her arrival doesn't go unnoticed. securing the apron to his waist, gabriel turns around, his large frame standing tall and proud, even when alone. when he spots the woman, ignorant of his presence, he chuckles slightly.
[break][break]
drinking her in, she was a beautiful woman, like her sister. spencer was younger than his wife by a number of a years, and had the youthfulness to show for it. like himself, spencer's sister was working her way into middle-age nicely. but he could appreciate both sides of the spectrum.
[break][break]
a number of ingredients lay out already on the counter, itching for gabriel to take his pound of flesh with them. instead, he waits for her to turn and spot him, a titan that looms just out of sight.
[break][break]
for now.

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

At some point, she begins to hum under her breath, apparently getting really into the music. She turns away from the fridge in a way that she still misses the man in the kitchen. Her fingertips brush against the smooth countertops as she peruses the room.

Only when a shadow moves in her peripheral does she realize she is not alone. At first, she turns around with her gaze low to the ground expecting one of the family Pyroar. But rather than find four paws, she sees two feet.

With a gasp, Spencer plucks the earbuds out of her ears with a sharp tug and flushed cheeks. The obscure, indie pop-punk music she'd been listening to is cut short and pauses automatically.

"Gabriel! What are you doing here-- I mean, what are you doing home? My sister said she was going to be out, I just assumed you would be gone too."

Her heart pounds as she takes in the man across from her. Tall and imposing, but with a perfect jawline and careful eyes. He was handsome, rugged, a titan. There had been a time in her life that she had something of a crush on the man- but her sister had laid her claim first. Always the last to feast, she was.

"I was just leaving the pies here for dinner tonight. Can't have a Thanksgiving dinner without pie, she said."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

"spencer."
[break][break]
his hits without the same emotion, and anxiety, but a smile curls onto his lips in amusement all the same. now that she'd noticed him, he could begin.
[break][break]
"your sister is out handling something to do with the kids."
[break][break]
he wasn't quite sure what, and in-truth, didn't really care. since uriah was born, her entire life had revolved around the children. he'd long gotten used to that.
[break][break]
"i'm home because the meal still needs to be made, as you can see."
[break][break]
he moves past her and towards the counter, where ingredients were laid out methodically. butter, potatoes, fresh vegetables, and even the pidgeot was on it's own cutting board.
[break][break]
she wouldn't be the first to be surprised by his presence in the kitchen.

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

Holy shit.

Why was he smiling at her like that?

She side-steps him to avoid getting in his way. He moves toward the counter and she spies ingredients laid out like ducks in a row. It surprises her because her sister had never been one for cooking. She was the type of woman to pay someone else to do it for her, like a live-in nanny or something. Whatever the case, there are enough supplies and food set out to feed a whole army. Truly, a feast.

"Huh."

Tickle her impressed.

"Well, that's all I came to do, was drop off the pies. I should probably head out now, leave you to your cooking."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

"stop."
[break][break]
despite their relation, his voice is commanding, demanding. it softens, after he realizes.
[break][break]
"i mean— you're welcome to stick around. our home is your home, after all."
[break][break]
he finally turns his gaze from the prep, and onto her.
[break][break]
"unless you've got some appointment or something?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

Spencer, cooler bag slung over her shoulder, stops suddenly at his commanding tone. It sparks surprise and indignation, but when she glances back, his expression is visibly softening as if he were putting in the effort to correct himself. She's surprised he isn't clearing his throat to mask the awkwardness of the situation.

But she has to laugh, a sarcastic tone in the hum of her voice. This home was her home? That wasn't the implication her sister had given her when she'd married.

Gabriel, with his head still turned, gives Spencer time to watch him work. But the moment he looks up to watch her in return, she quickly looks away.

"My sister already knows I'm dropping the pies off and will inevitably blame me for something amiss when she comes home. I'd rather leave ahead of time so that I myself know I haven't done what she's bound to accuse me of."

She's sarcastic and flippant until she realizes what it is she's admitting to him: an unstable relationship between herself and his wife.

"Uh-- honestly you seem to have your hands full already, I wouldn't want to interrupt your rhythm."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

spencer seems adamant to leave. he's not one to keep those around, who don't wish to be here. that doesn't stop him from making a comment as she makes her way out.
[break][break]
"didn't realize you two were still at odds."
[break][break]
the heavy thuds of his knife against the chopping board echo through the kitchen.

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

"Then you must not know your wife very well."

Or she's lying to him.

"What does she say about me?"

Scratch that, she doesn't care. Spencer scoffs, looks at the ground. Her earbuds dangle around her neck, her lifeline.

"I'm not much help in the kitchen, anyway."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

the comment rises a look from gabriel, pausing his dicing. it lingers for just a moment, before the thud of knife against cutting board resumes.
[break]
[break]
"nothing much. she informs me when you're coming over, usually, or if you're with one of my children."
[break]
[break]

Jessica Manner, usually. though, gabrielle black had spent her fair share with the woman.
[break]
[break]

"what's going on between the two of you now?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

"So.. you knew I was coming, but she didn't tell me you'd be here?"

The thought agitates her more than she realizes. But her sister had always been a bit of a trickster when it came to her immediate family. Always teasing and tormenting her baby sister. She must have had a reason for not warning Spencer ahead of time.

"Nothing. She just doesn't like me."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

the question doesn't seem to phase gabriel, who at this moment moves to the stove and begins its preheat cycle.
[break][break]
his movements are purposed, but slow, seeming to find comfort in the moment of his actions.
[break][break]
"she doesn't know i'm here doing this."
[break][break]
he didn't see the need to share with his wife the fact he'd taken off his schedule entirely, and instead opted to stay home and cook. it'd be a nice surprise.
[break][break]
"why do you say that?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]

Spencer honestly can't take her eyes off of his work. He is quiet, methodical, seemingly at peace. It, in some bizarre way, manages to comfort her as well. She purses her lips anyway, o of course, somewhat convinced in her comfortable state that her sister much have put him up to this.

"She doesn't?"

That seemed strange, if she was as controlling a human being as she had been when they were kids. She'd basically been a second mother, as awful as that sounded.

Eventually, Spencer finds herself circling back to watch him, though she definitely appears out of place. Fortunately, the stove is now warm and she can cozy up next to it without looking too stupid.

"Sisters never like each other."

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

the warmth of the stove and brick-housed oven diffused gently across the kitchen. a fan of the heat, gabriel relished in its warmth, but paid it no extra attention.
[break][break]
"she doesn't."
[break][break]
he reiterates, no hint of impatience in his tone. a large glass dish sits in front of him, his large hands making it appear much smaller than it actually was. he takes a room temperature stick of butter to the entirety of it's surface. satisfied, he returns to the cutting board, slicing a large block of cheese into long strips. her comment gets a rise from his eyebrow, still looking down.
[break][break]
"Jessica Manner and gabrielle black get along just fine."
[break][break]
or were those just the prayers of an out of touch father?

[attr="class","ooc"]Spencer Hale [break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-pyroar"]