splendid (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} splendid) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} valarlogs,@ 2015-12-17 09:07:00 |
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What: Thanksgiving Dinner
When: Thursday, November 26th lunch [Backdated]
Where: Splendid's Place
Rating/Warnings: Low/Language is possible, as well as random mashed potato throwing
Status: Closed/Complete
Splendid handed off Valerian to Max, giving him a smile before she started back to the kitchen so that she and Capable could finish fixing lunch for all of them. Splendid was absolutely thrilled to have everyone over for the holiday and to share food and laughs with all of them. At least she hoped there were be plenty of laughs since they could all use them.
The dreams had, so far, ended for Splendid. It'd been a couple of weeks since her last one and she'd seen exactly what had happened to her, and she hoped that the others dreams had been kinder to them than hers had been. She couldn't help but to steal a glance over her shoulder at Valerian, just to make sure he was still safe. He looked peaceful in Max's arms, and she smiled before going back into the kitchen.
"I think we're nearly done!" She beamed over at Capable, "Do you mind setting the table, Furiosa?" She reached up into a cabinet to grab plates for all of them, and sat them down on the counter closest to the small dining room table.
~*~
The last time she'd had Thanksgiving had been in a little diner in Kansas. And the year before that it had been somewhere in New Mexico. Furiosa had spent so much of her life on the road that she'd forgotten what it was like to be around people. And ever since the dreams, ever since Capable and Splendid and even Max, she'd found a family. And she'd liked it.
She'd come alone. She'd invited Laura to come with her and Capable, but the girl had declined. She supposed Laura hadn't wanted to feel like she was imposing.
She nodded at Splendid. "I've got it."
---
Capable had loved helping out and been thankful that Splendid had wanted her to. Splendid had been great at teaching her and very patient. She was particularly excited as this was her first proper Thanksgiving with her new little family, it hadn’t really been done in the commune.
“Everything smells so good” she said with a big smile, “And we’re all happy, even Max looks content with Valerian” But then the baby always seemed able to settle the older man.
****
Taking Valerian as soon as Splendid offered the boy, Max held him carefully, trying not to make it too obvious he was using the child as a shield against the onslaught of too many people around him. These were not strangers. They existed in his Dreams. They existed in his life. They were the reality of Reality. Max could avoid the pain associated with being surrounded by strangers if he only focused on how these people were not strangers.
It still startled him to hear his name coming from someone other than Splendid.
"Hmh?"
His grumbled sound was questioning, making the baby rustle in his arms. Valerian lifted his head to look around himself. One could believe the child was looking to determine what had made Max noisy. Max was usually very, very quiet when he held Splendid's baby. Sleep was something precious when one was an infant. He took it as a sign of trust the boy liked to sleep while he held him though Max knew it was also possible he was simply a warm body to rest against.
"Happy? Yes."
Max nodded as he moved hesitantly toward the area they'd set up to eat. He looked at Splendid questioningly as he waited on instructions from her.
~*~
"Thank you." Splendid replied warmly to Furiosa, and then she glanced over at Capable. "It really does." Her last Thanksgiving hadn't been a good one. She didn't want to think about sitting at the table with Valerian's father, and some of his friends while they gave thanks for all of their money while all Splendid could think of was how thankful she'd be to get out of there.
She turned her attention to Max for a moment, brows furrowing slightly as she considered him. Things weren't that stressed between the two of them since Splendid had dreamed of the shot, but there was still a slight tension that she wasn't sure would go away. Splendid held no ill will toward him here, but she worried that he still believed that she was angry with him.
It was more shock than anything else when it'd happened in her dreams, and that's why she'd commented on it.
"I'm glad you're happy too, Max." She offered him a smile, "Will you mind carving the turkey once it's finished?" She asked, moving to pull a pot of stuffing off the counter only to dump it into a serving bowl to be sat down onto the counter.
~*~
Furiosa thought that Max and Valerian were developing an interesting bond. It was one she approved of - in their dreams they’d never have that chance. Splendid would never have that chance. But this wasn’t the time to think about it. It was time to eat and drink and revel in the fact that they were a family. A strange family, but a family none-the-less. Her and Max and their girls.
She finished with the plates and then moved to finish taking care of the potatoes. She was good with potatoes. “Just save some of that white meat for me.”
~*~
Capable felt very relaxed and happy to be here, with her family, her proper family as far as she was concerned. She liked seeing how good Max was with Valerian and despite the dreams how well Splendid seemed to be doing as well.
She tried not to let the dreams play on her mind too much, it wouldn’t do any good after all. “I’m not sure I remember what Turkey tastes like” she commented randomly with a shrug. It wasn’t something she’d really eaten before at least not often.
~*~
"Dry chicken."
Max made the comment as he grudgingly offered Valerian back to his mother. Splendid would take the child for a while and then she'd hopefully give him back. They didn't speak on it, but it was obvious Max felt better when he had something to occupy himself with in her home. Her boy was the perfect way for him to give back since all new mothers needed a break from their babies every now and again.
He shrugged, "Better with a knife than likely anyone else here. Might as well dress the bird. Can say there will be plenty of white meat. Not so sure about the dark. Looks like its got skinny legs."
The observation had merely been a statement of fact until he'd said it aloud. Max startled a chuckle out of himself as he realized how it sounded.
"Sorry. Nothing wrong with skinny legs."
Gathering the carving knife out of the butcher's block in the kitchen, Max made his way to the table to start working on carving up the turkey which had been worked on so hard.
~*~
Wiping her hands off on her pants, Splendid took Valerian back and promptly gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Hopefully my turkey isn't dry." She teased Max, all the while moving dishes from the counter to the table while still holding onto Valerian until she was finished moving most of them over.
She too was trying hard not to dwell on any dreams. She hadn't told either one of the ladies that she'd dreamed of the shot, and of her falling to her death. Splendid knew it all, but she didn't want to put a damper on their dinner.
"But turkey does taste like chicken, and is best with gravy. Although if it's not dry it shouldn't need much gravy." She looked over their spread quickly, trying to see if there was anything that they were missing at this point. "The potatoes look great, Furiosa." She offered with a smile as she looked over at her, hoping that the other woman wasn't going to actually act upon tossing them at anyone.
Still, it would be funny if she did.
~*~
There were things that could easily put a damper on the dinner. What had happened to Splendid. No Green Place. Losing Nux (Or all of her war boys. They were victims too and she'd sacrificed them for her girls. She'd do it again, but that didn't mean she didn't feel bad.)
"You can't have turkey without the gravy. Or without master potatoes." And she was a master tater masher if she did say so herself.
She winked at Splendid, then flicked a fingertip's worth of potato at Capable's head.
~*~
“Then I will try with and without gravy” Capable told them with a smile as they all sat down.
Losing Nux had been a rather painful dream, especially after Splendid, he’d inspired happy thoughts in her dream self of choosing her own path in love but then he’d sacrificed himself and Capable was determined not to lose any of these people in her real life like she had in the dreams.
“Ah” Capable squeaked when potato landed on her, and she flicked a couple of peas back in retaliation.
~*~
Falling into a crouch at the edge of the table, Max could only be seen from the eyes up as he peered around suspiciously at the group. They were going mad. He'd been told it wasn't contagious, but they may have lied to him.
"Would rather eat the food than wear it. Told it wasn't catching. Think you've all gone mad anyway."
Max couldn't say he knew what a 'master potato' was though he could say the food smelled good. Everything smelled good. Madness could be worth it so long as they could work around it enough to eat some of the food they were throwing around. He'd been hungry before. Max didn't mind being hungry. He did mind the idea of wasting good food from the madness which afflicted him.
Splendid had worked too hard for them to go hungry.
"Sorry. Madness."
~*~
Splendid chuckled at the flick of potatoes and the retaliation given by Capable. They deserved to have a bit of fun, even if it was at the expense of a few potatoes and peas. She glanced over at Max, then laughed at how he was crouched at the end of the table with a shake of her head. "No, no madness here. Just a bit of fun." She shrugged, and then set about making herself a plate.
"I think we all deserve that much at least. Isn't that what Thanksgiving's about anyway?" She looked around at the group with a raised brow, "Enjoying time with your family?" It'd been a long time since she'd enjoyed time with anyone, let alone people that she considered her family.
~*~
Furiosa was grinning, but she gave Max a sympathetic look as she brushed peas off of her chest. "Splendid and I joked about food fights earlier, I couldn't resist." She winked at Capable, then took a seat. She thought Splendid was right. In a lot of ways Splendid had been the one to hold them all together and it had been difficult to step into that role after her death in the dream. It was interesting to see Splendid take up that role in the waking world.
"Does that make Max and me the mom and dad?"
~*~
Capable grinned back, she didn’t mind at all it was fun and relaxed and what people did with their families at times like this. At least according to movies and things.
Giggling Capable nodded, “Yep, or something like that anyway” she said, she kind of thought of Max as an older brother but Furiosa she definitely saw as a parental figure. Which wasn’t surprising since she had been the one to rescue Capable from an awful situation.
~*~
"Was a father once," Max said, cautiously rising from the edge of the table with Valerian balanced in his arms, "Was good at it. Wouldn't mind doing it again. Bit old though, Capable. Too old to be mine."
He winked at her as he settled at the table. Max made himself a plate with one hand, trying not to bang the serving spoons into his dish as he did. Food was food for him. It all smelled wonderful, looked as if it'd been made professionally, and he knew the work which had gone into it. Long arms allowed him to reach across the table to serve himself some of everything; Valerian was starting to drift in his arms.
The boy was tired from too much excitement. He didn't care it was a holiday. All Valerian knew was this was past the time he napped every day.
Max knew how he felt.
Time was more important to him than dates.
"Thank you. For being family."
~*~
She laughed softly, "We had. I still think it's funny." Splendid lifted a shoulder, and then glanced around at the spread before them. It had taken a while for her and Capable to get everything together, but it had been well worth it.
At least, she was hoping that it had been worth it. Everything looked good, at least, and she hoped that it tasted as well as it looked.
"Hm," Splendid replied with a small nod, "yeah, I think it is something like that." She glanced over at Furiosa with a smile before she began to make her own plate. Splendid paused for a moment at Max's thanks, and she gave a small nod. "Thank you. I'm glad that we all found each other here." Splendid didn't know what she'd do if she'd had to go through the dreams alone.
~*~
Car mom, that was who Furiosa was. Sister, mentor, mother, and it was a role she was finding herself growing into and more and more comfortable with.
"To family."