seven vices: week 6, tuesday night

[fourleafcleaver]

[The problem is: Clover needs to eat.

There are a lot of problems, but this one's the one she can actually solve. Undyne's been doing everything she can to help but cooking is...not exactly her strong suit.

It's all about going through the motions. She doesn't want to eat, but she should. She waits until she thinks the kitchen might be empty and, after a lot of staring into cabinets, gets as far as starting a pot of coffee.

Fifteen minutes later, that's still as far as she's gotten. The coffee's gone lukewarm and she hasn't even poured herself a mug. There should be a next step, but she doesn't have the energy in her to decide to care about figuring out what it is.

So here's Clover, who has not changed out of her pajamas since Monday night and hasn't brushed her hair since Sunday and goodness gracious does it show, leaning heavily against the counter and staring blankly at the coffee pot.

Coping: nailed it.]

Comments

[minogame]

( He's only going down for a snack before bed when he runs into Clover. He's quiet, hovering by the doorway at first before coughing once to signal he's there, )

Clover?

[fourleafcleaver]

[It takes a moment for her to process that there's a voice, another to figure out what it's saying, and one more to figure out whose it is.

She turns around exactly enough to glance aside at Urashima.] Hm?

[minogame]

( Taking a few careful steps into the kitchen and he's reaching across the countertop to get some bread, )

Did you come to get a snack too?

[fourleafcleaver]

I guess. [She's only just loud enough to be audible. Slowly, she starts to push herself off the counter.] I'll get out of the way.

[minogame]

You're not in the way!

( He says it really quickly like he didn't mean to give that sort of impression at all. He's also looking around to see what she's made for herself and seeing nothing he offers, )

Uhm... I can make you something, if you want... I can't make a lot but...

[fourleafcleaver]

That's okay. [She doesn't go back to resting on the counter, but she doesn't move any further away from it, either. W...win?] I'm not really that hungry. [Like she didn't just say she was here for a snack??]

[minogame]

When was the last time you ate?

[fourleafcleaver]

Uh... [Ugh, she has to think about this for a good few too-long moments. She slumps against the counter again; there's so much energy in her and if she's gonna dedicate any to thinking about things, she's gonna have to take some away from standing.] ...Sunday, I think. Before— [She stops. Before the trial.]

Yeah, Sunday.

[minogame]

( What the heck clover what the heck??? He looks surprised by this and he jumps one step closer to her and frowns, )

That's not good! Humans need to eat at least three times a day, you know! If they don't, they get weak and that's not good!

[fourleafcleaver]

[SHRUGS............] I guess. [clover that's not the right answer]

1/2

[minogame]

Boo.

( That wasn't the right answer at all. )

[minogame]

I'll make you something, okay?!

( He can only make toast... and tea. He's really excited to make tea. He's already got the bread in the toaster for them. )

Do you like sweets?

[fourleafcleaver]

[Fighting his decision to make her food would take way more effort than she's willing to expend right now, so she just sort of stares blankly at Urashima and lets him run around and prepare food. Sure. Whatever.

Sweets. Does she like sweets? She likes sweets. She nods.]

[minogame]

Me too.

( He says like she's totally having a conversation with him and he's running around the kitchen like the easily excited spirit he is. Is he a sword spirit or a kitchen spirit? He's boiling some water and getting out the butter and the sugar and something else from the pantry. He's done this enough times by now that it doesn't take him very long at all to get things ready.

By the time the toast is ready, he already has two plates-- one for him and one for Clover-- and he'll put some cinnamon-sugar butter it and set it out in front of her. )

Ta-dah! It's not much but it's all I can really make... ( It's not much. It's just cinnamon toast because he can't make real french toast. ) And the water's still boiling for the tea...

Hmm... I'd make coffee but I don't know how to do that yet... but I'm learning!

[fourleafcleaver]

[She sort of needs a couple of extra seconds to process the sight of toast in front of her. That's toast. There's cinnamon butter and even though it's late at night, he's made her breakfast.]

Oh. [Her voice breaks just so and so the sound isn't a disappointed one. She continues, quieter,] Thank you.

[And—okay, nope, now she's getting all teary-eyed, and when blinking them away doesn't work she has to actually make the effort to wipe them off on her sleeve. He's made her breakfast and that is just way too much for her to handle right now, give her a minute.]

[minogame]

( OH NO... he feels sorry right away and he comes over to her side and just... kind of gently places a hand on her shoulder. )

Ah... sorry.

( Because she wasn't crying until he did whatever he did to make her cry. )

[fourleafcleaver]

No—no, it's... [If she keeps wiping at her eyes maybe that'll convince him that she's not crying? She's totally not crying. Crying is a fake thing that isn't happening right now.] I—I really like cinnamon... [Some important clarification for the situation.]

[minogame]

( What... )

D-do you want more?

( he can get more? Ugh, he's going to at least get her a napkin so she can wipe her face off with that instead of her sleeves? )

[fourleafcleaver]

You—you don't have to... [The presence of the napkin isn't going to stop her from wiping her face with her sleeves, because accepting the napkin also means accepting defeat or something like that, but after a few sharp sniffles, she's at least starting to force herself to settle.]

[minogame]

( How does he deal with crying girls... he doesn't know look he's honestly probably never even met a girl until he showed up here so??? He sort of just hovers awkwardly, waiting for something to do. Someone send him a sign to tell him what to do, please. )

Are you... are you okay?

( Now? Not in general because look, grief is hard and doesn't go away overnight or even in a few days but right now, is she okay enough to eat? )

[fourleafcleaver]

I'm fine. [This is a lie on literally every possible front, but she sniffs and tries again, less forcefully.] I'm okay. I really do like cinnamon. [Clearly the part of this that's most relevant???]

[minogame]

( He hovers a few seconds more before just... very quietly taking a seat at the table across from her. He doesn't say anything for a little while because gosh, what does someone say in a situation like this? So all he can really do is respond... )

... I like it too.

[fourleafcleaver]

[Not being hovered over helps, as a matter of fact! With another short sniffle and one last graceless wiping of her nose on her sleeve, she's wrapped up her little crying jag enough to actually put the cinnamon butter she's been weeping over on the toast.]

...Thanks, Urashima.