Luke's Diner; Tuesday [12/03].

[chef_chocobro]

Defying any sort of logic or reason, there had been a very persistent abundance of lemons in the diner that morning, which Greg oh-so-hilariously, really, attributed to a sign of Ignis' sour personality. That earned him quite the withering expression and, trying to keep the peace, Ali then offered a cheerful aphorism to smooth things over.

Because, hey, when life gave you lemons...

...Ignis Scientia was not going to make lemonade, especially not during the wintertime, but he was, however, going to figure out a way to work it into his special boards regardless in, quite frankly, much more creative recipehs, thank you very much.

Today's Specials

Lemon Thyme Chicken Burgers
Lemon Orzo with Chickpeas and Brocolli
Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Luke's is open!

Comments

[deathsmajesty]

Ignis had a sour personality? Since when? That sounded truly fake.

Just look how he responded when Liliana strolled into the restaurant, a little later than usual, but then, the island had put their new fireplace in the bedroom, which meant there was a lot of cozy inertia she had to work against. If it hadn't been Ignis, she might never had had the strength.

But it was Ignis, and so here she was, humming the Christmas song she'd decided was her favorite last year.

[chef_chocobro]

Indeed, it was no match, surely, for the clear and obvious cheery blaze of a heartbeat, but there was an instant, quiet warmth exuding from Ignis once Liliana made her way in. Truth be told, there was an element of pleased surprise in there, as well; even he found the process of extracting himself from bed much, much earlier that morning rather difficult. He half-expected Liliana to consider the attempts well beneath her regard. But she didn't, she'd managed through the near-impossible task with aplomb, and so there he was, coffee set aside and counter left behind him to greet her, with that natural slide of his arm around her and a kiss about as far removed from sour as one could be.

"Darling," he said, and a grin pulled the corner of his lips. "Your appetite must be truly voracious today to have abandoned our newest amenities just to come in for a...bite."

[deathsmajesty]

"Truly," she replied, kissing him again...and just so happening to prolong it with a nip at the end. "I can't promise that you won't discover me back in front of it when you return home later."

She gave him a mischievous smile. "You know...if you decided to bring dinner home, you could join me there immediately and we wouldn't have to leave until tomorrow morning."

[chef_chocobro]

Ignis would have been sorely disappointed, had she not taken that opening and seized it so effectively, really.

"And what if I told you," he drawled, in a that low, slow way that seemed to match his fingers as they brushed back her hair from her shoulder, lingering the before drifting up familiar pathways along her neck, "that I had already been planning for precisely that all along?"

And though he'd hardly needed the guidance of those trailing fingers, he let them lead his lips to that favored spot along her throat, and then his teeth, to return her prolonged nip with one of his own.

[deathsmajesty]

Her response was interrupted by a sharp gasp, accompanied by a flex of her nails into his shoulders where her hands were resting.

"Th-then," she said, a slight stumble to her words underscoring the effectiveness, "I would congratulate you on being a consummate tactician, while being vastly unsurprised that we should find our thoughts so...deeply, intimately entwined. While then immediately beginning to consider what I might then do to properly greet you at home when you arrive."

[chef_chocobro]

Oh, it hadn't taken them long at all to get here today, did it?

Well, it rarely did.

Something, something, efficiency.

Ignis hummed, low and rumbling and thoughtful. "I do believe," he said, "I have a few thoughts in that regard as well. Which does lead one to wonder, just how on the mark those may be."

Any further thoughts either of them might have on the matter would have to wait but a moment, though, as he could barely hold back in kissing her again.

[deathsmajesty]

I see you like your chocolate hot
Sippin' while it snows a lot
But I got something hotter for you
Oh and baby did you know (We are)
Sitting under mistletoe (Oh darn)
You can't go, tonight you're mine

It was her favorite Christmas song for a reason, okay?

Her kiss was as ravenous as he'd surmised her appetite as being, nails once more pricking into his shoulders as she restrained herself from sliding them into his hair. Even extra chilled with the cold as they were, Liliana's lips had no problems warming under Ignis' own.

Though he had only himself to blame when it ended and she immediately asked, "Mmm, I'm wild to hear those thoughts in depth."

[chef_chocobro]

And his response was then delayed further still by a moment, to catch his breath, and to remember how to employ his tongue for words, after being so thoroughly engaged otherwise.

"Then it is truly," Ignis murmured, once everything was in relatively proper working order again, "...deeply...regrettable that I must admit they are quite shallow."

Especially as his faculties were becoming increasingly singularly focused.

"Though I can't imagine you'll find yourself too disappointed, my love, since it requires very little effort on your part."

[deathsmajesty]

"Shallow, my love? Truly?" Liliana was just going to have to lean against him, casually catching his earlobe between her teeth. "Now I'm even more intrigued."

Sure, Liliana. Because you were at such a loss for what he could possibly be hinting at.

Still, she did enjoy it when Ignis allowed himself to admit to purely shallow considerations. With his words. Out loud. To her.

"Particularly when it's something I can indulge with remarkably little effort. My idea had...significantly more. But perhaps I'll save mine for another day."

[chef_chocobro]

"Ah, but my darling," Ignis had tilted his head back invitingly as Liliana went for his earlobe, with a soft sigh of appreciation and his hand sliding up her back, to hold her securely in that lean against him,lest she for whatever reason be so foolish as to want to escape from it any time soon, "now you have my intrigue. Particularly when it allows you to put your ruthlessly clever machinations to no doubt devistating effect."

Fingertips stretched up to find the back of her neck; his head shifted back to find her lips with her again.

"Whatever shall we do with such an impasse?"

[deathsmajesty]

Wise decision to engage that protective hand. Not because she was doing anything so foolish as to move, but simply because she liked it when his hands glided over her body, even in purely innocent ways. "In the spirit of fairness, we could always play a little game I learned called 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours,'" she said with a wicked chuckle. And another nip "Though, considering the approaching holiday, I could also make an argument for you telling me now, and then me surprising you with mine later."

[chef_chocobro]

How fortuitous, then, that Ignis' own indulgent desires....no, his own persistent need...to touch Liliana as much as possible made those roaming hands and ever-exploring fingers so mutually beneficial.

"And what, pray tell," he asked, from somewhere deep within his throat, "would that argument be?"

The argument, of course, was wholly unnecessary. Ignis was already quite convinced. But if she was going to say she had a case to make, then he may as well get to hear it.

State your thesis, Liliana...

[deathsmajesty]

"Simply that I do enjoy the idea of you spending the next...however long...in a welter of curiosity and anticipation," Liliana purred, fingerwalking up and down his chest. "An intimate combination of several of our favorite things...for me, getting to surprise you most delightfully, and for you, why, a heaping helping of strawberry rhubarb pie."

[chef_chocobro]

"Oh," Ignis all but growled back, "and you do know my particular weakness for a good," he let the emphasis linger, as he dared to let one of his hands escape from her person; it wasn't gone long, though, as it moved to catch her own traversing hand and bring those walking fingers to his lips for a soft kiss, "strawberry rhubarb pie."

And there her hand would hopefully stay, for now, as he laced his fingers in with hers.

"And you make as compelling an argument as I suspected you would. Very well." His smile grew. "I accept, though I did warn you, my premise is startlingly simple, and it involves me coming to greet you, actually, while you wait for me in our bed, being warmed by nothing more than our new fireplace and a bottle of wine."

His other hand moved to brush a thumb against her cheek and embrace it as he kissed her again, dragging it out as if they were the long hours ahead of him.

"I can't wait to discover on how you manage to improve on this already near perfect concept."

[deathsmajesty]

"Three ways," Liliana breathed into his ear. "There are three ways in which I plan to improve upon this already brilliant idea." She paused to consider. "Three improvements and an additional surprise."

This time she was the one who claimed his mouth for a kiss full of both promise and longing. "However, for this to be as...sharp a bite of pie as I'd like, that does, regrettably, mean that lunch will sadly not be as to-go as I might have otherwise hoped. I need you to come home hungry."

You know. For pie.