losthunter | Sleepovers with Someone to Cling to ((Verity))

Entry tags:

rp scene,
verity

Sleepovers with Someone to Cling to ((Verity))

It has been a quiet week for Hunter. One of the advantages of the quiet is the fact that Hunter has had lots of time to work on his artwork. (Perhaps a little bit too much time, in all reality).

So receiving a message from Verity was a good thing, all things considered. Hunter really had wanted to speak to her, about some small things going on in his life. And just have a fun night with a great friend. So they had decided to have a good-ol' fashioned sleepover.

Knowing that Verity was going to stay the night -- and having no qualms with sharing his bed with his good friend -- Hunter had made sure to bring out his best rose-themed sheets for the King-sized bed.

He also raided the closest convenience store to stock up on a few snack goodies for the evening. But of course, for the wine selection of the evening, Hunter went to one of his favourite stores. There he also picked up some cheese selections of the evening.

Almost was ready for Verity to arrive. Hunter's apartment is very open concept. The kitchen, dining room and living room are all visible from the doorway. Of course, his art studio is a little more tucked away -- close to the balcony, and where Hunter grows his roses.

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"I know some people are always going to be afraid of things they don't understand. Hell, I'm afraid of magic still sometimes." Go on, give her a piece of magic jewelry, watch her freak out about touching it. Or don't because Hunter's a nice guy. "It's when someone who I think of as a friend doesn't trust me that I get upset."

"I am guessing that statement is not hypothetical," Hunter hugs her tighter.

"No," she sighs. She's not sure if she can physically get any closer to him right now or else she'd be trying. "Sometimes I think Han is determined to dislike everything I'm good at. Sometimes, I'm not sure he even likes me very much. It's very confusing."

Most emotional things are, for her, in case he hadn't noticed.

"I know how difficult that feeling is. To feel so close to someone, but have them push you away."

"It doesn't make you feel very special."

Hunter leans down, to mutter in her ear affectionately, "But if it counts, I think you are very special."

'Special'. That's something she gave up on a long time ago. Being seen would have been enough. Seen and accepted would have been amazing. Considered special? No, that dream died when she realized her parents never smiled at her.

But there are other people now, and some of them are very kind. It's going to take some getting used to.

"It counts," she whispers. "'Course your opinion counts."

"I'm glad." Hunter kisses the top of her forehead. Of course he thinks she is special. She is his closest friend and he loves her.

"So, should we keep snacking on crackers and pate? Or is there an entrée?"

She's exceptionally lucky, in that regard, and she loves him too.

"Mm. There is. I brought things to make pizza. Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it sounds. Just deciding on toppings and then basically melting the cheese in the oven. I wasn't sure what you like so I brought a bunch of things."

"I love pizza." Hunter wraps his arms around Verity, and finally lifts her off him so they could stand up.

"I am one of those... the more meat the better." He laughs, because that statement could have a double meaning, even though he is just talking about pizza.

"Eep!" Getting picked up like that is a surprise. She's gonna get him back for that later.

"I'm sure." The reply is deadpan, but the set of her eyebrows suggests she has some idea what other meanings there could be. "I think you'll be happy with the selection."

To the kitchen! She gathers up the plate and her glasses and their glasses, then he can watch her take over his whole kitchen. First thing she does is unpack her knives and hone them. "Want to get the food out while I'm doing this?"

She asked, this time; progress! There's a whole small pepperoni, paper-thin prosciutto, crumbled bacon and sausage that's already been cooked, and some shredded chicken. Plenty of options for him. There's also some pre-cooked spinach, caramelized onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, diced pineapple, and some blackberries. And of course, there's cheese: mozzerella, parmesan, and something that looks and smells like a very smooth cheddar. There's red sauce and white, and crusts that are mostly baked and waiting for that last lovely toasting.

"I hope I didn't forget anything?"

Hunter starts taking all her supplies out of the kitchen. He approves of the pepperoni, crumbled bacon and sausage, and the shredded chicken. The spinach and caramelized onions look great too.

The blackberries get a confused look from him.

"Okay, this makes me curious." Hunter gestures to the blackberries.

"Hmm?" She finishes with the knife she's holding before looking over. "Oh. With the prosciutto and mozz and some spinach. It's kind of like a salad with the ratios switched around. You can try a bite of mine if you'd like. So, what's your pleasure?"

Hunter looks down at everything that is available. Then finally decides on the chicken, spinach, onions, bacon and the mozzarella and parmesan.

"I think this would be a great pizza."

"Mm, that'll be delicious. You want a sauce or just olive oil?" She'll start slicing the mozzarella while he decides. "The white sauce is a basic alfredo but made with Greek yogurt instead of all cream. It's mild but a little tangy. The red is made with roasted tomatoes and bell peppers. It's kind of spicy."

"I will go with spicy." Hunter selects the red sauce. "What should I do first?"

"First, we turn on the oven," click! "and prepare the crust." She unwraps the crusts and slides them onto a sheet pan, then mists a little olive oil over them--a flip, and she does the other side too. "Now, take a big soup spoon's worth of sauce, put it in the middle, and use the spoon to swirl it around the crust. You can add more if you want, but not too much or else it'll be soggy and the toppings will slide off when you try to eat it."

She'll show him how on her crust, but really, it's not complicated. "Then take some spinach and hold it loosely with your fingertips. Rub your thumb up and down to break up the clumps while you sprinkle it over the sauce." Again, she'll demonstrate. The spinach isn't dried out, but it's dry enough to not make the pizza a soggy mess.

"Then spoon little mounds of onions around the top and use the spoon to smooth them out over the spinach as best you can. It's not going to be perfect and that's okay. Then you do the chicken like you did the spinach, put a layer of mozz over the top, then bacon, then parm."

Her own pizza deviates from his directions after the spinach: she's spreading prosciutto out, then putting down a thin layer of mozz before placing the berries around on top.

Hunter listens carefully to her instructions, watching her at the same time. He follows along, first starting with the sauce, and then the spinach.

He then starts with the onions and the chicken. He is finding it a lot of fun. And he is having a great time, learning about pizza making.

"Is this homemade dough?"

"Mm-hmm. I made the dough yesterday and baked it this morning. The dough needs time to rise, like bread, so you have to plan ahead a little. But letting the dough rise doesn't take effort, just counter space. The patience sometimes takes effort."

Hers'll be ready first, but that's okay, that gives her time to wash the berry juices off her hands before getting out the grater to do the parm. "I can teach you how to make the dough someday if you'd like."

"I understand a lot about the importance of being patience." Hunter laughed. He is taking his time now with the final toppings, trying to make the pizza look artistic in a way.

When he is done, he has a vase of flowers on his pizza.

"That would be great."

Verity looks over when he's done and can't help smirking at him. "Yours is prettier than mine. Next time, you do the toppings, I'll do the cooking."

She's going to have to step things up for his birthday party. Honor demands it. "Now we put these in the oven for about five minutes. You want some salad or something to go with it? Or is healthy food verboten at sleepovers?"

"What can I say, I was inspired." Hunter chuckles lightly. He had enjoyed making the topping design, so would not have minded making one for Verity too.

"I have always enjoyed a good Chef salad." And he actually does have the supplies in the fridge for it, in case those ingredients were not included in Verity's supplies.

"You're the artist." Whatever inspires him she figures must be a good thing.

"I think we can manage a chef's salad." She didn't bring quite everything for that, but between them, they should be able to manage. It won't take long for her to slice and dice everything; she's got mad knife skills from years and years of practice. "What kind of dressing do you like?"

Hunter notes that one should be careful in their teasing, especially watching her with those mad knife skills.

"A light Balsamic would be enough."

It's never a good idea to mess with someone who keeps her knives so sharp, no.

"That's easy." She'll add a garlic clove to her chopping, mincing it so fine it could nearly fit through a sieve. "I find one part balsamic to three parts oil is a good ratio. Then you just add some garlic, salt and pepper, and a little sweetness to taste. It's easier to scale the recipe when you think of it in ratios," she explains. The now-empty spinach container is given a quick rinse before being repurposed for the dressing.

"You want to plate the salad all pretty while I finish this up?"

Hunter chuckles lightly and gets to work. He starts by slicing the cucumbers nice and thin, then using them as a little ring base to other components of the salad. He makes about a eight rings. The egg slices he puts around the plate. Then stuffs the rings with the ham, salad, avocado, tomatoes and cheese.

"How is this for pretty?"

"Showoff." She's been admiring it the whole time while he worked, and obvious teasing is obvious. "Looks perf actually. As you well know. Clear off the cutting board so I can slice the pizzas, please?"

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