If they were really rats with wings, this whole thing would be a lot easier. ...But they had been staring at her a lot earlier. Pigeons had never reacted to her before, that she knew of. It's certainly something her dad would have checked for. But... things had been weird, since she'd died a little bit. Weird in nebulous, hard to pin down ways, enough that she was pretty sure it was all in her head... But also she kind of had produced what could only be described as a banshee screech earlier and she was genuinely not sure if that was a normal noise for human women to make upon thinking their Gareth was dead.
Maybe she'd... poke around... up there. While Gareth was down here and couldn't object to it. Worst thing it could do was not work, and Gareth would never know she'd tried evil magicks with his pigeons or whatever.
"An' yer giant pet elk," she pointed out. "That seems pretty smart." Maybe it would be good if she kept him talking. If he was talking the whole time she wasn't glued to his side, she'd feel better. But also, talking seemed to hurt him, so maybe just. Intermittent statements. So she knew he wasn't dead.
She was very worried if she looked away for longer than a few seconds, he'd stop breathing and it would be her fault because she was an easily distractable fool.
But even as she opened her mouth to deny needing to eat, her stomach all but took her hostage, explaining in low tones that if she did anything but take the nice man up on his offer of food, it would end her on the spot. And now that he knew she hadn't eaten well in uuuuuuuh a year, well. He wouldn't listen to her if she said one more lie that she wasn't hungry.
Also, she was kind of sick of lying to him, and didn't think she wanted to do it anymore.
She pressed another quick kiss to his lips--it just seemed like she should be doing that a lot, was all--before standing up to begin exploring. "If y'need somethin', anythin', just say somethin'. Or gurgle. I'll stop by every few minutes to check on ya. The wood stove wasn't exactly far from the rest of the kitchen. It'd be fine. They'd be fine. "Nothin' is exactly what we're both fuckin' terrible at doing, so how 'bout instead of nothin' you breathe and think about somethin' pleasant, like..." She faltered. She had no idea what he would find pleasant. She had about a hundred extended fantasy universes to descend into at a moment's notice, but most of them were things he'd probably hate, because they involved her loose in his cabin, the reality that he was in fact having to suffer through at this exact moment. "An' extremely organized set of drawers?" she guessed helplessly.
She went to the bathroom, first, just long enough to wash her hands. His soap was pleasantly scented, because of course it was. His bathtub was comically huge, because it would need to be.
On her way out of the bathroom, she pulled her shawl off, finally, and hung it over the back of a chair. She didn't want to get it dirty with cooking, and given that she had literally never once cooked in a kitchen before in her entire life, she suspected things were about to get messy.
She was uncertain of exactly what a larder was, but she followed his directions back to it anyway. It turned out to be a cold little corner nestled under the stairs with a large wooden structure filled with insanely meticulously organized bottles, baskets, jars, and drawers.
Everything was labeled, because she was allowed one single lucky break per year and this was hers. It would only help so much, because she still didn't know what she was supposed to do with any of it. She passed over all the herbs in little round stoppered bottles that hung on a shelf that looked custom-made for them, and managed to find herself in the canned goods for the winter section. These were probably all vegetables from his garden. She hadn't had any fantasies about canning. She was going to have to learn about canning, so she could. It seemed rife with potential material.
She grabbed a jar with what she was pretty sure were mushrooms inside, because she at least knew she liked mushrooms and didn't think the pickling process would change that much. Byron informed her there was a root cellar absolutely full of meat that he was no longer allowed to go to. She kept that in mind as a backup plan. Anything that might require her to go outside was put on hold.
She brought her meager prizes into the kitchen and rummaged around a bit more. There was bread, and eggs, and some fish and cheese that had already been half-eaten. She could probably sit here and eat bread, fish, cheese, and mushrooms and be perfectly happy, but she wanted to give Gareth a meal that was an actual meal. She bit her lip, then rummaged around the nearby shelves until she found something that looked like a cookbook, and opened it.
Oh god.
She closed it and put it back on the shelf.
Okay. She remembered food. She knew about foods. They had omelettes in the cafeteria at work. She could figure out how to make an omelette. You just... eggs... and... stuff... in a pan... and scrambled it all up, right? She popped the jar of mushrooms open, sniffed at it, and popped one in her mouth while she continued exploring. They were vinegary and not as mushroomy as she expected, but still good.
"Gareth?" she called out nervously. "What d'you put in an omelette?" She glanced down, realizing she was half climbing onto his cabinets to reach higher places designed for a man eight feet tall. "An' also do y'have a step stool."
Maybe she'd... poke around... up there. While Gareth was down here and couldn't object to it. Worst thing it could do was not work, and Gareth would never know she'd tried evil magicks with his pigeons or whatever.
"An' yer giant pet elk," she pointed out. "That seems pretty smart." Maybe it would be good if she kept him talking. If he was talking the whole time she wasn't glued to his side, she'd feel better. But also, talking seemed to hurt him, so maybe just. Intermittent statements. So she knew he wasn't dead.
She was very worried if she looked away for longer than a few seconds, he'd stop breathing and it would be her fault because she was an easily distractable fool.
But even as she opened her mouth to deny needing to eat, her stomach all but took her hostage, explaining in low tones that if she did anything but take the nice man up on his offer of food, it would end her on the spot. And now that he knew she hadn't eaten well in uuuuuuuh a year, well. He wouldn't listen to her if she said one more lie that she wasn't hungry.
Also, she was kind of sick of lying to him, and didn't think she wanted to do it anymore.
She pressed another quick kiss to his lips--it just seemed like she should be doing that a lot, was all--before standing up to begin exploring. "If y'need somethin', anythin', just say somethin'. Or gurgle. I'll stop by every few minutes to check on ya. The wood stove wasn't exactly far from the rest of the kitchen. It'd be fine. They'd be fine. "Nothin' is exactly what we're both fuckin' terrible at doing, so how 'bout instead of nothin' you breathe and think about somethin' pleasant, like..." She faltered. She had no idea what he would find pleasant. She had about a hundred extended fantasy universes to descend into at a moment's notice, but most of them were things he'd probably hate, because they involved her loose in his cabin, the reality that he was in fact having to suffer through at this exact moment. "An' extremely organized set of drawers?" she guessed helplessly.
She went to the bathroom, first, just long enough to wash her hands. His soap was pleasantly scented, because of course it was. His bathtub was comically huge, because it would need to be.
On her way out of the bathroom, she pulled her shawl off, finally, and hung it over the back of a chair. She didn't want to get it dirty with cooking, and given that she had literally never once cooked in a kitchen before in her entire life, she suspected things were about to get messy.
She was uncertain of exactly what a larder was, but she followed his directions back to it anyway. It turned out to be a cold little corner nestled under the stairs with a large wooden structure filled with insanely meticulously organized bottles, baskets, jars, and drawers.
Everything was labeled, because she was allowed one single lucky break per year and this was hers. It would only help so much, because she still didn't know what she was supposed to do with any of it. She passed over all the herbs in little round stoppered bottles that hung on a shelf that looked custom-made for them, and managed to find herself in the canned goods for the winter section. These were probably all vegetables from his garden. She hadn't had any fantasies about canning. She was going to have to learn about canning, so she could. It seemed rife with potential material.
She grabbed a jar with what she was pretty sure were mushrooms inside, because she at least knew she liked mushrooms and didn't think the pickling process would change that much. Byron informed her there was a root cellar absolutely full of meat that he was no longer allowed to go to. She kept that in mind as a backup plan. Anything that might require her to go outside was put on hold.
She brought her meager prizes into the kitchen and rummaged around a bit more. There was bread, and eggs, and some fish and cheese that had already been half-eaten. She could probably sit here and eat bread, fish, cheese, and mushrooms and be perfectly happy, but she wanted to give Gareth a meal that was an actual meal. She bit her lip, then rummaged around the nearby shelves until she found something that looked like a cookbook, and opened it.
Oh god.
She closed it and put it back on the shelf.
Okay. She remembered food. She knew about foods. They had omelettes in the cafeteria at work. She could figure out how to make an omelette. You just... eggs... and... stuff... in a pan... and scrambled it all up, right? She popped the jar of mushrooms open, sniffed at it, and popped one in her mouth while she continued exploring. They were vinegary and not as mushroomy as she expected, but still good.
"Gareth?" she called out nervously. "What d'you put in an omelette?" She glanced down, realizing she was half climbing onto his cabinets to reach higher places designed for a man eight feet tall. "An' also do y'have a step stool."
The following 2 users Like SolitareLee's post: liarliaronapyre, Tindome
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Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-01-2019, 11:13 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-01-2019, 12:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-01-2019, 01:27 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-01-2019, 02:24 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-01-2019, 03:02 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-01-2019, 03:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-01-2019, 05:22 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-01-2019, 10:06 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-01-2019, 10:47 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 02:41 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 06:36 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 08:55 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 09:16 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 09:34 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 10:05 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 10:54 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 11:10 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 11:46 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 12:01 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 12:55 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 01:15 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 02:33 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 02:56 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 03:25 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 03:40 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 04:10 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-02-2019, 04:37 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-02-2019, 11:14 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 12:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-03-2019, 04:36 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 07:06 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-03-2019, 10:38 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 11:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-03-2019, 11:44 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 12:07 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-03-2019, 01:06 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 01:32 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-03-2019, 02:02 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-03-2019, 02:30 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 01:15 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 01:42 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 02:22 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 02:58 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 06:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 07:34 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 08:38 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 09:01 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 10:01 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 10:53 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 11:23 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 12:51 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-04-2019, 02:21 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-04-2019, 02:39 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-05-2019, 03:15 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-05-2019, 03:33 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-06-2019, 05:29 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-06-2019, 08:02 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-07-2019, 11:55 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-07-2019, 02:09 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-08-2019, 05:17 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-08-2019, 07:28 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-08-2019, 08:12 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-08-2019, 08:58 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-08-2019, 02:13 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-08-2019, 06:33 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-09-2019, 05:45 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-09-2019, 07:23 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-09-2019, 08:28 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-09-2019, 09:04 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-09-2019, 09:35 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-09-2019, 09:55 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-09-2019, 11:59 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-09-2019, 12:20 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-09-2019, 01:25 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-09-2019, 01:52 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-10-2019, 12:42 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-10-2019, 01:18 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-11-2019, 07:35 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-11-2019, 08:23 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-11-2019, 10:52 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-11-2019, 11:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-11-2019, 11:58 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-12-2019, 12:39 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-12-2019, 04:20 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-12-2019, 05:33 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-13-2019, 09:54 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-13-2019, 10:14 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-13-2019, 02:46 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-13-2019, 03:00 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-14-2019, 10:58 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-14-2019, 11:19 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-14-2019, 12:50 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-14-2019, 01:13 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-14-2019, 03:57 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-14-2019, 04:21 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-15-2019, 02:42 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-15-2019, 03:17 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-16-2019, 11:18 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-16-2019, 11:42 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-18-2019, 03:08 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-18-2019, 03:28 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-19-2019, 03:17 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-19-2019, 03:47 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-20-2019, 11:26 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-20-2019, 11:50 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-20-2019, 01:25 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-20-2019, 01:58 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-20-2019, 05:13 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-20-2019, 05:27 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-21-2019, 01:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-21-2019, 01:52 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-25-2019, 02:38 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-25-2019, 02:54 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-27-2019, 01:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-27-2019, 02:20 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-28-2019, 01:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-28-2019, 01:36 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-28-2019, 09:55 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-28-2019, 10:28 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-28-2019, 11:27 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-28-2019, 11:38 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-28-2019, 03:16 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-28-2019, 03:52 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-29-2019, 03:06 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-29-2019, 03:26 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-29-2019, 05:59 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-29-2019, 06:39 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-29-2019, 07:26 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-29-2019, 09:11 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-29-2019, 02:49 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-29-2019, 03:06 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-29-2019, 03:51 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-29-2019, 04:20 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-30-2019, 04:45 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-30-2019, 05:40 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-30-2019, 07:37 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-30-2019, 07:56 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-30-2019, 09:45 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-30-2019, 11:03 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 12-30-2019, 01:27 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 12-30-2019, 01:43 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-01-2020, 01:56 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-01-2020, 02:12 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-02-2020, 01:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-02-2020, 01:51 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-02-2020, 02:23 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-02-2020, 02:40 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-02-2020, 03:27 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-02-2020, 03:45 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-03-2020, 06:38 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-03-2020, 07:03 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-03-2020, 08:21 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-03-2020, 11:15 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-03-2020, 12:39 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-03-2020, 12:58 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-05-2020, 10:59 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-05-2020, 11:10 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-05-2020, 03:04 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-05-2020, 03:20 PM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by Tindome - 01-31-2020, 11:34 AM
RE: Beg Forgiveness [Closed] - by SolitareLee - 01-31-2020, 03:27 PM