouldn't be doing this, he pressed onward.

Seth wasn't the only one who thought the kissing felt nice, and Dacj moved to deepen the kiss, twining her human fingers in his hair with one hand as she placed the other against his shoulder. She wasn't concerned with should or shouldn'ts, and was far more engaged in the moment than in paying attention to her own feeling that something was a little strange here.

Whatever previous thoughts and concerns were going through his brain quickly vanished, and he responded to the kissing in kind. His tail found its way back around her wait, but it was to hold rather than tickle this time. He wrapped his still-wrapped arms around her back, helping to pull her close.

Dacj squeaked as he pulled her closer, breaking the kiss momentarily to shift her position and twine several of her auxiliary tentacles properly around his waist, returning the gesture of his tail. But the pause lasted only a few breaths, and then she dove back in with a giggle or two as she fumbled around, trying to get back into the rhythm they'd had before.

Unfortunately for Dacj, the squeak helped to bring Seth somewhat back to reality. The cheetah Hyte reluctantly pulled away as Dacj tried to pick things up where they left off, ears flattening a bit. "Dacj..." he said hesitantly, not even sure what he should say or what he wanted to say. He wasn't ready for this again... Not just yet.

She couldn't help but pout as he pulled away, but she too pulled away, far enough to get a good read on his expression. Serious, refusing to meet her eyes...and then things clicked in her muddled mind. They'd even talked about it earlier--well, if Seth saying "I don't know" was talking about it. Whatever misgivings he did have, apparently they hadn't been enough to keep from going along in the moment, however brief it'd been... But he had a problem with it now. Sort of?

Her hand was still in his hair, and she scratched his scalp lightly, more to give her hand something to do without being completely awkward...there was already plenty of that. "Seth," she said, calm, ducking her head to the side to try and get him to look at her. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, other than she didn't want him to apologize. He probably would, though.

Hm, that scratching felt good... He was half-inclined to lean into it, but-- No, no, stay focused. Somewhat. Amber eyes reluctantly met stormy grey ones when she moved to face him, but he still wasn't sure what to say. That he wasn't ready? That sounded pathetic, even if it was true. That he still loved Noe? Even with that being true he'd mostly given up on things working out between them by this point. So what...? The cheetah Hyte closed his eyes and leaned slightly into the scratching. He didn't want to think about all of this right now.