Goodnight...

Eli nods at his sister's compliment as he chews his own bite of steak. "Thanks. I aim to please." He really was glad she enjoyed it. He hardly cooked anything else, so at least when he did, she liked it, and that made him happy.

As Tal is mentioned, he looks up, pausing his chewing for a moment. An odd sort of look crosses his face... perhaps one that mirrored an ever-so-slight confusion. A confusion born of the rarity of someone thanking him for being anywhere, let alone meaning it.

A little grin curls his lips though... a grateful kind of grin. "Getting thanked for coming and stuffing my face with your guys' good food... can't get much better than that." He looks down to finish chewing his mouthful, but realizes that he'd totally shrugged off her thanks. So he lifts his eyes once more. "You're welcome. And thank you."

Eli pauses his own eating his eyes suddenly going back and forth between Tal and Ryan for a moment or two. He clears his throat and grabs the television remote. "Who's tired of this stupid football game?"

Tal laughs. "I am. Your team stinks."

"I refuse to call them my team anymore." Eli nods with emphasis and flips the channel .

"Some loyal fan you are - abandoning them when they have a tough year."

"It's not my fault!" Eli swings his fork around in the air, forgetting that there was a piece of steak on the end of it. The meat goes flying across the living room, landing somewhere behind Ryan's chair. Eli's eyes widen, and there's a moment of quiet shock before the laughter starts.

Tal shakes his head between his laughing and looks over at Ryan. "Have you noticed the longer Scarlet is gone, the more hyper he gets? I think we need to keep her in town so she can keep this guy's feet on the ground."

Eli stops and thinks a moment, then shrugs as he gets up to go find the piece of meat. Come to think of it, he really didn't know what to do with himself during his free time when Scarlet was out of town. Maybe that's why couldn't sit still lately.

A movie is found on tv and the rest of the meal is enjoyed with a relaxed atmosphere of light chatting and more laughter. Tal and Eli were pretty well matched for wit, which only encouraged them to banter back and forth, trying to outdo each other, whether it was something funny or just smart remarks.

Eventually though, the room settles down into the evening and less light comes through the windows, signaling that the day was coming to a close. Tal sighs as he sits back in the couch and he glances at his watch. "I should probably get going."

"You sure you don't wanna stick around for that B movie that's coming on next?" Eli gestures to the television where a cheesy movie had been advertised.

Tal grins and shakes his head. "Naw. I gotta get home - Holly's gonna wonder where on earth I've been."

"Ah, yes. Your pregnant roommate."

As Tal stands from the couch, he kicks Eli in the shin. "You go around saying that, you're gonna get me into trouble!" He looks quickly to Ryan. "My dog," he explains. "Holly is a dog and she's having puppies." Another sour glance is thrown at Eli.

Eli just grins at him. "And what a poor dog she is. Making her go through all that just for a few extra bucks."

"Hey." Tal points a finger at him. "Those pups are gonna help me pay my bills."

"Didn't you tell me you had trouble selling off the last litter?"

"Yeah, but I found a guy up north who wants at least five if he can get them. He's got a training program for the police and military and after seeing Holly's papers, he got pretty interested in her pups."

Eli's eyebrows rise. He'd had no idea Tal was that serious about the whole thing. "Wow. Cool." He stands up too, picking up some of the leftover dishes to take them to the kitchen. "Well, glad you could stay and hang out for a while. We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Sounds good." Tal kneels to tie the laces on his sneakers and sighs, looking around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Spying his shirt, he grabs it and rolls his eyes. "I'll bring your shirt back to ya," he yells into the kitchen.

Eli's response is muffled from the other room. "Yeah, whatever."

Tal grins a little and shakes his head. His eyes find Ryan and a quiet moment follows. "I guess I'll... see you around..." He wanders towards the door...slowly. He pauses with his hand on the doorknob and looks at Ryan again. His eyes held calmness... a gentle peace that existed even though there were unanswered questions that lay beneath the surface. Was tonight the only time their lips would meet? Was tonight the only time his arms would find their way around her? He could only wait and wonder. "Goodnight, Ryan..."