It’s too hot outside to care. Come back when it’s at least ten degrees cooler.

Timeline/World: Atheria 3rd Generation
Characters: Samuel Draxelis
Race: Halfling – Drow / Elf (forest) / Human
Age: 42, physically about 24
Final Word Count: 520 words

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I remember a few couple of years ago or so, we had such a heatwave in the early spring that we all wondered what was happening. I don’t think that any single one of us ever found out an answer, even Orazio couldn’t explain what was going on. A few grumbled and tried to blame him but it’s not because he’s the season keeper that he controls every little aspect of the temperature. This is a big planet and we’re lucky enough that most of the time, our weather here in our little pocket of the world is pleasant, even in the winter.

That heatwave though, we’d still had a lot of snow all around the city just a week prior and during that heatwave, we had rivers of melting snow flowing down the streets back towards the water, we saw the large snow piles, because I admit that we’d had a lot more snow that winter than we were also used to, the whole year had been a little weird, melt away by the minute. We could literally keep track of how much the snow was melting by the minute, it was that hot. Of course, the week after the heatwave passed, we had another small snow storm, only a couple more inches but that was like the cherry on top of the weird weather sundae we’d had.

There hadn’t been a whole lot of wandering during that week; most of the streets were deserted. I’m pretty sure most folks were likely hiding out in their homes with the AC going or some of the braver, or maybe crazier ones, were having themselves a swim in their swimming pool. I know a couple of people went off to the ocean, it was that hot. I don’t know how they managed the walk down there without melting but when they came back, they did say the water had been the most refreshing ever, so I guess it was a good thing.

In the case of yours truly, I sort of just ended up sitting in the house, watching the snow melt away like it was in an oven. The AC wasn’t on but we had several fans going and the heat in the house was off during that week, going outside seemed like one of the crazier ideas and considering how I tend to poorly handle the hotter days in the summer, I played it safe. One heat stroke per year—and that was my usual count, no matter how careful I was—was enough and I didn’t really want to have to deal with that during the spring so I did hide away while it was happening. I even tried going out during the evenings to see if it was manageable and to be of help with the bit of food shopping we had to do but even that was more than a little uncomfortable. I know the market even only really had its doors opened during the evening while the heat was going on, most of us might have become nocturnal to deal with it, it was different.

I was looking forward to your home-cooked meals, but if this is what that is, I don’t think I’m hungry anymore.

Timeline/World: Main Profile
Characters: Geoffrey Daniels
Race: Human
Age: 26
Final Word Count: 541 words

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There’s something to be said about home-cooked meals. At least, as far as a lot of people I’m sure we could say that home-cooked meals are something great and perfect to come home to, but when it comes to Elliott, it’s something else entirely and I love teasing him for it. Considering all the time he spends in that greenhouse, all the time he spends gardening and handling vegetables and fruits as they grow, making sure they grow into something beautiful and tasty… he can’t cook or bake to save his life. When we do retire to our guest house on the property, I tend to be the one to do the cooking and baking because I think he’d poison us.

It’s not that he doesn’t try, he just tries too hard and most of the time it doesn’t work out, that’s all. I’ve teased him often about it and he always just starts pouting some more about it when I do and it’s precious. He knows I don’t mean it and I always remind him of that much when I’m done teasing him.

When we prepare meals together, it’s not so bad. I really don’t know why he’s such a disaster when he tries to prepare that food on his own. He’s helped in their kitchen to help prepare some of the meals when someone isn’t around to do it and the food comes out more than all right, it’s really the one point that it’s a disaster waiting to happen if he’s the only one working in the food, if he’s the only one in the kitchen. It’s like being on his own, in a quiet environment when food preparation is required just sets something wrong in his brain and the food preparation themselves turn into an absolute disaster, I can’t explain it.

Does that change how I love him? Of course not. I love him regardless of whether or not he can prepare worthy meals for both of us. I didn’t fall in love with him because of his culinary skills. As is, I tease him about the cooking and baking and he teases me about the fact that it seems impossible for me to be without a grease stain somewhere, no matter how much I wash up. That’s one of those things that come with working in the garage and on the cars, it’s weird. If it’s not a grease stain, it’s something else but there’s always something and no amount of trying to be thorough when I shower does it. I need help—you’d think my subconscious is just making sure to miss a spot so I’ll have shower company. Not that I mind. It’s always relaxing to shower with him after we’re both done at the big house.

It’s rare for us to not be out of the house around the same hours. We get up at the same time and step into the big house at the same time, so while our breaks are rarely at the same time, we tend to step back outside to go to our little guest house together and it makes walking home easier, when we can huddle together a little, especially in the chillier winter months.