Open: And they're gonna bend their branches down to lay their fruit upon the ground

[vineleaves]

Dionysus is in a kitchen, apron tied over a purple dress with vine details, singing to himself as he uses a melon baller to scoop out a watermelon. The large bowl next to him is already full of honeydew melon and cantaloupe, and he's got a few other ingredients nearby ready to add in once he's done with the watermelon. Mint leaves, some honey, some lemon juice, and some lime juice.

It has been quite an eventful time lately, but overall his life is pretty great right now.

Comments

[vineleaves]

"I will, but it's just leaves, I think you're thinking into it too much."

[summerdude]

"Oh." Magnus takes a deep breath and nods. "I do that sometimes."

[vineleaves]

"Just relax, okay? We're just making a fruit salad, it's not like we're... I dunno, auditioning to work in a Michelin star restaurant or anything."

[summerdude]

"I just, like. Wanna learn to be good at it," says Magnus, "so I can open a local franchise of Fadlan's Falafels here."

[vineleaves]

Oh, that's so sweet. "I'm sadly not the person you want teaching you anything about cooking then." To be fair, what he's doing now isn't cooking. It's assembling. "I'm sure out of everyone here we can find someone who can teach you how to cook though."

[summerdude]

"Oh, Hanguang-jun and Tress and Galahad and Sagramore have all helped," Magnus says. "And Lancelot and Mercutio have... not, but the sentiment was there."

[vineleaves]

Dionysus laughs. "I can imagine... Look, I love Mercutio like he's my own son, but I don't know that I would trust him around a modern stove." At least not, like, right now. Eventually Dionysus is going to get around to teaching him how to make his own damn meals. Eventually.

[summerdude]

"Oh, he did all right." Presumably they improve from where that thread paused. "We were just, like, clueless together though."

[vineleaves]

"Well I'm glad you" didn't burn down the kitchen, or somehow explode something "had fun. I'm excited to go to your restaurant when you get it open."

[summerdude]

"Yeah, check back in like two hundred years," Magnus sighs. He runs the knife over the mint again and squints. "How's this?"

[vineleaves]

"That's perfect. And I don't mind waiting. Two hundred years isn't that long."

[summerdude]

"That's what I always say," says Magnus, who has never once done so.

[vineleaves]

“It’ll be here before you know it, kid.”

[summerdude]

"I'm just glad there's other immortal people here too, Uncle D," Magnus says, offering him the cutting board. "Otherwise I bet this place would get pretty lonely eventually."

[vineleaves]

"We've got quite a club growing here, huh? And who knows what other immortal people will wind up here eventually."

[summerdude]

Privately, Magnus is mostly relieved that there's an immortal person besides himself and Alex that he can tolerate. "Yeah!"

[vineleaves]

"...I'm glad I'm not going to lose you, kid," he says quietly.

[summerdude]

"Aw, Uncle D," Magnus says, touched. He bumps his shoulder against Uncle D's arm.

[vineleaves]

Dionysus, meanwhile, just full on gives Magnus a hug.

[summerdude]

...okay, fine, Magnus can add Uncle D to his list of people he feels comfortable hugging. He gives him a squeeze back. Full strength, because surely a god can handle that?

[vineleaves]

It's uncomfortably tight, but then his back pops, so honestly it's a win.

[summerdude]

"I have a question for you, actually," Magnus says, as he draws back. "I think maybe you can help better than anyone else here."

[vineleaves]

"Oh? What's on your mind?"

[summerdude]

"Um, did you meet my Evil Twin?"

[vineleaves]

“Your — your alternate self? Yes. … I take it you don’t remember when he was here, then?” Because Dionysus definitely remembers being mortal for a day. “What about him though?”