Aria -
Seren smiled down at the sight of the silly corgi running around her apartment. "Remington, you are an endless ball of energy, I swear. You come over and run and play for hours. If I hadn't caught you napping when I got home from class, I'd be convinced you never slept!" She chuckled and put down the dish of food she'd been told he ate at this time on the floor for him, right next to the water bowl she'd set up. It was over in a corner of the kitchen, so she could keep an eye on him while she cooked, but would not trip on him.

Once he was settled in with his dinner, she washed her hands and began to pull out the ingredients for the Korean style Honey-Soy Sauce chicken she planned to make for dinner. She frowned, realizing she had been tired when she pulled the chicken out to defrost... She'd pulled one of the big packages, and she had enough for two to four people to eat. But she had to use it, it was defrosted. She sighed and figured she'd work out what to do with the extra later.

In the meantime, she worked out the ratio to up the amount of sauce she needed, and got cooking. It wasn't long before the chicken was in the pan, and the smell of it filled the air. In a pan on a second burner, she soon had veggies in a garlic sauce simmering away.

Pao -
It was the end of another long day...or really it felt like two considering he worked another double. He could never turn down the chance of picking up an extra shift. Extra money wasn't easy to come by, after all, and someone in his situation? Not that he was in dire straits--not anymore, anyway--but it was still an extra bit of money he could use for something. At this point, he thought while waiting for the elevator doors to open, he figured he could splurge a little on dinner. Someone he could share with his pup...though he was sure Seren had fed him by now. He smirked at the thought of having found someone so willing to take care of the little guy with his endless supply of energy and all.

"Maybe I should have lent more toys for her to preoccupy him with..." he murmured as he got on the elevator. It wasn't a long trip up and soon enough he was at his door. He went ahead and got himself at least a little cleaned up and more presentable before he went to pick up Remy. Once at her door he knocked and waited quietly, suppressing the urge to yawn as he did.

Aria -
Seren blinked at the knock and glanced at the time. "Oh!" It was about when Nate had said he'd get off, she must have lost track. She gave the food a quick stir, then headed for the door, the scent of food billowing after her. She pulled it open and gave Nate a smile. "Hey, come on in... Remmy's eating right now. Lost track of time, playing with him between bouts of homework." She stepped back, and waved him through the door, heading back towards the kitchen, not really thinking about the way the smell of the food filled the space.

"He's in here..." She glanced down at the food she was cooking, and then over at Nate, who she thought looked tired as all hell.

She went silent for a long moment, stirring the food more as she considered the situation. She had offered to feed him before, as a thank you, and he had turned it down... But this was a different situation. He was tired, he'd worked long hours... And his dog was busy eating. Maybe he'd accept an offer of food? "I'm making my dinner, actually and... Would you care to join me? I uh..." She flushed, her expression embarrassed. "I defrosted way too much ********' chicken, like an idiot, and so I had to cook enough to feed at least three. So I have extra and... You look tired, and need to wait on Remmy anyways. So maybe?"

Pao -
As soon as the door opened he could easily tell that she had dinner on the stove. Not being the type to want to intrude on someone's dinner though, he didn't say anything about it and simply returned her welcome with a quiet "thanks" and stepped inside, making sure to close the door behind him in case Remy decided to be a little rascal in the middle of his dinner.

"No worries, I'm just glad he's eating. He has his picky moments," said the brunette as he followed after her. He glanced over to where she said Remy would be, and sure enough there he was, plowing through his dinner. He just smiled as the pup ignored him and continued with his meal.

Turning to Seren, he blinked as she worked on her dinner for a little bit, then blinked some more at her offer. He'd turned her down before, and as much as he wanted to again this time he couldn't deny the fact that he was both tired and hungry. Starving, was more what it felt like if he were being honest. He gave it a little bit of thought before sighing and giving a little shrug. "Uh...I guess, if you're sure?" he wound up saying. He wasn't used to accepting such offers so he wasn't sure how to answer.

Aria -
"Oh? I haven't seen any, yet. He's been a very good boy about meals, while I've been watching him for you. But then... Limited time, so obviously..." She let the sentence trail off, thinking he would figure out where she was going with that, and just laughed a little, then shrugged, tossing Remmy a fond look. The silly boy ignored her, too, because FOOD. She just checked a pot she had set on one of the small burners to get some rice cooked, at this point, and glanced over at him.

His reaction wasn't particularly enthusiastic, she found herself thinking, but at the same time he accepted and that made her smile. "Cool! I am really sure. Honestly, it's gonna help me out, some. I won't have to worry about some of it going bad before I can eat it." She got the rice into the water, since it was boiling, and stirred everything a little more. "You don't have any, like... Dietary restrictions, right?"

Pao -
He nodded along, letting her sentence trail off since he did know where she was going with it. If it was doable he imagined she'd spend enough time with Remy, at least, to learn all the little things about the pup that he knew. He worked a lot, after all. So he watched her quietly and leaned against the counter just beside where Remy was chowing down.

"Nope, no restrictions. At least not when I'm eating out or something like that," he replied, eyeing the pup as he spoke. "When I'm on my own that's a different story. I'll splurge sometimes, but I try to keep to some good eating habits." Glancing over at her, he added, "Though I'm not a huge fan of gluten-free things. Just lots of veggies and less junk-type foods. What about you?"

Aria -
"No particular restrictions. I won't eat brussels sprouts, because they're the nastiest thing on the planet, and I try to avoid junk food because it's not healthy and it would be terrible for my budget to eat out a lot. Other then that... I am fine to eat just about anything." She gave a small shrug, as she turned the chicken pieces over, making sure they were cooked evenly, the scent of the meat filling the air just that much more.

"And yeah, gluten free tends to have an... odd texture. Add in that it's often more expensive and it's just not something I ever bother with. Mostly, I stick with what I can easily make at home. It's usually cheaper to buy the ingredients in bulk, then it is to buy anything prepackaged or pre-made. Since it's also healthier, I am glad about that. Also, Costco is my friend for things like rice." She paused, and added "Since you're leanin' in front of it, would you mind getting a pair of plates out of the cupboard behind your head? If you want something to drink, I have tea I can brew, or a pitcher of cold water in the fridge."

Pao -
Nate chuckled at her comment on brussel sprouts--he didn't really mind them and found they tasted good depending on the dish--but for the most part just listened quietly. It was definitely relatable, at least as far as the healthier choice being home cooked meals, but unlike her he wasn't skilled at all in the kitchen so home cooked meals got boring very quickly.

At her instruction to start grabbing plates he pushed off the counter and turned around to get the cupboard open. "If I could cook better I'd probably try harder with meal prepping. Right now I can make like...three or four different dishes, and that just gets stale after a month of cycling through 'em." He made a face as he set out some plates for her. "And I could go for some water, if that's cool."

Aria -
"Water is fine, and quite literally cool. That's why it's in the fridge." Her tone was joking and a little flippant as she said that, a silly grin crossing Seren's face for a moment as she glanced at the tall man. "Cups are in the cupboard next to the ones the plates were in, so if you want to get yourself one, feel free. It'll be just a couple more minutes for the food to be ready." She focused on what she was doing, then served rice onto each plate, and put the chicken on top, with the veggies next to it.

"I could give you some easy recipes, if you want. The kind of thing that can be made for one or two, easily enough, and is generally healthy... With ingredients that aren't too expensive, even." She shrugged, and carried the two plates to her beat up dining table. "Or I could teach you, or something, for the stuff I know. There's still stuff I'm learning to cook..." She sighed a little, and set the plates down. "But I'm never sure if they taste good. I mean, usually I like 'em but... I think my taste buds are a little skewed."

Pao -
"Thanks," he said, huffing a little out of amusement at her little joke, and got two cups out of the cupboard. He set them on the table before grabbing the pitcher and pouring a glass of water for himself. "And that's okay. I feel like these days I don't have much time anyway, so I'll just Google stuff later when I do." He sipped his water as he watched her plate their food, then as she set the plates on the table he sat down.

"If you're just cooking for you then there's nothing wrong if your taste buds are a little bias?" he offered before taking another sip of water. "Did you wanna cook for other people though? Or do you, already?"

Aria -
"Any time." His amused huff caused her to give a small, pleased grin. She liked knowing that she could make someone laugh, to any degree, so it was good to hear. She tilted her head at his continued comments, going back into the kitchen to get utensils, and some napkins, before returning and taking her own seat. She gave him a fork and spoon, but had a pair of washable metal chopsticks for her own food. "Up to you. If you ever want a recipe or something, though, the offer remains open. Some of them are even pet friendly."

She took a sip of her water, before picking up a piece of the chicken. His question had her looking thoughtful for a moment, as she tried to figure out how to explain it. Food was part of how she connected with people... She wasn't the best at reaching out in other ways, and she wanted to be sure it tasted right. "I... It's less biased, and more... There was a period when all I could afford, most of the time, was really cheap stuff, so I was living on not the best tasting food. Compared to that, sometimes it feels like anything decent quality would taste delicious." She put the piece of meat in her mouth, chewing and swallowing before she responded to the other part of this.

"And... Sometimes? I bake things for my tutoring students, as incentives, mainly. But I do, kind of, want to cook for others... Not all the time but... In the end, I'd like to be sure tat what I cook does taste good, and not just to me. It... matters to me." Because it was something she had been forced to learn, and it wasn't a skill that had come naturally to her, even though she might look like she was born in the kitchen.

Pao -
He waited for her to take the first bite before taking one of his own, and while it didn't quite show in his face he was rather impressed with the simple dish. He ate and listened intently, though despite his best efforts he couldn't exactly understand what she was talking about. He went through a similar period but his taste buds seemed...fine? Though not wanting to belittle her thoughts of experiences he just ate and nodded at the right times.

"Well if it matters I hope you find a way to work it out in the end," he said before taking another sip of his water. "This is ********' good though, if you were curious about my opinion at all. In case you couldn't tell by the fact that I basically inhaled it."

Aria -
She was still eating by the time he answered, and glanced up, surprised at his comment and that he was done so quickly. He really had practically inhaled everything, and she was sort of impressed at how fast the man could eat. And then the rest of what he said caused her to blush happily, glad to know the meal she had cooked was good enough that someone else liked it, too. She gave him another small, genuinely happy smile and ate a little more before she responded.

"I do too. It would be easier if I had someone I knew I could ask to taste things when I'm trying out a new recipe, or a variation. But I... don't know too many people super well, and so I don't really have anyone I can ask that of." She gave a soft sigh, a hint of loneliness escaping her. She had begun to reach out, recently, and to try to make friends but... She still was nervous and shy about it, and no one was someone she felt that kind of close to

Pao -
He debated a moment, wondering if it was alright to offer his "help" with her lack of a taste-tester. They kind of knew each other? Kind of. But in the short time they'd kind-of known each other all he'd done for her was crash into her and mess up her ankle while she'd already taken care of his pup and now she was feeding him. It felt a little...wrong. So he took another sip before giving a shrug.

"If you cook like this it won't be hard to find people who'll offer to be your taste tester. If it's convenient for you I'm around, or if you just bring some to school or work that'd be pretty convenient, too. Offer some to people around you?"

Aria -
She blinked some, at his suggestion, her hand slowing as she took a few bites, and her expression lost in thought. Finally she said, slowly, "Well, I don't know that many people at school, and it'd be weird to just ask random people to taste it, don't you think?" She put another bite in her mouth, as she considered phrasing and the best way to explain her thoughts a little more. "Work... I mean, I'm a tutor. I do bring along baked goods, sometimes, as a way to encourage my students. I'm not sure it'd be as effective to go 'SO. You did really well on that, now would you like to try my spicy rice cake dish I just made?' or something."

She leaned back, looking at him curiously, then said "But if you're up for it, I definitely wouldn't mind having you try things out? I mean. I'd appreciate it, really. Having someone I don't think would lie to me just to placate me, and make me go away, would be useful. I suspect, when it comes to food, you'd tell me, yeah?" She glanced at his inhaled plate, and then back up again, a slightly amused look in her blue eyes.

Pao -
He listened carefully, wondering if that many thoughts ran through someone's head when it came to something like asking someone to taste their food. He didn't cook so it wasn't something he ever thought he would understand, so he nodded a bit as she explained as he continued to sip away at his water. When he was all done with it he set his glass down and considered her offer with a little smirk.

"Hey, if it's free food I'm not the type to say 'no'." He chuckled slightly as Remy finally plopped down at his feet, and he crouched down to pet the tired pup. "And I do think I'm a pretty honest guy about that kinda thing. Not food critic level, but I could at least tell you if I like it or not. If that's good enough?"

Aria -
Seren lifted her brows at the smirk, curiously, but waited while he thought, managing to finish up her meal. She chuckled softly as he spoke, nodding slowly and smiling. It was an honest smile, warm and on the friendly side... Something not a lot of people, especially men her age or older, had seen from her, so far. Maybe it was the way he'd helped her after hurting her, instead of leaving her to deal with it herself, maybe it was Remy, but she found herself being willing to trust him, and in her head, that meant a potential friend.

"I can't argue with that. Free food is always a bonus, so long as it doesn't make you sick." She glanced down, watching him with Remy, and her eyes went soft. The love he showed his dog was something she couldn't help but be glad to see. "So yeah, that definitely is something that I would appreciate. I'm not expecting a food critic... Just 'yeah this tastes good' or not, maybe the occasional 'it's a bit odd, because of this taste' or something would be helpful."

Pao -
Nate's attention continued to turn to Remy, who by now was on his side, tongue lolling out as he enjoyed the attention he was getting. So he missed the smile, but still he did offer her a small smile of his own from where he was crouching. "I think I can manage that much. So we talkin' every day or just whenever you feel like cooking? I'm at work a lot so the timing's kinda important. Also...I mean, I like free food and all but I still feel kinda like you're doin' too much for me."

At that point he finally stood, his expression turning thoughtful as he considered some way he could do something for her in return. "Y'know, since you already sometimes watch Remy. If you can think of anything I can do to return the favor, lemme know? I'm drawing a blank."

Aria -
She saw the smile and it warmed her gut a little, because she had the feeling that this was a man who did not smile much at fellow humans. Or at least, that was what she thought based on how she'd seen him behave. She could be totally inept at guessing, but somehow she thought she wasn't. She blinked, though, in confusion at his words. "Too... much? I mean, you're going to be helpin' me refine my cooking, so it's definitely something of a mutual favor, but I guess I can see why you might think of it that way." People did, sometimes, seem to have the idea that favors had to be returned, and some people were... less pleasant about it then others.

"But... Alright. If I think of something, I'll tell you? I don't know of anything, off the bat, other then maybe occasionally providing the ingredients, or something, that I need. I don't exactly live a lavish lifestyle, so I'm not running around, needing... things..." She seemed confused for a moment, like she wasn't even sure of what it could be that she might need in any situation. "But yeah. Ok."

Pao -
He blinked, a little confused at how him giving his opinion was enough to return the favor, but he was glad for her final response. He slipped his hands into his pockets, the ghost of a smile still on his face. "Cool. I could bring ingredients if you need me to, just lemme know ahead of time. That's not a big deal. I'm not livin' the big life either but I can do that, no problem."

At that Remy gave a yap from where he was sitting, catching Nate's attention. The brunette glanced down at the now tired-looking pup and smiled brightly down at the furball. "He looks like he's ready for bed, so we might head out. Just shoot me a text if you need ingredients or if you think of something else?"

Aria -
Seren nodded and chuckled. "Sounds good. I won't ask you to get any of the unusual stuff... Sometimes finding the actual right thing can be hard, with translation and stuff, on certain imported spices and the like, and I know exactly what the packages I want are, generally. But other then that, I'll keep it in mind." Her eyes crinkled a little at the corners, as she looked happy about the thought of getting to have a real tester for some of her stuff.

She glanced down at the yap as well, and hid a sigh, but nodded understandingly. Nate had had a really long shift, and Remy had been with her for hours, so she couldn't complain, and could understand. "Alright, sounds good." She stood up and went over to crouch by Remy, giving him a few good bye rubs, as she gave Nate an understanding smile. "You guys go get some rest, ok? And remember... I like looking after the little guy. It's the closest I can afford to having a pet, myself, right now, watching your doggo. And he's such a sweetie." After finishing up the pets, she stood again, and went to hold the door to her apartment open, in what she thought of as the polite thing to do... Show that she was welcoming of him coming and going. "Have a good night, guys."