Second Floor Common Room [Late Morning]

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

After his first class, Ned had come back to the dorms without much in mind as to what to do to pass the time until his class later in the day.

After talking himself into and out of it several times, he'd finally gathered up some things he'd purchased over the weekend and trundled everything down the hall to the common room. It was empty for the time being.

Before he could talk himself out of it once more, he started baking for the first time in years. A pie, of course. A simple apple pie but it felt good to be baking again. It'd been awhile.

[Open CR is open. He'll share, of course.]

Comments

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Yup! Turtle & Canary, in town!" Turtle chirped, preening proudly. "You can't miss it. It's the second most prosperous business in the town, and we sell everything, as well as being home of great prices and amazing deals."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"What's the first most prosperous business?" Ned wondered but made a mental note to visit Turtle and Canary for ingredients.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Caritas," Turtle said with a slight wrinkling of her nose. "People here loooooooove their booze, oh man."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I don't drink," Ned said, making sure she didn't think he was going to be contributing to that. "At all. I'd get sick if I tried."

He didn't know that but it seemed a good thing to say.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Again, Ned seemed to inspire a distasteful groan out of Turtle; her hand went to her stomach, but she looked as though she'd only done so because it couldn't hold both her stomach and her head at the same time. "I'm the same way," she muttered, frowning. "I try to avoid it, but you have to be careful. Squirrels have no souls, and if you have a fruity drink around them, they will be mean and put rum in it and get you drunk anyway, so you make a complete fool of yourself to the entire listening population and, even worse, you boyfriend."

Pause.

"Or, well, not your boyfriend. Not that there's anything wrong with it if you do have one, though, of course."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I don't," he said and blushed. "So, I should stay away from Caritas or just from fruity drinks in general?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"I would say fruity drinks in general," Turtle said, with a firm nod, after a bit of a thought about it. "The drink in question was actually picked up at that bar with the swings in Bali Hai, so..."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"So, I should just drink water forever," Ned said, thinking this a very safe and secure plan. "It's clear so if there's ever any blemish, I know it's been breached."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"You should drink milk, too," Turtle pointed out. "Because it's really good for you. And it's white, so, you know, most things would show up in that, too. Plus? Milk? Goes really good with pie!"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Speaking of pie," Ned said, reaching down to pull the pie out of the oven. "Would you like a piece?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Oooh, it was done! Turtle bounced a little. "Yes please!"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Okay," he said, pleased with her reaction and pleased with how the pie looked. With extra care, he cut Turtle a piece of the pie, setting it carefully on a plate. He added a fork and then haded it to her.

"There we go," he said, smiling at his first created pie since leaving Longburrow.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"Yaaay," Turtle remarked, applauding a little at the very nice presentation that Ned had so carefully approached, and took the the fork. She waited a minute, though, of course, because it was still probably quite hot, but, really, there was only so long a person could sit there and not eat a pie that was sitting right there and calling out their name.

She made sure to blow on the little forkfull she'd gotten, though, before putting it in her mouth. And it was still really hot, but, with a humming sort of mumble, she chewed away and, for lack of being able to talk because of the pie in her mouth, just nodded and gave Ned a thumbs up of approval.

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

Ned's smile went from hopeful to relief all in the span of a few mere moments. "Good. All that time spent not baking didn't affect me too much. Good, I'm glad it's good and that you like it. Not too sweet?"

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle shook her head. "I don't think so," she said, pie still not exactly chewed and swallowed entirely, so her hand went up to her mouth as she continued. "I like it. Lots better than what I could do."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Sorry it's so hot," he apologized. "It's easier to get it cut and served initially that way. The filling's still cooling and it's settling. Really good."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

"S'okay," Turtle said through the slightly open-mouthed attempt to cool down what was already in her mouth, bobbing her head again. "Worth it."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"I'll bring you a fan next time," Ned promised, smiling.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle moved toward the fridge, to get herself the milk they were previously talking about; she started to pour a glass, finally swallowing to clearly say, "Nah, next time I'll just have to do this before eating the pie. You want any?"

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Oh, please, thank you," Ned said, dishing himself up a piece of pie. "And thanks."

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Two glasses, then, and Turtle returned to her own slice of pie, handing Ned the second glass of milk. "Hey, no problem," she said, shrugging a bit and taking a sip of her own. "Now the picture is complete."

[death-and-pies.livejournal.com]

"Thank you for joining me," Ned said, toasting her with his glass.

[stocksgrrl.livejournal.com]

Turtle lifted her glass in response. "No problem. Anything for floor solidarity." She took another sip and then dug back into her pie.

"Especially if there's pie involved."