[PRP] Soak Up the Sun [ Ofelia + Melvin ] FINISHED

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

It was nice to get a Uniform 101 course to see what everyone else was seeing when they looked at his jacket. It seemed that instead of arrows on the sleeves or stripes on the collar like other US military departments, the signals of rank were shown in colors and stripes on the bottom. It suddenly dawned on him about Jerry and why the man had been pointing at his dirty collar. He was trying to point out his rank to him. Considering that Melvin clearly didn't know, he expected that Jerry, as his superior, would have told him. It seemed that wasn't the case, not to mention the man had rushed off to his friend instead. It still seemed unbelievable that Jerry was high ranking, let alone powerful. "I'll take your word on it about Jerry." He decided, not wanting to tango with someone who might be emotionally unstable due to seeing too much or through drugs.

"Oh, Rep is fine. Moody, but I've met a lot of guys like that back in college. More women than men at times." He said, though unlike women, they could throw one mean uppercut. His mouth had nearly gotten him pummeled plenty of times before.

Stepping into the kitchen, he looked around, and slowly started to see what was all here. His eyes caught Ofelia cleaning her hands, and he smiled at that before setting his books down on the table. "It's nice in here. Seems a bit big to be cooking here all on your own." It needed a radio, or maybe more people. "Where do you get your ingredients?"  

[Rown]

"Hmmm? Oh, Ah tend ta store mah dry stuff in one'a the cabinets, an' anythin' else Ah place in the fridge an' mark it." Ofelia turned the water off and turned to look at Melvin, moving to push her hair out of her face. She showed off an empty eye socket, not that it was much intentional, and she pulled an eyepatch from her pocket that she quickly placed over the socket. Patting to make sure it was in place, she washed her hands again and dried them with a paper towel. "Most'a the food in here comes wit' the kitchen, Ah guess someone is supplyin' it, but Ah tend ta like ta buy my own stuff. Makes me feel less bad if Ah ruin sommin' or use all of it." That had been a hard lesson learned. "Ah learned ta do that after Rep threatened mah life. Er. . . . figuratively." No, it had been quite literally but Melvin didn't really need to know that. He seemed to deal with Rep okay and Ofelia didn't need to spread problems on that.

She moved to the fridge and opened it up, glancing at a section that had her name on a few things. Some stuff looked like another person had taken hold but her heart really wasn't breaking there - anything she couldn't bear to have used by another person she hid. "Cookin' alone in here sometimes does get a bit silent, but sometimes a hunter or someone else will come in an' Ah get company fer a meal. Is there anythin' yer wantin' ta eat now that we're here? Ah'm willin' ta make anythin'."

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

He sat down, not knowing if he should help or not. It was her space in a sense, even if it was a shared area, and he never did much cooking. He once in a while chopped a vegetable or mixed a bowl, but all the cooking had been done mainly by his mother, sister, aunts, cousins, or grandmother. The men could help, but they were seen as a nuisance and ushered out of the room so they could gossip and gang up on his sister Sophie and any mysterious boyfriends she might have. He did do the dishes though.

Reading the back cover of one of the books he got, he let her get prepared. "Where do you buy your food? I didn't see any stores here." He was hoping that with his 500 bucks from the weapon's research that he could spend it on things he needed. So far, he didn't see anywhere to spend his cash aside from the vending machines.

His eyes glanced up and his hands squeezed the paperback book as he stared at Ofelia and her missing eyes.

Ohhh. Poor thing. She lost her eye. She should ask a friend for a new one. Hopefully she has a spare somewhere.

Humans don't keep spare eyes! It's gone. THIS GIRL IS MISSING AN EYE!!!!

Think someone ate it?

Melvin suddenly had a image of some dragon rolling a eye like a jawbreaker. It was not the sort of thing he wanted to think about.

At the request for food, he tried not to show his nervousness around the idea of a woman with one eye cooking his food. However, she was wearing a eyepatch, it didn't look like it leaked or did anything but be a empty void in her face, and she did wash her hands often. If he made any suggestions, he would then commit to having to eat whatever it was.

How hungry was he?

Considering the food in the cafeteria, he knew he'd burn out soon. Thinking, he gave a shrug. "Something spicy maybe?" Well, guess he was eating whatever it was.  

[Rown]

Something spicy? Ofelia ran a quick mental list of foods down in her mind of things she knew she could make that were spicy, and then a few things that she didn't know how to make that were spicy as well. A food item came up twice (because that's how Ofelia rolls) and she settled on it, glad her silence probably only lasted for a second and not a few minutes like she thought.

It actually was a few minutes but no one was really counting.

"Hmm....how does fajitas sound? They're spicy 'nough if ya season 'em right an' they're sommin' Ah haven' made inna. . . while." Translation? Never made before. It was the basic concept of frying and grilling and then cutting things up so she could grasp it by the handles and go from there, right? Plus wasn't the best thing about cooking involving making things to taste and just hoping for the best?

Ofelia hoped that maybe she and Melvin wouldn't need their stomachs pumped after this.

"Ah should have supplies fer it here - an' ta answers yer question trainees an' up get a weekend off a month. Ah use mah time ta go an' buy groceries out in the real world usin' one of the portals." The last major time she went was with Bix, and her face still burned angry with the thought of that stupid dress she wore. A time after that she went for something quick and easy, slipping back in just before hell rained down on everyone at Deus. "Ya didn' know 'bout them?"

The teen was pulling things out of the cabinets and the fridge, setting them in a nice order to prevent stuff from getting mixed up. She was both a methodical and messy cooker as Melvin would soon see.

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

"That sounds good. Whatever you feel." He was, after all, just mooching off of her for food. Beggars couldn't be choosers - too much. He did decided on a few things, but in the end, he was rather easy to please as long as you made sure you washed your hands constantly, the food was cleaned and the cutting board switched often. If he had a hair net, he was sure to also have requested Ofelia to wear it as well, but instead he kept his eye out for any loose strands the girl might possess and judge how much in danger they were in to sabotage his food.

Actually, just thinking about it made him concerned, and he set his book down and rose up. "How about I help?" That way he could just ensure EVERYTHING was cleaned.


There was a reason why Melvin was often kicked out of the kitchen back home.

He took off his sweater, not wanting it to get dirty, and then rolled up the sleeves to his long-sleeve, button up shirt. Then he moved over and took off his gloves, putting them in his pocket and washing his hands. Since he was going to be constantly near a sink, there was no point to wearing them.

"I didn't know about getting leave. I was about to ask since there were no stores around. Do we have to make a request?" He really wanted to buy a few things for his room.  

[Rown]

"Yer neither a beggar nor a moocher in mah kitchen - everyone here is welcome wit' open arms." The teen spoke and winked, shuffling around to get out all the pots and pans she'd need. The food was already out, she'd been working on that before hand, and now she was ready to start. Ofelia was already lighting a stove and getting a move on a few things (she was going to be second guessing herself a bit during most of this) when she heard Melvin get up and move. His offer of help came shortly after and Ofelia looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "Yer always welcome ta help, is there anythin' ya wanna do?"

Ofelia was not used to help but she wasn't going to be rude and turn it down. . . at least not on their first meeting. If he screwed stuff up she'd turn him down afterward with the excuse her cooking was off key because he was in her way. A rude excuse but it sounded so awesome in her head.

"As fer gettin' leave, Ah didn' know 'bout it either 'till Ah jus' asked 'round. Sometimes it's easier ta force yerself onta someone 'till they tell ya what ya wanna know." Easier said than done for Ofelia, considering people seemed to maybe. . .avoid her? It was hard to tell. "As fer requests, yeah, would make sense. Ya gotta let 'em know where ya are jus' in case a mission or sommin' pops up an' ya gotta be recalled." That made total sense.

Ofelia started on the meat, because meat would take longer to cook than the veggies. "Chicken or beef or both?"

MoonKitsune

sorry for delay ;;;

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

Melvin inspected what there was before picking out a few vegetables. "I think I can cut these at the very least." He told her, and got a bowl to keep them in before he picked out a cutting board, washed it again, and then took a clean knife and washed that. As for her question, he shrugged. "Chicken if you could." He felt chicken held sauce better and often got spicier than beef did.

Taking a pepper, he cleaned the seeds out and then started to slowly cut it. "I heard you could go almost anywhere through the portals. Do you get leave often? Have you been many places by using the portals? I was wondering if it's considered more like visiting major cities and if there would be good places to just go shopping for necessities." He needed things like clean sheets, bedding, and new disinfectant reserves. He also was starting to get cravings for brand-named foods he missed.  

[Rown]

"Ah dunno if Ah've been anywhere major, as in Ah've never really recognized any'a the places we came out in - though one time we did get back ta Atlanta. Ah'm from 'round there so it was kinda like goin' home only we got ambushed by a pony person." Ofelia said, and she grinned. That part of it had really, really sucked but to be back in soupy weather that frizzed her hair and kissed her skin was always very welcome.

She got the chicken in the pan and started to fry it, adding a few seasonings here and there. It would take a bit, thankfully she'd thought to slice the strips of chicken to various widths as she placed them in, and for her own record she used a different hand to hold the pan than the one that actually touched the chicken. "An' Ah suppose ya could really go anywhere but wit' the risk'a discovery or danger or whatever would ya really wanna tempt that? The higher ups here dun really mess 'round."

In the back of her mind Ofelia was glad she was getting a hand cooking since chopping up vegetables, or whatever he was wanting to do, saved her time in the long run. "Didja want rice wit' these or anythin' else? Or jus' straight fajitas?" Questions about the food were always easily slipped in. "Also Ah dunno if yer allowed ta leave right away, took me a long while b'for Ah even thought'a takin' a day off."

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

He sighed to hear this. It was a constant with a few people he had already asked, and he started to resign to the fact that he just wasn't going to leave the island for a few months. "This place starts to feel a bit sniffling. Can't even take a break to pick up something good to eat or just watch a movie." Even in college he was allowed to play. Sparring, researching, and doing training courses were not his idea of fun and after a while, he just felt tired and drained. He woke up just not wanting to get up because there was little to look forward to as a reward or small fun bonus to be had.

"I guess I'll just wait a while and keep asking." The sooner he got a little break, the better. Just knowing he could leave would make him feel loads better.

"Oh, and you don't have to go through the trouble of rice. This should be good." He ate plenty but rice took a while and he'd rather not use up all her food. After all, for Ofelia this was her idea of fun.  

[Rown]

"Ya sure? Ah dun mind Mexican rice, sometimes is good in the fajitas, but yer wish is the command so we'll pass." The teen pushed the small bag aside with the back of her hand, the other one focused on keeping the chicken from burning. She motioned for Melvin to add the vegetables in, as well as a pinch of two of seasoning here and there, and slowly the meal was coming together. She didn't say anything more about him needing to be patient to leave, he clearly seemed to understand that all on his own, and there was a quiet need to make sure she didn't ruin their meal.

She could offer one piece of advice though, something she held on to when she felt like she needed to escape. "If. . .well, if yer ever needin' a way ta vent yer anger ya can always watch movies here, or maybe visit the beach? Sometimes Ah go there ta try an' teach mahself how ta swim, though s'not workin' too well. One'a these days Ah'mma end up drownin'." Ofelia didn't know his hobbies other than what he vaguely mentioned so she couldn't just outright say to focus on those. She also didn't know him well enough to say he could come and hang out with her at any time as well. That would just seem so creepy their early into their meeting.

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

When he was done doing his small part, he washed his hands, placed his gloves back on, and sat down in a chair nearby for her to cook without being in her work space yet not far off to put a awkward strain on the conversation.

"I'd like to see some movies, though none of my electronics work and I don't have enough to runic my laptop. I'm hoping after a little while I can get it working again and watch some movies and music I have left on there. I wasn't expecting for all my electronics to be just expensive paper weights when I got here." Then again, he hadn't expected anything when he got here which made packing harder than it already was when you were never going to come back ever again.

"I've been told we can swim in the ocean. I just haven't yet. I didn't exactly bring swim trunks with me, and it seems to be a ways off. I've been occupying my time with training and sparring for a while that it slipped my mind." He should check it out, and he was sure he had some shorts he could use instead of swim trunks. A nice swim could be a nice, small vacation from tech work.

"Do they do any activities for fun around here that you know of?"  

[Rown]

"Activities? Dunno many'a 'em, but sometimes we have parties an' stuff? Ah know they got a movie projector 'round here somewhere, Ah overhead people talkin' 'bout a movie night a while back, but that was the last'a it. If ya'd like Ah look inta it more, or maybe jus' ask somma the other trainees? They'd know more than me." Ofelia gripped the pan as she talked and tossed a few of the vegetables, giving off more of an air of presentation than she thought. It was fun, allowed her to fry easier, and was a good workout for her arms. All in all, very much a winning situation. "Ah spend most'a mah time out in the sparrin' fields, or here in the kitchen. Didn' bring any personal stuff wit' me ta worry 'bout so Ah'm sorry Ah dun got advice fer yer paperweight problem."

Maybe that was why she got promoted so quickly, all her training. That seemed silly, so that went away just as quickly as it popped into her head. She was about to mull on something else, to go back to cooking in silence, when she recalled whatever he said only moments before. "Wait, ya said...ya know how ta swim?"

Of all the things Ofelia clearly found that the most important to ask about.

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

Melvin was inspecting a manicured nail, thinking of what could be done around here. Most of what Ofelia knew was somewhat limited, as she seemed to shy away from people and thus know little about the social events that happened here. He wasn't exactly the life of the party, but he liked commotion and noise most of the time outside of his own studies and work. It broke up the time here, and he knew that making connections with the hunters worked well when they had to fight. It seemed he'd have to tweet or ask someone else around here.

At her question, he looked up. "Yes, I do. We have a lot of lakes and rivers where I grew up. Why?"  

[Rown]

"Do. . . do ya think if possible ya might consider teachin' me how ta swim? Ah never learned an' seein' as Ah'm almost outta mah teens s'kinda a shame not ta know how." Ofelia and bodies of water tended not to get along, which is why she preferred showers over baths and just avoided flowing streams and rivers like they were made of acid. All it would take was for her to slip or hit her head and she'd be gone.

That would suck, swollen bodies from drowning looked hideous. She'd seen a few, mostly when a local went missing or there was a bad flood, and from her memories she certainly knew she never wanted to look like that if she could help it.

Also there weren't any ponds where she lived, only the large river, and rivers were just too dangerous anyway for a kid.

MoonKitsune

 

[MoonKitsune]

Rown

"Me?" The idea of him teaching anyone to swim made him tense, and he thought of the ocean, while okay for swimming was in no way nicely filtered from impurities. Then there was teaching swimming, which usually involved a lot of touching, and he twisted his gloved hands a moment.

"I'm not the very best teacher to be honest. You really should find someone else. I'm sure you could ask around. It seemed a lot of people swim around here. You wouldn't learn anything with me." She probably wouldn't. He was having a difficult time just imaging it to be frank.