::Open RP - Pumpkin Pie and Mangosteen Sorbet for all!::

[i_am_an_hero]

It was late fall, and A's garden was drifting into winter quiescence. His greenhouse and the mangosteen grove, however, were in full flower! Between the remainder of the pumpkins and the fine crop of mangosteens, A had gone on a bit of a cooking spree

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[biblerewrite]

River snuck up behind A, plucking a bowl of sorbet from the table. Rui wen was with her today, the kittens having played themselves into an exhausted, fluffy heap on her bed. She ate her sorbet quietly and watched A move around and talk to his various visitors, a smile growing on her face.

[i_am_an_hero]

When A caught sight of River, he beamed. "I cooked," he told her unnecessarily. "I had so much zucchini, I thought I'd make zucchini bread, and there were the pears, and the pumpkins, and the mangosteens..."

[biblerewrite]

"I'm cleaning my palate," she said around a mouthful of sorbet, "so I can taste everything." She had no doubt it would all be delicious, and was definitely looking forward to the pear cider.

[i_am_an_hero]

"I want you to like it," he said intently. "The pumpkin pie and the zucchini bread have some of the same spices. And there is cinnamon in the cider."

[biblerewrite]

"Which one should I try first?" She was torn... dessert before dinner? Cider first? Bread first? It all looked and smelled so good, she could hardly begin to decide.

[i_am_an_hero]

"The bread was what I started making first," A told her, in case that made a difference. "Then I started in on the cider and the pie, and the sorbet last."

[biblerewrite]

Well, she had already started the sorbet...

She picked up a piece of pie, saluted him with it, and took a bite. As epected, delicious. Unexpectedly, it was awesome. Of course, it had been many years since she'd tasted pumpkin pie (or pumpkin anything) so it took very little to rock her tastebuds.

"If you were to mix a pumpkin pie with happy," she said after the first mouthful, "it would be almost as good as this."

[i_am_an_hero]

A flushed a little at the praise. "The pumpkin was fresh, from the garden. I put in lots of cinnamon, and some nutmeg, and a little molasses."

[biblerewrite]

River grinned, bounced, and finished off the slice, making sure to savor every bite, washing it down afterwards with the cider. The drink was tangy and fresh, perfect for autumn.
"Next time, may I cook with you again?" she asked, breaking off a piece of the zucchini bread. She popped the morsel into her mouth and decided this must be what Kaylee meant when she talked about how much she loved strawberries.

[i_am_an_hero]

"Oh yes," A said happily. "I liked cooking with you. There will be fruit from the greenhouse, pineapple and bananas and melons, and mangosteen from the grove, and strawberries. We could make a fruit salad."

[biblerewrite]

She clapped her hands together, mouth still full of bread and therefor unable to exclaim her joy, but it was written quite plainly on her face. When she finished, she took another swig of cider, wiped her mouth and hands on a stray napkin, and jumped up, gathering A into a spontaneous embrace.
"Best. Ever." she said, grinning the whole time.

[i_am_an_hero]

A was startled by the hug. She felt quite different pressed against him than L did.

Different... but in a rather pleasant, if disconcerting way. It was probably going to figure in his more embarrassing dreams, A realized.

"You haven't seen best yet," A said conspiratorially. "Best is what Kurama showed me. When you see it, you'll know it's best."

[biblerewrite]

River pulled back and looked at him quizzically. She still didn't have the highest opinion in the universe of Kurama (though, he was higher on the list than B, or had been until B left) but A seemed very especially excited about this particular kind of Best, and she was intrigued.
"Show me?"

[i_am_an_hero]

"Come with me, then." He took both her hands. "Put on a warm coat, and walk into the forest with me, and oh, oh, I'll show you."

[biblerewrite]

River nodded enthusiastically, running back to her room for a coat (which she didn't have, opting instead for one of the throw rugs on a chair that looked enough like a shawl) her boots, and to put Rui Wen up in his perch. She gave him and both kittens quick kisses atop their heads and sprinted back to the common room, bright and ready to go.

[i_am_an_hero]

A didn't really have a coat either; he'd bundled into as many layers as would still allow him to move easily, topped by the threadbare robes he'd worn all those months ago as the last winter had faded.

"We're going to the forest," he told her, and handed her a cup of warmed cider for fortification. "Oh, it's so beautiful, you'll love it."