Fifth Floor Common Room, Sunday Evening

[wasthecuteone]

Okay so. Half of everyone were little kids running amok. Petra didn't think she had a hope of corralling them all, and she wasn't that great with kids anyway, so she honestly hadn't even tried. But as the day wore on, she'd realized they'd all be getting hungry soon, if they weren't already, and might not be able to fend for themselves. She'd thought about ordering pizza, but she didn't think she had enough money for that and feared the kids would think 'pizza party' meant 'excuse to act even crazier.' So she'd called her dad and gotten his recipe for vegetable soup, packed up Fake Baby Sadie, and gone shopping, then to the common room, where a big pot of soup was now simmering on the stove with a pile of grilled cheese sandwiches on a plate nearby.

"I sure hope there are some hungry kids around here!" she sing-songed as she stirred the soup. "I can't eat this all myself!" Fake Baby Sadie made a burbling noise, and she frowned at her. The thing was really kind of creepy, the more time you spent around it. "Not you. You don't eat real food."

If any hungry big kids wanted to stop by, that would, of course, also be fine, and probably help Petra's sanity.

Comments

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

And that would be a tiny Toby peering in the doorway with a hopeful look on his face, yes.

[wasthecuteone]

"Hi, there!" Petra said, smiling warmly at the unidentified kid. "Do you want some soup? And a grilled cheese sandwich?" Kids still loved grilled cheese, right?

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Yeah!" Toby grinned, his eyes lighting up. "I mean. Yes, please."

[wasthecuteone]

Petra ladled some soup into a bowl and put a grilled cheese sandwich on a plate. "Do you want something to drink? There's milk and juice boxes in the fridge." She was not offering soda. She wasn't stupid.

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Milk's good. I don't like pop much anyway," Toby assured her.

[wasthecuteone]

"Milk it is!" Petra agreed, completely missing the mind reading there. She pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured a glass, then thought to ask the little boy, "So what's your name? I'm Petra." In case he didn't know.

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Toby. Petra's a pretty name," he remarked thoughtfully.

[wasthecuteone]

"Toby's a nice name, too," Petra said. "And that's baby Sadie," she said, pointing to the fake baby sitting up and playing with a ball Petra had knitted and stuffed with scrap fabric. "She's not real. I'm watching her for class." Wait, Toby was in that class. "Do you have a doll like Sadie, Toby?" she asked as she carried his soup and milk toward a table. She figured he could manage the sandwich.

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"Um," Toby had to think about that one, grabbing the plate with the sandwich and following behind Petra. "Maybe? I think someone else is playin' with her right now, though."

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"I'm a hungry kid," Richie announced, bounding into the room. "I'll help!" He hadn't had much real food since he got up yesterday and he was kinda hungry.

[wasthecuteone]

"Oh, that's okay, then," Petra agreed. She set his stuff down and smiled at him. "I hope you enjoy the soup! It's my dad's recipe."

[wasthecuteone]

"Great!" Petra said, already fixing him a bowl of soup. "What's your name? I'm Petra."

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"Hi Petra!" Soup? He hadn't had soup in a while. Soup was good for slurping, even if you got in trouble if you slurped too much sometimes. "I'm Richie."

[wasthecuteone]

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Richie," Petra said. She was pretty sure she didn't know a Richie already. "Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich with your soup? And you can have milk or a juice box."

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"I love grilled cheese sammiches," Richie said happily. "And juice boxes! I never get juice boxes anymore."

[wasthecuteone]

"You can have one now," Petra told him. It was apple. She was not hearing any protests. She set it on the plate with his sandwich for carrying purposes and said, "Let's find you a spot to sit and eat."

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"Thanks!" Richie had decided he was never ever going back to the orphanage. This place was way better. "Can I watch tv too?"

[wasthecuteone]

"Sure!" Petra said, looking around for the remote. Aha, remote. "Let's see if we can find some cartoons, yeah?"

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"Yeah!" Richie nodded enthusiastically. Petra was well on her way to being Richie's very favorite grownup ever, for today.

[wasthecuteone]

Petra clicked through channels until she found that sponge with the pants. "This okay?" she checked.

She wasn't a grownup! She was just...very tall. Yeah. Not old, omg.

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"Sure!" He wasn't picky. It was animated, that worked. And if you're only five-almost-six, being very tall made you a grownup.

"Thanks. You're nice. I like you!"

[wasthecuteone]

"Well, I like you too." She guessed. He seemed like a decent enough kid. "I hope you like the soup! Be careful, it's hot."

[godgavemecable.livejournal.com]

"It smells good," Toby assured her, before taking a caaareful (because omg hot) slurp. "And it tastes good too!"

[wasthecuteone]

"Good!" Petra said. "Dinner is important." Petra knew this beyond a doubt to be true.

[richieryan.livejournal.com]

"I'll be careful." He'd just start with the sandwich first. Mmm, melted cheese. "Promise."