Tesla, Anton noticed, really needed to work on his entrance, as the Maine Coon did an accurate impression of a locomotive.  With no brakes.  He was thankful that he had positioned himself behind the door.  Stella found this amusing, too.  With his girth and enthusiasm, he somehow never steamrolled Licorice.  Well, not counting that time with the laser mouse.<br/><br/>Holding a basket, Stella followed her cat inside, teasing him about cleaning and being a model or something.  He grinned at her comments and was surprised to be a recipient of a kiss on the cheek from her.  Startled he may be at her gesture, but he certainly wasn’t complaining.  She smelled good, too, a lovely scent compared to the steaks and tiger prawns.  Though really, all of the circulating aromas held their own allure.<br/><br/>Anton smiled at her compliment, and nodded at her request for a glass of wine.  No big deal, he thought of her question as to what was for dinner.  Maybe she just forgot.  “Well, there’s some Japanese-style rice, also known as sticky rice, New York strip steaks and tiger prawns,” he explained.  “Oh, and last but by no means least,” he ventured sheepishly, “I hope you like spicy.”  He was hoping Stella didn’t pick up on his naughty, yet disguised, grin.  There were, after all, half-a-dozen prawns for each to enjoy.<br/><br/>With his upstairs neighbor readying her salad, he placed a glass of wine near her and began to serve their meal.  For this, Anton brought out the oversized plates, making sure that there would be enough room to accommodate everything.  The white, sticky rice had its sector, while he draped the steaks over a portion of the white starch, thus enabling the rice to soak up some of the meat’s oozing juices.  The tiger prawns, with their bright orange hue announcing impending Armageddon, were placed within the irregular triangle, some propped up on the rice, some leaning against the steak.  Liquids of the surf and turf variety were being mingled tonight.<br/><br/>Following placement of their plates across from each other, Anton positioned a modest selection of steak sauces on the table, in case Stella preferred the extra flavors offered by<i>A.1. </i>or<i>Worcestershire </i>sauces.<br/><br/>Before seating themselves, they both took note of Licorice and Tesla on the cat tower, as the pair of kitties were clearly digging on each other.  Anton smiled at Stella with a slight, yet detectable, shake of his head.