Awakening: Second Stage
Chapter Thirteen
"Domestication"
Sunday
Carver awoke to an aroma he found most agreeable. As his brain slowly came back online, banishing sleep from the recesses of his mind, he heard the sound of metal scraping against plastic. Unleashing a yawn, Carver rubbed at his eyes, finding the energy to sit up. "Two nights in a row on Lor's couch. Man, people are gonna talk." He laughed, tasting his morning breath. He stood, stretched, then followed the increasingly tempting smell to its source—the kitchen. "That you, Mrs. MacQuarrie?" Carver inquired as he stepped into the kitchen. "Wow, something sure smells good! Would it be okay-" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes took in the scene before him.
"Actually, its Miss." Lor grinned from the counter, pouring some batter onto a waffle iron as a test. She was wearing a red apron and humming to herself as she broke a few eggs over a bowl, cursing mildly when a few shell fragments fell in. She managed to fish them out without too much effort.
"Okay, this is weird. I've never seen you do the domestic thing before."
"Dude, can't a girl make some waffles without turning into a housewife? This is one of my talents. It's not like I'm turning into Lor, the happy homemaker. Heck, I don't even know what half the stuff in here does, let alone how to use it."
"You sure?"
"Right, Carv, you got me. I secretly bake when you guys aren't around. Wanna check under my bed? It's where I hide my Easy Bake Oven. Oh, and my Barbie collection."
"All right, all right, I give!"
"You better! You've known me for how long now? Sheesh, make your friend some breakfast and all of a sudden you're Betty Crocker."
"Okay, my bad. Let's just drop it and be friends."
Lor hesitated only a second before smiling and turning back to her batter. "I'm sorry too. You know what I'm like. I just don't make any apologies for who I am."
"Hey, you don't have to. I shouldn't have made fun of you."
"You're darn right!" Lor stuck her tongue out playfully. "My waffles own! I dare you to find a better one in this town."
"That almost sounds like a challenge. I'll let you know what I think after I try one."
"Okay, so...what's your pleasure? Plain? Blueberry? Strawberry? Or do you want to be really daring?"
"Daring?"
Lor bent over and opened up a cupboard, rummaging around until she found what she was looking for. "Aha! I was afraid my brothers had eaten them all." Lor set a bag of chocolate chips on the counter.
"Yes! You really are the super lady!"
"Knock it off with the lady stuff. Anyway, one naughty breakfast, comin' up!"
"Heavy on the chocolate!"
Lor ripped a hole in the bag of chips with Carver's sentiment, pouring them into her mixing bowl. She found she had to stop at a quarter of the bag, she was running out of batter to mix the chocolate into. The new addition also made stirring a strenuous exercise. Lor found she had to fight with her spatula for control of the batter, it was now grappling with her at every turn. "I need a bigger spatula. This one doesn't give me enough power."
"Where are they?" Carver asked, his head darting around the expansive MacQuarrie kitchen. It hadn't really occurred to him how much room it took to feed so many people.
"Second drawer to the left of the fridge. There's a really big one in there somewhere."
Carver rummaged through the drawer that Lor had indicated, finding a cornucopia of different kitchen instruments. "I don't even know what half this stuff is!"
"Tell me about it. And there's enough knives in here to prepare some kind of ritual sacrifice."
"Um, there's nothing about you're family you've neglected to tell me, is there Lor?"
Lor stopped her mixing, picked a chocolate chip out of her batter, and flung it in Carver's direction, pegging him squarely in the back of the head.
"Hey! What was that for?" Carver demanded to know.
"Don't make fun of my family, dude! We're not into that kinda stuff!"
"Are you okay? You've been kinda touchy lately."
"Touchy?! I'm not touchy! You're the one who's saying stuff, I'm...you're right, aren't you?" Lor suddenly felt compelled to stop, like she was watching herself chew her friend out.
"It's okay. I get it, it's some kinda personal problem. I'm not mad."
"I'm okay, really I am. Um, spatula? It's got a long black handle, big white runner thing at the end?"
"Oh yeah! I think my dad said his mom used to spank him with these when he was bad as a kid. Man, I am so glad my parents didn't do that to me. Wait...maybe I'm not. My parents always used to tell me how disappointed they were in me when I did something bad. I hated that! It was like, worse than a spanking."
"You really gotta toughen up. You and Tino are so weak! I mean, my parents never hit me, but my brothers play rough. And they don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl, and that's the way I like it. If they tried to, I'd hit them a lot harder. I never was big on that hearts and flowers stuff." Lor took the spatula from Carver and resumed stirring. "But I like who I am. And I know you guys do too...whoa, I'm starting to sound like a special episode of Teen Canyon or something. Why am I tell you all this?!"
"Hey, Lor? This doesn't have anything do with Thompson, does it?"
"I don't know. I saw him just a few days ago. It was pretty cool. We actually hung out, and I managed not to act like an idiot. We had a good time, just...it was a good time. I can't think of any other way to describe it." She shrugged.
"But...?"
Lor sighed. "I want him to ask me out. I'm really trying to be myself around him."
"Have you tried asking him out?"
"No way!" Lor churned the batter faster, sending a few stray streaks flying in several directions. "I could never do that! It would make...I just can't, Carver." She stopped stirring and let the spatula fall out of her hands, sliding deep into the bowl. "That's the one thing I just can't do."
"It's never easy. But it isn't like you to back down from a challenge. You may shy away from hard work, we all do. But when someone challenges you, you're in there. Big time, all the way."
"He's not challenging me, Carv. This isn't a game of one on one. At least, not the kind I'm used to."
"But you want this, right?"
Lor laughed bitterly, unsure how her friend could even ask that question. "I've been trying to get Thompson to notice me like that since forever!"
"Then if you want my honest opinion, I think you have a good chance. If you really want it, and know enough to recognize the right opportunities. And if you don't try too hard to impress him." Carver laughed.
"Believe me! I'm learned my lesson on that one!" Lor lifted the bowl and poured a good amount onto the waffle iron. "Finally." She mumbled to herself.
"I'm glad. I've just got one more question for you."
"Yeah?"
"When do we eat?" Lor stared at him for several moments, the same old, dependable Carver grinning back at her. She couldn't find the right words to say, but she felt like laughing, in earnest this time. And laugh she did. It started out as a chuckle, but rapidly transformed into a hearty guffaw. Lor's reaction soon had Carver responding in kind. The two of them giggled on until Lor's creation began burning, black smoke escaping from the sides of the waffle iron. Maybe words weren't necessary after all.
Dixon smiled as he stood over his grill, preparing a stack of griddle cakes for four. "It may be primitive," he mused, "but I prefer the taste of food cooked over a real fire. This is the kind of stuff that camping is all about."
"Just so long as we take appropriate precautions not to endanger the forest." Tish added in her responsible voice.
"I've got an extinguisher packed with the emergency equipment."
"Okay, you're starting to sound far too much like a Boy Scout." Miss Tonitini chided him. "You know, with that being prepared and all."
"A true woodsman is always prepared, ladies." Dixon countered.
"Great. Let me know when you find one."
"Whoa, you walked right into that one." Observed Tino, who chuckled quietly.
"I pick my battles." Dixon sighed "Besides, it could always be worse. I look forward to seeing you in charge of a camping trip someday, Tino."
Tish immediately stepped up to the plate. "Are you sure that would be a good idea? Tino. The woods. So much could go wrong."
"Your faith in me never ceases to amaze." Tino defended himself with sarcasm.
"You don't expect her to go easy on you, do you Tino? Heck, your mom still owes me from last night. And you know what they say. All's fair in love and war. M'lady seems to be well versed in both. And Miss Katsufrakis here is a quick study."
"Let's not give my son strange ideas about me." Tino's mother giggled. "He has a woman of his own to contend with."
"Contend?" Tish cocked an eyebrow. "Am I really that exasperating?"
"Don't look at me!" Tino immediately exonerated himself. "I never said anything implicating! Oh no, not me! I'm clean. Clean, I tell you!"
"Well, I think that's how it works." Miss Tonitini adjusted her seat, then began a spiel that held the attention of all present. "You each do the whole give and take routine, right? That's how relationships work, romantic or otherwise. Remember a long time back when I talked to you about trying to stay in your ideal? I'm sure you've figured out by now that isn't always as easy as it sounds. But when you wake up each morning, you have to recommit yourself to that. And you're only human, we all are. Sometimes one or both of you will make mistakes. Or you'll do things that drive each other crazy." Both Tino and Tish looked at each other, blinked, then giggled. "The important thing is that you try to have a little fun every day. Try not to get caught up in semantics. It's worth the effort. Take it from someone who knows, I've been there. But, enough preaching for one day. 95% of muddling through a relationship can't be learned from someone else. You have to do what works for you, and often times you learn that by making mistakes."
"Oh, great, so you mean we don't have some guide to follow? I'm not good at winging it with important stuff!" Tino appeared generally worried, like he had just found out the teach was passing out a test he was totally unprepared for.
Tino's mother laughed. "Honey, you'll be fine. Whenever you two face something tough, remember to always trust in what matters. You go to school to learn all you can here." She pointed to her son's head. "But you have to live with what you know here." Her finger drifted down towards Tino's heart.
Tish nodded. "So you're saying that if we listen to our hearts, we'll be fine?"
"Yeah, right!" Miss Tonitini laughed hysterically. "Tish, if the world really worked that way, it would be a whole lot simpler. No, I'm afraid that just isn't the case. But you have to live with the outcome. Even if things don't work out for you at all, at least you can say you followed your heart. Try to remember that in all things, it's something my own mother taught me."
"You're right." Tish said, feeling stunned. She realized she had just been given advice comparable to know other, advice that would hold true no matter what her goals, where she went, or who she dated. It was classic, yet still held no less true hundreds of years later. 'To Thine own self be true.' The difference between reading those words in a book and hearing someone she respected echoing the same sentiment...it was exhilarating, to say the least, and a personal vindication.
"That said," Dixon cleared his throat to break the tension, "let's eat. I'm starved." He rapidly passed out paper plates, then brought the griddle to bear, doling out brunch with his spatula like a true short order cook. Tino suspected that he had been one at some point, Dixon's talents were too much a plethora, his life too interesting for Tino to believe otherwise.
Though his mouth had reminded him the previous morning, Tino once again marveled how nice it was to eat pancakes made out of plain, ordinary buttermilk, rather than some kind of soil byproduct his mother always preferred. Tino didn't feel there was anything wrong with being healthy, but he definitely felt that was one practice his dear mother took to extremes. Still, she only wanted what was best for her son. But having eaten some of her more...exotic recipes, Tino began to understand why his parents might have divorced. At least, one of the reasons, anyway. Tino had no doubts that his penchant for pizza and chili cheese fries had to have come from his father's side.
"Tino, I want you to pack up after we're through eating." His mother instructed.
"Aw Mom, I was gonna ask Tish to go on a little hike."
"You two can go later if there's time."
"Okay."
"You were going to ask me on a hike?" Tish piped up.
"Yeah, I couldn't think of much else to do today. Did you have anything in mind? I don't have this thing etched in stone."
"Nothing comes to mind. As long as we get to make the most out of the end of our weekend. If it has to end. Hey, you think sometime we could bring the guys up here?"
"Y'know, that might be fun. What do you think, mom?"
"I think it's something we can save for your summer vacation. Don't worry, Tino. We'll come back." Miss Tonitini reassured her son.
"If you're going to bring your friends, I'll bring Moira. I recall that she and Carver got along pretty well." Dixon warmed up to the idea.
"Yeah, the speak the same language. Some kind of weird footwear kind of language that only they can possibly understand, but that's Carver for you." Tino grinned, devouring his breakfast like he hadn't eaten in ages.
"Everyone has their hobbies." Dixon shrugged. "And let's face facts, most hobbies are boring to anyone who doesn't share the same hobby." Silence followed. "Okay, maybe that was a little harsh."
"He's right, though." Tino admitted. "I don't really have many hobbies. I read Captain Dreadnought, but you and Tasha are the only people I know who can relate to that."
"You think you have it tough?" Tish commented. "Name one other kid in our whole school who plays the dulcimer! And I'm not going to get into the other weird things I do."
"Everyone is a little crazy in their own way." Miss Tonitini reminded the group. "That's what makes the world an interesting place. If everybody liked the same thing, we'd all be zombies."
"Yeah, and John Tesh might be popular!" Tino laughed. "I don't think I own any CDs that weren't released by Chum Bukkit."
"Tino, that's terrible!" Tish scolded him. "Chum Bukkit rules, but there's a much bigger world of music out there. Somebody's getting a Mozart CD for the holiday."
"Since when do my listening habits come into this?"
"Since you said you listen to Chum Bukkit exclusively! Music has an entire history spanning thousands of years. You can't just pick one band from the last few years and decide they're the pinnacle."
"I think he just did." Dixon chuckled. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with Chum Bukkit. They're no Steely Dan, but I don't mind listening to them."
"Of course there's nothing wrong with Chum Bukkit!" Tish cried. "I've been to a few of their concerts. They are so cool!"
"Doesn't anyone still know how to do the twist?" Tino's mother sounded exasperated.
"Isn't that what people did for fun before they invented television?" Dixon chuckled.
"You'd think you would be nicer to the woman who's riding shotgun on the way back."
"My parents said I always had excellent taste in women. Unfortunately, they also told me I had a tendency not to quit while I'm ahead."
"If there weren't children present, I'd teach you a thing or two!"
Dixon chuckled. "You know you love me!"
"That has nothing to do with it!"
"Um, you two look like you need a few minutes to sort this out." Tish set her empty plate down and backed away. "Tino, c'mon, I have something for you."
"For me?"
"You're not the only one with surprises." The two of them ran into the adjacent cabin, leaving the two adults in the middle of their love quarrel.
"Okay," Tino began as Tish closed the door behind them. "So, you've got something for me. I'm predicting a 9.2 on the coolness factor here."
"I think you'll love it. At least, you'd better if you know what's good for you!" She dug through her primary dresser drawer, tossing her few outfits onto the bed since she needed to get packing anyway. "Ah, here it is!" She said, shaking out one of her shirts until a small box fell out. Tino recognized the shape and size from his mother's assortment of jewelry back home.
"Um, wait a minute. You're not going to propose to me, are you?"
"Huh? What? Oh, the case!" Tish blushed. "Tino, don't joke like that! No, I'm not asking you to marry me. I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I think I'd like to hold off on making decisions like that until I'm, you know, at least out of high school?"
"No offense taken!" Tino shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
"Just open the box!" Tish squealed. "Open it!"
"Your wish is my command!" Tino heeded Tish's instructions, indeed finding a ring inside, but not like anything he'd expected. "It is a ring!"
"Yeah, but it's not obligating you to anything. I got the idea because you seemed to be so enthused about that silly wreath I put together for you last year. I wanted to give you something that I put more effort into." Tish carefully hoisted it out of the box, holding it between to fingers. I made it out of a lot of different things. I got a small washer and decided to paint it in a design that kind of symbolizes me. It took me awhile because I had to find a paint that the metal wouldn't resist." She took the box and lifted out the inside, revealing a small string. "And this is some of my best dulcimer string. The idea was that you could wear it around your neck sometimes."
"I...I don't know what to say. No one's ever..."
"Given you something like this before? It doesn't matter. You don't even have to wear it all the time. Just promise to think of me when you do?"
"I think of you even without it. But this will help keep you a little closer. Thank you."
"You're welcome." She looped the dulcimer string through her ring, coming up behind Tino and triple-knotting it, closing the circle so it would stay around his neck. "Happy anniversary, Tino."
"Happy anniversary, Tish." He threw his arms around her, and she didn't hesitate to encourage him, slipping his shoulder under her chin, entangling their arms around one another.
"Are you okay?" Tish asked.
"More than you know." He whispered. "Tish, has anyone ever told you that you're the best?"
"Mostly teachers at school." She smiled to herself. "But I couldn't do any of it without friends behind me to show the way."
"You can always count on me. You know that, right?"
"I know. And I'll be here for you whenever you need me. Goodness Tino, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you so emotional!"
"Just give me a minute, I'll get past it." He smiled, even though she couldn't see his face in their current position. "Man, this is one time I'm glad Carver and Lor aren't here. I think Lor might actually get to see me cry otherwise."
"Relax." Tish reassured him, bringing her head around to share a short kiss, trying to help her boyfriend regain his composure. It took a few moments of work on her part, but she managed to bring him out again, maneuvering him into a kiss she knew he couldn't ignore, something that demanded the attention of all his senses. "That's better." She said when she finally pulled away, keeping one arm around Tino's back and using the other to play with his hair.
"How do you do that?"
"I told you, I've read a lot of classical music. Language may have evolved a bit, Tino, but there's nothing new under the sun when it comes to romance." She placed a final kiss on his cheek before extricating herself from his grip. "I should pack. We need to get going soon if we want to get back in time to catch up with the guys. You should start getting ready too."
"Um, right! Packing! Yeah, I'll just, you know, go back to my cabin and pack."
"Good. I'll see you soon!"
"Right! I'll just be right over there, you know, if you need me for anything?"
Tish giggled back at him. "Tino, if I play with you all day, we'll never get
anything done. There will be time, don't worry."
"Right." Tino sighed. "You know where to find me."
"If I don't, I'll stop and ask directions. I'll catch up with you soon."
"Okay. Seeya soon Tish!" The boy slipped out the front door with those, words, leaving Tish alone with her packing, wondering if she hadn't given him too much of a good thing.
Okay, okay, I freely admit, it took me three weeks to get this chapter out, not two. Mandatory overtime at work every week hasn't helped. Also, I will confess to the crime of being a die hard Star Trek fan, and there are a host of novels coming out between now and the end of 2004 that I need to read (no, I don't read them all, I'd never write otherwise)! So sometimes I'm reading when I should be writing. We all have our vices, so try to forgive me. My current goal is still to get a chapter out every other week. Don't get worried if it takes a third week, go ahead and start sending threatening e-mails if it goes beyond that . :)
The current outlook for Second Stage is that there are only two chapters remaining. I consider this to be a good thing. There are still plenty of Stages to go, so many things I want to do with all the characters. It has always been my impression to make this the best darn fanfic for The Weekenders you can find on the internet. It still is. Since I started Awakening back in May, a lot more fics have appeared. "Weekenders In High School (WIH)," "The Feeling," and "A Long Weekend," just to name a few. There's probably others out there I haven't mentioned. No insult meant to those I left out. All of these are stories worthy of reading, though I'm not going to tell you to read one over the other. Everyone has different tastes.
That said, I'd like to take the time out to say thanks once again to everyone who reads this story consistently. I never ceased to be amazed that I continue to have an audience, especially considering that I'm not giving a lot of fans what they'd like to see, and let's be brutally honest here, a lot of you want to see Tino/Lor. Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;)
So why, then, do I continue to pen a story that focuses on the very opposite, Tino/Tish? I've always believed in writing what I like. And though it never hurts to give the people what they want, I feel I'm right on this one. I'd like to go on record as saying that I have nothing against the Tino/Lor pairing. I think it's quite possible, and that, like any couple, they could do pretty well together if they're willing to put the effort into the relationship. More power to people who want to write about them. I chose to write my fanfic with the Tino/Tish because I believe in them, and I feel that they're both quirky and crazy enough to keep each other going in the long run.
I'm making this speech since awhile back, someone took the time to write a review for "Awakening" that, in a melodramatic way, did nothing but attack the story because of my choice of pairing. Why this happens, I don't know. I've never hidden that this is a Tino/Tish story from my audience. Look in my synopses, you'll see it boldly stated there. If someone dislikes it to the point that they just can't read it without wanting to vomit, then I invite them not to read it. If you could care less about what pairing I write, or are even pro Tino/Tish, then you'll have a home here. If you prefer Tino/Lor, I welcome you anyway, so long as you aren't here to ruin it for everyone else. I like diversity among my audience.
Anyway, I guess that's my message. We're all passionate about what we love, and I think that's wonderful. I encourage people to come in and see what I'm doing, and I'm looking forward to seeing what flows down the pipes from the other authors out there who love The Weekenders just as much as I do. Keep reading, everyone, and we'll all keep writing, I know I will.
Later Days!
Lord Malachite
9/26/03
12:16AM, EST
ranger_writer@yahoo.com
AIM: Asukaphile26