(no subject)

[pullsneedles]

The house is nice and clean and there's cider simmering on the stove. The table has a small buffet setup with curry and make-your-own-riceballs.

With how cozy the house is, it'd be hard to guess that four people could have ever lived comfortably here, especially when two of them were young boys. There's a big bed with a blue pillow and a dresser with a mirror, a scrap of red cloth, and a little blue shoe.

Outside, Wess, Lighter, and Fuel are all waiting with Boney and the sheep. There's a fence, a doghouse, and a small stable.

Each person is easy to tell from the others. Wess is clearly the oldest, somewhat short with white, sparse hair. Lighter is tall and muscular, stubble on his chin and a 2x4 on his shoulder. Fuel looks to be about the same size as Lucas, the light still in his young eyes. All three are bundled up, with Fuel running around with Boney.

"Welcome to my house," Lucas says as he brings everybody in.

Comments

[pullsneedles]

Lucas has set some plates and bowls on the table. The family kept just enough so that they could entertain company should they visit.

He also pulls himself away from Boney, though the dog follows along, and he washes his hands up so that he can serve the food.

"Mister Beauford helped me a lot with this. And you can pick what you wanna put in your riceballs."

There is a small but nice sampling of pickled and cooked fillings to be put in the middle of the riceballs as well as a bowl of salt water for people who want to make them by hand and a riceball mold for people who don't.

[a1enzo]

Enzo looks over the ingredients.

"Oh, it's sushi! Sushi balls?"

[pullsneedles]

"I guess so," Lucas says, who is unfamiliar with rice in general and wouldn't really know the difference anyway.

[a1enzo]

"Cool." Enzo grabs some random fish and starts packing rice around it.

It falls apart again almost immediately.

[pullsneedles]

"There's a riceball mold here if you wanna try that," he says, offering the mold to Enzo.

[a1enzo]

"No. I can do this."

Pack, pack, squeeze.

Enzo's hands are large and strong. They are now also covered with rice, but the ball (for a given value of 'ball') stays together. Enzo looks triumphant and attempts to cram the entire thing in his mouth.

We're so sorry about this.

[pullsneedles]

What he ends up getting is Lucas and Fuel snickering at him while Lighter and Wess start helping themselves to the curry.

[a1enzo]

"Omph urf glomph!"

Heroic pose!

[pullsneedles]

This makes the boys laugh even louder and even the adults are snickering now.

Fuel helps himself to some of the sticky rice and starts making his own riceball. Boney is nosing around at people's knees to try to get some of the good cooked fish.

Lucas decides that, while everyone is busy getting food, he'll go ahead and get things for people to drink. He heads to the cabinet and starts getting out mugs.

"Do you want cider, Enzo?"

[a1enzo]

"Mmph, fur..." Enzo manages to swallow the last of his rice ball. "Sure, thanks!"

[pullsneedles]

Lucas starts ladling out mugs of hot cider for everybody.

And when he hands Enzo his mug, he quietly asks, "Am I doing this party thing all right so far?"

[a1enzo]

"Sure are!" Enzo whispers back.

People, and food for them to eat, are all you really need, after all.

[pullsneedles]

He smiles in relief.

And everyone sits at the table with their food.

"So, you came to see the train they're building?" Lighter asks Enzo.

"I wanna see the train!" Fuel says with excitement. "I never seen one before."

[a1enzo]

"Oh, yeah! We don't have them in my town."

Technically true. Not the same kind they're likely to have here.

[pullsneedles]

"Might be the one good change that's coming," Wess comments.

"But we're watching Tazmily, Mister Wess," Lucas says over his plate. "It'll be all right."

"Right," Wess says with some hope.

One thing Tazmily seems to have plenty of, hope.

[a1enzo]

Speaking of changes...

"So, hey. Lucas told me about these things people are getting around here called... Happy Boxes? What's up with those?"

[pullsneedles]

"I don't know," Lighter says, frowning. "Isaac has one but I don't know what he does with it. I know he keeps the box it came in for firewood."

"At least some use came of it," Wess adds before taking a drink of cider.

"I don't get it," Fuel comments. "I mean, we're plenty happy, aren't we, Dad?"

"I think so, too, Fuel," Lighter tells his son.

"I think I'm happy," Lucas speaks up.

Fuel smiles at this but Lighter and Wess have more muted expressions.

"I mean, even knowin' everything that's happened, I guess I'm happy," our host adds.

[a1enzo]

"I think I'd like to have a look at one, after we're done here."

Enzo tries to make it clear from his tone that this is not with a view to getting one.

[pullsneedles]

Lighter and Wess, being the adults, look at each other wondering. Kid comes outta nowhere on Lucas's invitation and says he wants to see a Happy Box?

Fuel doesn't get the subtleties of tone and he asks, "Whacha gonna do with it?"

[a1enzo]

"Just see what it's all about."

[pullsneedles]

No one seems to find any harm in this.

"We could ask Mr. Abbot and Mrs. Abbey," Lucas suggets. "Or maybe Mister Isaac if he's home."

"He should be home," Lighter confirms. "And probably closer, too."

"Are you going to see him on the way to seeing your mom?" Wess asks.

"Yeah, I think so," Lucas answers.

[a1enzo]

"Cool. Thanks."

That settled, he applies himself to a very large bowl of curry.