TRP: Az, Goro, Hansel, and Raef (Fried Apples)

**Mink**

 [Day: 269.  Setting: Beach]

Sunlight glinted off of Az's
horns.  With every turn or gesture of his head the reds and purples
swirled and danced.  Az was doing something, picking up seashells or some
shit - said something about making a necklace, and Raef watched him as he
walked over the sand.

It had been two days and he still
couldn't believe his eyes.  He rested an elbow on a knee and his chin on
his hand, a smile playing over his lips. He thought about helping - he was also
supposed to be fishing or some shit -, but instead he was staring.  He
kept staring. Az kept him telling him to stop and he didn't listen.

**Lina**

 Goro thought Hansel would jump at
the chance to go meet Az. Instead, he sensed a little reluctance in him. Goro
had no idea what that might be about, and he didn't wanna ask, in case it made
Hansel even more uncomfortable than he already was.

They walked alongside each other to
the beach, Goro hugging Hansel's arm and leaning his head on Hansel's shoulder
occasionally. When they came around an outcropping of rocks, they saw Raef and
Az up ahead. "Morning," Goro called.

**Izzy**

 Ah. They were kinda split up. That
made Hansel feel a bit less fuckin' weird and awkward. He raised a hand at
Raef, and tried to be subtle about angling towards him instead of Az.

Az was probably just gonna fuckin'
join them, because that made sense, and it was what Hansel would do if people
came over and talked to his husband, but still.

**Mink**

 Raef snapped his head around when
he heard Goro.  Fuck...maybe it was good because now Az wasn't gonna tell
him to stop 'fuckin' watchin'.

"Mornin'," he said with a
smile and he raised a hand back to Hansel.  He glanced back towards Az,
who had bent over to fish something out of the water, but he was listening.

He made himself look away - he
couldn't keep staring. "How's it goin'?"

**Lina**

 "Uh," was Goro's best
answer. Not really the point of why they were here, and he didn't want to drag
down Raef's mood. "Just wanted to... say hello." He nodded toward Az,
who didn't appear to be looking their way.

**Izzy**

 "Yeah, y'know. Fuckin',
uh." He shrugged. "Check in." Honestly seemed like Raef was
doing the best out of all of'em, just now. Had to be some goddamn whiplash,
though. He glanced Az's way, and shuffled to drop his arm around Goro's
shoulders now that he wasn't being dragged along.

**Mink**

 Raef grimaced and looked
away.  "Things're fine." As fine as they could be.  When he
thought about it, about the last few days, he felt rooted in place, stuck and
lost.  His world had been gone, vanishing in a flash of lightning, then he
had a small piece back - a piece would burn the world for - and now he had
Tikva.  Gavi gave him that, gave him a little more to unwind the knot in
his chest.

But the knot was still there, the
string ready to snap.

So he didn't think about it.

"He's fine." That was
something, at least. Raef dropped his hand and sat up. "Bitchy as
ever."

Az flipped him off without looking
up.

**Lina**

 "Hi," Goro called.
Stopping just shy of using Az's name. He hoped it'd be obvious who he was
talking to.

**Mink**

 Az finished digging something out
of the sand before he passed over to the group, a smirk on his face.
"Hi," he answered with a chuckle. "Must be Goro." The
little cleric that had called to him; he'd know that voice anywhere.

**Izzy**

 Hansel frowned a bit at Raef's
answer, the way he looked away a second. He wanted to fuckin' ... do something
about it. Even if there was anything he could pull off with his trident and
measily fuckin' magic, though, he wouldn't know if he ought to. Was fucking
weird. Didn't know what to do.

He nodded to Az, though, when he
came up. That was ... a thing people did. Yup.

**Lina**

 Goro smiled back at Az nervously.
Ah, this was fucking weird. He leaned into Hansel a little more. "That's
me. You, uh. You feeling alright?"

**Mink**

 Az have a nod back to...had to
be..Hansel.  He had to fish for the name; there too many fuckin' people
that Raef knew now.

"Right as rain. Thanks fer
that." He grinned.  He rolled the hidden object in his hands.

Watching Hansel and Goro, and Az,
was more than fuckin' awkward.  Raef glanced between all three.
"...you feelin' alright?" he asked Goro in turn.  The cleric had
died, too. That was...he didn't know if he could repay Goro.

**Lina**

 "Oh. Yeah. Uh huh. I'm
fine." Sure as fuck hadn't been, but that felt like a weird thing to
complain about when the payoff had been so... huge.

Literally. Goddamn, the size of
this guy.

**Mink**

 Raef nodded.  He flashed the
Nighthand sign for Thank you.  He wanted to talk - to thank Goro properly
- but not now.  Not with Az and Hansel around.

"It's sunny.  Don't be
fuckin' morose," Az sighed out before he offered whatever was in his hand
to Raef.

Something slimy dropped out and
Raef jerked his hand away before it could touch him letting
whatever-the-fuck-it-was land in the sand. "Azrael."

The same smile with no answer and
Az rested his hands on his hips, fingers pressed into his lower back as he
stretched.   He glanced towards Hansel again - who hadn't said a word.
"Thanks fer the pants." And vest, which was back in the cabin.

**Izzy**

 "Yup."

**Lina**

 Goro elbowed him a little. He still
wasn't sure what the problem was.

**Mink**

 Az stared for a second then he
dropped a hand to Hansel's shoulder and squeezed, warm and tight. "Ruined
Raef's plan to keep me in the cab'n." He feigned a saddened sigh.
"But I ain' into nudism."

**Izzy**

 Hansel tensed a little at the touch,
then told himself that was fuckin' dumb. It was just automatic, for some
reason. Wasn't like he actually thought Az was ... a threat, or something. Ehh.

"Damn shame," he
deadpanned. The fuck was he even saying.

**Lina**

 "Ahuv," Goro muttered out
of the corner of his mouth. "Everything alright?"

**Izzy**

 "What?" He cut a look at
Goro, muttering, "S'fine." He wasn't being fuckin' weird. Maybe
everyone else was being fuckin' weird.

**Mink**

 Az shot Raef a look, hand sliding
away from Hansel's shoulder.

"Uh-huh.  Sure you're
fine?" Raef interjected, brow furrowed a little in concern.  He
could've damn near cut the tension with a knife.

**Lina**

 When Hansel didn't answer, Goro
nudged him again. Oh, god. The fuck was going on.

**Izzy**

 "What?" he grumbled. Oh.
Goro meant Raef was talking to him. His gut reaction was to insist that he was
fine, why the fuck wouldn't he be fine -- but he guessed the last time Raef'd
talked to him, he had just about been goddamn bawling.

God, that was fucking embarrassing.
He'd managed to let that one slip with the other shit that was going on. No
chance Raef had fucking ... told Az about him losing his fuckin' shit.
Silvanus. Great impression, commander.

"Yeah, I'm ... y'know, it's
fine." He squeezed Goro, mumbling, not meeting any-fucking-body's eyes.

**Mink**

 Raef quirked an eyebrow almost
imperceptibly, studying Hansel for a moment.  He was a liar, but he didn't
call him out on it; he wouldn't fuckin' do that.

"Sure," he answered and
he let the conversation drop.

"Right." If it was
awkward to Az the orc gave no indication other than that word, smiling easily
once more. "If yer so fine then I guess we gotta do somethin', eh?"

**Lina**

 "He's tired," Goro
offered, putting his arm around Hansel's waist. "Didn't sleep much last
night. Keeping watch and shit."

That almost certainly wasn't the
actual problem, and normally Hansel would object to even that much, but maybe
it'd be less embarrassing than whatever the hell was actually eating him.

**Izzy**

 "Yeah. Uh. S'pose." Hm.
Maybe that was it. He didn't usually sleep that well if one of his family was
upset, because he'd wanna look out for them. Yeah. He'd just grab a catnap
later and it'd clear right up.

"Anyway." He shrugged a
shoulder. They all needed to stop looking at him and shit. He wasn't on fuckin'
trial, here. "Just wanted to, y'know. Welcome you to the family."
God, this was fucking weird. Maybe they could leave, now. "Kinda ...
caught us at a bad fucking time, but. Glad t'have you."

There. He'd said the shit he wanted
to say. And he did mean it, even if he wasn't fuckin' ... whatever he wasn't.
Or was. Fucksake.

**Mink**

 "I heard." He had heard
it all from Raef.  He couldn't do a fuckin' thing about it, only hold his
husband and do his best to comfort him. But the little cleric had done
somethin' at least, had done somethin' better than he ever could.

Az hesitated a second before he
carefully touched Goro's shoulder, a quick touch that didn't linger.
"Thanks fer it."

**Lina**

 "Uh, yeah, uh, it was
nothing." God. It pissed him off when people got mad at him for using the
Leech, but here was someone thanking him for it finally, and he just felt
fucking weird. Couldn't win. Maybe best to just change the subject a little.
"Where, uh... where were you? Your soul."

He cringed. Maybe that was an
insensitive question or whatever.

**Mink**

 "Mmm..." Az hummed out
softly in thought, absentmindedly scratching along one of the many scars that
now covered his body.  "In Silvanus' home...in the woods." It
had been a long journey to get there. He remembered flames searing his skin,
thick black smoke choking his lungs, then nothing until sunlight broke through
the darkness and he was walking, following a familiar path.   Birds twittered
and sang within the branches of the trees that lined the path.

He remembered wood elves, a
smattering of others.  No orcs, but that was fine. Fuckin' orcs ruinin'
shit.  Makin' his husband come home to that.

"It'd been pretty."
Pretty and fuckin' lonely.  He should've been happy there, in the woods of
his god, but Raef wouldn't leave his mind.  Raef wouldn't be able to come
to him - fucker would've been snatched up by Bhaal. Az reached out to slide his
fingers through Raef's hair, leaned down and placed a soft kiss to his
husband's forehead.   Pretty forests weren' worth shit without him.

**Lina**

 "Silvanus?" Goro blinked
a few times. "You... followed Silvanus?" He didn't even give Az a
chance to answer before blurting out the next thought in his dumbass head.
"Did ever meet an elf there who, you know--" He gestured at his face.
"Looked like me?"

At least, he assumed he looked like
Luka. Didn't look much like Jasmilia. No, shit--he remembered. Luka's spirit
had said Goro looked like his baby brother. Who was probably in the same
afterlife. Whatever, he'd take any of them. He wanted to feel close to any of
them.

**Mink**

 Az drew back from Raef to give Goro
a good look over.   It was the first time he'd actually paid attention to
how the cleric looked.  Cute, he supposed, but that wasn't what he was
supposed to be noticin'. "Yeah.  Short lil fella," he said after
a moment, straightening back up and resuming stroking Raef's hair.

**Izzy**

 Hansel raised his eyebrows and
tightened his grip around Goro. "You get his name?"

**Mink**

 "L...somethin'." Az
shrugged. "I dunno."  Names had slipped by him, not something
he'd paid attention to.  Names weren' needed when you were dead. He
scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

**Lina**

 Goro realized he was holding onto
Hansel so tight, it might be painful. He made himself loosen his grip a little.

Hell, as soon as the question had
left his mouth, he'd realized it was stupid. What were the chances?

L something. Jeez.

"Mm, uh, no worries."

**Mink**

 Az winced. "I can maybe ask
'im?"  He'd been dead long enough, and Goro'd come in like some sort
of knight.   Owed him.

Raef tensed and his eyes narrowed
at his husband. "You sure as fuck will not."  He'd be damned
before he let Az near another god. Or. Or. No. He wasn't gonna let Az do
anything like that.

**Lina**

 "Ah, mm, nah, nah." Goro
waved it off. Damn, was he articulate today. And he was squeezing Hansel too
tight again. Was nice to see someone besides himself getting shit from their
partner about wanting to take another peek into the afterlife, though.

**Izzy**

 "Yeah, we ain't got the
fuckin' Leech anymore, so don't fuckin' die," Hansel said bluntly. Maybe
sixty seconds was enough to talk to the guy. Had been enough for Goro to talk
to Mask, and shit. Still, though.

**Mink**

 "Ain't plannin' on
it."  Az sighed, reaching down to take Raef's hand in his.  He
squeezed.

Raef squeezed back, biting back a
response.  No one planned on fuckin' dying. No one planned on their
husbands fuckin' dying either.   His grip tightened further. "Good. I
don't need anymore fuckin' gods to kill," he mumbled, voice tense and he
gave Goro and Hansel a faint look of annoyance; this conversation was bullshit.

**Lina**

 "W... why the hell would you
kill Silvanus..." Goro said, eyes darting between Raef and Az. Seemed like
he was missing something.

**Izzy**

 "Gods get in the way, you
gotta kill'em." Hansel gave Raef a knowing look.

**Mink**

 Raef pointed at Hansel, drawing a
finger back as if he was releasing the trigger of a crossbow. "I'm not
fuckin' losing another husband."  If it meant hunting a god down
because Az went and did something stupid, fine. One more god dying wasn't gonna
matter.

"Ahuvi." Az reached down
to cup Raef's chin. "I'm not goin' anywhere." He pressed their
foreheads together.  "Promise." He pulled back after stealing a
kiss. Raef was still pissed at him, and he'd get a fuckin' earful later, but he
didn't say anything further. "Right.  Well. Fuck. Guess we should do
somethin' else other than takin' on gods."

**Lina**

 Goro was too bothered not to keep
arguing. "Silvanus wasn't... in the fucking way, he was keeping Az's soul
safe until..." He glanced at Raef, and up to Hansel, then just looked at
the ground. Didn't know why he was bothering, actually.

**Izzy**

 "Pfff. Yeah, and what if he
hadn't've wanted to give'im up, eh?" He jostled Goro gently. "Maybe
he ain't so nice the next time."

He wasn't being serious. Silvanus
was ... fine, as deities went. Hansel'd grown up praying to him. Hadn't done
any fuckin' good when Gruumsh came calling, but eh. He didn't think Silvanus
was the type to hold onto people who had other plans. Sounded nice.

**Mink**

 "There wasn't gonna be an
'until'," Raef answered.   Silvanus wasn't gonna just let Az go back
without Goro.  If Goro hadn't fuckin' intervened and asked for Az
back...it would've just been him and nothing.  Nothing at all. Just a
bunch of dead husbands and a god aiming for the one other fuckin' person that
had spared him a drop of affection.

Az dropped a hand back to Raef's
shoulder, squeezing tightly.  He grimaced sympathetically at Goro.
"Silvanus is a good guy. He let me go the first time."

**Lina**

 Goro kept staring at the ground. He
nudged at a seashell with the toe of his boot. If he kept talking, he might get
worked up, and make an already awkward situation worse.

He'd just go gripe to Luci about it
later, or something. People not fucking understanding how gods worked. And
Silvanus especially, when... well, wasn't like Goro followed him. He didn't
have any reason to be defensive.

**Izzy**

 Hansel squeezed Goro and kissed the
top of his head, then just shifted Goro in front of him so he could wrap both
arms around Goro's shoulders and chest and prop up on him.

He glanced between Raef and Az,
settling on Raef. "You fuckin' had breakfast or anything?"

**Mink**

 "No." Raef shook his
head, almost sighing out with relief at the sudden change in
conversation.  Anger still boiled close to the surface, it had since -
since - since the other night. He counted to ten before he took Az's hand in
his, twining their fingers together. "Sounds like a good idea.  I'll
cook. C'mon."

**Lina**

 "I already ate," Goro
said, in a feeble attempt to make Hansel let him go so he could go off walking
by himself. He didn't actually try to squirm free, or anything.

**Izzy**

 "Yeah, that didn't fuckin'
count. Nah." He shook his head at Raef. "Fucker thinks a piece of
plain bread is breakfast, honest to god."

**Mink**

 Raef snorted softly. "I
know.  Should've trained him better," he said with a soft
laugh.  He tugged Az along as he walked back towards the ship. He couldn't
wait to be done with the damn thing.

**Lina**

 "Keeps you alive, don't
it?" Goro grumbled, consenting to have Hansel pull him along after the
others.

**Izzy**

 "Yeah, but me an' Raef make
breakfasts that make you actually fuckin' enjoy being alive," Hansel
teased, then immediately felt fuckin' awkward and embarrassed again. The fuck.

**Mink**

 "I already enjoy bein'
alive." Az grinned widely as he took a larger step forward to wrap Raef up
in a large hug, lifting him up off the ground.

"Fuckin' hell, Az," Raef
grumped even as a dark blush tinged his cheeks.  He didn't fight being
lifted up. "And you ain't fuckin' lived until you've had Hansel's
breakfast." He snickered a little as he said the sentence.

**Izzy**

 Hansel scoffed, more embarrassed.

**Lina**

 "What are you gonna be making,
anyway?" Goro asked. All casual-like. Acting like he wouldn't kill a man
for Hansel's blueberry pancakes, all slathered with butter and syrup.

**Izzy**

 "Hmm." Hansel mentally
ran over what he had stocked in his bag as they walked. "Griddle cakes.
Got the dry mix, can make some fresh water, refill everyone's canteens,
too." Goddamn magic. Handy shit. "Cut up some apples and fry'em to go
with. Eh?"

**Mink**

 Az shifted Raef in his arms,
lifting him up almost to where he was carrying him over a shoulder.
"Fuck.  Maybe should've married you."

"Fuck you." Raef rolled
his eyes, squirming to be let down, even more fuckin' embarrassed than when
Hansel pulled this shit. "I made you breakfast."

"But not with apples."

**Lina**

 Goro snorted at the two of them.
Eh, that was pretty fuckin' cute.

Really weird Griffin wasn't there
anymore, though. Like he'd just been... swapped out. Probably wasn't like that
to Raef, though. Goro was just being fucking morbid.

He stepped closer to Hansel's side
and hugged him while they walked, squeezing tight. "Who the fuck fries
apples, anyway? You're supposed to eat 'em raw." Shit, apple pie was a
thing. And cobbler, and shit. Shit.

**Izzy**

  Hansel scoffed and grumbled at Az
and Raef's little exchange, feeling fuckin' embarrassed again. God. The fuck.

He distracted himself by giving
Goro an amused look. Judging by Goro's expression, he already knew he'd said
some dumb shit, but Hansel prodded at him anyway. "My fuckin' mom, that's
who. You doubtin' the culinary goddamn abilities of my momma, oresi?"

**Lina**

 "Nah, nah, nah."
Embarrassed, Goro started to pull away, then changed his mind and burrowed
further into Hansel's coat. "She's good. Good cook."

**Mink**

 "Who the fuck doesn't fry
apples?" Raef finally managed to get Az to drop him back to the sand and
he took his husband's hand once more, squeezing softly.   He couldn't stop
touching him...still didn't seem real.

"You.  Makin' me wait and
suffer."

Raef exhaled sharply. "Maybe I
was waitin' for Hansel."

**Izzy**

  Hansel kissed Goro's head and
squeezed him, grinning, then scoffed and grumbled more at Raef. "Someone
had to teach you how to do it right. Gotta add cinnamon. No goddamn point
otherwise."

**Mink**

 "Always used sugar for
Griffin." Making pies, frying shit, sugar was the way to go.
Anything really - he could've burnt the food and Griffin would've loved it.

**Lina**

 Goro grimaced. He dug his nails
into Hansel a little before he caught himself doing it, and stopped.

**Izzy**

  Hansel winced, and didn't know what
to say. Normally he would've grabbed Raef and hugged him, but he felt like ...
he wasn't fuckin' supposed to, or something. Meant he had to use his goddamn
words, instead. "Brown sugar's best," he offered weakly, trying to
change the subject without actually changing the subject, or some shit. God.
Conversations were fucking impossible.

**Mink**

 "Pro'ly better with
cinnamon," Az said, rocking his and Raef's hands.  One more squeeze.
They didn't need to be thinkin' about anythin' else other than food, and Hansel
and Goro.

"Uh-huh.  I don't think
you've ever cooked."  Raef smiled as he teased his husband.  He
chose to take the change - Goro and Hansel were shit at hiding their
grimaces.  He was allowed to fuckin' talk about Griffin, talk about the
good times, but...he ran a thumb along the back of Az's hand.

"I'm gonna get some lessons
this mornin'."

**Lina**

 Goro felt about ready to fuckin'
die with how awkward this was all turning out to be, but they were saved by
their arrival back at the camp. He busied himself stoking the fire--pretending
to be real damn interested in it, too--while Hansel went to get his supplies.

"Bet we could find some
berries in the woods, for the cakes," Goro said when Hansel rejoined them.
Then he felt his mood crash, just like that--Amari was the one who'd shown him
what berries were good to eat in the woods around the Sanctuary. He poked at
the fire some more, wishing he hadn't said anything.

**Izzy**

 Hansel set his skillet over the
fire to get hot and parked himself next to Goro, kissing his head automatically
as he did and dropping his bag on his other side. He dug through it for a moment
and pulled out four apples, one for each of'em.

"Could do. Sounds like too
much work, though." He tossed an apple each to Az and Raef, and passed the
other two to Goro. "You got apple-choppin' duty for me an' you, chatichi.
'Cause you're good at it."

Then he pulled a measuring cup and
his dry mix out of his bag, too, and portioned it out. Without really thinking
about it, he used magic to pull some water out of his canteen, directing it
into the cup. He'd gotten used to this shit -- was damn useful, honestly.
Instead of using a fork to mix it together, he just spun his finger and made
the water itself do the work. That was a little harder, but he'd been
practicing.

**Mink**

 Raef caught the apple when it was
tossed his way, drawing out a dagger with his free hand at the same time.
He began slice into it while watching Hansel. Fucker knew how to cook, and he
loved that.

When Hansel pulled the water out of
the canteen without touching the damn thing, he commented, "That's fuckin'
useful." Then Hansel did some fancy shit. "You're gettin' good."

**Lina**

 Goro couldn't help smiling,
watching Hansel do his trick with the water. It helped, a little. A little bit
of relief from feeling bad. He sliced up their apples dutifully.

**Izzy**

 Hansel grinned, feeling all proud
of himself and shit. "Yeah. Practice, y'know. Uh." The awkwardness
hit again, and he glanced at Az, explaining, "Just fuckin' got druid
powers a bit ago. Dunno if Raef mentioned. Anyway, still learning and
shit."

Maybe that was why he felt so
fucking weird. Az was already a core part of the group by being attached to
Raef, but he was fuckin' new to all of the rest of them. Hansel didn't know how
to fuckin' ... act with that. Didn't want Az to feel left out or lost.

**Mink**

 The dagger worked through another
slice of apple. "Gonna have to show me one day." Druid powers.
Fuckin' handy. Raef doubted that creepy little guy was going to give him
anything like that.

"How'd you get 'em?" Az
asked.  He was also working on an apple, but popping small pieces into his
mouth at the same time.

**Izzy**

 "Uhh." There was the
fuckin' question. "Dead friend asked her goddess to give'em to me, I
think." The fuck was his life, anyway. He nodded to Raef, brushing it off.
"Can show you right now. Try, anyway. Still dunno what the hell I'm
doin'."

**Mink**

 Raef passed over the remaining
apple to Az to finish cutting.  "Stop eatin' them," he muttered
with a soft laugh. There weren't gonna be any apples at this rate.

"Dunno.  Looks like
y'know the hell you're doin'," he said as he joined Hansel.  He sure
as fuck didn't. He'd never bothered to learn the little trick when he was a
kid.  There was no need when he could stab people.

**Izzy**

 He scoffed and shifted towards
Raef, and felt fuckin' weird again. God. Why the fuck. He ignored it.

"Uh, Mishka tried to explain
the whole ... magic thing to me. Think it's kinda similar, with sorcerers and
druids? More than like clerics, anyhow." Luci tended to use water magic,
too -- Eldath thing -- but she hadn't been able to help him much. Then again, that
was Luci. They didn't have that much in common, sorta -- mentally-speaking. He
figured him and Raef did, maybe.

He stopped mixing the batter and
held the cup where Raef could get at it better. "You gotta, like ..."
He waved his fingers vaguely. "Gesture at it, and shit. Somatic, Luci
said. Some spells need you to say shit, like that thorn whip thing I got, but
this one's just ... motion. I just think about, uh." He thought for a
second. It'd been instinctive at first. "Y'know, sailing and shit, water's
got a feel to it, so I kinda think about the tides, and waves, currents. Like
I'm just ... reminding the water it can do that, maybe? Showin' it how."

**Lina**

 Goro paused his apple slicing,
listening to Hansel explain it. Man, that wasn't anything like how he thought
about magic with water, but it was kinda dreamy knowing it worked that way for
him.

**Mink**

 "I fuckin' hate boats."
After this last fuckin' trip he never wanted to get on a other one.  Being
trapped there, unable to do a damn thing as his world closed in ever tighter --

-- that shit wasn't gonna
help.  He took the cup and tapped the rim with a fingertip as he
thought.  He fuckin' hated boats, but...there was something he did like, a
distant babbling brook that still ran.  The house near it was gone, but
the creek was still there. He remembered the feel as it danced across his skin,
washing away any worries, any frets.

Raef traced his finger along the rim
of the cup before he did what he used to do, he dipped into the water without
touching it.  The water rippled pleasnlantly in the cup.

**Izzy**

 Hansel grinned and swatted Raef's
shoulder with the back of his hand. "Hey, there you fuckin' go.
Nice."

**Mink**

 Raef damn near dropped the cup at
the unexpected swat.  Hansel was overexcited - he snickered under his
breath - for a little ripple. "Why don't you show me how you do it?"
he suggested, still smiling.

**Izzy**

 "Psshh." He fuckin' did
it, though, leaning in and spinning his finger slightly, again -- pulling the
water back out of the dry mix and swirling it into a tiny whirlpool, drawing a
little bit more out on the top to shape it into a little ball. Blown his
goddamn mind when Luci told him he could do that shit.

It was trickier to keep them
whirlpool and the ball going at the same time, but at this point he was just
fuckin' showing off.

**Mink**

 "Show off." Raef rolled
his eyes, but it was impressive.  He tapped the cup again in thought
before he thought of that little creek again and he reached over in front of
Hansel.   He felt for the water, the calm, gently lapping feeling, and he
pulled lighttly at the whirling ball. It disappeared, but the water threaded
out towards him.

**Izzy**

 Hansel grinned wider. Raef caught
on fast -- fuckin' elves just getting magic for free, and shit. Fuckin' great.
As Raef pulled the water towards him, interrupting Hansel's little trick, he
laughed abruptly and slung his arm around Raef without thinking about it, just
fuckin' delighted, and dragged him in to kiss the top of his head. "Lookit
you, fuckin' pro with this shit already."

**Lina**

 Goro stared at them for a moment,
then grinned down at his apples. "Gosh, Az, what do you think? Should we
give 'em some privacy?"

**Mink**

 "Mmm...I dunno.  I like
to watch," Az answered lowly, laughing under his breath.

Raef flushed at the hug and kiss,
looping an arm around Hansel's waist. "Imagine what I can do with two
balls." He let the water sit just above his palm, willing it to
divide.  It was a little easier, but, shit, Hansel made it look even
easier.

**Izzy**

 Hansel scoffed and sputtered,
pulling back away. God. Fucksake. He'd completely lost his fuckin'
concentration on the magic, and hunched his shoulders a bit. Focused on it
again, grumbling under his breath, and drew some more water out of the canteen
to replace what Raef was playing with, and started mixing again.

He wanted to say, I didn't tell you
you get to watch, but he couldn't just fuckin' ... say shit like that to Raef's
fuckin' husband. Might piss him off, or something. He didn't fuckin' know the
guy. Didn't want Raef to have to pick one of their sides, or some shit. Eldath.

**Lina**

 Ah, that got Hansel all flustered
and shit. It was adorable, but Goro kinda felt bad for him, too. He set down the
knife and the apple he was slicing so he could give Hansel a hug from behind,
and gave him a few kisses on the cheek. And that was all. Hopefully that'd
settle him a little. He went back to the apple.

**Mink**

 Hansel was already in a weird
fuckin' mood and the flirting didn't seem to help.  Raef dropped the water
back into the canteen, feeling a little shitty for making Hansel pull.  It
was the first time since...since Goro did his thing, and it was awkward as
fuck.

He gently rested his fingers on the
back of Hansel's wrist as Goro came over to hug Hansel.

**Izzy**

 Ah, well, that was even more
fuckin' embarrassing, but in a different way that was at least kinda nice. He
scoffed again and shrugged them off a bit, but felt better.

The batter was well mixed, and the
apples were all chopped up by this point. Butter didn't travel well enough, but
he had olive oil in his bag, so he poured a generous amount into the hot pan
and nodded for the apples to be tossed in as he dug ground cinnamon and
tightly-packed brown sugar out of his herbalism kit to add it. As some point
the herbalism, alchemy, and mess kit had all become just one kit. Made things
simpler.

He tossed the sizzling apples to
make sure they were coated well. "Be a bit before they soften up," he
commented. Then he'd cook the griddle cakes in the sweet droppings left behind.
Was gonna be fuckin' great.

**Mink**

 When Hansel eased, Raef felt some
of the tension slip away.  That was better. It was better. He dropped his
hand away so he could clean up the mess left behind from chopping and mixing.

"It smells fuckin' good,"
he said with a grin at Hansel.  He had missed cooking with him. It'd been
too long since doing something normal. "Want anythin' else with it?"

**Izzy**

 "Hmm. Ain't got any bacon I
can fix for ya'll." He scratched his beard, thinking. "Could catch
and grill some fish if y'want some meat, though. Just griddle cakes is good for
me." He tossed the apples in the pan again, and grinned faintly, remember
how Goro'd wolf'em down.

**Mink**

 Raef wasn't certain if cakes would
be enough for Az - he'd seen how much he ate.  He wiped off his hands on a
piece of cloth usually tucked in a pocket, turned, and watched as Az found
something - looked like a seashell - to flip in the air, catch it, and flip it
again; he could remember doing that at their home. He was gonna ask him about
fish, but found himself staring instead. "...think we're good with griddle
cakes," he mumbled.

**Lina**

 Goro latched onto Hansel while he
was frying the apples. "Nuh uh," he mumbled against his shoulder.
"You can't go off fishing while the cakes are all hot and fresh. You're
staying here."

**Izzy**

 Hansel snickered and wrapped his
arm around Goro. "Yeah, all right." He glanced up at Az -- he knew
Raef didn't much care for the ocean, but he didn't know about the new old
husband. "Spearfishin', though. Don't take long." He tossed the
apples again, more for something to do with his hands -- well, the one not
around Goro -- than because they needed it. "Some other time, maybe."

It came out kinda hesitant and
tentative. He was a fuckin' coward and when something made him uncomfortable,
historically, he just kind of fucking avoided it. Couldn't do that anymore,
though. Didn't really want to, either -- he wanted to fuckin' fumble through
whatever the hell kinda weird feelings he was having, here, and just fuckin'
hang out with Raef like normal. So ... some other time. Yeah. They'd all hang
out again some other time, and he'd be fuckin' fine, goddammit.

**Mink**

 [End]

**Izzy**

 Title: Fried Apples. Summary: Goro
and Hansel introduce themselves to Az, and have breakfast with him and Raef.
Hansel is very awkward around Az, but he teaches Raef how to shape water.