The Hearth

"Oh. Oh." There is a moment of dawning understanding as the reason behind his nervousness connects and she can't help the growing fondness on her chest. Endearing, to see that she had let him eat her out in the middle of a restaurant and then she had returned the favor and he was nervous that she wasn't going to say yes. As if that answer was ever on the table. As if she was going to deny him after wanting this for longer than he realized. A tender smile dances on her lips as she leans in and bumps their noses together. "That sounds nice, yes. And I would very much like to be your girlfriend. All you needed to do was ask."

It wasn't like Marco had never had a girlfriend before, he wasn't a martian, but this was the first time that he'd felt this strongly about someone. "Really -?" For some reason he was surprised but that didn't stop him from jamming his elbow down with a closed fist as he said yes a little under his breath. "I should um, maybe we should clean this up, yeah? I'll have to whip us up something else quick." Marco flushed as he looked at the absolute disaster that was the spread he'd laid out for them.

"Sariel?" Oh, oh. The Fallen eventually realized what was happening and cleared her throat. Atarniel's eyes were open wide while the confusion began to subside. Luckily Marco had made his intentions clear or else Atarniel would've been none the wiser about his actual plans, awkward as he was. Real cute, definitely someone for Sariel. "Sapphire blue, so any sapphire ring will do if you do propose. You have my blessing," was she joking? Probably not. With one eyebrow raised, the Fallen smirked at the witch, "she also loves chocolate muffins, so why don't you take her out on a picnic underneath the stars? We're ancient, doesn't mean we don't love to be worshipped and courted." the Fallen shrugged, "are you... trying to collect as much information about her as possible? You found me via a locator spell."

"Propose?" The panic in his voice was immediate as he started stammering through the paces of how they'd really only just met and they're really only just- Marco didn't finish that thought though because he wasn't about to talk about his or their sex lives. Especially when everything was still so new. Marco felt his cheeks get hot as he tugged at his collar and actively tried not to think about the night they'd spent together before the opening of his restaurant. "No no, I definitely um, I definitely want to know about her but I'm not looking at rings that'd be crazy."

"I could have gotten up, you know," Sariel drawls playfully, eyes flicking up to meet his eyes and giving him some privacy as he composes himself. It wouldn't be as nice, standing up, because she wouldn't be eye level, but it was still an option. Anything to make things easier for him, truly. A satisfied sigh escapes her lips as she leans into the touch, and she smiles at the soft tenderness of the action, and the heat on his cheeks. There is an intimacy to this that she isn't used to, not the staying after sex, the basking on the moment because she cares about who she slept with. It feels right, to be next to him. "You can ask me anything. I won't promise that I will answer easily, but for you I will try."

"Can this be..." Marco always got nervous around women and relationships. Men too, but this was different. Harder. He never slept with someone before the third date, but here they were, dateless. Dateless and smelling like each other. "Can we... Do this again? Maybe after a nice date where we don't destroy a table spread?" Marco rubbed at the back of his head and managed to look at Sariel in the eyes because despite everything that they'd been through to date he could say with absolute certainty that she was one of the strongest people he knew. Very quickly and all at once, Marco asked, "Wouldyouwanttobemygirlfriend?"

"Good," that wasn't good enough. "great!" Marco said far too quickly before he cleared his throat. The witch got down to her eye level as he loosely tucked himself away, feeling suddenly exposed and sentimental all at once. "Can I ask you something now?" His fingers moved delicately through the side of her hair; Marco could feel how he was blushing, and while it was embarrassing to be sat in front of her like this after she'd just done - that - there were some things he had wanted to say before the two of them had gotten so carried away. Sex or anything along the borderlines of sex wasn't something that Marco took lightly; it was severe to him, and he hoped it meant the same to her.

Circe had always been plant-based, or vegan, as they seemed to call it these days. Even before she had turned man into pigs, she had not been inclined to eat meat. Even while she had been upon her island, she had turned to the fauna to supply her with what she needed. Which may have been why her interest was piqued at the mention of this plant-based menu. "How odd, as it seems so few around here care for such things," she stated, though she would wait to make her decision once she had actually tried what he had made. These younger creatures had certainly become quite useful in how they crafted their foods. "Thank you," she mused, as she accepted the item he had offered her. For a moment, she inspected it, ever curious. Before she finally lifted it to her mouth, a small bite taken to gauge whether she proceeded. It was barely a moment before her brows rose of intrigue, her gaze shifted to him once more, "This is divine. You certainly know what you are doing."

Truthfully Marco loved food because of the way it brought people together, the war and everything that had happened before was so divisive. One thing everyone could agree on was the worth and value of a good meal, Marco often felt that there weren't many disputes that couldn't be resolved by sitting down and sharing a meal together. "I'm glad you like it, there's plenty more where that came from." He smiled, "So, will I see you next month?"

Why she had approached such a stall, Circe was not certain. And unfortunately, she had been caught before she could have made such an escape. A pleasant enough smile slipped across her lips, as she eyed the young witch, "Except alive." Those poor piglets. Her gaze dropped to the meat currently cooking, then to the vegan option he had mentioned, "The vegan one, if you will."

The restaurant was booked solid for the next few months, but there was still room for the owner to add interested people to the list. He was a witch, he could feel power when it approached, but that was more common these days than ever before. "If you like it you should come by the restaurant for veganuary, we're doing a month long menu that's entirely plant based." Marco had been working with local farmers and retailers for months, there was a lot of love put into everything that he made. He finished charring the edges of the glazed, roasted vegan option before he offered it to her. Something hot on an otherwise very, very cold day.