<Nocturnal Harmonia>

[Apollymi]

The oddity of food was indeed something shared across multiple kinds of people. Donnie soon spoke on a desire for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Melty looked up with bright eyes, 'I haven't had one of those in years…" she said. She wondered why comfort foods were taken off menus, she would have enjoyed one even as a teenager, especially during late night gaming sessions. "So they do let them eat some normal food… honey kinda crazy, but I feel ya', got back from down south and all I wanted was a cheesesteak for days," Kim commiserated. "I'm in on the weird food cravings… I've had a taste for guac since… well my birthday really," Nikki commented almost absently. All the while, Leon dug himself a grave… using words that he thought would get him out of self-reporting, there was simply nothing to be done by the time, Crow opened up his mouth to finally speak. Hop fell out, dying of laughter, Ronnie's face broke out into a grin… Iris shook her head, but continued typing doing… whatever it was she was currently doing. All the while, Melty was holding her hands over her face and tee-heeing into them. "Bruv, sometimes you gotta stop. And Crow, you're a menace, mate~" Nikki uttered while shaking her head. Even Riley and Kim were only just managing to not make eye contact, but had grins on their faces.

At the same time, Donnie was checking bread and having not burned it, beginning to move them all off the heat. The foils set up off to the side were lined up in such a way that each sandwich could sit in half a sheet and not impede the next one while being assembled in a line type of order. All the while, Riley was now on the hot seat, "Damn Dak, one time, I buy a different kinda cheese, and now I'm getting the fifth degree?" Riley managed, "I got the American, and a few others, but those were mostly because I didn't know if you were coming home, I was gonna… make a bunch of grilled cheese while partaking of the party favors~" Riley claimed. Of course, she held up her hands in mock surrender more than willing to accept an actual meal rather than simple cheese sandwiches. Regardless W-sauce was explained and Nikki nodded, "Ah, gotcha. I get it though some words look really strange outside of where they are from," Nikki was willing to break even on it as a girl from a place where names like that were common. "Still, with how it smells in here, a stint on MasterChef… is definitely something I'd watch," Nikki confirmed. At the very least things were still moving around the kitchen, and everything could come together eventually.

[Bloodedge]

Kim had some nerve to mention her cheesesteak craving while standing in Harlem having a chopped cheese prepared. "This close to set trippin'. I'm 'bout to start flingin' spatulas," Donnie said in a most casual fashion. The cheese he'd spread out was still melting and in need of a few seconds, so Donnie put his spatulas to the one lump of beef that had neither cheese nor veg, but had been seasoned just as heavily as everything else. That seasoned meat, by itself, was scooped between two spatulas and carried toward Mithos's bowl. He chose to do that while everyone was laughing at Leon's expense.

Apparently, Riley didn't appreciate the roasting over getting the wrong cheese once before. It was completely her fault for expecting a chopped cheese while not knowing the ingredients, Donnie thought. She mentioned having other cheeses, but mostly for the purpose of making grilled cheeses in his absence. Donnie couldn't hate that idea at all. "Ay, that's the move right there! Might get a grilled cheese later. Some breakfast shit before the show," he mused absently. At the same time, Donnie was flipping meat over and between cheese, performing that chopping motion again until the cheese became glue for everything. Everything was just about done... so Donnie began separating portions with one spatula, stopping only when there were as many sections as rolls. The last simmer would take place after he set the rolls right atop their filling, all to let the bread begin soaking a bit. Meanwhile, the topic of Donnie appearing on MasterChef was addressed by Nikki. "Ain't no way I'd make it anywhere on that show. Now, if they do a celebrity edition of it? Oh I want all the smoke! At least most of the smoke!"

[Apollymi]

"Bruh, you gone have to chill on Philly," Kim said playfully. She definitely wasn't set tripping, she simply wanted a taste of home after being out of town. Well it seemed like she wasn't the only one who felt that way either. And soon after there was a group laughing at Leon and Donnie feeding his dog. Mithos was for his part in this day, a very good boy, checking on people and then waiting for his food. Moreover Riley's plans for food if Donnie hadn't returned home today were much easier to understand for Donnie. "Yep, you should… doing a show tomorrow? Which one? I might try and catch it before bed," Riley asked so casually. At the same time, Nikki was developing a question of a different order, "What is a grilled cheese?" she wondered, food being one of the weirdest cultural shifts she encountered on a normal basis.

"I got it, it's like a toastie. Somehow way better though," Ronnie managed as the older sister. "Ah, that's right, innit?" Nikki said thinking about it a bit more. Toasted cheese and bread was a sensible breakfast combination, she was more than willing to go along with. Meanwhile, the idea of a celebrity edition of MasterChef was rather interesting, "It'd make it interesting, finding out what other celebrities could cook. I'd watch the whole thing~" Nikki concluded. She figured most would run into issues when some ingredient they didn't have experience with. That part was always interesting, like the random vegan getting meat, or the random soy based product an american had never seen before. There was at least a decent chance of victory in Donnie's favor. All the while Kim moved towards the foil, ready to wrap sandwiches with all the precision years of blunt rolling gave her.

[Bloodedge]

"Philly gon' have to see me," was Donnie's simple reply to Kim. He didn't have much left to do with the chopped cheeses after putting the rolls in place. As such, Donnie let them settle for a minute, picking up that bottle of sauce to toss about between both hands while Riley questioned his next day's activities. "Yeah, Tima called me for the morning show tomorrow. Somebody else out here tryna act up, so they want me to talk," he explained simply. There weren't many reasons he'd get an impromptu call from Fatima, and this wasn't one he'd skip.

Nikki didn't know what a grilled cheese was. Luckily, Ronnie was worldly enough to draw a direct comparison. Leon, apparently a bit high upon hearing about toasties, began rubbing his stomach. "Ugh, a ham and cheese toastie would be brilliant right now. That cheese smell's gettin' me," he said. By then, Donnie was sliding that sauce bottle Kim's way, then sliding his spatula under the first sandwich ─ which he'd quickly flip upright and place on a sheet of foil. That process would continue a dozen times over until there were no more rolls to flip. "Man, fuck a toastie and a grilled cheese! You gon' get this in your face. Pause. Just let them rest for a quick minute. Riles, where the chips at?" With that question hanging in the air, Donnie poured himself a container of water, which he'd bring back to pour over the grill. Massive plumes of steam floated up into the grill hood as he picked up a scraper to clean the grill itself.

[Apollymi]

A casual back and forth between Donnie and Kim ended with the young woman scoffing. She wasn’t upset, though—she simply noted the look on Riley’s face when the topic of Donnie’s schedule for the next day came up. The show he was signed up for was the Usual Suspects morning show. “Tima did? That’s what’s up. I guess I’ll be tuning in before bed~” Riley said, genuinely interested in the coming show for various reasons. “What? Dak on the attack is my favorite thing to watch~” she added, which made Kim shake her head even as she found herself in technical agreement. She also enjoyed watching Donnie act up in response to others acting up.

Kim soon moved on to wrapping the sandwiches, saucing them and rolling each one snugly into foil for resting time, one after another. All the while, Leon and the other older British women were discussing toasties and chattering. “Right? I didn’t even know I was hungry until now!~” Nikki commented, still aptly waiting for food. A sauce bottle slid Kim’s way and was used repeatedly throughout the process. Meanwhile, Donnie was harassing Riley about chips to go with the sandwiches. “I did get the chips this time. Wasn’t sure what kind, bought a bunch~” Riley stated as she went over to the pantry and pulled out several different varieties of chips. “Crisps…” Ronnie said aloud for no one in particular, much like Iris—she didn’t want to throw anyone under the bus who wasn’t brave enough to just ask the question. “British people got some of the best accents…” Riley decided. All the while Kim was grabbing up napkins and plates for the sharing of the large meal. No point in not using all the space. At the same time Iris tapped in a couple of other things on her screen before closing her laptop for now and slipping it into the bag she dragged around with her everywhere in preparation for the meal.

[Bloodedge]

It was no surprise that Kim intended to catch the Usual Suspects show featuring Donnie. He expected as much, especially under the circumstance of an altercation. All things considered, he imagined it would be a decent show. The hosts were always good to Donnie. That aside, he needed only a few broad swipes of that grill scraper to clear the water and food residue. Once everything looked decent, he shut off both grills and dropped all tools in the dishwasher. Kim had already completed the job of saucing and wrapping sandwiches, so it seemed all was well.

Ah, but one couldn't have a chopped cheese without a side of chips; any bodega with a good reputation knew that. Riley had acquired a host of different chips, and went about pulling them out by the bag. He figured everyone could take whatever they wanted for a plate. "Chingón," he muttered. With that, Donnie grabbed a plate for himself, opened a bag of barbeque chips to pour some onto his plate, and hovered around the dining table. While Donnie was grabbing the television remote, Leon remained silent in the wake of Ronnie's explanation of 'chips' in America. He actually knew that one, but his singular brain cell was working well enough to silence any response. "Anybody tryna watch somethin' specific? I don't be eatin' without TV."

[Apollymi]

The random interest in Donnie’s day-to-day life was something that most of the women connected to him shared. Even though they weren’t keeping track of his movements specifically, all of them could say they were happy to hear he was doing well and having a good time. Speaking of having a good time, Riley had gotten multiple bags of chips and heard one of those words of general approval from Donnie. Soon after, everyone began getting their meals together. Sandwiches were passed out, with two remaining on the countertop for Donnie’s parents, and bags of chips were opened. Donnie took barbecue. Nikki and Ronnie took salt and vinegar, Riley wanted sour cream and onion, while Kim went for cheddar ruffles. Melty, after observing how everyone else treated their plates, took a small sample from multiple bags so she could decide which she liked better.

Eventually they were settling in and Donnie asked about TV. “Only thing I watch on TV is Doctor Who, True Crime stuff, and Anime… if I’m not watching whatever you do…” Nikki claimed almost casually. “Pretty much everyone would agree on the anime I think…” Kim offered, as Aeons’ works were simply always worth watching. Even Ronnie settled quietly into a comfortable position and waited for the show to be decided before digging in. And it would remain that way by the girls’ logic until the show was decided upon. After making sure everyone had napkins, Riley came back from the fridge with several different bottles of drinks—sodas, juices, waters—all to be individually chosen by whoever wanted one. All the while she grabbed a water for herself, as she generally didn’t enjoy sweets with her dinner.

[Bloodedge]

Nikki was the first to speak after Donnie asked about show preferences. Her list wasn't very far from his own. "Like Law and Order and shit? I never got into one of those, but Ma be checkin' 'em out. I did peep that Broadchurch though," he said. It sounded like everyone could agree anime was the way to go. Riley wasn't the only one who thought as much. "Hell yeah! Throw on some Bleach; I wanna see my man Kenpachi!" Leon announced. Hop could only grunt after hearing that.

Meanwhile, Auric was mimicking his sister's choice ─ grabbing a sample of every open chip bag. He also thought to comment on the media of choice. "I've not seen much anime of yet. It makes no difference to me what's on," he said nonchalantly. "How about Magi?" Hop wondered as he claimed a juice from the set Riley provided. Donnie's brow rose then. "Yooo, I haven't heard somebody talk about Magi in hellas! That's goin' on!" Donnie agreed emphatically. He'd be putting on the very first episode to avoid any spoilers for anyone present, all while taking a seat and... looking skeptically at the drink selection. "You ain't make any kool-aid, did you?"

[Apollymi]

Nikki pointed out how simple her choices in TV shows were, and got in return a question that seemed to be of interest rather than judgment. “Yeah, mate… love a good crime show. You caught Broadchurch? Wasn’t it brilliant!~ Best long story series I’ve seen in ages!~” Nikki said happily. That story was full of mystery and had a depth of storytelling that was rarely seen in modern times outside of Aeons’ works. Leon’s demand for Bleach so he could see Kenpachi was… about what anyone who knew what Bleach was would expect. “Bruv, you know we can’t all just watch Bleach together… it’ll turn into a brawl,” Nikki said, knowing that tensions ran high in the family when Bleach was the topic of conversation.

Auric, for one who’d not partaken of the anime, seemed to be fine with anything, but as Iris was willing to think about it, he seemed content with any experience in general. Strangely, it would be Hop who came up with a show that wouldn’t be a complete negative to anyone else who’d heard of it. “Magi? That’s actually a good choice,” Ronnie said, having watched that one herself. “Hm, I think that one is in a list that Iris gave me. I also think that’s one with a face-claim of mine,” Melty mentioned. Iris looked up from her now put-together plate. “Of course it is… Magi is Aeons for beginners. And it definitely includes a face-claim of you,” Iris pointed out. It was a good choice—nothing too extreme, not so much sex positioning, and it definitely had a bit of action, adventure, and underlying story for everyone present. As Donnie looked for the show and started back at the beginning for everyone present, he questioned Riley about ‘kool-aid’. She looked aghast and shook her head. “Hell naw, I didn’t. Every time I make kool-aid, ya’ll niggas complain. So, I ain’t make it… it’s in there though…” she said, hands up in the air like she had absolutely no intention of doing so. So smoothly did the words leave her mouth that for many it wouldn’t even register what she said. “Bitch, that’s ‘cause you don’t know how to make kool-aid. I got it,” Kim said, snappin’ back still light as she headed for the necessary items. She wasn’t about to go without kool-aid, either.

[Bloodedge]

"Yeah, Broadchurch was hard! Random shows like that don't usually make me pull all-nighters, but that one did it. I missed a whole collab tryna catch-up on it," he said to praise that particular mystery show. As for Leon's suggestion that they watch Bleach, Nikki insisted that it was unreasonable, and would result in a brawl. "Oy, no way! Everybody likes Kenpachi, right?" Leon asked as if genuinely curious. True enough, even Hop liked Kenpachi. But... "Better than some characters," the younger Postwick male said. Donnie had no idea what character Hop was downplaying. "My man Kenny is goated, no doubt. When they get into the crazy shit, he gon' have some of the best fight scenes. Who you got him above though?" he asked... but no answer came from Hop immediately. "Pretty big landmine there, innit?"

Regardless, the series Magi was suggested instead. While Donnie was starting the first episode, Melty mentioned a face-claim of hers. He thought back to what he'd seen, looked to the princess, aged her down mentally. "Oh yeah, that is you. What, about three, four years back? Damn," Donnie said, impressed by the princess's growth... and once again wondering what was in the water. What of Riley and the kool-aid Donnie asked about, though? She had no problems admitting that she stayed far away from the stuff after receiving complaints. The way she spoke wasn't strange at all to Donnie, so he was right there alongside Kim to respond. "Niggas complain 'cause your white ass don't know how to make no damn kool-aid! Wit'cho ol' cup of sugar ass. Y'all wanna put sweet ass raisins in the mac and cheese, but can't put sugar in the damn kool-aid. S'wrong wit'chall?!"

[Apollymi]

Broadchurch apparently had Donnie in a chokehold during the time he watched it. The lad praised it, even claiming that he’d missed a collab trying to catch up on the series. “You got no idea, mate. I skipped a whole day’s lessons on that one. Bloody movie-length episodes and all… and the mystery kept me going, took me ages to work it out…” Nikki claimed, as not many crime shows didn’t make sense by the end of the second episode. “Post the line-up Kenny can hang, I guess~” Kim said, having some pretty firm opinions about Bleach herself. “Girl please, we all know… that the only man worth anything in that show is Raizen and it’s not even close,” Riley mentioned. Soon after Hop’s comment, “See, she gets it!” Nikki said. “Hop out here always living in treason… illogical Raizen hate will not be tolerated,” Iris said calmly, knowing exactly the character Hop spoke against. “I thought the point was to avoid the brawl. Much like your big bruv, you coulda just said nothing~” Ronnie pointed out, knowing full well where Hop was coming from. “Go ahead, Hop. Stand on it~ Nikki said, seemingly pleased by the answer.

Beyond the talk of Bleach, which was apparently something quite hostile between the Corbyn/Postwick family, there was the issue of Magi and Melty’s place as a face-claim within the series. Donnie was spot on, seeming to easily place her age. “Right, that seems about right. I was quite surprised mother agreed to it,” Melty said, but she was pleased to be a face in multiple Aeons’ works, even if she’d not read many of them yet herself. Soon after there was something of a friendly spat happening between Riley, Kim, and Donnie. An inability to make ‘kool-aid’ was attributed to whiteness. All while Kim moved around and grabbed multiple packs of kool-aid, opened them, and poured them into the bottom of a pitcher. A five-pound bag of sugar was open and she began pouring from it without hesitation. “See, this my problem with ya’ll. I followed the instructions, and you acting like I shot a nigga or something,” Riley said. “And look, she’s just pouring the shits, multiple kool-aid packs, not a measuring cup in sight but somehow I’m the issue!” the pink-haired girl defended herself. “Measuring cups? See that’s that 8 and 1/2 by 11 behavior right there! It’s ’cause your ancestors ain’t trustworthy. Can’t pass down shit when you never had to do it for yourself… now look at you, measuring seasonings…” Kim said with a casual eye roll. She went over to the sink, ran the hot tap until it was fire… and then put just enough in the bottom to get the sugar to melt. Fragrant black cherry with a hint of lemon, would follow back to the fridge for freezing water to dilute. “Damn, not my ancestors. Also I’m not a raisins kinda girl. Worst thing I ever put in a mac and cheese is broccoli and bacon bits… but that’s just to make the meal balanced,” Riley asserted. All the while, Iris was barely able to stifle a laugh, as she realized that Riley had been called a sheet of copy paper.

[Bloodedge]

"I don't think I cracked that one until... until they said who did the shit," Donnie admitted lastly about the live-action show they were discussing. Moving on from that, a chat about Bleach was all but inevitable once a few words were shared. Kim and Riley even had an exchange ending in the latter claiming Raizen was the only worthwhile male in the series. "That's foul. You doin' a lot of niggas dirty wit' that one," Donnie chimed in. Based on Iris's interjection, however... Hop was the one disrespecting a character who had an entire cult following in reality. Nikki urged the lad to stand behind his beliefs, which Hop fully intended to do anyway. "I'm not backin' down on it! He's overrated!" Hop insisted. To that, while Donnie was already in disbelief, Leon added: "Hop likes Captain Racism."

That was all quite the revelation. Donnie, the wordsmith praised by many as the greatest to ever assemble sentences, could only shake his own low-hanging head. "Damn," was the only utterance he could manage. Ah, but he had words for someone. He had words for Riley, who broke the golden rule by talking about... following instructions. "Bitch I was a grown ass man before I even knew kool-aid had instructions! And you shootin' a nigga right now! Yourself! Right in the foot 'cause your white chocolate ass out here showin' too much white and not enough chocolate! Damn! I'ma give you the bacon and broccoli, but you still better not bring that shit to a cookout! I swear to God you gon' get worked!"