Unit #440 - Alexandrov Apartment
The living room of this apartment looks more like a very comfortable library than someone's actual living space. A large bookshelf encompasses all of one wall, various nooks and crannies filled with books and magazines. A small flat-panel television set sits in the center most space of the shelves. Underneath it is a cabinet that houses a DVD player, along with a few game consoles and a scary amount of video games. A good number of the books that rest on these shelves are obscure works dealing with mythology, the occult, and mysticism. A few select shelves have been dedicated to romance novels, cookbooks, and foreign language guides. The walls have been done in a warm beige, the carpet in a light, plush cream. A long off-white sectional couch sits a comfortable distance away from the bookshelves, with an overhead lighting fixture providing an ample amount of artificial light for the relatively small living room. A narrow hallway leads to a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.
A call was placed to Summer earlier today, to let her know just how the river cooters were doing. And with that, an invitation to come over and see for herself.
Of course, Mischa has gotten sly in recent times. He isn't going in for the kill with the candelit dinner or anything, but he does have something casually cooking on the stove top. And in the oven. And maybe he has a salad prepared. He still hasn't managed to shave yet — but that scruffy look? Doing wonders for him. He does have his glasses on today though. Mischa is in the kitchen at the moment, wearing a red sweater and blue jeans. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows allow for the scar on his arm to be seen, a by product of that unfortunate car wreck he's had recently.
Oh. And the turtles are here. They're alive, and they've even eaten a LOT of those lilies.
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The call came at a hectic time, as one of the bunnies broke loose from the examination room causing the other animals in the clinic to go a bit wild. Summer was still able to jot down the address and promise to check in after work, and bring the necessary supplies.
She is a little later than expected, due to a stop at the pet shop at the mall, which resorted in a quick buying spree at an upscale boutique shop. Which resulted in a quick change of clothing before appearing. Black velvet pants with a silver chain at the hip, and a matching black velvet halter top, tied about her back. New heels are on her feet, and her hair is left down.
Mischa will be alerted to her presence before she knocks, since there is a shuffling noise as she settles the turtle necessities down onto the floor beside her.
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The apartment can be smelled from the hallway. Pleasantly. The aroma of garlic & lemon sprinkled chicken wafts into the hall, along with something a tad sweeter, like homemade bread. Mischa makes his way over towards the door and opens it up, smiling. "Summer! Good to see you. Please come in." Of course, once he sees the halter top and pants, his eyes grow quite wide. He clears his throat and then bites his lip. "Please, come in where it's warm. And let me help you with those things!" He says, smiling at her. He is ever the helpful one in this situations, reaching out in order to grab the turtle accessories. "I hope you're alright after yesterday's excitement. How did your surgery go this morning?"
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"I'm not cold," Summer says, leaning down to take hold of the bags while he gets the other accessories. "I tend to run a bit warmer than most." A deep inhale is taken and her stomach makes a small rumbling noise. Laughing to cover it up, she starts to move into the apartment. "Whatever you're making yourself for dinner smells wonderful." A quick glance is given to the apartment, and she hefts the bags up. "Where were you planning on setting up the terrarium? I have explicit instructions on how to do it from my associate, so if you don't mind me puttering around for a few minutes I can have it set up for you shortly."
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"Oh, please. By all means. I'm a little clumsy with these things, so please, you do the honors. Help yourself to whatever you need." Mischa grins at Summer as she compliments the cooking, setting the bag he picked up down on the couch. "If you like, you could stay. I always make too much and have leftovers. My downstairs neighbor usually benefits from them, but…" He trails off there and stirs up the rice that's on the stove. It's been richly seasoned and has a slight broth in it to keep it from getting too dry.
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Summer lifts up the large, glass aquarium. A little awkward to carry, but she manages. Then she sets it up where he has the turtles already. Then it's back to the bags, and she hefts out two bags of fine sand and pours them into the bottom of the tank. A small heater that looks like a rocky island is added next, along with some branches found down by the river. Small filter pipes are stuck to the inside of the tank with suction cups, and finally she attaches a think cork foil to the back of the glass. She's silent the entire time she does this, as though mentally going over a checklist of everything that's needed. When she gets it set up that far, she glances toward the kitchen. "I would hate to impose, and if you ah, have a date, I can be out of your hair in no time."
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"Date?" Mischa asks, before he lets out something of a sad chuckle. "Not hardly. My neighbor has fallen on hard times recently. She's just needed someone to lean on. Her father died and her mother has been in the hospital. One of those tragic freak…accidents." He turns around to watch Summer for the briefest of moments before he pulls the rice off of the stove top. Somehow it was timed just perfectly. "You're not imposing at all, really. And it's the least I can do. Eating alone is a little depressing sometimes anyhow. There's chicken, salad, and rice. I have a cheesecake for dessert too. The turtles helped. Only not so much because that would be gross, but…"
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The filtration system is latched on, though she pauses to glance toward the tupperware container. "Heath, and Cliff? Who would have known they would have a flare for the culinary. A match made in heaven, hmm boys?" A soft laugh floats out after that, again covering a slight stomach grumbling. "I'm sorry that your poor neighbor is having to deal with all of that. She's lucky to have a friend like you." Back to the bags again, this time a small jar of the river water is extracted and poured into the bottom of the terrarium. "There, it can settle for now. Some tap water can be added after to acclimatize them to their new setting. I have the lamps and such as well, but I don't want to attach them until the turtles are settled in there." Hands are dusted off on the new velvet pants, leaving little prints thanks to the fine granules of sand at the bottom of the tank. "The surgery went well. Sorry for not responding before I was a little focused on the task. The cat is fine, the ring is fine, and everyone is happy except the poor woman who has to wear it again." She stops, peeking around the corner. "If you show me where to freshen up, I'll join you. But… only because I'm not done with the tank yet, and to keep you from being depressed."
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Mischa turns and quirks a brow as he listens to Summer's explanation of why she's joining him. He goes to great lengths in order to hide a grin from her, eventually coughing into his hand — quite fakely. "The bathroom is just down the hall, first door on the right. I'm glad that the surgery went alright." He listens to her instructions about the turtle habitat as he gets the rice on the table. The seasoned chicken is taken out of the oven, and the salad from the refrigerator. "Thanks again for helping me out with this. I'd be lost without you as far as turtle habitats go. I really do appreciate it." Mischa starts to set the table with the good china — not that he really has any other sort.
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"It's new for me. Setting one of these up. Like I said last evening, I've not had a lot of interaction with reptiles." Summer's voice is muffled by the distance once she heads to the bathroom to wash her hands and dust the sand out of the velvet pants. When she comes out, her lipstick is fresh as well. "The basics are done. Your only big task will be to keep the little guys fed, make sure you turn the UV light off every night, and clean the tank when it starts to smell."
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"Sounds easy enough. I'm fairly… self-sufficient. My father always tells me I'm a mother hen anyhow, you know." It's only after he admits this does Mischa blush. He laughs a little bit as he gets out a jug of iced tea and puts it on the table. "I'd offer something a bit heavier, but if you're going to be driving…" He moves to pull out a chair for Summer at the table. "I do have coffee, tea, soda. Whatever you want. I think there's white wine in here somewhere — I mean, not too much, but…" Yep, mother hen. To the bone. He reaches up to run his fingers through his hair. "Still, I really appreciate your help."
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"I will make this easy for you, and have whatever you are having." Though she will be driving home after this, so it would likely be best not to imbibe, one glass of wine will hardly cause her to become drunk. "Please stop thanking me. I hoisted those poor cooters off on you last night without much warning. It's the very least I can do. I feel guilty for it, if I'm being honest."
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Mischa lets out something of a quiet laugh and smiles over his shoulder at Summer. "Well, no need to have dinner with me because you feel guilty," he teases quietly before he sits down at his seat and pours a glass of tea for Summer. "Really though, I always have way too much. So you're doing me a favor. We'll probably still have leftovers enough for my neighbor, even. So, do you like cherries?" It seems a random veering off of conversation, but one that might be cheesecake-relevant.
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Summer laughs as well, taking a seat at the table. "I never said that was my only reason for joining you." Guilt over forcing the turtles on him is why she's setting up the terrarium. "I have never been able to do such a delicious favor for someone before." The table and setup is glanced at, and she reaches for a napkin to place neatly upon her lap. "Love them, actually."
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"Oh, good. Then I hope you'll like the cheesecake." He takes one of the pieces of chicken and puts it on his own plate, but decides to let Summer serve herself. After all, he doesn't want to crowd her too much. In fact, after that he waits for Summer to fix the rest of her plate before he gets any of his food. "Well, to be honest, I'd have gotten around to asking you over for dinner eventually anyway. It just happened a little faster than I'd expected, that's all."
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Pausing as she's partially lifted a piece of chicken toward her plate, Summer blinks at him. "You make a habit of inviting strange women to your home for dinner?" Afterward, she fixes the rest of her plate, then waits for him to do the same. As she waits, she lifts the glass of iced tea and sips at it gently. "If it tastes even partially as wonderful as it smells, I think I'll be horribly jealous of your skills."
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There's a pause as Mischa consides her first question. He finally nods to her and grins. "Actually, yeah. Kind of. Besides, I think if you wanted to rob me or maim me or something, you'd have had a better chance of it last night at the clinic. I'm not too worried about any ulterior motives you might have." He fixes his plate after Summer and starts to cut his piece of chicken slowly afterwards. "I've heard it's not too shabby. I just hope you're not the violent jealous type. I'm not much of a fighter. Unless you want to settle it over chess, in which case…"
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"Maybe you should be worried," Summer replies, winking her right eye at him. "I took a risk inviting you there after dark, hardly knowing anything at all about you other than you thought turtles were alright and you enjoyed cooking." Once he begins to eat, she gently slices into the meat, cutting off a piece and chewing it thoughtfully. Her eyes close as she savors the taste of the food. "Wholly jealous. I admit, I've never played chess though I would be willing to learn, just to settle differences in a somewhat peaceful manner."
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"Or there are video games." Pause. "I'm… ah, kind of a dork." Mischa says, smiling bashfully at Summer before he takes a bite of the chicken himself. He chews it up and washes it down with a cup of tea before he smiles at Summer. "Well, I'm not afraid. Then again, my father used to tell me I was stubborn and that I only saw what I wanted to. Especially when it comes to pretty women. So, even if you do rob me and tie me up or something, at least I'll have had a nice dinner with you beforehand."
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Summer's brow arches when he mentions being tied up, and nearly chokes on the piece of chicken she is currently chewing. Swallowing quickly, and washing it down with the iced tea, she shakes her head. "I'm not a thief. I may have shop-lifted once or twice when younger, but nothing since then." She continues to eat in silence for a moment, and then says, "I apologize for my behavior last night. I was feeling a little… off."
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Mischa doesn't seem to catch the insinuations of what he said. He simply gives Summer a concerned look. "Why apologize? Everyone is entitled to a bad or off day. No one is at their best all the time." He waves it off easily enough. He's aware he probably wasn't himself yesterday either, given the full moon. Mischa licks his lips in contemplation before he scoops up a forkful of rice. "Shoplifting, hmm? That's not so bad. I mean, as a way to rebel in your youthfulness… I think the worst thing I did was sneak out once to go for a walk." He laughs a little bit. "But I've heard it can be much, much worse. Especially with kids these days." He takes his bite of rice after that.
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"I'll be fine, just took a bit too much." Clearing her throat, Summer watches him, then decides to spear some of the salad. "It was less rebelling and more… complicated. Maybe I'll tell you the stories sometime, and you can have a great laugh at my expense. The salad is eaten, then a bit of the rice. "You cad! How dare you sneak out for a walk. What would your parents think?"
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"Luckily my parents have a funny sense of humor. They love those old Yakov Smirnov jokes, you know? So when they caught me sneaking back in, my dad just looked at me and said, 'In Soviet Russia, walk sneak out on YOU!' and then went up to bed." Mischa laughs at the story, although he looks like even he doesn't quite get it. He starts to munch on his chicken a little more, then offers up in explanation: "My parents immigrated here from Russia right before I was born. And if you're offering up embarrassing stories — I could best you with tons of them. I'm almost positive."
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For a second, it looks as though she is going to jump right in with an embarrassing story. Summer stops herself by continuing to eat. Saying that she found herself naked on her back porch with no idea on how she got there, only to be found by her father in the morning, will likely not go over well. "Toby wouldn't have cared, I don't think. In fact, I know he didn't. I used to sneak out to the desert every night to collect new animals."
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Mischa raises a brow and grins at Summer around his fork as he pulls it out of his mouth. He chews up his chicken and watches her curiously. "Collect new animals? You weren't kidding about being an animal lover, were you?" He asks, before reaching for his tea and taking a drink. "Sneaking out into the desert as a kid must have been kind of dangerous though. Weren't you ever afraid?" Mischa looks like he would have been, almost certainly.
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"I started with neighborhood animals. Dogs, cats, a few bunnies. I had a skunk once, but you can imagine that Toby didn't let me keep it long." Summer finishes the salad, then starts to cut into the chicken once more. "I've never had a fear of animals or the desert. I never did wander far, but I suppose I could have been in a lot more trouble than I was." She watches him, and almost shyly says, "You will have to share this recipe."
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"Maybe. You'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands first." Mischa says, winking at Summer before he finishes off his rice and starts to work on the chicken a little more heartily. He didn't have any of the salad himself after all, but he's picking at the food a bit tonight. The full moon change always has that effect on him. Something about his guts smooshing together to be a cat. "It seems very natural that you work at a veterinary hospital then, indeed. I can tell you take a lot of pride in your work."
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Realizing that she is likely making herself look like a pig, she slows down her eating a little. "Sorry," she says, highly embarrassed. "Between surgeries, exams, and shopping for turtle supplies, all I've eaten today is a cup of yogurt." Clearing her throat, she stares at the plate pushing the food around. "I don't know if pride is the right word. I just enjoy what I'm doing, and helping animals is very satisfactory."
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Mischa can't help but laugh. "Really! I like to see a woman eat instead of just pick at food. Please, eat up, enjoy it." He stands up and takes his own plate over to the sink, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair. "Well, that's more passion than most people have about their jobs. So you're lucky for that. I think it's nice, anyway. Of course, most people probably think I'm a total dork when I tell them I take pride in my job."
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"There's hardly anything wrong with liking books!" If there were, she would not volunteer so often in her father's bookshop. Summer eats the little that's left on her plate as he moves to the sink, then gets up to follow him. She does it easily, not being at all uncomfortable in someone else's living space, though not being entirely at home either. "I think that if a person can't be happy with what they're doing, then they're not doing a job that they're well suited for."
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When Mischa spins around, there's Summer! Not that he minds. At all. "Have I told you nice you look tonight?" He asks, smiling at Summer. "If you're not ready for the cheesecake just yet, I can send some home with you. Want to go check on the turtles?" He asks before stretching his arms over his head and taking in a deep breath. Then he pauses, adding quietly, "I like your little chainy thing."
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That is a whole lot at once, and Summer laughs. "You haven't, at least not verbally." His eyes did say it all. "Thank you. It's new." She places a hand upon her stomach and shakes her head. "I don't think I have room for dessert at the moment." His actions are watched, and then as he stretches, she leans past him to place the plate in the sink. It brings them somewhat close, but not at all touching. "I like the embellishments of the outfit as well. Let's go finish setting up your cooters into their new habitat."
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Summer's words cause Mischa to blush something horribly. He coughs into the palm of his hand and gives a fluid shrug of his shoulders, grinning at her. "Well, I'm still a hot blooded male, no matter how gentlemanly I try to be." He nods to her before he starts out towards the living room, smiling at Summer over his shoulder once more. "Sorry for the messiness. I haven't had much of a chance to clean up lately." Not that it's messy at all, whatsoever.
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"So I noticed last night," she says, voice above a whisper. Summer doesn't seem to be blushing, however. Just straightforward and honest. Following him to the living room, she picks up the now-empty jar, and continues to the bathroom to fill it. Then she carries it back to the terrarium and pours it in so that the water content is half pond, half tap. "Your apartment looks fine." The jar is once more put down, and she looks at the bags. "There should be two bulbs. One UV and one basking light. Can you bring them to me please?"
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Mischa didn't seem to catch that. Or rather, he graciously ignores it. Because if he acknowledged it, he'd probably choke on his own tongue. "Lightbulbs. Got it!" He says, moving over towards one of the bags and retrieving the packets of bulb. He removes one of each and hands them to Summer, offering one in each hand. "Hmm, it looks like it's coming around nicely."
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The UV bulb is taken first, and fastened to the top of the tank. It's a purplish color, and as she hooks it up, Summer says, "This one needs to be on until just after dark. As does the other one. At night, you can turn them off. It will simulate the UV rays and the heat of the sun for them." Once the UV light is connected, she takes the other bulb and slips it into the proper fixture. Then the tank is plugged in, the filtration unit starts, and the lights come on. The switch at the top is turned off. "Now for the turtles! I have a bag of lilies as well, but any red or green leafy lettuce will be good for them in a pinch. Dandelion as well."
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"Excellent. I prefer romaine lettuce. I hope they can have that. Dandelion, eh?" Mischa asks, raising a brow. The idea of a turtle eating a dandelion causes him to laugh a little bit before he clears his throat, growing serious and studious again. "Alright, both of them on until dark, then lights out for Heath and Cliff. Got it. They are pretty cute, aren't they? How big do you think they'll get?" Mischa asks curiously, reaching down to run his fingers over the top of their little squooshy turtle heads.
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Summer watches him with the turtles, grinning happily. They've found a great home, and he really seems interested in learning how to care for them properly. "Potentially up to a foot long each, which may mean when they're full grown you'll need a larger terrarium for them." Cautiously, she edges over to the tupperware container, and gently lifts one of the turtles. "Let's get you moved into your new quarters now. Much more like home than a plastic container." Then, the turtle is carried to the new habitat and carefully released into the water.
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Mischa looks a little shocked. "A foot long each? Sheesh, I guess so. I just hope they get along alright. I'd hate to have to separate them." He takes the other turtle and follows Summer's steps, putting it into the terrarium. "Is it wrong if I hope they're dwarves?" He asks in a teasing tone before laughing a little bit. "Wow, this is great. I bet they're much happier now. I never actually thought I'd be so elated over baby turtles, and yet here I am!" He says with some amazement, grinning at Summer.
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"They may be smaller? Some species do only grow to the size allowance of their habitat. So two turtles could be smaller in the same habitat that one turtle would get very large in." Summer is not entirely positive about this breed though. "It's not wrong at all, and I'm positive that they're much happier with you in a loving environment, than they were in the cardboard box." The grin is returned happily. "I'm grateful that you were willing to take them and care for them, Mischa."
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"It's not a big deal. It's about time I stepped up and had some responsibility, you know. Learned to take care of something other than myself. All of that stuff." Mischa never really had pets as a child, and thus this is his first big experiment with keeping something besides him alive, really. "I'm kind of glad I bumped into you at the mall as an overall, big picture sort of thing," Mischa admits, grinning at Summer before he reaches to down to stroke the other turtle's head. "And you know, they're nowhere near as slimy as I always imagined." Is he more into her or the turtles at this rate?
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Likely the turtles, but Summer doesn't seem to mind much. "It is a big deal. Not many people would do what you're doing. Most people tend to shy away from the responsibility if it means more than scooping up poop once in a while." His comment earns another smile. "I'm kind of glad I was volunteering for Toby. In that over all, big picture sort of way," she admits back at him.
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Mischa moves to sit down on the sofa, figuring that the turtles are probably best left to enjoy their new habitat for now. He clears his throat a little bit and wipes his hands on the front of his pants somewhat nervously. They're suddenly particularly sweaty. "So…" He starts out, rather smoothly. "Do you want to go out on a date some time?" He asks after that, the words rushed together breathlessly.
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Rather than wipe her wet hands on her velvet pants, Summer reaches into one of the bags and uses a small towel. This is then offered to Mischa, though he's already dried his hands. It's then dropped when he asks the question, and she focuses on it for a moment. Then leans over to pick it up and smiles at him. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"
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He actually seems mildly shocked when she agrees. For a moment he's a little tongue tied even. He tries to say something but instead says "B-b..bahh…err…" Coughing, Mischa tries again. "Well, hmm. I've always found movies to be a little impersonal. AFter all, you're trying to get to know someone, not sit in a dark room with them and listen to other people talk." Mischa licks his lips and watches Summer, shaking his head at the towel. "How about coffee somewhere?" Because after ten years of not having had these thoughts, starting out small seems kind of important to him.
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His reaction to her reply causes her to actually giggle. A real giggle, not a laugh. "I agree, it's much to difficult to get to know someone over a movie, though the discussions after one are generally quite amusing." Folding the towel up, she places it back into the bag and then moves around to the front of the sofa. "You're a tea person," Summer points out, "But coffee is a great place to talk, and if we feel like moving away from there to do something else, there's always that option."
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"My attention span is a bit lofty for full-length movies, I must admit." Mischa grins at Summer somewhat, blushing as he watches her bustle about the apartment. "That sounds really nice. And I can make due with coffee, really. Most shops have alternatives these days anyhow." He can't help but chuckle a little bit at her remembering that he's a tea person. "I just want to warn you though that I haven't dated in a very long time, so be gentle with me. I like to think I haven't completely forgotten, but…"
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"So you're the reason full-length movies keep getting shorter," she teases. Summer nods at his assessment of coffee shops. "Most coffee shops also serve tea, juice, and anything else under the sun to stay in business these days." Quietly she watches him, and then says, "It's probably like riding a bicycle, thoug if you listen to Toby, pretty much everything is. Besides, you remembered enough to ask so I think you'll be just fine."
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Mischa can't help but grin at Summer's quip, nodding. "Unfortunately, yes. If it's not less than an hour and forty five minutes, I lose interesting. Sometimes even before that." Mischa stands up and moves into the kitchen, still within enough range to listen to her and respond. "Well, I did consider throwing you over my shoulder and taking you to a cave somewhere," he says dryly as he gets the cheesecake out of the refrigerator.
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"Might have worked, but then you wouldn't have gotten such cute turtles out of the deal." Summer can hear him opening the fridge, but she doesn't go to pester him in the kitchen. What she does do is start cleaning up the extra turtle supplies and storing them in a singular bag beside the terrarium. "Plus you would have had to cook over an open flame, and that's a lot harder to do than using an oven."
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The man fixes Summer a plate of cheesecake and puts some Saran Wrap on it, giving her the option to take some home if she so wishes. "Maybe. But I'm sort of creative, I probably could have found a stick and some raw meat, and some herbs…" Uh oh. Sounds like Mischa's seriously considering the caveman angle. At least before he returns with the cheesecake, smiling at Summer. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're taking off soon. Didn't want you to miss out on the cherry cheesecake 'of the heavens', I've been told."
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Upon his return, it doesn't seem as though Summer is taking him very seriously in regards to the caveman angle at all. "Ooh, cheesecake! I'd forgotten, thanks!" It will mean an extra quarter-mile in the morning, but she'll suffer through it. "I should be going soon, mostly because you're all set now for Heath and Cliff, and I really don't want to overstay my welcome and make you rethink that coffee."
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"Rethink that coffee? Nonsense. You're /very/ silly, Summer. I just figured you'd have another early day tomorrow. I don't want you to think I'm chasing you out." He grins at her and seems unsure of what to do with his hands, so he reaches up to somewhat awkwardly rub at the back of his neck. "I'm not really sure if it's proper to thank a girl for agreeing to go on a date with you — which, incidentally, when did you want to do that?"
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He's finally managed to stump her. Summer has no witty comeback for that question. She just gives him a somewhat awkward smile. Then she steels her resolve and says, "Friday at seven alright with you? I've got the early shift, and that will give me enough time to get home and get ready." Afterward, she adds, "You can thank a girl for setting up a terrarium though."
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Mischa nods to Summer, smiling at her. He offers her the plate of cheesecake in the meantime. "Of course. Thank you, Summer. Without you the poor things would probably be a little less lively now in more ways than one." He winks at her and clears his throat a bit, his cheeks still glowing rosily.
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"All in a days work is all," she replies, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment. "Let me get out of your hair now, so you and the boys can all get acquainted with your habitat." Summer takes the cheesecake plate, knowing that the moment she gets home she's going to indulge in it, and then smiles at him. "Thank you for a lovely unexpected dinner. I hope you have enough for your neighbor as well."
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"Of course. There'll be enough for her." Mischa nods a little bit. He feels the first pangs of guilt deep within that Chloe has been forgotten tonight, and makes a mental note to go fix her a plate right after Summer leaves. "It was really nice to see you. And Friday at seven it is. I'll be looking forward to it." There's a pause after that and Mischa shows her towards the door, holding it open in a gentlemanly fashion. "Be safe on the way home."
