acatalepsy_logs | Open - All my friends are heathens

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Open - All my friends are heathens

Who: Pidge and you~
Where: around the temple
When: arrival + up to phase one of the plague
Rating: nothing past PG-13
What: Feels. Cooking misadventures.

Week One; sometime late/early morning (the feels-y option)

Pidge had always had an interesting relationship with sleep. Before the Kerberos mission had flipped her entire life upside down, she knew that all she'd have to do was make herself a snack, or sneak up onto the roof for a while, or go fiddle around in Matt's room, and soon enough she'd be ready to sleep again.

She couldn't do that anymore. And she couldn't wander the castle ship, because it was gone. So much had happened in the last year, and she was still reeling a little. When there was something to focus on, some new, possibly suicidal mission to worry about, it was easy to distract herself. But it was times like now, when everyone else was probably asleep, that she found herself worrying.

So here she sat, at the edge of the forest, wrapped in the blanket she'd pulled off her bed, her ~~mostly useless~~ bayard at her side. It was probably ridiculous, but she felt just a little bit safer just having it with her.

"I know you can't hear me. And that probably means you can't come here, either. But it would be... really great if you could give me some kind of sign that you're okay." She's sitting facing away from the temple, and looking up toward the night sky, as though it might hold what she's looking for. Instead, all she could see were alien constellations and the silhouettes of trees if she glanced down. Any other time, it might've been enough of a distraction. But not now. "It's weird not having you here."

It was a long shot, and she hadn't really been expecting it to work. But she'd gotten into the habit of talking to Green when nobody else was around. "I miss you. And it sucks here."

Week two; noon-ish?

She'd somehow lucked out as far as whatever this sickness was. It would take more than a cold to defeat Katie Holt, but between running around trying to make sure everyone else was alright, she was starting to get a little burnt out. The lack of general direction or purpose was also starting to get to her. It might've been easier to deal with all of this if there was something to fight, or something to hack or something to do.

Possibly the worst part of all this was the fact that her bayard had been screwed up since they'd gotten here. The handful of times she'd tried to get it working had ultimately ended the same way, with a string of colorful language that probably would've made her mother grimace.

Today, though, she's taken up residence in the kitchen. She'd never be as good as Hunk, but there were a handful of things she was confident enough to make. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find everything she needed for her Nana's ginger chicken soup. So she'd had to substitute a few things.

"Hmm..."

She's standing on a stool and peering into the large pot of not-quite-Nana's-ginger-chicken-soup. It didn't smell bad, exactly. But it didn't smell quite right, either.

Someone save her.

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Problem over there?

[Konoha spends a lot of time in the kitchens, especially now that people were starting to get sick, and she knows a failed recipe when she sees it. Or rather, the expression on people's faces when they mess up, mainly because she used to do it a lot herself before she mastered things.

Ducking to get in to the door sized more for humans than centaurs, she returns from a foray into the forest with a basket full of foraged herbs and a few she'd summoned with her own magic, tossing the question out as if it was totally normal for jinba like her to rock up and offer cooking help.

Admittedly, for her world it is normal, but.]

Keith has been dealing with more and more, erm, brushes with seeing and hearing things that aren't really there. So far he's able to tell what is reality and what isn't. He knows that won't last forever.

So he wonders, as he comes into the kitchen and sees Pidge leaning over a pot on the stove, if that's started.

Because Pidge in the kitchen isn't how these things usually go. He takes a moment, frowning. Nope. Smells like cooking... Probably real. So that means...

"I didn't know you cooked," he begins, as diplomatically as he possibly can, in the doorway and looking like a spectre of impending death with the dark shadows beneath his eyes, pale cast to his already pale skin.

[As much as she didn't want to admit that she was having a problem, Pidge realized she probably wasn't going to have much choice. It took her a moment to process that she didn't recognize the voice. In the past, that might've put her off, but this was an emergency. Sort of.]

I couldn't find any ginger. Or uh... chicken. But this looked chicken-y? So I decided to try it anyway.

[She's not even sure what kind of meat it is, but it looked vaguely like what she recognized chicken was supposed to look like. And Hunk was off, probably babysitting Shiro or Keith, so she couldn't ask him.]

I'm uh... not usually the one that cooks.

"That's because I don't, usually," she shoots back, though she doesn't drag her attention away from her soup for the moment. She'll never be as good at this as Hunk, or her mother or her Nana, but she's not going to let that stop her.

"I was trying to make chicken soup. But uh... I couldn't find any ginger. Or chicken." Please don't pick at that right now, Keith. She's trying her best, okay? "My mom made it for us whenever we got sick, so I figured it would help?" Only it didn't smell right. "How are you feeling?"

You need ginger?

[Konoha heads to a nearby counter, hooves clopping softly on the hard kitchen floor as she moves to set down her own ingredients and look over at the other girl's cooking, sniffing a bit.

Yeah, that didn't smell quite like chicken...]

I can make some for you if you want, but you'll probably want to thicken that broth, too.

Yea... ginger's supposed to help with a cold or the flu.

[She can't remember the exact reasoning her mother had given her, but she knew it was an important part of this thing.]

Make some?

[She's already making soup. Or attempting to do so, at least. So...]

You're right. It does look thinner than I remember. What do you think I should use?

Maybe some yam starch?

[Humming a bit in thought, Konoha wipes her hands on the dishcloth she has tucked into the rope tying the bear hide around her midsection before clapping her hands together.]

Yeah, uh- It's my "magic", apparently...

[After a moment of concentration, brow furrowing... she unfurls her fingers to reveal two pieces of ginger, unpeeled and a bit rough, as if freshly pulled from the ground.]

Here, you can have some.

Keith opens his mouth to ask about chicken soup without chicken and thinks better of it. He closes his mouth and wanders closer. He looks at the pot curiously before looking back up at Pidge.

"That's nice of you," he gestures towards the pot. "I bet people will appreciate it. A lot of us aren't really up for cooking right now."

Or up for much of anything.

He finds a kettle and sets it to heating up on a part of the stove that Pidge isn't using.

"I'm okay," he lies, with a shrug. "Still standing, anyway."

[Following his nose to something that smelled - well, like food at least - Noct ended up rounding the corner in his blanket cocoon and hesitates at the doorway. There's actually someone in here and he looks about as good as he feels, which is like shit, and bugging them for a bowl of whatever is in the pot doesn't quite feel right. Turning away when he sneezes hard enough to make a mess of himself and groaning, Noct rolls part of the blanket down to cover up the snot mess and pushes his bangs half-hazardly off his face.

Well. Here goes nothing.]

Hey. Are you... done with that? [He will at least go wash his hands before he comes anywhere near the kid on the stool.]

[ for the most part, arashi is minding her own business, because the kitchen is big enough for people to work on their own dishes without disturbing the other occupants in the kitchen, which is helpful considering the sheer number of new arrivals in the temple and the fact that most of them are sick in one way or another.

so it's only out of pure chance that arashi passes by pidge right at the moment when she sighs, and items sheer curiosity that causes arashi to deviate from her path, peering over pidge's shoulder and into the pot of not-quite-chicken-soup.

hmm. ]

Penny for your thoughts? ♪

[ she's no master cook but she knows enough, at least? ]

Sheryl isn't exactly a "nature person." She's a city girl through and through, and more than that, she's lived on the Macross colony fleets her entire life. Even if the Galaxy-- and especially the more nature-oriented Frontier-- had had spots of forestry and simulated wilderness, it had always just been a simulation. The sky above had been fake. That had never bothered her as much as it had certain flyboys, but there's a genuinely palpable difference that even she can notice between Macross skies and actual ones.

It's weird, but not entirely off putting. She's not yet worked up the courage to explore the forests by herself (because while she's headstrong, she's not stupid) settling mainly for exploring the outskirts, where temple turns to woods.

Which, incidentally, means she comes across a young girl (she's pretty sure it's a girl) talking to... herself? Someone?

Sheryl stays silent behind a tree for a few moments, listening to this strange girl talk, until it begins to feel a little uncomfortably voyeuristic. So she steps out. "Talk to yourself often? Or is this one of those fever hallucinations they mentioned?"

[Atsushi doesn't mean to eavesdrop, honestly! It's just that he's a bit of a night owl, and he was out walking around when he heard some noises at a distance. But as soon as he gets close, he sees that it's just someone talking to herself, or maybe to the stars? Either way that sure is a private conversation and he shouldn't interrupt.

Except when he turns to leave, he totally trips over something in the grass and makes quite a bit of noise as he crashes to the ground. So much for quietly sneaking away.]

"You're right about that," says a voice from a few feet behind her.

Takeru doesn't come any closer, holding up a hand in a gesture that's meant to be half greeting, half apology. By the time he got close enough to realize he wasn't alone out here he knew there'd be no escaping unnoticed; if she didn't hear him approach, she'd definitely catch his attempt to slink away. The least awkward thing to do now is play it casual. "Sorry. I promise I wasn't trying to sneak up on you. I guess we both had the same idea about getting away from the temple for a while."

There are plenty of distractions during the daytime: new people to meet, questions to ask, rooms to explore. The quiet of night, though, likely means being alone with all the thoughts and worries they've been trying to push aside. No one wants to deal with that, so Takeru isn't at all surprised to find he isn't the only one feeling restless.

That might work...

[That... Was that right? She can't remember if that was even a thing she's supposed to put in, but she's willing to defer to someone who clearly knows what they're doing.]

Oh. That's neat.

[Don't mind if she turns around on the stool to watch the magic show, Konoha.]

You can make ginger whenever you want?

[That seemed like a very specific sort of ability, but she supposed it could've been worse. And she's smiling as she reaches out to take some.]

Thanks! I'm not much of a cook, but some of my friends are sick... so I wanted to do something nice.

She's almost expecting the question, so it's a little surprising when it doesn't come. Still, she's a little grateful, and watches as he peeks into the pot.

"I bet people would appreciate it a little more if it smelled like it was supposed to." She's only a little frustrated by the fact that it isn't turning out the way she wants it to, but it's not like she can just go to the store and buy the things she needs.

"Yea... somehow I've managed to avoid the worst of it." She's still not quite sure how she'd lucked out. But she glances over to see what he's doing.

"Standing is good." Pidge can't quite tell if he's being completely honest or not, but she supposes it's not really her place to bully him if he wants to be stubborn. "Gonna make soup?"

[That question brings a laugh, baring teeth that are way too sharp to belong in the mouth of someone horse or human as she surrenders the ginger to the other girl.]

That would be awful if I could only make ginger- I can make a whole bunch of things.

[Well, food things. Raw ingredient food things.]

That's good, though- ginger will help!

"I'm glad," That she isn't as sick as some of them have wound up being. It's definitely a relief. Keith doesn't want to scare her or anything, but the nagging thought that this is the illness from Struxta that killed an entire planet is definitely heavy in the back of his mind.

"Standing is great. Better than the alternative." He looks over with a shake of his head. "Tea. Want some?"

He needs something hot that he can sink an absurd amount of honey into because his throat feels a bit like he's been gargling with glass shards.

[It's the sound of that sneeze that catches her attention, and Pidge's head whips around to gape at the person in the doorway. Don't mind her if she's cringing, though.]

Bless you. And uh...

[Here, she turns back and stirs the pot a couple of times.]

It's not quite done yet. Are you okay?

[Please don't sneeze at her not-chicken soup!]

[Pidge has been so absorbed in what she's doing that she hasn't been paying much attention to anyone else who might be around. This isn't a new thing for her, and anyone who knows her should be used to this by now. Unfortunately for her, this also means that she doesn't notice right away when Arashi approaches.

It's only when she speaks up that Pidge realizes she's no longer alone. The sound of that voice so close causes her to jump slightly and her grip on the spoon tightens.]

It uh... doesn't look quite right.

[He tried not to be irritating is his excuse for the half-hearted thanks he gives for the blessing - it's an automatic response as it is to just say thanks for that. Rubbing his nose briefly, trying not to equally cringe, Noct walks in a bit and bee-lines for the sink.]

I'm ... I could be better, can't lie about that. I don't suppose you're willing to share some of it, uh, once it's ready? I actually smells pretty good, the bits I can smell and all.

Pidge hadn't really been expecting anyone else to come out here and find her. In fact, she was pretty sure that everyone had already gone to bed. Sometimes she wondered what it might be like to have a normal sleep schedule. Or a normal life, for that matter. But neither of those things seemed terribly likely, particularly now, when all she wanted was some kind of sign that Green was alright. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

She'd always had the tendency to focus on a singular thing and tune out most everything else. If Sheryl hadn't decided to come out when she did, there was no telling when Pidge might have noticed her presence. If she would have noticed.

But she had come out, and Pidge's eyes widened slightly as she tilted her head back to get a look at the one addressing her. "I wasn't talking to myself," she countered, though she sounded more disappointed than anything. "I was talking to a friend who isn't here." Because that explanation probably sounded better than 'I was talking to the giant sentient mechanical lion I pilot'.

"If they're not here, I think that still counts as talking to yourself," Sheryl points out. Ever the helpful person, her.

She approaches where Pidge is sitting, and her tone does turn a little more sympathetic. "A friend that you miss back home, or something like that, then?"

That actually earned Sheryl a chuckle. "You might be right." Which didn't really help the situation any, but at least it's enough to distract her for a second?

When she realized Sheryl wasn't going to walk away after that, she shrugged a little. "Something like that." There was still the faint hope that Green would somehow end up here, but Pidge wasn't going to hold her breath waiting for it.

[She'd been so focused on thinking about Green that she probably wouldn't have noticed someone else being there at all. At least until that someone crashed into the ground.

As it is, the sound is enough to startle her, and she's on her feet in an instant, automatically going on the defensive. It's only when she realizes that it's just someone who lost their balance that she relaxes.]

Hey! Are you okay?

[It's probably too much to ask that they hadn't heard any of that, so maybe if she just doesn't bring it up...]

"I wish I wasn't." The words are out of her mouth before she can really think twice about it.

She hadn't actually noticed anyone else, which was why she'd chosen this spot in the first place. And she can't really fault someone for wanting to come out here, either. Now that she's no longer alone, Pidge turns a little to at least see who she's talking to, and she even manages a smile. "You're fine. I figured everyone else would be asleep by now." What time was it, anyway? She had no idea, and she didn't feel like checking. "It seems that way." Not that she can blame him.

Though she does have to wonder what he's trying to get away from. Maybe he's just in the same boat as she is and can't sleep, but maybe not. "It's just weird. Have you been here long?"

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Open - All my friends are heathens

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