As Avery continued to tell her experiences with dressing up, Nytin listened attentively, but he also couldn't help but admire Avery’s hair as he brushed it, taking notice of just how soft and full it was, he took the comb into his hand and began to part Avery's hair into a few different sections, some smaller ones and then one large one down the middle. He grabbed a few hair ties to keep the parts he made separate, leaving just about half of Averys' hair down.

Nytin hummed softly, finally responding after something caught his attention even more, “You wore ten-inch platform boots?”

Avery giggled a little, “Oh yeah, they were so hard to walk in at first, not because they're heavy, they’re just so weird…but it was fun to be that tall.” 

Nytin couldn't imagine Avery taller than she was now and couldn't help chuckling softly as the image of Avery towering over him flashed through his mind, “I would love to see that one of these days. Maybe I could wear some as well?”

Avery smiled wider at Nytin's words, “We could dress up for Halloween! Well… that's kind of far. Maybe we could find some kind of festival.” As she spoke, this seemed to bring an idea into Avery's head, “Speaking of festivals, I think there's one coming up soon. I think it's for New Ye–No! Christmas, it's for Christmas.”

Nytin hummed in acknowledgment, focusing more on the smaller braids he was doing. He was first doing the smaller braids around Avery's head in a crown-like manner, but they were small and led down to the middle of her head. Avery continued to explain the festival throughout this, talking for quite a while before Nytin spoke again, “I'm all finished. You’re free to go.”

Avery reached her hands towards her head in excitement, but paused and looked back at Nytin, “Can I touch it? Or…”

Nytin chuckled softly, “It's your hair, Starshine. Do what you please. If you don't like the braids, then, by all means, we can take them out…”  He trailed off as Avery smiled up at him. Nytin couldn't maintain eye contact with her and had to look away, staring at the floor instead, “I-I could do something different for you if you don't like it.” He quietly added.

He watched as Avery got up and moved to a mirror in the living room, touching her hair and gazing at herself intently. Nytin moved closer and suddenly felt something tight around his waist. It was Avery.

Nytin felt his soul freeze. He wasn't sure where to put his hands, what to say, or what to think. His body heated up to the point he thought he might explode. Avery squeezed him a bit tighter and looked up at him with her radiant, golden eyes. 

“It's beautiful! Thank you so much!” She looked up at Nytin, quickly realizing his body language was unreadable, and let go, “Sorry, I didn't mean to hug you like that.” She laughed sheepishly, backing away.

Nytin cleared his throat, “It's fine. I was just surprised.” He let out a nervous laugh, confused about why he had reacted in such a manner. Never in all his years had he been so flustered, “If you’d like, we could do this more often. I don't mind.”

He tensed up as Avery smiled at him even wider as she responded, “Really? That's really sweet of you, I'd really, really like that.” The two gazed at one another briefly before Avery looked away and fiddled with her sleeves, “Ah…um…should we start getting things ready? I'm sure it’ll be fine to use whatever's in the house.”

Nytin took a deep breath and calmed himself, “Sure, I’ll start preparing the seasonings then. Do you have anything you want to cook in mind?”

Avery nodded, “I wanted to make something for a side, like…seasoned potatoes.” She moved forward and felt around until she found the counter, “Um…I think the seasonings are here?” She reached up and opened a cabinet, but there were only cups and mugs, “That's…not it…right?” She reached up and grabbed one of the mugs, quickly putting it down again, “It was not.”

Nytin was confused for a split second before remembering that Avery was visually impaired and although she knew Amirah and Blaire well, she wasn't well acquainted with the layout of their kitchen, “I’ll help you look for them Starshine”

The two scrounged around in the kitchen, looking for what they needed, eventually finding all the seasonings they needed, but Nytin seemed slightly dissatisfied, “Mm…I wish we had some rosemary for the potatoes. It adds a nice taste to them. Luckily, she has basil and garlic—should we see if she has olive oil?”

Avery nodded, “Mhm! I think I grabbed some earlier. I remember touching a bottle.” She moved back to the cabinet, where they found all of Amirah’s seasonings. She used her hands to feel along the counter, ensuring nothing wasn't anything on it before she climbed up. As she lifted herself, she felt a small tug on her shirt and looked back at Nytin, “Yeah?”

Nytin was embarrassed. He’d gotten anxious seeing Avery on the counter so carelessly, grabbing her without thinking much of it, “It's just…I would prefer it if you didn’t fall…” 

He watched a small smile spread across Avery's lips, “Would you like to get it then? You’d have a much easier time finding it than I would.”

Nytin greatly favored this idea, “I can do it, I think I see it from here.” He let go of Avery and reached above her, grabbing the olive oil with ease and moving back, “Careful getting down. Do you need my help?”

Avery shook her head, “Nope, I got it.” She stretched her foot down, trying to find the floor. However, she underestimated the distance between her foot and the floor. Panic flashed across her face, and that was enough for Nytin to grab her waist, preventing her from slipping.

“Are you alright?” Nytin asked softly, gingerly guiding Avery down to the floor, once she was stable, he let go.

Avery nodded, “Yeah, I just really underestimated how far the floor was. I thought it was closer than that.” She laughed sheepishly, her face hot from embarrassment.

Nytin stared down at Avery, his mind instantly pointing out all of the features of Avery's delicate face, the way her eyelashes fluttered as she twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger. Her lips were ever so slightly pinched as she avoided looking directly up at him. It was enough to make Nytin smile. It was rather cute in a way, enticing even. He wanted to see all kinds of expressions on Avery's face. He wanted to make her laugh, see her radiant smile, and watch those golden eyes light up joyfully. He quickly shook off those feelings and cleared his throat, giving Avery space by walking away.

“That's all that matters.” He moved his hand onto his shoulder, revealing a dark pin holding his cloak in place. He carefully removed it before placing it on the back of the sofa in the living room. He began rolling up his sleeves, smiling at Avery warmly. “Shall we begin then?” 

The two began to prepare their dishes. They started by washing the potatoes and cutting out any bulbs or pieces that didn't look like they'd taste good. Nytin paused as he placed what he’d been cutting in a bowl, “Did you want the skin off?”

Avery shook her head, “No way! The skin is so good."

Nytin couldn't help but laugh at Avery's reaction, “I agree, it adds more flavor. However, I don't particularly enjoy it when my mashed potatoes have skin. It doesn't taste as good as simply peeling them before boiling.”

“I don't like the combined textures of the skin and potato, it feels like I shouldn't be eating the skin.” Avery’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of eating the mashed potatoes that didn't even exist at that given moment, causing a small smile to spread across Nytins lips.

She’s so expressive… Nytin thought to himself with a small laugh, “What else do you dislike food-wise?”

The two chattered amongst themselves about their likes, dislikes, hates, and loves, finding out more about each other while they waited for Amirah and Blaire to return. Once they finished prepping the potatoes, they placed them in the oven and moved to sit on the couch to continue their conversation.

“Seriously? You were scared of horses?” Avery was sitting close to Nytin, her knees on her chest, and she rested her head against them, laughing as Nytin told her stories about his childhood.

Nytin rubbed the back of his neck, “Terrified, my mother loves animals, even insects, so she thought I’d be the same and brought me face to face with one. It curled its lips at me and flared its nostrils. I screamed and hid in my father’s arms, crying and begging to go home.”

Avery laughed even harder, “That reminds me of the time I went to the zoo with my Ma and Nana back when my sight was better, my Nana wore a flower shirt and we went into the butterfly garden, a massive butterfly landed on her shirt and she freaked out, she kept screaming at my mom to take it off but kept moving.” She laughed a little, “I remember telling her to stay away so it didn't get me. I ran out of the garden and hid in the bathroom.” 

Nytin joined in with Avery's laughter, “Surely you weren't that scared?”

Avery looked up at Nytin, her expression grave, “I was horrified.” The two stared at each other and burst into laughter, and as they calmed down, Avery leaned against Nytin lightly, “You’re so nice to talk to...”

Nytin gazed at Avery with a smile, his shoulder warm from Averys’ touch, “I agree…I don't think I could tire of speaking with you.” 

The two appeared lost in their conversation, not noticing the front door opening slowly as Blaire walked in with two armfuls of groceries, including a bag in her mouth, her eyes instantly landing on the two on the couch. Confused, she raised a brow, “Va are thu domin?”

The two practically jumped from each other, Nytin having the most drastic response by standing up, “Nothing, just talking.” He waved his hand awkwardly.

Avery tilted her head to the side, “How’d you understand that?”

Cute… Nytin stared at her briefly before turning away, “I'm…not sure.” He shrugged, “Besides that, do you need help bringing in anything else?” He moved to put his shoes on but Amirah soon came in, holding a few more bags.

“We have a strict one-trip policy, we got everything already…but if you want to close the trunk, you're welcome to.” Amirah laughed sheepishly. Neither of them could reach to close the trunk since their hands were full of bags.

She watched as Nytin went to the window. His eyes narrowed, and he snapped his fingers while turning back with a confused expression, “It appears to be closed,” he said.

Blaire was in the kitchen, placing the groceries on the counter, “What? No way. We even joked about how it would technically be a trip and a half.”

Nytin simply shrugged, “So long as it's closed, it's a worry off our minds. I think we should start cooking instead.”