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Fallon tried to picture an army of polite, teal-haired men sitting in a big white room sipping lightly at the edge of a glass of champagne and drawing looping letters with ornate quills. That must be what Howl's family reunions were like, she reasoned. "I would love to dance, yes," she said. "Have a seat with us. We're just getting settled to eat."

Fallon appeared to be planning something with her food, but it wasn't clear what. She reached toward the plate, slid out a circle of cheesecloth from under a few cubes, and then placed it in the center of her plate. She scooped up two shrimp at laid them on the cloth, and then used her tiny fondue spear to cut a mini-onion into four chunks, which also got added to the mixture. When Jada touched her leg, Fallon turned to her and gave her an everything's fine, just thinking smile.

A few more veggies made it into the bundle and a tiny piece of filet too. She wrapped all of it up into a dumpling-like pouch, hooked the knotted seal over her skewer, and then balanced in on the edge of her personal oil pot so that it dangled close to the sizzling surface without actually submerging. And then she sat up and smiled.

Food was fun.

Jada raised a perfectly sculpted eye at the teal-haired man apparently ignoring her inquiry. Well, even if his manners were lacking in not even making a vague comment to make it known he did hear but would prefer not to answer, her manners were in line when she turned her attention to Calintha. "Meadowview, how interesting. I hear your team is doing quite well in some of those... sporty tournaments, isn't that so?"

She watched Fallon with vague interest. Actually, that could be quite delicious, steamed meats and vegetables all together. It piqued her, just a hair, that the boy had chosen to so disregard her simple question. She flipped the steak and chicken so as to evenly brown the other side.

Fallon enjoyed the attention her little culinary exploit was getting. "Oh, it's nothing," she said, gently adjusting the skewer. Her mind was reeling, already searching for ways to improve her little makeshift steamer. My God, fondue was so fun! It was like some kind of cooking challenge! The teenager made a note to grab a menu and figure out their hours of operation before she left. She'd most definitely be coming back here soon.

Being a stickler for politeness (though she was not nearly as formal as Howl by a long shot), Fallon, too, noticed the omission of his school, but said nothing. She wasn't going to pry into his life; she wouldn't want him to pry into hers. "Just a little trick," she said to Howl. "I wonder if the heat off the oil will be hot enough to cook the shrimp all the way through..." She didn't want to take it off the heat too soon, but Fallon leaned in, trying to see if the shrimp had turned pink yet.

Fallon wanted to avoid any tension so she latched on to Calintha. "Calintha is a really great gardener," she said, flashing the girl a smile. "If you teach me to keep plants like you do, then I'll teach you some cooking techniques." The offer was genuine. Fallon liked to be around other students from Barren Pines, if only to remind herself that she was not alone in that experience.

Her eyes moved to the clock on the wall. It was getting later, and she intended to go home soon. Of course, she'd need to have a dance first...

Calintha felt a little overwhelmed as the conversation turned to focus solely on her. Though, she was overjoyed when she heard that she had the opportunity to actually learn how to cook, instead of cooking mac'n'cheese or throwing ingredients together like a 5 year old. Living on her own was hard, and finding things to cook that she could actually attempt without feeling overwhelmed was just as hard. "I would love that Fallon." Her smiled was genuine and excited, the blonde really hoped she wasn't being sarcastic.

"Yea, the city is difficult for plants. Since I..uh...lost my greenhouse, I've converted my apartment into one." Her words were always getting ahead of her, particularly about Barren Pines. And that was something she did NOT want to get into. Cutting into her meats and veggies she answered his other question. "I tend to mostly exotic plants. Though I specialize in carnivorous varieties." It was slightly vague, but she didn't want to geek out on everyone with anything more specific than that. If they wanted to know more, they would ask. Calintha took a few bites and savored the taste of her food.

Damian didn't really notice the place filling up, he was too busy trying to remember what his step-mother had told him about fondue. Something about melted cheese, and bread on a stick? He couldn't quite remember.

He looked down at Alessa as they made their way to a table, flashing her a grin. "Yep, fondue. I'll let you in on a secret, I've never tried it either." He was leaning down a bit, whispering back to her, like they were sharing a big secret. "But, I'm pretty sure I know the gist of it, I'll help you out, promise." His smile grew and when they reached the table he pulled out her chair for her. While he was under dressed, it seemed his manners were appropriate enough. After Alessa sat he sat down next to her, instead of across from, so he could try and explain the fondue.

Picking up a stick he twirled it in his fingers before spearing a bit of steak. Leaning over, he draped his free arm across the back of the brunette's chair. "So, what I gather is we put the food on a stick, and then you can dip it in the batter, and then fry it in the oil." What was all this? Vegetables, seafood, his step-mom had only explained about fruits and melted cheeses, not all this. Now the poor kid was stuck totally winging it, fondue wasn't one of the many hobbies he had picked up then tossed aside. It wasn't interesting enough to hold his interest.

During the supper, she let herself be guided by the boy who admittedly didn’t do much better than she did. “So, we fry it this way? Small pieces like that? How... how long?”
The first tries ended up with undercooked or fried-beyond-repair meat. Fortunately, the both of them perfected their fondue skills over the course of the evening.

By the time dessert arrived, they hadn’t made too much of a mess. Damian’s attempts to get closer didn’t go unnoticed not rejected, either. “That was a fun - but sophisticated, she added with almost a whisper – way to cook a whole meal! How did you find it?”
Before she got an answer, her hands were approaching the cheesecake with gluttony. That wasn’t too sophisticated for her. “Do you want some too?” she asked, with a smile brighter than usual. She felt more at ease after a few hours spent with him.