3rd Floor Common Room, Wednesday Morning

[not_every_mage]

When Anders wandered into the common room to get breakfast, the TV was already showing a marathon of cooking shows. He settled in to watch one -- TV about pie went well with hot porridge -- and found himself learning far more than he'd expected about the upcoming harvest festival. Apparently pilgrims and turkeys were involved, and something about may flowers. (Which didn't make much sense when the calendar was all but coming up on Wintersend, but he'd stopped expecting Fandom to be comprehensible.)

He went to drop raisins into his cereal as the TV went on about marshmallow-topped potato casserole. It sounded overwhelming, but he'd gathered that was part of the point.

[OOC: Open post.]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan had been on his way to find Anders so it was a pleasant surprise to see him in the common room. Nathan slipped inside and glanced at the television.

His stomach rumbled.

"That's a lot of food," he remarked.

[not_every_mage]

"It's a little disgusting," Anders said, smiling at Nathan. (Eventually, he was going to need to apologize for his 9-year-old self.) "It's all butter and sugar and gravy on top."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan went into the kitchen to grab an apple and something to drink before he returned and sat next to Anders.

"I could do with one of those three but not all together," he decided. "Too rich. I'm not used to that much food and that much flavor."

[not_every_mage]

"Me either," Anders agreed. "I'm sure it would taste good but then I'd make myself sick before the pie, and the pie seems to be part of the point."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"What kind of pies are they making?" he asked, tilting his head. "I'm fairly good with some pie recipes."

If there were pictures, at least.

[not_every_mage]

"Pumpkin and pecan," Anders told him, sliding his eyes toward Nathan. "They put chocolate in one of the pecans. I want that type."

In a breath, he added. "And I'm sorry I kicked you. Even if I was nine."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I've been kicked plenty harder than that," Nathan said, half smiling. "It's all right. We were children and it was strange but I'm not holding it against you. You were keeping me company."

[not_every_mage]

"I was trying to," Anders agreed. "And I think kicking was my way of making things more interesting. Children are weird."

Curiously, he added, "Did you ever make it out of bed? I didn't think to come back to check on you."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"After awhile, yeah," Nathan said, nodding. "Someone was in one of the common rooms the next morning and I found my way there and helped clean dishes and got some food. No one kicked me either."

Teasing.

[not_every_mage]

"They just didn't like you enough," Anders teased back airily. "Good, though. I'm glad you found other people. I was at the shop treating everything I could reach as a toy."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"You still went to work?" he asked, laughing now. "So responsible even as a child. I probably would have gotten lost."

[not_every_mage]

"It's funny, I was only responsible because I have a phone alarm set so I don't forget to go to work again," Anders explained. "I had no idea what my phone was, of course, but I don't think it occurred to me not to do what it said. I don't know how I didn't get lost. Or frightened off by the name Magic Box."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Did you find anything that doubled as a good toy?" asked Nathan curiously.

[not_every_mage]

"You know those little pewter figures we have?" Anders asked, gesturing the size with his fingers. "Those made for an epic battle. And then I built a tower out of the prisms."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Did you actually stay there the entire day?" Nathan asked, amused. "I think I would have gotten bored or curious or just...something and wandered off."

[not_every_mage]

"At first I was scared I'd get in trouble for leaving," Anders said. "But after a while, I decided nobody was around for me to get into trouble with. So I went and got something to eat and then went to the beach."

He ran a hand back through his hair. "It wasn't that bad, was it? Just strange."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Strange, yeah," Nathan said because that was a good way to put it. "I...didn't really have a childhood like that. It was a lot less...calm."

[not_every_mage]

"Tell me about it," Anders requested, feeling a sad tug at his heart. His childhood had been more or less as it was for the weekend -- certainly not perfect, but comfortable enough. "Did you really not know how old you were?"

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan shook his head. "I didn't. It took me awhile to learn numbers and no one really bothered to tell me or I didn't remember it when I was a kid. I could have been seven, could have been ten."

[not_every_mage]

"It sounds" -- Anders had to grope for words -- "lonely. Not that you were alone but that nobody was really taking care of you or telling you things."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Arran tried but he was pretty young too," Nathan explained. "Jessica didn't care and Deborah tried too. It was hard and I knew it was hard on them to have someone like...me. I wasn't expected."

[not_every_mage]

"And probably your grandmother was overwhelmed taking on four children," Anders suggested. "I know it wasn't easy for anyone, but I still hate that it was hardest on you. It's not as if you asked for any of it."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"She did her best," Nathan said, smiling slightly. "And Arran helped with me when he got older. It was difficult and I know she got stressed out but she never let it show."

[not_every_mage]

Anders flickered a tiny smile of his own. "That's good. I just wish she -- or someone -- had been able to keep Jessica in line."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"The fact that she didn't do anything worse than she did means someone did something right," he replied. "Things could have been worse."