Closed First Steps

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia knew she wasn't the most... approachable person ever. But with her school graduation behind her, she'd had a lot of time to think about her life, her future, who she was. She knew she wasn't the only one the Wighams had taken in. For the longest time she'd just avoided Ernie and his kid, ignoring them as much as possible. Now that she was an adult... well, maybe it was time for some changes. Something told her Zelda would approve, at least.

So, Kia had made Ernie a hat. She'd eventually settled on a Bretons cap, and once she was satisfied with it, she made her way out to Ernie's house. He was outside, thankfully, so she was able to just walk up to him. She stopped nearby, a few feet away, and cleared her throat. "I- um- here," She just held out the hat, blushing furiously. "I- uh- made this- y'know, for you, it's no big deal or anything."

 

[Ernie Wilder]

Ernie had been putting off fixing the busted shutter for too long. But the weather had been awful and it wasn't like Ethan or Olivia cared much about it. He had almost convinced himself to leave it that way and that it added charm to the barn turned cottage he had spent most of his free time in the last five year making a home. But he had tripped over it this morning and now that the sun was finally shining and he figured it was time. He would have never called himself handy when he was younger but in the past few years he had picked up a more skills than he ever thought possible and now here he was, making repairs to his very own house.

He had just hammered in the first nail when he heard someone clear their throat. Ernie turned quickly and was surprised when he saw Kia. Zelda had told him a little about her when she took her in, but he had been waiting for her to make the first move. He knew she had just graduated which he thought was great. If he had Zelda around when he was her age he might have made it to graduation too. "Hi!" he said with maybe a bit too much enthusiasm. It took him a moment to make out what was referring too until he noticed the hat in her hand. "You made that?" he asked excitedly and pointed at the hat.

 

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia blinked, a bit taken back by the mans enthusiasm. Her brow furrowed and her hand lowered just a touch, but she cleared her throat, regaining her composure, and held the hat back out again. "Yes," She confirmed what she'd said. "I, ah... My name is Kiasora Cantore," She told him, the name feeling right on her tongue. She looked almost bashful for a moment. "I... thought we should- could- um-" She took a breath. "Would you like some tea?" She managed, thinking that it was something Zelda would ask.

 

[Ernie Wilder]

“Wow, very cool.” Ernie said and took the hat gingerly from her. He swapped out the dirty baseball cap he had been wearing and put on the new one. He put his hand under his chin and struck a slight pose so she could see the hat on him. “How does it look?” he asked before chuckling at himself, knowing Olivia and Ethan would probably have rolled their eyes at him. “Kiasora.” he repeated. “Well it’s nice to officially meet you. I'm Ernie.” he said sincerely. Ernie noticed she was struggling a bit and smiled when she offered him tea. “I think you stole my line.” he teased. “I should have offered you some already. I have some tea inside if you want? Or coffee if you prefer that?” he asked and shuffled his tools out of the way and opened the door to the house.

 

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia let out a nervous giggle as he posed. "Very handsome," She countered, glad that the hat fit. "Do you like it?" She asked, hoping that it was to his tastes. She smiled shyly as he introduced himself, playing with her hair, twirling it around her finger. "Tea would be good, Zelda makes tea," She nodded, sticking her hands in her pockets. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous; she'd never cared what anyone thought of her. Well... except for Leia. And Zelda, and Waldo. She bit her lip.

 

[Ernie Wilder]

Ernie chuckled a little at her compliment and quickly checked his reflection in the window when she asked for his opinion. He tugged on the sides a bit and checked a few different angles. "Very nice." he said sincerely. "Fits great too. Olivia will probably like it more than this old thing." he said with a laugh and waved his old baseball hat around. He still loved it but he could admit it had seen better days. "Sounds good." Ernie smiled and waved her inside. "I don't think mine will be as good as Zelda's but it'll be warm." His house wasn't messy exactly but it was full of stuff. Ernie had come to New Zealand with little more than the clothes on his back but had somehow ended up with a house full of stuff. It was also rather small with the kitchen, living room, and dining room basically being the same space. Ethan's room or what served as his room when he was home was actually the old loft space off the barn. He had just hung up a curtain to add some privacy but there was only so much he could do. "So how are you liking life...out here?" he asked and he started up the stove to get some water boiling.

 

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia smiled shyly, glad he seemed to like her gift. She followed him inside, but stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure if she should sit or where to sit. "It's nice," She replied automatically, twirling her hair nervously around one finger. "The room Zelda and Waldo gave me is really nice, and Roscoe likes to curl up with me at night," She offered, keeping one arm wrapped around her torso for a slight modicum of protection. "Do you like it?" She asked in turn, thinking it was the polite thing to do.

 

[Ernie Wilder]

Ernie grinned when she answered his question rather quickly and he nodded along. "Nice is good." he said as he leaned against the counter to wait for the water. He listened intently as she spoke and raised an eyebrow as the name she mentioned. "Roscoe?" he asked curiously. "Who's that?" He would never deny that he was better at talking to animals than people but talking about them also came to him a bit easier that most other kinds of small talk. There had been plenty of encounters that he had gotten through because he had remember to ask someone if they had pets. Ernie smiled again when she asked him if he liked it and he decided to be honest with her. "I love it." he said simply. "I was in a pretty rough spot in my life when I met Waldo and Zelda. I...didn't have an easy life for a while and they let me catch my breath and get back on my feet." he explained. "I built a lot of this place with my own hands over the years. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Just then the kettle started to whistle and he turned to pull it off the heat. That was when he realized she was still standing. "Sit, sit." he said and pointed to the round kitchen table. It had mismatched chairs around but it was nice and sturdy. "I've got some earl gray, jasmine, or green tea." Ernie announced as he read off the few boxed he had on hand. "What would you like?"

 

[Kiasora Cantore]

Kia bit her lip. "Roscoe is a Maltipoo, he's one of the house dogs," She explained, pulling out a photo she kept in her wallet and offering it out to him. Once she'd retrieved it again, she tucked it back into her wallet, smiling shyly as he told her about some of his own story with Zelda and Waldo. "They really are good people," She murmured, twisting her hands together. She blinked, looking to the table as he told her to sit and moved over to oblige him. She shifted, tucking her feet beneath the chair and looking up at him. "Jasmine would be fine," She murmured, clasping her hands in her lap. "Thank you," She added softly, remembering what Zelda had told her about being polite.