text/action; ATTN: PEOPLE WHO LIKE COOKING AND/OR COOKING CLUB MEMBERS 💕

[orphne]

Hi, everybody! I saw some posters around town that there's gonna be a cooking competition in a few weeks. Now that the building's all rebuilt (thanks Toph) and refurnished (thanks to a lot of people), I thought maybe Cooking Club should get together a couple times before so people can practice if they want to enter! 🥰

If you're a member already, I can't wait to see you! If you're new to cooking, you can come by, too -- please bring some kind of ingredient to add to the kitchen, though! I have all the staples, but it never hurts to have more, especially after we lost power the month before.

p.s. Scott said all TWAT members are required to come. 💖 See you there!

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[As promised, Kotone herself can be found in the kitchen of the new club building. It's a bit strange of a contrast between the molded stone of Toph's handiwork, coupled with a few modern updates courtesy of... whatever the hell happened recently. Kotone's doing her best to pretend like things are normal by taking inventory of the kitchen, making a list of the ingredients she'll have to source, any pans or other cooking supplies she has to replace, etc. It smells like there's something delicious and sweet in the oven, too.

Anyone who enters is treated to a smile and a warm greeting, whether they're a friend or a stranger.]

Comments

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[memori3s]

What happens if a TWAT member doesn't go?

[ Like... how dire are these consequences... ]

[orphne]

You don't get any food. 😤

Weren't you part of Fuuka's cooking club back at Gekkoukan?

[memori3s]

[ Okay. That's pretty dire. ]

Cooking club?

No, she was in the art club.

[orphne]

Huh... I think she started it cause she wanted to get better at cooking. She wasn't bad by the end of it!

["Not bad"... high praise.]

So I'll see you here, right? 🥰

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[opheliac]

cooking competition, huh? i'd win by default.

[orphne]

Oooooh... wanna stop by so I can preview what you're gonna make? 👀💖

[opheliac]

maybe. this martini is whispering sweet nothings in my ear. u'll have to be more persuasive.

[orphne]

🤔▫◽◻❕

I'll make you a drink or two if you come make food! That sounds like fun. 😊

Action!

[drugsnotclubs]

[It doesn't take too long to figure out exactly where the club building is now- just checking a few different streets until he comes across is. And from there, it's simply to follow the scent on baking to find Kotone in the large kitchen.]

Hey. I saw your post.

[That's enough of an explanation. No need to get into his want for distractions right now, and better excuses to get out of the apartment he and Mitsuru had been crashing at while they look for a new place of their own.]

We know the rules of this thing yet?

[orphne]

Uh-uh. What'd you wanna make?

[She shakes her head no, because nope, no idea of the rules for any dishes being entered, or if people are meant to enter individually or in teams or- she has no idea, but this had seemed like a great excuse to get people out of wherever they were since things had returned to "normal." Not that she's about to say anything like that, just giving him a smile as she takes a step back from the cabinets. She's surveying what's inside, noting it all down in her usual little notebook. The top shelf is too high up for her to see easily, and sure, she could spider-climb onto the counter (she's done it more than once), but--]

Can you see what's up there for me, Shinji?

[The nickname slips out so naturally that she doesn't notice.]

[drugsnotclubs]

Not sure yet. I'm still kinda figuring out if anything's different in what's available here.

[A city versus a small town means there's a lot more options, right? But it also might mean things aren't as local or fresh.... also wasn't it a blizzard like a week ago before the perfect weather? (Is it still a blizzard in some parts of town???)

Whatever, either way, he hasn't decided yet.]

I got a couple dishes I'm real good with... but trying something different might stand out, too.

[Definitely not overthinking the 'competition' part of this, nope. But he's pulled from it as kotone makes a request-- and eith the nickname of 'Shinji' as opposed to the honorific of 'senpai.'

His eyebrows lift. But it doesn't feel weird for her to say it. Probably because of their fucked up fake memories of being Aldrip natives? And... well. While he didn't know her back home she'd been nothing but ever-present and reliable here. So while he pauses for a moment he doesn't call her out, or tell her not to. Just nods in tacit permission.]

...Sure.

[Approaching the cupboard, he'll reach up to shift some things.]

Got a few different oil backups... A thing of mirin... Cinnamon sticks?

[A pack of the whole damn sticks, huh. Alright, good to know.] Mostly shit we don't use a lot, seems like.

[orphne]

[It's not until it's out of her mouth and hanging in the air for a few seconds that she realizes; her eyes widen a bit, a reflexive apology rising to her lips, just in case he's mad about it. Like, not that he's mad at not being called "senpai" -- that had just been a formality thing for a guy who'd never gone to school and accepted her as the leader of SEES. But the nickname is important -- she knows that from Akihiko. It's kind of presumptuous to just use it, isn't it...? Since it's not like that time together as "natives" had been real.

But then he nods, and she exhales a quiet breath with a little smile. She won't draw attention to it (yet), just so he doesn't immediately revoke the privilege, but she can't quite hide the way her smile morphs into a silly little grin. She'd always wanted to ask her Shinjiro if she could call him something other than "senpai," and never been able to. Now this is something she shares only with this Shinjiro.]

Oh, I remember getting the cinnamon sticks! There was a really good deal on them... could you grab those? I could make cookies!

[And also, regarding the competition-] I bet you'll wipe the floor with everybody if you put your mind to it!

[Sorry to both Yu and Akira, but she's gotta root for the home team.]

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[garbagecanned]

soooooo

if i bring ingredients can i just hang around to taste test

[orphne]

But as club president, it's MY job to taste test 😤

Maybe if you bring really really good ingredients I could be convinced to share my responsibilities, though.... 👀

[garbagecanned]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

girls like chocolate so I can bring that is that a good ingredient

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[solitarysoul]

[Oh yeah, he signed up for that in order to get a drink. He supposes it would have to come up eventually.]

where is the club building?

and, uh, what sort of ingredient?

[orphne]

Oh, it's over here now! Lemme get you the address...

[Give her a minute to figure out how to send an address, then beep! She sends it over.]

Anyway, bring something either you want to cook with, or something that I can add to like, the communal fridge or pantry. That seems fair, right?

[solitarysoul]

[He has no idea where that address is! But he'll figure it out later.]

um, okay.

[That did not help at all.]

when are we meeting?

[orphne]

[Honestly with the redesign of the city, neither does she compared to her usual haunts! There's still room to explore...]

I was thinking in the afternoons most of this week! When the town was normal, I used to leave the building open for anybody to use whenever, but it seems kind of dangerous now... maybe I'll get a bunch of keys made so club members can still come by when they want to. 🤔

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[chemex]

[He is not going to explain to the 2009er that TWAT is an extremely unfortunate acronym.]

did i formally join or do i just show up and crash-cook your parties all the time like i go here

[orphne]

[LISTEN, IT'S ALL SCOTT'S FAULT.]

Oh I signed you up ages ago, don't worry. 😊

Curry? Curry!!

[chemex]

[Scott the twat????]

i owe you my life, though i gotta be honest ilu but i am not calling it twat
maybe even several curries.

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[izanagis]

If I didn't know better, I'd think you and Scott are conspiring to keep us busy.

[orphne]

🤫

So you're gonna come by, right? I wanna eat your cooking!!

[izanagis]

It's required, right? I don't have a choice.

Kidding. Of course I'll be there. Any requests?