Five: In Which Klaus Leads a Mundane Life

[myblimpisbigger]

A. Action (Grocery Store)

[It's time for Klaus's usual grocery trip to stock up on waffle ingredients. Sure, he's buying more than that, but that's really all that's important. He has therefore filled his shopping basket with about five boxes of waffle mix, as many bottles of syrup. They are all different brands. Baron Wulfenbach is going to be running an experiment when he gets home.

Bother him and ask what in the world he's doing with that much breakfast material?]

B. Phone; Garviel

Are you perhaps interested in meeting for tea this afternoon? We haven't spoken in far too long and frankly I need a break.

C. Action (729 Anderson); Hiccup

[Alright, Hiccup. The jig is up. Klaus has noticed you've been much happier as of late than you've been in months, and he's fairly certain it can't just be because Lucrezia is permadroned again. So he corners you in the kitchen as he puts down the bags of waffle mix he bought earlier and does what any good father would do: he pries.]

Has something happened that you haven't told me about? You seem to be in such good spirits.

Comments

B. Phone; Garviel

[captainofthe10th]

Always my friend. I shall be over promptly.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Gosh, it's so good to have a dependable space marine for a friend. By the time Garviel arrives, the water is on and there are mugs already set out. Delicate little teacups simply cannot hold enough tea for MANLY stomachs.]

[captainofthe10th]

Ah, I see you remembered the kind I liked. [ he booms as he opens the door. Knocking is for people who aren't bros! ]

How do you do, klaus? I'm sure you found the carnival... interesting.

[myblimpisbigger]

[PSHHHH KNOCKING. THAT'S IT. THAT'S THE JOKE.]

I was lucky enough to stay out of it, thank goodness. I suppose after two years Mayfield may very well have given up on me. The last real interest they took in me was returning my sword, which is hardly in its usual vein of abuse.

[captainofthe10th]

Perhaps that is for the best. However, I think you are aware the town seems to be breaking down.

I may need your help to bring a positive end to all of this.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Klaus turns off the kettle when it starts to whistle and pours Garviel his tea.]

Yes. It's been apparent to me for quite some time, and it's only been getting more obvious as of late. I'd quite enjoy fighting by your side when the dam eventually bursts, if you need my help. I may as well win the fight here even if I've lost it back in Europa.

[And will he have to go home, when Mayfield ends? Home to failure?

Better not think about it.]

[captainofthe10th]

Thank you. [ He sips his tea and nods. ]

Well, who is to say you have lost? As long as you live, you can still fight.

[myblimpisbigger]

Not when I am under orders not to fight that it is physically impossible to disobey. I have explained slaver wasps to you, haven't I?

[captainofthe10th]

Briefly, I believe. But a man of your skill can surely.... devise something?

[a: action]

[wolfishsurvivalist]

[She looks up from what she was doing--going over her list, making sure she has more than just a giant stockpile of meat and cookie ingredients--and notices Klaus's collection. She can't help herself.]

What, you're not going to try making your waffles from scratch?

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh, psh!]

Oh, I already have the ingredients for that. My usual recipe will be the control group. I'm looking for ways to improve it and I'm curious as to whether any of these mixes might be beneficial.

[wolfishsurvivalist]

Ohhh...

[Yes because this makes so much sense. Actually, coming from Klaus, it kind of does.]

Premade mixes aren't always better, but feel free to share your discoveries if you make any breakthroughs.

[myblimpisbigger]

[It totally makes sense, shh. Just let science happen.]

I don't expect them to be better, but perhaps there are certain ratios or ingredients that give them a unique edge, and as ingredients are listed on the boxes there really is no reason not to inquire further.

[wolfishsurvivalist]

Possibly. At least this is an era before most of the ingredients are natural and not weird lab-made compounds. Well, that kind of kitchen science is beyond me, so good luck.

[myblimpisbigger]

It really isn't difficult; just simple chemistry. And you needn't even be as exact, given that there's far less likelihood of an explosion

[wolfishsurvivalist]

Still, I'm not the best at modifying recipes, I just follow them and hope for the best.

C.

[worstvikingever]

[WHAT WHOA WHEN DID IT GET TO BE INTERROGATION TIME HUH

which is to say that suddenly having Klaus there politely looming is not comforting

ever

even when you've been living with him for a year and half]

What?

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh. :c

He'll work on the looming. It's just so natural...]

I do pay attention to you, you know. And I've noticed that you're actually acting upbeat for the first time in quite some time. The logical conclusion is that something has changed.

[worstvikingever]

Oh. Oh.

[Sorry, 'scuse him for a sec while he realizes and adjusts to the fact that this is not the Spanish Inquisition, even if he knew what that was.]

It's just... [He looks a little embarrassed and scratches his head.] ...Toothless is back.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Oh! Oh. Right.]

Ah! Your dragon, correct?

[It strikes him that the last time they talked about Toothless, Hiccup was having his limbs systematically removed.

Aaaaawkward.]

[worstvikingever]

[Hiccup doesn't remember what he was talking about when that happened so thankfully it's only one-sided awkwardness.]

Yeah! I mean. Okay yeah it's terrible that he's stuck here like the rest of us, but...

[He sighs.]

I dunno. It's really good to see him again.

[myblimpisbigger]

I'm sure it is. A friend from home can work wonders, here.

[Says the guy that keeps losing all of his. He was even starting to really enjoy Lucrezia's company! So it's probably good that she's gone.]

You've never explained much about dragons to me. We don't have anything similar in my world -- at least, not naturally occurring.

[worstvikingever]

I didn't? Oh. Huh. Um. Well. What would you like to know?

A - Grocery Store

[photonicfighter]

[It's Dakki's turn to do the groceries, so there she is, working her way through the aisles and consulting her list... when oh. Oh? OH. It's... that man. The large one. That was having such a bad day not too long ago.

She's about to turn her cart down another aisle, but she hesitates. Something seems odd. A little strange. For instance... why is he putting one of every bottle of syrup into his cart?]

Er.

[Well, here goes. Worse comes to worse, she can test her theories about the usefulness of shopping carts in combat situations.]

That's an awful lot of syrup.

[myblimpisbigger]

[Yes. Yes it is.]

I intend to do science to it, and thus need a large sample size.

[photonicfighter]

Do... science to it?

[This particular combination of words seems to be giving her a bit of trouble to parse. Weren't... scientific sorts more... scientific about describing their science?

She tilts her head.]

To syrup?

A

[forgotten_titan]

That's, umm....that's a lot of syrup. You might get sick from eating all of that.

[myblimpisbigger]

Oh, I don't plan to eat it all in one sitting. Though I assure you, it takes far more than overeating to make me sick.

[No, really. He got himself infected with every disease known in his time from the common cold all the way up to the really serious ones in the name of building immunity and being that much harder to kill. He'll be fiiiiine.]

[forgotten_titan]

Ooookaaayyy...

Are you having a waffle party or something?

[myblimpisbigger]

IN a manner of speaking. I am testing the various mixes against my own recipe in order to determine which is the most optimal in terms of waffle-making.

[You know, as you do. He's been here two years, it's getting hard to find things to do.]

A.

[balaton]

You need more vegetables in that basket.

... HUNGARY SWEETIE...........

[myblimpisbigger]

I have plenty at home. This is material for a very specific scientific study.

BUT HE DOES

[balaton]

A Foray into Traditional Belgian Breakfast, perhaps?

[myblimpisbigger]

Transylvanian, actually. I intend to discover and perfect the ultimate waffle recipe.

[EXCELLENT LIFE DECISIONS????]

[a action]

[sgtgunpla]

[Being an animal in Mayfield is suffering. No drone-run shop will let him in. So he's outside looking in but when Klaus leaves, one box of waffle mix somehow falls out of the bag and onto the alien frog's head.]

Hey! What's the big id--

[Keroro stops mid way because what is that giant shadow over him passing by.]

Hey wait up! You dropped this, de arimasu!

A

[disciplewhomsignlessloves]

[Since she's taken to venturing out to the grocery store only on rare occasions, it's random chance that sets her at the place at the same time as him. Her cart is only partly filled, mostly oranges and meat at this point, and she seems to forget she has to use it on occasion, carrying a few things of milk by hand.

Pushing with one hand does make it difficult to steer--and her cart slams into his. The handle slams into her chest in turn, sending the milk dropping to the floor]

Ow--fuck... [Her expletive fades into a hiss as she notices the milk. At this point she looks up and notices the other cart. Oops.]

A

[logic_and_magic]

[Well this young man has come to the grocery store to get something to eat. Why? Drone cooking sucks. As he wanders around filling a bag of fruits, he's going to notice a very tall man why always tall?) with way too much waffle mix and syrup.]

...Why would you need so much of that one item?

Grocery Store

[best_weapon_ever]

[Have a weapon peeking at your basket.]

That's a lot of ingredients. Are you having a party?

Action

[begintheoperation]

[Fran can be seen coming down the lane in the opposite direction, examining the cereals with a thoughtful eye.]

A

[ra_ra_razputin]

What are you making? The world's biggest waffle?

A. Action (Grocery Store)

[grumpiest_tree]

[Groot has come to the aisle to do some stocking when he notices the nearly empty shelves of waffle mix and Klaus going by with a cart filled with the boxes and syrup, leaving him rather speechless.]

...What the d'ast do you need all that for?