Moonlight Nocturne

"...i know." He smiles weakly. "So you have to do what you can do, okay? For your family?"

 

Elena nods unhappily, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her wrist. "... uhhuh. ... I'll try."

 

"Good..."

 

"'LEMA, OO YUH WAN' PAH?" Nick calls from upstairs. Then repeats. " Uuuh. Meat pie??? I think it's got cabbage???"

 

Elena perks up, jumping to your feet. "Yes! Don't eat all the vareniky, Mom just made them!"

She pauses in the process of dashing toward the door, looking back at Lou. "Um. Do you want some?"

 

"I'm good," Lou grins. "Go on."

 

"UNNO WHASSIZ. NO PROMISHES?"

 

"NIIIIIICK!!!!" She races upstairs to get some food before those jerks eat all of it. "That's vareniky! Don't eat all of them!"

 

Nick and Miri look guiltily up as she races into the kitchen, still chowing down.

Elena... there's a new carpet in your kitchen. It's got a really weird design on it.

 

'... did you even boil them? Are they still frozen??'

Elena stills, looking suspiciously at the carpet. Then she crouches, moving to poke it. 'Did you put this here?'

 

"Boil?"

 

"....nnno?"

 

"...it's probably Lou or Winter's?"

 

Elena sighs loudly. Barbarians.

The carpet seems more important right now, though. She frowns, staring at it, then goes to duck downstairs again. "LOOOOOUUUU!! Did you put a carpet in the kitchen?!"

 

"...mmh? Yeah. Don't move it." He hums.

 

"... why not?" She peeks in at him, blinking. "Does it only work in one place?"

 

"No, but I don't want the ritual disturbed until I'm done cleaning." He hums.

 

"... Oh," she says, flashing him a smile before ducking back upstairs to eat.

Mom always cooks when she's stressed out, and she's a good cook, but Elena always worries a little when she sees plates and bowls of leftovers all over the fridge. It means something's going wrong. Usually that they're behind on the rent, or Elena's in trouble again.

She smiles a little shakily at Nick and Miriam. "... you should probably eat a lot. If, um... if we're not going to be here. Mom wouldn't want the leftovers to go bad."

 

"We won't let them go bad. C'mon, pick some stuff out, we can bring it home tonight?" Nick smiles.

 

Miri swallows a mouthful. "...your mom's a good cook."