vatheon | Tomorrow It May Change

Who: Chizuru Yukimura & Hajime Saitou
When: Friday
Where: Their house in the Coral Corral
Style: Prose
Status: In Progress

     The conveniences of a small dwelling place were probably all the more appreciated when the work was to be split between two in its upkeep. Such was hardly a troublesome matter when the two said residents kept things neat and clean out of habit and on a regular basis.

     Granted there were still some things that took some getting used to. At least Saitou had become more accustomed to having to push doors open rather than try to slide them, for one. And then there was the matter of the kitchen, which had at first been quite the bizarre thing to explore for all its unusual hardware. It was fortunate that they hadn't accidentally burnt the place down, but both Saitou and Chizuru were probably too careful for something like that anyway.

     Now that things had once again quieted down around the city, it wasn't hard to fall back into routine. Dishes need to be washed. Food needed to be put away. Sweeping, washing the windows, plenty of light chores to tend to.

     In the garage, the flooring for their dojo seemed to be coming along nicely. Wooden planks covered most of the cement floor, and it would have probably even been almost finished by now had not the last curse swept through the city. Saitou had paused from his dusting to survey the work that had been done, standing at the inner doorway. The volunteers had gone off for a break, leaving the house to its usual level of quiet once again, a silence that the samurai was both thankful for and yet at times found almost grating. He wouldn't be able to deny that he missed the noise of his comrades, whether it be from sparring or for some silly matter. Once the dojo was completed, he knew even then it wouldn't be quite the same.

     Sighing quietly, he began to turn away from the garage and back towards the hall.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Chizuru appreciated some of the new technologies. The fridge kept food longer, and the stove was quite familiar in how it worked. The oven hadn't been used until Saitou had began to live with her, and that had been a two person attempt that resulted in them forgetting about it and ruining the meal and the container used to contain it. They had it figured out now, though, and they had made a few 'casseroles' with it that were quite good.

There were new utensils to help peel foods, remove cores and seeds, and grate cheese. Speaking of which, they were now exposed to types of foods they weren't before. They stuck to a mostly Japanese-style menu, but sometimes Chizuru would bring another culture's meals home pre-made and she'd try to figure out how it was made as they ate it.

This, though. This.

Chizuru was standing in front of the microwave, thoughtfully. And she was staring at it. As far as she knew, Saitou had never used it. It was meant to be for convenience, so she was told, but Chizuru had never quite grasped the concept of the microwave. It seemed like no matter what she did, she couldn't use it the way it should be. Either her food was still cold in the middle, or it came out piping hot and the edges were slightly burnt. Or perhaps the top. Wasn't the .. thing that spun in the middle supposed to prevent that?

If she could master this, then she could make larger dishes and they could eat leftovers. Then they could save time and work on other things. Chizuru was now "employed" at the clinic, had a half-business to run with Tohru, and was learning from Mister Labrador. She still wanted to help as much as she could at home as was possible.

     When Saitou had first seen the microwave, he'd thought it a very fancy if impractical display cabinet. It baffled him when Chizuru informed him that it was a device used to heat food. What was wrong with the oven?

     He'd left the thing alone, deciding there was nothing wrong with keeping to simpler methods. Not that the stove had been quite that simple at first, at least, not until the dials and such had been figured out. It was quite convenient not having to look for wood to burn, especially so when you were living in a bubble beneath the sea.

     Saitou stepped into the kitchen, brow quirked slightly as he saw Chizuru there. She seemed to be in deep thought, as she didn't seem to be in any hurry to budge. "...is something the matter?" he finally decided to ask.

"Oh," she startles slightly and then looks over to Saitou. "So, this microwave. It's to warm up leftovers. You can cook more at once then, and enjoy them later. And since we've been pretty busy.. I've been trying to figure it out. But, every time I use it.."

She pauses, feeling a bit silly about what she's going to say. It was true, though!

"It either comes out too hot and burnt on the edges, or it's freezing in the center. It seems like it's a lot of guess work to get the right time. Anyway, what do you think about us cooking more when we do so we can put the remainders in the fridge and warm it up using the oven or the microwave?"

Chizuru turned to him then, eager to hear his input. Saitou was pretty efficient when it came to.. near everything, so she wondered if he would like the idea of saving time.

     From Chizuru, Saitou looked back towards the microwave as he listened to what the girl had to say. She seemed quite determined in trying to get the hang of trying to work the thing that it was only fair that he paid attention.

     "Hm." He pursed his lips in thought, stroking his chin with a hand as he tucked the other beneath his elbow. "That does not seem like a bad idea. It would make it much easier to cook a quick meal in the case that either of us are too busy to make full preparations. And if we find ourselves returning later than we would usually take a meal, at least the one can eat and the other will have something to partake of once they return home."

     His eyes drifted towards the fridge, another unusual but he had to admit, useful device. He nodded. "We shouldn't cook too much, and I do not think we will need to do it very often."

Chizuru nods. She realizes it'd be best for them not to need leftovers often, but the option was there. Besides, then she could surprise him with some new dish once in a while for when he came home.

Nodding her head once more thoughtfully, she folds her hands in her lap.

"How is the Defense Force going? I decided not to join; I already got involved with a business deal and the clinic takes up quite a bit of my time."

From what she knew, the Defense Force wasn't lacking in members, either. She may just be another name to add to the list if she were to join.

He realized that he would probably need to eventually learn the workings of this 'microwave,' but for now, such could wait.

"I see. Being in the Defense Force has been uneventful, but I am sure that people will not object to a lack of problems that needs be dealt with. My duties are not too unusual from what I did with my division in the Shinsengumi, and I am usually on patrol in the central quadrant."

"Are you happy that it's similar?" she asks, tilting her head. The question was more out of curiosity than anything. Saitou was the reliable type, or at least she felt, but maybe he wanted to mix things up the odd time instead of only doing what he already knew well.

"Having a familiar routine in such a place does not seem a bad thing," Saitou replied. "I do not mind it." It was only natural for one to be drawn to things that they knew. Perhaps he was more homesick than he realized.

Tomorrow It May Change

so doing the microwave thing.

xD

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