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]

And sometimes people succumb to that poor-starving-cat routine, and just feed them.

But Pyrrha has a present for the cats in her bag, too--she'd made some treats.

"Would you like to supervise dinner?" she asks, gesturing toward the plate of cut-up pieces of meat and plantain. "You give him the plate, he can feed himself, but... you know, make sure he doesn't shove things in his ears or something."

[ostro_goth]

"I can do that," Teja says.

He takes the plate and sits next to Egil in his chair, giving him his food and then sitting back to watch.

Ferdinand is watching even more intensely. Things are definitely going to drop to the floor soon!

[scarred_grin]

Egil in some ways sees himself and the cats as like siblings, and siblings help each other out--so why shouldn't he share? He chews happily on one of the pieces of meat, while not-so-stealthily pushing another piece off the chair's tray and onto the floor.

Pyrrha doesn't mind much, as long as the food doesn't stay on the floor, and as long as Egil is actually eating most of it.

[ostro_goth]

There is no danger of a piece of meat staying on the floor with a cat around, so Teja doesn't even try to interfere while Ferdinand eats whatever Egil drops for him.

"You're doing very well already," he says to the baby.

[scarred_grin]

"Can you tell Teja what you're eating?" Pyrrha asks, as she starts unpacking the bag of presents. "What's that?"

He just laughs, though. These are words he doesn't know.

[ostro_goth]

"Meat?" Teja suggests, looking at Egil encouragingly.

[scarred_grin]

Oh, that. That he knows.

He smiles and points to some of the meat on his plate (and pushes another piece off, onto the floor).

His attempt at stealth is a bit ruined by his leaning forward to try to see Ferdinand on the floor.

[ostro_goth]

"Cats like meat," Teja says. "And foxes. But people like it, too."

The last bit is meant to enccourage Egil to eat some, also, not only feed the grateful cat.

[scarred_grin]

He had some already. It's just fun to feed the cats, and also fun simply pushing things onto the floor--cats know how much fun it is to knock things down. It's like an instinct.

"Puppy, you eat," Pyrrha says, and ruffles his hair a bit.

Well, if everybody's going to be watching him, he'll eat.

[ostro_goth]

Everybody is watching him, including a hopeful Ferdinand.

[scarred_grin]

Meat is good! Plantains are good too, and they mash better, even when fried.

At least some of it does end up in his mouth. And he does like the taste of both things.

Really, he likes food in general.

Pyrrha's not watching him anymore, though; she's moving to take the pan out of the oven.

[ostro_goth]

"Should I open some wine, and pour it?" Teja suggests.

[scarred_grin]

"I got drinks already made," she says. "If you like rum, I can put some rum in it, but it doesn't have to have it. It's good either way."

[ostro_goth]

"I do not think I really need rum," Teja says. "I do not like strong spirits much."

[scarred_grin]

"It's more of a summer thing, but the traditional Christmas thing is awfully close to the same flavors as the pudding I made, so I thought something different might be nice," she says. "If you prefer wine though, that's totally fine. Whichever you want."

[ostro_goth]

"I shall have your drink," Teja says.

Pause.

"Egil, I don't think cats like plantains."

Ferdnand eats the piece that landed on the floor and innocently looks at Teja.

[scarred_grin]

"Puppy, food goes in your face, not on the floor," she says with a chuckle.

Egil just laughs delightedly.

"I'll be right back, if you want to get plates and silverware out. Glasses too."

[ostro_goth]

"Yes," Teja says, "I shall do so."

And he does, keeping half an eye on Egil all the time.

[scarred_grin]

She returns shortly with a pitcher, which she sets on the counter.

"You being good, puppy? Not giving Teja any trouble?"

He's being good. The food is mostly ending up in his mouth, now.

[ostro_goth]

"He is," Teja says.

The table is all set now. The bar has added everything one needs to Teja's kitchen.

[scarred_grin]

Egil gets a kiss on the forehead, and then Pyrrha turns her attention to pouring the drinks--a nice vanilla horchata.

"Do we want candles?" she asks. "We do candlelight dinners sometimes when it's fancy."

[ostro_goth]

"Yes, if you think Egil would not try an touch the flames?" Teja says.

[scarred_grin]

"I'd be more worried about the cats," she says. "Just put them out of his reach, and he'll be fine. He can't get out of his chair by himself, not in this shape anyway."

[ostro_goth]

Teja lights the candles, sits at the table, and looks at his drink. "It looks a little like milk," he says.

[scarred_grin]

"It's better, though," she says. "Toro's aunt Gabriela makes it better than anybody else I have ever met--mine's not as good as hers, but it's still pretty good."

She may be a little biased, though. The flavors of home are always good.

"That everything? I feel like I'm forgetting something."