fandomhighdorms | Fifth Floor Common Room [Sunday morning]

After so many requests for pancakes from her own children yesterday morning, Sookie figured that might be a theme for the weekend. And when she woke up, and Henry wasn't gone, at least, she'd run out to get a few supplies before returning to the common room to see what she could put together. (Though, of course, Henry had insisted on coming with her once he realized she was Going to the Store and he might Get Stuff.)

It clearly just wasn't her own children she was worried about, here, Drake/di Glacia/Stackhouse appetites aside. Sookie had bought enough things to make breakfast for pretty much any kids (and parents) who showed up. She was setting to work on the pancakes, but in other pans she was busily scrambling eggs and frying up some bacon. She'd also made a point to buy orange and apple juice and milk both chocolate and white, because there was no way in hell she was letting more of those kids just drink coffee. She didn't care if it was for a weekend, it was just irresponsible.

[open common room! come have breakfast!]

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"Suit yourself, hon," Sookie shrugged, as Henry turned his attention to Val, intent as only a five year-old could be. "I'm a really good taste-tester," he assured her before tripping over himself asking, "What'd you have for breffast?"

Henry was loud, in body language as well as speech, Val thought to herself. "Some toast," she said, "and caf. Just breakfast, really."

After a pause:

"And you've been at it long enough to be good, I think."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I'm old, too. I been taste-testin' since I was 'bout three, I think. Mama usually gives me this job 'cause I'm way better at it than anyone."

"But if you've mastered it, isn't it about time she really does give you a new challenge?" Val asked.

Sure, it wasn't quite her aunt Valentine starting a civil war at age fourteen, but Val the younger still had five years to beat her record to something big.

Henry looked unsure, frowning a little. "I can still do this even if I got new challenges," he decided, struggling with the big word for a moment. "It's good to be the best at things!"

"It is," Val said, patiently, "And nobody's telling you to give it up. But you could easily use this to prove to your mom that you do know what to do in the kitchen, right?"

"Yeah yeah!" he said, bouncing a little. "But she says I'm not big 'nough to use the stove yet! But I'm gonna grow up big!"

"And you're going to take that at face value?" she asked. "You do know adults lie all the time, right?"

She really should've taken one of Ender's quantum mechanics books when she'd left.

"Not my mama," Henry assured her. "It's not nice to lie. And 'sides, I can tell when people lie anyway."

Well, so could Valentine, but it never kept them from trying. Maybe that made her cynical, but it ran in the family.

"Well, when is the last time she measured you?" she asked, finally.

He thought about it, and decided, "'Fore I came here. I'm almost big 'nough!"

"But is she sure it was an accurate measurement?" Val wanted to know. "You know you grow a little every minute," she held up her hand, then moved it up, "and who's to say her oven measurements aren't out of date, anyway? That could be dangerous for her, too. Maybe you should see if she has everything in order."

Val's dads didn't talk about Fandom all that much, but she'd heard enough passing mentions of the horrors of such and such's cooking to piece together a not entirely flattering image of Fandom cuisine.

"Mama's careful," Henry said doubtfully, but he did hop out of his chair and hurry over to Sookie's side. He was soon dispatched right back to his chair after trying to touch a burner, even though he told her it wouldn't hurt him (duh.) "She says no, still."

"Talk about being a one-eyed man in the kingdom of the blind," Valentine muttered, after having watched that display. At least she'd gotten some amusement out of it, if very little in the way of progress.

Anything else she might have wanted to say was obscured when a twelve-year-old came barreling in spitting Portuguese at her.

Olhado came to a quick stop, gave Henry a brief once-over, and then said, "Speaker's looking for you."

"Hi!" Henry greeted the new person. "Are you speakin' French?"

...he only knew there were a few languages, okay.

"Tell Ender I'm fine," said Val. She didn't really want to explain that she'd only left to give him some space, and that she was well aware that Ender was mostly just looking after her out of a sense of duty. She was trying to avoid taking it too personally - her dad and this younger Ender were still different in a lot of ways. "I'm just having breakfast. Again."

Olhado pulled a face, but he looked past Valentine at the unknown boy. "Portuguese," he said, with a slight snort. "French is a few planets back."

"My mama can speak French," Henry told them, somehow both totally proud and also totally oblivious.

Olhado let his metal eyes track over the boy, and then towards his mother. Some of the movements seemed reminiscent of Olhado's own mother, but he currently didn't have a terminal he could check his eye-memory on. "Then which planet is she from?" he asked. "There are a couple settled by the French."

"I think she's just American," Val contributed, crossing her arms. "We're in the US of A right now, aren't we? I've heard stories."

"Mama's from Lou-i-si-ana," Henry confirmed, taking time with the word. "And Daddy is from Newyork."

"One of my dads isn't from Earth, the other one's from North Carolina," Val said. She was going to be stuck here for the forseeable few minutes anyway. She might as well provide information, if simply to keep Olhado's brain from exploding. "Olhado's ancestors are from Brazil."

Olhado made a noise between his teeth in disbelief. "I know the Speaker said this island was strange," he said, "but Earth? Am I even going to make it back to mom?"

"Where's Brazil?" Henry asked very interestedly. "Is it on Earth? That's our planet!"

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