|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 2:52 pm
It was a delicate balance to set up the house for such a unique evening. Ergon wanted to make it special for Riya, but they tended to be on opposite ends of the fancy versus practical spectrum. His idea for a beautiful set up was sure to seem a little overbearing to her, so how was he to marry the two ideals together so that they would both enjoy it? Perhaps it wasn't so delicate as he was making it out to be, but he desperately wanted this particular day to go as perfectly as possible.
He had sent Riya off for a little pampering to make sure the house was empty first, eager to prepare three special surprises while he had the house to himself. It was certainly strange to be there without her, but he had enough work to keep himself busy. The finest meats had been ordered and sent to one of the finer diners in town to be specially prepared by the chefs within, and so all he had to do now was get them slowly heating over a low fire in the kitchen. Sharing the fire was a pot of mixed vegetables and herbs that he had prepared all on his own. The scents were steadily filling and warming the kitchen, but he was already on his next task.
The greenhouse alongside the home had been in a bit of disrepair when Riya had bought it, and he was hard at work replacing and fixing parts that were needed to make it function again. He checked on the food from time to time, but his focus was on the hope was that he would have the greenhouse fixed and planted by the time Riya returned. It had been some time since he had done any work on household repairs, but after a bruised thumb and a few choice words, he was finally nailing the last board in place.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:11 pm
It had been a bit odd for her to be sent off to be pampered since it wasn't really her thing but Riya knew that Ergon was trying to do something nice. She'd gone without much of a fuss. Overall it hadn't been too bad and certainly nothing to complain about. Now, a few hours later, she was on her way home. Iriyana had stopped at a shop on the way back to pick up a few things as well. Nothing too much just some dried meats for meals so that she didn't have to worry about it later. It also meant that she'd be able to cook something though she wasn't sure what. As she got closer she noticed the faint smell of something cooking and had to tilt her head. She didn't leave anything over the fire. "That smells good.." She said as she opened the door to go inside. Riya hoped she'd said it loud enough to be heard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 7:02 pm
With the final nail in place, Ergon wiped his brow and stepped back to survey his work. It looked pretty well done, in his opinion. Now there would be no draft to harm the herbs and veggies he wanted to plant there. He must have been running low on time though. The planting would have to wait if he was to clean up and make himself presentable for Riya. Besides, she would probably be interested in helping with the planting.
He had just reached for the door when he heard Riya's voice in the distance, his cheeks warming sharply. He was still a mess! He did what he could, brushing off his pants and shaking out his shirt quickly. He combed his fingers through his hair and passed a sleeve over his face. Unbeknownst to him, a streak of dirt was left behind on his cheek while the sweat was wiped away. He should have left his pride at the door and gotten someone to help him out... but he really was proud of his work.
Taking a deep breath, he headed into the kitchen and sighed with relief. It really did smell good, and he had already prepared the table with a nice cloth place settings, and a small vase of herbs in lieu of flowers; a callback to their first real date together so long ago. "I'm certain it will taste as good as it smells," he called back, giving the veggies a stir to make sure none were sticking to the pot. "Did you enjoy your treatment?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 7:13 pm
She walked in and shut the door behind her so as to not lose the inner heat or the good smell. With a smile she made it to the kitchen, the small package of what she'd stopped to buy in her hand. "I guess I won't be cooking tonight then." Riya chuckled and set the package on the counter by the cutting block. "It was nice even if its not something I'm used to." She answered as she took in the table. It was a nice setting and there was a vase of herbs. It was different. She looked from the table to the food cooking then at Ergon. "What's all this? Did I forget a special day?" Iriyana paused as she tried to think of the date and make sure there was nothing that corresponded with it. Of the two it would be her that forgot something important, though not intentionally. "Did I miss something?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2020 7:55 pm
Ergon smiled lightly. Pampering was not Riya's normal go-to, but he'd needed something to keep her busy that would be a treat at the same time. "You look wonderfully refreshed." He gave the meat another flip as well as a gentle stab to make sure it was cooking through. Just about perfect!
Ah, so she could tell! "No, today isn't anything important. Not yet, at least... I'm sorry that I'm such a mess, but things took longer than I had thought they would. Dinner will be ready once I've had a quick rinse." But first... Waving his hand to encourage Riya over, he walked over to the door leading to the greenhouse and pushed it open. "I got the greenhouse fixed up for us. If you'd like, I thought we could plant some things from my mother's garden to get it started?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:52 am
Not special yet? Iriyana gave a suspicious look as he motioned her over. Of course that look turned into a small giggle and a poorly hidden grin as she noticed the streak of dirt on his face. What had he been up to that had gotten him dirty? As she stepped toward the greenhouse she figured it out. Her eyes looked inside to see the repairs before she looked back at him still wearing the grin. "I'd like that." Planting things with him would be fun. Her hand came up and she gently wiped at the dirt streak. "You didn't have to do that in secret, Ergon. I would have helped." Although she was very amused with the thought of him doing it all by himself. The pride he must have shown would have been adorable to see. When most of the dirt was gone she leaned up on tip toe to kiss his cheek. Did all of this mean he was ready to move in then? Was that the reason behind the repairs and the dinner? Riya certainly hoped so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:22 pm
Ergon couldn't help his own pleased grin rising with Riya's response. Even having the dirt pointed out on his face could not diminish the smile, though it did add a firm heat to his cheeks. Just a few more minutes so that he could look his best... "I know you would have. That's why I had to do it in secret," he replied with a chuckle. "I know that my life as of late has been.. well, nothing less than a major distraction from us. It has been a while since I have been able to do anything for you, so I thought that a surprise was in order." His eyes flicked over to the fire. "If you will give me a moment, I will get myself cleaned up enough so that you smell the dinner rather than me~"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2020 7:16 pm
Mention of his life being a distraction made her shake her head at him. "It's alright, I told you that." She understood. Riya had a big family and she understood the importance of it. It actually made her miss her twin brother. She might even think about sending him a letter asking him to come visit her this time. When he mentioned cleaning himself up she chuckled. While she didn't care too much about the little bit of dirt she knew he was a properly raised gentleman. "I can already smell dinner, but I get your point." She made a few shooing motions with her hands. "Go on, get cleaned up. I'll store the food I bought for tomorrow." Iriyana moved away from him so that she could do just that. Mostly she would be storing it in the cold chest outside so that nothing spoiled over night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:59 am
Ergon sighed softly and nodded. "I know.. That is all the more reason you deserve something special." There were many women out there who got quite worked up when all of the attention wasn't on them, but Iriyana was so different. She was simply amazing, and so much more than any of those highbrow 'ladies' that he would have been expected to marry had Riya not come along.
He went to clean up as thoroughly but quickly as possible, and changed into a fresh shirt. His stiff demeanor had slowly relaxed over the years, but he still had standards! A comb ran through his hair a few times, and then he was back in the kitchen. The temptation to list off what he'd done for the dinner to impress her was strong, but he managed to hold back. Sometimes, it was more about the meaning of the project than how it was done. Gathering the food onto the plates... well, maybe there was no need to list it all out anyway. Surely the smells and the tastes would be enough anyway. "Let me know how you like it." A playful smirk rose along with a tease, "If anything's not good enough, I'll be sure the cook gets fired."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 10:31 am
While Ergon went to clean up she peeked into the greenhouse to look at what he'd done. Her gaze slid over everything and slowly her smile grew. The fact that her boyfriend had done something to get dirty without being told to or asked made her was to pinch his cheeks. He was too cute for his own good sometimes. By the time he came back into the kitchen she was back to putting things away. She arched a brow at him as he put food on plates and mentioned firing the cook if she disliked anything. "Aha.." Riya moved toward the table so that she could take a seat. "I'll have to thank the cook before you do since you bothered them to make a meal for us." The sparkle in her eyes told him she was teasing just a little. Her gaze dropped to the food and she took a deep breath in, savoring the scent. "I'm sure it'll taste delicious since it smells amazing." "Oh, and I have something to tell you before you hear it from someone else." Iriyana figured she might as well let him know that she'd run into his sister before people started talking about it. Of course she wanted him to be sitting before then so he didn't drop anything.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 6:07 pm
Checking over the food, he gave Riya a side-eye look before smirking with a mock whine in his voice. "Hey, I heated it up." He shook out a cloth and laid it over his lap with a chuckle. "Besides, I doubt that I have quite enough clout to get the chefs at The Regal Roati fired." Okay, a little boasting wouldn't hurt anything...
He had just speared a veggie with his fork when Riya spoke again. Immediately, his heart sank a little. It was rare for anything good to follow such a statement. "Are you alright?" he asked hesitantly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 7:05 pm
"Ah. Yes, the hardest job." Riya teased back. Though really he could have messed it up had he made the fire too hot or something. So she had pride in him for that. Of course she was more impressed with his handy skills in the greenhouse. Not that she'd tell him just yet. When he asked if she was alright she blinked at him before she chuckled. "Yes, I'm fine. Its nothing bad per say. I just met your sister is all." She hadn't gone looking for the girl so it wasn't like she neant to stir up trouble. "Don't worry, I was nice." Riya would hate for him to think she'd been mean. She took a bite of the food and made a sound that said it was simply amazing. "Its delicious. The food warmer deserves praise just as much as the cook."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:15 pm
For a split second, Ergon had no idea what Riya was talking about. Then.. Nothing bad per say! His sister!! He visibly slumped and only just held back a groan of dismay, instead letting out a sigh. "I suppose you two got along wonderfully?" he asked with a tilt of sarcasm. If the two ended up hating each other, that would be all the better for avoiding any awkward gatherings in the future. That is, if his sister ever returned at all. Once she had her supplies and got back home to the north, there would surely be no need for her to return for another dozen or so years...
Pleased with the brief distraction of the food, he took a bite as well and smiled contently. The bit of praise earned a chuckle as well. "I will be sure to let them know that they set me up for success with their preparations. ..Not that there was any doubt with their skills; and I have been known to make a rather tasty dinner now and then."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:55 pm
She took in his reaction and took a deep breath. So he was still upset about it. Iriyana dropped her gaze back to the food and frowned. It was good she told him then. Likely him finding out she was friendltly toward the girl from someone else would have given him an ulcer. "We do, actually. We both like hunting. I told her she is welcome to come by and talk if she needs it." Riya peeked up at him then, a bit of worry in her expression. While she wouldn't change her mind on that she didn't want Ergon to be upset either. "I know she's not what you expected but you can't blame her, Love. Just try to remember its not her fault." She tried to lighten the mood a little. "We talked about you. I told her how wonderful you are. And about how we met." Alright so that part might make him a bit mortified since they had gotten into a fight when they first met and he had ended up on the ground covered in mud. "You two have similar taste too. Apparently she has fallen for my charms as well and told me she would scoop me up if you ever disappointed me." She couldn't help the teasing but she wanted him to see that they had stuff in common. "I think you two would get along if you let it happen." A smile and wink were tossed his way before she went back to eating. The food was too good to let it get cold and go to waste. "I do like what you did to the greenhouse. And I will gladly help you plant things but you know I don't have a green thumb." Riya firmly believed she would kill anything that tried to grow there and it would be a shame to see that happen after all the effort Ergon put in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 23, 2020 2:52 pm
Well, that was the opposite of what he'd wanted to hear. ..wasn't it? Despite truly feeling cranky that the girls got along, the part of him that was slowly accepting his sister was, dare he say it, happy to hear it. Not that he was going to let himself be obvious about that yet. "Of course. I.. I know she is not to blame." He thought about his last interaction with his half-sister, chatting over the food she had made. It had been.. pleasant. "She knows that she is welcome back should the need arise." He cleared his throat bashfully and took another bite of the meal to busy himself. Accepting the situation was a tumultuous road, but he was making progress.
Of course, his eyes flashed up with horror and suspicion in an instant. She had talked about how they had met? How much had Riya told?! To think that Sylvirah might have heard about his dreadful and awkward behavior back then. And Now Sylvirah was making herself competition!! "I still do not enjoy looking back on the wretched brat I was that day.. but one can not argue that it ended up being the snowball that grew and lead to the best part of my life." Was it possible that he might ever disappoint her enough that she would choose to leave? What a horrifying thought...
He was able to relax more when the greenhouse was brought up, eager to change the discussion. "I am glad to hear that. You will not have to worry though; I will show you how to care for everything in there. If necessary, I may also simply be the primary gardener, too~"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
