Intermedia

[ooeeooahah]

[ Ilsa is tired. ]

[ She's been working the horrendous secretarial job to keep from being droned, using the slack times to type up the history of her world, chipping in to the office petty cash funds to cover the costs of the materials she uses. ]

[ Then it's heading home to deal with the general household maintenance, and try to keep the facade

Comments

action;

[hotfrombehind]

[For all his restlessness, Pyro figures he has to come home at some point. As much as he'd like to avoid people, he knows it's not really good for anyone. He pops upstairs and puts away his briefcase and his suit jacket before he returns to the kitchen where he can hear and smell human activity.

He stands awkwardly in the doorway.] Uh. Need help, or anything?

[ooeeooahah]

[ She smiles, shaking her head. ]

I'm making roast chicken tonight, with salad. I could use some help with the drinks, though?

[ She nods to the iced tea pitcher siting by the sink, as she chops vegetables for the salad. ]

[hotfrombehind]

[He nods even though he's not sure if she sees him.

Well, the stuff's in a pitcher already, what the fuck is he supposed to do now? He takes a few uncertain steps into the kitchen. Cups, right. Which cupboard are they in again? He pokes his head through several cupboards.]

[ooeeooahah]

[ Her voice is soft. ]

Glasses are in the cabinet beside the sink, hon.

[ It's an automatic reaction. ]

[hotfrombehind]

Right. [Heads on over and starts to take as many as he can hold. Just as he takes his fifth one, he stops.]

Wait, how many do we need?

[ooeeooahah]

Just the four of us for now.

[ She sighs, ] If everyone shows for dinner.

[hotfrombehind]

Oh. Right. [He's never home enough to know how many they need. He puts the last one back in the cupboard and brings the the rest over to the counter the iced tea is sitting on, then he starts to pour the drinks.]

So, uh, do you like cooking?

[ooeeooahah]

It's... comforting. Something that I did for fun at home. Something I can control.

[ She shrugs, ] Something that... I can do.

[hotfrombehind]

Mmn. Makes sense. If I tried cooking, I'd probably burn half the shit I put on the stove for the fun of it.

[He puts the pitcher down and fidgets with the handle for a bit.] This place really makes people restless, huh... What did you do at home?

[ooeeooahah]

Well, when I wasn't studying or on rotation at the hospital, I generally did one patrol of a neighborhood every night.

[ She sounds a little tired, but it could be just the town. ]

[hotfrombehind]

[He fidgets some more and begins to tap his foot against the ground.] Studying for what?

[ooeeooahah]

Keeping up with the advancements. Just because I got my medical degree doesn't mean I'd quit studying. Got to keep up with the case studies and such.

[ She tosses the salad, and sets the bowl on the kitchen table. ]

[hotfrombehind]

Oh. You're a doctor, right. Almost forgot.

[He watches her move, stilling for a moment. Then he takes the glasses to the table one by one. Once that's set up, he leans against a chair and taps his fingers against it. There's a reason he generally stays away from home, away from people.]

[ooeeooahah]

[ She says softly, ] You still are not comfortable... not sure if it is this place or just me that is setting you off.

[ As if she's said nothing more than "the sky is blue", she turns to take the chicken out of the oven. ]

[hotfrombehind]

Could be both. Probably both. I just-- I'm not good with people. I mean, by now I probably would've tried to annoy the fuck out of you if it wasn't for the fact that you're a woman, and I don't think it's really nice to mess with a lady.

[ooeeooahah]

Especially one that sleeps in the same house. Why do I keep getting assigned spouses that dislike physical contact? Probably Sister Mary Michael is in charge, and is getting back at me for the junior prom incident.

[ There's no bite to the statement; if anything, she sounds resigned. ]