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[plntfood]

Always careful, always conscious of his surroundings, Mathias has been carefully avoiding the mistletoe in the door of the rec room since the snow arrived. He realizes that he's taking a light hearted island trick a little too seriously, but there's something about being physically unable to move that makes his heart pound and his hands start to

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[practicallyaguy]

Standing in the hallway, Zoe smirked. She can't help it. Magic mistletoe was ridiculous. Ridiculously funny that is. Thankfully there was some sort of magic spirit animal looking out for her and constantly reminding her to use the other door.

"Got any meat on you?" she offered almost unhelpfully. "That might get them to come over and give you some lovin'."

[plntfood]

Arching an eyebrow at her, Mathias sits in the doorway looking dejected and shakes his head. "I didn't think to bring any meat with me into the rec room. I think my forgetfulness may have to do with the fact that I was not expecting to require any dog loving."

As soon as he's said it, he realizes how it sounds and just shakes his head again, at himself this time.

[practicallyaguy]

"And because carrying meat around is weird?" That was putting it mildly. Zoe was all for random eccentricities, but that was just crossing a line. People would talk, bears would stalk people and it would just get weirder.

No, it's pretty much for the best that Mathias' answer was no. "It's not the sort of thing people expect. Unless they're really into dogs."

[plntfood]

"And, yes, because carrying meat around is weird," he agrees, looking at Zoe with a small smile from where he's stuck. It's weird enough to think about having to kiss someone other than Veronica to get out of here, but it's far too strange to think about kissing someone who looks exactly like her.

Besides, he's a gentleman and he's not going to be the one to suggest it.

"I promise, I'm not really into dogs," he says. "I was just hoping it would help."

[practicallyaguy]

There was no way that she was going to kiss Mathias if she could avoid it. Actually walking away would be a really easy way to avoid it but it seemed kind of cruel.

"Reasonable. Better than macking on a stranger and getting punched for it later." Zoe was fairly certain that if Brodie was the one who was stuck there and Veronica was the one who was talking to him, she would not be entirely okay with him macking on her. Boundaries. "I can help you woo your dog?"

[plntfood]

"Please," Mathias says with a laugh. "Please help me woo my dog." It sounds completely absurd, but he's learned in his time on the island that, one way or another, it will make you sound absurd. He's just glad he isn't currently a woman or a small child or something worse than that.

"They're not really mine," he explains. "Or they are now, I guess, but they weren't before. I think they're not used to me yet."

[practicallyaguy]

It did sound completely and utterly moronic, but this was a place where she had had her voice literally taken away for two whole days. Weird was pretty much part of the territory.

"Some sort of gypsy curse without gypsies and with dogs instead?" she offered, searching the pocket of her sweatshirt for something that might be used as doggy-bait. "Do you know their names?"

[plntfood]

"Hal and King," Mathias says. "I've adopted them recently, but I know that much." He thinks River might not have agreed to give him the dogs if he couldn't even remember their names. "They're good dogs. I just... I am not much of a dog person. It's an adjustment."

[practicallyaguy]

"That's at least a start." Zoe has always had a soft spot for animals. She might have been raised to be one of the boys, but that didn't mean she was heartless. If these animals had been wandering free, she was fairly certain she would take one home with her. Or both.

"Yeah. It's like a crash course in parenting only they only understand tones of voice." Bending slightly she started to take to the dogs, using something akin to a baby voice. "Don't you guys? You'll give Mathias some love, won't you?"

[plntfood]

Mathias isn't sure he's ever heard Zoe talk to anyone like that, but although his eyebrows lift slightly in surprise, he says nothing. She's helping him, after all.

Hal cocks her head at Zoe and trots over, sitting down in front of her.

"Well, at least we know the dog likes you," he points out.