Baby, it's cold outside....

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

Their first date had been a picnic, but it's really not good picnic weather any more. Mar'i can withstand the cold of space, but she much prefers warmer temperatures, and of course Grant doesn't have her advantages. She grins at the memory of him in the EVA suit on the moon, while she'd flown around free of such restrictions. The look of awe on his face when they visited Tranquility Base, though ... both of them careful not to disturb the famous landing site. Thanks to her ability to carry him in flight, he'd been able to see the footprints of the Apollo 11 crew, still preserved in the lunar soil.

She doesn't get to entertain much at her condo. Public identity or not, she's cautious about inviting people over, so none of her classmates from the university have visited. Study sessions have always been held in the library or at someone else's residence. But Titans--Titans are always welcome.

Especially the Titan who's coming over tonight.

She hums happily to herself as she moves about in the kitchen. She isn't a very good cook (especially when she measures herself against Alfred or even her stepmother or Aurora), but she has portobellos marinating in the refrigerator, ready to be grilled and served with a green salad.

Now, where did she put those kaiser rolls?

Comments

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

The kiss provokes another smile from the Titan - it would appear that he has done well. Watching her as she moves toward the kitchen, Grant unzips his jacket, shrugging free of the heavy garment, then looks around for a place to put it. "Uh, herbal tea is fine," Grant replies.

Frowning briefly, he decides to simply carry the jacket over his shoulder and walks into the kitchen, leaning against the wall, watching her work. "You look wonderful," he says softly.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Thank you!" She'd worried about what to wear at first, and decided on a lilac sweater with jeans. Golden Jeans brand, of course, like her mother had modeled.

The electric kettle is steaming, so she fetches the can of hibiscus mint tea and starts measuring spoonfuls into the tea pot. "I think you'll like this," she tells him, looking briefly back over her shoulder. "It's got a lot of vitamin C in it, and no caffeine." As she pours the hot water over the leaves, a floral minty smell floats towards Grant.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

It smells incredible. Grant's always been a sweet tea sort, but he isn't going to turn down anything that smells that good. He does his best not to stare at Mar'i in those jeans and that sweater, but it's not an easy task. "Uh...where should I put this?" he asks, holding up the jacket.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Oh! I'm sorry." While the tea is brewing, she hurries back to him and takes the jacket, smiling apologetically. "I'm not used to playing hostess here." She goes to the small closet near the front door and hangs up the jacket.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, that's alright," Grant replies as she takes the jacket from him. He stays in the kitchen, watching as she moves to put the jacket away, then pushes away from the wall, checking the tea. "This is a lot nicer than the quarters in the Tower," he says, grinning at her as she returns. He pauses then, shifting his weight from one foot to the next. "Um, is there anything I can do to help?"

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

She checks the tea, then starts pouring. "You can take your tea and sit down," she says with a grin, nodding at the small table in the kitchen/dining area. "We can both relax a little, and then I'll grill the portobellos."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"Sounds good," Grant replies, returning her smile, walking toward the counter. He gently places his hand on the small of her back as she pours the tea, holding her in a light embrace. The tea poured, he takes his cup, then heads toward the table, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Lifting the cup to his mouth, Grant blows over the surface of the steaming liquid, the pleasant floral scent filling his nostrils. "Smells great."

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

She takes a seat and sips from her own cup, stretching her legs out before her. "I like it. It reminds me of some Tamaranean teas." She crosses her legs at the ankle. "I hope you like supper," she says shyly. "I'm not all that great a cook, but I do okay."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Leaning forward, Grant lifts one foot under the table, accidentally bumping Mar'i's. Following her example, he sips at his tea, eyes flicking down to the cup. "Wow, this is really good," he says, looking up at her again, listening to her somewhat shy tone. "At least you cooked. I had to get everything from the shop, remember?" Grant retorts, grinning broadly at her, sipping again from his tea.

"Can I ask what we're having, or is it a surprise?"

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Grilled portobellos on kaiser rolls," she says, "and a tossed salad. Plus there's pie for dessert I'll need to heat up."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"That sounds like quite the menu for someone who supposedly isn't all that great of a cook," Grant says, doing his best to be encouraging. He can't imagine that she's that poor of a chef - she's probably just being modest. But then, he knows Mar'i never lies. Better not to think about it and just wait and see how it turns out. In the meanwhile, the tea is very good.

"Thank you so much for going to all this trouble," Grant says, reaching forward with his free hand, taking hers, giving her fingers a squeeze.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

Hastily she assures him, "I didn't make the pie myself. I got it from this little bakery a few blocks over--" She looks down at their joined hands. "You seem more comfortable touching me than you used to."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

Eyes lowering to their hands, Grant feels the slightest twinge of embarrassment. It passes quickly, but it's there nonetheless. "It helps me feel closer to you...and...I like feeling that way," he says, frowing a little at the rather awkward explanation.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"I'm glad." She drinks more tea, then releases his hand and bounces to her feet. "Lemme get the electric grill heating up ... you want to slice the kaiser rolls?" She holds up a plastic bag bearing the logo of a local bakery.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

That warms his heart and alleviates a lot of the nervousness he's feeling. Strange how even small, simple gestures such as that from this woman can bring so much comfort. "Absolutely," Grant replies, standing and following her to the kitchen, bringing his tea with him.

Taking the bag from her, Grant pulls out two of the rolls, then looks around. "Uh...bread knife and a cutting board? I don't want to mar your counters," he says, looking around.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Bread knife...." She pushes the knife block over to him. "There's a wooden cutting board that slides out from under the counter there," she says, pointing to a section of counter near the refrigerator. "I don't use it for anything but bread."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"Got it," he replies, pulling a couple of knives free - steak knife, butcher's knife, paring knife - before finally finding the right one. "There we go," Grant says triumphantly. Taking the rolls, he moves to the indicated section of counter, then finds the board, pulling it out. "What the...? Well, that's handy." Turning one of the rolls on its side, he carefully slices into it, trying to make the halves as flat as possible.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

The electric grill is plugged in and heating up. "Yeah, it's kinda neat, but you can't take it out to wash it, so I just use it for bread slicing." She moves around him to open the refrigerator, pulling out a translucent rectangular container. When she pops open the top, Grant can smell an oil-vinegar marinade, with hints of garlic, oregano, and pepper.

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

He pauses in his slicing of the second roll as Mar'i moves to the fridge, pulling out the portobellos. The aroma of the marinade instantly reaches his nose and Grant looks over at her with a somewhat bewildered smile. "That smells great," he says quickly, watching as she moves toward the grill.

The second roll is sliced in half, and Grant sets the knife on the counter, turning toward her. "Need me to get the salad?" he asks.

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Yes, please--" She waves at the refrigerator as she carefully lifts a dripping portobello out and lays it on the grill. Immediately it starts sizzling and she hurries to put the second one next to it. "These won't take long."

[damage-granted.livejournal.com]

"Alright," he replies, moving to the refrigerator again, opening it and ducking his head inside. "Here we go," Grant says, pulling out a large bowl covered with plastic wrap, bumping the fridge closed with his hip. It's a standard green salad, but he's sure she's got a good dressing to go with it. "Just put this on the table, or...?"

[mari-grayson.livejournal.com]

"Table, and if you could get bowls in the cabinet over there...." She opens the grill and checks on the sizzling mushrooms.