nexus_crossings | Flavor Science is Afoot!

She looks up alert and sniffs the air, oh that's hardly ever a good sign. She thinks as she hurries toward it. Putting a bandnna over the lower half of her face and nose as she did so. Oh wee Tina! she thinks both happily and concerned.

She pulls out a small fire exstuisher from her back pack just in case it's needed."Tina? are you alright? Do you require assitance?" She asks and then coughs a little that half a wry laugh.

"Um I don't believe I did but most things can become so at the right temperature." She replies warmly and in a reasonaing tone. She rubs her chin and tries to acess the situation. "hmm what sort or er brand is it? sometimes that's a factor." She gnetly asks and advises.

If the extremely high temperatures of the burning box and its contents bother Tina from sitting so close to it, she doesn't show it. She's got a high pain tolerance where heat is concerned. Plus Tina gets to watch something burn and that's always fun.

"I dunno. They were all in th'box and as you can see..." Tina gestures to the giant plume of smoke and flame with a shrug. "They're not telling me their secrets now."

{CHILD NEAR THE HOT THING! Cub, PUP NEAR THE EXTREMELY HOT THING!} Her inner alarms we're going off at that and moved to try and pick her up if need be, she tries the voulntary method first though before trying to physical herd her away from danger. IF she wanted to watch from a safe distance that would be fine. The key word being SAFE.

"er, ya did take the ingrediants out of their containers first I hope?" She half asks, half states and Aims the kitchen extiusher toward the worst of the flames. "well let's see if I can't suss something out of things CSI StoryBrooke style hmm?" She half asks half states. Kids..liked that sort of stuff and magic right? She was pretty sure some did.

"Well I was tryin' to afore a spark got in there an everything went up like POOF!"

Tina grins at the flames, watching them loom well over her head as they shoot up and plume foul burnt sugar smelling smoke into the air.

"I oughta use it in my explosives, yo. It's hella flammable."

She hums and nods in the affratitive, "hmmmh alright ok." Her ears shift there shape rapidly into black furred and wolfish shaped as the go up in alarm poking out from under her hoodie's hood.

Her eye twitches a little, she was semi used to flameing firey issues what with having a few friends and foes/ enermies of the peace alike who could be considered Pryos. Oh lawd not the sugar. that just made her half sad. She did not like food getting wasted.

She spurts some flame retardent toward the base and source of the probelm.

"hmmh, perhaps...but only for emergencies." She half states half murmurs firmly but calmly. As she looks at her sideways. After all she was from a dangerous homeworld if she remembered correctly. The nexus..had less dangers er in certain areas of late.

Awwww, putting the fire out is no fun. For Tina. The rest of the Nexus probably appreciates a fire not spreading throughout the Plaza. People might be protected under the AV field but property definitely isn't.

"Who knew baking was so hard, yo?"

She hums half in thought, as she checks to make sure things are put out properly. Accidental fires were bad, tricksy things. But she also didn't want to discourage a young cook. But hmm something, more fitting and a safe environment and tools might be of help.

"Hmm yes it can be." She murmurs sympaticly, but perhaps she could show her a few easy recipes or ooh idea. "Um Tina did ya happen to notice any toy or camping stores around here recently?" She asks warmly and hopefully. Perhaps..an easy bake oven or something that's used in camping would be a good start for her. yes, and if she let her she'd love to teach her some handy tricks.

"Toy...store? I mean, maybe. There's all kindsa shops around here. But I don't got a lot of money so I usually just scrounge for free food and drinks around the coffee stands that litter th'plaza yo."

Spoken like a true scavenger and malnourished child. Plus, most of the free treats were baked goods and Tina is all over those.

She hums she knows how that is but she's usually pretty good at bargain hunting and such. "hmm, well I can always use a helper and taste tester if ya like. " She murmurs softly in offer. Her right eye twitches a little.

She rubs her chin in thought.

"Sign me up Shawty! Tasting things is like one of the things I do best ya feel me I think you feel me."

Tina hops up form her seat with the box of creamer and it's fire already forgotten and put out of Tina's head at the promise of an adventure.

She grins her face practically beaming at that. Especially at the prospect of having another friend and helping someone out. She chuckles softly pleased and happily. "Aye," She replies warmly and nods. "I believe I do." She states warmly, sincerely and hopefully. Her eyes twinkling and slightly crinkling in happiness.

She wiggles slightly in a slightly excited canine manner. "So um in your option what's the best hmm smelling place in the plaza?" She asks half pondering. When in doubt follow yer nose.

Now there's an odd question to ask a girl. Tina sniffs experimentally at the air as though it will reveal its olfactory secrets to her before giving her companion a side eye for several long moments until an idea seems to strike her.

"Oh! I think I know what you mean, follow me!"

Tina scampers on ahead with a gleeful expression on her face. Up and down the plaza streets--past cafes and food stalls and all manner of delicious smelling locales. Past all of it actually. Until they get to a mostly empty parking lot with a shoddy tent put up in one corner.

Fantastic Friedmont's Fireworks! reads the sign hanging over the tent. Tina squeals with glee an inhales deeply the scents of flash powder and primer.

"Ohmyguuuuuuuuh I could just sit here five-evah it smells like explosions it's so good I'm gonna diiiieeee." Or maybe that's the dextrose and other chemicals going into their lungs.

She blinks but does so. Her ears twitch hmm definitely some places to visit next along here. She thought and tilts her head as she sees the tent up ahead.

Her nose twitches and she turns her head to sneeze a little. "achoo."

She snorts a little after pulling out a napkin from one of her pockets and softly and politely cleaning her nose a little. "umm, I would recommend not prolongingly doing so lass. " She murmurs softly. Eyeing things suspiciously and warily as she pulls up her bandanna again into place and pulls out a clean kerchief in a cool tie-dye pattern and tries to get closer to put it on Tina if she lets her.

"Isn't this just th'best?!" Tina stops jumping around at the kerchief being pushed across her face. Is this dress up time? Are they pretending to be bandits?

Are they gonna be actual bandits and rob the fireworks tent?!

"Daaaaayum you are cold, lady. I love it let's do it."

She hums uncertainly,

"um do what?" She asks uncertain and confused. "these are so we can somewhat breathe. " she remarks wryly.

"We're not gonna hold a stick up in the fireworks tent? Aw maaaaaaaaan!"

Whined like only a real child can. Tina huffs slightly.

"You asked me to take you someplace that smelled good, Shawty. I'm jus' following orders."

"not a stick-up, but hmmm..maybe I can find us some good sparklers somewhere that'd be fun." She states warmly and with a hopeful grin. She'd like some things about the fourth of July after all. Being introduced to the whole thing later in life thanks to a dirty rotten curse. Her ears tip down, ow. She didn't like seeing kids upset in general but sometimes such things couldn't be helped, but enhanced hearing could have its downsides.

"Ah, yes." She hums and rubs her chin. "perhaps I should be a little clearer next time..." She half murmurs. { silly I should know better with some of the folks from back home.} She half thought. But then most kids went for sweet things and the like.

"I was thinking more food things but we don't have to do it in a particular order unless we're ice cream hunting." She murmurs with an easy going shrug. And gently tries to pat the little lasses shoulder in an 'It's alright, my fault. ' sort of gesture.

"Oh right. Food. I like crumpets yo. And chocolate chip cookies."

So baked goods seem to be a yes and everything else gets an ambivalence at best. She's not so different from most kids in that respect at least.

Her ears wiggle, "oh yes, I like them too." She adds with a nod.

She still seems a bit uncertain about the products in the tent, perhaps at one of the other shops no that she has an idea of what she likes. "Right, shall we go hunting for some?" She asks warmly or at least the ingredients. hmmm, baking smells.

It might still be Spring, but Reynard is looking much better than he did a month ago. Hard work and helpful company has done him some good, it seems. That said, he's still without his coat or any other unnecessary layers. This run to the Nexus had meant to be quick; A short trip to grab a few new tools. When he sees Tina, however, he forgets his hurry.

After glancing over Tina to make sure she's looking healthy and unharmed, Reynard raises his brow at the burning box. "Did you make the oven?"

!

Tina would know that voice and that walk anywhere. She leaps out of her seat and bounds across the Plaza to hug Reynard around the middle just like she always does. Bestest huggabutts like Reynard get the best hugs from her. It is a necessity.

"Damn son, I was beginning t'hink you weren't ever gonna show up again." It's gotten too warm for much of the clothes Reynard picked out for Tina before winter hit but she's wearing the wellington boots since they are Triple-A Plus Plus puddle stompers.

"The box isn't the oven, silly. It's the creamer."

This time Reynard is a little more ready for Tina's energetic hug. He gives her a warm squeeze in return and pats her on the back. "And leave you to have all the fun? Not a chance."

Reynard raises an eyebrow at the box and then turns it to Tina. "Did you put a box of creamer into an oven?"

"Good cuz things are always more fun when you're around, Huggabutt."

Yay hugs!! She'll pull away after a few moments but her grin is much different now than it was before. Less manic and more sincerely pleased to see someone. It's a special smile reserved for the people she's closest to. More reserved and softer.

"Naw, son. Lils told th'guy I get crumpets from not to give me any more on account of her getting a bug up her butt about what I eat and 'Tina you can't just eat crumpets how are you alive blah blah blah.'" Tina rolls her eyes at this. Food is food, yo.

"So I was like I don't need no handouts I'll just make my own cept th'recipe calls for warm milk and only rich bitches get that kinda thing on Pandora so Brick was like just add water to non dairy creamer and I was like HELL YES. And he brought me a box of th'stuff and I kinda forgot about it and left it out while I was working. Spare spark goes flying and...boom."

Tina shrugs. These things happen!

So someone on Tina's world is trying to keep an eye on her. He'd thank them... if he wasn't half certain that giving her a reason her to try making her own was as dangerous. Besides, he's seen worse diets through the years.

Reynard opens his mouth and closes it again. Slowly he keeps himself from grimacing and manages to smile instead, patting Tina on the shoulder. "Maybe next time someone could help you make it. Especially trying to make it for the first time ever. That's not easy. That's..." He eyes the flaming box. "... flammable."

Look, food is scarce enough around the wasteland Tina lives if you're not a cannibal. And as fucked up as Tina is, eating her fellow man has thankfully not been a bar she's stooped to yet. Besides baked goods were chock full of fat and carbs and a malnourished girl needs all the energy she can get.

"Well, I ain't got a proper oven either. I was in th'middle of welding one together outta scrap when I set off the box of creamer, yo."

There are so many questions he has. So many. Each one of them making him wonder if he's able to take care of Tina like he said he would. At least he already has an oven. She wouldn't need to make one. Or a kettle, or a stove… He'll have to introduce her to the concept of money and buying what she wants.

"And how did you set off the box of creamer?"

Edited 2018-06-19 08:23 (UTC)

"Spark from the welding torch an' the slag. There ain't a whole lotta room in my house ya feel me but I shoulda been more careful about where I left it out. I got excited and kiiiiinda sorta forgot about it until it went FWOOM on the floor next to me."

Tina gives a half hearted shrug of her shoulders but for Reynard she at least also has the decency to look a wee bit guilty about all of this.

"Live an' learn amirite?"

Reynard sighs, his shoulders sagging as he shakes his head at her. What is he going to do with her?

"As long as you learn." He ruffles her hair lightly. "If you make crumpets in my home, make sure Hazel or I are with you first, alright?" His hands settle on his hips and then shuffle into folded arms instead. "If you still want to live with me, I mean."

"Well, I mea--wait, who's Hazel?"

Tina reaches up and takes Reynard's hand in both of hers to still him from the hair ruffles after only a couple of seconds. She will not be distracted from this so easily!

"Is she your....y'know. Little sum'thin sum'thin? Your main squeeze? Also, can she cook?"

If he'd have thought about it, Reynard wouldn't have been surprised to hear something like that coming out of Tina's mouth. As it stands, however, he shushes her hastily, his head spinning to scan for the tell-tale sign of red hair. Seeing none, he turns back to Tina to splutter and rub the back of his neck.

"Well- It's- No." Not that he hasn't thought about the potential. "No, she's… She's another spirit. Like me." He takes his hand from his neck and cringes. "And she'd kill me if she thought I was spreading rumours like that. So please don't say anything like that around her..."

Pleading done, he shifts awkwardly on the spot to hide a growing smile, accompanied by a shrug. "But she is a good cook."

She's always talking like she's way older than she is. Usually crudely. The irony is she doesn't really understand a lot of it. Just enough to sound really inappropriate when talking to an adult or anyone really. Still, she leans her head back when Reynard tries to shush her and watches him spin around in fear of this Almighty Badass that Hazel apparently is.

She's gotta have mad stones to make someone as powerful as Reynard scared, right?

"Dang, son. You gotta ball an' chain without any of the sugar to go with it. That's cold. I didn't know you were inta that kind of thing."

Her skills in the kitchen are enough to win back Tina's smile too. No matter how scary this Hazel person is if it means free good food Tina can deal with it. "Niiiiiiice. You got yerself another Siren buddy to cook for yas. Is she a fire user then?"

All thoughts of keeping an eye out for Hazel's sudden appearance are forgotten immediately and Reynard scowls. "She's not a ball and chain," he grumbles. "It's nothing like that."

It's simpler the way things are now. Not that 'sugar' wouldn't be nice. With Hazel and soon Tina in his home it's about to become decidedly more difficult to get any.

Tina's questions drags him out of his thoughts and he shakes his head. "No. She's an Autumn spirit. She's connected to all of Nature, but she likes air a lot." He can't help it, looking at Tina again gets him to grin and try to ruffle her hair again. "You've got enough fire in you for four spirits. I don't need anymore fiery people."

Children do make it difficult to pursue that kind of thing.

Perhaps Tina's keeping her workshop in Pandora open for business and the occasional Bunkers and Badasses run might not be a terrible thing for Reynard after all. Though it still doesn't do anything about the whole Hazel problem. Someone Tina is decidedly curious about meeting now that Rey's building her up to be some kind of scary Air Siren.

"Air's seriously underrated. Breathing is pretty dope, yo." This itme she doesn't fight the hair ruffles but giggles and gives a squeal of faux annoyance at having it messed up. She loves the attention. It's something she's been starved of for most of her life.

"No bombs in the cabin. I know, I know. I'll go back to my place on Pandora to work on that kinda thing."

"No bombs, but I can bake with you, and then Hazel can complain that we've made a mess." He grins, as much at the idea of having a partner in mischief as anything else. Setting his hands on his hips, he smiles down at her. "You just tell me when you're ready to move in. Your room is… mostly finished. It's not painted, but it's intact."

Although he should do another check over to make sure there aren't any obvious ~~fire~~ hazards.

"Y'all do know I can probably outrun your dusty ol' bones outside'a Winter if she does get mad, right?"

Tina needles Reynard with her elbow and a hefty dose of eyebrow waggling but she's giggling all the same up at the spirit. She loves the idea of having fun with Reynard more often. Still, hearing her room is ready catches her a bit off guard. Time flies when you're having fun and she hasn't been preparing at all for this.

"Awesome! I gotta settle some stuff back at home on my end so if y'all can give me a few weeks to get in touch with my friends so no one thinks I'm dead or nothin' I should be all good to go." Her smile turns softer.

Tina gets up on tiptoe to hug Reynard again. He's pretty sure he hears a muffled 'thank you' thick with tears but by the time she pulls away she's got herself in order so no one will ever know.

Reynard barks a laugh and scuffs her shoulder lightly. "Not a chance."

But then Tina's response takes him by surprise. It's always a little strange to see anything other than persistent optimism and enthusiasm about even the worst ideas. The sudden half of plans brings the slow, constant march of time to his attention. He can feel it moving at a crawl across his fingertips.

He breaks out of his thoughts with a smile, patting her back while she hugs him. "Of course. Take all the time you need. You can visit them all any time, as well. And if you tell me what your favourite colour is I can paint your room."

"Wanna bet?"

Tina puffs out her cheeks childishly and stamps one foot down in a perfectly bratty show of rebellion but doesn't actually take any sass against Reynard or his suggestions. His actions of affection are much needed for the little girl from the wastelands.

"Yeah, bomb making gotta stay on Pandora. And I gotta run my Bunkers an' Badasses back home too. Oh, OOH! Make it pink can it be pink please ohmyguhhhhh~!"

"I'd bet a whole box of biscuits," Reynard teases with a grin.

Pink? He should have expected that. It's popular these days for girls to like pink. Can he really blame her? It's convenient, especially if there's a lot of red in your life.

"Pink it is!" He declares with a laugh. "That will keep me busy while you put your affairs in order. I'll make sure it's perfect."

"Tina." Blaze sounds bemused, with just a touch of disappointment all the smoke wasn't leading her to a firefight. The Guardian settles her weight and takes in the scene before she looks to the kid. Any spark of concern is swiftly quenched: she's seen Tina disassemble a landmine the size of a warsat and rework it to her liking before Blaze could even get close enough to pull her away. A flaming box that's just giving off some weird-smelling smoke? Not much to get upset about. Comparatively speaking.

She makes a better attempt at sounding stern when she asks, "Just what were you trying to cook up, kid?"

"Ohmygawd! It's Blazeblaze an' Sir Ghost~!!"

Tina bounces off her seat as though it were a rubberized repelling grenade and hurries over to offer the Guardian and bot hugs for their trouble if they'll let her give them. It's some of her favoritest people ever in the Nexus! Also some of the least squishable, but that's alright.

Once greetings are given, Tina looks back over her shoulder than up at Blaze with a shrug.

"So Lils told th'delivery guy that I get my crumpets from not to give me no more on account of 'Tina you can't just eat crumpets how are you alive?' so I figured I'd learn how t'make my own. Cept th'recipe calls for warm milk and son we ain't got none of that shit. I figured if I added warm water to non dairy creamer it'd work well enough so Brick brought me a box of th'stuff. Cept I mighta forgot to put it away an a spark got into it and now...well...

She getures to the pluming box of fire and smoke.

"Non dairy creamer burns real well, yo. I oughta use it in bombs."

Blaze isn't carrying much good cheer lately, but of course she leans down to return Tina's hug before Ghost gets one too. There's been no time spared for unnecessary repairs lately: the Titan's armor is worn and battered, and there's a dark, ragged hunk of cloth belted at her hip.

"It's good to see you, Tina." Ghost's quiet voice is muffled by the hug. Blaze, meanwhile, nods with approval as soon as Tina starts to explain. Not that she's an expert on feeding kids, but even she knows there are some basic nutritional requirements. Too bad trying to enforce them hasn't gone as intended...

"It'd make the explosions smell worse, I'll say that. Good thing you got it out of your base." She gives Tina a weighty poke in the chest. "But that's what you get for trying to get around the rules, kid."

Tina puts on her best put out childish sulk at the poke.

"Awwww come onnnnnn don't be like that why you gotta take shots at me Shawty? I'm wounded, wounded madam. Naw I'm jus' kiddin' who knew baking would be so much trouble?"

She could never be upset at Blaze even if the bot isn't agreeing with her. Blaze and Ghost are on her short list of Very Important People.

"Look, y'all can argue rules over what I do an' don't eat when you get me a reliable source of food, alright? I eat what I find and what I can get."

Blaze chuckles, and it masks the uncertain feelings she gets when Tina pulls those faces or calls her names or acts so undeniably cute. Her fellow Guardians (certain ones most especially) act childishly all the time and she's used to that, but somehow it's an entirely different thing coming from an actual kid. There are conflicting feelings. Complicated reactions. She's never good at figuring those out, though perhaps she ought to be trying more often.

Tina's right though. Baking does appear to be more exciting than the Guardian would have thought.

"Can't your supplier get anything else for you?" Ghost is asking. "Humans can eat so many kinds of food. I think most of you enjoy that."

"You're missing out on half the fun of being human," Blaze admits. "There's whole worlds of stuff you could be trying right now, kid. And it can't all be that flammable. Probably."

"Well, I mean people is an option. But I really don' wanna eat nobody. You ever smelled the psychos that try to get into my camp? I don't think there's enough barbecue sauce in the world to make me want to put that in my mouth. I mean, MAYBE if the alternative was broccoli or starving I'd try it."

Cannibalism is pretty far down there on Tina's list of options for food.

"Though lately if I'm gettin' hungry I come here first and scavenge around. A lot of the coffee stands have free nearly fresh stuff just layin' around."

Edited 2018-06-05 17:57 (UTC)

"Eugh. No cannibalism." Blaze wants to shove that a little farther down the list. She's got to give Tina credit for doing what she can to scavenge, but the idea that the kid - the kid she's trying to look out for - is scouting around the Nexus for scraps sets her circuits buzzing with outrage and some degree of shame. She's not Tina's parent - how could she be? - but a Guardian has a responsibility regardless of the details.

"Better if we set you up with a new food supply," she says. "Food's not the main vector for trouble round here but you shouldn't have to rely on freebies."

"Riiiiiight? It's like ewwwww ew eww, naw son. NO bueno. Y'all don't know where that's been."

Though on Pandora, Tina can hazard more than a couple of guesses. None of them make the idea of eating someone any more appetizing to no one's surprise. Much better to come here and take advantage of the free food just laying around here. The Nexus is a pretty great thing if for no other reason than it helps a kid not go to bed hungry.

"I mean you can try to talk Lils outta being a spoilsport but I didn't get anywhere tryin' ta talk to her none. What do you guys eat anyhow? You never touch the food I serve at my tea parties."

"We don't need to eat anything," Blaze says with an apologetic kind of shrug. (Could, maybe, in her case, but that's a whole other crate of harpies she has no interest in opening.) "Ghost is powered by the Light and I guess I've got some weird ancient reactor in my guts. I can drink, but getting buzzed ain't exactly appropriate behavior for a tea party, right?"

"Sorry, Tina. I guess we're not as good at being guests as you are at being a hostess."

"Naw, no worries guys!"

Tina waves her hands back and forth as if trying to clear the air between them. She doesn't want two make two of her most favoritest people in the Nexus feel bad over her bein' a human that needs to eat and all that jazz.

"I was just curious, more'n anything. If there was an easier way to get food, yanno?"

Flavor Science is Afoot!

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I am sorry but I couldn't resist

Re: I am sorry but I couldn't resist

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