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voice; un: jtd (the morning after ciraiwei)

[doooooog]

[ It's midafternoon that the text comes through. Jake isn't sure what the routines of teenage boys on other planets are, but he knows that his teenage boy seldom liked to wake before noon. That went double for days that followed exceptionally, exceptionally hard experiences.

Jake hadn't seen much of Cal through that final evacuation push, but he... felt him, in some strange way. Maybe it was because of how much time he spent in his true form, or maybe it was because of the subconscious thread that had formed between the two of them, but there was just something in the air that made it impossible not to feel Cal. Even if he was miles away.

That drags Jake's thoughts to him now, too, voice gentle and deliberately warmed up with good spirits. ]

Hey, buddy. You up? Had lunch yet?

[hindsights]

Been up a few hours, actually. [ cal's not like most teenage boys in that regard; he's been up for a while already. he's crossed the following off his list: training, meditating, drinking plenty of water, delivering a note to unohana.

what he hasn't done is actually eaten anything. he smiles at the sound of jake's voice. ] But nope, haven't eaten yet. I was just getting hungry.

Are you sure you don't have mind reading powers?

[doooooog]

I like to think of 'em as stomach reading powers. [ But the grin is obvious in Jake's voice. ] Meet me in the kitchen, you can help me put the finishing touches on this bibimbap.

You ever had it? 'Cuz you're in for a treat, buddy.

[hindsights]

No. What's that? [ but as jake can hear, cal's setting some stuff down and then he's walking along through the halls of the station that lead away from his private room and toward the kitchens.

it's actually not long before he's sticking his head into the kitchen. ] Have I mentioned I'm not so good in the kitchen?

[doooooog]

[ Jake was cooking up the final addition -- a couple fresh fried eggs -- as Cal walks in. With a grin he stretches an arm over and pushes out a chair for Cal to take. ]

Good, 'cuz I like working solo. It'll just be a minute. [ He glances over, raising his voice to be heard above the egg's sizzling. ] No cooking class in Jedi school, then?

[hindsights]

[ cal makes his way over and settles on a counter nearby, one that's free from supplies and that jake isn't using right now. he lets out a soft laugh, shakes his head. ] Nope, no cooking classes.

We got the food the priests ate at the temple and then whatever was in the mess hall on our ships. [ and after? after he lived off of rations. ] What's the egg for?

[doooooog]

The egg--[ Jake begins, with flourish, stretching an arm towards the kitchen tools, only for the arm to split at the wrist once he got there. The now two-handed arm grabs a spatula in each one, returning to the skillet to carefully extract both eggs. ] --is what I like to call soigne.

[ Flopping an egg into each bowl simultaneously, Jake uses an additional arm to push the bowl towards Cal. A pair of chopsticks quickly joins it, delivered by yet another arm. There were quite a few hands extending out of the dog by this point, though they all snap back into him when he sits in front of his own bowl. ]

You know how to use these? [ He gestures with his own chopsticks before breaking the yolk of his egg, swirling that golden goodness all through the rice as if he'd done it a thousand times before. This was comfort food back home. ]

[hindsights]

[ cal watches with mild fascination, wondering if he'll get used to just how many limbs jake can grow. probably. you can get used to anything and it's not like this is a weird thing to get used to.

he'll take jake's forms to dealing with a gen'dai out of armour any day. not that he's met one.

he looks at the chopsticks and then shakes his head. ] Never seen these before.

[ but then he picks them up and stops, freezes for a moment as a memory washes over him; it's like jumping into a pool of water, one that's familiar to someone else and not to him. this one is full of warmth and there are no echos of pain attached to it. no, this is something else; there's laughter here shared between jake and someone else who cal doesn't recognize but her voice is just as warm; there's jake's comforting tones and -- ah -- yep, gentle flirting with his lady friend?

when it fades, cal jolts back into himself. he looks at the utensil in his hand before adjusting his grip so it matches jake's exactly. ]

[doooooog]

[ All too prepared to start a lesson, Jake looks up to see a strange expression on Cal's face. There was something nostalgic about it; odd and out of context against the mundane act of sharing a meal.

It only lasts a moment, expression slipping from the boy's face in a flash. It was almost as if he'd removed a mask, revealing Cal again underneath it. Cal who, apparently, was the quickest chopstick study Jake had ever met. ]

Uh, forreal? 'Cuz if you're serious, you're a natural.

[hindsights]

[ cal looks down at his hand and then back up at jake, nods. ] It's-- a little trick I know. A gift.

[ he's not sure how to explain it to jake, not without giving himself away. then again, he's already shared so much. he glances down at the chopsticks in his hands, moving them to open and close them but not pick anything up in the way he'd seen and now knows to. ] It's why I went to that school... to the Order.

[ way to not explain anything at all though, cal? ]