5th Floor Common Room, Sunday morning

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael had set up in the common room kitchen to provide breakfast again.

This morning, it was pancakes.

Comments

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Still yawning, Inara had wandered in, looking for Gavin. A headache had kept her out of commission for most of yesterday, and she couldn't help feeling she'd missed something important.

"Good morning," she greeted the other boy, then watched him cook for a few minutes. "Are you new to Fandom?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Yep", he returned with a slight smile. "Got in last weekend. I'm Michael."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Welcome. I'm Inara," she smiled back. "Would you like some help? I don't know what you're making, but I take direction reasonably well."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Pancakes", he told her. "And they're pretty easy... you want some?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I didn't mean for you to have to cook for me," she said quickly. "That's not why I came in!"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"It's no problem", he assured her. "I was doing breakfast for folks the other day, too."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"If you're sure," she hedged. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Wouldn't have offered if it was going to be a bother."

He reached for the pancake mix.

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"As long as we understand each other," she smiled at him again, then began rummaging through the cupboards for tea. "How are you liking it here, so far?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"It's pretty good so far. Classes are interesting, I got a job, it's... quiet."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Is quiet good, or just not what you're used to?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Pretty good. I grew up out in the desert. Not a big town."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Sounds a bit like how my boyfriend Gavin grew up," she grinned, measuring tea into a teapot. "Are you from this planet, or from another one?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I'm from Earth. Not sure if it's this one or not."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Huh." And now she was setting water on to heat. "I wish I could tell you how to tell, but I grew up with Earth-that-Was as practically a myth, so I can't help there, either." She shrugged. "Not that it's really important, but some people take comfort from it."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael shrugged. "Home's people, not anywhere on Earth, so it doesn't matter. I know how to get back to them."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

She wasn't sure how to take that, though she wasn't sure she disagreed with him. "Was it a long trip?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"From New Mexico to the causeway? Yeah, it's kind of a long way, but it's okay when you fly."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"By airplane, or using another method?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Airplane. Can't fly any other way."

This was actually true. Probably.

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Me either, though I doubt that's true of everyone."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Well, there's space shuttles, but not in the atmosphere."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Oh, there are several people here with craft capable of travelling between galaxies, but what I meant were people capable of actually flying, without help of aircraft or shuttles," she said, "I haven't seen anyone, but with everything else that goes on here, I think it's at least a possibility."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Oh - yeah, here I'd bet there are. But not back on my Earth."

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Not on my home planet, either."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"You got space travel in your universe?" he asked idly, flipping the pancakes.

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

"Interplanetary? Sure, otherwise commerce would be impossible," she said, pouring water over the leaves and waiting for it to steep. "Intergalactic, maybe, too, but I'm not as sure about that."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael blinked.

"Commerce would be impossible? You don't trade within planets?"

[ambassadorinara.livejournal.com]

Blushing, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I misspoke. Most of the rim planets are used for agricultural purposes--meat, grain, vegetables, and so forth. The central planets are more often where luxury items are produced--automobiles, high-fashion clothing," companions, "that kind of thing. So we just...trade."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Ah, okay. Rich folks live on the central planets, then?"

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Ohaiyo," Dōjima muttered, shuffling in and making a beeline for the fridge. "Dou genki?"

Blearily yanking it open, Dōjima peered over her sunglasses at the contents within. "Nani? You've got to be kidding...does anyone have the orange juice?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael watched these proceedings, amused.

"Good night yesterday? Juice's right here."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Almost any night's a good night if you go about it right," she replied, grinning at him as she reached for the juice. "I'm just not a morning person. Ever."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Ahh, one of those." He nudged the juice her way. "I'm Michael. Pancakes?"

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Please!" Dōjima gave him her best big, pitiful puppy eyes over her glasses. "Dōjima, Dōjima Yurika. Nice to meet you."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Dojima. How many d'you want?"

He was already reaching for the mix and the milk.

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Enough to feed an army!" she joked, moving to try and peer over his shoulder. "I can't cook at all, and my tummy is all confused with the time difference between here and home. Um, four, maybe?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Four I can do", he agreed. "Easy."

[dojima-hime.livejournal.com]

"Awesome!" Refilling her glass, Dōjima chugged some more juice. "Cooking for any particular reason, or just bored?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I like cooking", he said with a shrug. "Passes the time."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

After spending the previous day locked up in his room, Kabuto was itching to get out. The early morning had been dedicated to handwavy training in the preserve, but after that and a shower he still felt like being outside the room. So, still-damp hair loose around his shoulders, Kabuto wandered into the common room to see what other people were doing.

"Good morning," he said with a smile and a slight wave.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Hey", Michael returned from behind the counter. "Don't think I've seen you before."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"I do a lot of research," Kabuto explained with a half-shrug. "I'm Yakushi Kabuto, room 505. And, you are...?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Michael Guerin", he answered. "512."

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"Nice to meet you, Michael." The ninja smiled, reaching up to pull his hair into its usual ponytail. "Do you usually cook here?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, once in a while. Breakfast, normally - you want some?"

[sound-loyalty.livejournal.com]

"No, thank you. I ate when I got up." Kabuto looked Michael up and down critically, studying him.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael eyed him right back, warily.

"What?"