Third Floor Common Room, Thursday Afternoon

[dollpocalypse]

Topher wanted grilled cheese, but there weren't any spatulas in the kitchen.

He had options. He knew he had options. He could go out and get grilled cheese from Luke's or Mooby Land. He could order grilled cheese to be delivered, although that would take longer. He could go to another common room and look for spatulas there, which would require either ascending or descending stairs or spending an extended period of time waiting for the elevator.

Or he could just try not using a spatula, and seeing how that went.

Topher chose the last option.

What resulted was fairly painful for Topher's hands and not tremendously rewarding for his taste buds, because the sandwich wound up being fairly charred and the cheese didn't even melt properly. But the important part was the scientific takeaway from the whole experience: Spatulas were important.

And so were band-aids.

[[open, i guess?]]

Comments

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker found himself following the smell. "Mmmm, just like Dad used to make. That takes me back. How black is it?"

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"Your dad burned sandwiches on purpose?" Eleanor asked.

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker cocked his head at her. "Why would anyone burn sandwiches on purpose? No, he just isn't any better at it than Cheat Codes over here. Mom worked long hours, so he did his best, but after a while we just ended up ordering out a lot."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"You never know," Eleanor shrugged. "People like odd things. How hard is it to keep food from burning?"

Spoken like someone who had never cooked in her life.

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Well, it's... actually, it's pretty hard. You sit there and it feels like ages and it doesn't get cooked, and then you stop paying attention and all of a sudden everything's burnt, the smoke alarm's going off, you've woken up all your neighbors down the hall, and your parents are forbidding you from using the stove ever again, especially at 3am." Joker shrugged. "Microwaves? Now, those are easy."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"So the problem isn't the cooking, it's the boredom that comes with it," she mused. "It seems like one might find something to do while cooking that won't be too distracting. Or set alarm bells."

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Well, not with grilled cheese, it's not the cooking. Other cooking, that's cooking."

Joker frowned. "...Pretend that made some sort of sense."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"You're saying grilled cheese isn't real cooking?" Eleanor asked, trying to follow along.

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"It's only 'cooking' in the sense that you're taking food and turning it into other food using heat. Which, yes, is the definition of cooking, but bear with me here. Real cooking involves... herbs, and eighteen kinds of utensils you've never seen before, and recipes that make your eyes glaze over just looking at them."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"I see," Eleanor said. "The same way that two plus two is math, but it isn't math the way that quadratic equations are."

The latter were far more fun.

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Exactly! Herbs and spices are the polynomials of cuisine. And cooking is supposed to be as much art as science, which probably explains why I'm not any good at it."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"But you are good with math," she presumed, since he name-dropped polynomials so casually. "What else do you like?"

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Good enough?" Joker hazarded. "More geometry than algebra, but, you know, all the same boat, right? What I really rock at, though, is flying. I mean, I will. Once someone lets me."

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

Eleanor was eyeing him as if she was trying to decide if he was having her on. Then again, considering everyone she'd met the past few days ...

"You can fly?"

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Well, technically, I haven't yet, but I..." Joker blinked at her. "No, not fly fly. Pilot. Starships. It's kind of my goal in life."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher's mouth was full. "'S not for you."

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Did I sound like I wanted any?" Joker asked. "Don't worry, I'm not going to be stealing the golden fruits of your labors tonight."