[PRP] Pull up a Chair (Natasha/Evan)

[Ravvlet]

Natasha was in the cafeteria, nursing a cup of something warm and creamy and disappointedly flavored like cheap watered down coffee.

She closed her eyes, pretended it was a nice peppermint latte, and took another sip.

It had been a few days since the ring-party (that sounded weird) and she was still trying to establish a presence on the island - a fact made difficult by the fact that she had so far only managed to sort of piss off a couple people, her charming and likeable brother included.

She slumped down in her chair glumly.  

[Inle-roo]

Every morning was a productive one when you were up with--or before--the sun. Evan had managed to pack the better half of a day's training into the hours between giving up on sleep and right this second. He only decided to take a break when his growling stomach grew louder than his growling partner.

Cutting directly through the cafeteria was the quickest way to get to the kitchen from the training fields. Evan gave a cursory glance to the other hunters that were currently occupying the tables scattered around the room--ever assessing any possible threat--when his eyes caught on Gnat. His lips twitched downward as he noticed her less-than-enthusiastic state; he didn't know her very well, but she didn't seem to be the sad type. He slowed for a moment, debating. On the one hand, that was Tuck's sister, and whatever had happened was between them, a family matter.

On the other hand, Gnat was a Sun, and there was something to be said for supporting those in your division. Besides, he didn't know any other Suns, and maybe, just maybe, Evan could get Gnat to tell some more terrible stories about Tuck. That was sure to cheer them both up.

His decision made, Evan veered towards Gnat's table, approaching slowly and carefully, looking for any sign that he might not be wanted. When he reached the edge of the table, he tapped on it quietly to get her attention. "Hey," he called softly, ducking his head down to try and meet her eyes, "this seat taken?"  

[Ravvlet]

Gnat glanced up - and then a nice, slow doubletake. Hello, latte.

She vaguely remembered this guy. Had he seen her in a compromising position? Probably. Was he friends with Tuck? Almost definitely. Wasn't everybody?

She kicked the underside of the table lightly with her shoe.

"Depends," she replied, perhaps more sullenly than intended. "You 'ere to make fun of me?"  

[Inle-roo]

Evan fought to keep the grin on his face from becoming an outright leer as he was assessed and, apparently, not found wanting--or at least, not lacking enough to be told to ******** off. That had to be something, right? "Nah," he drawled, "figure you've had enough of that for one week."  

[Ravvlet]

Gnat twirled a finger in her coffee idly, then stuck it in her mouth, sucking it clean.

"You ain't wrong."

She gestured for him to take a seat.

"What's kickin'?"  

[Inle-roo]

Evan watched intently as Gnat used her finger to stir her coffee, clearing his throat as he took a seat. "Nothing much," he admitted. "I just saw you sitting over here by yourself looking like someone kicked your favorite puppy. Thought I'd come by and see whose a** I have to kick for making you look so sad."  

[Ravvlet]

She leaned back, getting comfortable.

"You obviously haven't met my brother." Gnat snorted. "Or maybe you did, he's been prancin' around an awful lot."

It sounded bitter, even to her.

"Aight, aight, maybe he ain't that bad," she admitted sullenly.  

[Inle-roo]

"Oh, no, I know your brother. He's not that bad, for a grunt--except when he's bitching about doing the dishes, which is pretty much all of the time." Evan smiled and shook his head. "Those stories you told at the party, though, those were classic. Definitely going to have to remember those."  

[Ravvlet]

"Oh?"

Grinch grin. Natasha leaned forward, putting her mug down and toying with her hair.

"I got more."  

[Inle-roo]

"Oh, is that right?" Evan leaned forward too, grinning conspiratorially. "Do tell."  

[Ravvlet]

"We-ell."

"You know why I think he don't like doin' dishes?"

She paused for effect.

"Cos one time, I got him so mad he cussed at me and mom washed his mouth out with Dawn. He was spittin' bubbles for a week."  

[Inle-roo]

Evan gave a harsh bark of laughter before he could stop himself, smothering the rest of it with a fist he brought up to his face to hold it in. "If you want," he said once he'd gotten himself under control, "I'll let you know next time he's doing them so you can come and remind him." Bubbles. Tuck was absolutely not going to live any of this down.  

[Ravvlet]

"Another time, when we was real little," she continued, egged on by his appreciative laughter, "gramps had 'im on his shoulders, and he didn't have a diaper, and well."

"He went number two."

"Gran still tells that story, so he wouldn't bring girls over when she was visitin'."  

[Inle-roo]

Evan chortled, wheezy, undignified snorts of laughter that he couldn't have controlled if he'd wanted to. Oh, this was fantastic. Fodder forever.  

[Ravvlet]

"Now, o'course, my brother has some good virtues." She paused, pretending to think on it really hard.

"He used t'make excellent mud pies. Unfortunately, he ate 'em all. That is, till he got worms and mom had t'make him stop."