Chowin' Down [Nel, Murdoch]

[Nel Sayo]

“He bought me lunch!” Nel cried, as if that explained everything. And it did! “And he's really nice, and I don't see why you hate making friends so much. And nobody's making you do anything.”

She made a truly magnificent face up at Murdoch, likely something more appropriate for a ten year old, but it nevertheless conveyed precisely what she was thinking, something along the lines of: quit your bitching. Nel liked friends; she liked having friends and making friends, and she could remember every last friend she ever had, because they'd been so few and far between when she lived on the Mariner. Syon had not liked friends – at least, he had not liked Nel having friends, particularly male friends, particularly male friends who may or may not have noticed that she was a girl...friends. Even female friends had been problematic, because Syon was wont to...preoccupy them before Nel could really get to know them, and that had always ended in a slap across the face and one girl or another stomping down the gangplank.

So Nel took friendliness very seriously. She also took Doc very seriously, and she wrinkled her nose and twisted a bit beneath his arm to peer up at him, directing a very pointed Look at him with those big blue eyes, a warning. A wagging finger.

“And be nice,” she all but begged.

When they arrived at the right address, Nel kind of gave herself a girly once-over, as though she'd worn something other than she usually wore, which she hadn't, but she just wanted to make sure that everything was acceptable, like if she'd paid more attention before they'd gone out with Samael that whole disaster could've been avoided. Likely, it could not have been, no matter her preparation.

She knocked on the door and rocked back onto her heels, waiting, with a nudge to Murdoch's side that said nothing at all, or maybe a lot, but came with no translation whatsoever.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s head rose up as he heard the knock along the door. Reaching out, he grabbed his shirt off the back of a chair before walking up to the door. He slowly opened it, spotting Nel and her friend on the other side. “Evening,” Jaeden said as stepped outside, slipping on his shirt, “this must be the friend you were talking about.” Jaeden extended a hand to him, offering a friendly smile. “Jaeden Kincade,” Jaeden then said in greeting.

[Murdoch]

"Yes, ma'am," Doc said, his voice the very picture of contrition - though the grin he turned down to her at the jab she gave him held no such promises of nicety. He was trouble, and she knew it, and no use telling him to be otherwise. It was like telling Nel not to be hungry.

When the door opened, he blinked a moment at the large, shirtless mountain of a man - and then he couldn't help himself. He snorted a laugh, hiding it quickly behind his hand, but he really just couldn't handle the absurdity of it all. Oh, he was sure all those muscles were meant to be a fine sight for the gorgeous little Konti pirate under his arm, and here she went and brought her lover along. Too bad, old chap.

"Aha! Ahh... oh, sorry," he said, still chuckling as he let Nel go long enough to shake the man's hand. "Murdoch. Pleasure to meet you Jaeden. Though I'm surprised you didn't break your damned face running into him," he said with a mischievous wink down to Nel. "Did you bounce? I bet you bounced right off," he grinned, poking her gently in the ribs.

[Nel Sayo]

"No! I --" She squeaked, and batted at his hand. "-- maybe. Maybe I bounced. A little."

But a grin had already sprawled across her mouth, and she rocked forward and then backward again on her heels, utterly delighted with the situation. Not because she'd brought Murdoch with the express purpose of deterring Jaeden -- more like, she had no idea what she was doing, and just enjoyed the idea of spending time with both of them. Two birds, one stone. If it was going to be in any way awkward, Nel was utterly unprepared for it.

"Anyway, it didn't hurt, so who cares. Hi." That last was to the mountainous man himself, along with a sunny smile. "Am I early?"

[Jaeden Kincade]

“Pleasure is all mine, Murdoch.” Jaeden said closing the door behind him. “No, you’re not early. I was just entertaining a guest a short while ago is all. She stepped out on the previous chime of the bell though.” “And yes, she did bounce. Landed on her bottom in the middle of the street.” Jaeden explained further as he began walking with them now to their destination. “I share the blame though, as I have a tendency of not watching where I’m going all the time either. It’s how I ended up in the Northern Reaches once.” Jaeden then looked to the two of them. “So, what games would you suggest for a complete novice in gambling?” Jaeden then asked.

[Murdoch]

Murdoch tangled one of his hands with Nel's as they started down the street, grinning mischievously to the both of them. "Ah, yes, entertaining guests is a lovely way to spend the morning," he chuckled, shooting Jaeden a conspiratorial wink.

When the other man said the words complete novice in gambling, though, he had to force himself not to grumble and groan - be nice, she'd said, and once again she brought him a big, fat, juicy mark just waiting to be fleeced. As they turned down one of the cool, shaded hallways and into the castle proper, he slipped his arm around Nel's shoulders once more and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "I hate you and your niceness," he murmured on a breath, then lifted his head to answer Jaeden. "Well, the Spinning Coin's really the only joint in town," he lied, but then again the other gambling house wasn't the place to bring new gamblers. Hell, he wouldn't even bring Nel there. "But they've a few different games, Portraits and Jinkus and they usually even have Burns-and-Barters if it's early enough. Have you ever played any card games before?"

[Nel Sayo]

Nel let out a huge sigh in reply to Murdoch's murmur and just settled beneath his arm, her pace matching his. It was certainly one way to assure that she didn't go wandering off, or stumbling into someone she wasn't supposed to, or accidentally eaten by a passing horse. With her shoulder tucked against his chest, it was easy to keep tabs on her. And if Doc was being particularly handsy on that night, Nel chocked it up to stress, or something equally ridiculous.

"Doc's a really good card player," Nel announced, before the thief could even try to say he was an amateur. "The Spinning Coin is nice. I like Portraits best, but I'm not very good at cards." Something occurred to her and she practically hopped mid-step. "Do they have cherry brandy there, Doc?" With a flashing grin to Jaeden.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden paused in his step, looking to Doc as if he had just been insulted. “Have I ever played card?” Jaeden said in a mock exasperated tone. “Me? Play cards? Me?” Jaeden then let a moment of silence pass by as both Nel and Doc looked at him for his answer. He then just dropped the expression resuming his walk. “Nope, not once.” Jaeden then said, resuming his walk. “Don’t they have pictures on them or something?” Jaeden the looked over his shoulder at Nel for a moment before letting out a sigh. “Jeeze, give the girl one sip and she turns into a lush over it.” Jaeden muttered under his breath as his hands stuffed into his pockets. His head then leaned out, his feet still carrying him forward as he took an almost awkward lean when a passing woman giggled, sliding her finger along his chin in a suggestive manner. Stumbling slightly to regain his footing, he slowly looked to the woman, shaking urges from his head. “Tomorrow, Josephina. You’re booked at the Soothing Waters tomorrow.”

[Murdoch]

Murdoch decided right then and there that he would have to leave the talking to Nel. Because if he found out one more thing that made this guy more of a rube, he and Nel would have a fight again. And as nice as the making-up part was, he knew there was a point at which she would actually leave him, and he wasn't in the mood to see where that point was.

So as Jaeden recovered from his little interaction with Josephina, Doc glanced down at Nel. "Your new friend's an idiot whore. What's next, a one-armed midget with a taste for arson?" he murmured under the guise of slipping her another kiss to her brow.

[Nel Sayo]

Nel was watching Jaeden and Josephina curiously, trying to figure out what he was talking about and why some weird woman just walked up to him like that, so when Doc pulled her close to press a kiss to her temple, she wasn't really paying much attention.

"What are the soothing waters?" she asked Jaeden, impossibly bright eyes shimmering with interest.

And then Murdoch was muttering into her ear about one-armed midgets, and Nel tripped over her own feet.

"Crap--"

And pitched forward to face-plant firmly in the street.