hugtopia | Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

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Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

[Action; at Kiwi and Will's house]
[Will isn't expecting a package. He hasn't ordered anything, after all--and why wouldn't he go pick it up at the store, if he had? But he gladly signs for the small padded envelope regardless, and retreats to the living room to open it. A single, marble-sized Pokéball spills out into his hand; he gasps out loud, immediately standing to enlarge it and let out the Pokémon inside. A Hypno appears in a blaze of crimson light, looking around the unfamiliar room.]

Reve! Y-you--I thought--

[A little choked noise, like he's trying not to cry, and Will throws his arms around her for a tight hug.]

I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to abandon you, I didn't know I'd be leaving.....

[Video]
[Once the reunion is out of the way, Will flips on the video feed to make a post, looking more genuinely, radiantly happy than just about anyone has seen him here.]

Hi, everyone! I've got a favor to ask--or maybe an offer to make? I guess it depends on how you look at it!

Another member of my team arrived today! This is Reve.

[The camera pans over to show a Hypno sitting on the couch, polishing an already glittering pendulum. She looks up at the introduction, raising a hand in a silent greeting.]

Reve is a Hypno. Hypno are technically omnivores, but primarily psychovores--they mainly eat products of other creatures' minds. In this case, it's dreams. Where I'm from, I can normally easily keep her fed just by battling, since that's my job. That's not an option in Havenwell, though.

So my proposal is this: if you have nightmares you want to be rid of, or even if you just need help getting to sleep and want to keep your dreams, please let me know! You can contact me privately too, if you'd rather not speak up where everyone can see. There's no need to pay, of course--you're already giving us something, after all.

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That sounds nice. I was going to get lunch, but..... I guess I got a little distracted?

[Have a sheepish laugh. Yes, being reunited with a teammate had abruptly derailed his entire day. Not that he minds--quite the opposite, in fact--, but..... mmmm, he definitely does need to eat still. And pack up some food for his Pokémon to bring with him on the way over.]

I didn't know you were much of a cook yourself. Not much reason to do it with Ignis around, is there?

Ignis enjoys it so I let him handle most of it. I'm not nearly as versatile as he is but I know a few recipes.

[A bashful smile, he is not one to brag about anything but the idea of being able to do something for Will makes him unduly pleased with himself.]

I'll get something going and see you all soon, okay?

Okay! I'm looking forward to it.

[After all, he's never tried Cor's cooking before. He's tried Ignis' plenty--and who wouldn't love it?--, but this? This is special! Kind of like it would have been if Akechi or Kei had decided to make dinner, when he and Akira had usually done it.....

No need to think about that. Will clicks the video off. It takes a few minutes to get the girls into their balls and pack up their food; even Reve gets a full portion. Why not spoil her a little, to welcome her home? Even so, they're off to the Lucis house soon enough, humming brightly as he knocks.]

Come in, dulcissime.

[He half expects Will to just let himself in but the knock is appreciated, even knowing he's coming over Cor's paranoia knows no bounds. But his hands are full at the moment. There's to pots on the stove, one with broth simmering away, the other heating oil. There's already a large plate in the center of the table with some sushi on it.

It may just be the two of them eating now but he's not going to cook and not make sure there's enough for the rest of the house later.]

I haven't made any of this out of the replicator before so we'll have to see how well it goes.

[Will is starting to learn, slowly but surely. Try not to startle anyone here. Don't let himself in unannounced. Don't travel to or from the house after sunset unless he absolutely needs to. There are certain unspoken rules around here he's still becoming fluent in.

Once he's acknowledged though, Will heads in for the kitchen, sniffing appreciatively.]

I'm sure it'll turn out great. How can I help?

I've got this, you look after the girls.

[Partially because, at this point, he was just waiting for things to come together and partially because he wanted to do something for Will. It was a day to celebrate, after all. Besides he wanted to be in the kitchen this time so he could watch Will prep for the girls so he'd be able to do it for them later.]

If you say so.....

[Sorry, Cor. He'd be glad to show you how to make the food if you want, but he's brought some he'd already made, today. You do at least get to see the finishing touches on the food, though? He likes to accommodate their preferences--whether that's for spice, bitterness, or some other flavor profile.

Once he's done, he lets them out of their balls, starting to distribute the bowls. Reve peers at Cor even as she accepts hers, raising a curious eyebrow; Will gives her ears an encouraging ruffle.]

This is Cor. He's nice, don't worry! Cor, this is Reve.

[Cor offers her a small smile, just a tiny quirk of his lips but it's welcoming and encouraging. Something she should be able to pick up if she's even half as intuitive as her sisters. He has one hand on a spoon, stirring something that he can't really afford to take his attention from. The other he reaches out, holding it sort of loosely towards her. If she wants to take that as a handshake she can, if she wants to be an attention whore like Arche she can headbutt for ear scritches.]

Nice to meet you Reve. Will is very special to me. I want you to feel at home here, okay?

[Reve accepts Cor's hand in a firm shake, fur sleek against calloused skin. She's clearly not quite as shy as her sister who actually can hold a conversation; the voice touching Cor's mind is soft and soothing, deeper than he might have expected from a girl.]

I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other, then.

[He actually closes his eyes briefly at that, enjoying the rich velvety brush of her voice.]

We will be.

[He has to withdraw from the handshake more quickly than he really wanted to, leaning down to smell the broth he'd been mixing, testing the tenderness of the noodles. Then he nods to himself, turning to dish the soup out into two bowls. There's an assortment of toppings, chicken and shrimp, veggies some pickled some fresh, a little bit of everything.]

Will... I do hope you like ramen.

Of course I like ramen! And I know I'll like it even more since you made it~ ♥

[Can Gladio forgive Cor's non-Cup Noodle heresy, though?]

Assuming these ingredients have behaved properly.

[It's a tragedy but also Cor should not be having that much salt at his age.]

Reve, would you mind helping me transfer these?

[He needs more hands for all these bowls... but then all these psychics could probably just levitate it all over to the table, huh?]

Surely Ignis has beaten your replicator into submission by now? It wouldn't dare defy a master chef and his household!

[Reve murmurs an agreement, this time not bothering to be understandable. Cor is, in fact, absolutely right; save for anything he's actually holding at the time, everything Cor is ready to shuttle over simply rises off the counter and floats over to the table of its own accord. Handy having psychic types around, isn't it?]

We do our best but even so...

[He trails off, watching all the small bowls of toppings float over to the table while he has the actual soup bowls in his hands. There's a moment where he just looks caught between amused and exasperated. Ah to have such powers that did not come at a cost.]

I suppose we'll find out.

Mmhmm~! Even if it isn't perfectly cooperative, I bet it's still better than ours.

[Reve raises an eyebrow at the expression on Cor's face, saying something else; Will's expression soon mirrors Cor's in wry exasperation.]

You could at least eat what you already have before asking for more, you know..... I'll let you have a taste, how about that?

[Cor's expression twists into something that is far more amusement than exasperation as he settles one bowl in front of Will, moving around the table to sit beside the younger man.]

You may want to let us try it first, who knows what that machine might have done to these things.

[The idle warning is playful but once he's seated he lifts a piece of the sushi he'd made earlier from the plate. It goes into his mouth and he chews exactly twice before freezing, expression crumbling into something caught between horror and disgust.

Oh... Oh, no.

There's that terrible moment where he has to decide if he's going to spit it out or force it down, caught in a state of misery before he finally tries to choke it down with as little chewing as possible.]

Six.

Are you alright? You look like you caught a whiff of a Gloom.

[Surely it can't be that bad, right? Will tries a piece himself while Cor is frozen, only to find himself grimacing as well. He's not quite as badly off as Cor, at least--you end up eating some pretty foul things when you're camping in the wilderness and trying to scrape by on limited funds--, but he's most certainly not going to be reaching for another piece.

Meanwhile, Reve has not only completely ignored both the playful warning and the humans' distress, but she is in fact helping herself to another. More for her if they don't like it, right?]

[Yeah, Will... it's that awful. Cor's been in similar situations plenty of times in his life. Which is why he swallowed it but the texture was absolutely horrid. So swallowing it nearly whole was a much better option that chewing it.

Reve clearly disagrees. She reaches for another piece and Cor just slides it across the table towards her.]

Take it. Please. Just... you girls can eat as much of it as you want.

[The trouble with how smart even non-psychic types are is that they tend to understand most normal conversation. Arche's ears shoot up at the declaration, and she zooms over to put her chin on Cor's knee, giving him enormous puppy eyes. She gets people food now?]

You girls don't need that much food. If you want sushi, we're wrapping your bowls up for later, okay?

[Look at the menace you've unleashed, Cor.]

[C'mon Will, there's 5 of them and there's like 2 rolls worth. Just let them have it. Not that he's going to say that exactly. He just gives Will a pointed look and he may as well have said it.

Then he looks down at Arche and shrugs helplessly.]

You've gotta ask Dad.

[Arche turns her puppy eyes on Will immediately, and even adds an impressively mournful whine-wail of misery and starvation. You've never ever fed her even once in her whole entire life, and now you're denying her table scraps Cor already promised?

Will just buries his face in his hands, laughing helplessly. He can't stand up against both of you.....]

Alright, alright..... But only if you share with your sisters, okay?

[Cor smirks at that, an actual honest to gods cocky smirk.

Apparently spoiling the pokemon is going to be a point of contention for them. Then again he regularly sneaks sweets into the armiger for his King despite medical orders to lay off the fats. He's weak to puppy eyes.

Once the girls have taken the sushi and distributed it among themselves Cor hesitantly tastes the ramen, pleased to find that at least tastes and, mostly, feels as it should. He busies himself with topping his bowl while he speaks. It's easier not to have to meet Will's gaze for this.]

I just... wanted to say that... I'm sorry, if I crossed a line.

[He's trying so hard to not be swayed by the puppy eyes, Cor. So hard!11 And you're not helping him be strong at all.Quite the opposite, in fact--there's no denying the sudden flutter in his stomach at the sight of Cor smirking like that. Mew, but it's hard to look away.....

Reve graciously starts dividing up the sushi among the girls, while Will reaches for the toppings himself. That apology, though..... well. Will can't help but laugh at that.]

You don't have anything to apologize for, don't worry.

[The fact that he laughs at that awkward apology makes Cor's face flush hotly, embarrassed all over again. Still, it's good to know that Will isn't upset with him about it.]

It helped?

[Right? That was the point after all. It did help him, didn't it? They didn't exactly have time to talk about things and Will wasn't in the condition to anyways. And Cor had slipped away to get back to the fight while Will was still asleep.]

[Awww, just look at that adorable blush. Will's grin turns a little mischievous.]

It helped a lot. Feel free to cross that line whenever you'd like~ ♥

[He couldn't really have discussed it then, not in any real detail. Might have managed to agree, if he'd been asked--but in that condition, how reliable would that kind of consent be?]

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