Cooking with Matt

[piwakawaka]

Tiwa is discussing where she and Matt can take over the kitchen and the rats are moving out of the way. Her plan is fairly simple, everything they'll have will be baked in the end as that gives more time for cleaning afterwards.

Everything isn't prepped but a lot of things are as that means more time for the good parts of cooking. When she's sure that everything's set then she goes to the door to see if she can spot him.

Comments

[semicharmed]

But Matt never met a statement he couldn't overthink!

"Uh," he says.

"Well, the weirdest part was definitely the dreams. That might not have been dreams." That old chestnut. "Do you know anything about lizard-gods?"

[piwakawaka]

"I don't think so. Lizard-gods from where?"

She knows they must exist somewhere, but she's never run across them herself.

[semicharmed]

"Indiana?"

[piwakawaka]

"Huh, that's odd. What did they say in the dream or do?"

[semicharmed]

Matt snorts as he shucks the raspy outer skin from the first few onions.

"He ... identified himself as 'Zorp the Surveyor,' said some cryptic things about games and parts to play, gave me home office organization tips, and I woke up a Wiffle ball coach."

He lines up the knife in a promising orientation, though he knows very little about chopping vegetables.

[piwakawaka]

"You never have ordinary weird things happen to you. What happened with the coach?"

She comes over and shows him quickly how to cut the onions.

[semicharmed]

"--Ah, thanks," Matt says.

With any luck, he'll get out of this with all his digits attached.

"Um. Hit by a car? Anyway, it turns out Zorp has this cult in Pawnee, Indiana, and apparently he pulled me out there to answer their prayers. Except he didn't really answer them."

[piwakawaka]

"What did the prayers involve?"

That sounds like it could end badly, but he doesn't look like he's hurting.

[semicharmed]

Matt slices, carefully.

"All I know is one of the cultists wanted his granddaughter to hit a home run."

In Wiffle ball.

[piwakawaka]

"That doesn't sound too hard just specific."

[semicharmed]

Much like slicing onions!

His eyes are starting to water.

"Well, it didn't happen. Either because that little girl was not that great at sports, or because I'm a terrible coach."

[piwakawaka]

"Well, you're not really the sport type,"

It doesn't seem to fit him at all.

[semicharmed]

He grins, rueful.

"Not so much."

[piwakawaka]

"But you tried. So that's something. Did it satisfy the lizard-god?"

[semicharmed]

"Uh ... he sent me back here, so I'm happy."

Chop chop! go the onions.

"How much do we need of this?"

[piwakawaka]

"Enough to fill up that bowl so at least two. That's good, you don't need gods annoyed at you."

[semicharmed]

"True," Matt admits.

Jordie and Tiwa: Together, they're the Good Cop-Bad Cop routine that will keep him alive!

He tosses his sliced onion into the indicated bowl and starts on another one.

"Anyway. That's me. How are you?"

[piwakawaka]

"Not too bad. I've been helping Mum a lot around the shop as it's tourist season and even busier with The Hobbit,"

Tiwa would be happy to be thought of that way as Matt being alive and not damaged is good.

[semicharmed]

"... With the hobbit?"

As in, Tiwa's family has adopted a hobbit?

Matt wipes tears from his eyes and lines up his knife.

[piwakawaka]

"Yes, they're filming in Wellington and now all the fans know where they might film after Lord of the Rings,"

Which makes it a lot of fun for Tiwa and her friends as they help them along.

[semicharmed]

Chop chop chop!

"Wow, so your town's a movie set?"

[piwakawaka]

"Whole country has been at some points. Didn't you ever see Lord of the Rings? We'll have to watch it."

[semicharmed]

"Um."

He frowns.

"What year was that?"

[piwakawaka]

"2001 was the first one but the filming happened before. Lots of people in New Zealand were involved. Right, that's enough onions, put a third in that pan, then the rest in this one and this one."

[semicharmed]

Matt hops to it to follow instructions.

"That was thirty years ago," he muses as he doles out onions.

"Have I seen it? I don't think so."