[o] [SE] an incandescent glow

Lyra watches her two foster children out of the corner of her eye, ensuring they don’t wander too far into the port without supervision. Though they’re older teens and more than capable of taking care of themselves, she’s still responsible for their wellbeing, and it’s a responsibility she takes seriously.

She herself stands near a picnic area complete with a few grills open to the public, tending the growing fire in one while she chops up a pineapple. Nearby are the supplies to create a few pineapple upside down cakes - some of which will hopefully survive the voracious appetites of her two kids.

It won’t be long until they’re old enough to strike out on their own, and though Lyra’s home is always open to the children she’s fostered over the years, she’s always proud to see them live their own lives. The only question that remains this time is what she wants to do next. There are always children in need, but there’s also a great, big world that Lyra has yet to explore. Maybe it’s time for her to take a little break and spend some time on herself for a change.

If, of course, she ever figures out how to do that.

Lyra Abrams

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

Noe hadn’t meant to run into someone she knew, but as she walked through Kaiholo Port, she did just that. ”Lyra!” she called out as she recognized the woman tending to a grill in a picnic area off the main drag. ”Hey!”

Noe had been friends with one of Lyra’s foster children, before that particular child had grown up and moved out, so while she didn’t know the woman super well, she was at least friendly with her. Friendly enough to sit and stay a while, anyway, and so she promptly approached, offered a hug in greeting, and flashed a grin. ”How have you been? How’s Cailyn?”

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails

Lyra looks up from her grill to find a familiar face approaching. She grins at Noe, enveloping the girl into a warm hug. ”Noe, hi! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.” She looks the girl over. Noe looks good - wholly unaffected, it would seem, by the turmoil throughout Caido in recent seasons. Lyra is relieved. She’s always liked the Carpenter girl, even if she doesn’t know her incredibly well. She’s friends with one of Lyra’s former foster children, but since Cailyn moved out, there’s been no reason for Noe to visit.

”As far as I know, Cailyn is doing well. I see her every now and again when I go shopping. She’s still dating Damien, and last time I saw her, she hinted that a proposal might be in the cards.” Lyra shakes her head affectionately. She can’t imagine marrying that young, but then, she’s never had time for a relationship that could withstand her many children. ”I’m just making some of my famous pineapple upside down cake. Do you want to join me?”

When Noe agrees, Lyra leaves her in charge of chopping the pineapple and returns to the grill, making sure to stoke the fire until the temperature is just right. ”How have you been?”

Lyra Abrams

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

Noe listened to the update on her friend with a grin. Cailyn had been crazy about Damien, so to hear that things were still going well between them was welcome news, indeed. If the girl had any reservations about her friend settling down so young, she kept them to herself. To each their own, after all, and just because Noe was nowhere near ready to marry, that didn’t mean it was the wrong path for Cailyn.

Taking up the knife and chopping block, Noe began to cut the pineapple, picking up where Lyra had left off. At least the fruit had already been peeled and cored. That was the hardest part. ”I’ve been good!” she said as she worked. ”I’ve been working on setting up my own engineering business now that I’m done with training. It’s taking up a lot of time, but I’m starting to bring in some clients now!”

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails

Lyra listens as she finishes with the fire, content with the heat and ready to get to the baking. She gathers ingredients as Noe chops and talks, beginning to mix the wet and dry ingredients in their bowls before adding the dry in slowly to make a batter. She’s glad to hear that Noe is doing well, and proud of her efforts to build a business from scratch. It is something to aspire to, certainly, and from one so young, it’s impressive.

”I’m glad to hear that things are going well,” she says as she whisks the batter, accidentally flicking some out of the bowl and spattering their workspace. ”Oops,” she laughs. ”If I had any younglings, they’d be clamoring to lick it off the table.” It has been a while since she’s cared for any younger children. Lately she’s been known to take in the older, less likely to be adopted children from the orphanage.

Lyra Abrams

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

Noe laughed at that, trying to remember if Lyra had ever had younger children when Noe had been around. Not that the girl had paid that close of attention - she and Cailyn had always been self-centered in the way of teenagers, marching to the beat of their own drums to the exclusion of those around them.

The girl reached over to grab a clean spoon, then snagged a bit of batter. Her eyebrows shot up as she tasted it. ”Careful - I might be willing to lick the table. That’s really good.” she said, placing the spoon in the dirty pile and handing over the chopped pineapple.

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails

Lyra takes the chopped pineapple and begins to assemble the cake. ”I won’t tell,” she says to Noe with a laugh, blue eyes sparkling with good humor. The cake takes very little time to prepare, and then she places it on the grill. It’s not a particularly standard way of baking, but she’s always liked the outcome. Some things just come out better on the grill.

The woman looks to Noe as she waits for the cake to bake. ”So… anything new going on with your family?” she asks conversationally. She doesn’t know the Carpenters aside from Noe’s stories, but she figures it can’t hurt to ask.

Lyra Abrams

Noe

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tale

With the cakes on the grill and the conversation flowing, it was easy to lose track of time. The smell of baking pineapples sizzled in the air, and Noe found herself wandering closer to the fire to get a better look. She was looking forward to trying the cake when it was done.

Lyra and Noe chatted until the cakes finished baking, then waited for them to cool. By the time all was said and done, Noe bid her friend goodbye as she left with a package full of pineapple upside down cake under one arm.

fin

I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails