IC contact post

[fightswithpurpose]

"Hello, this is Nelliel. I'm not available right now, but please leave a message. Thank you."

Comments

[Voice]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[Nelliel calls back about an hour later.]

Hello Gohan, this is Nelliel.

[It's a bit of a surprise to hear from him on her personal NV rather than over the network and it makes her wonder if there's something wrong.]

How are you doing?

[Voice]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

I'm okay, really. [Nope, not saying he feels bad. That might make her feel bad.] I guess I just need to talk. It's so quiet around here anymore. You're okay, right?

[Voice] Pardon my slow tagging fail - I am on hiatus until at least the 17th

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

I am doing well, yes. Would you like to meet somewhere to talk instead? I can treat you to some of that nice hot chocolate drink.

[Voice] It's okay. We knew when we started this thread that it would be slow.

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that'd be really nice, actually.

[Voice]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

Where would you like to meet?

[You can bet she'll be bringing food. If he needs to talk, she'll make sure hunger doesn't distract him from whatever is on his mind.]

[Voice]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Oh, you can just come over to the house, actually. I'm the only one here anymore, so . . . [Yeah, not going into that any more over the NV. Best for face-to-face conversation.]

[Voice]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[It's understandable that he'd be lonely. She decides she'll do what she can to try cheering him up.]

How about I cook some dinner for both of us to share?

[Nelliel will never be a great cook, but she can follow a recipe's instructions competently enough that she's never heard complaints about her cooking, either.]

[Voice]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Sure. Do you know where the house is? I can send you an address, or just let up on my ki a little bit so you can find me.

[Gohan eats pretty much anything anyway. Even if it was bad, he'd still stuff it down without hesitation.]

[Voice]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

It would probably be faster if you let up on your ki.

[She can follow directions, but she finds it's more time consuming to find an address rather than track a person by their spiritual presence.]

[Voice]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Okay. I guess I'll see you soon, then.

[And he relaxes the restraint on his ki a little bit, an action that will eventually lead Nelliel to a decent-sized house in Sector 4, with a pond in the back yard.]

[Action]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[The only thing that delays Nelliel is purchasing what she needs to make dinner at the grocery store. Food that provided actual nutrition wasn't generally kept around in great supply at Nueva Las Noches. Instead, the food items that were kept better stocked consisted of tea, ice cream, cookies, and other things consumed for flavour - simply because they could be consumed, and because the vile tasting Darkness monsters that actually did nourish them only came out at night.

When she finally arrives, she has a re-usable bag tucked under her arm filled with food. She announces her presence with a knock to the door, although it won't surprise her if Gohan has already sensed it.]

[Action]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

[Of course he senses her first; Nelliel has a very distinctive and powerful aura. To anyone who can sense this kind of thing, she’s pretty much impossible to miss.

[He opens the door just a split-second after she finishes knocking, Stein – the grey cat – perched reassuringly on his shoulder, and steps aside to let Nelliel in.] Hi.

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

Hello.

[She offers her fingers for Stein the cat to smell as she walks in. More than likely, he'll smell Quixote or Dulcinea on there, along with the food she picked up.]

I hope you like peanut chicken.

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

[Stein sniffs her hand almost studiously, and then lightly paws at it. Gohan has learned to recognize this as a sign of the cat's approval.]

[His face does brighten at the prospect of food. Because food is always a happy thing, regardless of anything else that's going on.] I don't think I've had it before. But I bet it's great. Let me show you the kitchen.

[He indicates for her to follow him through the house, which is still pretty well kept even though he's been on his own for weeks. It's not perfect, but for a kid of his age and with the strength he's capable of, it looks quite good. He's been especially careful to keep the kitchen in good condition.]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[Nelliel gives Stein a light pat on the head, then follows Gohan through the house to the kitchen. Gohan is a tidy boy, she mentally notes.]

I will need a cutting board, a large pan, and a measuring cup. Do you have those here?

[She wants to ask him how long he's been on his own, but that can wait a little. They can at least get dinner going, and since she's eating it for the taste than for nutrition, she'll let him have a very large portion.]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have all that stuff. Soul's a really good cook, so there's a lot of stuff like that here. [No use of the past tense. Soul is gone, but he's not dead. Gohan won't refer to him like he doesn't exist anymore.]

[Stein's claws dig into his shoulder a little bit when he levitates, but the cat doesn't move. He likes high places -- as does Blair, who is currently watching the proceedings from on top of the fridge. Gohan gathers what's needed and sets it all down on the counter.

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[Nelliel starts working on the recipe as they talk. It's a relatively simple recipe, and one she found on a card given out for free at the grocery store. It's also the first human food she managed to prepare that actually required preparation as opposed to heating in an oven or microwave.]

What is your favourite food, Gohan?

[It's a safe topic while she works. She starts frying the chicken in the pan first. From what she understands, raw chicken can make humans (and probably part-humans) very sick.]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

[He sits on top of the counter while she cooks, one of the few household behaviours discouraged by his mother that he still finds himself doing.] I dunno, really. Back home, it might have been dinosaur steaks, but you can't exactly get those here.

[Gohan would have to eat an awful lot of raw meat to feel ill at all, but better safe than sorry.]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[Nelliel isn't particularly bothered by him sitting on the counter. It makes conversation easier. She lets out a small chuckle.]

No, I don't think those would be easy to find around here at all.

[She works on mixing up the sauce mixture next. There's a powdered mix of various dried herbs, with peanut butter, and just a little bit of canola oil to mix it all together. Next, she starts boiling the noodles.]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

[His mom has always insisted that it's rude, and he usually does what she tells him. But this habit sticks for some reason.]

Yeah, from what I've read, dinasours have been extinct for a long time in this world. Can still find 'em in mine, though. I used to play with a Tyrannosauraus Rex when I was little.

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

[Nelliel blinks at Gohan as she tries to envision this. She has seen Discovery Channel specials talking about dinosaurs.]

I thought Tyrannosaurus Rexes were carnivorous and enormous...

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

Oh, they are. [Nope, he sees nothing odd about this.] But even once this one realized he'd never actually catch me, he still kept coming around. I was kinda on my own at that time, so I only had the animals to play with.

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

Were you completely on your own? Or were the adults around you just busy most of the time?

[She supposes it's not entirely unreasonable that a T-Rex would befriend Gohan. He's a sweet child, and strong enough to defend himself.]

[hybrid-prodigy.livejournal.com]

At that time, I really was totally on my own. It's a bit of a complicated story.

[If she asks for a little bit of context, he'll give it to her, though.]

[gamuzadeclares.livejournal.com]

We have time for a complicated story, if you want to share it.

[She flips over the chicken in the frying pan and moves it around so that it doesn't stick before returning her attention to mixing up the sauce, and then back to Gohan]