Fifth floor common room [early afternoon]

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla had noticed that the volume level on the fifth floor seemed slightly higher today than she was used to, but she (being her normal size and having no roommate other than Jims) brushed it off in favor of heading to the common room and starting to prepare lunch: soup and toast for her and a bottle of milk for Jims.

Just another Saturday in Fandom, right?

[OOC: Mwahaha.]

Comments

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

Dave was trying to stay as far away from that Topher as he could. Not that he'd done anything. Just on principal. So he went all the way up to the fifth floor to get his lunchtime cup of chocolate milk. Hopefully he could reach the mugs and the chocolate milk. He had some troubles with that on the fourth floor.

"Hi," he said to Rilla when he spotted her.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla blinked warily. "Hello," she replied.

If he announced she was his mother, it was going to get loud.

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

"Is there any chocolate milk?" Dave asked as he started looking for a mug.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I believe so," Rilla said. "Or at least milk and chocolate. Can you pour the milk yourself?" she asked as she opened up the refrigerator. "It seems pretty full today."

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

Dave found a mug in the lower cabinets. "Yes, ma'am," he said very politely. "I do this a lot."

He was kind of a cocoa addict, but he'd settle for the cold mixed stuff to cure his jonesing.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla was now rummaging through the cabinets. "I'm finding a lot of hot cocoa mix," she said. "Maybe the cold chocolate mix is in the refrigerator as well?"

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

"Can you make hot cocoa?" Dave asked, excitedly. "Mom and dad won't let me cook it." And they could only spend SO MUCH TIME during the day constantly heating milk up for the kid.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"I am an excellent hot cocoa-cooker," Rilla assured him with a smile, "but I made mine with cream instead of milk. Is that all right?"

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

"I guess," Dave said. He... didn't really know what the difference was, no. "As long as it's good."

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"It will be," she assured him, setting a pot of cream to heat, "if you like lots of marshmallows in yours."

[iwishiwasbig.livejournal.com]

"I'll take it that way," Dave said cheerfully. He didn't really care either way as long as he got something to drink.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

A few minutes later and Rilla was filling up his mug with really, really chocolatey hot cocoa, and three marshmallows.

"Now don't burn your tongue drinking it too fast," she warned. "It ruins the whole experience."

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

Will had spent most of the morning wandering around and exploring, and eventually his exploring led him to the common room up on the fifth floor.

"Are you a nun?" he asked the lady who was looking after a baby. She didn't look like a nun, exactly, but who else took care of babies?

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla blinked. "I'm very much not a nun," she said. "I'm a Presbyterian!"

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

"What's that?" Will demanded.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"A different religion than nuns," Rilla explained. "You're William, right?"

She remembered him from last year.

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

"That's my name," he agreed, nodding. "What's yours?"

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"I'm Rilla," she replied, "and the baby is Jims. I was just making some soup for lunch: would you like some?"

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

"Yes, please," William said with a nod. "I missed when they served breakfast," he explained a little sheepishly.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Well, that just won't do at all," Rilla tsked. "Let's see if I can find you some jam and bread while we're waiting for the soup to heat up."

Her eyes sparkled at him. "Would you like lots of jam, or only a little?"

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

William looked thoughtful at that. "Just a little is fine," he said finally, only a little reluctantly.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla smiled at him and then added a good dollop of strawberry jam to a slice of bread.

Anyone who'd grown up in Susan's household didn't know what "just a little" meant anyway.

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

William stared at the bread, and then back at Rilla, as if to confirm that she'd meant to do that. "Thanks!" he said enthusiastically, around a mouthful of jam and bread.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"You're quite welcome," she told him. "And I think the soup is ready too. "Do you like chicken noodle?"

[faithandscience.livejournal.com]

"I've had chicken soup before, but not with noodles," he said thoughtfully.

[walkswithcoyote]

"Hey Lady?" Mercy said politely. "He keeps following me."

And pointed to the droid baby/toddler who was, indeed, crawling after her.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Oh my goodness," Rilla said. "I suppose he would. Would you look me to mind him for you?"

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy considered, then nodded. "If you don't mind, yes, please."

She sidled a little closer to Rilla and whispered to her conspiratorially. "He doesn't smell human. More like a machine or somethin' so be careful, 'kay?"

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"I will be," Rilla promised solemnly. "Would you like some lunch?"

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy considered this solemnly, then nodded again. "Yes, please."

Bryan and Evelyn would be very mad if she didn't use her manners. Bran too.

Which reminded her. "Do you know where Bryan and Evelyn are?"

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"I don't," Rilla admitted, "but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Do you like soup?"

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy sighed. "Maybe not for you, but I might be in big trouble. I'm not s'posed to wander off, you know."

She wrinkled her nose. "Is it pea soup?"

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Well, you didn't wander off into the woods or somewhere unsafe, so I'm sure it won't be that large a problem," said the youngest of six who had been pretty much granted free rein over a village. "And it's chicken with noodles and only a little bit of peas so we can pretend we're being quite healthy and eating our vegetables."

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy sighed again. "Okay. But if I get in trouble I'm gonna say you said it was okay."

"And as long as it's not the icky all green stuff, that's good."

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"That's fine," Rilla assured her, going over to the sink and poking at the soup experimentally.

It had originally come in a can, so she couldn't mess it up too badly.

"I think it's warm enough now," she said. "Would you like bread with it too?"

[walkswithcoyote]

"With butter?" Mercy asked eagerly. "Yes, please!"

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"With loads of butter," Rilla promised.

She wasn't that far out of childhood herself. She remembered how this worked.

[walkswithcoyote]

Mercy giggled. "YAY!"

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall wasn't really sure what was going on today, but he wasn't going to cry. He wasn't. He couldn't find Sis, and... Oh, hey, Bertha was here! She was almost as good as Sis!

"Hi, Bertha!" he called, waving at her. Good, now he didn't have to be scared.

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Squall?" Rilla guessed, smiling. He was so...little and expressive! "Are you hungry too?"

[whateverknight.livejournal.com]

Squall nodded -- politely, even though he was very excited by the question. "Yes, please," he answered. "Thank you!"