Draco leaned forward in the chair, a bored expression on her face as she watched whatever ridiculous game show that was on Cartwright's TV. She hadn't paid attention to the intro, all she knew was that men and women were being traumatized with a floor that retracted into the wall and a bottomless pit. Birgitte lay spread out in her entirety across her couch, her legs dangling off the end from the knees down and her tail brushing against the rug as it hung off the side

She couldn't see Cartwright, but she could hear her humming as she moved about the kitchen cooking. The smell of grilled meat wafting from the kitchen were far more interesting than the man shouted on the TV, but Cartwright had told them to stay out of the way. At the very least, they had gotten a new pot of coffee made, even if it wasn't that wonderful blend that Smith had used. She still couldn't believe she had a thermos big enough to fit the entire pot of coffee, she must have had multiple hidden somewhere...

Birgitte let out a guffaw as the man screamed like a little girl as he fell into the pit. Draco glanced over at her, eyeing the grin that spread across her face as she got herself up onto an elbow to grab her 'tankard' as she called it. She grabbed it and took a swig of beer, wiping off the bit of foam that got onto her face with the back of her hand. Snorting, Draco shook her head and reached for her own mug of coffee, sipping it as she looked at her. "You really are easy to please, aren't you?"

Letting out a large snort of her own, Birgitte sat up and leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms and legs. The action gave Draco a pretty good view, allowing her to watch the minoutar's well defined muscles flex on her arms and abs. Even if she was a literal barbarian, she had to admit Birgitte took great care of herself. Settling into her new position, she waved a hand at Draco. "This is all still pretty new to me Draco, let a woman enjoy some new experiences."

With a roll of her eyes, she glanced at the digital clock that sat next to the TV. 7:14 PM, meaning it had been about half an hour since Cartwright had started cooking. Shaking her head, she planted her elbows on her knees and plopped her chin into her hands, letting a breath out slowly from her nose. "I suppose I can't begrudge you. This might be boring to watch, but I'm pretty sure you can't get a good soap opera here in Japan."

Birgitte quirked an eyebrow at that, tucking her hands behind her head as she looked at Draco. "Soap operas? I hope the name isn't literal, because I rather not watch anything about soap."

Snorting, Draco shook her head and leaned more towards Birgitte, her hand resting on the arm of the chair as she smiled slightly. "Soap operas are one of the best things humans ever came up with. A combination of drama, intrigue, and romance that'll keep you on your seat for the entire season."

"Yeah, you'll be still be interested half way through, at episode two hundred when they repeat the same plot point as episode thirty!" Cartwright walked on over from the kitchen, at some point having donned an apron. Draco could only stare in horror at the state she was in, the apron and her jeans covered in splatters of what she had been cooking with, she even had soy sauce dripping from her hair! Birgitte looked at her and started laughing, grabbing at her gut as she doubled over.

Bringing a hand up to wipe the sauce off her bang, Cartwright frowned and shook her head. Reaching behind her neck to undo the apron, she took it off and folded it over her arm, waving at them to follow her."Come on, I've got dinner done. I hope you like two like gyūdon, because that's what I made! I left the beef out of your in favor of extra onions Birgitte."

Draco got up with her coffee cup and walked over to the kitchen counter, glancing beyond at the mess Cartwright made. The stove had splatters of soy sauce and other liquids spilled all over it, their bottles still sitting on the counter next to it. The pan she had used to cook was still sitting on the counter, alongside the remains of chopped onions and a bag of rice. Sitting on the counter, were three bowls smelling of meat, onions, and soy sauce sat with chopsticks already sitting in the bowl.

Taking hers from the counter, she squinted at meal, setting down her mug to use the chopsticks to inspect the food. The meat looked completely cooked, as did the onions. The rice looked steamed, and the sauce looked completely fine. Breathing a sigh of relief and earning a small glare from Cartwright, she picked her mug back up and carried it all back to her seat in the living room. Cartwright and Birgitte followed soon after, taking their own seats around the coffee table, Cartwright still giving Draco a stink eye. "I know I make a mess, but it's all in the name of good food!"

With a snort, Draco picked some of the meat up and carried it up to her mouth, shifting the chopsticks in her claws slightly to try and get a comfortable grip. Chewing ponderously and ignoring Cartwright's annoyed stare, she eventually swallowed. A glance was it took to tell her that Birgitte enjoyed the meal, choosing to abandon the traditional method and just use the chopsticks to shovel rice and onions into her mouth. "The food is good, I'll give you that. But, I've only started cooking since I got to Japan, and I can make something just as good without making that big of a mess."

Cartwright snorted herself, crossing her arms and giving Draco a small frown. Birgitte stopped for a second to chew, finally noticing the two arguing as Cartwright spoke. "Sure you can! I practiced with my mom for ages to learn how to cook that well! There's no way you're as good as me at cooking."

Draco squinted slightly, gripping her chopsticks a little tighter. Was it really harder to believe that her, a descendant of dragons, can pick up a skill faster than a simple human? She had even been proud when she managed to make something that tasted good. Though it had taken a few attempts and none of the ingredients were of the quality she wanted. There was only one thing to it, she'd have to show Cartwright and dispel all doubts. "If you don't believe me, I'll just have to show you. I'll have a list of ingredients for you to buy when ever you go shopping next. I doubt you have what I need on hand."

A small smirk came across Cartwright's face and she nodded, looking down at her bowl and snagging a piece of onion and shoving it into her mouth. Birgitte looked back between the two, sighing slightly before putting the bowl down and reaching for her tankard. "I'll be looking forward to it. Trying foods is one of my favorite things about being here. Beats eating potatoes for the seven hundredth time."

The dinner passed quickly as the three of them fell into comfortable conversation, the last of the gyūdon slipping past Cartwright's lips with a satisfied hum. Rolling her eyes, Draco quickly grabbed the bowls and stacked them up, walking off towards the kitchen. Cartwright quirked an eyebrow and looked at Birgitte, who shrugged back. Hopping up, she hurried after Draco, stopping as she spotted her starting to load the dishwasher. "Uh… I can do that myself, Draco."

Not looking away from what she was doing, Draco's tail bent over to a roll of paper towels, grabbing them before depositing them in Cartwright's hands. She looked between the paper towels and Draco, quirking an eyebrow. "You can't do this, because you got your own mess to clean up. I'm pretty sure most of the sauces have already set, since you left it until after you ate. I hope you have some cleaner somewhere."

Sighing, Cartwright went over and opened the cabinet under the sink, pulling out a spray bottle of blue fluid. Going back over to the stove, she put the bottles away and started cleaning. Draco paid her no attention as she kept loading things into the dishwasher. It really was kind of surprising to her that she adapted to doing dishes, cooking, and other such chores so quickly after she arrived in Japan. There was a bit of an initial hurdle, it seemed ridiculous for a dragonewt to have to do such things. Need eventually outweighed pride, and she started doing it.

Putting the last dish in and closing it up, she set the thing to go and straightened up. Glancing over at Cartwright, she spotted her doing the same, the stove's top looking much cleaner now. Wiping her claws off on a towel, she gave her a nod as she walked back to the living room. Sitting herself down in a seat, she grabbed her mug and took a drink, sighing contently. Cartwright walked right past her seat, heading towards and up the stairs.

Birgitte looked at Draco with a questioning look, and the only response she got was a shrug. Turning the volume on the TV low, Draco listened to her footsteps as she went down the hallway, eventually opening a door. It was a little bit before she heard her walking back, and she turned the volume back up before she appeared at the top of the stairs, a guitar case in her hand. She hurried downstairs and put it down next to her seat, popping the clasps and opening it. Gently, she took out a familiar cherry red electric guitar, smiling brightly as she dropped herself into her seat with it. "How's my sweet Caroline? Momma missed you, oh yes she did. You're probably due for a tune up, aren't you?"

Draco stared incredulously at her for a moment as she talked, before shaking her head and glancing back to Birgitte. Seeming interested, Birgitte leaned forward to look at the guitar, tilting her head slightly as she watched Cartwright start to tune the guitar, grabbing a small device from the case and attaching it to the head of the guitar. She plucked a string and looked at the device, adjusting the knob before plucking it again. After doing it a couple more times, she seemed satisfied and went to next, starting the process all over again.

"So… You know how to play that thing, or do you just keep it around for looks?" Birgitte smirked, even as Cartwright gave her an incredulous look. Draco stifled a laugh, pulling Cartwright's attention to her. Huffing a bit, she finished off tuning and nodded, looking down at the guitar and smiling.

"Of course I know how to play, and her name's Caroline. She's a Fender Telecaster, and I've had her for around… seven years now. Best gift my dad ever got me, for sure." Still smiling, she leaned back in her seat and started playing, her fingers quickly finding their place amongst the strings. Their laughter faded as they watched her play. It was readily apparent to Draco, that she really did know what she was doing as she plucked away at the strings. The song sounded vaguely familiar, she had to guess that it was another english song.

She blinked as Cartwright started to softly sing in english, her voice carrying surprisingly well despite the twanging of the guitar. It shouldn't have surprised her that Cartwright could play, since she always had that guitar pick necklace. She just didn't seem like someone who had the temperment to learn music, but she had been proven wrong. As her voice filled the room, Draco had to admit she was a pretty good singer as well.

"Why're you a nurse if you're that invested in music? I saw the pictures, you've been on a stage at least one point in your life." Draco looked at her in confusion as she finished the song. Cartwright blinked, reaching up to tuck a bit of hair behind her ear as she glanced up the stairs.

"That picture was taken at my high school's talent show, my final year. I really did want to become a musician, but…" She trailed off, before starting back up. "My prefered style of music isn't mainstream here in Japan. I tried it for a little bit after high school, even tried learning the keyboard to broaden my horizons. In the end, it just didn't seem to be working out, so I started working to be a nurse."

Sighing, she looked down at Caroline, running her hand along the guitar's neck. Birgitte and Draco nodded in understanding, though one part of that sentence caught her attention more than the rest. "You tried learning the keyboard?"

Cartwright nodded, going back to casually plucking away at the strings with one hand as she waved the other towards the stairs. "Mhm, still have the thing upstairs in my room as well. I occasionally fiddle around with it, but it isn't as nice as playing Caroline, so it usually just sits there."

The gears in her head turning, she looked over to the stairs and nodded. A keyboard wasn't exactly the same as what she had played in the past, but it was welcome nonetheless.. Now that would make this the best home she had stayed in so far. She hadn't gotten a chance to play piano since she left home, hadn't even realized she was nostalogic for it until now. Made her wonder just how rusty she might be…

"You interested in keyboard or something Draco?" Birgitte's question knocked her out of her thoughts and she dragged her eyes back from the stairs. Both her and Cartwright were giving her a curious stare. It only made sense, since she hadn't exactly been the most subtle about her interest. Nodding, she waved a hand towards the stairs and took a drink of coffee with the other.

"I was taught to play piano when I was younger. A keyboard's not exactly the same, but it's close enough that I should be able play it easily." She blinked a bit as a bright smile split across Cartwright's face. Quickly getting up, she put Caroline back into its case and hurried to her side. Grabbing a hold of one clawed hand, she dragged her up and out of her seat.

"You're showing me what you can play, right now. It's been way too long since I got a chance to play with someone!" The amount of enthusiasm Cartwright had caught Draco off guard, as she was caught in the wave. Birgitte turned around on the couch to watch, laughing and shaking her head as she shot her a confused look. The maelstrom that their host had become mounted the stairs two at a time, much to her displeasure and all but ran down the hallway, still not letting go of her hand.

Reaching the end of the hallway, she opened the door to her room and hurried in, leaving Draco standing at the entrance. She took a step in and looked around, blinking as she took it in. The room was about the same size as her room, the difference being in just how more vibrant this room was. All the furniture was a little bit more worn, with knicks and scratches. The shelves had albums lined up, with what looked like memorabilia for her favorite bands. What made the room stand out however were the posters, as each wall had at least two posters of what she could only guess to be bands. The only two she took notice was one poster resting above the bed, a cartoon image of what looked like a demon queen standing proud underneath some writing in english. The other featured a semi-familiar trio of japanese girls in bizarre school uniforms, with "BABYMETAL" written out below them.

"Here we are!" Cartwright cheered as she slung the strap to the keyboard's bag over her shoulder, closing the closet door behind herself. She grinned at Draco, waving at her to follow as she hurried out of the room. Taking one last glance around the room, she shut the door behind herself and quickly followed after her unusual host. She found her already at the table, unzipping the bag and pulling the keyboard out. It looked a little dusty, but she wiped her hand across it a few times and blew before poking a few button and sitting it down in front of Draco's seat.

Coming down the stairs at a more sedate pace, she glanced at Cartwright as she hurried to her own seat, still beaming as she picked up Caroline. Birgitte gave her an interested look as she leaned back on the couch, eyeing the keyboard as she sat herself down. Looking over the keyboard herself, she noted just how many buttons on it she really didn't understand. She had to make this first one sound good, until she got a chance to practice and get back into into the swing of things… Taking a small breath, she hung her hands above the keys and started playing.


If you can't tell, this chapter was a bit difficult for me to write out. I had a hard time figuring out how to keep it from being too short, but also not just be complete filler. I'm happy enough with the final product though.