2D continued to stare at Noodle until the pungent smell of vinegar reached his nose, reminding him of the task at hand. He akwardly bent down to pick the dripping bottle up off the floor.
He fidgeted in his seat. Noodle's hair was in her eyes again, and he couldn't read her expression. It made him uneasy. Had he done something wrong?
2D put the bottle of vinegar back on the shelf with a surprisingly loud clunk that made Noodle jump. The silence between them was almost as suffocating as the smell of the vinegar. 2D thought frantically how to break the tension.
Suddenly, he grabbed a soda can off of the shelf. "Fancy a Mountain Dew?" chirped 2D, holding up the can as if he were selling an exclusive new product. Noodle finally looked up. "Why is there a can of Mountain Dew in the broom closet?" 2D shrugged. Just when the uncomfortable silence threatened to creep over them again, Noodle's stomach roared with hunger. "I much rather would like something to eat..." said Noodle, blushing.
"Blimey, Noodle!" exclaimed 2D,"If you were hungry then why didn'tcha say sumfink? You're not in Japan anymore, love!" Noodle laughed. When she was a little girl and first arrived at Kong, she still retained the Japanese mannerism of politely denying food after the first offering and not mentioning her hunger. After the boys finally found out that she was just trying to respect her guests and was starving in the process, they taught her to be more forward.
After a quick rummage through the many items of the broom closet, 2D found, to Noodle's delight, a cup of ramen noodles. They then walked out of the broom closet together, greeted by the familiar clanking sound of the Engine Room.
"I fink there's a hot water maker for tea in ere' we can use to heat yer noodles up, Noodle," said 2D, toothily smiling at his own genius. "Yaaay!" squealed Noodle. She threw her arms in the air, accidently bumping her elbow on a lever in the process. "Itai!" Noodle stared curiously at the glowing bulb on top of the lever. "C'mon, tea machine's this way," said 2D, pulling her along.
3 minutes later, the ravenous 19-year-old was slurping up her noodle soup as if it were a live giving elixir. "Er…when's the last time you've eaten, Noods?" asked 2D with widened eyes. "Om, a few days ago on the boat," she said through a mouthful of Noodles, "Som planes sunk it don."
"Wot?" yelped 2D. "Some helicopter even popped my life boat!" said Noodle as she took a final swig of her soup, "I took care of him though." Suddenly the Engineer stopped his aimless hammering. "I owned a helly-coptah once when I was a boy," he said proudly, "Couldn't figya owt all dat machinery though. Now I make a livin just beatin the 'ell owt of it. And oi, while you lot are ova there, can you get me some tea?"
2D ignored him. "Is that…how you got the bruise?" 2D asked Noodle, sensing that she was in the mood for opening up. Noodle looked down self-consciously. "Er, you dun hafta tell me if you don't feel ready…" said 2D. Noodle lifted her head, but still not looking 2D in the eye. "I got this a long time ago," she said softly, touching the damaged side of her face. She let out a shuddering sigh. "It's a long story."
"I've got time," said 2D.