The kitchen was warmed by the luminous light and adorned with the salty-sweet smell of island food: Native dishes of Akoya and other nearby islands. Just the smell alone reminded Talonth of home as well as the life that he and Keegan shared together. He was blessed, truly. With today being a special day, he had, more or less, put in all the stops on this dining experience. There was fresh fish lightly covered in breading, frutti del mar, freshly baked bread, and an array of freshly cut fruits picked right from the orchards outside of the settlement. To top it all off, Talonth had even made a special cake that was filled with colors in every bite--he liked to call it a rainbow cake.
How it began was by accident as some of the food coloring dyes had been knocked into the batter by a mischievous someone which resulted in batter that was a skewed array of colors and hues. But strangely enough he was pleased from the unexpected mayhem; it brought its own unique spin on desserts.
The table was set.
Turning around as he began washing the various pots and pans that had helped forge the deliciousness, as well as the surprise, that awaited his girlfriend, a curious form slunk closer to the table. With the house being filled with a plethora of tantalizing aromas, it had only been a matter of time before the terra cotta hued female had awoken from her lazy lounging. Shuffling up to the table, the fighter eyed the platter of fruits longingly. Slowly, she edged her muzzle closer, pushing the boundaries until her nose hovered over the plate.
"Rust..."
The female's ears swiveled, perking up with alarm. Her eyes widened although they remained fixated upon the food before dancing back and forth from Talonth and the fruit. With her handlers back turned away from her, she was somewhat confused as to how he knew she was there or knew exactly what she was so slyly attempting to accomplish. Since when did humans have eyes at the back of his head? Little did the Mokai realize that her reflection was painted so clearly on the window.
But the tantalizing fruit was lying there. Alone. And her hunger...
Opening her maw, Rust eased her jaws downward just enough to pick up---
"Leave it!"
She thrust her head upwards and grumbled, voicing her hunger with a long howl and talkative rumbling. A pitiful whine topped off her sadness as she pouted, flattening her ears against her skull. She was so hungry, so famished! Although, admittedly, she had eaten only an hour ago but that was--well, an hour ago. Succumbing to the floor in defeat, the female fighter laid on her stomach and crawled under the protruding bar counter top.
Talonth sighed as he finished scrubbing the remaining pan and moved it over on the rack to dry. Rust was definitely a devious one, energetic as hell, and seemed to push her luck consistently. And yet there was something about her mischievous ways that had stuck out to him. When Tucker had told him that he had recently acquired two newly captured Mokai, the idea of presenting Keegan with a present to help fill the void in their house had been instantly triggered. Both artists needed a muse, something to jump start their creativity, and perhaps this would be the remedy they both needed. THe temptation had been there to take home both of the Mokai that Tucker had offered him but, for now, one was enough; especially this one in particular.
Wiping his hands onto the hanging dish rag that resided on a piping that extended across the front of the sink, the latching on the front door began to slide open. Keegan was home.
Talonth attempted to scramble as he poured wine into the two glasses and hurriedly lit the candles atop the counter top. He exhaled slowly, deeply, as he stood behind the table although something was missing from the equation.
"Rust, Rust..psst, c'mere!" He whispered, motioning with a beckoning of his hand.
Curiously, she stumbled up to her paws and loped towards him before promptly settling on her rump. She mouthed at his hand and gave a distinct growling grumble before her attention was fixed onto the food once again. She was persistent.
Hesitantly, he picked up a piece of dragon fruit and hung it above her head. "Only if you promise to keep quiet, alright?"
The fighters eyes widened as she simultaneously gave a fervent nod of her head. With the agreement reached, the food was released and fell into Rust's maw that hung ajar. Swallowing the fruit slice whole, a satisfied, nearly dazed expression curled along her maw. The taste was like ambrosia, a gift purely from the deities above. One slice was hardly enough.
A hearty, drawn out howl suddenly broke through the silence of the house just as the door managed to swing open. Both Talonth's and Rust's attention were drawn to the doorway where Keegan and another Mokai stood.
Wait.
Another Mokai?
"Talon--"
"Surprise!" He cut her off as he threw his hands up into the air. Well, this was certainly a mess of horlicks.
Keegan was in shock, straight up awe as she walked into the house. Her eyes instantly were drawn towards the decorative that bore an array of her favorite foods. Looking up to her boyfriend, she shook her head. "What's all of this for?"
"Its for you---er, well, for us," Talonth remarked sheepishly. Waking around from behind the table, he stopped and stood beside her. He laced his fingers with hers as he held her hand. "Happy anniversary, Keegan. I also got you something--"
Slinking from underneath the table and emerging right near both Keegan and J-Dub, Rust planted herself in front of them and gave a welcoming howl. Her ocher eyes were illuminated with the eagerness of excitement. Scattered and strung out with so much newness about, Rust then found herself to stare directly at the large male fighter.
"Oh hell yes! Not even the forces of chance can separate us!" She barked, nuzzling into him before grabbing onto his ear.
She knew him; Rust knew him well. They had been originally been placed in the same stall together as, lately, there had been a large fluctuation of incoming fighters from the wild. During their time of being stall-mates, Rust has become rather attached to the rough and rugged, swagger stylin' Mokai. He had become an older brother to her and seemed one of the few Mokai's who could handle her...even tolerate her for that matter. To say the least, Rust was a raging fury of terra cotta fur with a reckless amount of stubbornness and stamina.
J-Dub kept his position as he sat beside his handler and didn't so much as flinch when the female began gnawing on his ear. A rumbling chuckle rose from his chest as he pawed at her face.
"Damn, go easy! I'mma need that ear!"
The two began to playfully squabble as Rust smacked him in the face and darted towards the living room. She bowed down, arching her tail upwards before taunting him with several yipping barks. It was only a matter of seconds before J-Dub barreled towards her. He sprung forward and the two collided with an audible clash of skulls. Their skirmish continued as Rust staggered up and ran behind Keegan and Talonth. Following in hot pursuit, J-Dub focused his attention on the female. With adrenaline coursing through his veins which stacked alongside the playful banter, the male fighter plowed into the three of them.
As the realization of the impact was swift, Keegan wrapped her arms around Talonth as the tumbled downward. Fortunately, their landing was cushioned by a mass of brown and chocolate drizzled fur. Unfortunately, it just so happened to be J-Dub who was the compassionate soul to break their fall. Entangled within a mess of fur and limbs, Keegan was toppled over J-Dub while Talonth was skewed somewhat awkwardly over his girlfriend.
Looking down towards her, Talonth shrugged with a grin. "Happy Anniversary, Keegs." As he planted a tender kiss upon her lips, Rust suddenly jumped atop of him and threw her head back and howled.
They were a family of fighters again. And it was a new slew of everyday adventures that awaited them.
