Second Floor Common Room, Wednesday

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack puttered around the common room on the Second Floor which was clearly the best, trying to find something good to cook. Hrm. Chicken...spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, looks like it's spaghetti night with chicken.

[Open like a common room. For one person in particular.]

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[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra was at something of a loss as to what to do with her time since there were no classes. She'd spent most of the day in her room working on her alphabet skills, and that meant she'd skipped breakfast and lunch. So at the first hint of the smell of cooking food wafting down the hall? Cassandra was totally out of her room and headed that way.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack saluted her with one of those scoopy ladle things used with noodles. "Hi!" Was she here to help?

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Hey," she waved back. Of course she was here to help. All Jack had to do was point her to the food and she'd be glad to get rid of some of it for him.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

It wasn't quite ready yet. The sauce was simmering nicely, but those noodley things don't cook themselves, and as for the chicken? It's being cooked.

He quirked his eyebrow and gestured with the noodley spoon thing. Did she know how to cook noodles?

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra knew only one thing about noodles: they were for eating. "I didn't know you could cook," she said. Just to kill time, really.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Of course I can cook," he said. She should have added 'well' to her statement. "Can cook burgers, hot dogs, pizza, baked chicken, fried chicken, make a mean meatloaf, decent goulash, all that stuff. It's mostly meat, and that's easy." He peered at the noodles. They were done.

"Hey, can you toss that strainer thing in the sink for me?" he asked, pointing at the colander on the drying rack before grabbing the pot of noodles and very hot water. "Need to drain the noodles. Need to stir the sauce, too."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Um, sure?" Cassandra picked up the strainer and tossed it to him. Overhand. He can catch it, right?

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

He can catch it. And now comes the fun juggling act of hot noodle cookware, sink, and the pouring of the one into the other with the colander as an intermediary.

Actually, it works out. Huh.

"Can you stir the sauce? Spoon's right there," he nodded with his head at the wooden spoon stirring thing, busy with steaming clouds of water and hot noodles.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"I... can try?" Fortunately for everyone involved, stirring sauce was well withing Cassandra's ability to do.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," he said, wrestling with the noodle monster. Thankfully, it's not flying. "SHould be ready in just a sec. SHit! THe chicken! Can you flip the chicken?" he asked, putting the noodles into the drained pot. He head-nods at the spatula and the tongs.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra picked up the indicated kitchen implements, but then held them up frowning. Flipping people she was familiar with. Flipping chicken?

"Uh... what am I supposed to do?"

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Um. Pick up the chicken with the tongs or the spatula, and put the less-cooked side down?" he said, carrying over the pot of noodles and so totally flexing while he did it to the stove. "Don't want to end up with chicken that's burned on one side and raw on the other. Doesn't taste right."

Because clearly, one should be worried about taste rather than potential bacterial nasties.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Oh," she could do that. With a few quick movements the chicken is flipped as instructed.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Hey. You're cooking," he pointed out, setting the noodles down. He grabbed two plates and scooped some noodles on to each. "Add sauce and add chicken and dinner is served," he said with a smile.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra considered these instructions for a moment, then grabbed the sauce to add half of it to each plate. Then she did the same with the chicken.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"This looks good. Smell that? That's dinner!" He grabbed silverware and held a set out to her. "Let's see how good it tastes."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Taking a curious sniff, Cassandra took a large forkful of pasta, barely managing to fit it all in her mouth. After some thoughtful chewing, she nodded, "Not bad."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"See? Cooking is easy. Just follow the steps." He tried to out-do her forkful with his.

Jack had a big mouth, indeed.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

So he did. That was a lot of food.

Cassandra shrugged, "Can't read instructions, so it's hard to follow them."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"So you're, what's it called, illegitimate?" he asked. He'd heard the word before, and it was always whispered, so he figured that's what it was.

"I'm no great reader myself, but I get by." He didn't.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra frowned, "Um... I don't think my parents were married." It never came up, really.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Huh. What does her parents being married have to do with her reading? He didn't follow. Talk about food? Yes, Jack, talk about food. "So how's the food?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Not bad," she repeated. There was a slight frown on her face, didn't she already say that?

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Good. Food is good." ...why was she frowning. Did he say something wrong? Quick! Talk! "So. Um." Smart. "Would you be interested in this being a regular thing?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Eating?" she asked, somewhat confused. It was already something she made a habit of doing on a regular basis.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"...Yes. And possibly cooking. With me." It was said in something between too-quickly and too-cocky. He was tensed, nervous.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"I'm not really a cooking sort of person, I don't think."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Well, I could do most of it. Could always use an extra set of hands for stuff." Hequirked his eyebrow. Was that a yes?

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"So, like, regular meals for people on the floor and stuff?" It would be hard to say whether she was missing the "extremely subtle" two-person implications by accident or on purpose.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Depends on how much we make. If it's something small, might just be enough for two or three, maybe with leftovers, right? If we go whole-hog...we could feed the island," he said with a grin.

"I wasn't thinking that much food, though, more like something smaller. Two people or so, small group." Like two. Two was a group. "You interested?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Just... two?" Cassandra frowned. "Um... I don't think... That is, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Oh." He frowned. "It'd be better with more people?" People who weren't Jack?

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"I think so?" People who were Jack were fine, really. As long as they weren't the only ones there.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Good," he said. So... he'd need to find more people who weren't him. "Do... you have a day in mind?" For the not-date with other people.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Cassandra shrugged, "I'm hungry at some point most days."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

"Well, how 'bout this. Whenever you get hungry, drop by, and I'll make some food. We'll get whoever else is in here," he gestured, "to help. Or to taste it, see if it's good."

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Um... okay. I guess that sounds good."

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

He smiled. Things were slightly less awkward. "Did you want to make it a formal thing? Set day, set time, instead of just whenever?" Oh, there went that less-awkward.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Cassandra blinked.

"Why?"

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

He blinked back. It was not Morse code.

"I dunno?"

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

"Then I guess there's no reason to?"

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

She had a point. "Fair enough." He half-smiled.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Of course she did. She half-smiled back and went back to her food.

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack hated to lose a point. Even more that she had a good point. Ah, well, at least the food is good. And the company's excellent. His half-smile upgraded.

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

The food was pretty good, really. Cassandra wouldn't be against doing this again. Because, hey, free food!

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack knows the food is good. He cooked it, and he knows food. He quirked his eyebrow. It's good, right?

[iseewhatyoumean.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately Cass is too absorbed in eating all of the food to notice. It's good food, she's distracted!

[inthereflexes.livejournal.com]

Jack might have thought that rude, if he hadn't noticed that she seemed to be enjoying herself. And the food. Possibly his company. But definitely the food.