Pie and Kittens

Who: Jessie and Lily
When: Jan 22, afternoon
Where: Lily's apartment/Around Town

There was determination in Jessie's eyes as she held the umbrella close over her head, hunched against the rain, and headed for one specific place. The rain itself was more annoying to her than it ever had been before. She didn't usually have such a problem with it but it seemed incessant recently and if there was one thing Jessie wasn't about to do, it was be stuck in their apartment for the rest of the day. Having decided early on that morning that the rain wasn't going to stop her from getting out today, Jessie had pulled on her pair of trusty rain boots, thrown on a jacket, scarf, and pair of gloves, and headed out the door to Lily's new place. Most of the businesses were closed today and halfway to Lily's apartment, Jessie understood why. Maybe coming out in this rain hadn't been the best ideas, but when she put her mind to something, it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. She would have had to learn the hard way no matter what.

Even with the umbrella, Jessie had managed to get pretty wet from the walk, but she was thankful now that she'd made it to Lily's place without too much hassle and no accidents. A very real hope hit her when she started walking towards Lily's apartment; hopefully Jesse wouldn't go out in this weather today. Maybe she should have stayed back and made sure he stayed in, but she'd been going stir-crazy in there. Sighing, she knocked on Lily's door and waited, realizing then that she probably should have checked before to make sure that Lily was even home. But standing at a payphone in this kind of weather didn't seem practical either. So she waited and hoped for Lily to be there.

Lily was home, which was good for Jessie. She was sitting on the floor of her new bedroom looking at the boxes around her. There were cookies baking in the oven, the whole apartment smelled delicious, next to the pies she had cooked that morning.

Leaving was an interesting experience. Telling Agatha still had the dreamlike quality to it that kept Lily wondering if it had actually happened. She had told her grandmother quite firmly, that she'd be leaving whether the woman liked it or not. All Agatha had said was 'be careful'. Would it have been that easy a year ago? Five years ago? Ten?. It bothered Lily.

So that's why it took quite a few knocks for Lily to realize that someone was on the door. She looked down at her clothes as she got up. Jeans were not proper wear for company, nor was the men's shirt that she wore, the white sleeves rolled up her elbows, hair pulled back messily. Still, it was the best she could do so that's how she greeted Jessie. Her eyes widened at the state that the teenager was in.

"Miss James, what on earth are you doing in this weather?" and Lily immediately grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her inside, shutting and locking the door. "Jessie, what on earth...?" She immediately took the umbrella away and was wrangling Jessie out of her rain coat before the young girl could say anything. "You're soaked!"

"It's raining," Jessie pointed out with a small laugh, but put the umbrella down to help Lily in the removal of her jacket. "And I came to see you, of course!"

Taking in the surroundings of Lily's apartment, Jessie's smile only grew. "Wow, Lily... this place is really nice!" She wanted to explore it, but figured she should get out of her wet rain boots first, so she leaned a hand up against the wall and attempted to wiggle out of the shoes. "I'm sorry to just barge in on you but I was so bored back home and I figured you could use a hand unpacking some of your stuff." Which, by the looks of it, she could use an extra set of hands.

"Oh, don't apologize!" Lily knelt down and pulled the rain boots off. "But what you're going to do is march yourself into the bathroom and take a shower." Lily didn't have kids. She never got to baby someone, so to speak, so Jessie was a wonderful target for her to exercise all her maternal instincts on. It was nice. "I'm going to find you some clothes." The two were close enough in size that Jessie should be able to fit into Lily's clothes. Which would be fine while her own dried.

Jessie might have protested, but the thought of a hot shower and some dry clothes didn't sound so bad right now. Relenting, she gave Lily another bright smile and nodded, putting her hands up. "Okay, okay, I'm going." Once in the bathroom, she made sure the water was hot, maybe a little too hot, and peeled her clothes off to hop inside the shower. When she was warm enough, she pried herself away from the hot water and wrapped the nearest towel around her, wringing her hair out over the tub. "I'm all warm now!" She called from the bathroom, door open just a bit so she could peek out. No sense in getting water all over Lily's new floors.

Lily in the meantime had been searching through her boxes. When she left, she had taken everything, and that included clothes from when she was younger and not as filled out as she was now. She had a thick red sweater over her arm and a plain black dress Jessie could wear under it. "I know it isn't your normal style but they're warm." And a little musty but Lily didn't say that. "I just got done making pie. Apple good for you? And hot chocolate." Because Jessie was going to eat pie. And drink hot chocolate.

"Thanks, Lily, that's really nice of you." She reached for the clothes, holding them carefully while Lily spoke of pie and hot chocolate. Pie and hot chocolate... "Yes!" Both of those things sounded fantastic to her. "You've got to eat some too, you know." She called from the bathroom, already pulling the black dress over her and then the thick red sweater. Once sufficiently dressed, Jessie came to Lily's side, looking expectant for both pie and hot chocolate. "You make the best pies! Maybe you'll teach me to bake one someday?"

Lily was already getting down a big mug for Jessie's hot chocolate when the girl finally said she'd like the food but she looked up in surprise at Jessie's request. She looked so eager and happy and Lily smiled softly. She was surprised that no one had taught her how to make pies. Maybe her grandmother or aunts didn't make them. "I'd be more than happy to. I made a couple, if you want to take one home so your dad could have some." The last time she saw Jesse, she had told him where his sister was working and she hadn't heard anything since then. But with Jessie here all smiles and everything, nothing bad had happened. At least, nothing that Jessie would know about. "That looks good on you. Better than it ever looked on me."

Jessie's grin turned playful, teasing. "I'm sure my dad would love to have some pie, especially if you made it. Want me to tell him you made it specifically for him?" She leaned against the counter, elbows up on the surface. Sure, Jessie had some baking knowledge, but there was just something about Lily's pies in particular that she hadn't been able to capture in any sort of attempt she'd made, so she figured she might as well learn from the baking master if she wanted to get it right. Smiling down at the dress, she ran her hand over the sweater at her hip once. "Thanks, Lily! It's cozy. A lot better than wet jeans and the sweater I was wearing. Do you need any help?" Jessie asked, knowing the least she could do for Lily's hospitality was help her serve the pie and hot chocolate.

She felt her cheeks turn a healthy shade of red when Jessie started teasing her and she looked at her over her shoulder, eyebrow raised. Quite unamused. "I'm sure your dad has plenty of girls out there making pies just for him," she said. "This pie is for you." Lily shook her head in amusement though and pulled out the heavy cream and regular milk. The ganache she had made for the particular purpose of hot chocolate-y beverages followed in a large container. "I'd be happy to teach you. What kind of pie would you like? And I've got cookies." Speaking of, she pulled open the oven and peeked in. Five more minutes on those.

"No wonder your apartment smells so great! You're already baking but you haven't unpacked yet! You have to let me help you unpack today." Jessie couldn't help but feel a little spoiled, though. She liked when people baked things for her and told her they were only for her, even if she knew it was just a pie that was for everyone. "Still, your pies trump any pies someone else might make him. Not that there have been any other pies around..." She hinted. "But when we make a pie, I'd like to make cherry."

I've been baking because I've been worried sick about your dad she thought but didn't say anything. At least she now knew that things were okay. She opened her mouth to say that she just liked baking when Little Miss Jess was all but waggling her eyebrows. Lily looked at Jessie shrewdly, lips pursed as she turned the heat way down under the hot chocolate. "I could pick up some fresh cherries on Monday," she finally offered. "And you can come by whenever you'd like."

Jackpot! Jessie continued to grin, using all the self control she had not to laugh outright at Lily's expression. It was so easy to tease her. She eased up for now, letting the pie conversation drop from insinuation to actual pies again. "Sounds good! Hopefully by Monday all this stupid rain will be gone. It'd be nice to just once open my eyes and not see gray." Maybe she should bake some cookies for her dad when she got home that night? If it would make their apartment smell as good as Lily's, it was worth a shot. "Where's your apple pie? I can cut us both some slices."

That girl... At least she'd moved back onto actual food again and not dropping hints or trying to wind her up. "Here. I popped it in to warm up." Lily opened the oven again and pulled out the apple pie, setting it carefully out on the counter. "Plates are in the cabinet above the sink over there. Let me get these cookies out..." She reached in and took out the two trays full of soft, warm chocolate chip raisin cookies and set them on top of the stove and turned out the oven. Apples and chocolate and sugar was almost overpowering, but Lily liked it. It smelled delicious. "I have some ice cream if you'd like that too." She realized, belatedly, that she was quite possibly spoiling her dinner but the girl could stand to eat more.

It was intoxicating, that was for sure, the smell of all this sugar, but Jessie liked it. She found two plates, turning to give Lily a look that said, 'Why of course we need ice cream'. She headed to the freezer and opened it up, pulling out the icecream before sitting it close to the pie. While Lily was an expert at baking, Jessie considered herself an expert at arranging. She cut out their slices of pie, dishing just the right amount of ice cream ontop of the heated confection and garnished each plate with a warm, straight-out-of-the-oven cookie. "Where are your forks?"

"First drawer to the left of the sink," Lily said, pouring a large mug of hot chocolate for Jessie and set it next to her plate. "So, my dear Lady J, how've you been? I saw your english essay. Job well done." Jessie's english teacher had needed help since she'd been out for a week andLily had been more than happy to help. "Consider this a congratulatory feast."

Fishing out two spoons for them, since she figured that was more practical than a fork for scooping up melted ice cream, Jessie returned to her plate and handed Lily her spoon. "This all looks so good, Lily. Thank you!" Her grin was grateful as she dug in, greedily eating a spoonful of the most delicious apple pie and washing it down with equally delicious, rich hot chocolate. And it was all in her eyes as she turned to Lily, awe in them. "This is the best hot chocolate ever! I bet my dad would like this a lot." She hinted again but let it drop at the mention of her English paper. "You think so? I wasn't so sure about it... I didn't like that book so much. Did you ever get that way? Like... I love to read and all but if a teacher's gonna tell me what I have to read, it's almost like I'll immediately dislike the book just because of that."

While it was cute, the game that Jessie was playing, there was no chance that her father would ever fall for a girl like her. He hadn't in high school. Like it would even happen now. No. They were friends. A friend who lectured her on her incompetency, but a friend none the less.

"I've worked at a library for almost twenty years," she pointed out with a smile, spooning both apple pie and ice cream into her mouth. How sad and pathetic was she, in that respect. Shelving books at a library. "Books were really my life and the books we had to read in school, well, by the time we got to them, I'd already read them. What's important though is that you went and read the book and you did a great paper on it. You understood what the story was about. That's what your teachers are looking for when they assign the books."

"I just don't like to be told I have to read it, you know? I'd read it either way, but I wish they'd let me pick the books at least." Shrugging, she scooped some more ice cream and pie into her mouth, and undeniable smile on her face. Best. Snack. Ever. "So, are you excited to be in your own apartment?" Lily certainly looked excited to Jessie, but the girl wondered if Lily might end up being lonely, especially if this was her first time living alone. She couldn't imagine not living with her dad or her family and knew that the day she had to move out was going to be very hard for her.

She took another bite of her food, noticing the pleased look on Jessie's face. "I know," she said, referring to the book lamentation. "It's the only way they can make sure that people read at their grade level. Just one of those things." And as for the apartment. "Well, it's not mine, it's actually my friend, Jenny's." She nodded over to the closed door on the other side of the living room. "She's with her mom today. If I didn't have her, I probably wouldn't have moved out." She recalled Jesse's warning about being safe and wondered if he would've suggested a gun instead of a baseball bat if she were living on her own. She still needed to get one. "I don't think I could stand living by myself."

"At least you have a friend with you!" Jessie was thankful that Lily's friend Jenny was letting her stay there. She'd always secretly thought Lily's grandmother was waaaay too controlling and that she needed to get out on her own anyway, but at least she wasn't completely alone. "I bet Jenny's excited to have you here too. You know what you need, Lily? You need a pet. A cat or a puppy or something. Can you have pets here?" Maybe having a pet would make the detachment from her grandmother a little more bearable? "We should go pet shopping!"

Lily's eyes widened in surprise. That girl must be psychic because Lily and Jenny had been talking about that exact thing the other day. "I was actually going to go to the pet store and pick up a couple of kittens," she said finally with a laugh. It was a soft, startled sound and she shook her head in amusement, brown curls swaying. "Would you like to? We'll take a taxi instead of walking."

"Sure! I'd love to! When are we going?" A wicked grin spread across her face. Her father might just have to deal with a little bundle of kitten joy joining their one bedroom apartment. Who knew, maybe he was even a kitten man at heart? "You're sure Jenny won't mind me coming along?" Jessie asked after another piece of pie and sip of hot chocolate. "I mean, if it's a roommate bonding thing, you and I can go another time."

She shook her head. "Jenny's been pretty down, which is why she's at her mother's. It's going to be a surprise for her. Let me just go put something more presentable on, get you some stockings to wear and then we'll go. How does that sound?" She was already mentally making a list of things to get besides kittens. Maybe Jessie would like one.

Jessie could only nod as she worked to scarf down the rest of her snack before they left. The plan itself sounded great! A surprise for both Jenny and Jesse. Hopefully her dad wouldn't actually mind having a cat in the house, but if he did Jessie figured she could probably persuade him to let her keep the kitten. Once her plates were clean, she stood up and brought them to the sink, washing them off instantly and doing the same for Lily's own. "I hope the pet store is open." She gave a sad thought about how scared the kittens must be if they were near any windows, but shook her head to clear it. They'd soon be able to save at least a few kittens from the pet store.

"I wouldn't worry." Lily smiled over at Jessie and went into her room to get dressed. She pulled on a thick red turtleneck and a brown skirt, pulling on thick stockings and boots. She found another pair of stockings for Jessie and brought them out. "Here you go. You can change in my room. I need to do my hair." Because it was just pulled up messily with a pencil and she couldn't possibly go out like that.

After drying her hands, she took the stockings and headed off to Lily's room, still surprised at the amount of boxes she'd yet to unpack. She changed quickly and returned to the living room, waiting for Lily near the door. She hadn't given much thought to how she would pay for this kitten or her share of the taxi, but she had a little money on her and if it could buy her a pet, it was definitely worth spending. Just to be ready whenever Lily was, Jessie slipped her feet back into the rainboots and grabbed her still damp jacket off the hanger. "You shouldn't worry so much, Lily. Your hair looks beautiful!"

"Well, it looks a little better now," she said, coming out of the bathroom with her hair in a braid down her back. She grabbed Jessie's jacket out of her hands and handed her a thick, dry winter coat. "Here. Merry late Christmas, Miss James." It was a nice coat, powder blue edged in black, long and fancy looking with a black fur lined hood. It had been Lily's when she was a teenager and she figured that Jessie would get much better use out of it. "Sorry I can't do anything about the shoes. I think mine might be too big for you."

With the sudden change of jackets. Jessie stared at the dry, new one in her hands. It was lovely and looked really really warm, especially with that hood. Clutching the jacket in one hand, Jessie moved closer and hugged Lily tight. "Thank you!" Pulling back, she pulled the jacket on and fastened it around her, bringing the hood up and over her still slightly damp hair. "How do I look?" She glanced at her shoes and shrugged once more."Stop worrying about it. They're rainboots, they're meant to be wet anyway."

She was surprised by the hug, but squeezed her back just as tight. It was worth it, seeing the smile on her face, knowing that she made her happy. "Well I don't want you to get sick," Lily said with a little frown, adjusting the hood around Jessie's face, making sure it all fit properly. Once satisfied, she smiled brightly at the girl. "You look absolutely lovely, Jessie James." She grabbed the apartment key from the counter, slipping it in her purse and ushered the teen into the hall, locking the door behind them. "Alright, off we go." She led the way down the steps and onto the street, where the icy rain had temporarily subsided. She hailed down one of the few cabs still on the street. "The pet store please. And extra if you wait for us." Because Lily was paying for everything, of course.

That would be a little relief to Jessie once she found out, but she would probably insist on paying a little something. At least for part of the taxi. Not that Lily was going to take it or anything, but she could still try. With the umbrella in her hands, Jessie stepped outside with Lily and held it above both their heads until she successfully hailed a cab. She slid inside before Lily, leaving her with the umbrella, and stuffed her hands into her new jacket pockets with visions of little kittens in her head. She was trying not to lean toward any one color and rather let the kitten choose her, but secretly she was hoping for a bright orange tabby. "Have any idea what kind of kitten you want?"

Lily shook her head. Her and Jenny had tossed around ideas, yeah, but nothing too specific. "Two girls. That's about it. And we're naming them Dinah and Kit. That's what we decided on. And they will be fierce guard kittens that will protect us from terrible intruders." Lily said it seriously, but there was a broad smile on her face. "Do you want to pick them out?" she asked with a wink.

Laughing at Lily's so-serious words, Jessie nodded. "Sounds like you've got it pretty planned out. I'll help if I can but we should see which kittens come to you. I think it's important to let the kittens that want to go home with you have their chance to say so. Will you help me name the one I get?" Dinah and Kit were such cute names for kittens, surely Lily had some more cute names rolling around in her head.

"You're going to get one?" Lily asked. "You sure your dad will be okay with it? I don't want him come knocking down my door demanding why I let his daughter bring home a kitten to stare him down and take over his couch."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Dad will be fine with it." He will if I ask him nicely after I bring the kitten home, she thought. "I'll take full responsibility for bringing the kitten home, so don't worry. I won't let him come knocking down your door... Unless you'd like that." She teased again, shooting Lily a little glance out of the corner of her eyes. Luckily for Lily, the taxi was just pulling up outside of the pet store.

Lucky indeed. Lily got out of the taxi, giving the cab driver half of what he was owed to get him to stay there. "We'll only be a short while." They didn't bother with the umbrella, the two of them hurrying inside the shop. It was pretty much empty, save for the tired teenage boy and who must be his mother behind the counter. The shop was surprisingly quiet, the animals seemingly quite content to sleep with the bad weather. The kittens were in an enclosure in the middle of the shop, climbing around in the large cage so they couldn't get out and run around the store. "And why, exactly, would I like your father banging on my door for letting you bring home a cat that he doesn't want?" she asked her shrewdly.

"I'm not sure, Lily, but I have a feeling that the cat is just an excuse." She grinned again as she headed toward the center of the store, heart melting instantly at the sight of all those active little kittens. As she surveyed the group, she noticed a curious little one with little pieces of bedding stuck to its fur staring up at her just the same. "Lily, come look! What about that one? What do you think?" He was bright orange, just the color she'd wanted, and he seemed just interested enough in her that he wouldn't mind going home with her.

Lily opened her mouth to retort before closing it, realizing that sometimes it was better to NOT argue with a fifteen year old smart ass. "I think he's very adorable," she said, leaning down to get a closer look at the little cat. "He looks like he's got some spunk like you." She poked Jessie on the nose playfully, her turn to tease. "Think you could handle him? He might be a fierce little guy."

"If anyone could handle him, it'd be me." She grinned back at Lily, nudging her with her arm before reaching into the enclosure and lifting up the kitten into her arms. He fit so perfectly in her hands and was already licking curiously at her palm with his rough tongue. Jessie couldn't help but laugh. "He's adorable!" She had no intention of putting the kitten back in there. He was coming home with her and that was that. "Now we need to find you and Jenny your pets. Do you see any you like?"

"I like them all," she said. Her braid had fallen over her shoulder and one of the kittens had gotten the end of it pulled through the bars of the cage and had proceeded to start chewing on it. "Although I think this one likes me." The particular kitten was a bluish white, darker streaks of smoky blue over the head and down her little back.

Petting the kitten in her arms, Jessie leaned a bit to take in the white kitten who had so adamantly taken Lily's hair. "I think that means she wants you to take her home? Maybe it's kitten talk for 'Please adopt me!'" She watched as another kitten, brownish with white accents, stumbled over to the white one, hunched back, and playfully pounced on the white one but not hard enough to pull at Lily's hair too badly.

Lily laughed, carefully extracting her hair from the white one's hold. "And I think her sister wants in on it." She reached in and took the two kittens, both of them being able to fit in the palm of her hand. "I think they're quite fierce," she said solemnly, looking them both in the eye. The white one mewed and lifted a little paw.

Nodding in satisfaction, Lily let them curl up on her shoulders, snuggled in the warmth of her own hood and looked down at Jessie. "Well, if your dad gets mad about the cat, I'll buy him and everything. That way you don't get in trouble," she said with a wink. "I'll go pay for these rascals and get you home, yeah?" Because Jesse had to be wondering where his daughter was.

"Then I get to pay for the taxi!" Or as much of it as she could. It was only fair. She followed along after Lily, wondering if she should buy some kitten food from here since she obviously had none at the house. "Do we need to get them food? And maybe a little bed of their own? Or he can just sleep in my bed with me." She turned to look around the store, trying to make sure they didn't leave the little kitten without anything he needed. "Lily, is it all right if I leave my clothes at your house to dry? I can pick them up Monday when we bake that pie?"

"You're not paying for anything," Lily said, pointing her finger in Jessie's direction. "And yes, it's perfectly fine." Lily looked at the other things that would need to be bought. "Bed and food, yes. Cats are really easy to please with string and rags but if you'd like, we can get some toys as well." The mother -- or at least, that's who she thought the woman was -- of the boy at the counter was already grabbing bags of cat food for both her and Jessie.

Lily went over while Jessie looked around, giving the address where she wanted her own things delivered, telling the woman they'd be taking Jessie's things with them. And the cats. Giving the woman enough money to cover anything, she quietly asked that anything Jessie bought in the future be charged to Lily. Sharing a smile, Lily went back over to Jessie.

Good thing Jessie had her kitten in her arms or she might be inclined to know what Lily was saying to the woman. She relented on paying for the taxi for now, deciding she'd have more fun picking out a thank you gift for Lily anyway and giving it to her at another time. Soon, she was scooted a bag full of everything the kitten needed, which she lifted up under one arm in order to keep the kitten steady with her other one. "Lily," She said when the woman had come back to her side. "Thank you so much." The sentiment was sincere, no jokes or teases there, just pure gratefulness.

"It's my pleasure, Jessie," she said with a soft smile. With her kittens curled up in her own hood, Lily took the bag of supplies into her arms. "Come on. Let's get you home. Set up your little guy." With a wave, Lily led Jessie outside. The taxi was still waiting for them, thankfully. "So what're you going to name him?" she asked when they got back into the car, giving the cab driver the address.

"I don't know, that's where I'm stuck. Do you have any good names for a boy kitten?" She asked, looking down at the little ball of fur in her hands. "It would be a lot more helpful if he could just tell me what he wanted his name to be." Settled in the cab again, Jessie held carefully onto the kitten there, picking out little pieces of bedding from his fur. "You're a little wreck, Mister."

"Hmmm..." She looked down at the little tabby curled up in Jessie's arms thoughtfully. "Well, what's your favorite book?" she asked. "I got the name Dinah from the cat in Through the Looking Glass."

Mulling it over, all she could think of was the book that they'd been forced to read for their class: Moby Dick. "I don't want to name him Captain Ahab..." She sighed, watching as the kitten stared right back at her, just as curious as can be. "Maybe I'll name him Richard. Like...Richard the Lionheart? He looks like a little lion, doesn't he?"

"Could name him Leo," Lily suggested. "Leo means 'lion." Dinah mewled quietly and peeked her little head out, as if in agreement. She laughed softly. "I don't think 'meow' is a very good name, sweetie."

Jessie laughed harder. "It sounds like your head is meowing." She looked down again at the bright kitten in her arms, smiling. "Leo, huh? Do you like the name Leo?" To which she got a response of a little mew and a headbutt to her hand. "I guess you're Leo from now on, then!"

Lily shook her head in amusement, watching Jessie play with the kitten while her own were quite content to snuggle against her neck, their little bodies vibrating with purrs. It wasn't long until they reached Jessie's apartment. Again, the cab driver was told to wait while Lily grabbed the Jessie's bag and helped her out of the cab. "If there's anything else you need for him, the lady at the store said to just come on by and they'll help you out. Not to worry about whatever it costs or anything, okay?"

She gave Lily a knowing glance, one eyebrow lifted as she settled the bag of supplies under her arm. "You keep doing this, Lily, and you're not going to have any money for yourself."

Awkwardly, she moved to give Lily a hug that really just consisted of her putting her neck on Lily's shoulder and trying to squeeze, since both hands were full. "Thank you, Lily." The smile she wore was playful, like she was already cooking up some way to pay Lily back for all the kindness she'd given her. "I'll see you Monday!' She promised as she made her way to the door of their apartment, fumbling with keys until she was able to open it and head inside, smiling back at Lily once before she closed the door and started settling little Leo into his new home.