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 Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 1:36 pm
"A little better. Dari brought me things to help me feel better." Like chocolate. Finding chocolate in the morning had been nice! "Okay." she agreed. She took the recipe and began to read it aloud at a slow pace to make sure Toby could keep up.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 1:47 pm
"That's good." If Dari had supplied the proper treatment then there would be cramping meds too. Maia was over thirty and was experiencing something most women had been dealing with for about twenty years by now, the poor thing. It'd be like Dari gong through puberty.
He worked almost automatically but did wait for exact measurements and such from Maia. When t came time to cook them, he waved Maia over.
"Alright. This is the hard part."
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 1:59 pm
Maia came to Toby's side. "The hard part?" she prompted, smiling at him. Shed seen him make them before, but pouring batter onto the griddle and flipping them didn't sound that difficult. She watched. "Do you have to butter the griddle?" She asked.
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 2:05 pm
'We do. Would you like to do it? Only about this much." He cut off a pat of butter and offered the knife to Maia. Then he leaned to retrieve a ladle to spoon the pancake onto the griddle. When the batter was on the hot metal he watched closely, and then began to point out the bubbles forming and the edges turning matte. "See that? And this, it looks less shiny? It's almost time to flip it."
A few moments more, a chewed inner lip, and he flipped it over. It was well-browned and he smiled proudly. "The first few will be perfect, but they'll start getting kind of... spotty-ish. Which is fine. It's just the temperature changing on the griddle."
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Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 2:15 pm
Maia was fascinated by the pancakes and how they reacted to heat so quickly. Shed put the butter onto the griddle as instructed and watched as they bubbled around the edges. Toby flipped it and it looked as perfect as any pancake she'd seen. She smiled at him.
"Can you teach me to flip them?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 9:16 am
"Sure! Okay, here. This one's almost done." He gave a demonstration on the air as he explained. "So you put it right to the bottom and you slide it in fast so the pancake doesn't move, then you have to lift it and just sort of flop it over. Everyone's gotten batter on other pancakes or griddle sides of... floors. Maybe ceiling tiles. Who knows. You want to try?" He offered Maia the spatula.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 9:41 am
Maia found that flipping pancakes was harder than Toby had made it look. She'd flipped it, but the pancake had flopped over on itself and now resembled a fat taco. She frowned. "Did people really get them on the floor?" she asked. "Can you fix mine?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:21 am
"Someone must have," Toby reassured her and took the spatula back, using it first to remove the finished pancake and then to spread open the other and pat it back down. He wiped the raw batter from the spatula and turned back to pancake-making.
"It's alright, it just takes practice."
That Sunday there had been another planned visit to the lake, this time well after closing. It was an enter-at-your-own-risk kind of deal and they had to park outside the entrance to dip under the bars and head toward the swimming area. Unfortunately the boat launch was barred as well, but they had the beach all to themselves.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:32 am
Maia thought sneaking into the park at night was very exciting indeed. She ducked under the bars and took Toby's hand, tugging him towards the water. "C'mon, c'mon," she said. The only light was that of the moon, and the stars. "Let's find the best spot on the beach to watch the stars. Then we'll swim!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:34 am
Toby tilted his head to the sky. Hmmm...
"Here," Dari said without pause. Toby turned to see him standing a little way down the beach.
"Fourth dimension?"
"Yes."
Toby nodded for Maia to come with him to the spot Dari had chosen.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:51 am
Maia followed Toby to the spot, looking up. "You did find the best spot!" She beamed at Dari. She'd have to remember that. Dari was the best star watching spot picker. "Are you guys ready to swim?" She asked. She was fairly sure Toby wouldn't freeze tonight. The water was much warmer here, even if it did feel cold right after getting in.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:59 am
"Sure," Toby replied, stripping off his pants and shirt. Dari simply pulled out of all of his clothing and then paused.
"You don't mind, do you?" the alien asked.
Toby shook his head. Why should he care?
It was Dari who went in first, sprinting as fast as he could and then releasing the pressure in his limbs, creating an enormous "cannonball" splash.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 11:09 am
Maia grinned. Dari did seem to enjoy the water, She was glad they'd come. She pulled off her overshirt and headed for the water, walking rather than running. She waited for Toby at the waters edge. "Going to see if you can beat his splash?" She asked.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 11:12 am
"Nah, impossible," Toby said with a little chuckle. Solid meat versus a big blob of fluid? He went to the edge, walked to a decent depth, and dove in gracefully. It was a bit cool, but it felt good. The bruises on his legs were almost gone.
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 11:18 am
Well. There was one thing Toby was willing to admit defeat at. She followed suit, diving in after him. "I read about a lake where people used the mud for cures. But no one seems to agree whether they work or not." And she didn't think getting someone wet when they had a cold was the best idea ever, either. "Want to race?"
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