∞ 92: Warming weather [action]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He didn't send out an announcement of any kind when they returned home. Others had already announced their dead and offered any words of encouragement or frustration.

Instead, Albert spent the days following the draft ... working on his flower beds. March had brought with it a warm spell, meaning that his seeds would be germinating and eventually sprouting. This is also the time for pulling down the dried vines from his trellises.

It's a lot of work (and a lot of garden), so he'll be out and around the house until late in the day. It's as dusk approaches that he can be found sitting on the porch, watching three tiny owls perched on the porch fencing.]

...Welcome back.

Comments

[chikaidestroyer]

[It will take a few minutes for Albert to wash up and change into a fresh shirt and different gloves, but soon enough he's heading over to the kitchen. He's almost ... cautious, looking around at what Raine might have cooked.]

[wise_maiden]

[The kitchen actually seems surprisingly clean, save for a few telltale pots and plates in the sink. But she did take her time to clean up her messes before getting Albert inside. Less scattered, more focused. An improvement over last year.

The window had been open, but by the time he arrives in the room it is closed. There is as tablecloth on the table, and the dishes that were being kept warm are slowly being uncovered.

Stir fry, with mushrooms, steak, red and green peppers, onions, garlic and a dash of lemon juice, sprinkling of parsley and red pepper flakes. There are probably several imperfections to be found, but it's taken a few tries to even get this result.

The meal is served curiously over bow tie pasta instead of rice, since the latter is far more easy to mess up, even if it suits the dish better. Aside from that, she's tried to focus her creativity into the presentation, rather than the actual ingredients of the meal. So it might actually look edible. Full of color and flavor. Hopefully not too many.

Overall it's rather simplistic. And she brings over the fresh, heated rolls to go with it as well.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[...It's an odd combination, that's for sure. The pasta and the rolls don't seem to go with the main entree, which does look bright and colorful -- though the same could be said about a lemon rind filled with rice. Albert has learned to be wary of the appearances of Raine's food; those peppers could still be raw, the steak too well done ... and a visible amount of pepper flakes was probably not a good thing.]

It looks good. [At least that was true. ...And at least the pasta looked like it had been cooked correctly.]

[wise_maiden]

Thank you. I hope you like it. [Edibility was the main goal, as long as his gag-reflex wasn't engaged.

She moves to get them glasses of water, and waits for Albert to try it.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Albert takes a seat and looks over the food, tilting his head to ... well, delicately sniff at the stirfry. It smells pretty good, if somewhat spicy. He collects his utensils and cuts into a piece of steak. ...It's tough, but there is still a little pink in there, so it's not technically well done.

And it tastes good. ...If spicier than what's usually served around the house.]

I believe this may be better than last year's.

[wise_maiden]

Really? Is there anything in particular that stands out about it?

[chikaidestroyer]

In particular? [He blinks, continuing to eat for a moment.] The steak is cooked well. [As opposed to well done.

...] You may want to be care with the amount of pepper next time, though.

[wise_maiden]

I'll try to remember that for next time. [Or use a different spice... hrm.]

Really? The steak was tricky at times. It really does need to be watched carefully.

[chikaidestroyer]

"At times"? [How many times did Raine cook the steak?]

[wise_maiden]

... The first time anyway. [M-maybe he doesn't need to know that. She'll just start in on her portion instead.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[He nods, returning to eating his meal. It wasn't as if he was going to dig through the garbage to see how many times Raine had cooked the meal.] You see? I did not have to tell you what I wanted to eat.

[wise_maiden]

So it seems. In any case, I'm sorry it's so late.

[chikaidestroyer]

It isn't. [He shakes his head, cutting another piece of steak in half.] You had to call me in for dinner, after all. If I had already retired to my room, your apology would be warranted.

[wise_maiden]

Fair enough. Although in regard to the date, it was later than when I originally intended... but I suppose that couldn't be helped either. What a busy month.

[chikaidestroyer]

Yes... [dryly] The "love" experiment tends to make celebrating difficult, and no one truly expects the drafts. Perhaps we should just celebrate a month late each time.

[wise_maiden]

Honestly, I think the only time I've managed on time before was when the experiment itself was purposefully late. [She just shakes her head.]

[chikaidestroyer]

I do not mind the delays. Celebrating birthdays is hardly a necessity, so I appreciate any effort made.

[wise_maiden]

Was there ever a time when you looked forward to them?

[chikaidestroyer]

[He pauses thoughtfully, thinking back on what had been done for him in the past.] ...No, not really.

[wise_maiden]

... I see. [She nods in understanding, taking a small bite of the pasta.] I always tried to do something for Genis. We never had very much, so I just wanted him to have something.

[chikaidestroyer]

How thoughtful. He was quite fortunate you felt that way.

[wise_maiden]

Considering it was just the two of us, it just made sense to me at the time. It got easier on him once he was able to make friends, at least.

[chikaidestroyer]

Considering it was just the two of you, I can imagine it would be very easy to skip birthdays altogether. [He sips his water.] Such as your own.

[wise_maiden]

He never questioned my lack of one until after we had settled in Iselia. [Thus confirming his point. But it was probably in bad taste to beign talking about her own experiences in absence of his own.]

[chikaidestroyer]

[Perhaps in bad taste, but he's the one pursuing the subject.] What triggered his sudden interest? Having acquaintances in the village who also had birthdays?