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[curseshit]

The wedding is tomorrow!

Do what you gotta do. Decorate the church, decide what to wear, buy a gift for the happy couple, bake all the things... throw a bachelor party?

Oh and don't forget to water the apple trees. Never do that.

[ mission: work on breaking the curse or go through the symptoms if you've already gotten started. ]

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[armedarchaeologist]

[skids into the kitchen like thirty seconds later.]

I know, I'm sorry John!

[brief flash of horribly guilty expression because ouch that's becoming a really familiar phrase for him isn't it?

washes his hands in the... sink? the fingerbowl? the cesspit? the sink. looks at the counter.]

So, what's. Uh. Well I hate to ask what's cooking because that invites a whole range of culinary-themed jokes but I might as well commit to it now: What's cooking?

[crossmyhearts]

[greets him with a grin that clearly states 'please be late more often so i can have fun like this again']

Bread! Or supposedly so, at least. [grabs one of them, throws him onto the table. it hits it loud and hard like he just dropped a rock.] I fear it hasn't gone as smoothly as I hoped it would. You see, I haven't baked bread in decades. [exaggeration obviously. or maybe not.] Or possibly ever. I'm sure I used the right ingredients, though. But fear not! There is always a backup plan.

[lifts up huge tray with leftover meat from yesterday's dinner.]

[armedarchaeologist]

[wow that is an alarming expression on this guy.]

Oh... God I think you weaponized bread, how do you even do that? Actually I'm kind of impressed.

[picks up the bread and thunks it carefully against the counter, careful lest he break the counter in doing so.]

Maybe we should keep getting our bread from the... Or we could learn how to make bread, although this... Is not the way to make bread that people eat, I think. Is this too stale for bread pudding?

[smacks it harder against the counter and it shatters. one of the things. probably the bread and not the counter.]

...Yep.

[crossmyhearts]

That's probably-- [winces at the noise. not gonna pay for it if you break something.] ... not a good idea.

[points at a big dent in the sink. checks to see if the counter is still whole. looks up at him since he's the cook after all.] We can always serve apples. There's plenty of those to go around.

[armedarchaeologist]

[dusts bread shards off his hands and nods in pretty passionate agreement with mr. smith's sentiment that that was Not A Good Idea.]

Ye-ah, I can... Do something with apples. Applesauce, right? That goes with meat? What kind of meat is that?

[leans over the platter of leftover meat (hopefully they have some kind of refrigeration or else some kind of amazing medieval immune systems) and sniffs carefully. pokes it. with his washed hands.]

Is it pork chops? People eat that with apples, right? I think I can do applesauce...

[crossmyhearts]

[shrugs, how's he gonna know that. he wasn't the one who cooked it.]

I'm sure they do. [not looking too sure.] If they don't then right now is a good time to start. Yes! Applesauce. Delicious, isn't it? So how is that made?

[wiggling fingers happily because he wants to help too.]

[armedarchaeologist]

[shrugs too. did he cook this? he must have done, he's the cook.]

Okay, first you... You... Peel the apples!

[brief moment of victory! gets a pot and two knives. looks at john smith. considers john smith.]

Um. Why don't I peel the apples, and then you can core them and cube them? And then they go in the pot, which...

[oh right. step one. boil water. step zero, fill the pot with water. fills the pot with water. okay. this is going better than yesterday.]

[crossmyhearts]

[don't diss his abilities he's very handy. but yes, that's probably a good idea.]

[rolls up sleeves and fixes bowtie. hops lightly from one foot to the other like he can't sit still.]

A plan taketh shape! Alright, Aaron! Let's do this! [holds hand out for the knife.]

[armedarchaeologist]

[well yes that would be aaron calling the kettle black there. at least mr smith seems like he might be enjoying the cooking experience,which... one of them might as well be.]

Thanks for helping.

[carefully hands mr smith the sharpest knife,handle first,and starts peeling.]

So... How's it going?

[crossmyhearts]

What an expression! How's it going, lad? No, not lad. Why did I say that word? I don't even like it.

[talking to himself a little there. snaps out of it with a shake of his head, grabs the apple once aaron is done peeling it.]

It's going alright. Same as always... [tilts head. always?] Big wedding tomorrow! Frankly I'm terrible at weddings, but it's still a little exciting. Kind of. The dancing's always fun!

[armedarchaeologist]

I—

[god talking to john smith is like getting hit with a train, which is a common cultural point of reference even understood in medieval fantasy. apparently. tolkien.

aaron's pretty sure he's older than smith. pretty sure.]

Yeah, that's— Kind of exciting. I'm not much of a dancer, myself, but I guess any excuse to get together and celebrate is good for the community, so. There is that.

[peels soberly.]

Is it just me— I dunno if you know either of them very well, I don't, but is it just me or are they not... Not even friends? I just. I'd hate to see anyone stuck in, in a situation where... Well. Yeah.

[crossmyhearts]

[should have gone with a horse stampede but yes, the feeling is similar.]

[that last bit renders him silent, though. still cutting up the apples, though making a terrible job of it.]

I don't. I feel like... [looks around and lowers voice, moving closer like they're conspiring something.] I have this feeling I should know them, right? But all I know is their names. I can't even remember ever talking to them before. Odd, isn't it? Everyone here is someone I know... but don't know.