“Yeah! No problem, I look forward to it.”[break][break]

And he doesn’t just say that. As much of a shy doormat as Emerson can be, when it comes to what he spends time on, he wouldn’t read through it all if he wasn’t interested.[break][break]

As a reminder of his earlier hunger, his stomach growls as the readiness of the gyoza draws closer.[break][break]

He watches with obvious awe as James works—carefully plating each dumpling with care and precision. He wouldn’t be nearly so delicate, admittedly. Too eager to eat it all.[break][break]

“Not handy, ‘cause it usually comes in the takeout container…I got all that though, yeah!” Hopping down from his perch, he rummages for a bottle of each to hand them over


[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

"alright give me a sec. here, hold this but don't eat them just yet."[break][break]

he hands the bowl over to em even when he could've easily placed it down on a table or something. this is a test! clearly. to see if em will be able to resist the temptation.[break][break]

taking the two bottles, james quickly mixes them together, tasting every now and then, until he finally makes the perfect gyoza sauce.[break][break]

well, perfect enough.[break][break]

"here we are! time to dig in. after you."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

[It takes a Herculean feat for Emerson to not use the chopsticks at the end of his hands, aka his fingers, to just grab a dumpling to eat plain.[break][break]

Instead, he stared down at the bowl in his hands forlornly until James is done with the sauce.[break][break]

He doesn’t need to be told twice, nor does he demure about who eats first. He grabs a second set of chopsticks and lifts one dumpling. Then dunks it in the sauce before promptly shoving it into his mouth.[break][break]

“Ugh, that’s so good,” he says, forgetting his manners and talking with his mouth full.[break][break]

He’s already picking up a second, though he holds out the bowl for
James to have his share too. “Maybe I should just pay you to cook for me, instead of delivering my takeout,” he jokes with a laugh, “these are way better than the place I order from.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

they should be better! these were made with love and care while the ones em usually orders from are just...deep fried garbage.[break][break]

but james is biased.[break][break]

"heh. if you're ever in ever grande, let me know. i think you'd love my parent's restaurant."[break][break]

that has always been a backup for him if he ever failed at his work. he can always go back to take over the restaurant.[break][break]

"i can teach you how to cook more stuff if you want! later, i mean. like in the future."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

It’s not even a question, or Em humoring him. These are supreme.[break][break]

“Oh for sure! If the food’s anything like this, I’ll definitely have to pay it a visit.”[break][break]

He’s shoving another gyoza in his mouth when James offers to show him more cooking skils. He hums in agreement, nodding rapidly with bright, red eyes.[break][break]

“Please, if you don’t mind! I’d enjoy that a lot. I enjoy learning new recipes.” It’s a sudden thought that hits him belatedly—[break][break]

Did he just make a friend?

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

james always loves bringing friends over to his parent's restaurants. one, it's good for the business, and two, it's sweet to see different parts of his life come together.[break][break]

"new recipes? can you cook, then?"[break][break]

he picks up another gyoza and dips it into the homemade sauce.[break][break]

"you gotta show me some of your recipes."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

It actually sounds kinda fun to visit a restaurant connected to someone he knows. It’s a bit like making the experience especially unique.[break][break]

“Oh, yeah! Well I mean, nowhere near as good as this, but I’m a bit of a foodie so it’s good to have a few skills at least!”[break][break]

Actually, it’s kind of a wonder that he doesn’t have a food blog or something to that effect.[break][break]

He nods, reaching with his chopsticks for another gyoza. “Oh for sure, I gotta have something up my sleeve that’s new to you.”[break][break]

Hopefully, anyway.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

"foodie, huh? are you the type to have a blog as well?"[break][break]

he always likes reading those, less so if the reviews are bad, but those are quite rare. it's mostly locals who review his parent's restaurant anyways, and the neighborhood is small enough that everyone knows each other.[break][break]

"i haven't ventured much into alto marean food. do you know how to make pasta?"

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

“Yeh.” He laughs, lifting his hand to pinch his fingers together. “Just a lil bit.”[break][break]

He tucks a long strand of hair behind his ear. “I don’t have one, but I feel like I should, honestly.” The travel ones are fun in particular, in his opinion. “I like to watch video blogs, I think those can be even more entertaining.”[break][break]

Plus he gets to live vicariously through their food picks.[break][break]

“Oh! Alto Marean cuisine is where it’s at! Though…noodles from scratch I’m not too great at, but I can make gnocchi like no one’s business.”

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

he snaps his fingers, quick to come up with an idea.[break][break]

"we should start a food podcast! or something like that. but that would be really fun. we can call it... late night snacks."[break][break]

not the best name, admittedly, but he's on the spot.[break][break]

"late night meals? late night...something. we can talk about your famous gnocchi."

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]

He’s on board pretty much immediately.[break][break]

“Oh! That would be so cool. We could, like, go to different eateries and stuff too. Then discuss.”

His nose crinkles at the name, “Work in progress, yannow? It makes sense though. Given that it’s…” he pauses, looking down at his phone, “2:30 now.”[break][break]

He points a chopstick at James. “And your gyoza. Obviously. We could do video logs too.”[break][break]

It’s a little funny to be planning something like this with someone he’s only just befriended. Even more so that he doesn’t mind the fact that it’s a team endeavor. But that should be a good thing, given his excessive introversion.

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] JAMES BAKER  | m: trapinch who stole christmas [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-dedenne"]

"hell yeah! let's do it."[break][break]

and so that's that. their newly formed podcast/online show/discussion/video/vlog? whatever it is, they'll have to work out the specifics, but he's excited either way.

[attr="class","ooc"]emerson whitlock[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-elgyem color-shiny"]