Re: Of Course It Hurts (Judy/Saya)

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"I'll have to teach you how to make them," Judy replied. "Lentils are pretty useful for vegetarian cooking."

She shifted her weight, leaning all her weight on her feet rather than the cane.
"I had the opportunity to chat a little with Kyo," she added in a more hushed tone, leaving it out there for Saya to ask more or not to.

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

Saya raised a brow and leaned against the counter, folding her arms. I heard you playing. I'm glad you also had opportunity to get to know one another. As you are both still with us, I presume the conversation went well?

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"Yes, it went very well; he's a lovely young man," Judy replied, fidgeting with one of the rollers.

"He's also deeply in love with you. He cares about you, adores everything you do, and he's worried about moving too fast or too slow," the older woman further revealed. "You have something special in him, something I never actually managed to find."

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

At Judy's blunt revelation, Saya's eyes widened and she stared at her friend for nearly a full minute in absolute silence. Internally, she was trying to process Judy's words and failing miserably.

Finally, she opened her mouth and attempted to speak, stumbling and fumbling over her words. I do not think...that can't be... she shook her head. It is not possible. We have only known each other... Saya looked off, trying to figure out how long they had known one another. The trip to ancient Egypt had messed up her perception of time considerably. It hasn't been long enough, she finally said, almost desperately.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"These things happen fast," Judy explained to her shocked friend. "It's not like those cheesy rom-coms where you fight and ignore your feelings, or where he has to stand outside your door in the rain, or any of those silly tropes. These things just happen."

Judy made a little dismissive gesture with her hand as she described those silly tropes, then looked directly at Saya, over the glasses.
"I'm not telling you to go out and put a diamond ring on his finger, I'm just telling you to take good care of the guy."

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

Saya stared at Judy again for a moment before replying, I don't think I know how. She gave her friend a slightly panicked look. I feel something for him, certainly. I just don't know how to proceed. Men have not been anywhere near a thought until Kyo showed up.

As she finished speaking, the dumbwaiter rumbled, indicating its imminent ascent, followed by Kyo's steps on the treads of the stairs. Saya fell silent and tried to calm her racing heart, hoping he wouldn't guess the topic of their conversation.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"Just be nice," Judy said, before Kyo emerged.

Then, she went over to roll the cart out.

"Two calls to make," she assessed. "#1, omelette or no omelette? And #2, do we want to toast the bagels?"

She looked at both Saya and Kyo for answers.

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

Saya widened her eyes at Judy as if to say, Of course, just before Kyo appeared at the top of the stairs. She took a step in the direction of the dumbwaiter, but Judy was closer and was obviously planning to retrieve the cart.

Instead, Saya turned to begin pulling out bowls and cooking utensils, pausing to answer Judy's question. Yes, to both.

Kyo eyed Judy as she took hold of the cart and left her to it, replying, Omlettes sound great, and I've never had a bagel, so I'll go with your recommendation there.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"Toasted, then," Judy replied. She then paused to think.

"Saya, I'm delegating the omelette to you," she said. "I'll toast the bagels. It takes a certain experienced touch to get them just right, if I do say so myself."

Then, she had another interesting thought.

"Why don't we have breakfast outside on the porch?" she asked. "I'll get dressed, of course, but I think it'd be lovely, no?"

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

With a nod, Saya moved to the stove with a mixing bowl in hand. Kyo brought her the eggs, then asked, Can I chop the vegetables for you?

Please, Saya answered quietly.

Her tone made Kyo pause and give her a sharp look. He hoped her good mood hadn't been that short-lived. That's fine with me. After I take care of this, I can set things up outside. He found a cutting board and sharp knife and set up next to Saya to begin prepping the fillings for the omelettes.

Yes, the fresh air will be pleasant, Saya agreed, sounding more like herself.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"I'll just set the toaster up, then I'll go upstairs to get ready," Judy said. "Gives you two some time to choose spreads without my critical eye."

It also gave them the chance to avoid her eye in general, in case they had other plans.

Promptly, Judy sliced the bagels in half and loaded them into two large toaster ovens set just so.
"Load 'em on a plate when they're ready," she instructed.

Once upstairs, Judy took out the hair rollers, and then selected a dark blue dress, which she paired with a grey cardigan and a rather flashy red scarf.

She walked back down, unaided save for the chair lift, a few minutes later.

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

Saya raised a skeptical brow as Judy departed. Putting the bagels in the ovens and leaving did not seem to require all that much experience, and she wondered if Judy had other motivations.

Kyo set about chopping the vegetables, eyeing Saya as she prepared three pans so that she could cook the omelettes at the same time. He soon had piles of different veggies ready for Saya to add to the eggs. Before going to check the bagels, he tried to feel Saya out, I'm really glad you're feeling better today. I can't wait to play some music with you. Judy and I had a good time last night, but we definitely missed you.

Saya smiled and replied, I heard you playing last night. It helped me sleep. I'm looking forward to playing with you both today as well.

Kyo was relieved by her answer. Saya truly did seem to be more relaxed and open today. The toaster ovens dinged, one right after the other, and Kyo went to pull out the toasted bagels as Saya got the omelettes started.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

Judy walked back to the kitchen, still unaided, her hands fidgeting with the scarf. She'd always had a thing for colorful neckwear, after all.

"Let's inspect the bagels," she said, letting go of the scarf and bringing the glasses down from her now wavy hair to her nose. "Yes, that's perfect. If you use the default settings, it burns the bagels. You'd think by now they'd learn to make these machines properly."

Then, she turned her attention to Kyo specifically.
"Let's load up the cart to move the food outside. That's a little more efficient than carrying it by hand, I think, and it lets me feel a little more useful."

[Ozu Saya]

[Estate]

Oh, good idea, Kyo said, beginning to load dishes and utensils on the cart, as well as all of their mugs and the kettle. Saya, do you want a coat? I'm going to grab mine.

Yes, thank you. I left one on the chair by my bed, Saya answered, briefly looking up from the omelettes. Judy, I went from previous experience on what to add to your omelette. I hope that I chose correctly. I should have asked before you went upstairs.

Kyo jogged out of the kitchen to retrieve his own coat from his room and Saya's from hers.

[Judith Eastman]

[Estate]

"Oh, it'll be fine," Judy reassured Saya. "You know I'm not that picky about my omelettes. Bagels, on the other hand..."

Judy reached for her cane and leaned on it. It felt good to take a little weight off her slow-healing hip.

"I'm pretty rigid about bagels. Cream cheese is the way to go. It has been so since the 1800s," she explained.