[F2F: Fred and Ramona] Welcome to Cooking with ‘Mona
He seemed to completely light up at the confirmation, like he’d only ever made a few friends and it was still a fresh feeling. Such a genuinely pleased smile was something few outside of those friends ever caused on that face. “Heh, yeah, I guess it really does then! Good. I’m definitely gonna make you somethin’ really good to try then. And you can tell me how to make it even better.”
His hand absent-mindedly felt his plate before he realized it was empty and gave it a sudden look. He walked back to the sink and rinsed the plate off, as well as his pizza-flavored fingers. Something kept getting to him, though. Like he’d forgotten something important. “… Oh man, I was supposed to visit Lance after I was done! I wanted to loan him my new comic book so he’d have something cool to read.” He plopped the plate in the sink and looked over his shoulder towards the hallway, seeming a little bummed that he had to go. But she was a friend now, and friends always had time to talk. “So can we hang out more sometime? You’re really nice.” He seemed totally genuine in that, if a little nervous and awkward about having a new friend. “And if you were gonna give him some, I can probably take some cookies up to Lance for you. So he gets ‘em while they’re still really fresh!” And he’d even resist sneaking one.
She nodded at his words. “The best way to learn, in my opinion, is to share ideas with others who follow in your passion. Otherwise, you don’t learn much at all, and it’s more frustrating than it is enjoyable.” As she’d said, it was her opinion, and it wasn’t meant to change his point on learning in the least. If anything, her words were to inspire support from his peers. Fred needed to know that not everyone was going to be mean to him, and those who were, were idiots at best. At the sudden heated thought, she blinked in surprise, but hid the reaction by looking at him as he recalled having to go visit Lance.
“I’d appreciate that,” she said softly before beginning to place the designated oatmeal cookies into a separate container so Fred could take them to the geokinetic. “And he’s very lucky to have a friend like you. And vice versa.” It was nice to see that despite how others may have seen Lance and Fred in the past (as hooligans or what have you), there was no denying that they had each others backs, which was something even the seemingly best of people rarely did.
Ramona placed a few cookies on top of the container when she handed it to Fred, posture definitely calmer now than it had been before. “Those are for you,” she elaborated, tiny laugh shaking her shoulders before she moved away. “And perhaps the next time we see each other, we can even attempt a recipe or two. That’d be fun.”
The Brit waved a polite goodbye as he exited the kitchen, definitely feeling better than she had been when he’d arrived. In a sense, the basic way he seemed to address everything helped her. Sure, things may plague her, but there were other factors in her life that combated them. Worries had distractions and bad memories had new memories. It was… simple. Mundane. But to know how these things words and to apply them were two very different things. And that was where she knew she’d falter—at least at first.
But, for now, she had more baking to do.
[end]
