𝒽𝒶𝓁𝒻 𝑜𝒸𝑒𝒶𝓃 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 !

Nikolai: yes!!!

Nikolai: do you think anyone here has cat???

Nikolai: I will run around halls asking, come with me!!

Ariel: i don't think i've seen anyone with one but we can totally ask!!

“Wait, hang on, crab cake?” Thomas asked, his brows risen way up in the air as to express his surprise. “You can make cake out of crab?” Now this was something new entirely; Thomas had had no idea that one was able to make cakes out of something that came from the sea. “I’d really like to try that, so why not right now?” Thomas was the adventurous kinda type, jumping on anything that’s exciting and makes his nerves rush. 

But again, jumping from a cliff… was a step too far for him too. Considered him impressed! “So you know how to bake a crab cake and you jump from cliffs. That’s just badass.” He offered a smile and leaning his elbows on his knees. “Did anythin’ go wrong while you jumped cliffs or was luck always on your side?”

Ariel nodded, grinning. “Yeah, crab cake! It’s not technically a cake, but they’re kind of... like patties, I guess. You fry them. We’d have to get some crab meat from the supermarket, though, but I can totally make them! I think you’d really like it, my family’s been making this for as long as I can remember. The spicy lime sauce, however, is totally my sister’s recipe. It’s kind of genius, actually.” 

She smiled, shaking her head. “Not really, but thank you. My dad’s always said I loved adventure a little too much. He’d ground me for life if he ever found out about the cliff jumping.” She tapped her lip in thought, humming a bit before answering. “I think I’m lucky, for the most part. One time I did get a nasty scrape on my arm because I landed near the rocks, but anything life-threatening? No, not really.”

Ella smiles, she enjoys the kind exchange that’s currently being had between the two women. Ariel seems like the friend that the twenty-six year old wishes she’d had as a young girl, but better late than never, as they said. They begin chatting about the casual topic that’s been brought up and though it’s difficult at first, Ella warms up a bit. It’s a feeling she’s not used to having; when you’re used to constant cold glares and silences, kindness from another party isn’t quite expected from the world. But it’s nice. And that’s all that Ella really hopes for from someone else – kindness. “Yes, I do hope so. I love children. They are the future and I hope to teach them as much as I can. The things I’ve learned as a child I hope to pass on to prepare a new soul.” Ella smiles, lowering her eyes. “Sorry, that’s… that’s very… it’s probably not what you wanted to hear.” She laughs a bit awkwardly, pushing some hair behind one of her ears, soon looking back at the younger redhead. “Husky? No! You’re doing great.” Ella smiles genuinely. “I’m sure you’ve been working very hard – and not for nothing either.”

Ariel knows what it’s like to be unable to talk about your hopes and dreams — there had been a long period of time where she couldn’t voice out what she wanted to do in fear that her father would disapprove. He’d been fiercely protective of all of his daughters after his wife had passed, but she’d always felt as if he was overprotective of her. It wasn’t something she tried to understand, nor does she think she understands now. Yes, she’s the youngest, but she’s just as behaved as her sisters, isn’t she? She nods in understanding, a small smile creeping up on her lips. “That’s really inspiring, Ella. I know kids can’t be the easiest to deal with, but you seem really passionate about them, and that’s what they need. I believe in you!” Her smile grows warmer as she speaks, and she stretches her hand out to pat the blonde’s gently. “No, no, you can tell me anything, I promise! I like hearing about why people come to Astra. There are so many reasons and everyone’s got a different one.” She sighs in relief, chuckling. “Yeah. High time, right? My therapist told me it might spring back soon, but I still haven’t done the one thing I’ve been wanting to do for so long.”

Merida thought about it for a moment, head tilting to the side before a wide smile broke out across her face and she laughed before saying, “The only squirrel I’ve seen that caused people problems is that crazy one for the Ice Age films!” She had always wondered if it was one acorn he was chasing or a different one each film. “I’ve never seen a chipmunk before, other then the ones in that film where they sing,” Merida frowned a little, “Maybe I watch too many animated films.” Following the other girls movements she sat up too, turning her body to further face her friend. “They have to give people something for these stories, true or not. And I know that the two of us can come up with something ten times better.”

Ariel let out a laugh, shaking her thought at the memory. “I totally remember that! That squirrel used to frustrate me because just the little things would set off such big events. And all for an acorn! Could you imagine ever meeting someone like that?” She scoffed, thinking about it. She’d never liked people who were self-centered, and she didn’t think she ever could. “Oh, Alvin and the Chipmunks! I used to want to be like the Chipettes when I was younger, but I don’t think any of my family members wanted that. Too shrill.” She nodded, eyes sparkling with ideas. “Totally! Let’s think of something right now! Hm, what are people into these days?”

Nikolai: look at the funny picture I have sent you!!

Nikolai: isn't it the most amusing???!

Nikolai: that cat is doing the most crazy of things LOL

Ariel: oh wow!!

A chuckle left his lips again as he gazed down his belly. It just growled out of the hunger, it was nearing lunchtime and he hadn’t had anything to eat yet. “It’s okay, I learnt to live with it,” he said before shaking his head upon her next question. “No, it kinda feels like you’re hungry, and maybe I was, who knows. Could also have been my imagination, eatin’ fish for the first time. I think crab was my favourite,” he frowned at recalling it. “It’s been a long while though.” It must’ve been from when he was about eighteen; he was young and he’d do anything to get his hands on food or leftovers.  “Twenty feet?!” Thomas almost exclaimed, widening his eyes and leaning foward. “Are you kiddin’? That’s insane!” He couldn’t even think of doing something like that, jumping from a cliff… that sounded dangerous. “Well lucky, glad you got out unharmed. I’d plummet from the cliff if I did that.”

Ariel couldn’t help but grin at the mention of crab. “Crab sounds so good about now,” she whispered, rubbing her stomach. “Back home, we make crab cakes every time one of my sisters comes home. We make them with this really nice lime sauce, and there’s a spicy option too if someone’s craving that. It’s amazing.” Her mind flitted to home, and she swore she could smell the food wafting from the kitchen. “I’m not sure if I memorize the recipe, but if I do — I could totally make it. It wouldn’t be too hard, right?”

She shook her head excitedly, eyes growing wide in amusement. “No, they’re really that high! But thank you, I’m really lucky I made it too.” She lingered on her words for a little bit, pursing her lips before continuing. “The trick is to just go for it, I think. You can’t be scared ‘cause you know you’ll always make it back up. It’s always good to do it with a friend, too. And you have to make sure that it’s not rocky at the bottom, that’s super important.”

“Oh!” Ella gasps, being offered even more sweets. The woman wasn’t used to eating so many sugar-filled things, but a treat was a treat no matter what form it took up. She wouldn’t say that she had a particular sweet tooth, but Ella did enjoy chocolate-y goodness every so often. “Thank you very much,” she smiles at the younger girl. “You are very kind.” Curtsying, the woman next places the bag in her purse, planning on saving the food for later. Ella sits, not used to talking about herself (not even after twenty-six years of life). “Oh, uh, I– I’m alright. But thank you very much, Ariel.” The blonde tucks a piece of hair behind her. “As for my life, I believe the last we spoke was… at the drive-in event? If I’m correct? Since then, I’ve been working at a part-time job at a daycare center; I’m trying to gain more experience with children while I take classes to become a teacher.” She looks up, making eye-contact. “What about yourself?”

They hadn’t spoken much, but Ariel already liked the vibe that Ella was radiating. She seemed very pure, very honest, and very sweet — traits she knew she wanted to have. She giggles a little at the curtsy, the smile unable to leave her lips. “Sure! I don’t mind sharing. And there’s plenty to go around.” Really, she doesn’t have that much space in her dorm for all of the cookies she’d baked, nor does she think she’ll be able to finish all of them. She nods as the blonde speaks, the memory fond in her mind. “Oh, that sounds really nice! Teachers are so underrated, and it’s really cool that you’ll be doing that. I’m guessing you’re planning to teach little kids?” She can’t imagine what that’s like, but Ariel likes kids. Do they like her back? She’s not quite sure. Blue eyes fix on Ella’s, and she shrugs. “Gosh, uh, I’m just... kind of going back to routine. Trying to exercise this.” She points to her throat. “I sound a lot huskier than I thought.”

“We do! You are so right,” Merida pointed her finger at her, to emphasis her point, “We put a lot of effort into reading this article, we deserve better than a squirrel.” She wasn’t sure why the squirrel was causing her such an annoyance but here she was, fully ready to rant about it. “And really, how scary could a rabid squirrel be? They’re tiny things, very easy to like, bat away,” she mimed hitting something through the air with grin. Her eyes brows twitched up at the other girls suggestion, “Oh! Do you think they pay for stories too? We could be rich!”

Grinning, Ariel nodded. “Absolutely! I mean, how many times have we seen a squirrel be the cause of people’s problems? It feels kind of... anticlimactic.” Not that she would know; there weren’t many squirrels back home. “But, yeah! They don’t seem like the type of animals to attack people, anyway. Chipmunks, either. Those are too cute.” Biting her lip, she tried to think about it. “I feel you’d have to be a really terrible person to piss off a rabid squirrel.” She sat up straighter on the couch, giggling. “Sure, they’ve got to, right? And it’d be super great to get some money if they like the story we have.”

Sitting on the table, feet on a chair (there was no one here to tell him off anyways) and hands holdng up his head he smiled in return. “No, I didn’t get kicked out,” he exhaled, sounding like a brief chuckle. “I didn’t have to eat for a week, I wasn’t goin’ to miss that opportunity.” He placed a hand on his belly. “It tastes like…. fish; it was like jello when you put it in your mouth, not great. I can still feel it swimmin’ in my belly,” Thomas laughed. “Everything was so good,” O’Malley mused, “Everything seemed to be: from crab to caviar to some beef I’ve never heard of. I ate it all.” He replied, but her story seemed way more thrilling than his. “Cliff jumpin’, I wouldn’t do that for a million, but you make it sound like fun.” He was intruiged though, so he continued to ask. “What’s the highest you’ve jumped? And did you ever get hurt?”

Ariel nodded, exhaling a sigh of relief. “Oh, good! The part where you didn’t get kicked out, not the one where you couldn’t eat. That must have been really hard.” She couldn’t imagine what that kind of life was like. “But hey, as long as you enjoyed yourself.” She gasped softly at the description, and a hand flew to her stomach. She could swear she could feel exactly what he was describing, and she wasn’t sure if that was something she enjoyed. “Gosh. Did that wriggling feeling last long? It sounds a bit like those stories where people eat, like, live octopus or something.” Just thinking about it made her dizzy. “Which one was your favorite?” She chuckled a little, nodding. “It is! I love the thrill of it, and my Dad would freak if he knew I’d done them. The cliffs back home are... twenty feet, maybe, for the ones that you can jump from, but I did forty feet once. The crash hurt on impact, but luckily no injuries.”

After offering Ella the bag of cookies, Ariel had also decided to invite the blonde into her dorm. “Just in case you want even more,” she added, smiling softly as she dragged her in. She wouldn’t consider herself the baker of the family; but she’d learned enough to know how to make the things she’d liked. And besides, there was nothing better than sharing with your friends. “Also, it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you — you totally have to update me on what’s been happening.” She grinned, eyes sparkling. “But please, sit on the couch! Do you want anything to drink?” She was zipping around like a little energizer bunny, too excited to know what was going on.

As soon as the word ‘squirrel’ left the other girls mouth Merida let out a groan, letting her head fall back dramatically against the chair back. “I knew it would be a disappointment, and yet. I am still disappointed,” she said sadly, lifting her head back up to look at Ariel as she finished the paragraph in a soft voice, the perfect level for such a story she decided. “Ghosts and squirrel’s aren’t even remotely similar, how daft are these people.”

Ariel chuckled a little at Merida’s reaction, shaking her head. “I know, right? You’d think that they’d actually make things more interesting, but they just cut off the flow like that. We deserve better.” She ran a hand through her hair, sighing. “They’re really not, unless they’re rabid. And I’m pretty sure squirrels wouldn’t hide in basements. At this point I’d totally be rooting for a raccoon instead.” She looked at Merida, tilting her head. “We could totally make a better story than this one.”

@tidewashed

Laughter filled the kitchen and they were lucky they were about the only ones there. After having helped Ariel down from basically climbing the cabinet, her and Thomas had made conversation, telling one of his anecdotes. Regarless of whatever horrors and downpours his life had had Thomas also had good memories, of friends, stupid acts and enjoyable music nights. He told her about  the one time he got invited to a party that was particularly occupied with rather posh Irishmen, so a party he wasn’t actually supposed to be. However, he told her, that he nailed a posh British accent, which he also impersonated talking to her. It was bad: it’s been a while. “So I went this once, ‘cause of a friend of a friend or somthin’ who thought I was cool. Maybe in the end it was just to be inclusive, I was homeless at the time, livin’with my friend on the streets and who doesn’t wanna see a hobo right?” Thomas mustered a smile, mainly to remember his naive younger self. “But it was fun! I never ate so much in my life. Did you know you can eat cuttlefish? Crazy!” 

If Ariel thought her life was filled with adventure despite her circumstances, she clearly hadn’t heard about Thomas. They’d only just met, but she couldn’t help but be amused by his adventures, especially because he’d had so many of them. Every one of them was different from the last, and she had to wonder if it was possible for her to live a life like that. She was leaning against the kitchen counter as he spoke, trying to cover her mouth to stifle her giggles. “Oh my gosh, that sounds so wild! Please tell me you didn’t get caught and kicked out.” A small part of her hoped for it for the sake of amusement.

“I totally knew you can eat cuttlefish, though,” she continued, grinning. “I’ve never eaten it, though, we don’t really eat that back home. How does it taste?” Feeling like it was her turn to tell a story, she glanced at the floor before looking up at him again. “Back home, I used to go cliff jumping. Which really isn’t something you should do when the waters below you are really choppy, but… it’s so thrilling.”

@tidewashed

📖 our muses read a story

There was something calming about being read to – a fact Merida would refuse to admit out loud, especially in the vicinity of her mother – even if the story being read was from a trashy magazine that the two red heads had found abandoned on the coffee table. Merida let out a small gasp as Ariel came to the end of her paragraph, “Oh my god, this is getting good now!” Taking the magazine back she quickly skimmed the page to find her spot to pick up from before clearing her throat. “It was only when the family returned home that hey discovered the creature that had been living in their basement for weeks,” she paused a moment to look up at Ariel, brows raised. “If it turns out that the demon living in their cellar is actually a racoon I’m going to be disappointed, I’m just telling you now.”

Usually, Ariel wasn’t someone to listen to the tabloids. She didn’t like reading false stories about people, even if she didn’t know them; knowing she’d hate it if something like that had happened to her. But she couldn’t help reading this particular story with Merida, eyes wide as they followed every word on the page. It was something about a haunting, or at least, what a family thought it was. She nodded in agreement as Merida spoke, biting her lip. “I would be too, not going to lie,” she whispered, looking up at her fellow redhead. “It’d totally ruin things, and there’s nothing worse than that.” She continued on with the rest of the passage, voice soft so she didn’t tire it out. “… Was nothing more than a rabid squirrel, which was such a nuisance that pest services had to be called in.”

🎉 for a hug filled with laughter

Ariel was quite immersed in the story Thomas was telling her, some amusing anecdote that had happened to him back home. She was trying her best not to burst out into a fit of giggles, but that was easier said than done when the man kept adding in such interesting voices and facial expressions. It was her kind of story: one that was peppered with twists and turns, and she couldn’t wait to see how it ended. One particular bit caused her to crack, the smile finally breaking through and the giggles following after. “Stop, stop!” she whispered, pulling him into a hug. “Gimme a moment before you continue or I’m actually going to explode.”

📖 our muses read a story

“This is one of my favorites,” Ariel whispered with a grin, clearing her throat before continuing. It had left her throat slightly scratchy, but her voice was there. She didn’t think she could ever get used to it coming back. “It’s about this girl who’s been cursed to do everything she’s told. Can you imagine living like that? Because I can’t. I think I’d hate it a lot, really.” She shuddered, shaking her head. “It’s been so long since I read this… here we go. That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me…”

🥪 our muses have a snack

It seemed like Ariel had severely overestimated the number of cookies that she’d made — and now she had four trays’ worth of snacks instead of the two she’d originally planned. The smell of cookies filled her dorm room, and she spent half an hour waiting for them to cool. She started to go around, carrying a small bag or two of cookies with her in case she could find anyone to give it to. “Ella!” she whispered, waving to the blonde. “Hi! Uh, I made way too many cookies today and I was wondering if you wanted them? They’re just chocolate chip, but they’re not so bad.”

Ariel wasn’t usually found in the communal kitchen; but she was trying out a new recipe, and there were way too many ingredients to properly work around it in her dorm. Upon opening the fridge, she spotted a bowl of strawberries. She wasn’t sure who owned them, and she could feel her stomach rumble. So quickly, she stuffed one into her mouth, only to turn around and see — “Mitch, hi,” she whispered, eyes blowing wide. “Did I just eat one of your strawberries? Oh my gosh, I did, didn’t I?” Shaking her head, she rushed towards them and pulled them into a hug. “I’m so sorry! You can totally have some of the food I’m making when it’s ready.”