Third Floor Common Room | Monday Afternoon

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Miley was maybe missing the cabins already. It just didn't seem fair that they had to move right when they'd finally gotten to a good temperature! But then again, that meant she didn't have to be around a bunch of cranky (but cute!) boys anymore, so it wasn't a total loss.

Still, her cabin nostalgia manifested itself when she marched right up to the common room, groceries in hand, and got started on making some catfish stew. It differed from the recipe in that she left the eyeballs in. They were the best part!

...Thank you for today's class, Alistair. All that cooking had made her want to make... this. Enjoy the smell of fish on the third floor, everyone.

[[Open common room!]]

Comments

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

Unlike Miley, Chuck was way, way happier back at the dorms and far away from weird shiny pools of water. Getting swallowed into alternate universes made you warier of anything suspicious like that. Especially once they were told to GTFO.

It didn't make any dent in his curiosity in this, though, odd smelling or not, it was still food. "... What are you making?"

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Catfish stew!" she said brightly, peering over the counter where she'd been stacking plates and cutlery. "Want some? It's almost ready."

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

There was something about the 'catfish' part that made it vaguely less appetizing. Chuck had already eaten, but he wandered closer to take a look all the same.

"That's a uh, unusual... thing to learn how to cook," he noted. "I mean, of all the popular dishes--" Catfish stew wasn't really one of them.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"It's a Southern thing," she explained. "Very popular down in Tennessee. Trust me."

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"California, we stick more to the burger and pizza side," Chuck told her, grinning. "Or... that could just be me." He was always a junk food sort of kid, unless Ellie forced him to be otherwise.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Miley laughed. "Yeah, that's what my friends always told me," she said. "I lived in LA for a few years before I came here. Everyone was all 'Hey, get that fish away from me!' and 'Eeeew, an eyeball!'"

She sighed. Silly, silly California people.
"Where in California are you from?"

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

"Oh, uh Encino?" Why did that sound like a question? Chuck cleared his throat and shrugged. "It's been a while since I went back there," he admitted.

"But I still have a bit of the 'ew, eyeball' in me." It was one of those things this place hadn't trained him out of.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Oh, come on! The eyeballs are great!"

Miley looked at the stew. There were only four eyeballs in it since she'd used two fish, but if he'd never tried it...
"Wanna try one?" she offered a bit reluctantly, scooping it out and offering it over to him.

[knowsnokungfu.livejournal.com]

He didn't want to seem rude, but... no, not really. "I uh, actually just ate." Completely true! "Whole big Mooby meal."

"So the eyeball is all yours." It didn't seem like she'd be too upset by that.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

With so much else on his mind, Alexander wasn't sparing much thought for the reason they were all being relocated. He just worried that, whatever it was, it didn't get in the way of his plans to go home this week and investigate this Derek Karlavaegen situation.

However, there was a scent in the air immediately drawing him toward the common room and a hopeful distraction.

"What is it you're cooking?" he asked when he came in. "It smells absolutely delectable."

A princely palette, he had not.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

That elicited a big, bright smile out of Miley. It was always nice to have her cooking complimented!

"Thanks! Do you want some? It's catfish stew. My daddy's recipe!"

Which made it award-winning, as far as she was concerned.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

Alexander couldn't help meeting a bright smile like that with one of his own, and a faint chuckle. "I should love some, if you are sharing, especially if it's a family recipe of yours."

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Great!" She ladled up a spoonful from the pot and scooped it onto one of the plates, then bounced over to offer it to Alexander. "Heeeere you go!" she sang.

And because he was so nice to her, she gave him a scoop with an eyeball in it. You're welcome, Alexander.

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

He was most blessed! Manannan always kept the eyeballs to either himself or the cat!

"Thank you," he said, taking the bowl and giving Miley a little bit of a bow in appreciation. "It looks as wonderful as it smells. Have you been cooking for a very long time?"

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Pretty much." She grinned. A cute boy who bowed at her! Neither of the guys in the cabin had ever bowed at her. "My Grandma Ruby taught me when I was little. I guess 'cause she knew she sure as heck wasn't gonna teach my brother anything."

[daventryprince.livejournal.com]

As Miley had spoken, Alexander had managed to shovel in a spoonful of the soup. His second spoonful, however, was much smaller, as he was remembering that even fish soup should require the proper way of eating. Still, a small slurp couldn't be helped, and he chuckled. "Is that so?" he asked. "Does he really not have much of a culinary hand, or is this just part of the conspiracy that sisters believe their brothers can't be taught anything at all?"

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

...He so got her.

"He's just kinda bad at everything," she explained. "Like, everything. One time, he lost his phone. It was in the refrigerator."

[hurtingzeebo]

Sam followed her nose to the Third Floor Common Room.

"Is that catfish?"

Why, yes, she could identify the fish type on smell alone. Sam knew her animal proteins.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Yep!" It was, and it was delicious. And Miley was just thrilled at how many people were here appreciating her fine, fine Southern cooking.

"Want some? There's three eyeballs left if you can make a decent argument for one of them."

[hurtingzeebo]

Admittedly, Sam mostly thought an eyeball sounded good because it would gross Carly out to hear she ate it.

"I'd love some! Eyeballs are awesome."

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

That was so not a convincing argument, but Miley would let it slide. She scooped up a portion -- after making sure that there was only one eyeball in there, because she so wanted the other one for herself -- and ladled it onto a plate.

"Enjoy!"

[hurtingzeebo]

Sam wasn't much of a persuasive speaker, no.

"Thanks!" She loved people who gave her food. "I'm Sam, by the way."

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

"Miley. Nice to meet you!"

Because they had never met. EVER. Not even a little.

[hurtingzeebo]

Of course they hadn't. If Miley looked a little familiar, well, that was just 'cause they both went to the same school and passed each other in the hallways or something.

Why was Sam thinking about salad dressing?

Sam popped the eyeball from her stew into her mouth and chewed cheerfully for a moment. "This is great!" she said. "Way better than mammoth. I would absolutely fight off monsters to protect this."

Which was admittedly true about most foods. But she could see this stew ending up starring in her "monster steals my soup" dream.

[its-theclimb.livejournal.com]

Miley laughed. "Good to know," she said, then speared an eyeball with her fork and dug in, right out of the pan. Whatever. She'd cooked it, so she was allowed. "It's my daddy's recipe. I made more than he usually does, though. Extra fish means extra eyeballs! Oh, yeah."