|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 7:14 pm
"Are you trying to bribe me?" Dari asked. He had long since removed the projector and tucked it away safely. He followed Maia out into the back yard in nothing but a pair of pajama-type pants. Toby was already starting the fire in the pit, having sent Maia for the s'mores ingredients. He had dragged three patio chairs nearby the fire. When he heard them, he looked up and smiled.
"Of course she is. It worked too."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 7:27 pm
"See, I knew marshmallows would get him outside," The selkie said, not that she doubted that Dari would have come out without marshmallows; they had watched stars without them. Maia beamed at Toby, sitting in the chair nearest to him. She offered him the bag of marshmallows. "So we roast them and put them in crackers?" she asked, curious. "Where does the chocolate go?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2015 7:30 pm
"We have to get the fire going before we try to cook anything over it," Toby said, but he had small flames growing and dry wood prepared. He chose a chair and sat back.
"The chocolate goes on the cracker, and then when you put the marshmallow on it it melts it a little."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:49 am
It was amazing that a little heat could do so much; still amazing after all those days spent cooking with Toby. Cooking things definitely made a difference on the taste. It changed their consistency, and sometimes the texture.
"This is sort of like camping," she observed. Nevermind that she'd never gone. She'd read about it, though. They toasted things on fires and slept outside. Sometimes they told scary stories or sang songs. Maia was hoping they did neither.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:55 pm
"Eh, sort of," Toby half-agreed, leaning back further and crossing on knee over the other. They were surrounded by people in houses with fences and walls but there was at least the campfire feel to it. That was sort of the idea.
Dari was pleased with how calmly Toby had taken that inference. He wasn't offering up any information, but he also wasn't putting up walls. It was a nice, even medium. Silence lingered a little and Dari piped up:
"Did you know that Toby can play guitar?" Songs by the campfire, right? Wasn't that a thing? Maybe it was just one of those unrealistic stereotypes. Dari had never been able to go camping.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:10 pm
"Can he?" Maia looked from Dari to Toby. "You could play for us sometime," She encouraged him. "I don't have any musical talent," she confessed. Her mother had been a wonderful singer; but she certainly hadn't inherited that talent.
She turned back to Dari. "Do you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:15 pm
Toby looked to Maia and a half-smile crept up on his face. Weren't selkies supposed to be able to sing? That was a definite feature, wasn't it? Not like sirens, but something. Interesting. There were exceptions to every rule.
"Sure, if you want me to. I don't want to be 'that guy'." The one who sat on campus with an acoustic guitar and a band of hippie girls surrounding him. He was less public with his hobbies.
"Do I what?" Dari asked, "Have any musical talent? No. I might be able to develop some?" Different pressure, better control over certain facets of his anatomy, maybe. As of the moment, though? No.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:25 pm
"I'd like that," Maia wasn't sure what he meant by "that guy", but learning something new about Toby was always good. "We'll be the nonmusical club," she said, smiling at Dari. "Is the fire ready?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:34 pm
"Yeah, I think it's ready," Toby said with a nod, "You got the stuff?"
Dari reached down for the box of graham crackers and passed a sheet broken in half to Toby and to Maia. It was up to Maia to pass out the marshmallows. Toby had a set of sticks for marshmallow toasting and began to hand those out as well. It was dark and quiet. The world smelled like nature and smoke and fragrant burning wood. This brought back fond memories, not the painful sort that ripped at him through the week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:39 pm
Maia passed each of the men a marshmallow, keeping one for herself. She put the marshmallow on the stick Toby handed her and stuck it out towards the fire. "Do you sing too?" she asked, looking to Toby.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:45 pm
"God no," Toby replied with a little laugh. He spear his marshmallow and let his leg down, now leaning forward to toast it.
"He's being modest," Dari said. He used the stick purely so Maia wouldn't panic that his hand was in the fire. Did he want his first one light toasted or burnt? Hmm.
"No. I'm being realistic. I was never any lead in any musical. I can sing like Dari can sing, like you can sing, like any random person at the office can sing."
Dari didn't defy that bit. Pavarotti, Toby was not, but his voice had a pleasant tone to it in its depth. Dari liked 'listening' at the very least. Way back when, Carolyn had too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:52 pm
Maia paused, looked between the boys, not sure who to believe, and said, "I'll sing if you do." By way of fair trade. If Toby was terrible, she'd be terrible with him. His speaking voice was pleasant, she didn't think his singing voice could be so bad...
"I can't sing. Not we'll. I can't even carry a tune."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 6:55 pm
"I'm sure you're better than you think y-- Maia it's on fire." Toby gestured to Maia's now flaming marshmallow with his own stick. He was being a bit more picky with his.
Dari's was also on fire, and he held it near his face as it burned to just the right crunchy-gooey consistency and stuck it in his mouth in order to use his teeth to peel it off of the stick. "It's better that way."
"To each their own," Toby said, and then shrugged, "Like I said, if you want me to, I will."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 7:06 pm
Maia was startled by the fire on her marshmallow, at least when Toby pointed it out. She quickly blew it out, made a face at the blackness of the marshmallow and offered it to Dari. "Here," She offered. "You like them this way."
She shook her head at Toby. "I'm not," She assured him. "Go get your guitar then."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2015 7:11 pm
"I do," Dari said with a smile and pulled hers off of her stick with his fingers... well, most of it. It had become so melted that the core remained on her stick. He offered his own clean stick to trade.
"Yeah? Okay." Toby made a s'more quickly and started eating it as he went back into the house to find his guitar. Was it in his room or in the closet? He couldn't remember.
Dari turned to Maia. "This is good for him," he assured her. "He would play for his family." Carolyn was family as far as Dari was concerned. "It's hard to get him to take it out now unless you ask."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
