2024-12-20 - Homewarming

For the first time in several days, Cardinal has escaped the Seven Scoops Lagoon before the lights went down and the painted pirate ships could be spotted on the horizon. Which is to say she ended her shift at a wholly reasonable hour like a wholly reasonable person which she wholly and entirely and absolutely undeniably is. Which is why she's now busy in the kitchen of Fox Run 303 with several pots on the stove and dinner for roomie and Robbie coming along nicely. She can leave all that to simmer and sautee without her immediate oversight for a moment.

She estimates, <<Fifteen minutes?>> with a wobble of her hands and her head, more a question than a certainty. Are folks even hungry yet? It'll prolly hold.

Robin general avoids personal information, but he's not avoiding Cardinal. Are all the people in their generation named after birds? It's hard to say. He signs back <<Smells good!>>. He sets out a 4" brown cardboard box from the gallery where he works and totally pilfered it from along with the violet ribbon that keeps it tied closed.

His fingers wiggle in greeting to Lavender explaining <<House welcome present. Made last night.>> He glances around the place, curious and back with his fingers pushing through his hair which can probably use a trim soon. <<So far you like it? Nothing follow you home demanding cheese?>>

Lavender is dressed comfortably to hang with roomie and friend/roomie's cousin; chilling on the couch in a pair of leggings, an oversized, soft, black and white striped sweater, and black supremely fuzzy socks on her feet. She looks up at Cardinal and nods. She is learning sign, but has a lot to learn. It is made harder by the fact that she doesn't animate her facial features much. They've managed to communicate, one way or another, though. Fairly well.

While Robin signs about the yummy smell, Lavender responds, <<sounds good. Hungry.> Regarding the gift, what passes as a happy expression is given to him, which generally just means her eyes open wider in a friendly manner. She waves at him in greeting then looks at the box, then him, signing <<thank you>>.

<<Cheese?>> She looks from Robin to Cardinal.

Legally, according to the United States Government and its constituent municipalities, Cardinal's name is Elizabeth. She was Lizzie growing up, twin to Suzie, undeniably trouble, the two of 'em, and more so when hanging with cousins of the same age. But that was pretty much a whole entire lifetime ago now. And now, she's Cardinal. Something Gamma Fry called her back in Vermont, in all that time she's been away. A sign of good luck, she said, that flash of red running past outside when she used to dye her hair fire-hydrant bright.

<<Not yet,>> reads as disappointment, the way Cardinal's lips skew to the side. Not for the gift or the home, but for the lack of cheese-craving adherents trailing after her. But maybe one lovely roommate willing to eat her experiments is enough? With brightening eyes, she suggests to Lavender, slowly where she needs to fingerspell less common words, <<Maybe a vanilla base with parmesan crystals? Cheddar's tempting. Goat cheese is easy...>> Did anyone so much as mention ice cream? She's thinking about ice cream.

No matter. She plops down, legs folded, by the coffee table, her starry-patterned skater skirt--paired today with a pink sweatshirt that reads I'M A HUGGER--flaring out just a little with the movement, and snags the little package, looking between the pair inquisitively as she gives the ribbon a tug. Should she open it?

Robin in a cagey creature and waits on the periphery of the kitchen hungry in many abstract meanings of the word. Robin assures her of the interest on whatever is heating up as <<we will wait. Not leaning until it shows itself. Cannot promise I will not pounce on it like a cat when it is done.>>

He's in holiday attire: a lot of black and a hunter green lightweight scarf that covers the parts he doesn't want to talk about and also keep warm. Today his tattoos look like little Calvin & Hobbes snowmen marauding around his forearms where the sleeves of his long-sleeve t-shirt are pushed up.

Inside the box is a round holiday bulb that's pearlescent light blue. There's the little ice cream shop painted on there in the style of maybe Golden Books or those 1950's travel posters; pop minimalist. The bottom of the bulb with dipped in glue and set into white glitter to make the snow on the ground. On the back of the bulb there's a 2024 with a little red bird and a little brown one perched on the 2's. He elaborates <<You just moved and that's a bad reason to not be a little festive.>>

Looking to Lavender he asks curiously <<You here til New Year's also?>>

Lavender is Lavender. It's the name on her birth certificate. Did her parents have hopes she would be a more colorful and lively version of herself? Who knows. But Lavender is Lavender, though she is occasionally called 'Ender'. She's a quiet roommate. As a person, she leans towards introverted, but does enjoy the occasional social gathering.

What she doesn't do much at all, is smile. Not because she's unhappy or emo or anything, it's just not an expression that comes to her often. As far as emotions go, she is fairly even keel. Even her voice barely has inflections to it when she talks.

She still might not be clear about the mouse following asking for cheese, but, now she's understanding that Cardinal is speaking ice cream. And that usually means Lavender gets to taste. She does her best following the signs, contemplating the ideas of cheeses in ice cream, then finally shrugs. She has to finger spell a lot of words, but, she eventually says, <<why not? I like vanilla with a bit of olive oil drizzled on and salt flakes. Parmesan sounds possible.>> Or something close to that anyway.

<<Pretty skirt.>> Nodding, she urges Cardinal to open the gift. Is she slightly distracted by Robin's tattoos? Yes. When Cardinal lifts the bulb out, her eyes widen again. "So pretty. Oops." <<Pretty.>> Nodding to Robin, she answers, <<Yeah. I'm here.>>

Cardinal, by contrast, might be made of at least 50% smiles. Not there all the time, no, but they sure do come easily. Like when Lavender agrees that vanilla-parmesan ice cream sounds like it merits trying, an experiment which will soon find its way to the freezer in the coming days, and when she pulls the pretty little ornament with the ice cream shop and its itsy bitsy birds from the box. The box goes a-tumblin' to the floor, who much cares about that, as she springs to her feet and goes to fling a hug around Robin...

And hesitates. It's been a long time since they were close. Everything's been weird. Hard. In distant and different ways. They might not be at a spontaneous affection sorta place yet, so she pauses, arms spread wide with the pretty bulb in one hand, the other empty, and offers a hug.

With a tiny little hip-swish to set the skirt swinging in subtle appreciation for Lavender's compliment.

Robin signs to Lavender looking impressed <<Your signing is getting a lot better. Really good.>> People are trying and that little bit makes him happy enough. What he didn't expect was a hug offer because it's been a long time since he's really done human contact. There's a moment of surprise before lanky arms wrap around his cousin giving her a wobble pressing his cheek to the side of her head. Fingers give a small squish with a deep breath while the world relaxes a moment.

Letting go he rubs his face, maybe a little emotional and not admitting it; the other fussing at her hair with a small smile. <<You can still be family. You I missed.>> Widely most others can go to disappear off the ends of the earth and stay there apparently. <<Wanted to make sure you knew you had someplace to be. New start here's been nice.>>

Looking to Lavender he pauses but he tries to spell it <<Roomates are making folded Mexican comfort food for holiday. If she's making enough can bring some over to share.>> Looking between them there's some emphasis <<Lot of us staying for New Year's. Last year part of the garden lit itself up. Glow not fire. Long time no one believed me.>>

"Mmmm." Lavender's brows furrow slightly. She doesn't necessarily agree with Robin. She still pieces the gist of things together to something that seems to make sense, but, it's been improving steadily since Cardinal has helped her. Still, she signs, <<thank you>> to him.

She averts her gaze when they hug. The moment seemed to need to be enveloped in itself and not have her invade it. But when he addresses her again, she looks up at him, trying to keep up with his fingers as they spell. "No shit, tacos?" She asks, completely forgetting to sign again, but not correcting herself this time. "Sick. What's the sign for 'sick?"

It takes her a moment, and a lot of her eyes looking upwards to her bangs, as if that would help her remember, but she manages something to the effects of, <<More believe now.>>

Cardinal squeezes so hard! Maybe not squish the life outta ya hard, but definitely a grateful this is good kinda hard. As much as she can with only one arm participating in full, that is, given that the other doesn't wanna squish the pretty gift. Nevermind that she doesn't likely have the necessary oomph to go crushing reasonably solid things with one hand. Shhh. Let her believe.

<<Missed you, too,>> might be a tiny bit clunk with the ornament still in hand. She keeps an eye on Robin as she sets the painted bulb down on the nearby counter, turned so the 2024 and its perched pair are facing the living room, and nods... even as she makes a face. <<Appreciate it. Dad wants me to come home for Christmas now that I'm so close...>> Which is to say closer than Vermont but not all that close at all, which is how she likes it. She may have already mentioned it previously, but she has zero intention of playing pretend with her parents for the holidays; that's not home, not like here could be.

She turns to Lavender with a quick, <<Badass,>> fist closed then finger pointing right to her roomie. It's not a direct translation, but close enough.

With plans coming together for subsequent holidays, too, she assures, <<I can make enough of something, too,>> always glad to share good eats. The curious look she casts to Lavender as she signs, <<We?>> implies collaboration even before she asks more explicitly, <<Wanna bake cookies maybe? Wanna find somebody who can make our cookies glow?>> Cuz why not? She believes.

To answer Lavender Robbie throws the horns. Metal culture melding with sign culture. The tacos gets a shake of his head 'no' though and there's a furrow of his brows trying to figure out how to finger spell it. Finally giving up he puts his hands together and then separates them to leave the hologram of an empanada. He can't say spell it for shit but he knows what it is! Helpfully the illusion has a toothpick with a tiny flag with an arrow on it that points to the item it is stuck in. Folding his hands the illusion ends.

There's a lot of thought that goes into Cardinal saying her dad called. His fingers lift to respond but shares with a nod and no joy <<Mine too.>> which he uses the sign for 'same' for. <<You are clearly very busy if you don't want to go.>> His lips press together and to Lavender he says <<Somethings lost do not want found. Yes I'd rather make cookies. I like the icing part.>>

Lavender imiated both signs offered to her for 'sick' and nods.

"I can try to help. I can probably, measure things." She reaches up, scratching the side of her neck. She's not a baker. But she's also not not a baker. She just assumes she might not be great at it. Then looking at Robin, she communicates in a mix of signs and spoken word, "Can you make cookies glow?"

She seems sad at first when he tells her its not tacos, but when he reveals empanadas? "Sick. I mean, it's hard to go wrong with folded mexican food." Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, empanadas... All good.

"For sure," she says with a nod to Robin. She's flexing her fingers, hers still get tired when signing a lot. "I pretend to be lost sometimes, just so I can have some peace."

Cardinal believes. She does. Believing's easy when her own magic, if that's the word for it, has been so present and pronounced, all full-bodied otherness that she knows in her bones is hers and true. Seeing, on the other hand? Other people's magic is all weird and wonderful and at least a lil bit what the fuck when suddenly there's a floating empanada out of not-quite-nowhere to illustrate a difficult to communicate point. She shakes with laughter, heard only in a single delighted clap and a quiet rasping, the wow of appreciation for Robin's whole walking hologram projector thing written in her bright-eyed expression. Lavender's follow-up, can he make the cookies glow? Yeah, she wonders that, too.

But she's also caught that she has, <<Master Measurer and the Icing King!>> It's decided. They'll be baking New Years cookies together! Probably. Assuming this lot of might be flighty folks remembers something a whole week and some away.

And she's also caught something else, letting Lavender in on the secret that, <<I pretend to be deaf sometimes,>> and though the whole vibe is that it's for a similar reason, after a beat, she adds, <<so I can get all the good gossip.>>

And, with that, she flounces off to the kitchen to make sure nothing's boiling over--it's not--and get everything ready to served. Looks like some sorta pasta with a rich creamy sauce and... not meatballs, no. Pretend meatballs. They might be chickpea-based.

Robin's cheek's flush a bit as he rubs the back of his neck with his scarred hand snickering and admitting, <<'I don't know? I ate the cookie. I don't know if I can do neon glow yet but might be able to figure it out? I'll try.>> Looking to Cardinal with her eyes wide the smile warms easier and he reaches up to pretend pull down a roll up chart like it's movie projector time at school. Sadly there's no fwip! sound. As he signs the subtitles appear on it as he goes in blue.

>And now 🐦 sees the other reason I'm not leaving. The shows are fun. We get a storyteller- character actor- to come meet the public. We have them tell us their 'adventure' and we illuminate it together. Small kids especially have fun with it. I'll have the colour follow their hand. Good intro to the park and helps sell art. Like the Mary Poppins guy

Robin nods sloooowly but 'pulls' the string hanging from his illusion chart and lets it retract to disappear. <<that's cheating but I'm in to it. They have you meet Huck yet? he's really nice and easy to work with. He's interpreter guide. Accurate and helpful.>> He looks to where the sells are coming from pointing at his wrist in the 'wow long we waiting' gesture but asks <<Lavender, what colour we want to make the cookies glow in so we have something to practice visualizing?>>

When Cardinal calls her the 'Master Measurer, Lavender pulls her head back slightly and gets a skeptical look on her face for a moment. Somewhere in her mind, whatever thought she had that made her worry seems to have been cast away. She nods and says, "That's me. The master of measuring."

At Cardinal's revelation, Lavender gives a nod and a "right on." She nods and says, "benefit of being short and wearing a lot of dark clothes usually. People look right over me." She tries to sign some of the words as she goes, thinking maybe that would be the best way for her to go until she knows more words.

When the food comes out, Lavender starts to get off the couch. "Oh that looks great. I am starving." Looking to Robin, she says, "I would eat the cookies too." And when the subtitles appear, she reads them and gives a small applause. "That sounds great for kids. I'd have fun with it too. As for what colors the cookies should glow, she looks down at her black and white clothed self then back up. "Purple."

<<Magical, Bert!>> Cardinal declares of Robin's demonstration. Robin might have a new name now, finger-spelled this first time to get the point across, but it's likely to change into a him-specific Bert. A Bert covered in soot and chalk and wonder. But this time, it's just B-E-R-T with the tip of an invisible hat brim. <<Just magical!>> With a shake of her head, she tells him, <<No Huck though. I'll have to go on a Huck-finding adventure.>> With a little look askance at Lavender which might double as invitation, as an indirect inquiry of interested?

But she falls quiet for a few, in more ways than one, as she takes the time to dish out dinner, make sure everyone's got everything they need, herself included, drinks and silverware and all.

There's a smile that's all embarrassed humility, but that little bit of pride he's got shined and polished up. He's very okay with this accolade, just really understand how to accept it. It's good practice. He signs <<So I need to practice my shuffle step? Learn some dance moves?>>

He pauses to fill in <<Hmmm, I believe Huck is deaf. Interprets. Knows where all the shows are. How he picks up all the dialogue is impressive. He can speak though so it can be a strange but useful relay I am grateful for.>>

He nods. Purple. He grabs a coaster and holds it up in his hand. There's a lot of concentration before waving his hand over it a couple times until there's an airbrushed effect of like 2d thing 'glowing purple' though not actually emitting light. To Lavender he says <<I will work on this. I think we're getting closer.>>

Lavender starts to fingerspell as she speaks very slowly, "S-u-p-e-r-c-a-l-i-f-r-a-g-i-l-i-s-t-i-c-e-x-p-i-a-l-i-d-o-c-i-o-u-s." She absolutely cannot sign fast enough to match the tempo of the song. "Now I want to look for a youtube video or tiktok where someone signs along to that song. I would be impressed. Sorry. You made me think of Bert from Mary Poppins and it popped into my head."

Noticing the askance look, she says, "oh, yeah. I'd be down for a Huck Finding Adventure. I don't think I know him either."

Eagerly, she watches as Robin picks up a coaster and tries to make it glow purple. The result is, not wrong, but... not precisely right either. "So close," she says with a nod, holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart.

"Let's eat. I am starving, it smells delicious, and Cardinal worked on it all day." Maybe not all day, but she certainly put effort into it.

<<Some chimney-sweeping,>> Cardinal adds to the list without missing a beat. When she pauses to try to spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious along with Lavender, on the other hand, she misses several beats. Even with the other woman calling out the letters. Yeah, she's gonna need to see how someone else fields that first, too, and she's excited to find out, if her near-silent giggle is any indication. Another thing to add to the Roomie To Do List: baking cookies, finding Hucks, and learning how to sign extremely long made up words without tripping over their own fingers.

Cousins get bonus side quests! How to make that magnificent purple color project itself just a teensy bit, enough to take it from a glowy kinda color to actually glowing. Still, even now? It's impressive, and Cardinal gives a little applause as she settles in with them to eat. And talk. There's as much talking as eating. Conversation about cookie flavors and shapes, about icing colors and preferred sprinkles. About dressing up for the winter ball and making guesses about what sort of wonder this coming year will hold.

It's good. Really really good. There is no doubt that staying here is the right choice for the holidays.