A Few Substitutions

[justfuckingtryit]

[The counter in the ratty little apartment is overrun with a handful of potatoes, some cookware that's decidedly a mismatched set, and a cookbook that has definitely seen better days. Lumen's standing in front of it, peering down at a page that's stained with age and who knows what else.]

You look at this thing yet? We're missing half the ingredients.

Comments

[justfuckingtryit]

This thing looks okay?

[He pages through a couple of pages to tap on a picture of a frittata.]

We've got a couple eggs still.

[we_meet_again]

[Leaning over Lumen an entirely unnecessary amount.]

That does look good! Is that all we need? Eggs?

[justfuckingtryit]

And stuff to put in it.

[we_meet_again]

What kind of stuff? Anything?

[justfuckingtryit]

Looks like milk and peppers? And onions. And cheese.

...well, the cheese is right out.

[we_meet_again]

Uuugh I miss cheese. But even if they could make it, do you think it would be, like... ethical?

[justfuckingtryit]

Probably not.

[we_meet_again]

Ok, so cheese is out. I think we have an onion? Not sure about the peppers, though...

[justfuckingtryit]

Maybe we can swap in potatoes.

We've got potatoes for days.

[we_meet_again]

Gotta say, I wouldn't mind a different way of eating potatoes, to mix things up a little. I'm game to try.

[justfuckingtryit]

We'd probably better fry them up first. Otherwise they're still gonna be all hard.

[we_meet_again]

Good call.

So, what's the difference between this thing and a scramble with fried potatoes?

[justfuckingtryit]

That's what the cookbook's supposed to tell us, right?

[we_meet_again]

Then... does it say?

[justfuckingtryit]

[Glancing down to look.]

The milk, looks like. And it goes in the oven.

[Handing it over for him to look while he gets started scrubbing these potatoes.]

1/2

[we_meet_again]

Oh! You bake it! That IS different.

[we_meet_again]

[Reading the recipe.]

Ok, you have the potatoes, and I have some eggs...

[A couple eggs flash into existence, one by one, in his upturned hands.]

Do you have the milk?

[justfuckingtryit]

Somewhere, yeah.

[A mystery novel flashes into his hand, and another one replaces it as soon as he sets it on the counter. A spool of thread comes next, and then a bowl with a chip taken out of it, and then a calendar from six years ago.]

[we_meet_again]

[While Lumen's working on that, Suri snags the bowl, gives it a quick rinse, and cracks the eggs into it.]

[justfuckingtryit]

[Blanket: no.]

[Quetzalcoatl feather: no.]

[A single shoelace: definitely not.]

[we_meet_again]

[Watching this fountain of random objects piling up all over the counter while beating the eggs with an old fork.]

[justfuckingtryit]

[A bookmark.]

[A bar of soap.]

[A Kenny Crow t-shirt.]

Oh, for fuck's sake.

[we_meet_again]

.....

[justfuckingtryit]

[There it is: milk.]

Fucking finally.

[we_meet_again]

Oh whew.

[Double-checking the list pinned to the kitchen wall.]

Apparently I have half an onion. Do you think that will be enough?