Sibling Rivalries: Chili Edition

[brave_heart_verity]

Flyers have been going up around the Forum and Commercial District for the last week or so. This morning,the lights in the VSW Meadhall came on. By noon, anyone getting close enough to an open door would know: chili's on!

Inside, everything's set up and waiting for the hungry and the curious: Clint's cooking in one corner, and Verity's in the other. Between them, tables are laid out with the necessities: bowls, plates, spoons, and plenty of napkins. There's beer and iced tea, some lovely tres leches cakes provided by the Nexus' favorite Japanese detective, and various toppings for the chili: bottles of sriracha and sweet Thai chili sauce, red pepper flakes, green onions and red, lime wedges, diced bell peppers and jalapeños, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cornbread and tortilla chips round things out.

Long tables with a mix of benches and chairs fill the hall on either side of the fire pits. One has board and card games stacked neatly at one end (they were neat when they were put out, at least). Another has two boxes, one wrapped in purple paper and one in pink, for depositing voting slips.

Poll #17301 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

View Respondents

Who gets your vote?

View Answers

Clint--Avengers Assemble!
3 (42.9%)

Truthfully? Verity.
4 (57.1%)

The fire pits are lit, the food is waiting, and there are games in want of players. What are you waiting for?
((There will doubtless be further Cupid-based shenanigans, but this weekend, it's all about the platonic relationships. Bromances, BFFs, and family ties rule the day! Let's celebrate! Threadhopping, tangents, games, and mischief are all encouraged. Just don't start a food fight or Verity will have to yell.))

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

"Verity Willis. It's nice to meet you, Joshua." She frees up a hand to offer to him. "And, welcome to the Nexus. I hope your arrival wasn't too difficult?"

Ridiculous costumes and saving the world are old hat to her; her 24-hour news cycle was colorful. But still. "Well, must be a different world where someone's called Superman."

He can show off if he wants, but hasn't he already had some of Clint's chili? "Okay. We can add stuff if you want after you've tried it. And can I suggest you add a wedge of lime juice to it? It really brings out the flavors."

[brother_alone]

"Verity. Nice name. Nice hair, too." He shakes her hand but doesn't linger with the touch. It's difficult being around people. "Better than where I was."

Biggest understatement of the year, there.

"No such thing as super heroes where I'm from. It's pretty lame, you're not missing much." He wishes there were heroes.

"You're the boss." He gives Verity a mock salute before going to do just that.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh! Thank you." No, no need for either of them to linger. It's awkward enough already because there's been touching. "Is it? Then I'm sorry to hear that, but happy you found us."

That makes sense, right? It's not insane.

"No? Maybe not. On the other hand, that means you don't have supervillains." It's a package deal.

The salute gets a smirk, but otherwise, she's watching carefully to see how he likes it. With people she knows she's been able to make decent guesses about what they'll like for toppings. It's so much harder with a stranger. But she has to remember not to stare. Staring is rude and gives boys ideas.

This is complicated.

[brother_alone]

The fact that he can touch her is reassuring. She's real. This is real. Awkward as it is, he needs to know these things. And going up to strangers going 'are you a hallucination or not?' isn't the best first impression he could make.

"Thanks." His smile is automatic and brief, but genuine. If she's real then that means he's actually eating. Which is a definite plus. "You'd be surprised." No supervillains, but definitely monsters. Things that could use defeating.

Where he'd nearly inhaled Clint's chili with all the desperation of a starving man he takes his time with Verity's. There isn't a need to eat hers, and he's able to better enjoy it.

"This is like, a million times better than the stuff you get at ball games." He quips with a chuckle, finally glancing her way again. "Ten outta ten would put into my face again."

[brave_heart_verity]

No hallucinations here, no illusions, she barely even wears makeup. Just 100% Manhattan-grown sasspot, for better or worse. On the other hand, she can see through that sort of thing, so, she might be a good friend to keep on speed dial. And yes, it works through Skype.

"Probably. But if it's true, I can deal with it. And if it's not true, I can deal with that, too." She gives a little shrug. Making the choice to move to the Nexus, she accepted she'd be dealing with all kinds of weird things.

He can take his time, she's not going to rush him or shoo him away. The quiet while he eats is a nice little break for her. The compliments are nice too. "Glad you like it! I think we're going to have to do this again. What do you think, should it be a tradition?"

[brother_alone]

Whether it's a healthy coping mechanism or not, Joshua assumes everything is real until proven otherwise. It has led to some awkward moments with him sitting in the forum talking to himself but that's better than it could be.

"..My friend Chris and I found some..." Teeth, screaming--fangs. He inhales sharply. Nope. This is a good thing he's got going on and he's not wrecking it. "Things. On the mountain my folks have a lodge at. Rough trip. This place is way better."

Real food in his system is such a good feeling. Josh is nodding before he even realizes it. "Definitely. I'll bring a case of beers next time. Do my part."

[brave_heart_verity]

Ver's in no position to judge people's coping mechanisms.

It'll be funny when she realizes he means the Chris she met the other day. But it's such a common name. "Oh, I'm sorry. But it looks like you made it out okay, so that's good." She sounds all calm about it, but she's watching him more carefully than it might appear at first. "If you want to talk about it later, I'm usually around. And lots of people here have been through things, I'm sure they could relate."

She smiles at the offer and inclines her head. "That'd be nice of you."

[brother_alone]

She knows Chris? Good! Great, even. He's a good guy. Much better guy than Joshua is.

Winter clothes hide how thin he's become since getting stuck in the caves back home. It shows a bit on his face, but he's getting better. This place...has been good for him overall.

"Maybe." And he sounds like he's actually considering it. Gotta be better than the guy who 'helps' with his problems now. Anything would be better than the shrink who knows far too much about what's going on in his head. Far more than anyone normal should.

"With food like this, who wouldn't want to chip in man? That's like, half the point of a party is everyone doin' their thing and enjoyin' how the evening turns out."

[brave_heart_verity]

Chris seems very nice so far. So does Josh. If they're not careful she's going to take it upon herself to look after them both until they've sorted out this 'living in the Nexus' thing. And also feed them. She loves to cook.

"When you're ready to talk about it. There's no rush." Look at how long it took her to get into therapy after watching her world burn. It happens when it happens.

"Aw, I'm just glad everyone's enjoying it. And since you're in a helpful mood, can I ask you a favor? Stick around 'til the end and take some of the leftovers home? Because I'm kind of sick of the smell of chili now, you know?"

[brother_alone]

He'd be a lot more withdrawn and ashamed if he knew that she was aware that Josh was effectively living like a hobo. Since Joshua's oblivious to this, he just smiles. He likes friends who like to cook. Always has.

"Yeah." This is real, Joshua. You touched her, remember? She isn't going to try and tell you bad things. Isn't going to send you back to the doctor. This is real. Also, wow. World burning? Kind of puts his problems into perspective there.

"Uh--" He almost admits he doesn't have a fridge or any electricity for that matter, but this place has been colder than hell and there's plenty of snow banks he can shove stuff in next to the abandoned building he's holed up in. "Sure. Be happy to." No way is he turning down free meals. This whole anorexic model look was not by choice, thanks.

[brave_heart_verity]

What makes him think she was this together when she first got here? She did the couch surfing thing too. Granted, it was a more seasonable time for impromptu camping, but still. Also? She is really good at finding jobs for her friends. It's practically her superpower.

He can touch her again if he needs to. No worries about her sending anyone to Dr. Hill, she doesn't even hate her actual enemies that much.

"Thanks. That'd be a big help." How? Who knows. Just roll with it. "You want more?"

[brother_alone]

Self loathing, mostly. That's a hell of a super power she's got. Verity should start her own job agency.

"Actually.." Josh laughs, earnest and self depreciating at the same time. He lifts up his jacket so it's possible to see how much his flannel hangs off of him. "I've had two bowls already, and these days I don't have much more space than that. And before you freak--that happened before I got here. I'm getting better. And you can bet those leftovers are gonna get eaten."

"But I can't, anymore. Right now." He shrugs. "Thanks for the offer though."

[brave_heart_verity]

Maybe she should, but then it'd be a job and not as much fun.

It's amazing how quick she can go from smiling to worried. Like worried is her natural state or something. But the reassurances, being true, work. "I'm sorry. For what happened, and for if I get a little nuts trying to feed you from now on. I think trying to take care of everyone I meet here is part of how I'm trying to cope with what happened."

So much survivor's guilt.

"Okay, but the offer stands if you find yourself getting hungry again later."

[brother_alone]

"Oh man, you are gonna hate me when I'm--" Back to normal? You?

"...When I bulk up again. Seriously I ate like a horse."

[brave_heart_verity]

"I really doubt that," she retorts with a smile. "I'll be happy to have someone to help eat everything. And if I can't keep up, I'll bring you to Nana's."