xp_logs | Rahne and Nathan, Saturday morning

Nathan goes to the kitchen to find some caffeine before heading off for his appointment with Jack. Rahne's there, baking, and elects herself to come along and keep an eye on him.

He definitely needed some caffeine before he drove, Nathan thought dimly, heading in the direction of the kitchen. His head wasn't foggy, per se, just a little... odd-feeling. His eyes were a little light-sensitive, but that could have been because the ceiling had been twinkling at him in the dark all last night. He had actually tried to sleep for the first time since... Monday? Somewhere around Monday. But without Moira there, it hadn't worked.

Rahne was making a lemon pie, just for a change of pace, and straightened up to close the oven just as Nathan wandered in with an expression of deep concentration on something that didn't seem to be present. "Hello," she said, then, remembering the introductory Askani vocabulary, "or should I say ~hello~?"

"Either is good," Nathan said with an absent smile. "Or, ~bright the morning~. That one works too." He saw her standing by the oven. "Baking already?" he asked lightly.

"Aye. I thought a pie would make a nice change. Not that the oatmeal bars don't go quick."

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of takers," Nathan said, wandering over to the coffeepot. Someone had put it on, and he poured himself a cup. "Just felt like I needed my morning caffeine before I go into the city," he said, making himself smile at Rahne again. Too bright. The kitchen was definitely too bright.

"Want something for breakfast? I can make oatmeal if ye have time, or something quicker...."

"I'm all right," Nathan said. "Not really hungry. I'll grab something in the city."

"I could start something and see if the smell changed yuir mind," Rahne suggested lightly, then frowned at him. "Did ye not sleep well? Yuir eyes look....."

"Oh," Nathan said vaguely, "I wasn't really tired. And Moira wasn't there. Not used to being alone at nights anymore." And the Askani hadn't even been keeping him company, not really. They still weren't talking normally to him.

Rahne *did* bat an eye a little at the mention of their nights, but it wasn't as if it was news. "It doesna seem ye should be driving on no sleep and no breakfast."

"I'm all right, Rahne, really," Nathan said, the smile turning a little strained. "I wouldn't be driving if I thought I was going to be a danger on the road, I promise."

But people didn't think quite right when they hadn't slept enough, did they? And wouldn't Nathan have some sort of resistance to caffeine by now? Rahne continued to eye him worriedly. "I ken that, but still.... I doona suppose anybody could go with ye?"

Nathan thought about it for a minute. "I'll see if anyone's up and not busy," he said. "Maybe someone else would like to spend the morning in the city."

"I could come," she said suddenly. "'Twould be better to have someone who can drive, but I could. I'm sure if I leave a note with the right time, somebody would be happy to take a freshly baked pie out of the oven!"

Rahne would be ideal, though, he thought. She wouldn't be full of questions about what he was doing, or who Jack was. She could just be there, someone for him to focus on while he was driving, rather than getting lost in his own thoughts. "Would you?" he asked, almost hesitantly. "Don't want your pie to get wrecked..."

"Give me two minutes to raid the children's art cabinet and make a bright sign. Someone else will look for breakfast in the next half hour, and with few exceptions they'll wait for the timer," and here she paused to set it, "and like as not have it eaten up before it even has time to cool."

"I..I'm glad you're coming," Nathan said, sipping at his coffee. "Moira was going to keep coming until..." No, he wasn't discussing what he was doing with Rahne. "It'll be good to have the company," he said, more quietly.

She was still concerned -- breakfast was *important*, and now he'd gone sort of pensive on her. "I'll try to be good company, though I doona think I can match her," she said, more lightly than she felt. "I'll just go make that sign."