[FIN] Coffee Catch-up

[BlackFireKitsune]

It had been far, far too long since he'd really hung out with Dith somewhere that wasn't at the hospital whenever he or someone he knew was injured, and if he were being honest with himself, it made him feel like a bad friend for not spending more time with the other man. They'd mentioned getting coffee and catching up once in a while but it had never really been more than a passing suggestion - or it hadn't felt like it, at least - but after a rough week or so at work filled with longer hours than usual, getting coffee and maybe something small to eat while chatting with a friend sounded wonderful. Given their busy schedules, it took another week or so before they could pick a good day to hang out, and Abel happily looked forward to it -- especially since Zevran was going too.

On said day, Abel stepped out of the lift that would take them to Dith's place, his phone in one hand and the bag of snacks they'd brought in the other. "Alright," he mumbled more to himself than to his boyfriend as he squinted at his phone again, trying to remember the exact number of Dith's apartment before glancing down the hallway. "This is his floor, and... I think this is his place," the taller blond said as they stopped in front of the door whose number matched the one his friend had texted him. As he slipped his phone back into his pocket he leaned over to press a kiss to his love's temple before reaching a hand out to knock on the door. Hopefully it was Dith's place, or else there'd be some apologies in order!  

[TawnyAngel]

"This place is fancy," Zevran said with obvious delight, trailing his fingertips along the wall as they headed down the corridor. "When a relative I have never heard of dies and leaves me a lot of money, or when I win a really big poker game we can live somewhere like this." Unlikely perhaps but fun to imagine!

Outside the appropriate door they came to a halt and Zevran hummed contentedly at the kiss Abel planted on his temple. "This will be fun! I don't think I have seen Dith outside of a hospital before."  

[TawnyAngel]

A few moments after Abel's knock the door swung open to reveal a black, red-splattered haunter wearing a toothy grin. "Haunt!" it said cheerfully and beckoned them inside. "Haunt haunt," the ghost added with a helpful gesture to a cupboard, which when opened turned out to hold a shoe rack and coats on hangers.

Once the guests had divested themselves of their outdoor wear the Haunter led them on through into a large open-plan living area; two of the walls were in fact floor to ceiling windows with a balcony running down one side. The living area was comfortably furnished, a large entertainment centre

Off to the third side was half dedicated to the kitchen which was separated from the living area by a breakfast bar that ran part way along and half normal wall which held a large flat-screen TV and a sword. There was also a door; the sound of cursing could be heard from the other side.

"Ah! Hi! Just a- no, I'm talking to my guests - just a minute! Ah, s**t, crap!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

It was a nice thought, coming into a lot of money and being able to afford a spacious place in such a fancy building. Not that it'd ever happen of course, but it was fun to think about. Before he could say much the door opened, and he offered the Haunter a slightly bemused smile. "Oh hey, thanks."

There was a closet just inside; Abel stopped to carefully toe his shoes off into it. "That'd be nice," he said to Zev, continuing the conversation from outside, "but in the meantime we can move somewhere a little bigger than our current place." His lease would be up in a few months' time and he still had every intention of finding somewhere better. Preferably somewhere with a balcony, and maybe a pantry, and.. perhaps a guest bedroom. Maybe.

Banishing that line of thought for now, Abel's bemused smile returned as he headed towards the living area. "What are you doing in there?" He called, half-tempted to ask if they were interrupting a phone call or something, because Dith hadn't mentioned having any other guests over.  

[TawnyAngel]

Ohh, a ghost of some kind? Zevran smiled at the unfamiliar pokemon - which he decided to think of as 'haunter' until he knew better - and took off his shoes and his new coat, looking around with interest as he did so. "Yes, indeed," he flashed a smile at Abel. "If it has a little balcony, a kitchen as good as your- as our current one, and as long as it is warm I shan't mind the rest." A lot of space would be nice, and a view like the fantastic one out of the windows of the living room they had just walked into would be nice, but he would be more than content with just comfortable so long as it was a space he shared with Abel. He could even forgo the balcony if he had hanging baskets for his herbs out of the windows....

What was happening? That was a lot of cursing! "Are you trapped somewhere?" Zevran asked with a laugh.

"Gah! No! Just- Juju get your arse in cover! Just finishing up a raid, sorry! Ah, Ada could you-?"

Go and be hospitable? the words entered Abel and Zevran's mind with a feeling on eyes rolled and a clipped feminine British accent. Very well, try not to die 'hero'.

A couple of moments later a Mewtwo padded through the door holding a tablet in one hand; it - or perhaps she - inspected the guests critically. You took off your shoes, well done. Do sit down, she gestured to a couch, I'll put on the coffee. Dima will be along presently, I think they're on the third stage of Blackhand now.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

It still made his heart flutter a bit whenever Zev used words like 'our' - our kitchen, our apartment - even after so many weeks of his boyfriend living there, and even though sometimes they were prefaced with 'yours'. Hopefully he'd feel more like it was theirs when they picked one out together, moved into it together, decorated and furnished it together. A part of him felt odd for looking forward to such a simple, normal thing so much, but the majority of him was still gleeful at the thought of it.

He didn't really have time to continue their conversation however as Dith called out to them again. "A raid?" He echoed, eyebrows lifting a bit as he shot an amused, slightly bemused smile to Zevran. "A game probably, then." What sort of game though? He'd never done much beyond play board or card games with his family, or simple games on his phone or laptop.

Just then an unfamiliar voice slipped into his head and the taller blond gave a little start of surprise. He wasn't used to telepathy, nor was he used to seeing legendary pokemon, but they were at least becoming less of an amazing, almost incomprehensible thing to see. After all Zev had Invierno, and they indirectly knew someone with a Diancie, and now Dith with a Mewtwo. As such he managed to keep his surprise to a minimum, and a moment or two passed before he chuckled and grinned at the Mewtwo - Ada - before gesturing to himself. "I like to think I'm not a complete savage," he said as he turned to sit on the couch and set the bag of snacks on a nearby coffee table. "Thanks, and nice to meet you. What's Blackhand?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Uh....

Well, that was something you didn't see every day. Or hear. Inside your head.

From Taavi's enthusiastic rambling he knew that this must be a psychic legendary, not all of them were able to speak but they were the only ones able to speak. Inside his head. That was definitely different....

And she was 'talking' as though they deserved a sticker for taking their shoes off. "As do I!" Zevran said cheerfully, his surprised expressing giving way to a grin. "Is there a prize for doing so? I take cash."

Ada raised one of her brow ridges and flared her nostrils. Yes I imagine you do, she replied, but she didn't trouble herself with making it clear exactly what she was replying to. Blackhand is an Orc I think, the Mewtwo continued as she headed into the kitchen, it's a boss, it has a big fiery hammer, and Dima is trying not to wipe on it. Again.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Well well, wasn't she charming and welcoming! Abel's easy smile remained, though it softened when Zev sat down beside him, and the taller blond reached over to slide his arm loosely around his boyfriend's shoulders. Blackhand was an Orc, a boss with a fiery hammer, and Dith was trying not to wipe on it... again. Yep, sounded like a game. "Sounds like an interesting game then. How long's he been at it for?" He asked, tinges of amusement dancing in his eyes. "And how many times has he wiped on it now?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Ada paused in the gap between the wall and the breakfast bar and looked back over her shoulder, something that might have been a smile pulling at her mouth. World of Warcraft, he's been playing for hours now. I think they've wiped six times but I stopped counting after three, it's a bit sad really. And I know I said I was going to do coffee but I ought to offer tea too, he does it in the samovar, Ada gestured to the rather incongruously ornate silver thing that sat in between two comfortable chairs. Very cultural.

"I heard that Ada!"

"Ahh, has he?" Zevran grinned mischievously. "There is a lot to be said for perseverance but sometimes one should know when to quit, yes? Ahh, and I was thinking of coffee myself but I never had tea in a samovar." As he spoke Zevran shot a questioning look at Abel, were they a common thing around here that he simply hadn't encountered before?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel chuckled a bit and idly rubbed his thumb over Zevran's shoulder, his smile morphing to a grin. "That sounds like fun. I don't think I could do it though, myself. Ah," his eyebrows lifted as he looked over at the ornate thing she gestured to. It had looked like a decorative thing more than a working, functional device, and his mild bemusement slipped into his expression. He missed the look Zev aimed at him. "To be honest I haven't even heard of a samovar before, much less had tea from one, but then again I usually don't have tea much, usually just coffee." Interesting... How did it work? Now that he looked at it more closely he could tell it had some kind of spout on it; did you just pour water into it and it boiled it?

A moment or two later he grinned a self-deprecating grin and added, "I guess I'm not very cultured then, am I?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Well, wiping six times seems to indicate that he can't do it either wouldn't you agree? Ada smirked. And it's Russian culture, rather antiquated but then Dima is rather antiquated too so, the Mewtwo lifted her shoulders and also projected a mental shrug at Abel and Zevran. It's not bad but it's a lot of hassle when you could simply use a tea bag.

"Ahaha, Ada makes a good point!" Zevran grinned and nudged Abel. "If you had failed at something six times in a row would you give up mi amor, or would you try again?" The strange Pokemon's commentary about the silver device made Zevran c**k his head curiously, and then chuckle at the joke at Dith's expense. "Well I will try anything once; some things several thousand times." This last was said with a smirk and a wink to Abel. "Is that not so?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ha! That's a good point," Abel ceded with a bright laugh and an equally bright grin, but the latter softened a bit as he leaned over to press a kiss to Zev's temple as he squeezed his shoulders. "And that's a good question. I s'pose it depends what it is I'm trying to do, or how determined I am to do it. I think ten or twelve would probably be my limit though."

Ahh, poor Dith, getting ribbed while he was trying and failing to beat something in a game in the other room. Hopefully he'd catch a break with one of the two soon, although the latter was probably much more likely than the former. "That is so, yeah, and I will too! New things or different things can be tons of fun," the taller blond added with a smirky smile as he kissed the side of Zevran's head again. He was always infinitely glad he liked to try new things. If he didn't, he very well might not be sitting here at the moment. "It does sound like a bit of a hassle though... or maybe it only does because I've never heard of them before so I don't really know how they work." Using a kettle seemed like a much easier way to make tea, but he had to admit kettles didn't look nearly as pretty or ornate.  

[TawnyAngel]

Ada watched the two unfamiliar men interact with an air of curiosity, as though she had just managed to notice their close rapport. It is a hassle, she said after a moment, but a little less if you cheat. I'll boil the kettle and fill the silly thing. At last the Mewtwo entered the kitchen, but as she moved about her voice was no less clear. The samovar heats water and a very concentrated tea. Everyone then takes some of the tea and as much water as they like to make it the strength they're fond of.

Zevran grinned and slid an arm around Abel's waist. "A great deal of fun, indeed! Just like you." Strange how comfortable he felt being silly and sappy in front of a stranger now - and the pokemon counted as a proper stranger because it was talking. Could it read his mind? Zevran tried thinking some really filthy thoughts and listened for a crash of a falling kettle, but either she could not or she was simply untroubled by the lurid images he was conjuring up.

"It does sound very... Ah...." What was the word? "¿Alegre? Mmh..." Zevran frowned as he tried to find the English equivalent and failed. Eventually he shrugged and said; "A word like social but not quite. Certainly worth giving a try though, no?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, that does sound a little easier." Although a samovar still sounded a bit complicated... How much tea did you even add? How much was too much, or too little? Eh, he'd figure it out one way or another.

Abel's smile warmed when he felt his boyfriend's arm around his waist, and then it promptly grew rather silly. "I could say the same about you," he noted aloud as he gave Zevran another squeeze and kissed the top of his head tenderly. The Spanish made him pause for thought a moment, but just a moment, before he shrugged a little as well. "I think I know what you mean, but yes, I think it's definitely worth a try." Hmmm, now would Dith come out before Ada finished, or would she finish boiling the water and pouring it into the samovar before he finished his game? He couldn't help but be curious which it would be.  

[TawnyAngel]

As it happened it was Dith who appeared first; after a cry of triumph and a quick exchange with the other players he appeared through the doorway pulling off his headset and grinning. "Killed the b*****d! Sorry I kept you waiting, how are you? You look well!" Zevran especially looked a lot better than the last time he'd seen him.

At last, Ada snorted from the kitchen. May as well sit down Dima, I'm already starting the tea.

"Oh, well done then!" Zevran grinned back and shook his head. "I have never played such a complicated sounding game." He couldn't understand how anyone could spend hours and hours just staring at a screen, wrapped up in a fictional world like that but he wasn't about to judge Abel's friend for being a bit odd. "And I am well thank you, ah, and thanks to you too?" he chuckled. "It is good to see you under normal circumstances."