The simple smell of buttery toast is something he enjoyed immensely. It filled the room, reminding him of mornings at the farm, with freshly toasted bread dripping with the stuff, greasy and salty and buttery and altogether too delicious - yes, he would be able to stomach toast, he would not let recent events take that away from him.
"Usually restrained, yeah. The ponies were the worst. Smaller they are, the cleverer they are - and slippery too. Had one slip right out of its headcollar and kick me in the balls while I was trying to worm it one time." It was a little shit of a shetland pony, hating everyone around it except for its precious owner, a child who upon looking back might have been possessed by the same devil as the pony. He huffed a small laugh, pleased that the motion didn't cause him pain anymore.
It felt good to laugh again.
Then she spoke of family dinner and that old feeling of anxiety rose up in him. It wasn't the first time he had thought about meeting her family, her 'parents', the ones she had chosen, not been born to, as seemed to be a common theme in this realm. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet them, he was just so scared of the judgement, the scrutiny, of her opinion changing because of theirs - he didn't want to disappoint her. "What's he like? When I met him, before Deepfrost closed the portal, he was a… hellhound I think. Some kind of terrifying canine, anyway."
He had assumed to earn Kia's love and admiration as he had, he must be a top bloke, and the brief yet educational meeting Chulane had had with him had suggested as much as well. But he was curious all the same, what she would say about him.
Toast was served up before him, and as Kia turned away again, he reached out for her, his grip light and still a bit uncoordinated, but gently tugged at her hand to have her bend to his level so that he might plant a kiss upon her cheek. "Thanks," he murmured, before releasing her again, and leaning over his plate to take a tentative bite.
"Usually restrained, yeah. The ponies were the worst. Smaller they are, the cleverer they are - and slippery too. Had one slip right out of its headcollar and kick me in the balls while I was trying to worm it one time." It was a little shit of a shetland pony, hating everyone around it except for its precious owner, a child who upon looking back might have been possessed by the same devil as the pony. He huffed a small laugh, pleased that the motion didn't cause him pain anymore.
It felt good to laugh again.
Then she spoke of family dinner and that old feeling of anxiety rose up in him. It wasn't the first time he had thought about meeting her family, her 'parents', the ones she had chosen, not been born to, as seemed to be a common theme in this realm. It wasn't that he didn't want to meet them, he was just so scared of the judgement, the scrutiny, of her opinion changing because of theirs - he didn't want to disappoint her. "What's he like? When I met him, before Deepfrost closed the portal, he was a… hellhound I think. Some kind of terrifying canine, anyway."
He had assumed to earn Kia's love and admiration as he had, he must be a top bloke, and the brief yet educational meeting Chulane had had with him had suggested as much as well. But he was curious all the same, what she would say about him.
Toast was served up before him, and as Kia turned away again, he reached out for her, his grip light and still a bit uncoordinated, but gently tugged at her hand to have her bend to his level so that he might plant a kiss upon her cheek. "Thanks," he murmured, before releasing her again, and leaning over his plate to take a tentative bite.
chulane
