Inbox - Seasons

[albionchanged]

Oh, um...

This is Esme. I'm sorry if I missed this, but I promise I'll call back as soon as I can. Sorry again!

Comments

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

Macaque knocks on the door because his children have been teaching him manners. When Esme opens it he'll find Macaque holding a large bowl of strawberries from his greenhouse.

"Hi, Esme. How are you?"

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

Esme perks up with some obvious relief at the sight of the strawberries and smiles at Macaque, stepping aside so he can come in. "Hullo, Macaque. I'm well, how are you? Do you want me to take those?"

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

Macaque enters and gives the bowl over. He figures that if he can help Esme feel good in some way, he doesn't need to carry it. "Sure, here you go. I picked these this morning. I'm pretty good, thanks."

"You looked relieved to see me. Did you not think I was really coming?" Just a little light teasing as a treat.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

Esme blushes as he takes the bowl. "I'm relieved I wasn't wrong that you were showing me strawberry shortcake," he admits sheepishly. "I was beginning to think I dreamed it all."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"We were together in a dream, so it could be both. But yes, strawberry shortcake was the plan."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

"That was real?"

Esme doesn't quite stop in his tracks, but there's a noticeable pause before he keeps walking. "Are you okay? I remember you looking...troubled?" Troubled is a a word for it, right? He's not sure if it fully fits, but it's what comes to mind.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"It was real."

"I'm good. I saw some of your life. Does your question mean that you don't remember when I offered to seduce you sometime?" Might as well distract him from future pauses.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

That works almost instantly, and Esme blushes hard. "I remember that too, yeah. You were very charming." Macaque is charming period, in hisclearly objective opinion.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

Esme is so gratifying to tease.

"Good," he says, stepping in close and grinning in Esme's face from inches away. "I'd hate if you forgot that."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

Esme might be hugging the bowl a little in his embarrassment. Why is Macaque just so cool? "I don't think I could, shy of being bewitched." He doesn't step back, smiling shyly himself. Macaque can probably guess that his tail is wagging under his Mask and be perfectly right.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"Wonderful." He seems to move forward an inch like he's going for a kiss, but then backs up instead.

"We should get started on that shortcake."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

Disappointed he didn't go for it? Maybe a little bit. But it gives him a moment to get his head on straight again. "Not lunch first?" he asks, just wanting to check before they start. He really doesn't care which comes first since they've got time.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

Macaque shakes his head. "Cake first. It has to cool all the way before you put cream on it. So we make lunch while it's baking and cooling off."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

"Ah, that makes sense then."

Esme sets the bowl on the counter and turns to Macaque. "Right, so you tell me how to do things, and I'll follow your lead."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"Will do."

Macaque instructs Esme on how to make a light, airy yellow cake and into the oven it goes.

"What did you want to make for lunch?"

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

Esme follows the instructions to the letter, and asks questions when he isn't sure of what Macaque means by something. Once the pan is in the oven, he moves to open the fridge. "I was thinking about stir-fry after you were here for dinner, so I thought we could try that? I even found out you can use eggplant, which is my favorite herb now. And stir-fry is a lot like pottage, turns out."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"That sounds good. What do you want to put in it other than eggplant? I'll help cut. And if you want rice, I can bring in our cooker to make it easy." It's only a portal away.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

"Rice cooker?" Esme asks, momentarily distracted from the first question. Rice is still a newer addition to his diet, and the idea there's something specific to cook such a seemingly simple food catches him a little off guard.

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"Yep. It makes great rice without having to worry about a timer, then keeps it warm without burning it. Kind of a staple where I'm from. You want to see how it works?"

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

"I would."

Normally Esme isn't super concerned with how things work, but things that cook are one of the few exceptions to that. "Rice would be good with the stir fry."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[castaside]

"Okay." He holds up the little rice cooker cup. "One of these is a large serving. You put as many scoops in as you want," he adds two to the pot, "then add water to the line that's the same as how many cups you put in." He takes the cooker pot to the sink and fills it until the line is at the 2.

"Then you close it, and press this button," he presses it, "to turn it on. Rice should be perfect by the time we're ready to eat."

Re: Macaque - Post-dreamsharing

[albionchanged]

"Just like that? That's so handy."

Once the rice is cooking, he thinks for a moment. "I could chop and you can cook, or the opposite," he suggests, eager to really start now.