4993/Winter Gardening

Winter Gardening
Date of Scene:	02 February 2021
Location:	Karolina's Rooftop, NYC
Synopsis:	Karolina returns from her class trip and gets ambushed by Kori's eagle eyes. There are hugs, chatter, hot cocoa, and the promise of enough cheesecake to fill a cargo ship.
Cast of Characters:	Karolina Dean, Koriand'r

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Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina isn't 'officially' back in the States yet. There's still some 'vacation' time left before her classes resume, her extended stay abroad giving her more than enough leeway to allow her time. Some linguistics and whole lot of culinary business. She does, however, still have an extensive report to write for her coursework but there's the rest of the week or so for that! For the moment, she's on the roof of her apartment, bundled up comfortably and flitting around the garden like a rainbow hummingbird. Her powers are unleashed and she's taking notes as she peers at the ground in her garden-y area, likely to prepare for what she needs to get planted once it stops being frosty!

Koriand'r has posed:
As for Koriand'r, she's always at home in the sunny skies over New York. Happily, it's actually sunny. Cold, sure, but cold rarely bothers a Tamaranean that much -- not when there's solar energy to drink down like a hot cup of cocoa with extra marshmallows. Swooping over Greenwich Village she can't help but notice activity on a familiar rooftop. Activity and blonde hair.

She comes in for a landing, tapping down on three points -- heel and toe of her left boot and just the toe of the right -- and hurries forward to throw her arms around Karolina in a hug. "You're home!"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Speaking of hot cocoa, there's a huge mug sitting on the patio table, steam rising from it. It's just painted in a wavy rainbow of colors. As for Karolina, blonde hair and a shining, wavy rainbow herself! She's enjoying the sunlight, soaking it in completely as well, using her flight powers to hover around the garden plot. She's drifting backwards slowly, fully upright now, when she's suddenly wrapped up in a hug! She's caught off guard, sort of tumbles a little, and with the Tamaranean clinging to her, ends up partially upside-down, floating in the air.

    She doesn't seem to mind, though. After the initial panicked yelp, she's laughing. "Kori! Hey hun!" she's all bright smiles and mirth. "Yeah I'm back! I was waiting to get some stuff situated before I let the rest of the Titans know. You would not believe how much I have to write up after two months of being off campus..." she drops her tablet--gently--and hugs the arms that are hugging her.

Koriand'r has posed:
"I have never been a student in the way of humans," Kori says, "so I'm sure I'd have no idea at all how much you have to write up. But it is very good to see you, Karolina. You must tell me all about your travels. Italy, yes?" It's not that Kori hasn't been to Italy. She's spent quite a bit of time in Milan -- she was, for a bit, a fashion model, after all. She's tall, curvy, and gorgeous. Certain designers loved her. Carefully she turns Karolina right-side-up before stepping back to get a better look at her friend. "It seems to have been good for you. Your colors are bright and you seem very happy."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Once Karolina has been uprighted, she seems like she's about to 'extinguish' her rainbows but the compliment about her brightness seems to make her reverse that decision, shining maybe just a little brighter than before. She doesn't seem to actually be standing right now, either, as she sort of just scoots slowly around Kori to wrap her fingers around her cocoa mug. Likely not to warm her hands, but to at least get at it before her friend steals it!

    "Italiy and some of the islands in the Mediterranean. Vorpal even dropped in for lunch in Sardinia one day! It was amazing!" she hugs her mug to her chest, grinning ear to ear. "But.. right! God, I have, like... at least a dozen pages I need to write up. The professor needs an extensive accounting of my trip, and I want to do at least a page for every city I visited... and a recipe card for every dish..." she smiles sheepishly, "...a good report will make a good case for being able to do it again at the end of this year, too, but maybe somewhere like... Spain or France."

Koriand'r has posed:
Kori had not yet noticed the cocoa, but as the chocolate scent comes closer she rises into the air an inch or two and floats vaguely in the direction of Karolina's mug like a cartoon character toward a pie. She stops this after a moment, realizing, sadly, the chocolate is not for her. She will just have to pick some up on the way home.

Twelve pages, admittedly, does not sound like a huge report to Kori, who is used to Nightwing's dissertations on every mission he leads. She's quite certain that other Robins would have longer ones (or at least one other Robin), but that's neither here nor there at the moment. "Can you not fly quickly enough to travel across the Atlantic somewhat regularly?" she wonders. "I would think you could go any time you wanted, and not have to wait for the holidays to travel." She just zips around wherever she likes, really. Flight is so freeing.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina takes a big big big sip and then... holds the mug out to Kori. Would one -really- think she isn't going to share with her BFF? "I just don't do well writing big reports... Sure the culture and the scenery are amazing but I was there for the -food-!" she sighs, but it's a happy sigh. "At least I can spend a few weeks doing some hands-on demonstrations of some of the recipes and techniques I'll be writing about... but.." she shrugs, regarding the question there.

    "...honestly? I could... but... when the sponsorship covers the hotels and the tours.... it's a lot sweeter of a deal, you know?" she swishes her hips, still floating some, happy 'lina. "Because if I'm flying non-stop for like five hours without a break, even in full sun... I'm going to want to spend a few nights. Plus! If it's comped, I'm not required to be back in class the next day! Does make for great spring break options though..." she winks, thinking of the upcoming break that may only be a couple months off.

Koriand'r has posed:
Kori blinks in surprise. "Karolina, you are the best," she says, eyes wide, expression most sincere. She takes the mug from Karolina, claims a long swallow, but passes it back to the blonde soon enough. She is not going to take all of the treat for herself, either. She's too nice for that, and Karolina's generosity is slightly humbling.

"I look forward to trying all of your Italian food," she says. "And Spanish and French and everything else." Kori may be more inclined toward consuming a lot of sweet things than nibbling little bits of strange delicacies, but she's not going to reject the possibility of delicious food that comes in smaller quantities. "I guess I can understand that," she continues a moment later, after Karolina explains her preference for hotels and tours, "but I prefer to come home to my own bed and my blankets and the stash of Mallomars under my pillow"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Huh? Am I?" 'lina asks, looking bewildered. She just shrugs, though, and scoots over to retrieve her tablet before returning just in time to put it on the table and take her mug back with a smile. She sips again and stays close. "I mean... I know you like sweet things," she says with an understanding nod. "I'm sure there's more than a few desserts I can whip up now. If not from the trip, then at least from the internet..." she hugs the drinking vessel to her chest again, swaying in the air again.

    "I could always take you along next time, too! But, gods, yes, I KNOW!" she laughs. "I missed my own bed so much. There's just something about coming home, turninmg on your stereo, tossing your jacket on the couch and... falling into bed..." she exhales a pleased sigh. "...and you know I could -maybe- make you some home-made vegan Mallomar bars... I think the only points of contention are, like... a good cream replacement.. and there's been some really great ways to replicate gelatin..."

Koriand'r has posed:
Kori regards Karolina with a soft, perhaps slightly pitying smile as she gently explains, "Mallomars are cookies. Also, there's no cream." She does not cook. Or at least, not when people are around to witness the results. But she is aware of the things that go into gelatin. She's descended from carnivores, so it doesn't bother her much, but really, humans seem very attached to horses. And Karolina being a vegan... well... she's not going to talk about the source of such things. "I appreciate the offer, Karolina, but truly, do not put yourself out on my account."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina grins, and shakes her head, thrusting the mug of cocoa into Kori's hands before snatching up the tablet. "No seriously..." she laughs. "Here, hold on..." she scrolls through a few tabs and then holds up the screen to Kori. "Look! Look at these! They look delicious don't they?" it's a recipe for home-made mallomar bars. Butter. Graham crackers. Lots of sugar. Home-made marshmallow fluff. Cream and chocolate. "Besides, if I make sweets for you, I have to make sweets for all of the Titans... and if I make sweets for the Titans... rules dictate that I get to eat some too!" she nods.

Koriand'r has posed:
"As if I wouldn't share with you anyway," Kori replies with a huff that is clearly only for effect. She has the cocoa again, and is soon sipping it one more, because dear god, if there were nothing else of worth on this planet (and truthfully, there is much of great value to her here) there would be chocolate, more precious in this universe than gold, as far as she's concerned, because gold is a natural element, and there are entire plants where the core is molten gold, unlike the molten iron at the center of the Earth, but never anywhere else has she discovered anything akin to chocolate.

Is it any wonder that alien conquerors show up here with such regularity? He who controls the chocolate controls the universe.

She studies the recipe, then peers at Karolina curiously. "It calls for butter," she points out. "You know I wouldn't complain over that, but..." Her head tilts, and one brow rises. Karolina is going to cook with, and eat, butter?

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "Yes, well, the others might not... and.... I do need to watch my figure..." Karolina says, completely serious. Or so it seems. Does someone literally made of star-stuff actually have to worry about things like... cholesterol and saturated fats? Well, it would be neat to find a planet with a chocolate core but... who knows...

    "There's replacements for that," Karolina nods enthusiastically. "Generally vegetable-oil based. There's a lot of ways to get around... animal-based food products," she sways on her heels. "Trust me, I've been doing this for... as long as I can remember..." she considers. "Unless you have other requests for sweets?" she asks and puts the tablet back down on the table.

Koriand'r has posed:
"The others will eat everything the second it appears," Kori agrees. "That's why you save some aside for yourself. I'm happy to eat anything you want to make, Karolina." She'll supplement it with tons of other sweets, of course, but not because she doesn't love Karolina's cooking. She's just a Tamaranean. She's naturally a hedonist, and sweet things are wonderful and she will eat as much as she can get. And, possibly like Karolina, never have to worry about getting fat. Some species have all the luck.

Karolina Dean has posed:
    "I mean... I like making special stuff for my friends..." Karolina muses, then makes grabby hands at her mug. She did surrender it to Kori, but that was only temporary! She wants to sip some more of her home-made chocolate goodness. "That.. is true.. If I bring a bunch of treats I should just keep an extra bag for myself..." she nods. "But still! If you have any particular preferences... please, let me know. If it's not something I've made yet then it means I can learn to do something new and interesting..."

Koriand'r has posed:
Kori has resisted finishing the drink this long! She hesitates only a fraction of a minute. Maybe five seconds. Before her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she quickly pushes the mug into Karolina's hands. "Um." She pauses, considering the possibilities, all the treats she could have Karolina make. Her own personal dessert chef. Sort of. "Um. There are about ten thousand types of cheesecake I'd love to try."

Karolina Dean has posed:
    Karolina takes a long drink, listening, watching Kori think super hard. Super super hard. Then she offers up the mug again. "Cheesecake?" she asks, tilting her head, "Oh that is a challenge..." she muses. "Mainly due to the... well, cheese business... and such... but it will definitely be an interesting thing to attempt! Ten thousand kinds of cheesecake... oh my... it's easier than you'd think, actually..." she grins.

Koriand'r has posed:
"Make me cheesecake, Karolina," sas Kori, eyes glinting with green fire. "Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, blackberry, cherry, marshmallow, pineapple, banana, rum. Cheese. Cake." She glances down at herself for a moment. "It's kind of my signature, isn't it?"

Karolina Dean has posed:
    There's a -grin- on Karolina's face. A big big big grin. "...the wonders I will show you, Kori.... the wonders...." she moves to stand next to the taller woman, putting an arm around her. She gestures towards the sky, the mug in her hand held when she sweeps it forward. Cheesecake. Cheesecake everywhere. "Well then, you seem to enjoy chocolate... so we'll start with that... but the fruity varieties I am.. all for..." she says, then purses her lips. "But I'm not old enough to buy rum so you'll have to bring some by when I make that..."

Koriand'r has posed:
Kori laughs, slides an arm around Karolina and hugs her warmly. "I look forward to tasting it," she says. "And you shall have rum when you need it. Thank you, Karo." She plants a kiss on the younger woman's cheek -- friendly and affectionate. "I should go, but it's so good to see you again. We'll do something fun soon, alright? And of course kick much villain butt." With this she releases the blonde and rises into the sky, hair flaming to life. "Have a wonderful evening! Enjoy your gardening!" And with this she's speeding away.