xploud | Labyrinthum Inbox

[Weirdly enough, even "Dunce Face" is a term of endearment for a friend. Katsuki's nicknames are...colorful, to say the least, but most of the time they're meant in a friendly sort of way. Most of the time. He still has to come up with a good one for her, too, but it's harder since he doesn't know her well enough to pick, and something like "Flowers" seems too boring. He puts thought into it, okay?

There's a scoff on the other end of the phone. Yeah, yeah, he knows... Not his first rodeo in a hospital, or being bandaged up and all that. Comes with the territory, but these wounds are some of the worst he's gotten. Plus, with no Recovery Girl to speed up the process of healing...it's going to take longer. So yeah, Katsuki is staying put and not risking his body any more than he can get away with. Though there's a long stint of quiet on his line as he's left pulling back his phone and staring down at it for a minute or two.

That's...awfully nice to do for someone you've barely met. But he can't argue having a few books to read would make time go a lot faster. He's been bored out of his fucking mind.]

If it doesn't kill you. [Then sure. He'll text her his, addr--uh...directions to his cottage.] Fiction, horror, mystery...and if you find anything with a history on this place, or a map, bring it over.

[ Oh, interesting. His cottage is not all too far from the one she shares with Aurora and Jasmine! That makes the errand all the more convenient, although she would still have done it were it more out of her way. ]

I will see what I can find. I will stop by in a few hours.

[ True to her word, later that afternoon, there is a knock on the door of Bakugou's cottage. Poppy is there, basket in hand laden with books and also some fruit she picked up from the village. Most of it she plans on bringing back home with her, but she thought she could at least leave Bakugou with something to eat. ]

[That's...actually fucking awesome? Considering those three are the precious few that Katsuki actually enjoys the company of, and tolerates considerably more than most others he's met here. Them all being together, and close by, is extremely convenient. With a grunt of acknowledgment, Katsuki hangs up and goes to prep for her arrival. The place isn't dirty, he cleaned as much as he could when he got it, but still. He has something to do.

When Poppy arrives, the cottage door is actually unlocked if she tests it, though there is a muffled shout from the other side of--]

It's open! [And then immediately, when the door is opened and she peeks inside--] Shoes off. Or you wait outside.

[Listen, he's Asian, what did you expect? Regardless, there is an absolutely heavenly aroma warming the quaint little cottage, and it's plain to see why. The oven is on, and Katsuki has been working at it. He jerks his head toward the eating area, where a wooden table is, and a basket containing a small but delectable looking honey almond cake that he made maybe twenty minutes ago. It's still warm, too.]

[ Once beckoned inside, Poppy opens the door, but she freezes in an instant as another command is barked at her to remove her shoes. ]

Shoes off? [ Such a custom is foreign to her, but... It is his home, it would only be rude not to obey. Even if the shoes she's wearing are ankle high boots that are tightly laced, which will be a pain to take off and then put on again when she leaves.

She sets her basket down, and sits on the threshold to set about taking her shoes off. As she does, her nose catches the scent of something sweet. She looks up, noticing that the oven is on. ]

...You bake?

[ He keeps surprising her. This is not something she would have expected out of a gruff boy like him. ]

[WHY, EVERY FUCKING TIME--]

[He growls taking a deep breath and holding it to not start hissing and spitting like a cat, but there's definitely a bristle to his posture that indicates Katsuki is agitated. He clenches his jaw, grinding his teeth together, and lets that held breath go in a soft hiss. She's taking her shoes off, thank fucking god, because that's one less thing to get mad about. Katsuki's not going to mop the damn floors of melted snow, sand, and mud just to host one person for a few minutes. And yes, custom. Katsuki's a stickler for the rules, after all.

He huffs loudly, washing his hands with that same aggression and toweling them off on a hand towel he tosses aside. It is really so surprising he can cook? Bake?? It's practical. Katsuki feels a pang in his chest, remembering how Uraraka was so shocked he could fucking...chop vegetables with the precision, accuracy, and speed of a top-class chef. He may have blown up a wood stove, but he got...over-excited. Sue him. Fuck you.]

If I don't want to fucking starve, I need to cook, right? [Because what money does he have to buy anything? He came with nothing, he can't really work because of his injuries. He was given a grace by the healers tending him of enough food and drink to get by until he can work properly to fill his pantry.] If you don't want it, don't take it. But you're missing out...

Goes great with berry preserves or soft cheese. Tea, too. [Katsuki, you food snob.]

[ Finally, her boots have been unlaced and removed, and tucked to the side of the entry way. She steps into the cottage properly, clad only in her stocking feet. She follows the scent of sweet, warm baked goods to get a better look at the cake on the table. ]

No, I— I meant no offense! It is an honorable talent, to be able to cook. [ She's a little embarrassed now, that she's been relying on Aurora to do most of the cooking in their home.

Wanting desperately to change the subject, she pulls out the books she'd collected for him at the library— a compilation of mystery fiction from her own world, a horror anthology, and a collection of maps of the area around Somnius— with many of the pages either torn out or redacted. ]

Here... I gathered what I was able. Hopefully this will suit your needs.

[Katsuki looks over his shoulder and raises a brow. He never thought it to be a talent, really...just a necessity. Yes, he probably doesn't have to add all the spices he does, regulate the temperature as he does, and time and plan everything out perfectly, but...well. Katsuki never does anything in halves. He's always just thought "if you want to eat, you have to cook" and that was that, but he's slowly begun to realize that not everyone shares the same mentality as he does on a lot of things. Been hard to accept, but he's...getting better. Slowly.]

It's not difficult. Not really. Just takes practice. [He shrugs a bit (with a slight wince as he pinches his injured shoulder a little), because it's the truth and he means nothing by it. Anyone can do it - it's just a matter of trial and error and a lot of repetition.] Baking's way easier for beginners, so long as you got a recipe to follow.

[He dusts him off, making sure he's not covered in flour or crumbs, then meander over, leaning toward the books to inspect each of them. Eventually, Katsuki picks up the horror anthology and pops open the cover to take a look at the content table, nodding slowly in approval. The next is the maps, which he sets aside and makes a mental note to copy over later, and the last one, which gets another raised brow and dry chuckle as he looks it over. This will probably be interesting...]

Aa, it'll do. I'll take them back when I've finished them, so don't worry about that.

Labyrinthum Inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject