Nori — Family dinner (and Dominic)

[nola_sirius]

Dominic wanted to make a good impression. He tied his long hair back into a neat bun and wore a collared shirt and not even a hint of eyeliner. He came to the purple house with strawberries dipped in chocolate and a genuine sense of enthusiasm for meeting this wild, wonderful family. He was going to, he hoped, make a good impression. And he was going to hold Gavin’s hand under the table.

After dinner, when things were more relaxed, Dominic finally had a chance to talk to everyone one on one — and he caught Nori’s eye. He didn’t have a read on Nori yet, but he suspected they might understand each other a little bit. “Hey, Nori,” he said easily, comfortably. “You look like you’ve been sizing me up.”

Hazel — food truck hunting

[nola_flash]

The best thing about hunting down a food truck with Hazel was, well, hunting down a food truck with Hazel. She had an adventurous spirit, which Kyle was frequently, amazingly, discovering that he could match. They were on the hunt for clues, they were asking passersby if they had seen the truck, they were dashing around corners — it was so much fun. And a sense of fun was easy to lose in the adult world. Kyle was grateful to have it back.

When they did finally find the truck, there was much celebration, including a triumphant and only slightly awkward hug, and then, of course, there was the ordering of food. The next step? Consumption.

“Where should we eat?” Kyle asked Hazel. “Or should we try to walk and eat at the same time?”