Some Kind of Madness [Midori]

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori giggled, mostly because it was true. Haggis was truly the least appealing sounding thing in the world, though if Devon was warning her about a munchy box... “Okay, I know I’m going to regret this... but what on Earth is a munchy box?” She’d never actually been outside of North America, but the appeal of Europe was strong. There was so much history there, not to mention some amazing sights. Perhaps one day.

Normally, a comment like that would have been directed at Zach, and she would have had a very clear answer for him. Momentarily she worried, but Devon’s little smirk made her relax back into a calmer, yet still playful territory. Resuming her ‘I’m thinking really hard’ chin tapping, she took a moment before answering. “Alien. Definitely alien. If the BBC shows we get here have taught me anything, it’s that pretty English guys are always aliens.” Yes, she was referring to Doctor Who. She’d seen a few episodes while channel surfing, but not enough to understand the thing as a whole. But every time she saw it, there was always a nice looking English guy or two being an alien.

... Yes, Devon was pretty. Sue her. It may have been teasing before, and even now, but it was true. She just... didn’t know what to do with that fact. Maybe after tonight, she’d have a better idea. Or be more confused. It was hard to say.

Most of Midori’s forms were generally quiet unless they wanted to make noise. Cats were the exception. She still didn’t quite understand what kick started purring, but she liked to do it. It was the same if she was trying to jump up on something. It was always accompanied by a tiny little mewling noise right as she kicked off. But the arctic fox was very quiet unless she made a noise herself. The chittering Devon was making was exciting to her sensitive ears, and he was easy to follow. Laughter bubbled up in the form of a series of high pitched whines and yips as he kicked the snow at her. It was so easy to let go of human social graces when you were having so much fun as an animal. She waited a beat to let him get ahead before bounding after him. As he burrowed, she paused and tilted her head to watch him disappear. She knew she had to be careful with him being so small, but that was okay. Her heightened senses of hearing and smell would allow her to follow him like a predator might with prey, but her intention would be much less predatory. Dropping her nose to the snow, she moved forward again, snuffling at the trail he’d left and following along beside the bank. It was easy to hear him, even within the snow. She’d give him a minute before surprising him.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon gave a slight mock-grimace. “Ahhh. It's... kinda a local delicacy... whereby delicacy means 'thing that'll give ya a heart attack'.” He scuffed the fresh fallen snow as he walked, glad of the active conversation that was keeping his mind occupied and stopping it from wandering to places it shouldn't. “Basically, take a large pizza box, and fill it up with bits of everything. Pizza, garlic bread, kebab meat, pakoras, samosas, chips, onion rings, chicken nuggets, chicken tikka, sauces...” Devon let out a quiet breath of a laugh. “If you're very lucky, there might be a handful of salad. It's basically a doctor's nightmare in a box.”

When Midori explained her reasoning behind choosing Devon as an 'alien' over 'less evolved', some of that awkwardness returned to the surface but Devon couldn't stop the grin curling the corner of his lips. He had always enjoyed having his ego stroked and that was no different now, though he was a little unsure of how to respond to it. Normally in similar situations to this he knew exactly what lines to spout to lead things to another situation entirely, but he couldn't do that here. His toe scuffed the snow again, and after a moment he looked up from the ground and gave Midori a soft smile. “I think I can live with that, thanks. I guess that makes you a superhero, then, since all the pretty American gals are superheroes.”

Devon could have changed into one of his larger forms, something that would have given him more of an advantage (or less of a disadvantage) in their games, but common sense had told him it wouldn't be wise. A weasel and a fox out here was far easier to explain away than a random otter in the middle of the park, and some of his other larger forms, well... they were less than elegant. Wolverines and badgers and tayras were all claws, and it would be so easy to accidentally hurt her while they were messing about. Besides, weasels were kinda cute and hell, he wanted to play up that if he could.
It was easy burrowing through the snow in this form; his arrow-shaped head wiggled through it easily enough and with paws designed to help make digging rabbits out easier, in short time he was making quick work of it. However, he should perhaps have been paying a little more attention to where he was going. Suddenly the snow gave way beneath his weight, and he fell a short distance into a small uncovered hole in the ground. It wasn't deep but he was very small, the sides were steep and sodden with half-melted snow so he couldn't clamber out, and he couldn't shift back without getting wedged. SHIT! When he had been tunnelling it had been okay, he had been moving, but now he was trapped he could feel panic mounting. He tried breathing slowly, but each breath came out as a frightened whine. Even though he wasn't cold he could feel himself trembling, and he let out a string of barking sounds, desperately hoping Midori would hear him.

[Midori Hawkins]

“Delicacy,” she repeated, looking skeptical. Sometimes local delicacies were absolute gems, and other times... they were to be feared by everyone. In the case of the munchy box, it was clearly one of the ones to be feared. As Devon explained it, her expression turned to one of mock horror. “Oh my God. And people actually choose to eat these?” She shook her head. “Right, Scotland’s off the list.” Curious, she eyed him with a playful smile. “You’re not going to ruin the rest of Europe for me, are you?” Because she really did want to see at least some of it, one day. Perhaps when Tory was older and more willing to handle long trips.

Devon had a really attractive smile. It was a hard fact to ignore when he was grinning like that. Of course, that thought made Midori blush a little, but she brushed it off as just being a little cold. Catching his eye when he looked up, she smiled back. “Superhero, hey? I think I can live with that,” she echoed, all the while blushing a little more over Devon calling her pretty.

Weasels were very cute, and Midori was happy to play gently with Devon in his tiny form. By nature she wasn’t very rambunctious, so it was easy to keep herself in check as they ran around in the snow. Every skittered path across the snow felt like it melted away another layer of uncertainly and awkwardness as they chased one another and played. If only the rest of the night could go so well. She would hope, because she was really starting to enjoy herself. This felt right, playing in animal form before dinner. If she was relaxing, she only hoped Devon was too.

She continued to listen for him digging around, waiting for the right moment for him to pop out again and for her to pounce. But when the digging sounds ceased, she tilted her head. Maybe he was just biding his time before popping out again, but he hadn’t sounded that close to the surface...

Using the skills her new form allowed her, she stepped closer to the bank and snuffled along it, using both smell and sound to try to locate Devon. His smell was dulled with the wall of snow, but the sounds he started to make came through clear as a bell. Ears flicking at the muted barks, Midori began to paw at the snow gingerly, trying to ensure she didn’t accidentally paw the little stoat. Her paws were made for dealing with and digging in the snow, and she soon had a small tunnel dug. It sounded like Devon was getting closer, so she began to nose forward to push the snow away, until it gave way to a small hole.

Blinking, she found herself nose to nose with Devon. The fox quickly backed up to allow him room to get out, shaking out her coat from the wet snow. A little embarrassed from the nose touch, she sat and curled her tail around herself as she waited for Devon to show he was okay.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon's belief was that local delicacies were kept local because, as a general rule, they were awful. If it was delicious and adored, it would be far more widespread. The muchy box was a great example of why local delicacies should stay local. The ultimate drunkards food that no-one with two working brain cells to rub together would order, unless it was for some kind of experiment or something. “Yeah, they do. There's people that keep tryna get them banned but it seems like that just makes people order 'em more.” Devon chuckled easily. “Nah, I'll save ya from stories of black pudding and lutefisk.”

Mucking around in animal form was far less stressful for Devon. Admittedly a large part of that was because he couldn't speak normally and mess everything up by saying something stupid. However, it was also because in this form it just felt... easier. There were so fewer standards and expectations and social niceties. They could just romp around like idiots and it was totally normal, which was far less stressful and, as Devon was quickly finding out, it was actually an awful lot of fun.

It was less fun, however, once Devon found himself trapped in the hole in the ground. He had no idea what it was and at the moment he frankly didn't care. Unable to get out he was starting to panic, and even though there was plenty of air he could feel his chest tightening as anxiety began to take hold. The barking sounds were beginning to get more desperate as the moments ticked on, but after what felt like years he could hear Midori pushing through the snow towards him. After what felt like days to him he could see the sky above, scent the cool air, and... feel the press of a cold nose against his own.

Devon skittered back wide-eyed in stunned disbelief, and it was a long moment before he regained himself enough to shake himself off slightly and make another attempt at getting out of the hole. Able to see a clear exit now he was less panicky and his breathing was beginning to settle, but he was still trembling and it was making scrabbling up the steep, damp slope of the hole incredibly difficult. He still couldn't shift back without getting royally stuck in the small hole and his little claws skittered as he tried to clamber up, but each time he just slid back to the bottom. After a few more attempts, he gave an embarrassed little whine of a bark for help.

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori hadn’t really grown up with any really special local delicacies, but she’d certainly seen and experienced her fair share of them. The one neat thing about being a recruiter was the travel opportunities it offered. She’d seen so much more of America in the past few years, as well as parts of Canada. She hadn’t yet been to South America. but she was sure it would come up sooner or later. “Trying to ban something just makes it more of a challenge,” she said with a little laugh and a head shake. “Seriously. If we sent Zack to Scotland and told him they were trying to ban them, he’d be seeking them out so fast.” Granted, it was the kind of thing Zack would probably eat even if it wasn’t being banned. “I learned my lesson. I’m not asking.” Even if she was a tiny bit curious, she wouldn’t dare ask anything else about European ‘delicacies.’ “If I ever go, just give me a list of things to avoid. Deal?”

Playing in the snow hadn’t been stressful, but hearing Devon’s distress calls had temporarily put a hold on the fun and games. At least she had been able to make the hole a little bigger for him in the hopes he could get himself out from there, and then they could resume their games. With her head tilted, she watched him scrabble around, feeling bad she couldn’t do much more without fear of trapping him again. Cautiously, she weighed her options. She could go over and pick him up by the scruff, but she didn’t’ want to hurt him...

That left her with really only one option. Lifting a paw in a hopeful sign for him to wait, she scampered a few feet away, slightly out of view from the few people milling around the park. More than anything, she willed for her shift to go right this time. No misplaced items, no accidents. Wincing slightly at the feeling of her body shifting back, she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, only opening them again when the motion stopped. A careful glance down showed that everything seemed to be in it’s proper place. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she came back to where Devon was stuck. Gingerly, she scooped more snow away from the hole’s entrance before reaching in and very gently picking him out. The shivering was attributed to being went and cold, and the little stoat was instantly drawn against her chest in a warm snuggle. “I’m sorry, Devon. Here, get warm.” One hand held him, while the other stroked his back in an effort to warm him up.

She was probably a bit of a sight at the moment, the knees of her jeans now damp from the snow, holding a tiny wild animal and trying to warm it up, but she didn’t care. She just wanted Devon to feel better. It probably didn’t help that it was starting to get darker, and with it, cooler. It was probably soon time for them to hit the restaurant, but that could wait until Devon was a little more recovered. As she stroked him, she gaze flicked to her watch curiously.

Oh, hell.

After a few more moments of snuggling him, Midori brought Devon away from herself so she could actually look at him when she spoke. “Um, Devon? We’re, uh... running late for dinner. Like, um, really late.” Color dusted her cheeks, because she felt mostly responsible. Devon had clearly put thought into their evening plans, and now because of her idea of playing in animal form those plans were effectively derailed. “I’m really sorry.”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. “Same with music, movies, whatever. Knowing it's banned just adds to the appeal.” The casual, friendly chatter really was helping him settle, and he found he was worrying less and less about accidentally saying or doing the wrong thing. That quiet anxiety was still there, of course, but far more muted than it had been when he had first glanced her admitted rather lovely face a short while ago. He nodded again when she asked him to give her a prior warning about things to avoid if she ever ventured across the pond. “In return, I'll ask ya to never try and make me eat grits. Deal?”

Playing in the snow had been a lot of fun, and had Devon been in a sounder state of mind he would have been kicking himself for accidentally causing the frolicking to falter by falling into the hole. Of course, being smothered by panic as he was, all of his efforts were consumed by trying to get himself out of the hole. No matter how hard he tried to scrabble up to the surface his claws kept slipping down the steep, damp bank. It was a little easier to breathe and concentrate on something other than the panic now that he could see the surface, but being stuck was still a terrifying situation and as Midori gestured and trotted away he couldn't help the startled bark of desperation. Rationally he knew she wouldn't leave, and yet in that moment the prospect that she could filled him with absolute horror.

Thankfully she did return rather quickly, and as Midori reached down to pick him up Devon all but leapt into her hand. Being picked up and carried didn't bother him in the slightest; he'd gotten incredibly used to it over the years and back in certain clubs in Leeds he'd learned it could be a very, very effective tool for getting to where he wanted to be with certain people. In this moment, however, he was just grateful to be out of the hole in the ground and as Midori held him close he rubbed against her warmth, resting his tiny head on her shoulder. He was still trembling but now he was free he could breathe easier, think easier, and after a few long moments the trembling began to ease away. Of course, it helped massively that her fingers stroking down his back felt absolutely magical.

As Midori shifted to glance at her watch Devon hung on to her jacket so that she could move her arms comfortably without the risk of him falling. Judging by the mounting darkness he figured it was starting to get a little late, but he was genuinely surprised when she announced that they were really late for dinner. Had they really been romping around that long? Time had passed so quickly... He scampered up so that he was stood on her shoulder and raised a paw, waving it down at the ground and gesturing that way with his nose, hoping that she would understand and let him down on the ground again.

[Midori Hawkins]

It really was true. Ban something, and suddenly the whole world wanted in on it before it disappeared for good. “It’s human nature, I think. Banning something sets this whole ‘I need it before it disappears forever’ mentality in motion. But munchy boxes seriously need to go the way of the dinosaurs, for everyone’s sakes.” She didn’t know when she had stopped being nervous, but this was really helping. Even if it was a silly topic. “Deal. I don’t of anyone that actually does that outside of the South, but yes, I promise.”

She was glad to feel that Devon’s shivering started to subside under her fingers. All she wanted was for him to warm up, and she was happy it was working. Even if it meant they were going to be even later, right now Devon was more important than any dinner plans. It helped that he was tiny, and very easy to snuggle. Stoats were quickly rising on her list of favorite animals.

Midori watched as he scampered onto her shoulder. Long familiar with the charades that went along with being a shifter trying to communicate with someone in human form, she quickly caught on to what he wanted. Ever so carefully, she offered her hands for him to step into, and then lowered him to the ground. She knew what it was to get manhandled when in a small form. Her niece had particularly enjoyed tormenting her while in kitten form, which had quickly squashed the idea of her having her own kitty for a while. Smiling at him, she got back on her feet, brushing snow from her coat and jeans as she waited for him to shift back too. Hopefully the evening wasn’t completely ruined by their extended playtime.

[Devon Wentsworth]

In any other situation and with any other woman being held up on their upper chest like that would have produced a very different set of reactions from Devon, but in that moment and with Midori he was just deeply relieved to be out of that damn hole and with someone he trusted enough to not try to shove him back into it again. The fingers stroking down his back were blissful, and his breathing was steadily returning to normal and the shivering lessening as Midori checked her watch. While there was a huge part of him that just wanted to stay resting on her shoulder for a while, he knew he had to actually act on the revelation that it was significantly later than they had predicted. Once Midori had lowered him to the ground he hopped out of her hands, turning back around to give a grateful rub of his head against her thumb before he skittered off a short distance to change back.

Devon was incredibly used to the stoat form and so the shift back was not horrific; a few uncomfortable grunts and joint clicks later he was back in his human shape. After the snug warmth and comfort of the thick coat of the stoat the chill air hit him like the blast from a just-opened freezer and he gave a quiet grump of frustration that all good things have to come to an end sometime. As he headed back over to Midori he took his jacket off, turning it the right way around before putting it back on over his narrow shoulders.

“How late is late?” Devon glanced down at his own watch, drawing a quiet breath in through his teeth as he realised just how late 'late' was. “Ahh... Well... We could still go if you wanted? I mean, they might have a table spare.” He gave a small shrug, momentarily trying to sort out the fluffy mess that his hair had become. He quickly abandoned the ridiculously futile attempt. “Or if you wanted, maybe, we could just head back to mine and do pizza and a movie or somethin'?"

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori might have been content to snuggle with the tiny stoat for longer as well, though her desire to cuddle was only partially because Devon made a very, very cute little stoat. Mostly it was driven out of a need to get him warmed up and calmed down. It wouldn’t do for him to have a heart attack on the first date. But the reality was that it was getting late, they were late, and it seemed that Devon was both warmer and calmer. She couldn’t help the smile as he rubbed his head against her fingers, and it surprisingly made her heart go that little bit faster. Why, she couldn’t fathom, being that she’d just been holding him. Shaking her head, she got back on her feet and waited, brushing snow from her coat and jeans.

Once he was back, and she politely ignored the fact he had his coat on inside out, she thought she had a better hold on herself. Her heart wasn’t doing... whatever it had been doing before, and her cheeks were colored more from the cold than anything else.

“Yeah... late. It’s a lot harder to keep track of time in another form.” They might have kept their mostly human senses, but animals were not nearly as concerned about time as people were. Flicking her own gaze back down at her wrist, she bit her lip at the question. It really was rude showing up insanely late to dinner with no better excuse than ‘Oh we lost track of time, whoops.’ Regardless of the fact that they might have spare table still, it still seemed... rude.

That left option number two. Which at the moment, was honestly more appealing anyway. Maybe the casual thing would be better for them as they started out. “Pizza and a movie sound great, actually.” As an added bonus, she’d get to see the cats again, which was always a plus.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Showing more complicated emotions was very difficult in animal form, and something as complex as gratitude was especially so. Well, without doing some kind of mad war-dance to spell out 'thanks' in the snow, anyway. Yes he could have just waited until he shifted back, but it wasn't really the same. Sure he and the stoat were one and the same being, obviously, but it was just... a really strange thing. She had helped the stoat, so by rights it was the stoat that should say thanks. Even though he was the stoat... It all got very confusing, but it was still a strange impulsion that he held. The very pleasant smile that lit up her features told him that it was a welcome gesture, at least, so that was something.

Devon nodded in agreement when Midori mentioned that it was difficult to keep track of time in alternate forms. “Yeah, it is. Time seems to move differently, like, it doesn't seem to affect in the same way.” In truth Devon's own concept of time was pretty wibbly to begin with, but if he was doing something he could roughly guesstimate the passage of half an hour, for example. It really, really wasn't easy doing the same thing when he was any shape other than human.

When Midori agreed to the idea of pizza and a movie, Devon felt an odd sense of relief that really caught him by surprise. There was no small part of him that thought she would just blow the idea off, deciding that since they had missed the meal there wasn't much point continuing with the evening. The fact that she actually seemed to like the idea truly had caught him off guard, and Devon looked a little confused for a moment before he was able to regain his train of thought enough to reply to what she had said. “Great! I mean, that's really great. I know the best delivery joint, and I'll let ya pick the movie.” He gestured down the path that would lead them in the direction winding towards his house. “Shall we?”

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori could second the difficulty in expressing... just about anything in an animal form. Sure, as a cat she could hiss and flick her tail in displeasure, and purr when happy, or as a dog wag her tail, but most other forms it was difficult. Even when she and Devon had been otters, the saving grace had been that they could still communicate with one another. She didn’t know the body language of an otter that was happy, upset, or scared. Still, the little head rub had worked perfectly. Devon was clearly happier than he had been when he’d first come out of the hole, and she was happy to have had a hand in that.

With nothing to reference, it was so easy to lose track of time in animal form. It was why Midori had to be particularly careful when playing in the snow with Tory, watching him carefully for shivering before hauling him back inside to warm up. Or have Eli standing by with a watch. “Well, animals by nature don’t really care about time. Unless it’s a cat and it’s dinnertime. Then they have an uncanny sense of time.” While she didn’t feel that same internal clock, she’d seen it plenty of times.

Casual really did seem to suit them better, and Midori was more than fine with Devon’s proposal. Just because they missed their dinner reservation didn’t mean the night had to end. It was her fault they were late in the first place anyway, and after all that running around... it might be nice to just... flop. And not worry about anything. Yes, she was feeling confident in this plan. Smiling up at Devon, she nodded at his suggestions. “That sounds good.” With the plan now set, she settled in beside him as they trudged through the snow back to Devon’s place, talking as they went.

Once they were there, Midori shed her coat and happily scooped up Bliss. “You’re getting so big, kitten!” She was content to cuddle with her as Devon sorted out the pizza. “What should we watch, hmm?” Still cradling the happy ginger cat, she knelt down to investigate Devon’s DVD collection. Flicking through, she finally found one that caught her attention. She’d seen a few of the Marvel movies, but this particular one she hadn’t had a chance to see yet. Sliding it out, she got back on her feet and made her way to Devon, offering out the case. “What about this one? Is it okay?” For all she knew he’d seen it six hundred and three times and if he saw it once more his head might explode. ... But she really hoped not.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon gave a soft chuckle at her comment and nodded in agreement. “Sounds about right. I think half the street knows it if I'm late feeding Uno.” The grumpy tom was usually very quiet, sometimes eerily so, but he made sure to let Devon know if he was slacking in his duties as a walking feed provider. Despite Uno's flaws (of which there were many) Devon had come to really care about the cat, even though he did sometimes wish the rescue centre had installed a mute button. Who would have known that an ever so slightly hungry cat could make such a hellish din?

The talk stayed light and friendly as they walked, and Devon was very grateful Midori had made the suggestion to romp in the snow. Sure it had set other plans back and it wasn't the 'grown-up and proper' date that he thought they'd have, but this was so much better in its own way. He felt so much less pressure, so much less anxiety about saying or doing the wrong thing, and even if tonight resulting in them deciding they would just stay friends, he would be happy they'd at least tried. Damn, that was a thought he never thought he'd have!

As they went into the house, Devon was just relieved that he had actually tidied up a bit recently. The place was in no way shiny clean and organised, but it was fairly tidy and there was nothing potentially questionable out where roaming eyes might catch sight of it. He abandoned his coat on a hanger by the door, smiling warmly as Midori scooped up Bliss before heading into the kitchen to order some pizzas. Uno was lying on the small dining table, looking grumpy as ever, and Devon gently fussed the grey's head as he made the call. After only a couple of moments Uno stood, dropping down off the table and running into the other room. That made a nice change from biting him, Devon supposed.

After the call was made Devon headed back into the living room, giving an amused smile and a slightly quizzical tilt of his head at the movie selection. “Yeah, that'll be great. You like superhero films?” In truth she hadn't really seemed the type, in Devon's mind, but he certainly wasn't complaining. It was another point in her favour as far as he was concerned. “Food'll be here soon. You want anything to drink? I've got coke, juice... alcohol-wise you could probably just take your pick, I've got quite a lot to choose from.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Being that she had been out of the dating pool for quite some time, Midori honestly didn’t really know what technically qualified for appropriate, grown-up behaviour anyway. Especially when Devon was a friend first. He was always so easy to be around, and though they’d both been nervous and perhaps trying a little harder than they really needed to at the start of the night, who was to say it couldn’t be easy this way too? Who really needed a whole lot of seriousness early on, anyway? They were friends, and if something more came from this, wonderful. If not, well, she didn’t want to lose him as a friend. She just hoped he felt the same.

Devon’s place would likely always be tidier than Midori’s. She had been trying to teach Tory to put his things away when he was done with them, but it was an uphill battle. Add in the fact that neither her nor Eli were particularly neat, and... you had her place. Honestly, she’d seen worse than Devon’s, even now in it’s slightly tidy state. Her brother Zach’s place was always a disaster zone. So much so she’d once threatened to get him a construction site sign, dictating the need for protective gear prior to entering. In typical Zach fashion, he’d actually gotten one himself and posted it right on his front door.

So really, Devon’s place was fine.

As she held The Avengers movie in her hands, waiting for a response, Midori was actually a little amused at Devon’s questioning. “I grew up with brothers that lived off of Batman and Spiderman. It was kind of infectious.” Poking a few characters from the cover, she shrugged. “I’ve seen a few Marvel movies, but I haven’t seen this one.” After a moment, she glanced up at Devon, feeling braver than she had earlier. “Besides, all us American girls are secretly superheroes, right?” At least he approved of the movie choice. “Coke would be good.” It wasn’t warm, but she had a special appreciation for anything loaded with caffeine. It seemed to come after being deprived for so long while pregnant, and she just rolled with it. Having a drink drink may have been tempting, but the last time she’d done that alone with a man... well, Tory had happened. Better not risk it again. “Should we start the movie before the pizza gets here? Or did you want to wait?” It was Devon’s place, after all. She was fine with him taking the lead.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Perhaps the thing that was shocking Devon the most was the fact that this was the first time in his life that he'd invited a girl around to his house with plans that existed beyond the obvious reason why many boys tended to invite girls around to their houses. If that happened he certainly wouldn't be disappointed, but at the same time he wouldn't be disappointed if it didn't, which was, sadly, a first for him. A relationship that existed beyond the physical (or that even existed beyond that first encounter) wasn't something he'd even considered in so very many years, and while the thought of attempting now was completely and utterly terrifying, he was at least making an attempt now. That had to count for something.

Right?

At Midori's explanation of choosing the superhero movie over some of the others on offer, Devon gave an understanding nod of his head. “Makes sense. It's a good one, I think maybe the best of the lot so far. Though Thor was pretty good too.” Superhero movies didn't tend to be Devon's favourite genre, but he appreciated them for their ability to let him just switch his head off for a few hours. They didn't tend to require much in the way of complex thought, and were great for just kicking back to. His lips twitched into a smile at her comment about American girls. “Very true. Thought you might'a got bored, y'know, watching a movie about your day job.”

Devon nodded at Midori's drink request. “Can do.” At her question of pizza or movie first, Devon pondered for a moment. “Uhhh... Start the movie now, I guess. We can always pause it once food gets here. Do you wanna put the movie in ready while I grab the drinks? The switch is just down on the side of the TV.” Devon headed into the kitchen to retrieve the drinks, grabbing two cans out of the fridge before fetching two tumblers out of the cupboard. It was only then that he realised he probably left the disc in the player of the last movie he watched, and he couldn't remember what the hell it had been. As he headed back into the living room, he just hoped that he couldn't remember because he hadn't watched anything else since starting season five of Lost the other week. Trying not to meet her eye, just in case it hadn't been Lost, he decided to just carry on as though this wasn't completely foreign and strange and worrying for him. “Are you warm enough? I can turn the heating up or grab a blanket or something if you're cold.”

[Midori Hawkins]

The whole situation was still a bit surprising to Midori, with the invite coming out of seemingly nowhere. She was happy she’d accepted, though, because so far it had been a lot of fun. Granted, she still felt bad about being the cause of missing their dinner reservation, but... kicking back at Devon’s place with pizza, a movie, and the cats seemed more comfortable, somehow. Or maybe that was just her. Then again, Devon had seemed relieved... well, that was the path they’d picked, and they were going to stick to it now. Going from friends to... anything else, really, was always a delicate thing, and this seemed to be a good pace. Slow, ease into it. ... If ‘it’ was even a possibility. Time would tell.

“Oh, I liked Thor, and the second one too.” Because regardless of how badly behaved he was, Loki would forever be magnificent. (Sorry, Devon.) “And the Captain America movies. I’ve somehow missed the Iron Man ones.” Which was okay with her, because she’d never really heard of Iron Man before the movies got popular. Still, depending on how much she liked him in this movie, perhaps she’d have to try to track them down and find time to watch them. As she caught Devon’s smile, she blinked before giggling softly. “Night job, Devon. Recruiter by day, superhero by night.” Which was actually a fun thought. “I just hope that if I ever get myself into trouble, a pretty English alien might have my back?” Oh God, was that bad to say? The small, coy smile that had followed quickly shifted to a much more shy expression as she busied herself with the movies.

“Sure,” she answered, crouching by the television and searching the side for the button to pop out the tray. It was easy to find, and she cracked the case for the movie, ready to load it. Before she could do that, though, it looked like there was already a disc sitting in the tray. As she went to remove it, one of the pictures on the front made her blush, and she hurriedly set it down near the rest of the movies, upside down. It wasn’t like she was a stranger to that kind of stuff. Growing up with two older brothers, she’d stumbled across their magazines more than once... it was just a guy thing. Doing her best to shove the image from her mind, she set The Avengers into the tray and closed it again.

By the time Devon came back, she was fairly certain her face was less pink, and she’d found a spot on the couch. Bliss was back in her lap, and she had somehow managed to coax Uno near to her feet, and was giving him a gentle scratch down his back. “Maybe a blanket?” Shaking off any discomfort, she smiled up at him. “You know, in case it gets too scary and I need something to hide under.” Truthfully she liked watching television or movies under a blanket, often with Tory tucked in with her. It made the whole thing that much cozier.