Plastic Wickedness [Kitchen; Shasta/Open]

[Topaz]

In the relative darkness of the kitchen, a thin figure made her way systematically through the cupboards and cabinets. A bit too short to properly discern the objects on the top shelves, the blond head would periodically pop up, as the woman balanced on her toes to see better. There was no mistaking that the figure was indeed woman, even in the dim light. The shimmering, pale hair was a dead giveaway for one, along with the subtly curved waist and hips of womanhood, emphasized further every time the woman reached up into the cabinets.

The cook that ran the night shift for the wherhandlers needed little coaxing to leave his post. Even to a stranger, Ellis' icy blue eyes and the large knife she so lovingly fondled at her thigh were more than enough warning to stay away. It was morning for the greenhandler, about 10pm, and she was in no mood at all to be pleasant with the drudges. They of course didn't hold that name here on Earth, but 'drudge' was better than slave, after all, which Ellis personally preferred. That's all they were, weren't they? Doing the bidding, whatever it might be, of the higher ranked. Pathetic, they were. The blond barely wanted to be around them, much less make idle conversation as they cooked for her. She was much better suited on her own.

With a furrowed brow and an angry huff, Ellis slammed closed the door of the cabinet she had been searching, making it bounce against it's frame and swing back out wildly. She didn't know any of what was in this blasted kitchen. Where were the baskets of tubers, and pantries of salted meat? Everything was in metal and that plastic wickedness! Sighing and rubbing her eyes with her fingers, Ellis took one more irate look around the kitchen. maybe she would have to call back that stupid, spineless cook. However, after thinking it over for a few more moments, she swiftly decided against it. She lived in the wilds of Pern for most of her forsaken life. Surely these idiotic Earth appliances would not get the best of her.. Swiping a piece of nearly stale bread from a nearby basket on the counter, Ellis sauntered over to one of the previous cabinets and pulled out a can. It was some kind of soup, 'Chicken Noodle', and the image on the label sure did look appetizing. Ripping a hunk of bread away from the loaf, Ellis chewed as she opened the nearest drawer and pulled out a kitchen knife. Swallowing her mouthful, she held the rest of the bread in her mouth and attempted to pry open the can.

[phyrstyr]

Walking along the path to the Kitchen, Shasta wondered what she would have for an evening snack. Maybe cold steak, or fruit, or bread, or cold steak... Just the thought of food made her hungry belly rumble in anticipation.

Hurry up, Mine! I want to go to bed!

Quith, you know that i cant sleep on an empty stomach. Just be patient![/i] Shasta knew that Hers hated sleeping alone, but she really was famished... maybe she would grab a piece of fruit after all.

Entering the kitchen, the first thing Shasta noticed was the darkness. Peculiar, she thought. But her tired mind didnt have enough sense to turn the lights on. So she just shuffled through, bumping into almost everything. Finally, she reached the refrigerator, completely oblivious to her surroundings. She pulled out a hunk of well cooked steak and sat down to eat. The place that she chose to sit, however, gave her a full view of the kitchen and the girl, Had she been there before?, who was trying to open a can of soup with a knife. "Aya! Dont do that! you'll hurt yourself!" Jumping up, she rushed over to the droor of appliances and pulled out a can opener. handing it to the other girl, she said, "This is what you need." Shasta noted warily the large knife at the pretty girl's waist, but knives were not uncommon here and so she ignored it.

[Topaz]

At the sound of footsteps, Ellis jerked her head towards the door, the knife in her hand poised above the can. Fully expecting the intruder to look to her with surprise, Ellis narrowed her eyes and watched the girl absently pass her by. Had she even seen her? It wasn't that dark for shells sake! This idiot must be blind, or sleepwalking..

Not wanting to blow her mind-boggling cover, Ellis silently watched the girl open up the large metal cabinet and take out a plate of meat. That's where it was! Confounded Earth kitchens.. Ellis was surprised yet again as she watched the girl take the entire slab of meat and sit down to eat it. What a greedy little piglet. It was then that the girl finally realized there was another being in the room, and no sooner had she done this than she got up yelling and ran right over to Ellis. The wherhandler had to remind herself repeatedly in those few seconds not to kill the idiot girl where she stood. On Pern there were an excess of people in the Weyrs and just one going missing wouldn't be heard about by the majority of the Weyr for days. This Weyr, however, was brand new and barely had enough dragons to fill out a wing. So she watched the girl sift through a nearby drawer with a blank expression, until a whiff of the cold, seasoned meat on the table reached her nostrils.

Looking at the offered instrument the girl had found Ellis smiled with practiced sweetness. "Oh, why thank you sweetie. I'm such a klutz I probably would have hurt myself." Her voice did sound genuine, but to the trained ear there was a hint of sarcasm that Ellis always tried hard to hide. Releasing the soup can from her grasp, the blond looked the girl over sizing her up. She seemed a timid thing, so she shouldn't have to try too hard this time. "You know what, I appreciate the help and all, but that over there smells mighty good." She said as she stepped backwards a few paces before turning and walking over to the girl's previous seat. Sitting down without any hesitation, Ellis casually began to cut large chunks off the slab and put them in her mouth, making all kinds of satisfied noises as she ate.

[phyrstyr]

Shasta smiled a little at the praise and (seemingly) sincere appreciation from the pretty lady. Her still sleepy mind, however was unable to detect the impending horror that was to befall her.

"You know what, I appreciate the help and all, but that over there smells mighty good."

It took Shasta until the woman was half way to her seat to realize that she was aiming straight for - no! it couldnt be!- her steak! But ever the rational and polite weyrling, Shasta was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the woman didnt realize that that was steak. Or maybe she was unaware of the unwritten law that clearly states 'thou shalt not steal another's steak no matter what'. Or maybe she had never had steak before. At that thought she cried a little on the inside for the unfortunate lady. If that was the case, then she would gladly give over her precious steak just this once.

With this new perspective, Shasta smiled with almost fake happiness and replied, with a hint of sorrow, "Okie-day. Please enjoy yourself. Ahh!" She exclaimed as an idea struck her. She would want the experience to be as enjoyable as possible for the lovely woman, this being her first steak and all (by now her mind had accepted this as the only sane possibility) so she walked back to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle and began shaking it vigorously. After a few seconds she brought it over to where the blond sat, happily munching on her meal of pure goodness. "Here, if you want, you can add this. most people put it on for added flavor. I dont use it personally, but you might like it." She smiled again to show her sincere good will. She paused thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "I dont believe i know your name. Mine's Shasta.

[Topaz]

Ellis didn't look up from here meal, but she new she was probably missing a few faces that would throw her into hysterics. The pause tempted the blond to take a look and gauge her victim's expression, but she resisted. Looking concerned would blow her cover of the absentminded innocent. Instead she continued slicing big chunks off of the cut of meat in front of her and scarfing then down with appreciative gusto.

"Okie-day. Please enjoy yourself. Ahh!"

...what?! Was this kid serious? Ellis popped her head up, careful to remember her smile, and eyed the girl as she ambled back over to the large metal box where the steak had been. Ellis had been expecting a silent acceptance, even a sigh or a grunt of unhappiness, but no! The girl told her to enjoy herself! She really was that thick.. Pondering her incredible good luck at finding such a twit, Ellis watched with an intrigued expression as the girl brought out a tall bottle of dark liquid. She was instantly wary. She couldn't be that nice, to bring her out a meat sauce as well. Maybe it wasn't sauce at all, but some kind of dangerous chemical. Or maybe the sauce had already gone bad.

"Here, if you want, you can add this. Most people put it on for added flavor. I don't use it personally, but you might like it."

As she placed the bottle on the table, Ellis casually picked it up for inspection. It had a lot of words on the label, much more than bottles did back on Pern, and she tried to quickly read through the ingredients. She recognized some of them, harmless stuff, but even the words she was not familiar didn't seem too life threatening. She decided she would try it.

"Well thank you. I think I'll try it." Ellis replied happily, untwisting the cap and pouring a tiny amount on the rim of her plate. She then dipped a finger in the sauce and brought it to her waiting tongue. It was bitter, and put Ellis on alert again. Could it really be poison? Just to be safe, she opted out, making a slightly disgusted face. "It's a little too much for my tastes. I can see why you wouldn't use it." She chuckled slightly, taking another bit of meat into her mouth to remove the unwanted taste. "Wouldn't want to ruin the already lovely taste of the meat, hm?" She added, wiggling her fork in the air in Shasta's direction and nodding. "You've got good taste." A little bit of flattery wouldn't hurt, Ellis was sure, as she cut off another chunk and began chewing it.

"I don't believe I know your name. Mine's Shasta."

Oh goodie, the brat wanted to get to know her. Ellis wanted to grunt in protest but resisted. Instead she smiled cheerfully, and looked right in Shasta's eyes with great intensity. It was in the hopes that the prolonged intimacy, so early in their relationship, would make the girl think twice about delving into Ellis' personal history. It may work, if the girl could pick up on it. Otherwise the dimwit might just find it strange, or even encouraging! Maybe she was giving her too much credit.

"Ellis. It's nice to meet you. Are you from Earth?" Shards. She asked the girl a question. It had just slipped out with the rest of the pleasantries she always worked so hard on. The floodgates were now opened. With any luck, the girl would be short and to the point, but that was asking a lot of a teenage girl, wasn't it?