"I'm not sure I grasp the purpose." Helena stood behind Claudia in the living room of the bed and breakfast, her arms propped on the back of the armchair in which the younger woman was sitting.
They were both trying to distract themselves from the grumblings in their stomach. The smells wafting from the kitchen were driving Helena about as close to madness as she had ever come. She was certain that Leena's zucchini bread could bring nations to war. It was succulent and sweet, soft as air with the crunch of walnut and a buttery crumb topping that was to die for. Once it came out of the oven, it would be gone before the hour was over.
"You just have to make matches, three or more of the same color. Each level is a little different. Sometimes it's point based, sometimes there are certain blocks you need to clear. It's simple really," Claudia explained.
It had been almost a week since they had gotten a ping. The first few days had been nice as everyone seemed to be enjoying the lull. There had been time for sleeping and reading and tinkering and cataloguing and non-work-related socialization. There had been two movie nights, numerous Call of Duty counter-terrorism operations, one impromptu sing-along at the piano and a sit-down family dinner every night. Now, though, everyone seemed to be itching for something more substantial upon which to be spending their time and energy.
"I've ascertained as much, yes, but that is the objective, not the purpose." Helena, feeling more and more at home in this new technology-laden era, would regularly find herself fascinated by a modern gadget or device.
In her past life, as she had come to think of it, she had imagined things of this nature. Nothing was exactly as she had thought it might be, but the tablet Claudia was swiping her finger across was a close cousin to something she had sketched once while writing the manuscript of A Modern Utopia.
"The purpose?" Claudia sounded perplexed.
"Yes, the purpose," Helena repeated. "You've told me what you're trying to accomplish, but not why. Do you win candy?"
"What? No! Of course not. You play for, I don't know... Points... Pride... It's a web based game, it's not like candy is just going to materialize and pop out of this thing."
"Oh, wouldn't that be something, though," Helena sounded downright gleeful, "a computer that could produce candy as a reward? I'm sure that's something both Pete and Myka would find most interesting."
"What would I find most interesting?" Myka entered the living room as she popped the end of a Twizzler into the corner of her mouth.
"Nothing, darling. Just another flight of fancy I was having." Helena's gaze followed Myka as she crossed the room and sidled up next to her. Their hips bumped lightly against one another and Helena's arm instinctively wrapped itself around Myka's waist.
"Candy Crush, huh? Still stuck on that level, Claud?" Myka leaned in slightly, watching the gameplay.
"Stupid licorice," Claudia grumbled, her brow furrowed.
"Heeeey! Watch it," Myka defended, pointing her own licorice at the back of Claudia's head.
"Don't get all bent out of shape, it's black licorice."
"Ew, gross." Myka's face scrunched up in disgust.
Helena, watching the display, smiled and leaned close to Myka, whose hair was pulled up, revealing her long neck. She placed a small kiss under her ear, then nuzzled her nose into the same spot, generating a small moan from Myka which, in turn, caused a small moan from Helena.
Claudia rolled her eyes, unseen, at the couple behind her. "If you two are gonna make out, could you please do it somewhere else?"
At that moment, the oven timer went off and everyone's head shot up. The three women glanced at each other, then towards the kitchen. When they heard the thunder of Pete's footsteps from upstairs, they all hurried their way into the kitchen.
As it turned out, Leena had anticipated a mad dash for the zucchini bread and had made two loaves, having sense enough to put her knowledge from past experience to use. This didn't do much to stop the disappearance of the bread, it just slightly prolonged the inevitable. After enjoying their late morning baked treats, Myka and Helena had decided they would cook dinner that night to give Leena a break from some of her usual tasks.
They went into town for some missing ingredients needed for a vegetable lasagna and green salad. Leena always liked to keep a large vegetable garden in the back yard and with Steve, another green thumb, living in the house, it had grown even larger. Now, in late August, they were rich in summer squashes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and the sweetest, most delicious peas any of them had ever tasted.
As the two women walked through the store lazily and comfortably quiet, touching intimately yet still appropriate for public, they gathered the noodles and cheeses they needed, plus a few extra vegetables to round out the meal. Thinking ahead to desert, they picked some sweet looking fruits meant for a salad.
Once back at the bed and breakfast, they decided to do some early preparations, washing the produce and slicing the vegetables needed for the lasagna, parboiling the pasta and starting a simple sauce from fresh garden tomatoes .
Helena was standing at the stove making another sauce, this one white, when Myka came up behind the brunette and wrapped her arms around her. Myka's hands splayed out across Helena's abdomen rubbing tiny circles as she rested her chin on Helena's shoulder. Starting at the collar of her shirt, Myka kissed her way up Helena's neck.
Helena cleared her throat, "darling, bechamel can be a delicate lover. Much like yourself at times, it requires the utmost attention and masterful physical manipulation. I'd hate for your distraction, as tantalizing as it may be, to ruin it when it's so close to being finished."
"About how much longer do you think it will take? I could use to wash up before dinner and was considering a shower." Myka's voice was low and sultry, yet playful at the same time.
Helena sighed, both from longing and mild disappointment. "Not long. But once it's done, I'll need to assemble the lasagna and get it in the oven. Then, of course, both salads need to be made. I'm afraid you'll have to shower on your own."
Pouting, Myka backed away from Helena. "I could wait and help you some more. Cut up some of the vegetables for the salad."
"No, love, you go ahead." Helena turned and smiled at Myka, who then started to make her way upstairs. "Myka," Helena called out a moment later. Myka stopped and turned to face Helena's direction. "Enjoy your shower," Helena called after her with a wink.
After finishing her white sauce, Helena set about accomplishing all the tasks she had listed to Myka. Over the course of the next hour, one by one, the other residents of the house made their way through the kitchen, everyone asking if they could help. Helena doled out jobs to each of them, and before long, dinner was close to being ready.
After bathing, drying her hair and getting dressed, Myka came back downstairs. She stopped just outside the kitchen and leaned on the doorframe, looking at the scene before her. Pete and Claudia were standing over a large, yellow salad bowl, actively involved in what seemed to be a heated discussion that, if it were to be titled, would most likely be called, "The Green Arrow vs. The Green Lantern: Who's Cooler?" Leena and Steve were in the dining room, discussing possible additions to their garden while setting the table. Artie and Helena were at the breakfast nook. Helena was standing, zesting an orange over a large green bowl. Artie, large knife in hand, leaning down, his face quite close to the cutting board, was extolling the merits of a very fine mince when it came to fresh mint for a fruit salad.
Helena saw Myka standing there, smiling at their makeshift family. Instantly, Helena's mouth perked into a matching smile. Myka mouthed I love you, then made her way to the oven to check on the lasagna inside.
"I never did get a chance to shower," Helena stated as she got herself ready for bed.
"That's ok. I like the smell of you." Myka, from where she was seated on the bed, looked up at Helena, watching the muscles of her bare back move beneath her skin as she pulled a tank top down over her torso.
Glancing back over her shoulder with a smirk, Helena replied, "Are you saying I stink?"
"I'm saying that even when you do stink, I don't mind so much." Myka got up, crossed the room to Helena and wrapped her arms around her from behind, mimicking her actions from earlier in the evening. She took in a deep breath through her nose and sighed appreciatively. "You smell like you."
Helena leaned back into her lover, bringing her hands down to rub along the front of Myka's thighs. Myka let her hands wander, nuzzling her face into the crook of Helena's neck, causing the brunette to purr.
"Baby, come to bed," Myka requested. "I've been craving you all day."
Helena turned to face her and pressed their lips together, full and lush, in a kiss that quickly became heated. "Your wish, darling," Helena said as she pulled back, her breathing already labored. "is my command."