Pao
The plan was good so as soon as she hopped off he motored to the shed and locked it all up, making sure to double-check that everything was exactly where it had been when he first found things before leaving. Then he rushed back to the main building and hurried inside, shedding his outer layers and his boots before joining her in the kitchen.

The smell of soup was incredibly inviting and made him feel like he was really defrosting, and watching his love flitter around like she owned the place gave him more of that sense of belonging again. "Need some help?" he asked as he approached one of the cabinets and opened it, just eyeing the contents for now.

Aria
She glanced up when he came in, and gave him a bright smile of welcome, happy he was there. "Mmm see if you can spot any hot drink mix stuff? The coffee was, for whatever reason, with the oatmeal and all. I assume whoever did it was thinking 'breakfast’, but I want to stir the soup, so..."

She slid over to his side, leaned up, kissed his cheek, and then got back to focusing on getting the soup boiling. She was glad that it'd had time to sit while they were out... the spicing had a chance to soak into the chicken that way.

Pao
"Oo, that sounds like something we both need after being out there," he said as he closed the one cabinet and moved on to another. The kiss on his cheek just got him to smile just a smidge wider, but he didn't comment on it and just went about his search. He went from one cabinet to the next, then from one drawer to the next until he gave a very loud, "HA!"

He grabbed the box of packets and set it down on the kitchen table. "Found the little ********," he said before going back to grab what he needed to set the table. "What kinda soup didya end up making?"

Aria
"Excellent... That water should be ready. Can you get a couple mugs of it mixed up?" She turned as she stirred the soup to smile again, her eyes glittering happily. "Should be not too much longer before the soup is cooked and ready to eat."

His question earned a happy chuckle. "Garlic chicken and vegetable. Filling, healthy, and flavorful. The kind of thing that is good for making in big batches, honestly, and storing single or double serving sizes of for later." She gave a shrug. "If they'd sent us here for a long-term assignment, it's what I'd do."

Pao
He grabbed some mugs before going to get the water she mentioned, and then after carefully pouring that water he put the pot in the sink, opened up some packets and did the requested mixing. Her answer got a bit of a grumble from his stomach, and he sighed.

"One of the downsides of being an athlete--you're always ********' hungry." The brunette sighed and, once he finished stirring up the cocoa, went to set the mugs on the table before coming back to her for a little bit of snuggling while she finished up the soup. "Never know, they might extend it for whatever reason," he murmured as he settled his head on her shoulder. "Bonus time, but then also bonus time in all this cold."

Aria
She couldn't wait for it to be done, to be honest, either. She was hungry. Being in the cold burned energy, she noticed. "Mmm well what comes will come. I admit, I'm going to miss the kitchen we don't have to share."

She leaned back against him a little, eying the level of boil going on and how the chicken looked. "If we're here longer, we'll just get to enjoy more private time. Only part I feel even slightly bad about is that I think I need to apologize to Kim and Joy..." She sighed a little. "I kind of... shut everyone out, so... But I'll find a way to make it up to them." She leaned forwards a little, and sniffed the steam, making herself sigh with hunger. "Two to three minutes more, babe."

Pao
"Could have one of those at some point," he said almost absently as he eyed the boiling soup. It looked more and more appetizing the more he stared at it, which only led to more stomach grumbles so he eventually closed his eyes. Mention of her friends got a quiet hum out of him, as he wasn't particularly close with anyone else that they would have noticed something was...off. Maybe Joy, but even then he still wasn't sure.

"Bake 'em a cake. We can make out after you pack it up again..."

There was a bit of a pause before he chuckled, the memory replaying in his mind a couple of times. And then he gave a quiet groan when she imposed the time limit and nuzzled into her neck.

Aria
Her brows rose a little at his comment, though she definitely didn't argue about it. Her own kitchen, where she got to choose what was stocked, and what tools were in it... That sounded amazing. In the meantime, though, she simply leaned back against him as she stirred the soup.

His comment about the cake made her both laugh, and gently, over her shoulder, swat him. "You'd think you didn't get plenty of chances to make out as it is." She rolled her eyes, but her expression was full of amused affection.

The groan had her smiling just a little. "It's not that long, you can make it." The nuzzling tickled a little, though, and she pondered, then suggested "Could you get the bowls, and spoons, baby?"

Pao
"Never enough making out time," he said with a smile. A singular thought of "since we can't go much further" popped up for all of a second, but he kicked it away before it could take root and potentially ruin his mood again. When she asked if he could get the bowls he just gave her a kiss on the cheek before peeling himself off of her and going to grab what she asked for.

He took a sip of his cocoa before picking up the bowls and heading back over to her. "The cocoa's pretty good. Should remember the brand so we can have our own stash when we get back to the island." It was interesting, using the word "ours," but it rolled right off the tongue and he felt good, saying it.

Aria
She chuckled at the never enough comment, giving him another affectionate eye roll. "I'll keep that in mind, love." She gave another good sniff of the soup, and nodded, lowering the heat to the point where it would stay hot but not burn. "Awesome. Time to serve and eat..."

His comment about the cocoa brand caused a butterfly moment, just thinking about things as an 'ours'. She gave him a slow, sweet smile. "Sounds like a good plan. Hopefully they're not Russia only, because I'd rather not have to try to figure out how to read, write, or speak Russian... Got too much else going on." She ladled out the soup into bowls, and then brought them both to the table.

Pao
"I... didn’t notice," he replied as he followed her to the table, since that was where he left the box. He sat down and grabbed it, turning it over to see the front label. "Oh, it's Swiss Miss," came an amused snort. "That was easy."

So he turned his eyes to the bowls and waited patiently for her to hand it over. "I think it'd be cool to learn other languages, but I don't think I have the chops for it. English is hard enough, right?"

Aria
She blinked a little. "Oh I've heard of that brand. They're pretty good, I've heard. Glad to know they live up to the hype." She set a bowl in front of him, amused at the way he watched the food, then sat down at her seat, setting her own down. She took a slow sip of the cocoa, and just got lost in the pleasure for a moment. Another rare treat, one she might be allowed to get used to as not rare... It was wonderful.

She was about to pick up her spoon, when he asked that, and she got lost in thought for a minute, before saying "I mean, yeah? I'd like to learn Korean, maybe... But I've already got you, my astronomy studies, and work, so I don't know if I'll have the time to focus on learning a new language any time soon."

Pao
Now only because it was hot soup was Rhys careful about taking sips, otherwise he probably would have started scarfing it down like he usually did. So progress on his bowl was slow but steady, with the occasional pause to sip his cocoa. It was a bit of a treat, though not the first time he's had it. He never splurged on a whole box before, that was for sure.

When she listed him as one of the things that took up her time, he felt a cross of amused and flattered. He nodded in total agreement with her. "I'd support you if you did try to learn it though, babe. Y'know, help how I can, maybe not take up as much time with random cuddling or things like that."

Aria
She was eating slowly as well, because it allowed her to just enjoy that wonderful feeling of warmth hitting her stomach and spreading through her body. She took time to nibble the chicken, and enjoy the way the garlic and onion in the broth worked together, along with the other spices. She was amused to see him eating slow, though, for once.

His comment had her lifting her eyebrows. "I appreciate that, babe. But I mean. I like spending time with you, cuddling and what not. It makes me happy. Maybe once I've gotten a good routine in place, I can figure out time to add in language studies."

Pao
He gave her a sweet smile, happy to hear that she loved the time together as much as he did, and then put a bit more focus on his food again. Now that cooled some he got to eating a little bit more at his normal pace. "Honestly," he said once he set his spoon down to sip his cocoa, "if I were the studying type I might actually try. But I barely started reading books again, so..."

And then he shrugged before and finally took that sip. The food was warming him up really well, and after he cleaned out his bowl he got up to get himself another one. When he got back, though, he gave her a curious look.

"Are we still gonna do more cooking lessons, by the way?"

Aria
"Mmm maybe once you get settled in reading again, if you want, we could study together? If you were interested in Korean, I mean." She gave a half shrug, working her way through her soup. She didn't speed up, though she was considering getting some more. "Either way, I'm just happy to have time and the ability to study things, and time for you, so..." She sighed softly, enjoying the feeling of the soup.

His question had her lifting her head, and giving him an amused smile. "Yeah? I mean... I was planning on it...?" She didn't add 'until things went haywire,' though it was in the back of her head. "I've been considering what to teach you to make next, though."

Pao
"Yeah, I could learn it," he said between spoonfuls of the tasty soup. And it really was tasty, but since he wasn't much of a foodie he didn't have any specific words to describe what it tasted like. All he knew was that it tasted good, and that was probably good enough. "You said you wanted to go to Korean at some point, right? Would be good if we both learned it to prep for that trip. Could go on multiple trips, just keep visiting every couple of months kinda thing."

He finished off his cocoa next and he looked a little sadly at the empty cup. "Maybe something sweet next?" he suggested once he set the cup down. "Like those red bean donuts from last time were ********' amazing."

Aria
She stood and went to refill her own bowl, about halfway, glad to be hungry enough for seconds. "Mmm that is a pretty good idea. I would love to explore the land my grandparents were from." She sighed, wistfully. "I wish I'd had a chance to really get to know them." She looked a little distant as she wandered back to the table, for a moment, then shook her head, to get the distractions out. "But in the meantime, we've got lots to do too."

She considered his comment. "Yeah, though let's save donuts for a later go-round. If you hadn't requested the pajeon, I probably wouldn't have started with that... Frying food can be a pain in the a**. The spitting oil is the least of it. Maybe baking some cookies, perhaps?" She tilted her head at him.

Pao
When she got up for a refill he couldn't not smile brightly over at her. It was really the first time (at least as far as he could remember) he saw her go for seconds; normally she pushed away a mostly finished plate. So this was progress, and he was glad to see her improving. He was about to ask about them but it seemed like she maybe didn't wanna talk about it right that second so he put the question away for another time.

"Yeah, lots to do," he echoed. "And cookies sound good, yeah. Anything that doesn't spit burning hot oil at me sounds good, really."

Aria
She settled back in her chair, and began to slowly work her way through her second bowl. Her eyes closed for a moment, just enjoying knowing she was going to get a full meal and not feel nauseated. It was easier with soup, she'd found, over the years, maybe because it had a lot of liquids in it. She found herself sighing a little, though, her free hand sliding towards him across the table.

"Yeah, all right. And if you want to avoid hot oil, most donuts are not on the learning menu until you're ready to try that again. Donuts are generally deep fried and that means lots of oil."

Pao
He gladly took her hand as he cleaned down his bowl again, though he made no move to go for thirds. Soup was always surprisingly filling for him, especially one that had as much in it as this soup. He frowned at the donut lesson ban, though. Or more...maybe pouted.

"I knew that but still hoped," he said on a sigh. "So cookies next. Chocolate chip?" The sooner they got off the donut lesson ban topic, the better. It wasn't a mood killer or anything, but still a downer regardless.

Aria
"You know I'll make them for you if you ask, right? It's just until you feel safe with the hot oil." Her thumb gently caressed the back of his hand, her expression a little anxious because she didn't want him to feel bad about this. She would happily make him donuts, almost any time he asked, as long as she was free.

"Sure. Chocolate chip are my favorite, so I'll happily teach you how to make them." Her eyes were focused on him, now, though she continued to work on her food and cocoa.

Pao
"I know," he said, eyes falling to their hands. He smiled at the sight, and at the way she caressed the back of his hand. He was mostly surprised by how sensitive he was to the feeling, and it felt pretty damn good...

"Still would be good to learn in the long run." Rhys gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Learning to make things you like is good, though. Can surprise you later on."

Aria
She returned the squeeze, still watching him. "Yeah. Just... Remember that I like cooking for you. It makes me happy to see you enjoying the food I've made."

The second comment, though, made her smile at him in a bright, sweet fashion. She still was so unused to the idea that anyone would want to do things for her that every time he mentioned it, it just felt like someone had lit a fire of joy in her belly. "That's sweet of you, babe."

Pao
It was a little weird to him that someone liked doing things for him, too. Normally he had to rack up favors beforehand, so her being so willing to spend her time and energy on him was an amazing feeling. "I never forget that, love," he replied with a little smile. "Just wanna be able to help once in a while."

"And yeah. I love you, Seren, and I've always put my all into who and what I love. Not about to change, especially not now that I have you."

Aria
Her hand gripped his, a little tight, but not painfully so, just to try to show that she liked the idea that he wanted to help, as she had her mouth full of soup in that moment. It felt so good, the way things seemed to generally balance between them.

She was putting her emptied bowl down when he said that last bit, and she had to fight getting teary over it because it just felt so good. Instead, she said "We're a well-matched pair, then." She stood, and gently lifted his hand to kiss it the way he'd done to her several times now, a loving kiss, and said "I love you too, Rhys."

Pao
He smiled warmly when she kissed him, a curious but incredibly pleasant tingle left where her lips had been. The more they exchanged those words, the more he felt the walls he'd built around himself continue to crumble. Most of it had gone night the night before, and now it was just a matter of really getting used to hearing it as well as experience it. The brunette stood as well and gently pulled her into his arms, and once she was where he wanted her he leaned down for a gentle kiss.

"We do match pretty well," he murmured, smiling. He would have been happy to stay right there, too, but he knew the dishes had to be done...so he sighed and kissed her once more. "That said, you wash, I dry?"

Aria
She sighed softly as he pulled her in, her arms settling around him, and kissed him back, eyes closing in contentment. Safe, loved, and happy, words she was beginning to think she actually could get used to applying to herself. "I'm glad you agree..." She murmured back, and made a soft mmm at the second kiss.

His words, though, caused her to sigh again, less content, more 'oh all right.' "Yeah, I suppose. Lemme store the last of the soup. There's another bowlful or so." She leaned up, kissed his nose, then gently pulled free and hunted out something to store it in.

Pao
He huffed, amused at that last kiss, and then gathered up their dishes and set them inside the sink, though he left the box of cocoa packets there on purpose. Would be easier to get to them for later, maybe dinner. Before she got to the sink, though, he just went ahead and started washing the dishes.

"So we're probably just gonna be stuck on our asses in front of those monitors until dinner," he said, clearly not too happy with that. "******** took some hunting before she found something appropriate, and packed the soup up. She turned, startled, though, when she realized he had started on the washing. She blinked, then gave a soft smile, packaged up the soup, and brought the pot over, leaning to kiss his cheek.

"Well at least I've got some good company to help alleviate the time. I didn't pack any books." She grabbed the towel and began drying, though if he wanted, she'd happily switch with him.

Pao
Again, that kiss got a small smile out of him, and he made no moves to want to switch with her when she started drying. "True," but then he sighed. "But no making out or even any cuddling 'cause we might miss something." Though in all honesty he highly doubted there'd be any kind of activity. "Just feels like it'll be too long before we get to have dinner and go to bed."

When he set down the last dish down for her to dry he leaned against the counter, eyes closed. "I didn't bring any books, either. Damn."

Aria
She sighed as well, then shrugged. "We can do this, though. We can be professional. It's worth it." She gave him a sweet smile as she worked on the drying. "The chance to be here, and get things fixed with you makes all the boring hours sitting there worth it."

She couldn't help smiling a little that he wanted the books too, and patted his hand. "If it's not too cloudy tonight, though, maybe we could go outside for a bit? The Aurora might be visible... And some stars?"

Pao
Being professional was all he'd ever done with anyone, for the most part, but he couldn't argue with her. Whatever work they had to do was worth it because getting assigned to this outpost at all helped them work things out, so he shouldn't complain.

"True..." he eventually replied. He opened his eyes when she patted his hand, and at her suggestion his expression brightened some. "That sounds like a good scene to cuddle up and watch," he said, smiling again. "We still haven't gone stargazing, huh?"

Aria
She finished the drying, and went to put stuff away, then returned and pulled him in for a soft kiss, because she just wanted to, before sighing softly. Whatever else happened here, they were together and that was what mattered to her.

"Yeah... I've been hoping for a chance to do that with you for some time... We could bring some spare blankets out, cups of cocoa, and just... cuddle up under the stars for a bit together, and see what the skies decide to show us."

Pao
He gladly moved closer and kissed her back, arms slipping around her waist. Gently he rested his forehead on hers, content to just be there and make up for the time they lost after that night. He nodded at all of her ideas, and when she finished speaking he kissed her again before starting to walk backwards toward the door.

"Sounds like it'll be an amazing night," he murmured, "just me and my girl under the stars. And cocoa as a bonus." He laughed lightly. "Let's do it."

Aria
She mmm'd into the second kiss, eyes crinkling at the corners in happiness, then laughed as he walked them to the door, amused by his actions. She just rested her arms around his shoulders, though when they reached the door, she shifted just enough to open the door and then pulled it back to his shoulder.

"Excellent. I look forwards to it, babe." Even knowing she was his girlfriend, when he called her 'his girl' it spread joy through her. It just felt so good to hear it, every time.

Pao
Once they were past the doors he just kept walking backwards, not wanting to let go just yet. He knew that they would be on each other's arms again but every moment just felt so important...it took bumping into a desk to get him to finally let go.

"Surveillance room's through that door, probably," he nodded at the door just to her right.

Aria
She chuckled softly, and leaned to kiss his cheek, before pulling back. "Come on. Sooner begun, sooner done, babe." She took his hand, and then walked to the door, opening it and peering inside. Rhys had identified the right room, and she led them inside.

She only let his hand go once she had to sit down in front of the equipment. "Mmm wonder if there's scrap paper and pens... At least I could doodle, crap though I am at it."

Pao
He followed once she took his hand, and then took his own seat when she let go. Being in front of their assignment helped remind him that they had a job to do, so after glancing around to familiarize himself with the layout of everything he eased into his chair.

"Check the desk drawer," he suggested, then pulled out the one under his desk. "You doodle?"

Aria
"Sometimes?" She said as she popped open the drawer, and pulled out a cheap a** notepad and pen. "Not like... anything skilled or whatever. It's just, literally, something to do with my hands when I don't have anything else to do." She shrugged. "I would doodle on notes sometimes, or whatever, when I was in a class that bored me but I needed to pass to get anywhere."

She glanced over at him, and said "You didn't ever doodle?"

Pao
He shook his head as he flicked his eyes to the monitors for a second. Nothing on any, so he looked at her again. "No, I don't think so. I didn't always take notes, but I think I just slept through the boring classes." Which maybe explained a bit more about why he struggled to pass. "Tired from work usually."

Aria
She reached over to give his hand a gentle caress of understanding, then sat back. "Well you could always try doodling now. You have time, after all?"

Pao
The comfort she offered was incredibly welcome, and it made him just love her even more. He gave her a small smile, then chuckled at her question. "Nah, I'll leave the cute doodles up to you, love. I'll just be the guy quietly admiring from over here."

Aria
She blushed at his words, and settled into the chair, comfortably, and begins to doodle off and on, glancing at Rhys with a happy smile occasionally, and keeping an eye out on the screens, ready to react if anything important occurred. There was one moment where the blue sparkles appeared again... Moved around the tree, then went back to the ice and out of sight again.

She sighed at it, and made a note on the log left on the desk, then went back to doodling. It was the only incident of significance that occurred during their watch. She stood and stretched, happy it was finally done for the day.
Pao
If it wasn't work and she hadn't been around Rhys probably would have dozed off, but as promised he just kept his eyes on her or the screens and he stayed awake through the whole mostly uneventful shift. Just the one incident and she had been the one to jot the note down, so he was just happy that he got through it.

Once he got a bit of stretching done he went to the door and held it open for her, fighting down a yawn. "We should see if it's clear outside before we grab the blankets, huh?"

Aria
She chuckled and said "Dinner first. I don't want to get distracted and forget." She sighed a little, and added "I do that, you know... Forget to eat." She stepped through the door, and then reached behind her for his hand.

"But after food, yes absolutely. If you want to peek outside while I work on dinner, that would be fine, I suppose?"

Pao
"Oh, damn," he blinked, surprised that he forgot about dinner at all. He was sure he would have remembered when his stomach started grumbling, but he was glad she remembered for him. With a sleepy sigh he took her hand and wrapped himself around her for a second.

"Yeah, I'll go take a look. If it's clear I'll gather up the blankets and stuff, too." He hugged her tightly for a moment before eventually letting go, but not before giving her a peck on the cheek.

Aria
She mmm'd softly when he had her in his arms, and sighed wistfully, wishing there was a way to be in two places at once. "All right, babe... I'll go get started on dinner." She gave him a soft caress on his cheek, then head to the kitchen, sliding in the door. She began to hunt out what was available.

By the time he returned, he'd find she'd started the kettle again, and was working on grilling some steaks in a pan, while the smell of roasting vegetables filled the air.

Pao
Putting on a jacket to take a peek outside seemed like too much effort so he opened the door and immediately regretted the decision. Some mild expletives came out in a quiet murmur as he huddled up as best as he could and looked skyward for a couple of minutes before heading back inside.

"Always wear a jacket outside," he said as he slipped into the kitchen, a little red in the face because of the extreme cold. It smelled delicious as usual, and he saw that steak and vegetables was on the menu and quietly got a little excited. With a little smile he walked over to her and pressed his hands to her cheeks playfully. "See?"

Aria
She yelped a little, startled by the sudden cold on her face, letting a few expletives of her own out, and then she sighed, and said "Cuddle up, then, and get warm, but I happen to like having feeling in my face, babe." She turned the steak, letting the smell of cooking meat waft upwards more.

"So how was it? Beyond the obvious answer of '******** Cold' I mean." She carefully checked the meat once it was turned, then used a spoon to scoop up the cooking juices to re-baste the meat.

Pao
Her reaction got a laugh out of him, and so to make up for it he kissed both of her cheeks before stalking off to grab the plates and things to set the table. "It's perfect," came his reply. "No clouds, and the moon's just a sliver."

He finished setting up the table and went and cuddled up around her again, hoping that his clothes and such warmed up a bit already. After taking a deep breath he sighed, a very satisfied "mmm" escaping as he did. "Smells good, babe. How in the hell did I get so lucky with you?"

Aria
She blushed a little at the kisses, just because she hadn't expected them, but smiled. His words made her smile get even brighter. "Only thing better would be a new moon, but a sliver is still awesome! This is great to know, Rhys. I'm super excited." Star gazing for the first time since she'd woken up. It had been too long.

When he snuggled up to her again, she smiled and cuddled back against him in turn. She could still feel the chill off of him but not so badly now, and she didn't mind him stealing a little of her warmth. She chuckled at him, and said "I don't know, but given I feel I got quite lucky, it's mutual. Anyways, it shouldn't be too much longer."

Once the steaks were done, she pulled them out and onto the plates, and got the veggies out of the oven, serving them both. His was, as normal, a larger serving but she had taken a decent amount for herself. She sighed, and grabbed the plates, slipping free before he could take them, and walked them to the table, with a smile over her shoulder at him. "C'mon, babe. Time to eat."

Pao
He gave another very contented hum when she said it was mutual, and happily snuggled into her for warmth and just because he wanted to be close. When she served up the plates and snagged them before he could he just laughed, arms crossed as he watched her walk to the table.

"Coming," he said after a beat before joining her. His eyes fell on her plate and he felt another surge of pride in her knowing that she was making progress with her struggle. "Oh, need steak sauce? ...Is there even steak sauce?"

Aria
"Mmm didn't see any? I don't know if there is, but I used spices, along with re-juicing it, so..." She settled into her chair, and smiled up at him, then shrugged. "If you want to look for some, it's up to you. I just wanted to make sure you had a good meal before you freeze your a** off to indulge me in my star gazing obsession."

She took a slow, deep breath to enjoy the smell of the food, before refocusing on him with a happy smile on her face.

Pao
He stayed put when she explained, knowing that she certainly knew better than he did about how she flavored the food. "Nah, I'm good," he said as he pulled his plate closer to start cutting it up. "I trust you, baby. And as far as freezing my a** off," he paused and looked up, smiling warmly at her.

"If it's for you, I'll do anything. Happily."

Aria
She blushed at his words, and gave him a bright, happy smile. "You still deserve a good meal for it, babe. It makes me happy, and it's fair." She began to cut her own steak, and took a slow bite, her eyes closing at the meaty indulgence. If anything, she felt they deserved this sort of food more often, given the stuff live on the island threw at them.

But they would enjoy it while they had it. She suspected the high caloric and high protein food was provided because of how ******** cold it got here, and so it was safer for them to have this available to them. She slowly ate her meal, switching bites between her steak and the vegetables.

Pao
Rhys gave her a bright smile for her words before starting to eat his food. Because it was steak he ate a little more slowly just so he could chew through everything properly, and he found that she was absolutely right about not needing the steak sauce. It was delicious, as usual, and he happily worked through his plate.

"Y'think they have a telescope or somethin' too?" he asked as he got up to grab them some water. "This place is pretty stocked, I feel like they might."

Aria
Her eyes went wide at the idea of a telescope. "I... have no idea. I would be so amazed and excited but I've no clue where they'd store such a thing. I've never gotten to use a telescope before." Her eyes were shining at the idea, and she paused in her eating, just lost in the thought.

She then shook her head and refocused. "Food first, then we can take a look, yeah?"

Pao
He was on his way back with cups and a pitcher of water when he saw her go a bit dazed, lost in thought about it, so he tucked the idea of a telescope in the back of his mind and took a seat. After pouring them each a cup he took a sip from his before going back to eating.

"Food first is a good idea," he said just as he took a bite. "If they were to have one I don't think they'd leave it outside of this building..." Rhys mused in quietly as he ate, going through the rooms they'd been to so far and wondering what doors they hadn't opened yet.

Aria
She gave him a warm, bright smile, and had some water, before going back to her food. Her expression was full of curiosity, now, because this would be so much more awesome. Even if they didn't, though, tonight would be wonderful... A night spent with the man she loved, seeing the stars she loved.

"Mmm yeah... Even lower cost ones aren't cheap..." She said, a little wistfully, in a way that suggested she maybe had looked them up in the past. "D'you remember I mentioned that I want to someday go to Hawaii, for the observatory there? Supposedly the visitor's center puts out some really expensive personal type ones after the sun goes down... Maybe, some point, we could do that?"

Pao
When she asked if he remembered he nodded while chewing his food, and then washed it down with some water before properly answering. "Yeah, I remember. Sand and surf in the daytime, or...learning to surf, I guess...and then your observatory at night. Sounds like a good time." The brunette gave her a warm smile before finishing up his food.

"Even if there's no telescope you could probably still point out the constellations that you know. It was pretty clear out there." He finished and refilled his water, wondering where exactly they could set up outside.

Aria
She smiled a little, and made a note to get some really good sunscreen, and check her swimsuit to be sure it'd hold up. "Sounds awesome, yeah. And you'll get to work on your tan a bit more." She sighed, and managed to finish up the last of her food, feeling a little fuller then she was used to, but refusing to let that make her unhappy.

She stood and sighed happily. "Mmm mind if we deal with the dishes in the morning? I'm feeling a little lazy." She would deal with it now if he wanted, but... Well yeah. She walked over to the kettle she'd left on the stove, and began making up the cups of cocoa for them.

Pao
He chuckled at the mention of his tan again. "I'm not that focused on my tan, baby," he said just before he finished up his water. "But it would be a good chance to keep working on it, so you're not wrong." Once he was done he gathered up theirs plates and cups and put it all in the sink before going back to put the pitcher away.

"I'll do the dishes, hon," he said as he came up behind her and very briefly massaged her shoulders. "And you can go get bundled up once you're done making that." He massaged her for just a bit longer before leaning down to kiss her cheek, and then he let her go and got to the dishes.

Aria
"Mmm all right. I just noticed you have a nice one, even and deep, but maybe that's from all that time you spent in Mexico, in that sun." She shrugged, not worried either way, just hoping he'd have a good time too. But then it was Hawaii, most people seemed to like Hawaii.

She sighed softly, and mmmm'd in pleasure at the short massage, getting the cocoa all stirred up. "You are so good at that. Clever fingers." She murmured, eyes half closed for a moment. She placed the cups next to the kettle so they'd stay warm, and went to give him a quick hug, before going to get all bundled up.