interplanetary spark

[commemeorate]

the random scenario meme


comment with your character.
respond to others
lbr — no one uses rng. just go wild, and maybe kinda sorta pick from the scenarios below?
post picture prompts OR write starters OR whatever!
have a grand ol' time

TYPES OF SCENES
① Action → Gun fights, bar brawls, fights to the death are all possible scenarios.
② Angst → Characters suffer emotionally or physically from relationships breaking up, death, injury, etc. Hurt and comfort themes are included.
③ Crack → Genderswaps, super powers, sudden compulsions are all possible outcomes.
④ Fluff → Something that is devoid of angst. It's light-hearted and might have the overtone of romance.
⑤ Gen → General fun, things that didn't fit in the other categories.
⑥ Sex → First times, kinks, even dubcon are all possible themes of sex related scenarios.
⑦ Your choice → Think of your own scenario, choose one of the above or make a combo even!

ACTION.
① Zombies → It's the zombie apocalypse, lock and load!
② Bar brawl → You had one too many drinks, said something wrong, and now you're being asked to take it outside.
③ Chase → You're caught in a high speed chase.
④ Gun fight → You're caught in a big shoot-out.
⑤ Fight with a friend → You're fighting with a friend, all out.
⑥ Interrogation → You're being interrogated for some offense you've done.
⑦ Aliens → Aliens are attacking and you're not going to take your probe laying down!
⑧ Final battle → This is it. The battle that will end all the fighting for you. Will you win? Will you get that peace you want?
⑨ Training → You're not actually fighting, just training for the inevitable.
⑩ No hope → You know this fight has no hope. It's not going to end well for anyone involved, but you can't turn away.
⑪ Sneaking in → You're stealing a diamond or sneaking in to kick some bad guy butt, but whatever it is, you have to practice stealth.
⑫ Blue wire → You're faced with a bomb that needs to be disarmed.
⑬ Fight for honour → You've been disgraced or someone you care about has, so it's time to fight for honour.
⑭ Showdown → Time for a cowboy-style showdown. Whoever draws the fastest wins.
⑮ War → You're caught in the middle of a war here. Remember to keep your chin up and keeping fighting.
⑯ Apocalypse → The apocalypse finally happened and now you're left to scavenge and fight for whatever is left.
⑰ Sabotage → It's time to sabotage someone's plan! How is entirely up to you. Do you set up a bomb in their toilet? Do you double cross them at the last minute?
⑱ Big damn hero → You know you have to handle this one alone, so that means disarming or knocking unconscious the person who wants to join you.
⑲ Fight club → You know the rules... you're in an underground fighting ring and you're fighting with all you've got.
⑳ Threaten → You've just been sent here to rough them up a little, threaten them into behaving.

ANGST.
① Injury / illness → Your character has become injured or ill! To what extent is the mun's choice.
② Last moments → You character has been gravely injured and this is their last chance to say their last words.
③ Depression → Your character is depressed, what actions they take is up to the mun.
④ Betrayed → You character has been betrayed by the other. How do they react?
⑤ Tortured → Your character is being tortured and needs rescuing or at least a sympathetic ear to help him through it.
⑥ Jealousy → Your character is feeling jealous and must deal with it, how will they do it?
⑦ Breakup! → This relationship has gone as far as it can, it's time to breakup.
⑧ Broken → For whatever reason, the character is broken, mentally or or physically.
⑨ Fight → You can't even be in the same room as your friend or lover without arguing anymore.
⑩ Lost → You lost the biggest fight of your life and now all you can do is try to pick up the pieces.
⑪ Worst nightmare → Whatever you fear the most is now real or maybe you're just trapped in a dream together, but whatever it is, it feels too real.
⑫ Addicted → You're addicted to something, alcohol, drugs, sex, whatever. It's destroying your life and you can't do anything to stop it.
⑬ Hurt you → You're being forced to hurt someone you love either by betraying them or even being forced to shout things you don't mean. It's for their own good in the end though.
⑭ Separation → You were forced to leave this person for their own safety and while you've been miserable without them, you really didn't mean to run into them again... maybe it was by accident or you were watching them from afar this whole time.
⑮ Becoming a monster → You are slowly changing, becoming a monster: vampire, zombie, demon, something you can't recover from and no-one can help you.
⑯ Frozen → You are entirely helpless, frozen, to stop some kind of disaster.
⑰ Prison → You were very bad and now it's time to pay the price by turning yourself in or maybe the law just finally caught up to you.
⑱ Fear → You're not sure why, but you are suddenly terrified and you can't deal with it. You need help.
⑲ Hated → You are now hated by the person you loved the most.
⑳ Down and out → You're living on the streets, you've hit rock bottom, and you don't know what to do.

CRACK.
① Sexswap → Uh-oh, you're suddenly the opposite sex!
② Forced confessions → No matter what it is and no matter how hard you resist, you're going to be compelled to spill some deep dark secret!
③ Mind-reading → You've suddenly got the ability to read minds!
④ Animal → You're suddenly part animal or transformed into an animal!
⑤ Awkward pick-up lines → You're compelled to use bad pickup lines on whoever is closest!
⑥ Back in School / Graduated → You're suddenly back in school! Or if you were already in it, you've aged and long since graduated!
⑦ Vampires, werewolves, and zombies, oh my! → You're suddenly a vampire, werewolf, or zombie! Maybe even a demon or a devil, whatever creepy crawly you can think of. What do you do now?
⑧ Ghost → You're suddenly a ghost or at least invisible. What are you going to do with this new ability?
⑨ Awkward conversations → So did you just fart or what? Any conversation goes, as long as it's embarrassing and awkward.
⑩ Crossdressing → For whatever reason, you're suddenly dressed in clothes of the opposite sex.
⑪ Suddenly naked → Oops! Your clothes are suddenly gone.
⑫ Suddenly a kid → You're a kid again! Have fun with that second childhood.
⑬ Fortune cookie → You've suddenly received a note with something that will happen in the future, either precise or vague.
⑭ Super power → And suddenly you're like Superman! Any power goes.
⑮ Bodyswap → Somehow you've changed bodies with the other person.
⑯ Back in time → Somehow, you wound up in the past again. Do you try to correct something or just sit and wait for time to jump? Maybe it jumps to various points in your life or maybe you actually think you're back in the day. Have fun, run wild with the idea!
⑰ To the future → Is it everything you've dreamed? Is it horrible? Whatever happens, you're here to witness what happens to you in the future. Either you take the place of your future self or you're just there to watch. Might cause some confusion if people start seeing double though...
⑱ Angels, mermaids, and fairies! → You're not necessary something dark or evil. You're just something different. How do you deal?
⑲ Locked in a closet → For some reason, you're locked up in a closet with someone else. Do you make nice and try to figure your way out or what?
⑳ Finger trap → You're caught in a Chinese finger trap... with somebody else! You can't figure out how to get loose either... have fun with that.

FLUFF.
① Cuddling → For whatever reason, characters feel like being close and cuddling.
② Pillow talk → After the main event, characters are up for some pillow talk.
③ Celebration → Anniversary or some other big event is taking place and characters want to celebrate!
④ Love confession → Someone has finally decided to confess their love and today is the day!
⑤ Appreciation → You feel the need to show appreciation for that person closest to you, even if it's just a pat on the back.
⑥ Apologies → You made a mistake and now it's time to make it up in some way you know the other can't refuse!
⑦ Get back together → Why did you break up again exactly? Whatever the reason, it was a huge mistake and you both know you can work through it.
⑧ Date night → You've planned for a wonderful night together and you can't wait to get it started.
⑨ Family → You've either found out you're pregnant or you've already got that addition to your family.
⑩ Marriage → You're just about to get hitched or maybe you're enjoying your honeymoon. Maybe you've been together for years now! Whatever the case, it's time for that next big step.
⑪ Meeting again → It's time for that happy reunion finally!
⑫ Love at first sight → For whatever reason, you are now insanely in love with the first person you set eyes on.
⑬ Flirtation → You can't resist to do a little bit of harmless flirtation all of a sudden.
⑭ In the snow → Look outside! It's a winter wonderland, so why not go out and play in it?
⑮ Engagement → You've planned it all out and now it's time to finally pop the question.
⑯ Friendly games → You've set up the game station or board games for a friendly competition!
⑰ Gift → Time to give that special someone a gift just because.
⑱ Recovery → You're taking care of someone who's just recovered from some illness or injury.
⑲ Healing → Time to help mend that someone who's been through hell and back.
⑳ Better than ever → You've finally got everything you've ever wanted here. What is your ideal life and who does it include?

GEN.
① Nice meeting you → It's your first time meeting this person! You bumped into each other on the street, in a bar, at work... whatever!
② Drinks → You're out for drinks! Or just chilling at home with some beers. Wherever!
③ Lost → You're lost and you kind of need help finding your way to where you're going. A little help with directions?
④ Costume party → You're at a costume party, both of you are wearing masks. Do you keep the anonymity or take it off and see whose company you've been enjoying?
⑤ Wrong number → Oops, actually you didn't mean to call that person...
⑥ Drunk → You're already drunk! Drunk dialing, stumbling into someone, showing up unexpected... what type of drunk are you anyway? Aggressive, loving, happy? How does the other react?
⑦ Old friends → you haven't seen this person in a long time!
⑧ Rivals → you're suddenly rivals! Or maybe you have been all along...
⑨ Problems → you've got a problem with each other, just got in a huge fight, whatever. Try to work it out!
⑩ What are your intentions... → This person? They're dating a close friend, family member, etc. You need to find out if they're going to hurt them! Or you need to discuss your friend/family's dating choice.
⑪ I saw you → you saw the other person doing something bad and you need to confront them about it.
⑫ Sorry but no → the other person has feelings that you just don't share. They don't necessarily have to be romantic... maybe you just don't agree with their sudden desire to quit their job and start a business making tiny, fuzzy teddy bears.
⑬ My hero → you need to tell this person how much they mean to you. They've been your best friend or your role model your whole life and they need to know.
⑭ Enabler → you're enabling the other (or each other) to do something bad, really bad. Addiction, stealing, killing, or just any other self-destructive behavior.
⑮ Cooking → Time for an impromptu cooking lesson!
⑯ Oh, sure, I remember you... → It's that awkward moment when someone comes up and seems to know you, but you have no idea who they even are!
⑰ Rescue! → One of you was in trouble, but you came to the rescue!
⑱ Boss → One of you works under the other. Is your relationship good? Are you scheming things? Or do you hate each other?
⑲ Perfect crime → You and the other person have just pulled off the perfect crime... or you're planning to! What are you doing? The heist of the century, an assassination?
⑳ Movies → movie night! Maybe it's a sleepover. Whichever the case, it's time to eat a lot and have fun.

SEX.
① First time → it's your first time together or your first time ever! Enjoy the awkward times!
② Bondage → You and your partner decide to experiment a little with ropes or handcuffs or whatever you'd like to tie your partner up with.
③ Rough / Aggressive → Your characters want it rough.
④ Romantic → Slow and gentle, meaningful, that's how characters want it.
⑤ Dubcon → Character A wants Character B and it doesn't really matter if Character B wants it as bad or not.
⑥ In public → Characters feel like taking a risk and doing it in a public place.
⑦ Roleplay → Naughty nurse fetish? Pirate kink? You and your partner decide to try it out now!
⑧ Healing → You've both fought hard or gone through a rough time and it's time to get some R&R in.
⑨ Last time → This is the last time you're going to this because you're breaking up or maybe your lover is running off to sacrifice their lives in some heroic way. The possibilities are endless, but you better make this one count.
⑩ No strings attached → You're just friends with benefits. Nothing wrong with that, right?
⑪ Anonymous → You met in a restroom or bar, any location of your choosing, but you don't even know each other's names.
⑫ Toys → You're eager to try something new, so why not toys?
⑬ Aphrodisiacs → You've been slipped a strong aphrodisiac somehow and now you absolutely cannot control yourself.
⑭ Show → You're putting on a show by either doing it right in the club or filming it for a bunch of people.
⑮ Ménage à trois → It's time for that threesome you've always dreamed of.
⑯ Non-penetrative → Frottage, handjobs, whatever you want to try out.
⑰ Controlled → You are under mind control and must do whatever your lover asks of you.
⑱ Hatesex → It's not just rough or aggressive, you absolutely cannot stand each other.
⑲ Extreme → Fisting, knifeplay, whatever you can think of so long as it tests the boundaries.
⑳ Fantasy → This is just a fantasy, a dream, and you know it, but what is your ideal fantasy and how willing is your partner?

Comments

[accept]

[ at that minsuk just laughs a little. bexan is highly opinionated and unabashedly verbal about it. he finds it sort of odd but also sort of really charming how he gets along with diesel and the reverse, given the wide gap in their ways of default communication. but that can be healthy. he's not sure if diesel brings out any quiet in bexan ever, but he thinks it's possible bexan draws out a fun or a capacity to be more laid back in diesel. perhaps. well, or maybe it's just that diesel and ein are poster children for words like Serious and Sobering offhand. anyone would think bexan (wild opinions or not) could be a welcome difference.

or not. who knows.

but he doesn't argue. bexan does have and hopefully will continue to have his opinions. if minsuk really wants him to shut up, silence is only a burger queen or other similarly endearing bribe away.

he's still smiling when diesel offers his contract and then he stares dumbly for a solid few seconds before replying. ]

Er....thanks? But that won't uh be...necessary. He's not worth it anyway.

[ he doesn't quite blanche but it's a near thing. the fact that diesel is dead serious about this isn't lost on him and he has this mild-weather realization he should probably be more unnerved but he just...isn't. some people would call that adaptable and open minded. some. whatever it is, it's taking a backseat to the matter at hand.

minsuk gives his egg a tap that's neither too hard nor too gentle against the edge of the bowl. he could do it against the counter Howl style but if it gets messy he'd rather clean it up off the counter than the floor. no fancy one-handedness either even though he can, he cracks it clean and then drops the shell into the sink to gather up later. he proceeds to do this twice more. one conceivably can make an omelette with one or two eggs but minsuk's gotten in the habit of moderately anteing up on the portions for bexan whose appetite is considerable.

sliding the bowl over so diesel can use it both for dropping the egg in and cracking it against, minsuk briefly scans his spices before procuring pepper and salt. basic to be sure, but they'll have the mushrooms and spinach in it. sometimes simple is best.

minsuk keeps watching before he realizes maybe that's rude even if he his just trying to help. he has this sense that diesel has certainly cracked more heads than eggs in his life and hopes that's not going to be the deciding factor in his technique tonight. ]

[vlk]

[ if asked, diesel would be the first to hotly contest the validity of some of bexan's opinions because he's clearly wrong a good majority of the time and doesn't have enough sense to realize otherwise. but underneath all of that bluster and silent judgment, he enjoys bexan's company. there's something about having another wolf around that just gets you, but more important, bexan's energy is infectious, and diesel is quiet by nurture, not nature. circumstances may have stamped out a lot of the joy in his life growing up, but all werewolves are perhaps puppies at heart, and it's easy to slowly but surely allow himself to be drawn into ridiculous conversations with bexan at the steering wheel. it's a dynamic that diesel is not used to, but he doesn't dislike.

though he still maintains that starbucks is the superior coffee chain, and bexan is nuts for picking cafe bene just because he's unnecessarily patriotic. he's a werewolf. what do werewolves need patriotism for.

similar, if asked, diesel would admit that he likes minsuk. he likes minsuk's gentle nature and the way he laughs. it's not a sound that diesel grew up listening to, and while he loves ein beyond what could possibly express in words, it's a sound that he often finds himself wistfully wondering if ein can express more often. there's no comparison between the two men, and diesel's loyalty means he'd never question it, but it also means that he's particular sensitive to the sound, his metaphorical ear cocked towards minsuk as he quietly laughs in a kitchen that's more or less molded to his way of life.

minsuk not taking on his offer is something that diesel simply shrugs at. ]

If your mind changes, you know where to find me.

[ he's being quite a good friend right now, or so diesel thinks.

in any case, he watches with rapt attention as minsuk cracks his egg. diesel's not a total fool, he can tell that eggs have fragile shells, and that minsuk didn't in fact crush the thing with the power meant for the fist of a hulk. so, gentle touch. got it. but minsuk's also not wrong in that diesel's default to cracking is either heads or bones, he's really not too picky. whatever appendage that happens to get in his way, anyway. and given the fact that he's literally never cracked an egg before, he can be forgiven for using just a little too much force than necessary.

maybe. maybe he can be forgive.

diesel's egg doesn't so much crack as it explodes. shells rain down like artillery into the egg bowl and onto the counter. egg drips from his hand. diesel's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline as he stares down at the abject mess he's created, and then, because he's diesel, the first thing he does is to lift his hand and sniff it. and then lick it.

ugh. ]

It cracked too easily. [ he complains as he looks imploringly at minsuk for a towel, or something, to help him out of his eggy mess. ] Eggshells are supposed to protect the chicken inside; how does it protect anything when it's so... brittle.

/adopts diesel AND ein who knows how

[accept]

[ in a way, minsuk expects some kind of something like this. the vehemence of the egg's untimely demise is, perhaps, a little more than he'd bargained for but diesel is literally licking his hand and oh my god that's not safe?! hello?! wolves. dogs. minsuk gapes briefly, eyes absolutely fishbowled, before shaking his head and going to grab a dish towel. he throws the tap on enough to dampen it before turning back to diesel. he's glad he tied his hair back. it could have been a lot messier; even so, it got a bit everywhere. minsuk raises the moistened dishtowel to wipe at diesel's cheek and his brow, not laughing but sort of...amused. ]

Usually there's an angry chicken sitting on the egg, which helps.

[ minsuk uses his other hand to carefully, gently keep diesel's stray hairs out of the way as he gets the egg splatter off of the rest of his face. ]

Sorry I could've been clearer in my directions. Wash your hands and we'll keep going.

[ this said, he peers briefly in a once-over at diesel's visage before nodding to himself and stepping back, then using the dishtowel to wipe down the counter. then, also, while diesel presumably washes his hands, he fishes out a loose leaf strainer that he uses to gather up the stray shells in the egg bowl. it's rather effective, a hack from when he couldn't afford to waste even one egg and nowadays it's both habit and mindfulness that somewhere out there there's someone else who'd bee furious with him for wasting anything he doesn't have to. because he can afford to now, even if he doesn't make as much as min yongjae, but he doesn't want to - in either respect.

he likes the life he has - bexan, his curious friendship with ein and diesel, impromptu cooking lessons, and the background of arguments about major coffee enterprises.

once diesel is done washing his hands, assuming he does, minsuk has finished hunting out the shell bits and tossing them. good as new. but he does grab another bowl this time, just in case. he also thinks maybe it will be less pressure on diesel. he's not sure how that works for him, if he gets self conscious when a mistake is made, or if it's water off a duck's er dog's back. but it doesn't hurt anyone to be mindful. he nudges it a bit across the counter so it's closer to him and plucks another egg out of the carton, offering it to him lightly. ]

Try again.

[ he could, he supposes, guide his actions by covering diesel's hand with his own and trying to control his force, but the idea is sort of laughable to minsuk. diesel doesn't lack control. he's just strong and hasn't done this before. he tips his head to one side, transparently considering this option but not sure if it's offensive to suggest. there's a difference between teaching and being babied through it, a thing minsuk might be a little hypersensitive to honestly.

for all that he's not part wolf or dog or anything, a fair number of minsuk's actions might come across reminiscent as such anyway. ]

this is a good plan

[vlk]

[ angry chicken... diesel seems to consider this for a moment. being part wolf in the wilderness of the czech republic meant that he's learned to hunt, and that they used to raise chickens as a means to be self sufficient. a small diesel learned his lesson regarding chickens when he'd wandered in to help collect eggs and was driven out in tears by a flurry of feathers and beaks. it had seemed so long ago, but the trauma feels almost as though it were yesterday. he observes the steady drip of egg yolk down his hand, and makes a face. ]

... it's true. You don't mess with chickens. [ he grunts, looking grim. angry chickens are truly a force of nature to contend with. he wouldn't want to relive that experience.

anyway, he obediently stills and allows minsuk to wipe his face off, having been otherwise unaware that he had egg yolk on his cheek. that explosion really did a number. there's a part of him that feels bad for having messed up minsuk's clean kitchen, and if his tail were out, it'd be a stiff, uncomfortable thing hanging behind him. he shakes his head to refute minsuk's apology, then follows the directive to wash his hands, turning on the faucet with his elbows and scrubbing them down to get rid of the yolk.

the strainer is an interesting tool. he's momentarily distracted watching minsuk fish the egg shells out of the eggs themselves, then dries his hands and accepts a new egg. his nemesis... no, he can do this. he'd been wrong in the amount of force he'd applied, but it's just an egg. diesel taps the egg gently against the side of the bowl. it doesn't crack. okay, a little more force. he taps it a few more times, and is rewarded with - well, it's not perfect egg-cracking form, but he's managed to create a large enough hole out from which the yolk and the whites can be poured out. he does that, fishing an extraneous eggshell out of the mix as he does so.

... he turns to minsuk, radiating interest. ]

One more?

/takes them on a vacation or something

[accept]

[ nodding, minsuk passes over another egg, two in hand with one finagled closer to the plank of his fingers that indicates what's obvious: one at a time. ]

Have you had an altercation with a chicken before, Diesel?

[ the way minsuk asks this has the casual warmth of his tone and curiosity of a friend who's the type of person to always want to know more about the people he chooses to surround himself with. it's no wonder he and yongjae were such a mess; more absurd really that they were on and off again so long with such vital differences in their value systems. on the other side of the coin, there's bexan, who by most objective standpoints would be considered clingy and overzealous and very very energetic. even in his sleep, minsuk swears his dreams must be quite lively. none of this is what he thought he wanted, but it's quite a thing to find he wants it just the same, expectations crushed under heel like autumn leaves and the wind that moves them away at last. it's your life. minsuk isn't sure bexan knows, really knows, how much those words mean to him. then again, being what he is, minsuk supposes he covets words a little too much perhaps. six of one, half dozen of the other.

diesel and ein don't, as far as he's been able to observe, use too many words of the kind others can perceive but they certainly have a language; and sometimes minsuk thinks of ein describing diesel disappearing every day and thinks: that's how you are too.

but it's not his place to say.

it can however be his place to share his home, to open his kitchen to impromptu cooking lessons that have no place on social media or a tv network, but are plenty fine for two such as themselves.

since minsuk's next step is to throw butter into the frying pan once it's heated and toss all the vegetables in to give them a quick fry, he does take the liberty of just doing this part himself, reaching for a small jar of soy sauce to guesstimate into it. butter and soy sauce cooks spinach, spring onions, and mushrooms down nicely and steeps the flavor in. explanation may not be necessary but in a learning process, minsuk knows he himself likes to have some idea of the reason for things, so he operates on that. ]

Um. You can just throw these into the eggs when they're cooking honestly, but if you sauté them first - even a little, they have more flavor. But for me I think it's that I feel more full, since I can taste every component.

[ it's quick work of course - not wanting the mushrooms to get rubbery and he turns off the heat quickly, moving the veggies around with the spatula in a way shows all the liquid has already cooked off, which is good since they don't want watery omelettes. then he slides the sautéed mix back onto the plate it came from, to be added to the eggs once they start those going. ]

good they need it lol

[vlk]

[ the meaning's loud and clear, and diesel's happy to obey. there's always been some kind of consternation regarding whether diesel is obedient by choice, or if it's simply his wolf blood speaking loud and clear. he's always operated better when there's a structure to follow. it's not as though he doesn't have a will of his own - he has plenty, though it's not until recently that he's had a chance to assert it in any meaningful way - but he falls back into old patterns easily and comfortably with people he trusts. minsuk is one of them. he holds out two eggs, and diesel takes one. his metaphorical tail wags, then wags faster when he looks to the bowl.

two eggs are cracked in succession. he gets a little better with the third one, managing to crack it in half and depositing the yolk without getting any shell splinters in untoward places. he can easily see himself replicating this in ein's kitchen. good. ]

It was an on-going war. [ he informs minsuk seriously, but the glimmer in his eyes suggest that he's joking. the full story comes out as he watches minsuk complete the next few steps, mentally taking note of the ingredients that he's using and the order that he's tossing things into the pan. ] I don't remember much from when I was young, but we had a chicken coop. Angry chickens zealously guarded their eggs. [ he hums. ] Think of it as a whole coop of angry Pablos.

[ because that's not nightmare inducing whatsoever. though diesel does respect pablo quite a bit, the small dog's fighting power is nothing to sneeze at, and there's genuine respect in the way that he interacts with the chihuahua.

the next part of the cooking lesson is what diesel had been looking forward to this entire time - putting the egg into the pan. he waits patiently for minsuk to put his vegetables first, then gets ready to help pour eggs into the pan itself. ]

This is how you make the eggs fluffy?

[ he has to know what the secret is. omelette superiority depends on it. ]

[accept]

[ the mental image of multiple angry pablos is, of course, just mildly horrifying. and, because they were talking of chickens, for whatever infernal reason, minsuk's imagination gives the whole coop of pablos wings as well. that's… A Lot. ]

That's actually scarier sounding than any angry chicken I've met. [exactly one and it was a renegade chicken off a truck that -

- you know what, never mind. it was very weird. ]

Pablo is something else.

[ understatement. but like with all his new acquaintances, minsuk can't help but be intrigued and curious. there is this whole world that was right under his nose this whole time that he never knew of and now that he knows it seems to be literally everywhere. he's not sure what to make of it, if anything, or if it's just again a matter of acceptance. ein once called him out on being one who only believes what he sees and that's not untrue. though his world view has shifted considerably with its recent reevaluations. he'll probably never See the breadth of the things ein and diesel are well versed in, but it only takes a vague sense of people to understand ein wasn't just talking about werewolves. the man worries minsuk, in a way, but also he's a grown adult and doesn't seem the type to be asked after.

diesel, on the other hand, minsuk sometimes has to stop himself from reaching out to pet him or the like, because it's his own human instinct that is perfectly permissible with bexan for various reasons but maybe not diesel. or maybe it's fine. the wolf is him as much as his human state; minsuk had said so himself hadn't he, and ein had looked so impossibly sad - like he was afraid to believe the things minsuk was saying even though ein had certainly already been living with this secret world a lot longer.

diesel asks him if this is the way to make eggs fluffy and ah there it is again, the knee-jerk response to reach out and pat him on the had, ruffle his hair. he doesn't.

instead, amused, minsuk shakes his head, reaching to grab the milk. ]

It can get fluffy without but this is more or less a guarantee. Just a little.

[ one dollop then two if milk can dollop, which maybe it can and that's just foregoing the spoon that would've held it. then minsuk whips the eggs with a fork simply because he does have one. cheek puffing out as he thinks for a second, minsuk stops just to grab pepper, of which he adds a pinch. salt isn't necessary, given the treatment the veggies got. then he mixes it a bit more, the frothiness of it rather obvious. then he plucks the fork out and clinks it against the bowl for stray drops before balancing it against the interior edge of diesel's bowl instead. likewise, he slides the milk over.]

There's another way but it's more involved and I'm kind of lazy.

[ he shrugs. ] But I can show you another time if you want. [ considering the egg explosion earlier, the separation of egg yolks and whites and the gentle folding in of the separate portions together again, is more involved than they need to get on cooking lesson 0.

once diesel has replicated the fluffing part, minsuk eyes the pan, deeming the residual butter to be enough along with the nonstick metal anyway, and pours his bowl in, adjusting the heat down just a tic. there's also rolled omelettes but that's even more finicky. maybe next-next time. that's all assuming ein and diesel like eggs as much as bexan though. perhaps better to go with burgers after all. ]

[vlk]

What angry chickens have you met? [ is diesel's obvious follow-up question, looking intrigued by the mental imagery of minsuk running away from devilish chickens. he could imagine it. he can't imagine minsuk having many opportunities to come across angry chickens, of course, but that has to be a story in and of itself. if he had his ears, one of them would be twitching in vague interest as he stares over minsuk's head, considering this tidbit.

in any case, this is a conversation, he thinks, that he wouldn't be having with ein. in truth, this is a conversation that diesel doesn't remember having with anyone. minsuk and bexan in general have been very weird in terms of life experiences and people that diesel count as a part of his life. ever since childhood, it's just been one annoying bullshit to deal with after another - being trafficked across europe, ending up either in danger of death or captivity, and then more or less being in captivity with some of the worst specimens of mankind that diesel will ever have the 'pleasure' of being acquainted with. most of them are still alive right now, actually, or presumably. yanek was an outlier, in that diesel watched him die. everyone else presumably still lives under the same sky diesel does, breathes the same air he does, and if he lets it get to him, he'd likely hate all humans without compunction.

except he never did, because he knows that despite being half wolf, he's also half human himself, and that he's always known that somewhere deep down the cruelty was the exception, not the rule. he's only finding proof of that belief now, with first ein, and then minsuk and bexan with that effervescence and warmth that he's content to exist alongside of. he'd never have imagined standing in someone's kitchen learning that the secret to fluffy eggs is milk, for example, but now that he's doing so, he enjoys it immensely. ]

If milk is the easiest way, I'll stick to that. [ he says, watching with unabashed curiosity as minsuk beats the eggs with the milk. two dollops of it. he'll remember that. he doesn't bother to ask why this is the case - it's the ends, not the means, that matter. he sniffs the milk on habit, then replicates minsuk's gestures.

milk, egg. easy enough. he's a little clumsy with the beating, but it's really just quick stirring. when minsuk eyes the pan, he does so too, even if he has no idea what exactly he's looking for. ]

I wonder how people would've found out that milk and eggs go well together. Who would even think to experiment like that? [ he eyes the pan. ] Should we pour it in now?

[accept]

Only one and it was my fault for getting too close to the coop. Watch first.

[ all this he says as he adjusts the heat just a bit, watching the egg and milk froth and bubble accordingly, and out of the corner of his eye, he watches is impromptu student.

it doesn't take knowing ein's whole story or diesel's whole story or the story where their stories overlap, to understand he's dealing with a whole other ilk of experience. all it takes, really, is listening, watching, and a bit of understanding for the way the air around those two shifts like gravity sometimes. likewise, it doesn't take asking to be observant, to gather obvious conclusions from diesel asking to learn to cook, to catch the sometimes bemused look on his face - and though harder to spot sometimes, ein's - and draw from that as well. it's an impossible enough situation to find another werewolf in the city much less a fully in-the-know person they come attached with, and minsuk guesses that would be enough reason to continue getting in each other's orbit.

but he also just likes diesel, just likes ein. for all that minsuk has his own brand of congeniality, he's a long-time appreciator of the contrasting quiet the other two carry. he also likes - even if he complains about it also - when bexan and diesel feud over stupid things, when they have fun over also stupid things, is fond of the more animal like way they occupy each other's space. it has the same effect on minsuk as when he sees a puppy pile, and he's patently weak to puppy piles.

once he's got his own eggs started to the point of adding half the vegetables, he uses the spatula to edge under it enough to bring it halfwise, then glances over at diesel, mouth quirked up at the corner. ]

And as for milk and eggs, well, cooking is largely trial and error, so I imagine that's how - maybe they were trying to make them go a little further. Of course I don't know for sure.

[ as minsuk talks, thinking he'll want to do some unnecessary investigation of the origin of this combination later, he slides the omelette onto a plate before setting the pan back on the stove. then he nods at diesel, ]

Go ahead. Just pour it all in. Then wait til it gets how mine was -- the edges will look a little drier and the surface will have small bubbles. [ almost he mentions it's the same for pancakes weirdly, but then he decides better not to cause confusion. ] Then you can add your vegetables, close it up, and that's that.

[ to say it out loud, it sounds like a lot. minsuk feels sort of sheepish. he's never taught anyone to cook, the type to just do it for them.

based on the quiet, bexan is still napping. his phone hasn't gone off either, and ein usually texts to let them know he's circling back. while diesel's eggs cook, minsuk grabs another plate and sets it near to him, clearing away some now unneeded bowls and tools to set them in the sink. ]

[vlk]

[ that's a fair response. anyone who walked too close to a coop of angry chickens, diesel thought, probably deserved what was coming to him. at the directive, he snaps to attention, watching carefully as minsuk pours the mixture into the pan. the sides immediately begin to crisp up, and diesel wrinkles his nose as the scent of eggs cooking begin to permeate the kitchen. he's always liked that scent. well, cooking in general begets interesting scents, but eggs in particular are boring to smell until they're crisped around the edges. it doesn't seem to matter what kind of egg. perhaps this had been a very good first recipe to learn.

he listens attentively as minsuk runs through his theories on why milk and eggs are used in this fashion. he's unconvinced, of course, but he also is aware that human history is a weird thing and things just tend to happen sometime, without rhyme or reason. maybe a google search will provide guidance, or maybe bexan would have a horribly hare-brained idea that the can go down a rabbit hole for. as much as diesel complains about bexan being a 100% furball with fluff between his ears, he brings ideas to him anyway sometimes for the sole sake of arguing about them. it's better than being in an echo chamber, and it diffuses the silence that has defined most of diesel's life, the silence that prevented him from arguing back and acting on his own opinions.

minsuk's instructions are careful and easy to understand. pour it all in, make it about the same, add vegetables. it's an order which diesel can follow without too much trouble, taking care to prevent egg and milk from spilling as he does so. soon enough, a second omelette begins forming in the pan. he waits for minsuk's instruction on when to add in the vegetables, does so, then spends a few impatient moments watching it cook. if he had a tail right now, it'd be wagging stiffly. ]

I know it will cook. [ he grumbles. ] But waiting for it to cook is still... difficult. Really annoying.

[ whereas burger queen just gives you the food pre-cooked... burger queen is the best, honestly. ]

Do you know how to make sushi?

[accept]

[ regarding burger queen, minsuk cannot read minds but if he could, he'd possibly reach out and bop diesel on the head lightly as if to say: silly. 'fast food' comes at a price he supposes werewolf digestive powers aren't so easily at war with. or maybe minsuk is just a little less iron girded in that regard. well. and minsuk likes cooking even if it's not something he'd go into work for. when a person isn't making headway in the thing he thought he wanted to do for so long, being useful in other proven capacities is priceless. this is something he learned during the on and off years being with and without yongjae.

for some reason, he thinks cooking is something diesel might appreciate in a similar way: the function of it but also the more symbolic use. food isn't optional. humans need it. werewolves need it. and sharing food in and of itself is both a form of trust and being together. even largely working from home with the meeting here and there, minsuk looks forward to his meals with bexan - and with ein and diesel should they be over, any variation. ]

That should be good.

[ he reaches to turn the stove off, knowing the remaining heat is more than enough even if diesel wants to give it another few seconds (he can tell he doesn't though). ]

And yeah, I do. Maybe that should be our next lesson?

[ the tone is a casual open invitation, assuming diesel isn't disappointed with the results of today's of course. he smiles at him, leaning slightly back against the counter again. he wonders if his mind exaggerates it a little - how he sees diesel and bexan sometimes, perceives their wolf traits in their human forms. probably not, is his conclusion as with one thoughtful look at diesel, he moves back towards the sink to start washing things, saying, ]

Anyway, go ahead and try yours. See what you think.

[vlk]

[ look, if everything is a trade-off, then clearly burger queen wins that trade off. not that the franchise sits at the pinnacle of food glory, but when it comes to speed, affordability and general trashiness, he has to admit that burger queen can't be beat. again, he suspects that bexan's excitement over the franchise has simply spilled over to diesel, but as far as stanning food places go this one isn't bad. not that that says anything about minsuk's cooking, of course. homecooking as different connotations. safety, for one, familiarity, for another. diesel, who's been on the run for the majority of his life and who has so very rarely had both safety and consistency under one roof, naturally seeks it out and relies wordlessly on it.

something as simple as the scent of eggs being cooked, a consistent, familiar smell from the many times minsuk's cooked while diesel's been under his roof, is enough to rely on. while diesel would be the first to say that humans are unlikely to fully understand werewolves given just how different their biologies can be, in that, diesel thinks that they're quite simple. bexan's probably the same way. it's why he always likes his eggs sunny-side up with a runny yolk.

speaking of bexan- ]

He's going to complain if I eat without him. [ diesel reminds minsuk, as if he needs a reminder, or as if this actually will stop diesel from eating without bexan. which is a no. there's warm food in front of him and it's a waste to let it cool, not to mention how hard diesel clearly worked on it. he gets his omelette onto a plate, and fishes out a fork from within minsuk's many drawers.

it tastes good. diesel's brows furrow a little as he snacks on a small piece of the omelette. he never thought he'd learn how to cook, nor that it would come out reasonably tasty. he doesn't know how to voice this. so what he says instead, is this: ]

It's fine; I'll make Ein teach me. He used to be a sushi chef. [ as a part of his cover, though not even diesel entirely knows what he did prior to infiltrating yanek's family. he parcels off another portion of omelette and chews on it thoughtfully. ] He sucks at making anything else. I'll make him this omelette and force him to admit that he's lousy at making eggs.

[ if he had his wolf ears, they'd twitch in minsuk's direction. diesel looks up, observing minsuk for a moment as he cleans up after them. ]

Thank you. For taking the time to teach me.