43 Unicorn: Monday night with Nell

[mylandmyrules]

Liliana had handwavily asked if they were still getting together, so Nell told her to come along. Nell would either whip up something Liliana wanted or they could have something delivered. The kittens would no doubt be delighted to have company and Nell wouldn't object to having someone to talk to. As pretty as the gladiolas were, they were not the best conversationalists and Nell had gotten used to having someone around to keep her company at night.

She did stick a pan of brownies in the over to bake, since she'd had a bit of a craving for them, so the house smelled delightfully chocolatey when Liliana arrived.

Comments

[deathsmajesty]

A knock at the door heralded Liliana's arrival. "Nell, I can smell chocolate," she called. "Let me in or I might have to do something drastic!"

[mylandmyrules]

"By all means, come in then," Nell said with a smile. "The brownies are just about ready, though I had planned to frost them."

[deathsmajesty]

"That seems like an acceptable reason to not eat them all at once," Liliana decided as she let herself in. "Also, Ignis is starting to wake up--" she scritched the head of the tiny lump in her decolletage "--and he'll get cranky if all I eat are brownies tonight.

[mylandmyrules]

"He actually turned into a bat then?" Nell asked."I'm not sure he's ever changed into something before. Come, come, we can have a seat in the kitchen and wait for the brownies to cook to frost."

[deathsmajesty]

"If this is some kind of illusion of magic or trickery, I'll be both impressed and furious," Liliana said, following Nell to the scent of chocolate kitchen and taking a seat. "But you're right, he mentioned he never has before." She exchanged a sardonic look with Nell. "Perhaps his sense of responsibility wouldn't let him change before now."

Before Prompto and Gladio'd had other people to take care of them when they swapped.

...Honestly, that was the most Ignis thing she'd heard all week.

[mylandmyrules]

"Perhaps," Nell said, with a nod to the vase of gladiolas on the table. "I'm here to watch out for Gladio. Not that he needs much looking after."

She touched the vase fondly and smiled at Liliana. "Very low maintenance."

[deathsmajesty]

"That seems much like Gladio then," Liliana said, as she pulled a mango out of her bag. "Might I have a plate and a paring knife please, darling? I need to prep Ignis' dinner for him."

Prompto was an enthusiastic puppy, Gladio was a chill vase of flowers, and Ignis was a bat who required an assortment of fresh fruit. That absolutely tracked, yes.

[mylandmyrules]

"It is," Nell said fondly. She rose and quickly got a plate and paring knife for Liliana and set it on the table in front of her. "I have other fruits as well if you want them."

The kettle whistled she rose again to get it and two cups. There was a plethora of teas on the table already so that Liliana could choose which she preferred.

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh, thank you, darling. We'll see if he has room after his mango," she said, scritching the yawning Ignis again. "It is a very large mango and he is a very tiny bat."

And adorable.

"So, darling, how was the weekend? Radio sounds like there was some kind of kerfuffle," she added, reaching for an herbal tea blend.

[mylandmyrules]

"Crazy things were happening outside," Nell said. "So I just hunkered down here with the kittens and waited it out. They were looking for creative types to help out, but I really didn't see that I could be any help."

She sighed. "So I figured that at least I would stay out of the way and not be one more person who needed saving."

[deathsmajesty]

"You don't think you're a creative person?" Liliana asked.

[mylandmyrules]

"Me?" Nell asked, looking surprised. "No. I don't write or paint or sculpt or act or anything."

[deathsmajesty]

"Do you not make a whole winter's worth of floral arrangements?" Liliana asked.

[mylandmyrules]

"Oh, that's mainly following the directions for the arrangements and substituting the colors and flowers the client most likes," Nell said. "I don't know that I'm terribly creative about it. Not like a real artist or anything."

[deathsmajesty]

"Most artists I've ever met say they're not like 'real artists,'" Liliana scoffed. "But if that's how you feel, you would know better than I, I suppose."

She sounded dubious, but also, she hated when people presumed to know her better than she knew herself.

[mylandmyrules]

"In any case," Nell said. "I avoided all the craziness, though the flower shop was a disaster this morning. So how did your weekend go?"

[deathsmajesty]

A dour expression flickered over her face before it smoothed out to placidity. "Oh, it was fine," she said, sipping her tea. "Didn't quite go the way I'd hoped, but sometimes that happens, I suppose."

[mylandmyrules]

"Sounds like we could both use frosted brownies," Nell said sympathetically. "And maybr pick some actual food to order for dinner."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana sighed. "I feel like we could just eat the brownies and call it good...?" she suggested.

Did she think it would work? No. But she had to try.

[mylandmyrules]

Who was going to argue with her? Not Nell. "I have ice cream too, so that covers dairy. And strawberries work for fruit..."

[deathsmajesty]

Yay!

Ignis looked up at Liliana and squeaked grumpily. "Oh hush," she said, gently booping him on the nose. "Hush and eat your mango."

"Anyway," she said, looking back at Nell. "I can see no way anyone could argue this isn't a full and enriching meal."

[mylandmyrules]

"I am totally in agreement," Nell said with a smile. "Besides, we're adults. If we want to have dessert for dinner one in a while, we certainly can."

She glanced over at the little bat. "Ignis, if you want to stop us you'll have to turn back now. No? Dessert it is!"

[deathsmajesty]

"Well, he had his opportunity and chose to eat his mango instead," Liliana laughed, watching Ignis nom on the mango. "What kind of ice cream are we looking at?"

[mylandmyrules]

"I always have vanilla for Monday nights," Nell said, rising and going to the refrigerator. "Let's see what else I have. Moose Tracks, which is chocolate ice cream with peanut butter cups and fudge. I think we got it because of the Fandom moose, but it's really delicious and decadent. And we have a raspberry swirl."

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh, raspberry swirl for me, please," Liliana said. "I'm going to have to have a talk with the moose. Ensure my next class isn't at a ridiculous time in the morning."

Which, okay, was all times of the morning, but first period had been rude.

[mylandmyrules]

"That sounds like a perfect complement to frosted brownies," Nell said, pulling that out and handing it to Liliana. "And they're ready to be frosted. Plain chocolate frosting good or would you like mocha or a hint of mint or orange?"

The frosting was all set to go, just needed to be slathered on - after adding any extra flavor Liliana might like.

[deathsmajesty]

"Hmmm, the mint would be quite good with raspberry," Liliana decided. "So...how long do these transformations last?"

[mylandmyrules]

"Mint it is then," Nell said, adding several drops of her mint extract to the bowl and mixing it up well before beginning to frost. "I never paid particularly close attention before. Never had reason to. Sometimes a weekend, sometimes a week or more?"

The brownies were frosted in no time and Nell had them cut and nicely displayed on a plate on the table. "Help yourself," she said, sliding one into a plate for herself before dishing out some ice cream. "They smell wonderful if I do say so myself."

[deathsmajesty]

"Good enough to lure me to your doorstep," Liliana said with a smile that was soon lost behind a spoonful of brownie and ice cream.

"If you stay a bat until Thursday, sweeting, you're getting discount fruit. Like those liar apples from Turtle and Canary."

[mylandmyrules]

Nell laughed at that and had a feeling Gladio was amused about that as well.

"You will not," Nell said with a grin. "You'll continue to spoil him rotten."

[deathsmajesty]

"Only because I refuse to have substandard fruit in my house," she declared. "He is the beneficiary of my refusal to compromise on quality."

He was happily clinging to his mango - which was roughly the size he was - with a wing wrapped around it, while he kept the other wing hooked into the front of Liliana's bodice.

[mylandmyrules]

"Uh huh," Nell said with a smile. "I'm sure that's all it is. Not wanting inferior fruit."

[deathsmajesty]

"I'm sure I don't know what you're insinuating," Liliana sniffed with a toss of her hair. Batnis squeaked at her reprovingly, her movement tugging at him, and he'd lost his grip on the precious mango.

"Oh, I am deeply sorry, little love," Liliana teased, "for having the temerity to disturb your dinner. You know you could let go..."

He squeaked at her again. What a ridiculous idea. Preposterous. Did you need a mango, Liliana? Perhaps your dinner's utter lack of nutritional value was causing you to say nonsense words.

[mylandmyrules]

Nell laughed and handed Liliana another brownie. "Well, let's enjoy these before he decides to change back and scold us!"