[PRP] In The Night Kitchen (Seren x Vash)

[and be blue]

"You sure talk like people who do." He was still stomping as he worked -- more than just competent, even if reaching things on high shelves was a bit of a problem. Vash wasn't exactly short, but neither was he tall, and at some point someone had worked in here with a little bit of that extra lift.

"Immediately assume the people around you aren't capable. Seems to mean you think they don't know as much as you." He shot a her a look. "I met a lot of people like that before."

Aria Starstone

 

[Aria Starstone]

"I asked, didn't I? If you had experience with kitchen duty? And you got snarky at me about it." She wasn't energetic about it at all, her words, not anymore. "I was just trying to get an idea of how much you knew, not judging." Her head was hanging as she worked, like she was trying to hide behind her hair, but it was up in a net, so that wasn't exactly working. "All I wanted was to know what was going on in here. I mean, I've met some one who told me about the time he set a fire by forgetting he was boiling water, I've got someone else I'm trying to teach to cook... I have no idea who has skills and who doesn't. I don't assume one way or the other..."

She glanced at him for a second, saw the look he shot her, and folded in on herself more. "I never met to offend you. I didn't realize I was coming off that way... I'm not exactly used to socializing with people who aren't my superiors, who I have to kowtow to..."

She was hunching her shoulders in like she was expecting to be hit, now.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

For some reason, her folding in made him scowl all the more. At this point, there probably wasn't much Seren could do to cool Vash's frustration, and what she was doing only seemed fanning it.

"Uh uh, you can't like cry and be like that, just because I called you bossy when you were being bossy." He tipped his chin up, squinting at her for a moment and then pointedly going back to work. "If what you wanted was to socialize you coulda asked me questions or been curious or whatever instead of acting like you're in charge."

aria starstone

 

[Aria Starstone]

She just hunched away from him and his anger, pretty clearly expecting the anger to turn violent, and yet her face was just blank, as if that was normal. She was terrible with people, she kept finding this out, and making enemies. She continued to work on the sauce, letting things remain silent for a long time. Finally, all she could say was "I'm sorry. I never meant to be bossy or otherwise. It's all I can say, because it's true. If I was, then obviously I'm not worth your time. I'll leave you be."

She went back to working, silent and hunched over the pots, not even looking near him anymore.

and be blue

 

[and be blue]

It made for an awkward sort of working together, then, since her silence and flinching made Vash all the tenser, all the angrier, his own jaw set tight enough that it made his teeth ache.

They just had to each work on their own thing and, hopefully, not make a meal that was too horrendous to be eaten.

aria starstone