The Retriever Institute

Mariposas

Cross frowns at the last couple of strawberries in the package. They're almost gone. Nightmare and Horror are talking in the living room while he looks for a snack. He really likes these, but looking at the last five of them sitting there, he struggles with the mind to eat them. What if someone else needs them later? What if someone else wants them later and finds nothing? Horror likes them too, after all. Surely that would be upsetting.

So appears his dilemma, the tribulations of a dwindling strawberry supply.

"So..." Cross' soul almost jumps out of his body as he hears Horror's voice from his side. "ya just gonna stare at em?"

"I... There are... Few."

"You like em, don'cha?" Horror asks, looking at the strawberries.

Cross watches him a little suspiciously. "I do."

"Well we need cabbage for dinner anyway, and we're out. Ya can eat those, it's okay. We can always get s'mmore," Horror says, patting his shoulder.

The taller had finally recovered enough to cook, and he was happily making anything and everything for them, presumably to make up for intruding on Cross' training so early. Now he'd been with them almost a week, and this was going to be his last day with them before going back to Dream's supervision. Cross would've been sad about it, but Horror assured him he'd be meeting the rest of their team soon, and they'd see each other then. He promised that if he ever wanted the company, he could always ask Night to let him come over.

Overall, this visit made Cross a lot less nervous about meeting the rest of his team.

Truthfully, Horror made for good company, and he was always happy to lend a metaphorical ear, even if he didn't understand all the Spanish words Cross used when he was frustrated about something. He was better at listening than talking, but when he did speak he had some good advice to offer. Horror had struggled to speak more at first than he did now, it seemed as he recovered he was able to articulate things much more easily. Besides that, Horror called his muddled, angry Spanglish endearing, or something. Chara ended up enjoying his company too, and obviously Nightmare loved having him around.

"More of what?" Night asks from the kitchen doorway.

Cross soul almost jumps out of his chest in surprise, but he's getting used to that. Nightmare walks far too quietly for anyone's good.

"We're about outta strawberries an Crossy wants more, an... I need more cabbage to make dinner tonight... Can we visit Sticks a bit later?" Horror asks.

"Put the puppy dog eyes away H, of course we can. I've been meaning to show Cross the greenhouse anyway," Night says, smiling.

"Visit... Sticks?" Cross asks quietly.

He's fairly certain sticks are small branches from trees, but he could easily be wrong. His English may be improving, but he's still finding himself stumped by one word or another on the day to day. It's obnoxious, but he's insisted on learning more English, Nightmare already said that everyone in the institute primarily communicates in English. He doesn't want to be left out of important conversations. Relying on translation can be shaky at best, that's for certain.

"Sticks is one of us, he takes care of the greenhouse with his brother, Stones," Nightmare explains, leaning on the doorframe.

Cross watches him and thinks for a moment, Chara is sleeping. It's a little funny how he just floats there in the air. It's honestly a wonder he hasn't woken up from all their talking. His eyelights wander back to Nightmare and he seems to remember he was supposed to be thinking.

"You said you would show me the greenhouse."

"Yeah, do you want to see it today?" Night asks, "We can get more strawberries. Besides, I think you'd like to meet Sugar, he should be working in the greenhouse today," he murmurs.