The Island to Various Rifts, Friday Through Sunday

[spin_kick_snap]

This is what happens when you stopped listening to the radio for the island; you were taken by surprise when you stepped on the island and saw that half of it looked like it belonged somewhere and somewhen else. Like, even moreso than usual.

Even with all the differences in the island, the first rift took Kathy by surprise as it opened up under her feet, too wide for her to bounce out. It reminded her a little too much of that column of light that had grabbed her to bring her to LA. Only this time it was down instead of up and when she looked around...

"Okay, I am not in Kansas anymore."

[For thems what are there with her.]

Comments

[spin_kick_snap]

"Liar," Kathy said, though she still sounded amused. "I remember LA rent prices."

[magicinmyskin]

"Okay, you got me," Max said, sharing her smile. Wow. She was really, really pretty when she smi--nope! "It's gas and tolls."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Restaurant, huh," Dante said, amused.

[magicinmyskin]

"My dad's place," Max said. "He's the head chef and still thinks I'm going to starve to death if I'm not fed regularly. Even though he spent years teaching me to cook!"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante snickered. "Yeah, but do you actually cook?" he said.

Had a hard time picturing Max doing that in any universe.

[magicinmyskin]

"Yeah," Max said. "Not regularly, but at least once a week."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Wait, really?" Kathy asked, blinking. "You do? Like what?"

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante blinked, surprised. "Seriously?" he said, at exactly the same time.

[magicinmyskin]

Max glanced back and forth between them. "Yeah," he said. "That's not so weird, right? I cook lots of things. Bake, too. I've got my own sourdough starter jar and a cheesemaking kit at home, too."

Okay, the kit had been for his dad, but the elder Hale hadn't wanted it and passed it along to Max.

[spin_kick_snap]

"...Oh," Kathy said struggling to wrap her brain around that concept.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Oh god, you don't just cook, you're a fuckin' cooking nerd," Dante said, letting out a soft laugh because it was that or 'oh' just as hard. "That's cool, man."

[magicinmyskin]

"Maybe so, but I get to make grilled cheese sandwiches with cheese and bread I make myself, so like I'm doing all right for a cooking nerd," Max said with a shrug. "Besides, I always liked learning things. Cooking. Music. Poetry. All kinds of shit."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Nothing wrong with nerds," Kathy said, poking Dante.

Oh god.

She then had the belated, uncomfortable realization that if she'd met this Max instead of the other one, she probably would have had a bigger crush on him than she'd had on Nick.

[rebelseekspizza]

Yeah, Dante was just... not going to go into how he felt about various permutations of Max. Even this gentler one, who was still stupid-hot.

"Okay, I know when I'm outnumbered," he said, laughing a little. "I'm too lazy for any of that. I guess I owe you some respect."

[magicinmyskin]

Max laughed at that. "It's pretty easy," he admitted. "You just start both of them and kind of leave 'em alone for a bit."

Okay, the cheese-making was more complicated, but sourdough? It was like having fish - you fed it occasionally and then you left it alone.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Did you use free-floating yeast for your sourdough?" Kathy asked. "Or specific kinds?"

[magicinmyskin]

"Free-floating," Max said with a laugh. "My sourdough is pure, 100% real LA yeast."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Real LA yeast, born and bread?" Kathy asked, unable to help her grin.

Dammit, Max didn't deserve her grins but...ugh. There she was.

Look, it had been a clever joke.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante was laughing, at least? "Shitting hell, Kathy."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You love me because I'm brilliant," she told him, leaning over to steal a kiss.

[magicinmyskin]

Max, however, was groaning. "Oh god, I'm a nice guy, I don't deserve this."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Pfft," Dante said, pulling away from Kathy. "That was fuckin' genius and you know it."

[magicinmyskin]

"It was clever," Max admitted. "But still awful."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Can't trust someone who doesn't like puns," Kathy declared. "It means they hate joy."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You've just been socially conditioned to like, insist you don't like 'em," Dante added, taking a sip from his soda.