New Plan, Step One: Provide For My Community [open]

[summerdude]

Magnus needs something to change, so when a Mansion calendar helpfully informs him that it's International Falafel Day back on Earth, he goes to the library for some cookbooks, and then to the kitchen.

He lays out ten different falafel recipes. He gathers the ingredients they list, as best as he can understand them. He has canned chickpeas and fresh chickpeas and dried chickpeas and chickpea flour and box mixes of falafel that say 'just add water!'

Cripes.

"I can do this," he says, peering at the assorted recipes intently for a good ten minutes, and then takes the dried chickpeas over to the sink to rinse and soak.

Comments

[sporesprouter]

She nods. "I probably could have said terrifying, and it would be just as accurate. But... Magtress doesn't have to try to handle everything all at once. Just one small step at a time."

[summerdude]

"Like what?"

[sporesprouter]

"I think the first step would be accepting the feelings that... that they have about what's happening. It doesn't mean that they can't work to change them, but it's.... it's like meditating. Not dwelling on it, but acknowledging the feelings are real and moving through them without judging them."

[summerdude]

"And if, hypothetically, Magtress has done that? At least part of the time?"

[sporesprouter]

She smiles. "Then good. Magtress is doing the right first steps. But it can take a while, especially when a lot of things are happening at once."

[summerdude]

Magnus makes a face and sighs heavily.

[sporesprouter]

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier."

[summerdude]

"I just want to -- I want Magtress to just stop feeling weird about it."

[sporesprouter]

"I think that will take some time. And also getting to spend some time with Bubba outside of everything else."

[summerdude]

"What if, like. Bubba doesn't have time for Magtress right now?"

[sporesprouter]

"Did Bubba say they didn't have time for Magtress?"

[summerdude]

"I don't think Magtress has asked."

[sporesprouter]

"I think that would be a good next step for Magtress, then."

[summerdude]

That's another enormous sigh from Magnus Chase! "Alex said the same thing," he says.

[sporesprouter]

"I'm glad I agree with Alex, then."

[summerdude]

Magnus sighs and pulls over a mixing bowl. "You know what was great?" he says. "Outrunning my emotions for, like, years."

[sporesprouter]

"Or at least you could pretend it was great?"

[summerdude]

"Nah," says Magnus, glumly. "I knew it sucked even at the time."

[sporesprouter]

"I'm sorry."

[summerdude]

"No, I'm sorry," Magnus says, and rolls his eyes at himself. "I don't mean to be, like, a sadsack or whatever. It's just been a long couple weeks, you know?" He pokes the chickpea flour. "But it's International Falafel Day! So."

[sporesprouter]

"I understand. But you're right. We should get to falaf-ing."

[summerdude]

"Yeah." Magnus looks over at what she's compiled, and his own bowl of flour. "Okay. Now what?"

[sporesprouter]

"All right, it looks like first we have to mix in the herbs and spices with the flour."

[summerdude]

"That seems easy enough," Magnus says. As he reaches for some of the herbs, he glances over at Tress. "Tell me a Charlie story?"

[sporesprouter]

She nods. "Would you rather have one from before or after we left the Rock?"