Myshuno! 1: The family's first meal after Buffy lifted Culinary
And so it begins!
Prompt: The family's first meal after Buffy lifted Culinary
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 762
"Thanks for helping set up the kitchen, Martin."
"It's no problem."
Buffy smiled. "Still, thanks." She opened the door to the fridge and looked at everything inside it. "What should I make for our celebratory meal?"
Martin looked around nervously. "Are you sure you should make anything? After, well, after last night..."
Buffy shook her head. "I haven't seen Dad today, have you? And Cordy - Cordy hasn't started haunting yet. It should be okay to be in the kitchen tonight."
"We'll have to be careful."
"We will. So what do you want?"
"What can you make?"
"Pretty much anything. Pork chops, salmon, baked Alaska, lobster thermidore..."
"How about a turkey? Something simple."
"I can do that. It'll take about an hour to cook, though."
"That's fine. I'll take Xander's bottle up, let Eloise and Liam know that dinner will be served."
"Thanks."
An hour later, Martin, Eloise, and Liam came downstairs - Xander had been put to bed, curled up in his crib, and would be fine sleeping on his own with all of them downstairs for a bit.
As he sat down, Liam looked at the table with a frown. "What is that?"
"It's called turkey," Buffy answered. "It's a type of meat. It's very good."
He poked at it with his fork. "You sure it's safe to eat?"
"Positive."
"It doesn't look anything like burgers or hot dogs or sandwiches."
"Ah, turkey," Eloise said, cutting into her piece with relish and taking a bite. "How I have missed you so."
"You've had this before, Mom?" Liam asked.
"In the days of my girlhood, when anyone could eat anything. These restrictions didn't always exist, you know. It's not until your father graduated from college that, well, everything happened." She shook her head and took another bite. "We could almost go back to those days, with this. It's a lovely meal, Buffy."
"Thanks, Mom."
"I just wish your father were here to see it. And your sister."
There was an awkward silence as everyone put down their forks, suddenly not hungry.
"You know what, I'm not hungry anymore," Liam said. "I'm gonna...uh...go check on Xander. Yeah. Thanks for the food, Buffy." He left the table and the room, heading upstairs, carefully not looking at the two urns on the floor of the kitchen.
Eloise frowned after him as she ate more turkey. "Has he gotten that used to not eating? A boy his age should be a bottomless pit."
Buffy and Martin exchanged a glance. "I think the talk of the deaths upset him, Mom," Buffy said quietly. "It upset me."
Eloise stopped eating for a moment and frowned, a sudden clearness coming into her eyes. "I...forgot, Buffy. I'm sorry."
Buffy smiled sadly. "I know, Mom," she whispered. "I know."
And with that, the clearness was gone, and Eloise returned to her turkey, eating everything on the plate, down to every last crumb.
Martin slowly stood up. "I'm going to get the dishes."
"Don't forget to put the leftovers in the fridge. It should keep them, now."
"Of course."
As Martin tidied the kitchen, carefully avoiding the urns, Buffy sat at the table with her mother, picking at her turkey. She managed a few bites, but the conversation had left her stomach in knots, and everything tasted like ashes.
"Aren't you going to finish that? You're a growing girl, you know!"
"I'm not hungry, Mom. Do you want it?"
"Oh, why not? It's been so long since I've had turkey." Eloise pulled the plate to her and began eating, telling a long story of the last time she'd eaten turkey before the apocalypse had happened. Buffy listened with one ear, watching the quiet kitchen as Martin finished cleaning up. He took Eloise's plate when she was done, then silently slipped upstairs.
"Come on, Mom. Let's get you to bed."
Eloise smiled at her daughter. "That sounds like a good plan."
"Yeah," Buffy said quietly. "Yeah." She led her mother out of the kitchen, glancing one last time at her father and sister's urns as she did so. "Sorry you couldn't taste it," she whispered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Mom. Let's get you upstairs."
"Yes. All that turkey made me tired!"
Buffy grinned. "I think it does that." As Buffy helped her mother into the big bed, then climbed in herself, she thought over the evening. It hadn't been all that celebratory, but it was nice to be able to eat anything at any time. And perhaps the food would save the rest of them from dying early. It couldn't hurt, anyway.
Prompt: The family's first meal after Buffy lifted Culinary
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 762
"Thanks for helping set up the kitchen, Martin."
"It's no problem."
Buffy smiled. "Still, thanks." She opened the door to the fridge and looked at everything inside it. "What should I make for our celebratory meal?"
Martin looked around nervously. "Are you sure you should make anything? After, well, after last night..."
Buffy shook her head. "I haven't seen Dad today, have you? And Cordy - Cordy hasn't started haunting yet. It should be okay to be in the kitchen tonight."
"We'll have to be careful."
"We will. So what do you want?"
"What can you make?"
"Pretty much anything. Pork chops, salmon, baked Alaska, lobster thermidore..."
"How about a turkey? Something simple."
"I can do that. It'll take about an hour to cook, though."
"That's fine. I'll take Xander's bottle up, let Eloise and Liam know that dinner will be served."
"Thanks."
An hour later, Martin, Eloise, and Liam came downstairs - Xander had been put to bed, curled up in his crib, and would be fine sleeping on his own with all of them downstairs for a bit.
As he sat down, Liam looked at the table with a frown. "What is that?"
"It's called turkey," Buffy answered. "It's a type of meat. It's very good."
He poked at it with his fork. "You sure it's safe to eat?"
"Positive."
"It doesn't look anything like burgers or hot dogs or sandwiches."
"Ah, turkey," Eloise said, cutting into her piece with relish and taking a bite. "How I have missed you so."
"You've had this before, Mom?" Liam asked.
"In the days of my girlhood, when anyone could eat anything. These restrictions didn't always exist, you know. It's not until your father graduated from college that, well, everything happened." She shook her head and took another bite. "We could almost go back to those days, with this. It's a lovely meal, Buffy."
"Thanks, Mom."
"I just wish your father were here to see it. And your sister."
There was an awkward silence as everyone put down their forks, suddenly not hungry.
"You know what, I'm not hungry anymore," Liam said. "I'm gonna...uh...go check on Xander. Yeah. Thanks for the food, Buffy." He left the table and the room, heading upstairs, carefully not looking at the two urns on the floor of the kitchen.
Eloise frowned after him as she ate more turkey. "Has he gotten that used to not eating? A boy his age should be a bottomless pit."
Buffy and Martin exchanged a glance. "I think the talk of the deaths upset him, Mom," Buffy said quietly. "It upset me."
Eloise stopped eating for a moment and frowned, a sudden clearness coming into her eyes. "I...forgot, Buffy. I'm sorry."
Buffy smiled sadly. "I know, Mom," she whispered. "I know."
And with that, the clearness was gone, and Eloise returned to her turkey, eating everything on the plate, down to every last crumb.
Martin slowly stood up. "I'm going to get the dishes."
"Don't forget to put the leftovers in the fridge. It should keep them, now."
"Of course."
As Martin tidied the kitchen, carefully avoiding the urns, Buffy sat at the table with her mother, picking at her turkey. She managed a few bites, but the conversation had left her stomach in knots, and everything tasted like ashes.
"Aren't you going to finish that? You're a growing girl, you know!"
"I'm not hungry, Mom. Do you want it?"
"Oh, why not? It's been so long since I've had turkey." Eloise pulled the plate to her and began eating, telling a long story of the last time she'd eaten turkey before the apocalypse had happened. Buffy listened with one ear, watching the quiet kitchen as Martin finished cleaning up. He took Eloise's plate when she was done, then silently slipped upstairs.
"Come on, Mom. Let's get you to bed."
Eloise smiled at her daughter. "That sounds like a good plan."
"Yeah," Buffy said quietly. "Yeah." She led her mother out of the kitchen, glancing one last time at her father and sister's urns as she did so. "Sorry you couldn't taste it," she whispered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, Mom. Let's get you upstairs."
"Yes. All that turkey made me tired!"
Buffy grinned. "I think it does that." As Buffy helped her mother into the big bed, then climbed in herself, she thought over the evening. It hadn't been all that celebratory, but it was nice to be able to eat anything at any time. And perhaps the food would save the rest of them from dying early. It couldn't hurt, anyway.