OOM: Christmas dinner with Pyrrha and Egil

[ostro_goth]

[[Ctd. from here.]]

Teja opens the door, laden as he is.

His usually comfortable, creatively untidy room is still that -- there is even Ferdinand the cat, sprawling all over Teja's bed, fast asleep. There are simply two new doors, one of them leading to a kitchen that provides all the modern comforts and appliances as well as a space to comfortably sit and eat, the other leading to Egil's room in Loki's apartment on the 12th floor.

One better should not think about how that works.

Comments

[scarred_grin]

"I don't believe that because I'm the woman, I have to do woman things like cooking and cleaning. I don't have to do them. You're just as free to do them as I am. But I like cooking, and I don't mind cleaning--not because I'm a woman, but just because those are things I like. I mean, I'm also good at carpentry and painting, I can do yardwork, and I don't need anybody to kill bugs for me. We do what we're good at, and what we like doing. Everybody should be able to do basic cooking and cleaning, though. Especially when there's a kid involved."

[ostro_goth]

"I am used to cleaning up after myself, as I am a man, not a swine, and wish to live without filth," Teja says.

[scarred_grin]

"A lot of guys don't," she says. "There's the whole cultural thing where anything inside the house or related to kids is the woman's responsibility, and the man'll mow the lawn once a week and maybe take the trash out, but only if his wife nags him into doing it. I won't insult you like that. We are both perfectly capable of taking the trash out, or washing dishes, or doing laundry or whatever. If you see something that needs doing, do it, or ask me to help. I'll do the same."

[ostro_goth]

"Good," Teja says. "Speaking of it, and making sure all is done, shall be he key. Also, safety and well-being of Egil."

[scarred_grin]

"He's first," she nods. "We need to be clear on where he is and that he's been fed and taken care of. Beyond that, though, I figure we just see how things go. And if some things end up getting forgotten about, maybe we'll have to assign those things to one of us to take charge of, but I think we'll be fine."

[ostro_goth]

Teja nods, and looks at Egil cuddling Ferdinand on the bed. "Yes," he says. "He comes first."

[scarred_grin]

"When he's older, he can help out too," she says. "He can put his toys and things away when he's done playing, he can put his dirty clothes in the hamper, things like that. I don't want to make him feel like he's gotta do chores, but like... you know. this is a family, and being part of a family means everybody does their share."

[ostro_goth]

"That is part of what family ever was," Teja says. "I am glad,to hear that has not changed."

[scarred_grin]

"I'm not gonna make him do things he's not able to do," she says. "Not like Weyland would. But there's a cultural thing where the mom does all the work, and is angry because the dad and the kids don't do their part unless she yells at them, and everybody acts really put-upon, and everybody's miserable. I don't want to be like that. Not with you and not with him."

[ostro_goth]

"It is not necessary to be miserable, indeed," Teja says, "And I do not wish us to be, for such a puny thing. Fate, time and reality do their best to make us thus, in any case."

[scarred_grin]

"Worry about the big things, and the everyday stuff will take care of itself," she nods. "If problems come up, you tell me, that's all. Don't let things fester and just hope they'll go away."

Egil is doing the affectionate-head-bump thing to Ferdinand. It doesn't work quite as well as it would if he were a cat, but he tries.

[ostro_goth]

Teja nods, charmed by watching Ferdinand and Egil. "Nothing that festers ever goes away," he agrees.

[scarred_grin]

"They just get worse."

Time to start assembling the pastelón. She gets a baking pan and proceeds to do that.

"Be careful, puppy. Don't get too close to the edge."

[ostro_goth]

"Worse, until they burst like the swollen bellies of the corpses from last month's battle," Teja agrees.

[scarred_grin]

"Ew, I'm trying to cook here," she says, wrinkling her nose--but laughing.

"Save the corpse stories for dessert, since we got skulls. Pour some raspberry sauce on them, make them all crime-scene."

[ostro_goth]

"No corpse metaphors before dinner," Teja nods. "I shall remember. But in any case, when something comes up, we shall speak at once."

[scarred_grin]

"You always know where to find me," she says. "If I'm not there, you can ask for me. You know that."

Dinner's coming together nicely.

"He likes you. If he didn't, I wouldn't be here."

[ostro_goth]

"And one day, he may like both of us enough to even let you go," Teja nods. "Until such time, I will have to ask if it is urgent."

[scarred_grin]

"He already said he would," she says quietly. "He promised. It'll happen. It just isn't the right time yet."

She's not sure about the whole getting-a-new-body thing anyway. Where would it come from?

[ostro_goth]

Teja steps across to put his arms around her. "It shall happen," he agrees. "We must be patient, that is all."

Not a thing he is good at, if there is nothing he can prepare on his end. Well, he can build things in the house in Vinci, but that is all.

[scarred_grin]

"And you need to trust him."

Her trust is absolute. He'd saved her life, after all, and kept her safe through so many other things. The fact that if it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have been in those situations is beside the point--she wouldn't have been in those situations because she'd be dead.

[ostro_goth]

"Yes," Teja says, nodding quietly.

[scarred_grin]

"Puppy, you keep doing that, you're gonna get a hairball."

She sets aside some of the meat and fried plantains to be cut up for Egil, and the rest all goes in the pan and then into the oven.

"It's a weird situation but I'm doing the best I can with it."

[ostro_goth]

"It is all we may do," Teja says. "Shall I try and keep him from chewing on Ferdinand?"

[scarred_grin]

"Yeah, actually if you want to get his chair--it's in his room. Maybe he's hungry. His is all ready except for dessert, so he can eat while the rest of it's cooking and then we can eat."

He's trying to help with grooming, that's all. It just works better in fox shape than in baby shape.