Third floor common room [afternoon]

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat had nothing to do on Wednesdays, which meant that he slept in until it was borderline criminal (and the yellow paint on the walls of his room gave him a headache), then poked around looking for something to entertain him.

Today he had settled on tossing dice in the third floor common room and hoping someone would come along who could cook for him. The burnt remains of what had been a package of bacon in the trash can--and the smoke in the room--would let people know how Mat's first attempt at fending for himself had worked out.

Comments

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"I can see that," Helen said dryly. "Was there something in particular you were trying to cook or was it just the bacon?"

She was already looking through the shelves to see what there might be available.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Bacon I recognized, so I tried to cook bacon," Mat replied.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen looked at him consideringly. "I could make spaghetti," she said. "But perhaps you'd prefer a, well, it's a ground meat dish with noodles and a tasty sauce."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat shrugged easily. "I eat just about anything." That came from having noblemen's servants around, feeding him ridiculous food like potted larks. He'd rather stick with mutton, generally. "Spaghetti--" he pronounced the unfamiliar word carefully, "--sounds good."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen nodded and began pulling out some pots. "Would you mind filling this large one with water?" she asked. "I'll start cooking a little hamburger to add to the sauce."

Which was quickly dumped into yet another pan to begin warming.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"This is a lot faster than going down to the bloody well," Mat said happily as he filled up the pot.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She grinned over at him. "Or having to catch your own food."

The hamburger was already browning in the pan, so that it would have a decent amount of time to cook in with the sauce.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"A slingshot and a good pair of eyes will get you a rabbit more often than not," Mat said, "but I am much more in favor of the magical cool box that doesn't make me skin things."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

She considered that as she added salt to the water and turned the stove up high. "I learned to use a variety of guns, but not a slingshot," Helen admitted. "That skill would have been useful when I was Walking the Bounds."

The hamburger was drained of the grease and then added to the sauce. She wrinkled her nose at the dried oregano, but added a bit to the sauce anyway.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"I've fired a gun in class!" Mat said eagerly. "Burn me, but they're useful things. We're still stuck with horseback and bloody pigeons at home."

Well, and whatever it was that Rand and the Aes Sedai had recently rediscovered. Mat preferred the horses.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen nodded. "Very. I can teach you more if you're interested. Unfortunately, they are completely useless if one doesn't have access to them."

The smell of the sauce was beginning to fill the room.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"We have crossbows and fireworks," Mat said. "So far, I can't get them to combine in a way that won't make everyone bloody explode."

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen considered that for a moment. "Perhaps your fuse hasn't been long enough?"

The water was finally at a boil and she dumped in a couple of boxes of spaghetti. It was a common room, more people might come in search of food and if not, well, nothing wrong with cold or reheated spaghetti.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Don't say it, Mat.

Mat?

"My fuse is plenty long enough," he replied, winking, then peered into the pot. "How hungry do you believe I am?"

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen blinked at him, then laughed. "I'm afraid I like to judge those things for myself."

Then she gave him her best innocent look. Which, honestly, was quite terrible. "You don't think we can eat all of that?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Not without exploding," Mat decided.

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"I would have to agree," Millie said with another smile. "But when I cook in common rooms I do try to make extra for others who might come in. And if they don't well... you'll have leftovers to eat tomorrow. And the next day and the next day and..."