the graceless

[instar]

Bella sits out, this year as every year, from gym class. It's just asking for a lawsuit. She does stretches and crunches and push-ups in the corner.

Comments

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah, like I said. What recipe?"

[kindestgarden]

"You just play it by ear?"

[aeskhyne]

"Works out pretty well, don't it?"

[kindestgarden]

"Apparently!"

[aeskhyne]

He giggles.

[pandion]

"No way, whenever I make stuff up when I bake I get glop."

[aeskhyne]

"I," says Trouble, "have practice."

[pandion]

"So you got a lot of glop first?"

[aeskhyne]

He shrugs. "Some, yeah. Sometimes I used recipes. I didn't reinvent pie from scratch or anything."

[instar]

"Inventing pie would be quite an achievement. Mom, can I have seconds?"

[kindestgarden]

"Just a small one, but sure."

[instar]

Bella hops up and collects a small second slice of pie.

[aeskhyne]

...Trouble watches this interchange.

[pandion]

"It's really good pie but I'm actually kind of in a chocolate mood, is there any of our birthday cake left?"

[instar]

"Should be, I had the second-to-last slice yesterday. All yours."

[pandion]

Andi gets a slice of chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and 15 written on it in blue icing out of the fridge and has it in lieu of a second slice of pie.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble eyes the remaining pie speculatively.

[pandion]

"If one of us gets seconds we can all have seconds," Andi informs him.

[aeskhyne]

"I'm deciding if I want any."

[instar]

Bella steals a bite of Andi's slice of birthday cake.

[pandion]

Andi snorts and steals a bite of Bella's second slice of pie.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble giggles.

[pandion]

"That's a sisters privilege," says Andi, pointing her fork at Trouble, "if you had any designs on my cake."

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah, I figured," he says.

[pandion]

"Long as that's clear," says Andi contently.