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I'll be there soon! Talk to you in a bit.

[And then she hangs up, grinning down at her phone.]

[ Setting the oven doesn't take any more than two seconds, so after that's done, he mills around the kitchen for a bit. He has no idea what goes into baking things, so he doesn't bother with messing around the cupboards doing any more preparation, instead sitting down on the kitchen tiles and leaning back against the heating oven so he can warm his back.

What was he doing... It's the middle of the day- a school day- so he'd typically either be out walking or inside sleeping; he can't wander away now, so he takes the opportunity to close his eyes and grab a quick nap until he hears the door open. ]

[After a little bit, Nana appears!

She opens the door, with a canvas shopping bag in one hand. There are spices inside and, in fact, a package of... er... hamburger meat. She didn't understand what he meant by none pizza, left beef.

She peers into the kitchen.]

Hello~?

[ Small mercies is that Kano is a light sleeper, hopping to his feet when he hears footsteps and the rustle of a bag, and leans his elbows against the countertop to greet her. ]

Aah, you're back~! Welcome back! It looks like you bought a lot? Wah~ I didn't think you'd need so much to make none pizza!

We~ell...

[She deposits the bag on the counter, removing the contents in a somewhat orderly fashion -- her side of the room might be a mess but you don't mess around with your mise en place -- and then claps her hands together.]

I grabbed some extra garlic and butter! Pizza dough can be dry if you're not careful, and that could be really bad if there's not many toppings. Or only one!

So I got some garlic, some butter, and all the usual seasonings. And hamburger, since I couldn't find "Left Beef" in the store. What is that, anyways?

[ For the most part, bread is just bread to Kano, so he'd never really given much thought into what goes into what, or the logistics of how toppings affect moisture content of dough... Nana having the insight to all of this is impressive, but what's even more impressive is the fact that she doesn't know "none pizza with left beef." ]

Haha, left beef is left beef~ Here, I'll show you!

[ He pulls his phone out again- an old flip phone, very well worn but unlike many people's fancy smartphones, the screen is wildly scratched but has never been cracked- and pulls up the internet so he can scrounge the internet for the post.

He pulls up this post, pretty much self-explanatory. ]

Oh, so it was--

[She's staring. She's processing.

Give her a moment.

It dawns on her, slowly: this is the work of chain pizza to create something very terrifying. Also, the meat is just... sprinkled randomly, and--]

[Nana gets a grave expression on her face.]

Whoever served you this will never get to hurt you again.

[She nods solemnly.]

...Haha~ Is that a death threat?

[ It sounds like it and he sounds both delighted and proud. This is where he should step in and say it's okay, the incident was all in the past, or maybe that this is just a meme and didn't actually happen to him.

Instead, he laughs and goads her on. ]

Isn't it an absolute travesty? An insult to my very honor, receiving a pizza like this!

It’s definitely a cooking crime!

[She looks sideways at him, then she smiles. And she contemplates.]

I can make something a lot better. I wonder why they would ever send a pizza like that...

[ Probably because somebody ordered and paid for it, and "the customer is always right," even if it's something absolutely ridiculous like this. The meme is funny in itself, but actually baking the pizza and eating it? probably not. ]

I believe you! That's why I'm excited getting to try something else that you make~

[ Something with no bananas... It's rare, but it happens sometimes. ]

[One day... one day, Nana will learn the truth.

But she won't this day. She beams at Kano, pleased with that -- and she starts to get all the ingredients lined up and checking the mixer, et cetera, et cetera.]

This one is more of an experiment! But you'll have plenty of chances to try things I bake, I think!

And experiments are fun. They push me to try new things. Have you ever baked before at all?

[ This is why rooming on the same floor as Nana is the best; he doesn't even have to go downstairs and find an open dining hall or whatever when he's hungry, he can just hop over a door and see if there's any pastries she needs to get rid of before the end of the day. ]

Baking, huh~ [ crickets... No, that was a griddle and Ellie took care of that one. ]

Nothing like food, but I've stuck clay in the oven before! Ah, and Shrinky Dinks! Have you ever played with Shrinky Dinks?

[The pros of living near the amateur baker.

She looks up, though, and blinks. She shakes her head.] I've done a little with clay, but.. I've never heard of a Shrinky Dink. What are those?

You've never played with Shrinky Dinks before? It's an experience! An experience!! It's no good if I just tell you- I'll bring you some later and we can bake them together!

[ Kids these days and their fancy technology never knowing the joys of sticking plastic in the oven... He will have to fix that immediately. ]

I never have! I'm not entirely sure what they are... but I'm excited to find out!

[Toys they can bake??

Are they edible?

This sounds amazing!!]

The name is very cute, too.

[ Kano thought it was a pretty stupid name when he'd first seen it when he was little, but it's sort of... cute... maybe. They're fun to watch, if anything else, and seeing the paper shrink and thicken behind the oven glass was something akin to magic for little kids, much like watching bread rise and bake in the oven. That's not something he ever got to do, though, either in the orphanage or when he was living with his mother. ]

Look forward to it, then~ But for now, I'm looking forward to this! Watching you bake~ You always look happy doing it~

[And indeed, almost on cue:

Nana slips the pizza dough, now flattened out like a disc, into the oven. She is using a pizza stone for it because Nana takes baking seriously. She claps her hands together, then turns to face him.]

I do like baking. It's... hmm. It's nice. I get to make something for other people, they're happy while they eat it... it's rewarding, that way.

I liked to do it since I was little.

[ That's always something nice to see- people doing what makes them happy- so that even though he doesn't really like eating or eating in front of people, he'll make a point to put on a good show here.

How long do pizzas take to bake...? He goes ahead and parks himself in front of the oven again, in a crouch with his arms around his knees so he can state into the oven to watch the pizza, and once in a while glance up at Nana's reflection in the glass. ]

I'm curious about something~ Can I ask? I don't think I ever asked! Do you have siblings, Nana-chan?

Oh--oh, no, I don't mind if you ask me.

[Nana's not crouched over -- she actually leans back against the table, arms folded, and looks down at the glass. Her left leg hooks behind her right, as she thinks about that. She smiles.

It's a little wistful.]

Nope. No siblings... I always wanted one, but... I'm an only child.

Hu~h... You're real good at taking care of people, so I sort of thought you'd be one! Kinda like Minako, except not as scary!

[ Minako, the sister slash leader who rules with an iron fist... Though most of the time it's Kano doing something to deserve that fist. He's quiet for a bit, staring at his own reflection, and then pipes up again. ]

...You like it at school, then? Living in the dorms like this, it's kinda like having a huge family to look out for! Or something like a community?

[Nana laughs.] She seems like she could get scary... no, um, I never did--I guess I... always worked hard to make friends, though, because of it.

[She glances to her feet, breaking eye contact through the reflection to study her shoes.]

...I like it a lot.

Having all of these people around me, feeling like... I can help make them happy, and feel safe, and make it feel like home. I know not everyone sees it that way, that it's really hard for a lot people, but just knowing I can do even a little bit so they don't have to feel quite as lonely. It's...

[She feels her guard slipping away, and her fingers -- which had been grabbing the edge of the table that she was leaning on -- loosen.]

...It's one of the most wonderful things that ever happened to me.

[ —oh. Oh no, no no no, this is starting to sound like one of those heartfelt conversations she's supposed to be having with one of her close friends, not somebody like him, he thinks, catching the pauses in her words and turning on his heels so he can look up at her in person and non just her reflection- pushes himself up onto his feet and ends up standing on the same edge of the table Nana stands. ]

I'm sure you've made it like that for a lot of people! Like a "home" or that it's "safe" or... um. Like for me! Getting to know you when I came here, that made me happy! Living in the dorms has been great, 'cause I get to see you every day! It's like that!

[Nana blinks, looking up to meet his eyes. And she starts to turn red in the face when he says that he gets to see her every day. She's conscious that she let her guard down. Her fingers curl back around the edge of the table.]

...Really? I did? I'm glad. It's important to me.

[That's not putting her guard back up, she tells herself. But it's nice to hear. Even if he looks... flustered? She isn't sure.]

I've liked getting to know you, too. And do all the fun, weird, different things we get into together. I never really did anything like... sledding down snow mountains -- that didn't happen, really -- [She winks.] ...or running away from crickets, baking none pizza, or... all of those things I never thought to do until I came here.

[ He'll take happy and embarrassed over the previous sad and sentimental- he can handle happier things better, settling down a little as he listens and inclined to believe her when she says that she had a good time. It feels a little like a job well done on his part of well, messy and unsuspected circumstances though much of it was. ]

Haha~ And all of that in just the past month, huh? Here's to many more months, to you and me~

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