Open Post: Curiosity

[sporesprouter]

Tress is, as she often is, in her workshop. However, what she is doing in her workshop is not even close to her usual activities.

Instead of her usual array of spores and sprouter's gear, she has found some more standard tools which are sitting on the table next to a rubber mat that is holding... a toaster. She secreted one from a kitchen that isn't particularly used. To the side are a couple books from the library as well as her open notebook.

She turns the toaster upside down and starts undoing some screws on the bottom of the case.

After all, the best way to figure something out is often to gain practical knowledge.

Comments

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Hm. Depends on how much of a sweet tooth you have." Janet's been going back to her roots a little recently, clothing-wise, so she's actually wearing jeans today. Fitted and expensive-looking¹ jeans, but jeans. She hooks her thumbs through the belt loops as they walk.

¹Thanks, mansion!

[sporesprouter]

She shrugs. "Well, I like baking, so I definitely have a bit of a sweet tooth, anyway. Will that help or hurt?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Help. Definitely help."

Once they reach a kitchen, Janet stands in front of a pantry and concentrates hard for a second. She's gotten pretty good at coaxing what she wants out of the mansion; maybe it's a magician thing. Good clarity of intent. Or maybe the mansion just likes her.

She flings open the pantry doors and grins. "Perfect." On the counter, she arrays the following: a box of Frosted Flakes, a box of Froot Loops, a box of strawberry Poptarts, a box of Reese's Puffs, and what looks like a grocery store pack of cheap chocolate chip muffins.

[sporesprouter]

Tress looks over the array, blinking. "Well," she says carefully, "the boxes are certainly colorful."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Yep. Hang on." From the fridge, Janet grabs a carton of milk. The freezer is kind enough to provide some Eggo waffles.

She pops one waffle and one Poptart into the toaster on the counter, then pours Froot Loops and milk into a bowl. "Eat up," she says, tossing in a spoon and holding it out to Tress.

[sporesprouter]

Tress eyeballs the dubiously colored cereal but does take a bite. She chews thoughtfully and swallows.

"Is that supposed to have another flavor beside unsettlingly sweet?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Fruit. Maybe. But you're right -- it's mostly sugar." Janet pops a dry handful of the same cereal into her mouth and crunches through it. "The mascot's a toucan. No idea why. Want to try another one?"

[sporesprouter]

"Might as well. You went through the effort of bringing them out."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Okay. One second."

Janet assembles Tress a horrible little breakfast feast. A single freezer waffle with butter and maple syrup, a single strawberry Poptart, a bowl of Frosted Flakes, a bowl of Reese's Puffs. She tosses another handful of Froot Loops into her mouth and says, "Ta-da. Bon appetit."

[sporesprouter]

She starts with a bite of the Reese's Puffs. "... Is everything going to have this much sugar?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Pretty much. What do you have for breakfast?" Janet chucks another Poptart in the toaster for herself.

[sporesprouter]

She moves onto the frosted flakes. "Eggs, usually. Grated potatoes. Same sorts of things we'd have on the ship at home."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Oh, real food. Yep, this stuff is pretty gross, huh?" Janet's completely calm about that assertion.

[sporesprouter]

She's moving on and sampling the different items, pretty much just one bite each. "They'd be better, I think, if they just cut down on the sugar. Even a little. There's nothing wrong with fruit-filled pastries, but..."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Yeah. I think this is just a nostalgia thing for me." Janet's Poptart pops out of the toaster and she grabs it, then hisses a little as she burns her fingers. "Shit. Also, I figured you might want to see what a toaster is actually for."

[sporesprouter]

She smiles almost despite herself. "So is this the feast I get for assuming it was just for toast?"

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Exactly. Smart kid. Oh, wait--"

Janet ducks into the pantry again. Bagels. She digs out a bag of everything bagels, twists one in half, and sticks that in the toaster summarily. "You might like this one better."

Is there a little tiny part of her that feels bad about the star charts thing and is trying to make up for it? No. Why would you ask that?

[sporesprouter]

She watches curiously as Janet uses the toaster yet again. "Was that a completely different kind of bread? It looks really good."

[sorrowandsorrow]

"Yes. Give it a minute." Janet grins, not quite so sharp as usual. "I used to live in New York City. These won't be as good as the ones you get there; there's no way. But they'll be good."

Once the bagel pops back up, she swipes some cream cheese from the fridge and layers it generously on the halves before passing the bagel, plated with care (read: tossed onto a fresh plate), to Tress.

[sporesprouter]

Tress takes the plate and picks up one of the bagel halves, taking a bite.

"Oh! This is good!"

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet has literally never met anyone like Tress before. Sweet without being cloying, kind without a secret catch where she's going to backstab you later. It's insane. She battles back the rest of her smile. "That's breakfast too. See, toasters."

[sporesprouter]

"Toasters. Very useful." She continues eating the bagel. "What are these called? Just so I can ask the kitchen for more of them if I want." And also probably look into how to make them herself, because baking is fun.

[sorrowandsorrow]

"That's a bagel. An everything bagel. Maybe the mansion'll make you some different kinds¹ if you ask nicely. And the thing you're eating on it is cream cheese, if they don't have that where you're from."

¹But surely not plain bagels.

[sporesprouter]

"Thank you. It's really great. I'll probably bake you something from home to trade you."

[sorrowandsorrow]

Janet sighs. She needs someone to be an asshole to her or she's going to go nuts. "You don't -- I didn't actually make these. You don't have to bake me something." She's already been fed semi-mysterious overflow baklava recently.