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

[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."

[ostro_goth]

"Food, drink, light," Teja says. "Egil, Ferdinand, you and I. Cups, plates, cutlery. Sweets will come later."

[scarred_grin]

"And presents," she says with a grin, as she settles into her own chair. "And... other stuff, probably, much later."

Hey, it counts as celebrating too.

She sets about serving the food.

[ostro_goth]

"Presents," Teja repeats. "He does not know that word yet?"

[scarred_grin]

"Nah, it's the first time it's come up," she says. "Not something he experiences regularly--and you know, people give him stuff a lot, and he outgrows clothes and needs new things, and he can't really unwrap things, so it's probably not that big a deal for him. I did make him some things, though."

[ostro_goth]

"Of course you did," Teja says, "and so did I. It is a pleasure to just see him handle the things he is given."

[scarred_grin]

"I don't want him to be one of those kids with like a billion toys floating around, all forgotten bits of plastic that you step on in the middle of the night when you're going to get a glass of water," she says. "He can have toys, but I want them to be creative kinds of toys, you know? Not ones that do all the playing for you."

[ostro_goth]

"Those tend to be irksome and make very irritating noises," Teja agrees. "Also, stepping on them is a bad thing. I believe that I have heard 'Step on a Lego!' as an ill wish one modern was invoking upon another."

[scarred_grin]

"Stepping on 'em is bad, and accidentally kneeling on 'em is even worse," she says, with a sympathetic wince. "He can have all the art supplies he could want, he can make all the toys he wants for himself, but we're not gonna bribe him with cheap plastic things."

[ostro_goth]

"No," Teja agrees, firmly. "I am very much opposed to those, also."

[scarred_grin]

"I've seen a lot of kids who just end up spoiled. They cry until they get some toy, and five minutes later they've forgotten about it and they're crying for some other toy. Their whole lives, they're not gonna be happy. You can't be happy if you're always wanting something else."

She settles in to eat. It's good.

[ostro_goth]

Teja takes a sip of his drink first.

"This is good!" he says, almost astonished. "What is it made of?"