Inside, a disaster is unfolding.

She doesn't hear the knock at the door because she is too busy fanning flames at the stove. For some reason, she's forgotten that she's a terrible cook. The fire alarm begins to ring and she rushes to open a window, expression molten. Quiet, heavily accented curses stream from her mouth as smoke from the pan is redirected outside.

With two hands, the woman holds the pan near the window, frustration causing her temple to jump with every blaring beep of that godforsaken alarm.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]nothing comes from his knocks but the sound of an alarm, to which he responds to by reaching for the handle only to find that it's locked.

it's a new house, likely a new door, but worry overrides all else. taking a step back, he lunges forward with a heavy kick, slamming the door wide open.

quick steps take him into the kitchen where he stops by the doorframe. worry fades, replaced by something akin to amusement as he asks:

"need a hand?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

Emma coughs into her shoulder for a moment, but eventually the alarm ceases its raucous squealing. It hasn't been shrieking long enough to warrant a phone call, which is why she is even more startled to hear noise at the front door.

At first, the familiar voice doesn't register. She turns quickly, eyes sharp and watery, to find an amused smile on the face of a man carrying a wine bottle.

"What are you doing here? Wh-- how did you get in?"

She still holds the frying pan, but at this point she's brandishing it like she might a bat.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","matias"]"through the front door."

theo's not much of a chef either but the way she's wielding the pan is definitely cause for concern. he steps forward, approaching, and without much of a word reaches for the pan, taking it out of her grasps before bringing it over to the sink.

the tap turns on, spilling water that turns to steam the moment it touches the pan. but it cools, sizzling.

the alarm continues to ring.

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"The front door is locked."

He approaches and she is numb, stiffly releasing her iron grip. Her eyes trail after him, bewildered, as he rinses the pan with cool water.

Only now after the pan is removed does she realize her hands are warm. In her shock and desperation she'd grabbed the pan and consequently scalded her hands.

She flexes them now experimentally.

And then realization sets in and she grabs a towel, snapping and waving it back and forth beneath the fire alarm. After several minutes of this, the alarm stops.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]"not anymore."

several minutes pass before the chaos in the room dies down. the bottle of wine's placed off to the side in the time it takes.

when the alarm finally stops, he approaches her, reaching for her hands.

"do you have a first aid kit?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

Emma's eyes narrow and she stares at him a moment longer, scrutinizing, before glancing down the hallway where the front door stood.

She moves for the plate of burned.... something just as he moves toward her to reach for her hands.

His touch is warm and alarming, and she finds herself pulling back sharply in protest and surprise. Air is sucked through her teeth and the redness of her skin draws her attention to them.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

Emma places her own hands under the cool running water, fingers twitching with relief.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]theo doesn't press nor does he insist when she pulls away in protest. he simply retracts his hands back to his sides, relatively indifferent; if she doesn't want the help, he won't push.

his answer to her question is simple.

"housewarming."

gesturing over to the table, he says:

"brought you wine."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

Emma dangles over the sink, tossing her head to coax her hair over her shoulder in order to see him. Her eyes follow him, glancing back over the other direction to spot the bottle of wine.

"I feel like we may have handled that already."

Her thoughts settle briefly on a whirlwind of emotion, skin against skin, teeth.

"Is this going to be a habit? Breaking into my home to bring me wine?"

The sink stops and she presses her hands delicately to a dish towel nearly, wincing briefly at how sensitive her skin is.

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]breathing a chuckle, he nods.

"housewarming's a tradition. it'll be just this once."

even if he'd like it not to be.

peering over at the pan and its remnants, he asks:

"what were you cooking?"

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

She lifts the edge of the plate, charred remnants of an unrecognizable meal roll about on its surface. She let's it drop back against the countertop, noisy.

"Doesn't matter. I'll have wine for dinner."

From a drawer, the woman retrieves a wine opener. Frustration prompts her to peel back the wine topper and pop it open. She grabs two glasses from beneath the counter- it appears her organizing is erratic and messy- and pours them both a glass.

"Call next time."

She says this, but the uncomfortable twinge in her stomach suggests she didn't care. Seeing him was nice, even if she won't admit it.

"And you're going to fix my door."

THEO BECKETT

[attr="class","beck"]he isn't sure when the next time would be — especially less so now that the sootopolis mission looms in the near distance — but he nods regardless, looking forward to the next.

"i will later."

he'd just need to replace the lock and fix the splinters of wood. shouldn't be too hard.

"i can cook us something, if you'd like."

[attr="class","noodles"]Emma Wolfe

"You left the door wide open."

Emma leaves him there in the kitchen, though she does not leave her wine glass behind. She stops at the door, inspecting it and the splintered wood littered on the floor. Exasperated, she pushes it closed.

The house is still nearly empty, so she hears his offer loud and clear.

"That pan is going to be impossible to clean."

Emma returns while she answers, and finishes her thought by bringing her wine glass to her lips. It is surprisingly sweet.

"You didn't tell anyone else I moved, did you?"

THEO BECKETT