69

[lamb_of_gold]

[In somewhat of a piss-poor attempt to distance himself from certain memories of what occurred around this time last year and thinking too hard on what's happened to his waifu roomie, the kitchen has been taken over by one purple-haired saint. Any dirty dishes in the vicinity, as well as any surfaces have been cleaned. The fridge is somewhat organized. Pots, pans and other utensils lying around have been found homes. There is a large plate of dumplings cooling off on one counter, and now Mu has contented himself with watching a pot of soup boil, a free hand absently working a churn of butter tea.]



I will have to ask Aldebaran what to do when one runs out of menial tasks to accomplish, but knowing him, he'll likely not let me leave until I've eaten my own weight in dinner...[a beat] And certainly not tonight of all nights. Ah well.

[Despite the grousing, there is a note of fondness in his voice.]

Comments

[lamb_of_gold]

It marks my 23rd year.

[He notices the glance and smiles.] You're welcome to them, but they're quite spicy.

[oliverplus]

Ohhh, it's your birthday? Happy birthday!

Sounds good to me! [takes one, but yelps and juggles it a bit] Still rather hot, too.

[lamb_of_gold]

I thank you, though I fear this may turn out to be a bizarre one instead.

They're fresh, yes. Take care not to burn yourself.

[oliverplus]

Really? What's wrong?

[smiles sheepishly] Yeah, I worked that out. [nibbles tentatively on the dumpling, then blows on it a bit before taking a proper bite] Oh, tha ish spishy! Ish good!

[lamb_of_gold]

The fellow I'm living with at the moment has been affected by an experiment. He's currently twelve.

[A smile.] Thank you.

[oliverplus]

[swallows] Another one? Yeah, "bizarre" is probably one good word for that.

No, thanks for the dumpling! What's in it, anyway? Tastes sorta like... [takes another bite, trying to decide]

[lamb_of_gold]

Tofu, mostly, that's spent most of the day in a chili sauce, and some green onions. I spent some of my childhood in China's south, and sometimes find myself wanting something to remind me of it.

[oliverplus]

[swallows again] Tofu and chili? Yeah, never would've guessed that. You're a good cook, you know. But if it's your birthday, we should be making something for you!

[lamb_of_gold]

Pork is the usual stuffing, but I do not eat meat.

Ah, but then I'll have nothing to do.

[oliverplus]

Really? I didn't know that.

Uh...that's sorta the idea, you know. You're supposed to be relaxing!

[lamb_of_gold]

I haven't since I was a very small child. It would give me a terribly upset stomach if I were to try now.

I dislike being idle.

[oliverplus]

Is it something...uh...Athena has you all do?

You know, I've got a friend like that. [and he might have that problem a bit himself] Did you need any help?

[lamb_of_gold]

Of course not. It's simply how I was brought up.

Terrible things spawn from an idle mind. BUt no, thank you.

[oliverplus]

Oh. [sheepish] Well, I wasn't sure. Lots of people are vegetarians for religious reasons.

[laughs] You make laziness sound like a disease! [continues munching on his dumpling] If ur shure.

[lamb_of_gold]

Mm

When you live with a small child, it may very well be.

[oliverplus]

Ohhh yeah, I forgot about that. Where's he right now?

[lamb_of_gold]

Aries Temple with Shion's own little one.

[oliverplus]

What, there're two kids?

[lamb_of_gold]

Kiki and Alta, yes. They're our students.

[oliverplus]

So three kids! You sure they're not gonna bring the place down while you're here? Well...not that time will passing, I guess.

[lamb_of_gold]

Alta is a very level headed young man - certainly enough temperance for Kiki's exuberance. Shion, it seems, has left the temple for the duration of the experiment.

[oliverplus]

As in, he's staying on the Plane? Probably a good idea. It might confuse a few people to have him running around your world like that...

[lamb_of_gold]

I've been unable to locate him off of it, though I imagine he's somewhere in the Himalayan mountains.

[oliverplus]

...what, alone?

[lamb_of_gold]

Yes? I spent much of my young life alone in the mountains.