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[Ugh, what was that smell? Snake grimaced, looking around--he'd been walking about, trying to get a feel for the place when he'd stumbled upon the smell. Now, Snake wasn't very easily jarred, but it was quite an affront to his nose.

He heard a woman say "How did this happen?" The voice sounded...familiar. He poked his head in the room where the voice had come from and saw a woman desperately working on a cake--she looked so familiar, like someone he'd met not too long ago...]

"Naomi...?"

[The question was more to himself. He frowned--the woman LOOKED like Naomi, but...different? Was that the word? Older? He made a face: this place certainly expected new-comers to become acclimated fast. Then again, if he didn't want to come across people, he probably shouldn't have started wondering the halls...]

Snake?

[The woman turned around, wondering if she had met this particular Snake before. Nope. He didn't register in her mind. It was always a little awkward running into one from between 2005 and 2014. They both had changed so much between those years. Dr. Hunter stayed cautious, wondering how he would react to her.]

[There are a number of questions that run around in his head. Things he'd like to say, things he probably should say. Instead, he lets it all boil to the simplest statement.]

So, you're here too, eh?

[He looks her over, his mind still running a mile a minute--he's not panicking, nor is he all that worried. A little stunned, however, yes. But at this point, being surprised is just a waste of energy. He'd rather get as much info as she has to offer]

You look different. Nice, but different.

Yes. I've been here for a while.

[The brunette stuffed some bangs behind her ear, accidentally getting some flour in her hair.]

Older, you mean? [He didn't seem angry so she relaxed minutely.] My former time line was a few years ahead of yours.

[The spoon in her hand scooped some more purple frosting and plopped it onto the misshapen cake.]

"Few years ahead?" Eh? So when's that? 'A few years' could be one year or twelve.

[He glanced at the cake momentarily, mind still racing. A "while"? So getting out of this place wasn't going to be an easy process--It wasn't like Naomi was a dumb woman, after all. Was it because she COULDN'T find her way out?

Or she didn't want to?]

[She nodded in response.] I am originally from 2014.

[Naomi, even know, preferred the Nexus to her former home. There wasn't anything left for her there. The brunette continued to spread frosting, tempted to hum as she did it.]

Did the smell lure you in?

[Snake couldn't help the small smile on his face]
A little. What are you doing, setting it on fire?

[There's little humor in his voice--he's never been very good at joking. For a moment, he finds it rather silly how they're talking as if it was a normal, every day thing. Then again, when you're new to an unfamiliar situation, you need all the friends you can get. He'd leave his more bitter retorts to himself]

2014...I'm almost scared to ask what's going on in your universe.

Not quite. I run a hospital on a nearby floor and I wanted to treat my employees to some cake on their lunch break, but nothing I've made has come out... edible.

[With the frosting done, she attempted to cut it. The cake felt as hard as a rock.]

If you really want to know, I will be honest, but I know there are rooms that can explain it better than I can, if you can find them.

[That's how she found out everything that had happened after she had left the NOMAD back in the real world. Saying it was a surprise would be an understatement.]

[He debates with himself if he should help her or just go to one of the other rooms she's talking about. He's no expert chef, but it's not like it's that hard to make a cake, right? Oh, why the hell not.]

Do you need any help with that?

[He wonders if he's going to regret asking that.]

Well, I'll find them later. Do you think you could tell me what rooms to AVOID?

[Call him coward, but he's still not in peak physical condition--going into a hostile room probably wouldn't be the wisest course of action.]

[The doctor sighed.]

Yes. I can't seem to cut it. [She handed the knife to him, handle first.]

[Naomi moved to give him room, putting her bangs behind her ear. Hunter doubted he could do it.]

There are many. Including those that change your gender or force you to have sexual relations in order to leave them. Unfortunately, it is near impossible to recognize such rooms from ordinary ones. You just have to tred cautiously, Snake.

[She had visited too many of such rooms herself.]

[Sunny had decided to spend most of the day away from the kitchen. Let Naomi cook, she had things to do. However, as lunch had long since passed with no sign of real food, and it was obvious by the ticking away of time that the woman would not be done anytime soon, the little girl decided it was time to make her staple meal, and Naomi could evacuate the kitchen for a time... or use another burner, whichever worked.]

[So now said little girl is walking in, looking at Naomi try to mess with frosting, and pausing]

Y-you're working on a c-cake?

Hm?

[Was that...? The doctor turned around. It was Sunny! She hadn't seen a version of her in years. A smile crept onto her lips.]

Yes, I am. Do you want to help me out?

Moi bog, woman. [Dimitri leaned in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. Though his words were mocking, his tone was light.] Either the kitchen is cursed, or you are having a very off day.

[She put down the spoon she had been holding.]

Hopefully it's the first one.

[And Naomi turned to face him.]

You're a face I haven't seen in a while.

[How long had it been? Months? He could probably sense her internal mood picking up a bit. The woman did enjoy seeing him - reminded her that she wasn't completely alone in this place. Dr. Hunter had a friend.]

I'm sneaky like that. [He stepped inside, quietly surveying the damage done. She must have tried at least five recipes by now.] You seem...well.

[Keeping to himself, he managed to make his apartment in Nexus feel more like a home. More books, a few dog toys scattered about. If if weren't for the implications of being kidnapped, he'd actually be happy for once.]

What were you trying to cook?

Well is one way to put it. [She shifted her weight a little. Spending months upon months running her hospital. That was all she had to account for.] How about you? Doing alright?

Just a cake to leave in the break room for my employees. None of them have come out well so far. [Naomi shook her head.] I think this may be a 'you can't cook anything right' kind of effect room. I don't see any other reason why I'm failing so much.

[As long as she had that hospital, there would always be something for her to do. As far as he was concerned, she was the more productive one.]

About as well as I can manage to be. [Which amounted to healthy, fed, rested, and not too bored.]

Hmm. I'm tempted to test that out. [He went over to the cabinets, searching for a can of soup.] Anything easy to cook left? Pasta? Canned vegetables?

That's good. [The brunette nodded.]

There's plenty left. I've only been baking myself. [Naomi went back to spreading frosting, which never seemed to be thick enough anywhere on the cake. A sigh left her lips.] I hope you'll have better luck than I have.

[And he found a can of beans. Perfect.]

Here is to hoping that Nexus isn't playing foul. [The top of the can slowly peeled open around the edges without Dimitri even touching it, lifting up to expose the legumes.] Any pots left?

[The woman nodded lightly, finding one below and near she was and handing it to him automatically.]

[Maybe sprinkles would work. Hunter began to pour some onto the cake.]

[She wondered what to talk to him about; what do friends talk about really? Naomi kept silent for the moment.]

[He took it with nothing more than a nod of the head, dumping the sloppy contents of the can into it, washing be damned. All that remained was to turn on the heat and wait.]

There's no end to the effect rooms, it seems. Everything is so...arbitrary.

[Disco thongs, anti-gravity and miscellaneous games and otherwise mind-bending defiance of the laws of physics boggled his mind on occasion.]

Yes. I agree. But it keeps life entertaining at least.

[Somehow the cake absorbed all the sprinkles she had just put on it. The woman sighed again and began to simply cut it into slices.]

[Do friends ask friends to spend time with them? How do you ask this exactly? Naomi felt she just wanted someone to spend casual time with, as foreign of a concept that was to her. Having true friends wasn't something she usually had.]

Dimitri? [Maybe he would just sense her line of thinking anyway.]

If you don't mind losing your clothes or ending up with animal body parts every so often.

[Disco. Thong. Never again.]

[Giving the beans a stir, he quietly sought out the doctor's thoughts- Only to feel his ears turn a little red around what was left of his lobes. It wasn't that he wouldn't mind spending more time with Naomi, far from it, but it had...implications. Suggestions about how he regarded her that he wasn't quite up to grappling with.]

I wouldn't mind. [He wanted to be very clear that he had heard everything.] Not all that much. [Like Naomi, the concept of having a friend at all was fairly new to him. A sentence creeped up to the tip of his tongue, nearly spilling over into an invitation. Just a week ago, he had found a room that opened into a full-sized aquarium. That was straying far too quickly into dating territory for him.]

[The woman chuckled.] Only every so often.

[She blinked over at him, a bit surprised by his answer. Well, now that he has said yes, now what? Naomi then noticed the cake was unsliceable. The doctor simply dropped it into a nearby trash can and batted the extra crumbs off her hands afterwards.]

We could just go for a walk, if you like. [Hunter hadn't explored the Nexus at all lately. Who knew if the rooms she liked were still around?]

Too much for my comfort. [He turned from the stove, heading for the fridge. There was the usual array of produce and dairy and he took out a small bottle of water.]

[Walking back to the stove, he looked at the pot- And let out an aggrivated growl. Not even a minute of looking away and somehow a simple pot of beans turned into a half-burnt and boiling mess.]

What in the hell? [Turning off the stove, he glared at the pot as if it would restore the beans to their rightful condition.] Your cooking is fine. The room, though, is possessed.

[Dumping the beans into the garbage and placing the pot in the sink, he sighed.] A walk is fine with me, if you don't mind that I bring my dog along.

Ah. I thought so. [She mentally frowned, thinking how this was her favorite kitchen, too.]

Your dog? [She tilted her head, slightly, interested.] What kind is he?

It might just be a temporary thing. [He took the water and sat at the table nearby, having a long sip.]

Nadezhda. [That's right... The doctor hadn't met either of his pets.] A husky.

I hope so. This is the closest kitchen to my office. [Both were on the 11th floor.]

[Was that a male or female name?] Sounds like a great pet to have. I've been thinking of getting one myself but nothing has quite told me 'take care of me' yet.

[There was that one room with kittens but... Naomi wasn't sure.]

[He nodded, understanding the basic need for convenience.]

A fish? [He thought back to days feeding bread to greedy swarms of them at parks.] Carps can be trained to eat from your hand.

Female, by the way. A very energetic girl.

I don't think that's my type. [Having something as a pet that she regularly ate gave her mixed feelings.] I was actually thinking of a kitten.

Is she still a puppy or is she full grown?

What about something more exotic, like a chinchilla? [Oh, but he remembered that day months ago.]

Almost fully grown. She'll probably like you straight away.

[A chuckle escaped between her lips.] I would know that species a lot better than most. If I can find a chinchilla room, I think I will take one home.

Perhaps she will. [Naomi finished washing her hands and putting away the apron she had on. She began to clean up her baking mess.] Almost ready to go, Dimitri?

Or we could turn the walk into a humt for the pet shop. [It would give the walk some purpose, and if anyone saw them, they could deny being together for anything more than temporary mutual interest.]

Always ready. [He stood and stret hed his arms.] I presume we'll stop by my apartment first?

[With a nod, Naomi answered.] Yes. That sounds like a plan. The Nexus will hopefully reward us in our search.

[Another nod.] To pick up your... Nadezhda.

[She made her way toward the door, trusting him enough to turn her back on him.]

[As if he'd actually stab or otherwise maim an unarmed woman in the back. The psychic overtook the doctor a little as he headed for the elevator, hands firmly secured in his pockets.]

You have been well, though? [There was a hum of machinery as the elevator came closer.]

[Naomi followed without complaint.]

Yes. [A nod.] The hospital hasn't been busy like usual. I'm glad. We need less violence in this place.

And you? Doing well?

I've been sleeping as well as I usually do, so yes.

[And with a ding, it opened. Dimitri stepped inside, pressing the door open button for Naomi.]

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[Remember to use some cooking spray!]

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[Sorry it's taken me so long! I'm so sorry ;A;]

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I gotta stop tagging back on the phone. orz Typo city.

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