hey mom, dead mom, i need a little help here

[nothingcanstop]

[ ...All of that happened, huh. That's the sentiment each and every week, and it's no different this time. Except, this time they've lost more people than before. Five.

The gathering invitation is slipped under everyone's doors, but it specifies something a little different. ]



[ That's a good two hours or so of difference. Enough time to wander around, for sure.

But, in the garden, at the appointed time, there's a variable arrangement of fresh-cooked food. A good amount of beef stew, some Chinese hot pot, and...watermelon? Just, an absurd amount of watermelon, cut up and set on plates. All the food's set on tables that seem to have been moved from the library, and the ground is littered with blankets, for those who don't want to sit on the grass.

And yes, she did not lie. There is, indeed, a variable fuckton of alcohol. (And coffee, for our underaged.)

This has become routine. But, we're still here. We're still alive. ]

Comments

kitchen

[mouflon]

Hey, if you have enough extra to feed him, pass it over here.

[ Hot pot, at least, is just getting the broth right and then cutting a lot of things into thin slices! Which Rin has been hard at work doing, on the other counter. ]

[bogwife]

-hm? Oh, sorry, Rin. [She picks up the plate of leftover meat off the counter (much to Julius's displeasure) and brings it over to set beside her.] What are you making?

[mouflon]

It's called a hot pot. [ I'm just going to... assume she found a portable warmer to keep it hot! Which is where the eponymous pot is currently located; Rin taps it with the utensil in her hand. ] If you keep broth hot enough, and you cut your ingredients thin enough, you can cook them by dipping them for a few seconds.

[ Rin shears a long, thin slice of beef off the meat Zerinda has brought her, and then passes it over with a pair of tongs. ]

Try it.

[bogwife]

[Zerinda gives her a curious look before taking the tongs from her and chowing down on the cooked beef. She chews slowly and her eyes go side.]

That is...so sodding good.

[mouflon]

[ That gets a laugh out of Rin, and as small as it is, it's genuine and light. ]

Right? And it's... kind of a communal thing. Just, a bunch of people around a table together, dipping all sorts of things into the pot in the middle...

It seemed like a good choice, for something where we're all supposed to come together.

[bogwife]

[Zerinda smiles and nods. It's nice, she thinks, to hear Rin laugh. She's been so serious every time she's spoken to her, so it's a nice change.]

I think that's perfect. Delicious and bond building, how much better could it get? [At their feet Julius makes an annoyed groan at which Zerinda sighs.] Just ignore him if he tries to beg. I'll feed him a chicken once we're done cooking and he'll be fine.

[mouflon]

Don't worry, I was planning to. Not that I'm trying to be mean to your...

Lizard?

[bogwife]

Wyvern. He's usually much bigger than this but he's adjusted to being this size awfully well.

[Look at this weird little bastard. He's the size of a terrier and occasionally drools.] His name is Julius.

[mouflon]

[ ...Okay, she can't say she's a fan of the name, but more importantly— ]

What, seriously? But they'll let a full-sized lion run around the place... What gives?

[bogwife]

It might be because I don't think he'd really fit in here if he was his full size but I'm not sure. He's certainly bigger than Lion at his normal size.

I've been considering bothering the Professor about it to find out exactly why.

[mouflon]

Huh, really...? But, to shrink him this much...

[ He was so big, and now he's so small?? ]

I guess it couldn't hurt to ask. That sounds like the kind of stupid thing he'd answer without it being like pulling teeth.

[bogwife]

At least it doesn't seem to have hurt him at all. Then I would have have to add that to my long list of reasons to want him dead.

[And this way she can pick him up and hold him like a baby when he misbehaves.]

[mouflon]

Like any of us need more reasons... But maybe you want to take what you can get, at this point.

[ Rin, unfortunately, is not unlike Anna in that an ever-present fury burns inside her, ]

[bogwife]

[Zerinda doesn't consider herself an angry or vengeful person. She is, however, very down for justice.]

At this point he has so much stacked up I'm not above adding petty things to the list. Oh, but- [She turns back to her side of the kitchen and her stew, giving it a quick stir.] Before I start adding the meat, can you give the base a taste? I feel like it might need another carrot but I'm not sure.

[mouflon]

Ah, sure. I'll try, even if I don't know a lot about stews.

[bogwife]

That's alright. Just tell me if it's too salty. [She picks up a spook and dips it into her pot to scoop up a spoonful of broth and a chunk of celery before holding it out to Rin.]

[mouflon]

[ She... She feels a little silly, just doing something like this casually, but you know what? She's going to lean forward and take that bite without the spoon being handed off between them. ]

...It's good. I think. It doesn't taste too salty, at least, since that was what you were worried about...

[ She's just... a little awkward about personal interactions sometimes. It's fine! ]