Catching up and a free meal

Who: Torlin and Nic
When: early evening
Where: kitchen

Nic was thinking that something different for dinner sounded good, something he hadn't had in a while. He finally decided on fajitas and, while he was trying to cook enough for him and Dan, he was probably cooking enough for four instead of two. That was fine. They could have leftovers. While the meat marinated, he set to grating the cheese, humming softly to himself. It'd been a fairly quiet day thus far and he was taking advantage of it.

Torlin had been emerging in only small increments, more content staying in Kaylin's room with her and the animals. And pretending the rest of the house and the whole world didn't exist. But a girl had to eat, and she'd ventured into the kitchen to get something quick and easy. The smell of food already cooking hit her before she went in, and she took a steadying breath to try and prepare herself for possible ... interaction. She was still feeling massively gunshy and withdrawn, and didn't think that would be letting up anytime soon. Tor walked in with her head down, quick steps taking her toward the fridge.

Nic looked up as Torlin entered, surprised to see her. It felt like it'd been forever since they'd run into each other, though he continually made plans that fell through due to drama. "Torlin?" he asked, noting that she was walking as if the floor was the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you okay?" It was probably a stupid question, due to what she'd been through, but he felt like he should ask anyways.

She hadn't realized that the back that was in front of the stove belonged to Nic. She looked up, surprised. And then, right after that, kind of ashamed. She hadn't made any effort to check on him, and she felt bad for it instantly. Not to mention that her face was kind of puffy and she was sure her eyes had dark circles under them. "Hi," she said, even though that wasn't really an answer. She paused with her hand on the fridge handle, not sure how to answer.

Seeing her eyes, he immediately knew that the answer was a resounding 'no'. He set down the cheese and turned to her, offering a small, but warm smile. "Looking for dinner?" he asked. "I'm making fajitas for Dan and I, but I've made too much. If you don't mind waiting a bit, you're welcome to it." And then maybe he could catch up with her while she waited. Even just ten minutes with her would be nice. It'd been so long since they last talked.

It took her a minute or two, but Torlin managed a smile back for him. It was fleeting, but it was there. She ambled a little closer, abandoning the fridge. "It smells good," she said, almost shyly. "Sure you don't mind?" Her eyes ticked to the pan he was working on, then back to him. Nic was great, and Nic was still there. She'd been trying to count what positive things there were left for her. So Nic went down on the mental list.

"Not at all," he said, then took a few steps toward her, stopping hesitantly before her. He wanted to giver her a hug, but something about Torlin made him pause with uncertainty. She was far less confident than the last time he'd seen her, and her shine had faded. Not diminished completely, but faded. "Can I give you a hug?" Nic finally decided to ask. Once he'd have thought girls would take that as flirting, but considering Torlin knew he and Dan were together, he wasn't worried about her reading anything into it except for the fact that he wanted to hug her... which was true.

She was watching him as he got closer, and she hated the way she kind of quailed away from it inside. It was obvious what he was intending to do. At the same time, she hated that he felt like he had to ask. Like she was fragile, or something had changed between them. She bit her lip for a second and nodded, stepping forward to initiate it herself. It felt a little strange, but she wrapped her arms around his ribs. Did he think she was pathetic? That her parents were right to dismiss her out of hand? She wondered when she would stop wondering those things about everyone.

Nic tried to convey all that he could in a hug, his arms wrapping around her snugly. He couldn't remember actually touching Torlin since dancing with her during the masquerade, when she'd made him feel clumsy and foolish. He'd not been confident then, attempting to flirt with her and failing miserably. Now he was, though it was friendship and comfort her offered. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, a more familiar move than he'd normally make with her, then pulled away slowly. "I was worried about you," Nic said, taking her hands in his as he looked down at her with a kind smile. "I never see you anymore, or hear the piano playing. I miss your music. Mine is just awful in comparison."

Torlin had been hugging Kaylin quite a bit as of late, but it still took her a second to relax into it with him. It wasn't anything he'd done or could help, and she felt bad for it, but it faded quickly enough. She let out a soft sigh as he smooched her forehead, and kind of wanted to hang on to him, but didn't try. She squeezed his hands instead, looking up at him. "You're not that bad," she said with a tiny little smile. "I just haven't ... felt like being out. I'm staying with Kaylin for now, I hope you haven't been looking for me in my room."

"Oh, you haven't heard me lately," Nic chuckled, releasing one of her hands to open the refrigerator. He grabbed a coke and offered it to her, then took one for himself. "I'm on to Christmas carols at the moment. If I keep it up, I might have jingle bells mastered by May." It was the truth, but he'd chosen it to make her smile. Torlin looked like she hadn't smiled a lot lately. "That's good though, that you're staying with Kaylin. She seems like a good friend."

She accepted the coke, and startled herself with a soft laugh at the sudden mental image of Nic bent over the piano, trying to pick out Jingle Bells and Silent Night. "I guess it's good to get a jump on the season," she said with the ghost of her old warm smile. She went to lean on a spot at the counter that wasn't in his way. She needed to learn how to cook. Or try, at least. She needed something.

"Hey, by Christmas I'll be picking out Frosty the Snow Man even," he smiled, opening the coke and taking a sip before he continued grating cheese once more. "Do you like fajitas?" he asked. "That's what I'm making, so I hope so. I've got cheese, and the beef's marinating, and then I'm gonna do onions and peppers, sour cream and pico de gallo. Any suggestions?" he asked. If there was one thing he could do, it was attempt to make her feel like there was a chance for normal.

Normal was what she really honestly needed. It was so hard to come by in this place. She smiled faintly. "I love fajitas," she said. She was glad that she'd caught him making dinner, it saved her from another chicken salad sandwich or something else bland. Tor was starting to feel really guilty every time Kaylin offered to cook for her. "It all smells really good," she told him. Then added, a bit shyly, "How've you been?"

"Thanks," Nic said, pleased that he could cook for her. It was something he'd really gotten into since moving into the house, something he had more time for than he'd ever thought he would. With a kitchen this big and everything provided for them, it was almost easy. "I've been good. We've had a few quiet days, which is always nice. Makes me nervous about what'll be next, of course, but I'm not complaining about the good days."

"We need them," she said quietly, just sipping on her coke and watching him work. Cooking was always something she'd wished she could do. There was something artistically satisfying about creating stuff that kept people alive, to her. She just tended to burn everything. "How's Dan?" she asked, eyes ticking to his face to watch for those telltale little signs. She could live vicariously through other people's happiness, maybe.

With Torlin being a friend, Nic wasn't afraid to answer her question. There were some people who might have immediately made him defensive, but he had the feeling she was really being sincere. "He's good," Nic answered, breaking out into a smile. "We met one month ago, yesterday. We were talking about how much has changed in such little time."

Torlin smiled herself, seeing that look on his face. She hadn't ever really gotten to talk to Nic about the newfound aspect of his sexuality that included males, even though they'd exchanged a PM or two about it. She was very glad to see that it made him happy. It made her remember her first girlfriend, and that was something much more pleasant to think about than anything else in her head. "That's awesome," she said, and it was definitely sincere. "Tell him hi for me. And thanks for sharing his fajitas."

"I will," Nic laughed. "He won't mind. He's not exactly a chef, so I'm determined to teach him what I know, even if I'm not one either, but it takes time. I figure that's something we have plenty of." If not here, they had it when they got out, which reminded Nic that he needed that sort of information from Torlin. "Hey, I know this might sound odd, but can I have your address from the outside world? I want to be able to keep in touch with you, no matter what happens."

Torlin hesitated as a couple of things happened in her head. She realized that she wasn't sure that she had an address at home anymore. At least not one that she wanted to ever go back to. She'd graduated, so the one in New York wasn't really valid anymore, and she wasn't sure that she would set foot in her "home" again. The second thing was that she remembered all the other people she'd given that information to, and didn't expect to hear from after all this was over. " ... I can give you a friend's address," she said after a moment. "She'll know where I am. I just ... I'm not sure where I'm going ... after."

Nic knew there was a possibility that question might upset her, but at the same time, he hoped she realized that it meant he didn't want to lose contact with her. "That'll work," he answered. "I'm kind of in the same situation. I don't know where I'll go afterwards, but I do know where my parent's house is. Dan and I have an agreement to meet on their lawn on New Year's Day, if we get separated, even if they've disowned me by then." It wasn't the happiest thought, but one Nic was really starting to accept. "Where do you want to go, afterwards?" he asked. "Anything you want to do that you couldn't before?"

Despite the mention that he might be disowned by that point, the idea of he and Dan meeting up on a lawn on New Year's Day was sweet enough to make her smile again. She liked hearing that, and she really hoped it worked for them. "That's so romantic," she said quietly. Then focused on what he'd asked her. "I'm not sure. I thought I'd want to go back to New York, but I really don't know at this point. Kaylin says I should go home to New Zealand with her, if only just to visit, but ..." She shrugged one shoulder. "It's still only April."

"I'm constantly amazed by my ability to be a complete and utter sap when it comes to him," Nic smiled up at her. Nic had never thought that he'd be one of those people who got all lovey-dovey, but he knew he could do it with Dan sometimes. It just happened. He couldn't seem to stop it. "But you're right. It's a long ways off. I don't actually know where I'm gonna go, other than meeting up with Dan."

"I'll give you her address, though," Torlin said again. "Soon, just in case ..." Either of them disappeared. Because she was beginning to believe it was completely possible with anyone and everyone. But it seemed like a downer to say, so she didn't. Just finished off her coke and moved to throw the can away. "I'm sorry again I missed your birthday dinner," she said, ambling back over to watch him and tucking her hands in her pockets. "We'll have to make up for it sometime. Just ... get some people together." There, she was trying. She didn't want to, but she was.

"Don't worry about it," Nic said, finally putting the meat on the grill. "It was understandable. And really, we can have parties whenever we want. Plus, I think it's a good idea to get people together. We live with so many, and yet, we know so few." That was a problem he'd noticed, one that he was finally thinking he should help do something about. Until recently, he hadn't been all that involved, but now he was starting to feel like he needed to be, and he couldn't quite say why.

"It gets so ... oppressive here," she said, and even though they weren't talking about her stuff, her voice wavered a little bit. She swallowed and tried to ignore it. "I think we need to do more happy things together as a house. Maybe people would ... help more when the bad stuff happens." Which sounded idiotic and simplistic to her ears, but it seemed to be a shared consensus among quite a few people, so she didn't feel too bad for it.

"I think you're right," Nic nodded. "Any ideas? I'd be willing to set it up, if you'll help me brainstorm a bit." Nic just wasn't sure where to start. He knew there were others that would be there, Torlin and Dan, and definitely Zhen. "I can ask Zhen too. She's good with this kind of thing. Happy events." Though she'd been down a bit lately. Maybe she needed something fun to cheer her up as well.

Tor nodded. Zhen was definitely a person to recruit when one was planning a party of any description. She nibbled on her lower lip, making a mental note to go and visit the girl, too. Because she hadn't yet, and she felt bad for it. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind doing it outside, if it would ever stop raining," she said, sending a glance toward the kitchen window. The weather was crap, and that sucked, considering that it was actually warm outside.

"Yeah, it'd be nice to get outside," Nic said, tending to the meat on the grill. "Maybe something by the swing set. A picnic would be fun, and easy. I don't think it needs to be something as huge as a dance." And a picnic was something he would feel comfortable at with Dan. The problem with a dance was that Nic wasn't sure he was comfortable enough to dance with him in public. He hated that, but he knew it was true.

"We should, then," she decided with a small smile. "Once everything dries up some. If it does." She hoped it would. Spring was supposed to be wet, but this was all crazy. She was quiet for a minute, watching him work with the meat. It -- oddly -- made her miss Stefan for some reason. Poignantly, in her chest. On impulse, she got close again and gave him a one-armed hug from the side. "I'm glad for you, Nic," she said quietly.

"Maybe we can even request big red and white picnic cloths. But you're right. It needs to dry up first," he said, pleased with this idea. It was really just as simple as sharing a meal together, but even that might help, and making it festive might draw more people in. "Thanks," he said, surprised by her impromptu hug. Earlier she'd seemed reluctant to touch, so this seemed like a good step. "I'm happy... so I like to see other people happy. Even a meal helps," he said, and took the meat off the burner, pleased that it looked done.

Torlin patted him on the back as she pulled away. It hadn't quite covered what she meant, but that was okay. He didn't have to grasp the full scope of it. She wasn't sure that anybody else would understand anyway. She stepped back to give him room to work, tucking her hands into her back pockets. "And if you ever want pointers on your carols, let me know," she added with a little smile.

Nic wasn't completely sure he'd grasped what she was referencing either, but he'd given it his best shot. He just felt like asking didn't fit the occasion and he was just pleased to see her smile. Every time they went through a new set of tests, another person cracked a little more. They needed their friends to put them back together, and Nic wanted to help be that for Torlin. She was too sweet to fall apart completely. "You know I'll take you up on that," he promised and handed her a plate as he began to construct the fajitas for he and Dan.

"Good," she said, taking the plate. She started to put together her own share of the food, glad there was enough for her and Kaylin both, it looked like; they were both pretty light eaters. Glad that she'd just run into Nic in general, and that he was doing well. If other people could still do well, maybe the chances of her doing well again were better. Hopefully. And really, in this place, what did they have but hope? Hope and each other.

"So, will you tell Kaylin hello for me?" Nic asked, filling up his plate with food, then grabbing two water bottles from the fridge. Clean up would be easy and he intended to get it done before he left. "I haven't seen her since we carried Zhen back to the house, and before that it... it had been a while." In fact, the last time he could recall seeing Kaylin was while the whole house had been blasted with porn. She'd been acting a little odd then, but he attributed that to how uncomfortable everyone was in that situation.

"I will," Torlin confirmed with a faint smile. "She'll probably bring you cookies or something. We made some for Zhen earlier." And she'd backed out of going to help deliver them, but that was neither here nor there. She still didn't feel very good about being out of the room for long periods at a time. She finished up making a plate and took a couple of paper towels to kind of drape over it. "Tell Dan I said hi." Had she already said that? She couldn't remember. "And thank you some more for the food. Can I help clean up?"

Nic stopped for a moment, looking up at her at the mention of bringing cookies to Zhen. "Thank you, for that. Zhen's so good about cheering people up. I'm glad to see someone is thinking of her," he smiled. He wanted Zhen to keep that hope, that brightness that she seemed to possess like no one else. "I've got it," he said, waving a hand at her. "It's an easy clean up, and I did most of it along the way. Thanks for offering though. And I'll let Dan know."

She gathered the plate carefully so none of it would go spilling off of the sides and nodded to him. The cookies had been Kaylin's idea, but she was glad to help make them at least. She knew the tiny asian girl would've probably been doing the same for her. "It was good to see you, Nic," she said with a sincere tone and a little smile. "Catch you later." Tor tucked two water bottles up under her arm and headed off toward her shared room.