[PRP] Momma's own recipe (Jenner/Straffe)

[Auric Halcyon]

Every Friday night, Mrs. Einreihard would take the painstaking six hours to slow-cook a pork roast that literally melted in your mouth. It would appear at the table something like magic, complete with all the trimmings and sides that any growing hungry child could want, sweet corn, mashed potatoes, peas, golden brown gravy, steamed vegetables and freshly baked bread rolls, real butter (not the fake flora spread that was used on the weekday sandwiches) and salads. Afterward, for desert there was usually an apple crumble with generous slurps of cream, ice-cream or whipped cream- or an upside-down tea cake served with berries and a smile.

Straffe had never thought much of this usual service; afterall, when this is a common occurrence in your home (aside from when his mother was away and his father or auntie decided to try their rather unimpressive hand at cooking what inevitably ended in a disaster--) you tend to take these things for granted. But after the morning's meet and greet, he had a curious hunkering for a roast; the pasta that he had picked served for dinner did not even vaguely remind him of a roast.

The dinning hall was lit up, with the myriad of students and staff that lived on campus all chatting and raising the casual level of noise that one would expect from such a gathering- it didn't bother Straffe because his young cousins made three times the noise that the whole school put-together did. Or at least, he accounted.

The food had been an open buffet; a relatively simple system- get what you wanted as the line moved around the four buffet stations. There were two lots of main dishes; three white meat selections, two red and three semi-vegetarian options. Then an 'extras' that had six different types of salad, garlic bread, and other steamed vegetables, then there was the desert table, currently under harsh scrutiny to anyone who hadn't yet made an attempt at dinner. It was plenty of variety and option. Just no roast.

Straffe had lingered, done two or three loops of the table, wondering when the roast would appear on its stainless steel surface. Sure, the succulent smell of the chicken and the garlic sauce were nice, and the hot chili of the rendang curry had a solid punch to his senses- but still, the pot-roast did not materialize and he settled for pasta. Garlic bread, cabbonara, and a small sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese that actually smelt like Parmesan, not the knockoff Parmesan that most people used.

Naturally, he was one of the last people to finish choosing something to eat and nine-out-of ten table seatings had vanished under other students already happily into their meals.

Awkwardly balancing his tray with his plates and selection of juice (apparently there was juice or cordial or water tonight- like someone didn't want the young students getting all hyped up on carbonated sugar-drinks on their first night!) he made his way to the only seat within reasonable distance- next to a boy wearing as much black as Straffe was wearing white. The usual brief flash of nervousness that came from first-day new-people, strange-place went through him but Straffe was capable of moving past that and using his existing social capacity.

"Hi, can I take this spot?" He leaned forward, ready in anticipation of a positive answer because he was always anticipating a positive answer. Even to the questions of life that hadn't been asked yet. And also because the universal rule of he-who taketh-seateth-first. Meaning if someone else was sitting there, they weren't right now and Straffe didn't feel like circling as a shark around the hall looking for a spot. This one was here, Straffe had a friendly smile, who could say no?  

[Adona Benedicta]

In any other respect, probably Jenner.

The boy in the dark colored suit glanced up from his tray, having been mushing his vegetables around in an attempt to merge them into one super-food or something like that, and paused. The brightness of the kid who wanted to sit next to him nearly made him flinch. Who wore that much white at one time? Like he was one to talk with the black, but at least he wasn't the only one. For the most part, anyway. Scrutinizing the boy with narrowed eyes, Jenner debated on really letting him sit there or casually bumping his bag into place next to him so there was no room.

With his luck, though, a teacher would see and make him move it anyway.

Finally, he nodded, returning his gaze to the tray. "Go for it." He said as if the nod wasn't enough affirmation, putting a spoonful of peas into his mouth. It wasn't the fare he was used to. Like Straffe's mother, Evangeline often went to great lengths to make a meal out of a morsel, even after their sudden lack of income. She was brilliant, that way. Jenner was already beginning to miss the appeal of homecooked meals.

He glanced over as he chewed, thoughtful. After swallowing, he lifted his head towards Straffe. "What's your name?" He didn't doubt that the guy would want to talk. It seemed like everyone here was intent on finding their cliques and forming them before the day let out. It wouldn't be long before Jenner was stuck on his own, but before it happened, he might as well make an effort.

Something to write home about, right?  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe gave the boy a brighter smile- it was entirely possible his teeth actually sparkled for a moment, sometimes the light went off a little without him noticing, and slid down with practiced ease. The ease of a man expecting a seven-year-old-gangly-elbow-to-the-face-graceful-gliding sit. He arranged his tray, didn't shuffle or bump elbows or take up more space than his own bubble permitted.

Ah, but for him; suddenly the table seemed large, it had elbow room, and no one was flinging peas at his hair because his mother had remarked he should get it cut before girls thought he was... well.....

"Thanks. I took too long deciding what to get. My mother normally makes a special dinner on days like these, and well... it looks nice, but home-cooked meals have a deeper taste." He took a moment to skillfully twirl some pasta and sauce and deliver it to his mouth. Well, the food was nice, it reminded him of a food-court fare, nice nothing abhorrent.

"I'm Straffe, Einreihard. What's your name?" He filled up a cup from the nearest jug- smelt like green cordial, but it was orange. Oh well, how bad could it be?  

[Adona Benedicta]

Jenner really couldn't hide the grimace. Jesus, did the guy brush his teeth with baking soda or something? He never saw teeth that white on kids his age! Mostly on younger kids whose parents still brushed them, or older adults who went to dentists for 'whitening', whatever that was. His mother had done it once, and vowed never again. He watched him out the corner of his eye, as Jenner usually did in the face of Something New.

He nodded at his explanation, snorting a little. "Yeah, I noticed." He said of the food, taking another bite of his chicken. "Days like this, my Mom usually does something like lasagna." He said with a frown, thinking about the meal they were probably serving at home. He wondered what they were talking about; what was it like for parents when your kid was on an island miles away?

He was already getting homesick.

"It's not bad, though." He added of the food, glancing over. "... I'm Jenner. Jenner Roce." He said, taking a gulp of his water. He didn't particularly trust the cordial; anything that was one color but not another wasn't to be trusted, right? "What's that taste like?" He asked, nodding to the cup he'd just filled. Might as well get an answer if the guy-- Straffe -- was going to turn himself into a science experiment...  

[Auric Halcyon]

Hey, at least he wasn't being rudely ignored or screamed at for a perceived social-faux-paus. The black-clad boy seemed at least somewhat domesticated, which was pleasant, because Straffe had entertained a brief concern that there wouldn't be much domestic prowess from.... was that leather? Well, far-be-it for him to comment on a teen wearing leather. Afterall, he was in white spandex and it really was quite comfy. He who lives in glass castles and all that.

"Yeah, my Mom makes a nice beef lasagna-- but my Dad gets these crazy ideas about chicken lasagna," he made a face, "if it was my Mom cooking, sure, but my father is a catastrophe in the kitchen. He tried to bake steaks once. In the oven."

Straffe was not homesick, not yet. He was still hyped on the freedom and lack of people begging him for piggy-back rides or trying to drag him away because he was eating too slow for a pair of guzzling children. No, homesick would happen later. He was sure his parents were talking about his new boarding school- what it was all about, wondering why he had picked it over the nearer schools, was he getting fed? At least he'd already called after arriving to tell them the boat hadn't crashed or exploded because he'd been away from home for such a long time!

Straffe took a prompt and experimental sip of the cordial. He coughed. It had way too much syrup in it and it definitely had a lime taste still. "Green and sweet." What on earth had given a distinctively orange syrup a lime flavour? He almost didn't want to know.

"So are you new as well? I am still amazed at how many people are here- and all of us have abilities, it's sort of thrilling and weird, at the same time- y'know?"  

[Adona Benedicta]

He blinked, and frowned, making a face. "I think it's a biological things. Some of us get cool powers, some of us just can't cook. Mostly Dads." He grinned a little, taking a bite of his food and looking over. "My dad's good with fixing stuff, but... Put him in a kitchen and he's clueless. He can fix a stove, but he can't actually use it."

He looked over, grinning a little without realizing it. "I had to learn to make pancakes so we wouldn't starve when my Mom left to visit her family in Sewitt." He made a face at the memory. After a week of nothing but pancakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, he never wanted to see another pancake in his life. He was grateful that the few family Evangeline had left in Upper Sewitt rarely got sick, so she hadn't left all that often without him.

He watched Straffe's face curiously as the glowing kid tasted the orange liquid, and couldn't help snickering a little at his face. "Gross." He laughed a little, taking a gulp of his water. "See? That's why you drink the water. It usually doesn't lead to sickly sweet death." He deadpanned, looking over.

"Yeah, I'm new too." He nodded a little. "It's a little mindboggling, but... I think my public school had about this many kids in my grade." He frowned. "It was kind of a big school, though." Which made more sense than imagining all these kids crammed into a little Cranten school. He smirked a little when he mentioned the powers, nodding. "I can't imagine it'll be without casualties, though. Just wait; someone's gonna blow a hole in the school before the week's out."

If Jenner was the type to set up a betting pool, he'd definitely figure the odds were in his favor. Briefly, he considered the idea of setting up a betting pool, but with the memory of seeing The Captain only hours ago, the idea of doing something illegitimate was less appealing than it usually was.  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe laughed. "Well it must be determined by something, although at least I can cook some stuff." Although it was pretty basic, he had taken a cooking class in his earlier highschool years more because it meant a free cooked lunch than anything else. Straffe chuckled a little at the next. "My uncle does all the handiwork- my dad can't cook or fix stuff."

He took another few mouthfuls of his food, his grin curving around it. "So you're from Sewitt? I've never been, my family is from Crantel, we go on vacation to other islands, but even though my dad has been away on business everywhere else, I haven't seen more than photos. Is it true that everyone has their own robot servant or pet?"

Straffe took another sip of his cordial and managed not to pull a face- he could be a manly man! "It's not so bad, besides, sugar makes you strong!" Or in his case, glow all night long....

"Casualties, huh? I'm sure they have a really good medical lab or something- with all the heroes and their powers, I can't imagine not."

Straffe laughed again. "You know, I just hope I'm not the first one to blow any holes! And at least it won't be like regular school- do you know how hard it is to explain what happened when you blew up an archery target with your power instead of a bow and arrow?" That had been very awkward. Finally the teacher decided that Straffe must have been using fireworks- it had sort of helped him get to the Academy; one or two little 'mishaps' and all of a sudden a normal school thought he was running wild through the streets.

Also another reason to learn better focus and chii and stuff. He grinned as he started using his garlic bread to sop up some of the pasta sauce. "Well, at least it isn't like a regular school at all!"  

[Adona Benedicta]

He grinned a little, looking down at his tray. "My dad used to fix stuff for a living. Some big factory or something." He shrugged. "Then he got laid off, and started fixing stuff around the neighborhood." He smirked a little. "Too bad I didn't pick anything up, though. I never got the whole robot thing. Mom had one, but they got rid of it."

He blinked, and shook his head, grinning. "Nah. I'm from Crantel, too. My dad's family's there, but I guess my Mom and him met while he was working in Upper Sewitt, that's where she's from. I've only been there a couple times, but... Everyone in my Mom's family has a robot." Snorting a little, he took a bite of his food. "Mostly servants, but my cousin Ellie has this little robot dog that follows her around in her bag." He didn't get the robot pet appeal. Why not just have a fluffy cat or something?

He looked over, and laughed. "Sugar makes you hyper, Straffe." He pointed out, shaking his head at him. "My mom doesn't like me having too much sugar. Makes me jittery." And then he'd crash and spend the night making weird shadow puppets fight each other to the death.

"I hope so, for our sake. I can't imagine school yard fights are like they are in public schools. Fire's a lot worse than fists." He snorted, rubbing his cheek. "And the teachers'll probably be watching all of us until we get used to using our powers." He frowned a little. "Just in case."

He looked over, and grinned a little. "So is that what you do? Blow stuff up?" He asked. That was a bit cooler than his power. Making shadows was a great distraction, but not much else; he couldn't beat someone up with shadows on a wall, right? Instead it just gave him the cover to run away. He grimaced a little, and looked over. "I never had anything bad like that happen at school, luckily." Outside of school, once or twice, but he liked to pretend that never happened.

He nodded a little at the last statement, munching on his chicken. "It's shaping up to be different, at least." Homeschooling was still his favorite method, but at least here he wasn't getting singled out.  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe finished off his garlic bread and moved to the last bits of pasta- he was a fast eater, just not as fast as the truly young. "Ah, that's harsh, but with enough guts and hard work, your dad will surely find work again." He stopped himself from saying something corny like 'it will all work out' because only babies believed that.

He drained some more of the curious green/orange cordial; as long as he didn't sprout tentacles, he'd be fine. Theoretically. "Actually sugar makes me... uhm, glow more." He shifted a little, not really used to telling people that he was anything more than a normal guy- afterall, compared to the kids that were born with these abilities, Straffe was a normal guy. Still, he wouldn't get very far if he kept everything a secret. "I suck in sunlight and light energy, and I can turn it into power--- so far all I've figured out how to do is blast stuff, but hopefully I can learn to manipulate the energy better here. And yeah, I just don't want to be hit in the face by someone with super strength or something! Hopefully no fights for me!"

Which might have been easier said than done if he was able to walk away from bullies or stop arguing of his own free will.

Straffe relaxed a little in his chair, leaning back from his finished plate and sipping his cordial with a determined, manly face. "So what about you? What is your power?"  

[Adona Benedicta]

"Hopefully." He nodded a bit, snorting quietly, and glanced over at him.

Jenner blinked at him. "Glow more?" Sure, in this light, the glow wasn't exactly the brightest of lights. But he could see it, a little, the way Straffe was just brighter than anyone else. He grinned a little at his explanation. "Cool." He said finally, nodding a little. "Useful, at least." He snorted, and looked over. "Somehow I don't think there'll be many fights." He frowned, looking around. "At least not long ones." He couldn't see it happening without serious reprocussions. In a normal school, sure, but one where all the kids had superpowers? Naaaah.

He took another small bite of his vegetable assortment, glancing over at his question, and grinned a little smugly. His power? He always thought his power was neat. Not necessarily useful, but neat. "I can do this." He crooked his finger upward, and the shadow from his plate straightened up like a pen, before sprouting noodly arms and waving them around wildly on the table.

"I've been doing this since I was a baby, I guess. That's what my Mom says, anyway." He could do other stuff, too, but Jenner would rather pretend it wasn't possible.  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe watched the shadow dance with a grin, the subtle movement of the shade might have been lost between the cups and plates if it hadn't moved. "That is quite extraordinary." He leaned over the table to get a better view of the shadows, his eyes widening. Of course the boy who could use light would sit next to the boy who could use shadows. The universe did indeed have a sense of humor.

The black haired boy leaned back. "You were born with your abilities? I envy that, I only recently got this power, it's been quite a rocky time trying to figure it out and keep it secret. I guess living with it must make you apathetic to it all though?"

Straffe glanced across at the desert bar, a few other students had started wandering over, sticking the scrumptious deserts into the bowls, jelly and icecream... some sort of caramel dressing. He gave Jenner a meaningful look. They could continue the discussion whilst attaining the desert before the hordes descended upon it.  

[Adona Benedicta]

Jenner grinned a bit, and with his free hand, he pinched another shadow from a bowl, drawing it into the Tiny Dancer so he had a platform to spin around on. He glanced over, laughing a little at Straffe's expression. It wasn't often that Jenner could show off; more often than not his parents preferred him to keep his little shadow puppets under wraps unless they were home. Though Evangeline loved them, she also loved her image in society, and Jenner didn't want to ruin that for her.

"Yeah." He nodded a little, frowning. "So it's kind of weird, I guess? I mean, I'm here, but I already know how to control this part of it." He looked a little uncomfortable, because that would imply there was more. But he didn't want to talk about that. "Anyway, my Mom thinks that maybe my birth parents had this power and just hid it or something. Or, my Dad says I'm just a genetic anomoly? Like, I'm the only one in our family that can do it." He grinned a little. "Either way, I'm pretty used to it." He nodded, looking over.

"I don't envy you having to get used to it, though." He frowned a little at him. "Having it from the get-go made it easy on me." He could see, very clearly, being so confused about a new power. But his only experience with new powers was thankfully limited.

Jenner finished his food, and glanced at where Straffe's eyes had wandered. He grinned slowly and looked over, eying Straffe's meaningful look. "Yeah." Yeah, it was dessert time. He got up, waving at him to follow as he headed over to the dessert table. With his concentration on the shadow dancer broken, the shadows separated and returned to their source.  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe stood almost enthusiastically at the prospect of sugar, he easily caught his stride to Jenner's and continued as they went to the dessert stand, caught with the casual indescion of what he wanted to eat. He knew it would involve ice-cream though.

"It's not so bad. Besides, at least here, we're all in the same boat." Oh god, he had just said that outloud. "I mean, here, everyone has a uniqueness." That sounded less perky and upbeat? Good.

Straffe brushed some hair out of his eyes. "Although I'm glad that there's plenty of space between us and the mainland."

The photokinetic finally settled on some jelly and ice-cream, using the serving spoon to scoop out some of the red gelatinous goop while he spoke. He just had to hope he didn't spill any on his uniform.

"Think we'll be getting school uniforms?" And moreso, would they be compulsory?  

[Adona Benedicta]

Jenner looked over, and nodded in agreement, smirking a little. "Yeah, right. All in the same boat." He mimicked, a wry sort of smirk tugging at his mouth. "If by 'boat' you mean we're all abnormal, anyway." He grabbed a small plate and made his way over to the cake, lighting up slightly at the prospect of a warm, gooey brownie. A few of those were plucked up before he turned back to Straffe, blinking a little.

"Yeah, thankfully. I don't imagine we'd get a whole lot of peace if we were close to the mainland." And he didn't want people to know, anyway. His parents had a minimal grasp of the school; Jenner had done most of the research on it after they told him he was being shipped there. He'd prefer no one knew what he could do if he could manage it. It wasn't something to be proud of, it was something to hide.

Even if it was mostly harmless.

He spotted the jelly and ice-cream, and made a face. Cold foods weren't exactly his favorite; even ice cream made his teeth hurt. He paled at the prospect of a uniform. "God, no." That was less of an answer and more of a plea. "I can't go around in a uniform. Those're awful." No doubt if they got uniforms, they'd be itchy, or ill-fitting, and he'd look even more unusual in one.

Give him his jeans and hoodie, thank you.

After the dessert was obtained, Jenner nodded back towards the table. "C'mon, I don't wanna get knocked over." He snorted a little, heading back to the table to sit down. He didn't wait to dig into the brownies, though. He bit into one on the walk over, chewing happily. Oh, man. Best dessert ever.  

[Auric Halcyon]

Straffe shook his head a little. Jenner seemed to have the uncanny ability to see the bad in everything. Not like things didn't have bad in them, but Straffe had trouble being a bit downtrodden. He poured icing on his selection and joined the pale boy back at the table.

"Why do you feel that negatively about your powers?" And just like that Straffe's most annoying, persistant trait reared its ugly head. He had to analyze and know why Jenner's option was what it was. He couldn't simply leave it alone, he had to dig.

People hated digging. But it was almost involuntary, his desire to challenge. "Personally I find uniforms give you a sense of unity, a sense of belonging and point of identification; but I think they might be a little unconventional at this school." Still, he wouldn't be cutting his hair; there were some things that he simply didn't comprimize on. He hoped that he didn't get crap from his roommate over his shampoo and conditioner. His father whined about it being unmanly enough as it was.

Straffe took a bite of the jelly and made a curious face; had a mad proffessor done something with the colours in the food? What on earth was going on? How had bubblegum flavour came in this colour. "Hm, actually... that's not bad." The mix of flavours was exotic at the least.