Post-game CMO for camppetoskey

[finalguard]

I won’t become a tool.
UNREAD E-MAILS (04)	VOICEMAILS (01)	Alcacer. Boa: [ 1B-BBG36 ] TEXT [PitSnake]

Please do not hesitate to hit up this CMO even years after Camp has ended.

CODE BY WHAMBAM

Comments

7/31 post truth or dare

[particlebarrier]

[Since Boa had indicated some interest in cooking together, and Lance has absolutely no objection to pulling up some Cuban recipes from the Internet to try tonight, they're both in the apartment's communal kitchen trying to put something together for dinner. He is, of course, still speaking in Spanish because the novelty of being able to talk to people in his native tongue hasn't really worn off yet.

'He opens the fridge to take a look at whats available.]

Looks like we have some chicken, avocado, some fresh herbs and ... ooh, plantains. We could make tostones with those.

[finalguard]

[ It is really odd to Boa to talk Spanish again for such a prolonged amount of time and he threatens to actually slip into English once or twice, but overall it's very enjoyable. He doesn't have to give a single thought to pronouncing words correctly! It's nice. ]

I can't believe they actually gave us avocado, but we don't have an extra package of toilet paper. The organization sure has priorities.

[ But hey, he's not complaining about them adding something extra at least? ]

Tostones sounds great.

[particlebarrier]

Delicious priorities.

[Lance corrects with a grin. Look, the basic household items situation is going to be annoying in a few days, but they have nice ingredients for food now and the toilet paper is relegated to being future-Lance's problem. He starts pulling ingredients out of the fridge and transferring them over to the counter, but pauses in the middle of bringing over the chicken.]

Hey, what's the status on pans and oil? Can you check?

[finalguard]

[ Can't argue with that. Delicious is delicious and Boa is absolutely not going to object to good food. ]

On it.

[ Which means that he opens pretty much every cupboard once to check because there hasn't been enough time to really adjust to the structure of this kitchen yet. He does produce an iron pan pretty soon and dumps it next to Lance. Finding some sunflower oil takes a second longer. ]

We're equipped. You should probably tell me what to do in all of this, I don't really... cook.

[particlebarrier]

Nice work, Boa-pop!

[Lance would give him a high-five if his hands weren't occupied with his phone. A quick google search to refresh his memory on some of these recipes can't hurt before anything is attempted.]

Okay, first of all, go wash your hands. That's the golden rule of the kitchen, hygiene first. You don't want the food you make getting you or others sick.

[Which Boa probably already knew, but if Lance is going to be kitchen leader, he intends to lead, damn it. With the recipe checked, he sets his phone down on the counter and moves the pan and sunflower oil over to the stove.]

What do you feel more confident about doing? Cutting things up with a knife or frying? [A beat. Slightly teasing:] Is Mittens gonna kill me if you hurt yourself?

[finalguard]

[ Boa knew it and might have readily forgotten it again anyway, so the reminder is not unwelcome. He's in the middle of rinsing his hands when Lance makes that last comment and he snorts. Is he amused or insulted? Yes. ]

He's not my babysitter. Unless you get me severely injured, we'll be fine.

[ Drying off his hands, he turns back to Lance. ]

Give me the cutting tasks.

[particlebarrier]

Pff, could've fooled me. What with you fussing over him nonstop, I figured he'd be the same.

[And once the stuff is at the stove, Lance picks out a chef's knife from the drawer. There's a missed beat as he stares at the utensil -- back at camp, he'd often wondered if one of these things would end up being found in someone's head on a Friday. He shudders, pushing the thought out of mind and hands the knife, handle first, to Boa.[

Okay, start peeling the plantains and then chop 'em up into slices. If you can handle those, you can start on the onions afterwards. I'll get the chicken cleaned.

[He nabs the package of chicken breasts and heads back over to the sink to wash his own hands.]

[finalguard]

[ Boa wouldn't have thought anything of the knife, he thinks, if he hadn't picked up on Lance's momentary hesitation. After all these weeks being around each other under utter tension, Boa has a pretty good read on everyone's reaction to sensing something off. Body language to learn for survival...

And so he thinks it as well, how easy it would be to push the knife back forward as he takes it. Or to trip and fall and... Murder is really quite easy. What a lesson to take away.

Boa shakes it off and places himself at the counter to start doing as instructed. ]

[ English: ] I wouldn't fuss over a minor cut in the finger....

[ The protest is so delayed that it's hard to hear any kind of force behind it. More than that, the few second break they took from speaking made Boa slip back into English out of force of habit. He pauses. ]

[ Spanish: ] Really.

[particlebarrier]

The response comes late and for a moment the English is jarring all over again. He wipes his hands on a kitchen towel and rips open the chicken packaging. The meat is cool in his hands, fleshy and though he tries not to think about it, it's weird to think about fleshiness in genera. He breathes out, giving the meat a thorough rinse under the tap water and decides to just stop thinking. He replies in Spanish only.]

I'd have to see it to believe it.

[Then placing the chicken on a clean plate, he continues.]

It just means you're being attentive. It's kinda cute, even if it means you're gonna give yourself wrinkles before you turn 30.

08/15 (Later)

[linearcrash]

[ Nine did go missing all day yesterday like he said he would for his date plans. There might be something a little odd because Nine heads straight for Lance's room and closes the door. Boa might be able to pick up the sound of their voices, but it seems like the older boys are mostly keeping their voices down. It's serious talk, Boa, have fear.

It's a while before Nine comes out of the room to finally go look for Boa. Nine's clothes are probably the same from when he left the day before, and he probably smells like Ren's soap products. Good news, it's confirmation which boy he had date plans with at least? :D ]

Hey, you in?

[finalguard]

[ Boa is trying to not confirm anything about Nine and Ren ever, thank you very much. It's just not working.

Either way, the door to Boa's room is half open and checking inside, Nine will find Boa sitting on the bed actually... reading something. Looks like he's taking studying seriously. When Nine comes in, Boa puts the book aside though.

Any degree of Nine and Lance talking in secrecy is concerning after all. ]

What's up?

[linearcrash]

[ What a good. Nine prefers skipping class or not going near any books, so he actually admires Boa for sticking with it. He comes in and plops down on the edge of the bed. Reaching over to ruffle his hair. ]

Wanted to let you know that I'm back. [ A beat ] And I still owe you a conversation, yo.

[finalguard]

[ By now Boa has accepted that he is literally never going to escape brotherly hair ruffles, so they just make him smile. It's a good thing he has no hairstyle to speak of that this could do anything to.

For a second, he isn't sure what conversation Nine is referring to, then it clicks lightning fast and his expression goes back to being serious. ]

You talked to Lance.

[ Who is.. definitely unfortunately involved in all of this... ]

[linearcrash]

[ It's good when your hair looks no different from when ruffles happens. ]


Huh? Oh, yeah. I wanted to make sure he was still good, you know? [ Wait... he needs to back track. Thinking about it. ] That time Lance went missing? He was hanging out with Tal and things got pretty complicated.

[ Hes still... not even sure what the hell to even think about that. The talk with Lance left him with some things to churn over. ]

[finalguard]

... I knew that.

[ What an awkward admission to make... Boa knows he really should have told Nine about this right as it happened. Nine deserved to know more than anyone. ]

I forced Lance to tell me what happened, since he looked upset. I had to promise I wouldn't tell you before I actually knew what it was...

I'm sorry.

[linearcrash]

[ Boa knows all the thing. He doesn't really seem surprised. He knew Boa would hit up Lance to get an explanation for why he was missing.

Lance looking upset gets something like guilt from Nine. Rubbing the back of his neck. ]

How upset was he? I mean, I guess he's over it now. [ So he really shouldn't worry about it. But he did back when Tal shared the news. ]

Tal told us the day after it happened. You know, he kissed Ren earlier that week. Wanted to figure out how he felt about all of us without really telling us what was going on.

[ And that's the part that actually bugs him. That Tal didn't really spill he was digging Lance hard until after that point. ]

[finalguard]

[ Boa in turn is relieved that Nine already knew either way, but... his eyes narrow as the explanation goes on. ]

He's being awful.

[ No doubt about that. ]

And he doesn't deserve either of you.

[ Maybe he shouldn't be so forward about saying this, but he's thought about it for way too long already. ]

text

[linearcrash]

[ There's a message from Nine. ]

Hey, are you at the apartment without Lance?

text

[finalguard]

I am. And I'm dreading to ask, but... why?

text

[linearcrash]

I'll head back then.
I got something to show you.

text

[finalguard]

I'm still confused, but also not going anywhere.

[ In fact, he'll come out of his room to wait in the living room instead because .... huh. ]

[linearcrash]

[ There's no response.

And then after a few, Nine is coming in through the front door with one of the cats sitting on his shoulder. ]

Yo. This one didn't want to stay put.

[ It's a stowaway.

Which isn't what Nine wanted to really talk about but it's there ]

[finalguard]

... oh.

[ Boa has become really fond of cats, but it's getting kind of crowded in this containment-site, animal-wise. This concern doesn't stop him from holding out his hand for the cat to sniff though. ]

Well, hello there. Are we keeping cats secret from Mr. "I-stole-a-parrot" Lance now?

[linearcrash]

Huh?

[ At least he's stopping at just the four and Lizard. For now. ]

No, they aren't the reason for it, yo.

[ Just going to dig into his pocket and pull out a small ring box. ]

It's about this.

[finalguard]

[ In a short ridiculous moment Boa sees this and his brain flashes back to the question on Lance's whereabouts and somehow this connects to You'll propose to LANCE? - then he realizes that this is ridiculous and relaxes considerably.

Boa breathes out slowly. ]

... first you introduce a sister to the family and now we're getting in-laws?

[ Despite the phrasing, there is absolutely no judgment in his tone. ]