Third floor common room [early evening]

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat had spent the weekend dead (by pillow and of all the ways he'd been killed in the past that was by far the most embarrassing) and had come back with a very apologetic Zayne helping to dig him out of the ground.

Bloody stupid island.

So Mat had spent most of the day sleeping (after taking two record breaking showers in terms of both heat of water and length of time spent under it), and was now playing fetch with the wee elves in the common room.

He was hoping if he looked adorable enough someone would feed him.

[OOC: So very open.]

Comments

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Amazing the luck he had.

A few moments after he'd come in, a young man and his dog trotted by, heading for the kitchen on the side of the common room.

The smell of cooking chicken in butter and herbs came about five minutes later.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"That smells bloody fantastic," Mat commented, grinning over.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir didn't know the other boy, but he turned and gave a smile. Makejoy, being the giant black ball of fluff and love that she was, toddled over curiously to investigate him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, "as I can finish this up for you and make another one for myself. I'm mostly eating because I haven't had anything today but bread."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"I spent most of the weekend dead, so I'm starved," Mat admitted cheerily, holding his hand out for Makejoy to investigate. Mat'd grown up on a farm, so he was easy around animals. "Thank you. I can char a rabbit over a fire if I must, but my mother and sisters chased me out of the kitchen."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He considered a comment on the fish well, discarded it, and finally just nodded.

"I cook more than I eat, so I certainly don't mind. My... mother didn't much like menial work so it was largely left to me. That included the cooking, for any number of reasons."

All very conversational, which was really a step up for Liir. No angsty pauses or sad looks. Makejoy might have had something to do with it.

The large black Newfoundland sniffed at Mat's hand before ducking her head under it for a petting.

"Would you like some vegetable as well? Or a bit of the pumpkin bread I have in my room on the side?"

He'd been saving the other loaf for pumpkin bread pudding, but a chunk or two wouldn't interfere with that.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"The bird will be fine," Mat said with a smile as he pet the dog. "I don't want you to go to any additional trouble, really."

Though Mat was more than happy to take advantage of the trouble Liir was going to now, of course.

"If your mother didn't prefer menial labor, am I right in thinking you didn't grow up in the country?" Mat asked.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

That got a snort.

"I grew up in the middle of nowhere," he said as he reached up into the cupboard for the bread anyway and sliced off a couple of pieces. It was recovered and replaced a moment later, before he answered.

"Definitely considered the country where I'm from. What about you?"

And he went to get some carrots to candy on the side.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"On a farm a week past the middle of nowhere," Mat said, making a face. "This is much better."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I couldn't agree with you more," he said. The carrots went into a little pan with a bit of butter, some brown sugar, and a touch of pepper. Considering what he was making, he quirked his lips and pulled out a bowl, some flour, and eggs.

Makejoy, for her part, turned her head to lick at his wrist.

"Not from Earth?" he guessed.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"But not from the stars, either," Mat said quickly. "I didn't know there was anywhere but home until I got here."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"We'd had a visitor or two from this place," he admitted as he started with the dumplings. The chicken was cooking, the carrots were covered, and the bread was sliced. He'd be done within a few minutes for the both of them.

"Earth, I mean. Not this island. I never expected to come here after the girl went home, though. It just sort of happened as I was heading off to enlist in the Home Guard."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"You were joining the military?" Mat said, instantly interested.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I was trying not to starve to death," he answered as he mixed up the bread dumplings.

"And it was one of the few places that were hiring, so to speak. Not to mention that I'd spent a good few years learning all manner of things from some of the Gale Forcers. They were stationed in Red Windmill near where I lived."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat nodded. "Were the Gale Forcers calvary or foot soldiers?" he asked.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Foot soldiers," he said. More cooking, more moving about in the kitchen. It was good and distracting and the smells were lovely. The first piece of chicken he'd put in was near to plating.

"But most of them had training to ride."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"So mounts aren't a problem to find in your land?"

Mat, your being a general is showing...

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He shook his head.

"We've enough horses. You can find them from North to South and the Emerald besides. Some of them are Horses, of course, but folks are doing all manner of things to avoid trouble now. Why do you ask?"

Chicken breast, meet plate. Plate, meet candied carrots and bread. Makejoy was curling up on Mat's feet as Liir walked over with the warm meal.

"Here you go," complete with fork and knife.

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

Mat was friends with Aravis and so knew what the capital letter meant in Horse. "Back home we always have more men than we have horses to put them on, and speed matters when you are on the offensive. If you strike the enemy where they don't think you can possibly be, you win."

He took a bite from the plate and grinned. "This is very, very good."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I should think that was obvious," he said with a little shrug. The smile was a little smaller as he turned to head back to the kitchen and finish his own meal, but not because he held anything against Mat.

The military was a rather loaded subject for him, much like religion and family. There was love and hate in all three of them.



"Who are you on the offensive against?"

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it is obvious," Mat said, "but you'd be amazed to know how many absolute fools are placed in charge of armies."

Mat could give you names, too. He wasn't much impressed by most nobles.

"Oh, I'm on defense," he said. "Most of humanity is. It's a long, boring tale and will put you off your dinner. I prefer gambling and dancing, in any event."

Because Mat was really terribly shallow. Really. Just ask him.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't be surprised in the least. Incompetence is practically a prerequisite to certain positions, second only to corruption and greed usually."

...someone had grown up listening to rambling, angry rhetoric, why do you ask?

"Though I'm not much for gambling. Dance is all right. Mostly, I cook."

He turned the second chicken breast, threw a couple of the dumplings in the pot and turned to face him.

"If you're on this floor and you're ever hungry, don't hesitate to knock. I've almost always got something to eat and I don't mind cooking for anyone here."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"That is very good to know," Mat said with a grin, "as my options tend to be limited to tea and whatever looks safe in the cupboards. It's important to figure out where the cook is."

He took another few bites of his dinner.

"Dancing really impresses the women here. I recommend it."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"316. And I've never been particularly impressive, so I suppose that's why I never knew," but he didn't sound upset about that. He was smiling a little, in fact.

"Besides, I've... well, I'm sort of seeing someone."

[bloody-luck.livejournal.com]

"Are you another one of those poor souls already strapped into a long-term relationship?" Mat tsked sadly.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"I don't know how long it might last," he admitted as he poked at the dumplings in the pot, "considering I've been here two years and this would be my third."