[Their relationship in a nutshell. Still, she nods and gets behind his wheelchair, because of course she's going to handle that, in part because it gives her a really good excuse to be very near him. So a hop, skip, and a little bit of a roll later and ... There's an overwhelming cloud of smells just waiting for him, and a buffet table to match it. Behind it are fifteen various family members of varying skin tones, from coffee colored to darker than the night sky, all of them and a few near the pier's entrance all look up in the same general amount of time.
There's a long pause, a lot of confusion as they all very clearly take in his appearance, his size, but it doesn't take long for one girl to break the quiet.
"Mr. Boxer!!!" She sounds so genuinely elated to see him, that overall brightness is apparently something of a family trait.]
That's Eunyce.
[Eunyce, who bounces over with her pear shaped form, who immediately sticks her hand right out to Boxer to introduce herself. There isn't a single ounce of fear in her eyes. It isn't very long before a few more join in on the introductions, though Boxer might note that they're all quite young - around Nariko's age, or outright teenagers. The adults are a little more restrained.]
[This place already feels like home. A really overbearing home, but home nonetheless.]
Hi, Eunyce.
[Oh God, did he pronounce that right? He gives her a firm shake either way and an amicable smile that he shares with anyone else bold enough to introduce themselves face-to-face. He's not at all surprised that the older ones are keeping their distance, but he's sure they'll warm up to him eventually.]
So who's got a grill open that I can take care of these crabs with?
["THERE'S CRAB?!" One of the older teenagers, maybe eighteen or so, looks as if he's been told that God exists and unicorns truly shit life-giving rainbows. "My dad is cooking kebabs, come on!!" Without any sense of hesitation the boy pulls at Boxer's hand with both of his but, frankly, that's just not going to happen. The kid's gangly and small aside from the fact that monsignor kraken boyfriend is larger than life and can't be easily shifted outside of his own will. Nariko is quick to step in, sounding for all the world like a stern parent.]
Abbas, since when do you run around demanding people follow you? Your mother has taught you better!
["Fine!" The pout is a physical thing, and another inheritance since there's another resemblance to Nariko there.]
Good. Now come on, since you're so excited for them you can help. [The buffet isn't far off, and just as the youngling had said, a rather large, imposing man stood at the industrial grill, turning over meat and vegetables while some of the older adults fluttered around, arranging plates and finishing dishes once and for all.]
Boxer, this is my uncle Tamir.
[The man had a face like a barely composed brick, but his smile was kind all the same, "Nice to meet you. Please let us know if you need anything, including a break from that one." He points the spatula at Nariko, who only sticks her tongue out in response.]
[Cue the wide-eyed amazement at the information, the accompanying "Awesome!" if nothing else Boxer's a hit with the kids, Abbas and six of the younger ones are trailing after he, Nariko, and Eunyce in constant interest. They're polite enough to refrain from touching but they very clearly want to, which means that Nariko has to keep her eye on them, but she doesn't miss her boyfriend's request.]
Sure!
[She adjusts the chair as Eunyce leans over to peek a little bit - are they live crabs or dead already? That sort of thing.
Of course while he's turned, and by virtue of being near the food there are more introductions, mostly from the older crowd this time. They're far more polite but no less expressive - Boxer has the unfortunate luck to meet Jasira, a woman in her late thirties who is apparently reminded of her late husband just by looking at Boxer so.
But given his extra sensitive hearing it might give him the chance to hear Eunyce (badly) whispering to Nariko, "Holy shit he's really hot! You could cut fruit with his jawline!!"
[They're alive and rubber-banded! It's safe to put your hands in there.]
Um...
[He's really not sure how to handle Jasira's response to him. Soon enough he's distracted by Eunyce's (loud) whispering, and by instinct he hides his jaw from sight on instinct, feeling his cheeks turn hot. He tries to busy himself with the kids, then, lifting up his tentacles and tempting the little ones to touch them while Nariko isn't looking!]
[Nariko is definitely looking, but she pretends she isn't, in part because it's kind of cute to see one of the toddlers work so hard to be careful with the end of a tentacle. Since the crabs are safe it's Eunyce and Tamir who help unload the crabs and get them on the other side of the buffet.]
Jasira, I think that's Margaret, right? She looks awfully close to the railing...
[That's enough to set her aunt in another direction, hopefully freeing Boxer of the endless chatter for now.
"I've never had crab before! Are they supposed to be alive like this? Boxer, isn't it kind of sad?" While the adventurous toddler attempts to climb itself onto Boxer's lap, Eunyce frets about crab. By now most of her family has relaxed around his presence, various members come up to introduce themselves very quickly but a good amount are more concerned with eating for the moment. And if he feels like he's seeing double at times, he wouldn't be blamed - there's an abnormal amount of twins in their family, and at leas three instances of triplets.
It's kind of easy to see how they ended up multiplying so quickly, especially since some of the women holding very young children are younger then Nariko.]
You can't get fresher than alive! Once the grill is ready for them, I'll euthanize them swiftly.
[He caught these a few days ago since that's when he had the time to do it, so they wouldn't have been that great if he killed them on the spot! His teeth are sharp enough and his jaw strong enough to pierce through their brains right before they go into the pot. The kid is welcome to climb all over him, as long as he doesn't go poking around inside his mantle.
But good God is this a lot of people. Once it feels like everyone's had their introductions, Boxer sends a tired smile in Nariko's direction. He needs a breather, bad. ]
[Even though Eunyce makes a sort of depressed noise at his very logical response she's surprisingly calm through the actual euthanizing. Once that's done and just about everyone has managed to get in their hellos (with the exception of two specific people, and Nariko's grateful for the very specific absence) she more than happy to accommodate that emergency look.]
We'll be right back.
[There's objections all around but Nariko plays at deafness, or at least incredibly selective hearing. She rolls right past them and ignores every single person who tries to stop them along the way, and there are quite a few. In order to gain some amount of privacy they have to head out to the very end of the pier. Most of her relatives have never seen the ocean, so it's no wonder they're packed closely together, nearer to land. She directs Boxers chair next to a bench so that they can sit beside each other.]
Sorry, I never manage to warn people thoroughly enough.
[Once they've got some time to themselves--or the best that's gonna pass for it at the moment--he leans forward and wraps his arms around her waist, hiding his face in her breasts. He just...needs to pretend he doesn't exist for a while.
Boxer responds, but it's muffled in her dress.]
No, no...you warned pretty well. Don't think there's a real way to prepare for all of this.
[He's used to socializing with people on cruise ships that house thousands of people! But this? This is something else!]
[She's a little startled by that! But thankfully he won't see that play out on her face, instead Nariko just goes with it, resting one arm over his shoulder. The other reaches up so she can pet his hair and let him take refuse in her boobs, they're certainly big enough for it, and it makes her happy that even when he's tapped out he can still find some refuge in her. It's selfish, of course, and that's why it won't ever be vocalized!
He's probably right, though. Meeting a family is way more personal than turning on some charm and entertaining people at will. That, and she knows he has the kind of personality that's just right for being both genuine and aloof in the same turn. But he doesn't exactly have that freedom, and it's easy to see how stifling that might.]
Yes, I think they love you.
[She leans down just enough to kiss his temple before righting herself.] You're sweet and polite, and more than half of them have never even seen a crab, so I think you get major points for that alone.
[He will always find refuge in her tits. They're plenty big enough to hide his face in, and not a lot of women can boast that. It gives him that tight-places kind of soothing effect, so he's lowering his stress levels by sitting like this. Kraken science!]
Oh, good. Good...
[After a pause, he looks up at her.]
Wait--is your uncle going to know how to cook them...?
[He doesn't give her a whole lot of time to respond before his face goes right back into her cleavage.]
[Bless Kraken science, and bless whatever interesting part of her own brain chemistry that enjoys having her boobs used as a squishy shelf.]
Probably not, but Rami should and I saw him around.
[So the first batch might be kind of bad, but they'll figure it out quickly enough. The real entertainment will be watching everyone figure out how to eat the crab.]
You know, I really do love seeing you with all them. [He'll probably feel her laugh more than hear it.] But I think I've gotten very used to having you to myself.
[It's a roundabout way of admitting that she's already a bit tired of it all herself. She loves her relatives more than anything, family is incredibly important! But they're so far removed from a huge city like Cloudbank, a place that holds so much meaning for her. That, or his introversion is rubbing off on her a bit.]
[They're such good boobs. They should be fully appreciated at all times, but unfortunately that is not seen in polite company as appropriate.]
It feels good to be around them. They're good people, but...it's an awful lot.
[He gets what she's getting at, though. He'd like to be around them, not the center of attention, with Nariko closer to his side. But to be introduced to everyone is something that needed to happen, especially since he's planning on marrying her.
Boxer sits up, taking her arms in his hands and running them down to her own so that he can bring them up and give kisses to her fingers, including the one sporting a shiny little gemstone. He laughs, reminded by it.]
Has anyone been asking to see your ring, or are they too distracted by me?
Oh no, I got five million questions about it before you got here.
[A lot of excitement over what, to them, was full fledged proof that this was a thing that was happening, undeniable and real. And then there was the barrage of compliments, questions, and passive aggressive snips, because you couldn't please everyone, especially elderly aunts who didn't approve of rings to begin with. The especially shiny hand finds a place on his cheek, idle touching.]
Lots of approval, a lot of excitement. 'Did you pick a date' and 'where' and 'did you save that dress you always wanted' kind of stuff. It's like they see it and there's some kind of word salad landslide. [Which, in the moment when she'd been irritated by a bitchy hotel receptionist and there were crying babies and toddlers around, hadn't been appreciated. Now it was just sort of funny.]
[Fuck the haters, what do they know? He tilts his head into her bejeweled hand, closing his eyes.]
They're probably getting themselves more wound up about it than we are. [Cool and casual, as they've always done it.] Sorry you had to deal with that on your own.
[He looks back up at her.]
When were you planning to call it a day?
[He just got here, he knows, but knowing what time they'll leave will help him pace his energy a little better.]
[... She can't say anything to that because, uh, the only reason she's not in a rush about any of that is because most of it's already decided, and there are at least four backup options, and extra possibilities for anything that he might suggest. If he could see the history on her computer he'd know how ruthlessly devoted she's been to every single little detail.
But Boxer is very cool and casual, she's not stupid enough to let him see how very not casual she is about it all. Hence:] It wasn't that bad.
We could go after the dancing? So about three more hours, possibly four.
[She would never. It's just an exciting event, one she's wanted for such a long time and now it's becoming a real thing and she's elated over it! And her elation takes the form of finding seven million different things to love and pick and imagine at work! But that would probably stress him out a bit, so she's keeping it to herself.
He'll have to deal with the appearance of a few bridal magazines around his apartment, though.]
They'll ask, but it's okay to tell them no. [Dancing is a big thing with this group.] It'll mostly just be me. [She kisses his forehead.] We'll eat and talk, and I'm sure my grandma will show up at some point, I'll dance, and then we'll go home.
[It doesn't sound nearly as long when it's segmented like that, right? There's just four objectives and the last one is the easiest!]
[As long as she's not distracting herself from her work! And he's totally fine with bridal magazines, he's actually surprised they haven't shown up already. Coming home to see him flipping through one is a thing more than likely to happen...]
That sounds like a fine plan.
[It does chop it up quite a bit. Easier to chew that way! Finally, he gives her hands back.]
No matter what happens, just know that I really am enjoying myself, okay?
[It's mostly because she's still partially convinced this is all a dream that'll go terribly wrong if she acknowledges it too much. And in the moment she doesn't really want her hands back so they end up on his shoulders to squeeze somewhat firmly.]
You're going to be just fine, and even if you aren't there's nothing that you can do that would really be that bad.
[One more kiss before the penultimate question:] Are you ready?
[It's about time to enjoy the food and for all of his valid worries she thinks he'll be able to get into all that just fine. Nothing wipes you of your insecurities quite like home cooked food.]
[Unless something terrible happens to him, he will always been in for it.]
I'll be more than ready once someone shows me where the booze is.
[Is there even booze at this party? There's so many kids around here that there might not be, but heck, he'd take a wine cooler right now, even if it'd have zero impact on him.]
Don't expect too much, but I think we can find something.
[He's definitely got the right idea, with so many kids around there won't be anything that could make a true dent in Boxer's system, but there's too many tired, jet lagged adults here, there's going to be a flask or eighteen somewhere! It's only a matter of finding them.]
Come on.
[When they go back into the thick of it all most everyone has taken a seat, and those that haven't introduced themselves to Boxer come right up and do so. Thankfully Nariko hands her other half a a very large red solo cup, it's filled with an cheerfully bright pink liquid but he can probably smell the tequila in it. Beggars can't be choosers right now.]
[He sniffs at it. Tequila? Not bad for scraping the bottom of the barrel! He takes a polite swig of it.]
Mmh. Thanks, kitten.
[Once she settles into the seat next to him to dine, he's letting a few of his tentacles wrap around her ankles and thighs, picking at her heels benignly to ease his tension.
But the food is fantastic and does a few favors for his stress level.]
Mmh. Now this is the family dinner I've always dreamed of.
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[He tilts to the side to look past her, at the crowd, and takes a breath to steel himself.]
I'll be alright. You ready?
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[Their relationship in a nutshell. Still, she nods and gets behind his wheelchair, because of course she's going to handle that, in part because it gives her a really good excuse to be very near him. So a hop, skip, and a little bit of a roll later and ... There's an overwhelming cloud of smells just waiting for him, and a buffet table to match it. Behind it are fifteen various family members of varying skin tones, from coffee colored to darker than the night sky, all of them and a few near the pier's entrance all look up in the same general amount of time.
There's a long pause, a lot of confusion as they all very clearly take in his appearance, his size, but it doesn't take long for one girl to break the quiet.
"Mr. Boxer!!!" She sounds so genuinely elated to see him, that overall brightness is apparently something of a family trait.]
That's Eunyce.
[Eunyce, who bounces over with her pear shaped form, who immediately sticks her hand right out to Boxer to introduce herself. There isn't a single ounce of fear in her eyes. It isn't very long before a few more join in on the introductions, though Boxer might note that they're all quite young - around Nariko's age, or outright teenagers. The adults are a little more restrained.]
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Hi, Eunyce.
[Oh God, did he pronounce that right? He gives her a firm shake either way and an amicable smile that he shares with anyone else bold enough to introduce themselves face-to-face. He's not at all surprised that the older ones are keeping their distance, but he's sure they'll warm up to him eventually.]
So who's got a grill open that I can take care of these crabs with?
[Here's your open, adults.]
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Abbas, since when do you run around demanding people follow you? Your mother has taught you better!
["Fine!" The pout is a physical thing, and another inheritance since there's another resemblance to Nariko there.]
Good. Now come on, since you're so excited for them you can help. [The buffet isn't far off, and just as the youngling had said, a rather large, imposing man stood at the industrial grill, turning over meat and vegetables while some of the older adults fluttered around, arranging plates and finishing dishes once and for all.]
Boxer, this is my uncle Tamir.
[The man had a face like a barely composed brick, but his smile was kind all the same, "Nice to meet you. Please let us know if you need anything, including a break from that one." He points the spatula at Nariko, who only sticks her tongue out in response.]
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(Actually, he would, it's just that the line to be crossed is much farther on him.)
He waits until Abbas has let go of him to continue the conversation.]
That's right. I caught it with my own hands, too. My tentacles, actually, if you want to be specific.
[And then there's the ride to her uncle!]
Hey! I've made it this far without any help! I should be fine. [He turns to Nariko.] Could you turn me around so I can share my loot?
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Sure!
[She adjusts the chair as Eunyce leans over to peek a little bit - are they live crabs or dead already? That sort of thing.
Of course while he's turned, and by virtue of being near the food there are more introductions, mostly from the older crowd this time. They're far more polite but no less expressive - Boxer has the unfortunate luck to meet Jasira, a woman in her late thirties who is apparently reminded of her late husband just by looking at Boxer so.
But given his extra sensitive hearing it might give him the chance to hear Eunyce (badly) whispering to Nariko, "Holy shit he's really hot! You could cut fruit with his jawline!!"
So that's a bright spot.]
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Um...
[He's really not sure how to handle Jasira's response to him. Soon enough he's distracted by Eunyce's (loud) whispering, and by instinct he hides his jaw from sight on instinct, feeling his cheeks turn hot. He tries to busy himself with the kids, then, lifting up his tentacles and tempting the little ones to touch them while Nariko isn't looking!]
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Jasira, I think that's Margaret, right? She looks awfully close to the railing...
[That's enough to set her aunt in another direction, hopefully freeing Boxer of the endless chatter for now.
"I've never had crab before! Are they supposed to be alive like this? Boxer, isn't it kind of sad?" While the adventurous toddler attempts to climb itself onto Boxer's lap, Eunyce frets about crab. By now most of her family has relaxed around his presence, various members come up to introduce themselves very quickly but a good amount are more concerned with eating for the moment. And if he feels like he's seeing double at times, he wouldn't be blamed - there's an abnormal amount of twins in their family, and at leas three instances of triplets.
It's kind of easy to see how they ended up multiplying so quickly, especially since some of the women holding very young children are younger then Nariko.]
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[He caught these a few days ago since that's when he had the time to do it, so they wouldn't have been that great if he killed them on the spot! His teeth are sharp enough and his jaw strong enough to pierce through their brains right before they go into the pot. The kid is welcome to climb all over him, as long as he doesn't go poking around inside his mantle.
But good God is this a lot of people. Once it feels like everyone's had their introductions, Boxer sends a tired smile in Nariko's direction. He needs a breather, bad. ]
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We'll be right back.
[There's objections all around but Nariko plays at deafness, or at least incredibly selective hearing. She rolls right past them and ignores every single person who tries to stop them along the way, and there are quite a few. In order to gain some amount of privacy they have to head out to the very end of the pier. Most of her relatives have never seen the ocean, so it's no wonder they're packed closely together, nearer to land. She directs Boxers chair next to a bench so that they can sit beside each other.]
Sorry, I never manage to warn people thoroughly enough.
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Boxer responds, but it's muffled in her dress.]
No, no...you warned pretty well. Don't think there's a real way to prepare for all of this.
[He's used to socializing with people on cruise ships that house thousands of people! But this? This is something else!]
You think I'm going over well?
[No sign of him letting go any time soon.]
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He's probably right, though. Meeting a family is way more personal than turning on some charm and entertaining people at will. That, and she knows he has the kind of personality that's just right for being both genuine and aloof in the same turn. But he doesn't exactly have that freedom, and it's easy to see how stifling that might.]
Yes, I think they love you.
[She leans down just enough to kiss his temple before righting herself.] You're sweet and polite, and more than half of them have never even seen a crab, so I think you get major points for that alone.
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Oh, good. Good...
[After a pause, he looks up at her.]
Wait--is your uncle going to know how to cook them...?
[He doesn't give her a whole lot of time to respond before his face goes right back into her cleavage.]
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Probably not, but Rami should and I saw him around.
[So the first batch might be kind of bad, but they'll figure it out quickly enough. The real entertainment will be watching everyone figure out how to eat the crab.]
You know, I really do love seeing you with all them. [He'll probably feel her laugh more than hear it.] But I think I've gotten very used to having you to myself.
[It's a roundabout way of admitting that she's already a bit tired of it all herself. She loves her relatives more than anything, family is incredibly important! But they're so far removed from a huge city like Cloudbank, a place that holds so much meaning for her. That, or his introversion is rubbing off on her a bit.]
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[They're such good boobs. They should be fully appreciated at all times, but unfortunately that is not seen in polite company as appropriate.]
It feels good to be around them. They're good people, but...it's an awful lot.
[He gets what she's getting at, though. He'd like to be around them, not the center of attention, with Nariko closer to his side. But to be introduced to everyone is something that needed to happen, especially since he's planning on marrying her.
Boxer sits up, taking her arms in his hands and running them down to her own so that he can bring them up and give kisses to her fingers, including the one sporting a shiny little gemstone. He laughs, reminded by it.]
Has anyone been asking to see your ring, or are they too distracted by me?
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[A lot of excitement over what, to them, was full fledged proof that this was a thing that was happening, undeniable and real. And then there was the barrage of compliments, questions, and passive aggressive snips, because you couldn't please everyone, especially elderly aunts who didn't approve of rings to begin with. The especially shiny hand finds a place on his cheek, idle touching.]
Lots of approval, a lot of excitement. 'Did you pick a date' and 'where' and 'did you save that dress you always wanted' kind of stuff. It's like they see it and there's some kind of word salad landslide. [Which, in the moment when she'd been irritated by a bitchy hotel receptionist and there were crying babies and toddlers around, hadn't been appreciated. Now it was just sort of funny.]
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They're probably getting themselves more wound up about it than we are. [Cool and casual, as they've always done it.] Sorry you had to deal with that on your own.
[He looks back up at her.]
When were you planning to call it a day?
[He just got here, he knows, but knowing what time they'll leave will help him pace his energy a little better.]
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But Boxer is very cool and casual, she's not stupid enough to let him see how very not casual she is about it all. Hence:] It wasn't that bad.
We could go after the dancing? So about three more hours, possibly four.
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Oh dear.
Don't become Bridezilla behind his back, Nariko!]
I can work with that. [Except..] No one's gonna expect me to dance, are they?
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He'll have to deal with the appearance of a few bridal magazines around his apartment, though.]
They'll ask, but it's okay to tell them no. [Dancing is a big thing with this group.] It'll mostly just be me. [She kisses his forehead.] We'll eat and talk, and I'm sure my grandma will show up at some point, I'll dance, and then we'll go home.
[It doesn't sound nearly as long when it's segmented like that, right? There's just four objectives and the last one is the easiest!]
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That sounds like a fine plan.
[It does chop it up quite a bit. Easier to chew that way! Finally, he gives her hands back.]
No matter what happens, just know that I really am enjoying myself, okay?
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You're going to be just fine, and even if you aren't there's nothing that you can do that would really be that bad.
[One more kiss before the penultimate question:] Are you ready?
[It's about time to enjoy the food and for all of his valid worries she thinks he'll be able to get into all that just fine. Nothing wipes you of your insecurities quite like home cooked food.]
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I'll be more than ready once someone shows me where the booze is.
[Is there even booze at this party? There's so many kids around here that there might not be, but heck, he'd take a wine cooler right now, even if it'd have zero impact on him.]
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[He's definitely got the right idea, with so many kids around there won't be anything that could make a true dent in Boxer's system, but there's too many tired, jet lagged adults here, there's going to be a flask or eighteen somewhere! It's only a matter of finding them.]
Come on.
[When they go back into the thick of it all most everyone has taken a seat, and those that haven't introduced themselves to Boxer come right up and do so. Thankfully Nariko hands her other half a a very large red solo cup, it's filled with an cheerfully bright pink liquid but he can probably smell the tequila in it. Beggars can't be choosers right now.]
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[He sniffs at it. Tequila? Not bad for scraping the bottom of the barrel! He takes a polite swig of it.]
Mmh. Thanks, kitten.
[Once she settles into the seat next to him to dine, he's letting a few of his tentacles wrap around her ankles and thighs, picking at her heels benignly to ease his tension.
But the food is fantastic and does a few favors for his stress level.]
Mmh. Now this is the family dinner I've always dreamed of.
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