--The following transcript was a live chat roleplay--
[Verne]: Verne put down one of the last boxes and smiled. The pair had managed to get through a lot in the short few hours that Dominique had been awake for the night. The tall Paladin looked at his wrist watch and read the time the small hands told; it had just gone nine and though they were still faced with the huge task of unpacking the boxes they had shifted into the top floor of their new dwelling, Verne was satisfied with what they had accomplished. A large bed lay stuffed up against the top left side of the room with the sheets, pillows and covers piled up in the centre while a maze of boxes weaved a path back and forth through the room. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the two of them to invest in a place they could live in together, with Dominique joining The Order again and Verne’s little brother all but taking over his one bedroom trailer; this would give them a lot more room.
Verne stood up right and hiked up his Adidas track pants a bit before burying his hands in the pocket of his plain grey hoody. The hood was down, his wayward blonde hair touching the raise collar; pressed down by the black beanie he wore. His blue gaze went to Dominique before he crossed the room to put his hands on her hips from where he stood behind her, slowly snaking them across the woman’s stomach to stitch his digits together and pull her in to his embrace. “I think that was the last box from the car.”
[Dominique]: There was something about standing there and feeling him move closer to her. A grin spread across her face and she couldn't stop it if she tried. The warmth of his body forming behind hers inspired HOPE to reach back and thread to lock at the back of his neck. "Good. It is a lot of work." She turned and faced him and grinned a little more, her features likely glowing if they could. "But can I tell you again it’s good to be home with you?"
The place was huge and what they managed to move from her cramped apartment seemed all but swallowed up by the massive multi-level space. It was a world all its own and exactly what they looked for. The investment they both made secured it and gave an earthly promise no matter what the world threw their way they had a place that was a refuge from it all. With the acceptance back into The Order she was feeling far better than she ever had. Her mind was focused, her routine settling and that is more than she could have ever hoped for. She felt the stretch of her zip up long sleeved shirt and the weight of his fingers finding her denim clad hips. Her bare feet brought her in a little closer to him and now she couldn't see it being a more perfect evening.
[Verne]: His arms tighten around the woman’s figure gently until he could feel the cold of her body through their clothes; it didn’t bother him now like it had in the beginning. Home, the word didn’t seem strange coming from her lips but whenever he thought about it, it took him a little while to process what was now truth; they had a home together and though it felt cereal right now, Verne knew it would be the most wonderful feeling once it all sunk in.
The pad of his left forefinger found the hard path drawn up the front of the woman’s shirt by the zip and he followed it playfully with his finger; a fly nearing the spider’s web. Finger and thumb closed over the small metal tongue and slowly edged it down only to then pull it back up again. “I think this place is perfect,” he told her, but then, he had said that they first time they’d laid eyes on it.
[Dominique]: She watched the slow pull of his finger then the slide of the zipper that was pinched between them back up. "Make up your mind." Playfully she winked as it seemed that he in fact did. "You hungry?" Her fingers caressed the length of his jaw slowly then moved so she had the space to lean and kiss his lips. She could bathe in the warmth of his flesh pressed to her own and never miss the winter that surrounded them. For now he was likely hungry and she was going to go through the motions of what would be an otherwise familiar routine. "Shall I see what they delivered for the kitchen? I had it stocked with what a hungry man would want. Hope they succeeded. If not I will run to the store later if needed."
[Verne]: “Mm,” he hummed against the lips pressed to his own, “I could do with something,” he spoke as he pulled back from the quick kiss. “Don’t worry about making it though, I have two hands.”
Verne released the woman and went to the kitchen. He stood in the middle of the floor and let his gaze go over all of the cupboards. Indecision gripped him; which to open first. The fridge was always a good start and Verne was one of those guys who opened the fridge door whenever he was in the kitchen, even if he wasn’t hungry it was done out of habit. The fridge droned as he pulled the door open and looked down at its contents. Fruit, drinks, yogurt, vegetables, everything you expected to find in a normal fridge and nothing you did in that belonging to a Vampire. “Maybe I’ll just make
[Dominique]: Walking through the space to the kitchen and reaching down randomly she picked up the empty cardboard box. A hiss of packing tape said it was being folding down and was like a Frisbee with the toss she gave it to pile it with the growing pile several feet away. A few steps more and she gathered up a sheet of bubble wrap and couldn't resist the urge to press her fingers together to make the small plastic bubbles pop. "Sounds good enough to eat." She agreed without giving it much thought.
She tossed the sheet of bubble wrap in the wastebasket and leaned back against the kitchen island and watched him begin the simple prep of the sandwich. That was when she decided to give it the attempt. If it came back to haunt her as painfully as the Monster drink did then she didn't have a huge audience to witness it. It was Verne. He had pretty much seen all her victories and losses in the last year so she could survive the humiliation if it came back and bit her in the ***. "Mind making me one?" She was glad his back was turned because she was sure his expression was enough to make her laugh even if it was her that would potentially suffer from the result of her suggestion.
[Verne]: Verne hadn’t given the whole food thing much thought, especially when it came to Dominique, but her asking now made him think back for only a week or so ago when he had been standing in her apartment and all she had to offer him was and old untouched salad she had been feeding to Rufus, her pet turtle.
He got the bread out from where it was kept and then collect some margarine and cheese from the fridge. The sandwich, once made, seemed a little empty, so instead of leaving it as it was Verne went back to the fridge and got a leaf of lettuce to add to his own; on top of this went a couple of chicken flavoured potato chips and he was happy.
After a spot of cleaning up he walked the plate over to where Dominique sat and took a seat beside her, offering up the plate with her rather plain, cheese sandwich on it. He tucked into his own quickly, the crispy ships and fresh lettuce making a satisfying crunch sound when he sunk his teeth into the odd creation for a bite.
[Dominique]: She perched herself up on one of the high stools and waited for him to make his way there. The creation he seemed rather fond of had her eyes surveying it as if it was going to be something she could handle or not. She opted for the plain that he seemed to be kind enough to spare the extras. It was no secret between them. This may or may not end badly so she was glad he was there for the support. The man liked to eat. Was it wrong that she couldn't help but want to share in such a common and practiced pleasure as consuming a meal together? It was only a grilled cheese. Her fingers settled down around the toasted bread and the heat shot up her fingers like it was riding through her veins. She never appreciated the luxury of warmth until she was left to savour the limited amounts of it she came across. She released her shoulders back slightly like she was getting set for an all you can eat competition.
It shouldn't be such a big deal. She ate sandwiches all the time. Slowly her fingers brought the bread and cheese to her parting lips. A slow shift of her dark eyes towards Verne found him already inhaling what he held. Open mouth. Check. Insert. Check. Bite down. Check. Chew! She went through the motions and allowed the warm soft cheese spiral slowly through her mouth. After a few tumbles of the bite in her closed mouth she finally swallowed it down. She licked her lips thinking perhaps she was missing something. "How does yours taste?" She opened the two slices of bread and looked between and the cheese. Subtly she leaned in to see if she could notice a reason for the lack
[Verne]: Words that sounded like ‘it’s good,’ came out of his mouth but one could never be sure if they were right to hear them. Of course he was watching Dominique from the corner of his eye; he wanted to know if what she had just eaten was going to stay down or not. He didn’t make this obvious, however, dinner and a show in this form wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that would make him want to eat the second half of his sandwich, one that had gone untoasted unlike Dominique’s.
Nothing. He noticed her stop to peek inside the sandwich like she had just realised she had bitten off the leg of a bug. “Is it okay?” He asked, concerned.
No one had ever complained about food he had prepared before, but then again, he rarely prepared anything, so maybe this one was ‘one in five’ factor swinging into action. Verne had managed to demolish his late dinner, which had actually been a combination of a few skipped meals, and got up to take his plate back to the kitchen.
[Dominique]: She was in the process of finishing up the sandwich she had obviously investigated a little too closely when he noticed. "It's great." A big grin came to her lips as the last bites went rolling down her throat. Now that she seemed safe from the unimaginable pain of food rejection coming over her she hopped up from the stool in a victorious bounce to her bare feet. "Can't wait to see what else will stay down. Cheese sandwiches are a win." She stepped around the kitchen island and placed her plate on top of the one he released. "It was a little bland but could be just one of those things. It is not like I have eaten a lot recently." That was an understatement but honest enough to say.
[Verne]: He smiled, that hadn’t gone too badly. “Why don’t we find out what else will stay down?” Verne ask, scooping up an apple from the fruit bowl on the island; he bounced it off his forearm before catching it in the opposite hand and brought it to his mouth to take a bite before offering it up to Dominique.
The apple was crisp and delicious; there was no way she could call that bland, even a homeless guy with no teeth could enjoy an apple that tasted that good. Once the apple was in Dom’s hand Verne went to the fridge and found a bottle of chocolate sauce. He took out a beer while he was at it and set them both down on the island.
[Dominique]: She felt the weight of the apple in the palm of her hand as she brought it to her lips. A slow crunch of her teeth going into it and breaking off a juicy portion into her mouth was complete. She chewed slowly again waiting for the explosion of tart and sweet to hit her but it was a rather bland experience yet again. This was not exactly her expectation but the fact it all stayed down was a highlight. "It's yours." She finished chewing while handing him the apple. Her reached out for and grabbed the beer. Something had to wash it down. Opening it stood there and watched him. Her lips took to the bottle and took a swallow. There was something to be said for the tingle of the cool liquid dancing over the surface of her tongue. There seemed to be hope after all.
[Verne]: He took back the apple and started tucking into it while he watched; there was no point in wasting good food after all. The beer seemed to go down better than the rest of the food had but the look on Dominique’s face told Verne something wasn’t quite right; still, there was no reason to push these things, it was a blessing she could eat at all. The tall male took a final big bite of the apple before throwing the core in the bin. He picked up the bottle of chocolate sauce and shot some into his mouth. “I guess we’ll call that pudding,” Verne smile, the dark evidence smudged across his lower lip without his notice.
[Dominique]: She set the beer down allowing her finger to slide down the glass base and finally pull away. He was a tease. It was apparent before but even more so now. She smirked at the proof that clung to his bottom lip as she stepped in closer. Her body met the front of his and her eyes all but pinned his own with the amused sparkle that surfaced. Her finger delicately pulled its tip across the warm flesh and then retreated between her own lips. Once again they parted and the tip of her tongue curled to erase any traces she perhaps left behind in her own sampling. "Pudding is thicker. I would imagine that is sauce of a far sweeter kind."
[Verne]: She had that look in her eye, one that almost made him step back when she neared him; a look that said ‘I’m hungry and you look delicious’. As the woman’s finger went over the man’s lower lip he realised all too quickly that he had mistaken that sparkle in Dom’s eyes, her actions far more innocent than her gaze suggested. A goofy smile found Verne’s lips as Dominique spoke; his hands went around her middle. “Made all the more sweet by your lips,” he teased her before pressing his lips to her own, a lot more gently than the first time he had made the action.
[Dominique]: Her hands found his face and cradled his jaw with the hold of a woman who was captured by the man in her hands. Her lips parted gently at the meeting of his and the swell of his bottom lip was trapped by the tender pin of her own. She sucked gently then released it carefully. "There is more where that came from." She slid her hand down the back of his arm and curled the length of her fingers to weave between his. Stepping backwards she smiled. "Care to finish unpacking or sample what likely isn't found in the fridge?" She wasn't terribly concerned what he chose first. The latter would certainly come as well.
