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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 5, 2014 4:00:32 GMT
Cain: He couldn't agree more. Rufus's home screamed 'Rufus' in every nook, cranny, crevice and window box filled with plants of all kinds. "I'm never sure with him, I must admit, but he's probably home. Apple season is approaching- I'm expecting a shipment soon! He may be on the farm. As far as I'm aware, Prudence does have a bedroom here in the west end of the house, while Rufus's is on the east end."
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the term 'bear daughter' before replying. "Miss Bernadette is likely home as well, yes! I'm sure we'll be bumping into any of them soon-- oh, and," he looked around, "be wary of stray... raccoons." He was, of course, referring to Professor Crispin who spent much of his time here antagonizing Rufus and pretending to flirt with his fiancée, but he wouldn't be more specific.
Cain floated up the few porch steps at the front of the house before knocking on the door to the beat of Jingle Bells. He was about to turn to Haar to say something when the door cracked open.
Bernadette peered at them through the crack in the door before opening it all the way. "Oh! Uncle Cain! Come in!" She skipped over the door frame to hug him, but when she looked up at him more closely, her smile fell. "What did you do?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Ah, just an accident. Is Prudence around?" Bernadette nodded and gestured toward the kitchen before playing with her sleeves nervously when she saw Haar. He was so.... so asymmetrical. "A-ah," she said, noticeably more nervous when speaking to him than when speaking to Cain. "D-Daddy's told me about you and I-I've seen you around." She hesitated.
Her father would want her to call him Uncle Haar- she knew that much- but she was unsure if she could even look at him. It wasn't even remotely that she found him frightening or gross, just purely for the fact that his eyes were asymmetrical. But, she needed to be polite!!! And her own father was asymmetrical as well, so why was this hard?
"S-sorry, c-come on in, U-...uncle Haar," she said finally before nodding her head in the direction of the kitchen and stepping to the side to allow him room. Think of symmetrical things. Tables. Forks. Spoons. Napkins.
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 5, 2014 4:27:31 GMT
Haar: He raised an eyebrow. "A raccoon problem, hm?" He would have assumed that there was an animal problem in such a town. Haar supposed that they COULD very well damage all of the crops. You'd think they'd have someone to take care of that... However, he was sure Cain wasn't quite referring to actual animals.
He smiled as Cain knocked. That was certainty a knock he had heard before! He was surprised to see Bernadette open the door.
He looked down at her. Her outfit was certainty...interesting, to say the least. He wondered if Rufus had picked it out for her, or if that was of her own choosing. It really would make sense, either way.
He wasn't quite expecting "Uncle Haar," and his eye widened. He never recalled being called THAT before, and it was quite odd. He awkwardly nodded as if to say 'YES I WILL ACCEPT THIS RESPONSIBILITY...' but couldn't think of anything else to add.
He was surprised to hear her apologize, until it occurred to him, ahhh, my face. Nor harm nor foul, he couldn't blame her. He took a step in, following Cain.
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 5, 2014 5:09:32 GMT
Bernadette: "S-sorry about the mess," she said as she scurried to clean up one solitary book on a small table near the door. "W-we've had a guest recently and sometimes sh-she forgets to clean up." She followed Haar into the kitchen where Cain was (already!) helping Prudence make some sort of pie, chatting happily.
Prudence turned immediately when she heard Bernadette trot in. "Oh! Mr. Grimm!" She wiped her hands off on her apron and bobbed over to him, sticking a hand out to shake his hand. "Cain told me about what happened! I'm glad you came! Would you like to stay for dinner? There's always room for an extra or two!" she chattered happily, sounding very much like a bird. Bernadette had crossed the room and hopped up on a footstool that had a bear face on it to chop carrots, carefully making each piece the same width.
Cain wiped his hands off on a bright orange hand-towel before moving over to the circle to join Prudence and Haar. The swelling in his face had all but vanished, and he was walking on his ankle with no trouble. "Oh, you've already helped enormously! We couldn't impo--"
"Cain! I hope you're not implying what I think you're implying!" she exclaimed, actually sounding vaguely offended that he would suggest he was imposing. "It's no trouble at all! What do you say, Mr. Grimm?"
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 5, 2014 5:51:48 GMT
Haar: He raised an eyebrow and Bernadette fussed over something so obscure. He was elated for a moment Rufus never got a chance to see his room!! He made it into the kitchen, and upon seeing Cain well and walking, let out a sigh of relief. THAT was most certainly quick!! Prudence really must be good at what she does, seeing how Cain's sprain started to look much worse throughout their trip... Haar was taken back a bit by her hospitality, and hesitantly shook her hand with his own. His brows raised at the invitation. Looking puzzled and not quite knowing what to say, he looked at Cain for an answer. He couldn't remember the last time he had dinner with someone else at their home, and whole thing seemed completely odd to him. They weren't expecting company, but all ready had this much food prepared? How often did these citizens EVEN EAT? Haar's lips tightened. Personally, he was not a large eater. Even though it's definitely not a necessity for him, he'd never let RUFUS know, of course!! In his own time, he'd never fuss over such a thing, and even when he ate bugs, he'd admit it was mostly for show. Still, Prudence DID just do them a large favor, and he couldn't think of offending her or his new(  ) bear-niece...thing... "I...I suppose, if that's all right...?" His eyes flickered to Bernadette. "D-Do you need any assistance?" |
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 5, 2014 6:31:08 GMT
Prudence clapped a couple times. "Of course it's alright! I just hope you like everything! Rufus mentioned you're not.. overly fond of sweets, but that's neither here nor there during dinner time!"
Bernadette turned slightly toward Haar, eyebrows slightly turned up. Why was she so nervous??? "U-um..." She didn't know what to say. Could Haar even cook?? Didn't he eat, like... bugs? "I-I... is there something you'd like to help with?" She wasn't sure how to phrase what she was asking, so she could only pray he understood. "That is... Um..."
Cain chuckled as he rolled dough on a counter top. "I think she's wondering if you've ever been in a kitchen before," he said with a light-hearted tone. Bernadette blushed brightly and (somewhat frantically!) turned back to her carrots.
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 5, 2014 7:05:53 GMT
Haar: He smiled at Prudence, in not so much of a 'thank you I appreciate that' kind of way but rather a 'Do you realize how much CANDY I had to smell today? YOU HAVE NO IDEA.'
His face flushed with worry as Bernadette started to get nervous, and in turn, he did too. "I...I can..." He couldn't think of anything he actually knew how to do. Whatever she was doing looked easy enough, but would she take offense to a mediocre job? Still, he couldn't be the only one not helping, right...? As Cain spoke and Bernadette went back to working, Haar stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do exactly. He inched closer to her and examined how she cut peppers. "I could help...cut...crops?" Crops was not quite the word he was looking for, but his mind was all over the place. He was starting to realize how long of a day it has been, and oddly enough, a heartwarming meal did sound pretty nice.
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 5, 2014 7:16:41 GMT
Bernadette turned to look at him again and bit her lip. He really wasn't scary at all-- not to her. She looked around the room a bit, remembering how Prudence had more freckles on one side of her face, how the bump on Cain's nose leaned very slightly toward one side and how Rufus's scars didn't add up. She realized for the first time that all the best people had a little asymmetry. It still snagged at her in a way she couldn't explain, but she could overlook it-- at least for the time being.
She managed a smile before nodding and pulling out another cutting board and a knife. There was plenty of counter space in Rufus's huge kitchen, so it was easy for him to be situated fairly closely to Bernadette, but not so close that their elbows interfered with the others' chopping. "You do it like this," she said quietly, perfectly cutting a few kinds of vegetables as an example. "It... um... doesn't have to be perfect," she said, embarrassed.
Cain looked on in awe. The open-mindedness of children never ceased to amaze him. Turning his attention back to the dough, he turned to Prudence. "Where is Rufus, anyway?"
"He's out," she said, a microsecond too quickly. Cain's eyes squinted just a bit as he felt her emotions go from elated and welcoming to tired and worried. "He said he'd be home in time for dinner, but he's been awfully busy lately, so I'm... honestly not counting on it."
"If he said he'd be here, he'll be here," Bernadette said with fervency. Prudence sighed quietly, but returned to her cheerful self quickly. "Yes, you're probably right, Bernie."
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 5, 2014 19:17:17 GMT
Haar: Examining the table and her work closely, he reached for a tomato and held the knife carefully. His brow furrowed. Don't cut your finger off, don't cut your finger off... He carefully slice the tomato, irregularly at first, but slowly the slices began to even out. Feeling triumphant, he reached for another, and sliced it much faster than the first. Half listening to the conversation around him, Haar reached for an apricot, unsure of what exactly it was. He drove his knife through the center, surprised to feel it stop. How very, very odd. He drove the knife through again, was stopped, and lowered his eyebrows. What was this Thanksgiving magic?? WHY DID THE VEGETABLE REFUSED TO BE CUT.
He shifted his attention to Prudence and Bernadette's conversation and started to wonder what exactly Rufus was up to. From the sound of it, this seemed to be a common happening in his home. At least, he supposed, it ended up driving Bernadette and Prudence closer, seeing how they worked in such perfect rhythm to finish dinner. This town certainty was unified!
He looked back down at his handiwork. The now sad and hacked up apricot laid on the cutting board, and, seeing Bernadette temporarily distracted, he swiftly tucked it back behind uncut fruit. She'd never notice, muahahaha. He carefully eyed her for moment and returned to cutting, hoping no more vegetables were cursed.
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 5, 2014 22:27:25 GMT
Prudence flitted over to them to gather up the vegetables that went together in a large bowl as Cain carefully placed the dough in a pie tin. Prudence mixed the vegetables with whatever was on the stove and with her free hand she poked a fork into the pot behind it.
"They're ready, I guess?" Cain asked, looking around for a potato masher.
"Yes, indeed!" Prudence chirped before turning the heat off on that burner and carefully placing the pot down on the counter on top of an oven mitt. "If you would be so kind...?" Cain nodded as he rolled his sleeves up and poured the contents into a strainer in the sink to reveal golden, perfectly boiled potatoes.
Prudence gave Cain some ingredients out of the fridge. "It feels so wrong to be making mashed potatoes," he said, with a laugh. Prudence giggled. Bernadette began attempting to climb on top of the counter to reach the spice cabinet as Cain began mashing the potatoes.
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 7, 2014 2:05:49 GMT
Haar: He raised an eyebrow. Why such a fuss about potatoes?? They were just any other crop? Then it finally occurred to him. Potato man.
He looked up to Bernadette, "Do you need help with that?" She was certainty fearless, he decided, just to risk her life for spices. He supposed it WAS bear-like, however!!
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 7, 2014 6:40:29 GMT
Bernadette: Though slightly embarrassed, she had to admit that this was a lot harder than she thought it would be. Rufus usually lifted her up to get to the higher cupboards, but he wasn't here right now! She hopped down on her footstool again and nodded shyly, a slight blush lighting up her face.
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 7, 2014 19:23:29 GMT
Haar: He gave her a small laugh and approached the cabinet. He peered in and floated a few inches off the ground to get a better look. "All of this...looks like dirt?" He was careful to keep that as quiet as possible, not realizing that could really offend them...! He cleared his throat. There were so, so many. He lowered his brow and tried to read the handmade labels. What the Halloween was papricka? He sighed and wrapped his arms around ALL of the many, many spices in the cupboard. "Guess we'll just take them all down!" He floated down and laid them out in front of Bernadette. Holding up a bottle and inspecting it, he added, "What exactly DOES this do??"
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 7, 2014 21:21:41 GMT
Bernadette couldn't help but giggle. "They're spices! They make food taste better," she said simply. She looked at the spices for a moment before picking out a few. "And yes, they kind of do look like dirt," she whispered. "But they're actually ground up herbs and things."
She hopped down from her footstool and put the spices next to Cain.
"Ah, thank you!" He ruffled her hair a bit before going back to the potatoes and Bernadette (slightly annoyed) began fussing over her hair the instant his head was turned. She made her way over to Prudence to examine what was happening before turning to Haar. "How do you feel about shepherd's pie, Uncle Haar?"
"Ah, that's an excellent question," Cain said. He was still unsure of what exactly Haar ate (other than bugs, of course) and he was actually quite curious. "How DO you feel about shepherd's pie? It's not made of shepherds, nor is it sweet," Cain added, unsure if Haar even knew what the dish was. Prudence looked at Cain curiously. How could someone not know what shepherd's pie was...? And who would assume it was actually made of shepherds...? Cain was either undermining Haar's intelligence or... Prudence would simply never get used to Halloween residents, try as she might.
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Post by candyleptic on Aug 8, 2014 1:31:14 GMT
Haar: He raised his eyebrows. They put...ground up plants, on top of other plants. Ok.
His brows lowered at 'Uncle Haar.' HIS DUTY. HE MUST NOT LET RUFUS OR HER DOWN. Suddenly! So many questions. So, so many questions. He backed up into a counter top and and put a hand on it.
"I-I am SURE if it is fit for shepherds it is fit for me!"
That sounded like an answer, way to go! He would totally pat himself on the back for that later. A+ work.
Haar turned to Bernadette again, "Niece, what IS IN shepherd's pie...?" CAIN PROMISED him no cannibalism but he had HEARD THINGS about these people. CANNIBALISTIC THINGS..........
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Post by zykrinnox on Aug 8, 2014 2:33:53 GMT
Bernadette tried not to laugh, seeing how serious he got, but she couldn't stop herself from smiling slightly. "It's nothing unusual-- a-at least not for us? It's Daddy's recipe, so it might be a little fancy, but... It's, um..." she thought for a moment. Uncle Haar asked what was in it, so she needed to be sure she didn't leave anything out!! He was already nervous, so she needed to try not to make it worse!
"W-well, it has corn, peas, green beans, carrots and lamb, all mixed with mashed potatoes and..." He didn't seem to understand spices, so she thought it might be okay to leave that out. "It's all baked in a crust, kind of like a pie, but it's not sweet." She had a feeling that wouldn't help much, though, since he didn't seem familiar with vegetables. Was she over-thinking this? Or was she not thinking enough??? She bit her lip. "U-um... Do you see what they're doing over there?" She pointed to Cain and Prudence who were finishing putting the filling in the crust that Cain had rolled out earlier. "After they finish that, they just have to... heat it up in the oven and then it's ready to eat!" Bernadette fidgeted while she played with her sleeves, trying to push back the urge to pull her hood up. "I-if you end up not liking it, I'm sure we can find something else, though, Uncle. You should be able to tell when you can smell it...!"
Was it hot in here? Maybe she was just nervous. Fork on the left, Bernadette, he's an adult, not a child. He'll be FINE!! She couldn't help but feel anxious, though. In Thanksgiving Town there was a very delicate balance between 'If you don't like this, we can easily make something else!' and 'I made this and worked hard on it- do you know there are starving children in Halloween town?' and the whole concept overwhelmed her. One of those supposed starving children in Halloween town may very well be in their kitchen right now (he looked so thin!) and wouldn't it be best to make something they'd like so they would eat??? Meanwhile, Cain and Prudence seemed not to mind much as they put the pie in the oven and set the timer.
Cain glanced back at Bernadette and Haar. Were they nervous? What was there to be nervous about? Prudence, on the other hand, turned around and grinned at them.
"So!" she said cheerfully, "How can we kill thirty minutes?"
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) bear-niece...thing... "I...I suppose, if that's all right...?" His eyes flickered to Bernadette. "D-Do you need any assistance?"