ledbythewind | [Action]

[Richard is up early this morning, out and about before most of the rest of the household is even awake. He's not about to let his odd sensitivity to any sort of wind stop him from getting things done-- instead, he simply bundles himself up until he looks more like a walking pile of coats and scarves than anything else before making his way in to the center of town for a shopping trip. Of course, the downside of said bundle of outer layers is that it's a bit hard for him to see, meaning that he might occasionally stumble into people or objects before he even realizes it...

His first stop is the grocery store, where he can be found consulting a list and selecting ingredients. Okay, maybe making a black forest cake is a bit ambitious on his end, but he wants to give it a shot anyway. It SOUNDS delicious, if nothing else.

Then he heads to the item store to grab a few more things, even though he'd already picked out his main present some time ago. Perhaps a new toy for Tiger Festival as well...

Of course, then he realizes that his recipe calls for cherry liqueur, which requires a stop by Good Spirits to pick some of that up.

Finally, he heads back home to House 28, where housemates will find him in the kitchen baking something that smells very delicious and very chocolatey. The end result may be a little lopsided and the frosting job definitely leaves something to be desired (maybe he should've whipped that whipped cream a bit more, it seems a little runny), but at least it smells good?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Bundled up in a coat, hat, and scarf, Rue stands at the end of one aisle in the grocery store, squinting at the text on some packages. She'd be inconspicuous against a backdrop of ordinary if not for the very un-ladylike sneeze she lets out; the backstep she takes to brace herself ends up unbalancing a display set-up of fresh fruit, and they drop to the floor and roll aimlessly.

Agh. Ugh. This whole thing is awful and she feels awful and could she just start today over, please, it's cold and she's tired- and not noticing Richard just a few feet away. Being assaulted by runaway lemons.]

[It's hard not to notice the sudden fruit avalanche at the end of the aisle, even if he doesn't realize who caused it at first. There are lemons and apples rolling everywhere like some sort of comedic multicolored ball pit and for a moment Richard wonders if someone didn't upset the display on purpose... until he spots Rue, that is.

Quickly he makes his way over to her, picking up a few stray lemons as he goes.]

Are you all right?

[Someone noticed.

Could this day turn any worse?]

Fine. [And, since she recognizes Richard:] Thank you.

[Maybe, if she keeps to fewer words, he won't hear all the sounds of someone with a bad cold.]

You aren't the first one to have caused that to happen-- I set off an entire avalanche of potatoes the first time I went shopping in the store. I didn't realize what would happen if I just took one without checking to see if any others were sitting on top of it.

[He isn't going to laugh, nor will he berate her for this. Instead, he's just going to set the ones he picked up back on the display, then lean down to retrieve a few more pieces of fruit before they can roll too far.]

Just leave them. I did it.

[Even Rue is shocked by those words. Ordinarily she expects the men drifting through her area of control to do things for her, whether she asks or not.]

[But Richard merely gives a soft chuckle and continues to pick up the fallen fruit. Perhaps if she were to ask him politely... no, even then he would still assist her, because his noble upbringing has instilled in him the firm belief that one should always help someone in need.]

I wouldn't be much of a gentleman if I stood by and left a lady to clean up a mess all by herself.

[The instant she tries to bend to help him, the pressure in her head drives her to stand up again. Ugh.]

Well...well if you insist.

[And insist he does-- no sooner does she say that than he's bending down again to start scooping the wayward pieces of fruit into his arms. It takes him several armloads, standing to replace them once his arms are full, but at last all of the fruit is back in its proper place on the stand, and he turns to her with a smile.]

There. Nothing to worry about.

I...apologize for interrupting you.

[It isn't her norm but Richard always spooks this attitude out of her for some reason.]

[Richard just waves it off, still smiling.]

You needn't apologize for that. I wasn't doing anything that would suffer from a small interruption.

I should go now.

[He also moderates her need to feel superior, and it's terribly unsettling.]

Is everything all right?

[Rue has been curt as long as he's known her, yes, but there's something about the way she's acting right now that seems a bit... off somehow.]

You've never caught a cold before?

[If so, let's see how friendly and kind it makes him feel when he does.]

[... ah. He understands now, and his voice softens.]

Many times during this time of year. I seem to have been blessed with an immune system that ceases to work properly in the winter.

[Oh.

All her venomous disdain evaporates then, too.]

Then I shouldn't have to explain any further.

I have heard that oranges and orange juice are supposed to be beneficial when one has a cold, though I have yet to test that for myself.

Orange juice?

[That sounds wonderful. She's thirsty anyway and half the food she passed sounded stomach-turning.]

[He nods.]

Supposedly it helps clear out your nose and throat somehow.

I...I could try that.

[It's the first useful thing she's heard. Granted, she hasn't asked or told anyone else.]

And perhaps some chicken soup to help make the rest of you feel better as well.

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