Tiniest Penguin Campfire [evening]

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

Kaylee was back to her old fight: roasting things over a fire.

She was rapidly learning that s'mores were doomed to be messy -- not that she minded, but it was something to remember.

Today, though she was trying something new, and had an assortment of fresh fruit along with the marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers. She was curious as to whether pears or apples would toast well.

Strawberries, it turned out, did not.

[open campfire is open. keep me company while I flail about packing!]

Comments

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Prince Oscar Pedro didn't really like being too cooped up in the cabins for long, and Chad didn't really at all mind when the cat started pawing at him to go for a walk, and so that's what they did, the hairless cat prancing forward with Chad drifting behind him. As they passed by Tiniest Penguin, the cat got a sniff of something and went to go investigate; Chad, of course, followed, and soon figured out what it probably was that had attracted Prince Oscar Pedro.

//"No, Neko-kun,"// he warned the cat in Japanese. //"You eat that chocolate, you'll get sick."//

Then he lifted a hand to Kaylee, too, seeing here there. "Hey. Don't give the cat chocolate, no matter how cutely he looks at you to get some."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

Kaylee was trying really, really hard not to stare.

But she couldn't help it. "That's a kittycat? Are you sure?"

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

It was odd, really, how Chad was still in the habit of not expecting that response from people. He sighed slightly, taking a quick glance around for what looked like the sturdiest log to sit on, before having a seat and saying, "Yup. I'm sure. He's a hairless breed."

And that hairless breed was snaking his way quickly over to Kaylee, with the intention to rub up against her ankles and purr in hopes of getting some food. Because Prince Oscar Pedro was still under the impression that it was just as cute when he did it as it would be if he was just covered in fur.

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

Kaylee wasn't scared of him or nothing -- she just had never seen a kitty that looked like that. "Ooooh. I ain't never -- I mean, the kitties at home all got hair, y'know?" she said, reaching down to gently scritch behind Prince Oscar Pedro's ear.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Well, they weren't food, but Prince Oscar Pedro would gladly take ear scritches. He let out an appreciative, scratchy meow, lifting his head into the scratches as his purr kicked up a notch.

"Most of 'em here do, too," Chad explained. "So he's kind of rare."

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"He's...distinct-lookin'!" she offered. "Won't get him confused with no other kittycats."

[not_in_the_book]

"Hey, Chad," Ronan said, smiling at the other guy. "It's been a while."

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad blinked a little before raising his hand in a sort-of wave. It had been a while. "Hey, Ronan. What's up?"

[not_in_the_book]

"Not a whole lot," he replied. "Upset that I missed the first half of the summer on the island -- I had to go home for a bit, help out with some things there. How about you? And how're things with Teddy?"

And, okay, maybe there was an ever so slight amount of blush at the memory of... almost a year ago now, really, on the beach.

[senor-chado.livejournal.com]

Chad, too, had an ever so slight blush talking to Ronan again, but the nice thing about Chad's blushes were that his skin hid them well. "Things're good," he answered, with a slow nod. "We got him a cat the other day. It's...good having him back."

[not_in_the_book]

"Having him...? Oh! He was gone, too, right? I possibly handwavily, my mun can't quite remember heard that he'd been gone, too. That must have been rough." Ronan grinned. "So, a cat, eh? One like Prince Oscar Pedro Neko-kun, the Third? Or does this one actually have fur?"

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

So, there was someone he recognized but hadn't met yet and he'd been wanting to see her since he'd recognize her.

That made sense.

He wandered over and said, "Whatcha doin?"

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"Toastin' stuff!" she replied cheerily. "Strawberries don't work good. Case you was curious."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, usually fruits are made for salads and smoothies," he said, amused.

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"What's a smoothie?" she wondered.

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"Never had a smoothie?" he asked, flopping down beside her.

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan was wandering by when he saw the girl trying to roast the fruit. "Hey," he said, plunking himself down by the campfire. "How's it going?"

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

"Not too well," she admitted, eyeing her pile of fruit. "I'm not sure none of this is going to work as good as I want it to."

[not_in_the_book]

"Fruit usually doesn't roast very well," Ronan said, nodding. "It's the lack of oils and fats. And it's usually too wet to properly toast. A lot of them bake really well, though -- the sugars'll caramelise.

"But, here," he added, spearing a piece of orange on a convenient stick. "Try warming it up a little in the fire? Not enough to roast it or anything, just to warm it. And try it with the chocolate and graham cracker."

Suiting actions to words, after he judged the orange heated enough, he deftly flipped it off the stick and onto a graham cracker, and topped it with a piece of chocolate, which started to melt over the orange. He held it out to Kaylee.

[weefeetbigboots.livejournal.com]

She took it, just a little hesitantly. "I never put chocolate an' oranges together," she mused.

[not_in_the_book]

"No?" Ronan asked. "It's... well, maybe not common, but not really rare, either. I make a really good orange-spice cocoa." He smiled a little wider. "Try it. If you don't like it... well, I think you probably will, but if you don't I'll do something to make it up to you -- the waste of chocolate, I mean."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"New person!" Hannibal said, waving. "Well, new to me. Hello new to me person!"

[not_in_the_book]

"Hello, new to me person!" Ronan waved back, smiling widely, his lilt strengthening just a little. "Not so new, though -- been here for over a year, now, since the beginning of last summer." His smile widened just a little bit more. "You must have come in this term, though? Or last term, while I was away? I can't imagine having missed you for longer than that."

[decoder-rings.livejournal.com]

"This term," he said with a nod. "Hannibal King, new but growing older everyday. Soon, I'll have the slang and the secret handshake memorized."

[not_in_the_book]

Ronan gave a mock-gasp. "They've told you already about the secret handshake?" With a chuckle, he continued, "How're you finding Fandom, then? Much different from where you come from?"