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

[summerdude]

Magnus takes the bowl, sets it to the side, and slides off. He's gonna get another hug in before they do anything.

[onthewillowsthere]

That's fine, Galahad wants that hug. He slips his arms around Magnus' waist and leans on him, holding him as tightly as he can. Again, he has biceps now! Thanks, Lan Wangji!

[summerdude]

Magnus notices this, too. "Getting strong, huh," he says, tucking his chin over Galahad's shoulder and slumping fully against him.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Soon Lan Wangji will teach me to fly on my sword," Galahad says seriously.

[summerdude]

"Wait. Really?" There's another tiny flare of jealousy. Magnus tamps it down. He can fly on a sword too. Well, fly dangling from a sword. If he's willing to pass out about it later.

[onthewillowsthere]

"No."

[summerdude]

"Dude," Magnus complains. Half-complains. "I'm too gullible for your jokes, man."

[onthewillowsthere]

"You need to practice. Be a Jokes Guy."

[summerdude]

"Will you help me with that?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes. I will help you with anything."

[summerdude]

"Good." Magnus gives Galahad another squeeze. "Where should we start?" (He means, of course, with everything: reconnecting, dealing with the way things have changed, making the falafel...)

[onthewillowsthere]

"Lan Wangji says there are four gentlemanly arts. Calligraphy, painting, weiqi, and playing the qin. You don't have to train with us. We could both be his students."

[summerdude]

"I know," Magnus says, but instead of matter-of-fact he sounds mostly -- surprised? He'd sort of forgotten. No, not forgotten, just... set the memory aside. "He's been teaching me meditation and he keeps promising to teach us calligraphy together."

[onthewillowsthere]

"We talked about it during Dark," he agrees. "When things were bad."

[summerdude]

"That's right," Magnus says. Yes, with another squeeze.

[onthewillowsthere]

"I would like to."

[summerdude]

"Me too. Soon." Magnus doesn't put a specific day or time on it, though, which is an aberration from his usual approach (scheduling out in detail), because he doesn't want to be disappointed if it can't happen on that schedule.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad still feels somewhat off-balance; things are definitely not Normal. He reaches for the bowl of chickpeas. "Do you want to finish?"

[summerdude]

"Yeah." Magnus disentangles himself from the hug and turns to help continue shelling. "So, um. What's new with you?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Very little; very much. He and Susan have been visiting often to listen to music together, and talk about science, and pet her cat; he and Laertes are nearly finished with the signet ring. He is still training with Lan Wangji, and still spending time at the chapel Magnus made for him, although he rarely prays there now. He doesn't always say mass now. He still always says the hours. He and Claudius have sex. They have a great deal of sex.

"Dionysus painted my face," he says.

[summerdude]

"He what?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"And put glitter on me."

[summerdude]

Magnus blinks and stares. "Why?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"He said it was a celebration."

[summerdude]

"A face painting and glitter celebration??"