:[ PLOT ]: So, We Meet Again (Vanya and Takis)

[Menelie]

[I have no idea how modern Telrunya is, so....]

"Of course you can help," says Takis. "C'mere into the kitchen with me." He tugs her by the hand into the kitchen. He takes down a pitcher and pumps water into it from the sink, and pours it into a small cauldron in the fireplace. He repeats this a few times until he has as much water as he needs, then he kneels down to start the fire. He takes flint and stone and strikes them together to create a spark, then he carefully nurses it toward the tinder until he has a nice glow. "There," he says. "I'll let that heat up a bit before I put the noodles in. Meanwhile, you can help grate the cheese. I'll show you."

Takis gets the cheese out of the icebox and hands it to Vanya. Then he rummages in the drawers until he finds a metal board with strange-looking holes in it. "Here, take it like this," he says, standing behind her and taking her hands to help her. He blushes when he realizes they're standing very close to one another, but there's no help for it now. "And you push the block of cheese on it like this, and little bits get pulled off. So do that until you have a small pile. Alright?"  

[Teigra]

Vanya watched Takis' actions with fascination, constantly questioning what it was he was doing and why...but only in her head, so as not to be annoying. She knew she'd learn by observing anyway if she were patient. That's how it always worked for her.

The entire process was bordering on bewildering and Vanya had yet to learn what this 'pasta' actually was. Did it have something to do with the 'noodles' just mentioned? Or 'cheese'? No wait, she thought she'd heard something about that before...though she'd never had it, so for all she knew, it could be 'pasta' too. Why did so many foods have so many different names?

Vanya was busy staring at the strange block in her hand when Takis stepped up behind her. While she was still growing accustomed to the idea of being close to, or even in contact with another, the proximity still felt strange. Still, she held her ground and didn't pull away, as that might seem rude to her friend for all she knew. She readily absorbed the instructions given to her, nodding sagely at the end. "Okay. I can do that."

What was this for anyway? She couldn't help but be curious at what in the world all this preparation and work was going to result in, but it had to be something delicious, right? Carefully, she took over her assigned task, slowly and deliberately pushing the block of cheese against the grater over and over again as the tiny bits of shredded cheese formed a small pile beneath the metal board. She waited until Takis turned his attentions away for a moment to deal with other tasks, and then she snuck away a pinch of the cheese from beneath the board. It was soft, a pliable sort of texture, and when she lifted it to her nose, noted it had a strange, but pleasant earthy sort of smell. That was always a good sign, as far as she was concerned. Taking another glance to make sure Takis wasn't watching her, she popped the few shreds of cheese into her mouth. It was soft, yes, but also...creamy, with a number of other flavors she wasn't familiar with, but at the same time found she certainly did not dislike.

Her experiment done, she quickly but carefully resumed her task, replacing the 'pilfered' cheese with more from the block. Having paused earlier and touched her finger gingerly to one of the bits of metal, she'd realized that it was quite sharp, which was why she was taking such care with her actions, even if she seemed a bit slow because of it. After a bit, she had what she would call a 'small pile,' as Takis had put it, and stopped, looking up at the other faun. "Is that enough?" she inquired, simultaneously looking to see what he was doing as well.  

[Menelie]

[Annnd now I want mac and cheese lol.]

Takis looks up from his own task, which is draining the noodles of their water. "Just one second," he says. He puts the steaming noodles back into the pot, then wipes his hands on a cloth and steps back over to where Vanya had been working. "That's perfect," he says. "So now, we do this!"

He takes the board with the cheese on it and dumps it over the pasta. He stirs it until the cheese melts and coats the pasta. He smells it and smiles. "Ahh, smells great. Do you like black pepper, Vanya?" he asks, grabbing the shaker of black-and-white powder from the counter. He marvels for a moment how its coloring matches Vanya's almost perfectly.

Well, aside from her hair...  

[Teigra]

((*totally wants cheese in general now*))

Vanya peered over Takis shoulder momentarily at the steaming 'noodles', curious, but intrigued. Then the cheese went in, no longer looking like the shredded cheese she'd produced with the grater minutes before, it melted and seemed to become a liquid, coating the noodles. Fascinating!

Wait, what was that? Something about pepper? What kind of peppers? There were all kinds that grew from the earth, but, she wasn't sure what Takis was asking, so she blinked at him, tilting her head. "Err...I don't know? But I'll try anything?" she offered helpfully with a small smile. She really would...this whole 'pasta' experience was already new for her, so why not? She really was trusting Takis to know best in this situation, as she was in completely unfamiliar territory.  

[Menelie]

"It just makes it a little spicy. I'll just put a little in, and you can add more yourself if you like it." He shakes a few times over the pot and then stirs. He opens a cupboard door and takes down two ceramic bowls and then opens a drawer for forks. He divides the pasta into the two bowls and then nods toward the table. "Alright, lunch is served!" he says. He sets the bowls down on the table and pulls out Vanya's chair for her. "There you are," he says, nudging the bowl toward her. "Pasta and cheesy goodness."

Takis smiles his goofy smile and sits in the chair across from her. He stabs at the bits of pasta and eats happily. He feels a certain amount of pride, having made dinner for her. It's almost romantic. Maybe he should have lit candles or something. Or perhaps that would've been weird. Probably weird.

"How d'you like it?" he asks after a while.  

[Teigra]

"It's good, thank you," she replied politely, giving Takis a slight smile. Honestly, she really was enjoying the meal; even if it seemed odd that she'd pause with the fork in the air from time to time to stare at the noodles in fascination.

Already, having a bit of food in her stomach seemed to be helping her energy level. She didn't feel quite as weary as before, and it was nice to have a place to sit and relax and recover. Takis seemed in good spirits as well, and the meal had certainly been simple enough to put together. Especially for such a delicious result. Vanya hadn't even thought to add any more of this 'pepper' to her food, simply enjoying the pasta and cheese as it were.

After a bit, her hunger beginning to be sated, she slowed enough for her curiosity to catch up with her again. "So, um...do you do this for all your friends, Takis?" she questioned, having observed how naturally he'd taken charge of the cooking and hosting once they'd been inside his house. Surely he did this often then; not just for himself?  

[Menelie]

Takis looks up and pauses. "Um," he responds, blushing a little. "Well, sometimes I cook for my family. I'm still learning from Mama, though. But...um...I don't really have too many other friends..." He pokes at his bowl of noodles a little bit. "But I'm glad you like it." He offers a somewhat shy smile.  

[Teigra]

"Really?" Vanya tilted her head curiously, then paused, realizing that what she said might be taken wrongly, or rudely at best. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that..." she dropped her head in shame, staring at her lap in embarrassment. What if she'd made him feel bad? She'd feel horrible! And after everything he'd done for her...

She was a bit surprised though...she understood why someone like herself had no friends. But Takis? He was so nice, and friendly, and not weird, at least not in the bad way like her, and he didn't have any freaky powers he couldn't control, or constantly worried over accidentally hurting someone like she did...

Nervously, she looked up again, hoping he wasn't mad at her, or think that she was trying to make him self-conscious. "I...thank you, Takis. For everything."  

[Menelie]

Takis feels a little awkward. What must she think of him, with no friends? Would it come off as strange to her that he has no friends outside of her? Cripes. He ruffles a hand through his hair.

And then she'd smiled at him and told him thank you. And his heart melted. He smiles warmly, dimples showing at the corner of his lips. "Why, you're always welcome," he says. Well, there go his insides, turning to jelly. "You're always welcome here," he says, gesturing around.  

[Teigra]

Her? Welcome? In someone's home?

It...seemed like a first. It just might be. She was so surprised that she didn't know what to say for a while. And even after time passed, she could still not think of the appropriate words to say. So instead, she just smiled again at Takis, her gratitude in her eyes. After a bit, she nodded, and returned to the delicious meal they'd both prepared together.

---

((And that's a wrap!))