Closed Confusion All Around

[Mitchell North]

It wasn't often that he had to go to his sister for help, as the younger sibling she would just make fun of him for asking her for advice, but he honestly couldn't make heads or tails from the last bit of Karissa's letter. Part of him thought that she was trying to flirt with him by asking him if he had any opinions on who should keep her and the cat company. The other part of him thought that he was exaggerating it greatly and that she was genuinely asking if he thought that she should get another pet. This was honestly something why he hated the fact that electronic devices did not work at the castle - had they called one another each time rather than writing letters back and forth, he would've been able to hear the intent in her voice. So following his sister's advice to simply go up and ask the woman about it, Mitchell walked into the bookstore to seek clarification on the matter. Hoping that the bell had made his presence known to whoever was at the store at the moment, the Muggle Studies professor started looking around until someone would approach him.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari was having a fun day, ignoring that Milo was always between her legs or mewling at her for attention. She had just finished unpacking a new order when she heard the bell above the door jingle. She stood, dusting off her jeans, and wandered over to peek out from behind a bookcase. Her eyes lit up and she smiled, surprised. "Mitchell! Hello!" She greeted, stepping out and carefully hopping over her cat. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, what brings you here?" She asked, folding her hands behind her back and smiling up at her friend.

 

[Mitchell North]

It didn't take too long before someone moved out from behind to come and meet him. He smiled when it was Karissa. Of course, it was, she had the place to herself now that her sister had moved out. ''Oh, you know, I was in the area and thought that I should drop by to say hi,'' Mitchell lied, thinking that he couldn't just tell her what actually brought him here. It was nice to see her again, though. ''How are you doing?'' he asked. ''You're not too busy now that you're alone in the store, are you?'' He thought that he would know someone who could help her out during the holidays if she needed some personnel. It would be good for Apollo to go and do something other than watching television all day. He knelt down when Milo walked over, letting the cat smell his finger before stroking its fur and coming back up again.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari smiled, watching as Milo walked over to greet their guest. "It can be," she admitted, "Kami does still help, but as her pregnancy progresses she grows more ill. Twins, they'll have her off her feet before too much longer." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "It is nice of you to drop by. I didnt realize how busy I would be; I never did get to the shelter the other day." She sighed, looking to Milo again, who was trying to climb up Mitchell's legs in an effort to be held. "I havent kept him much company, I'm afraid. I wander if they would let me take him with me to see if he meets anyone that catches his eye," she mused lightly, watching her cat in amusement.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell nodded along to what Karissa was telling him. ''Well, I can help you out if you want to?'' he told his friend. He didn't really have anything else to do anyway, so he had time to help her out if she required it - it would be a good way to catch up on things again, too. He bent down to pick Milo up when the cat was trying to climb up his leg, and cradled the cat like a baby, scratching its back. ''Hello there, it's nice to see you, too,'' Mitchell said, smiling down at the animal. ''About that, actually. I... I might as well ask for a little... clarification... now that we have arrived at that topic. You weren't asking me to be your company, right? Because in your last letter it kind of sounded as if you were hinting at such. Now, I wouldn't mind, of course. In fact, I actually kind of like that idea... But I'm getting way ahead of myself.'' Noticing that he was rambling on and on and on, Mitchell took a moment to breathe in and out. ''I can understand if that is not what you were suggesting at all, so apologies in advance if it was not. It just kind of seemed that way.'' Still stroking Milo's fur as he was speaking, the professor looked up at his friend, hoping that he hadn't just completely embarrassed himself in front of her.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari smiled at his offer. "Oh, thank you, but I've got everything done for today." She laughed softly as he picked up Milo. "You spoil him," she chided halfheartedly, reaching over to scratch under Milo's chin.

Karis eyes widened slightly at his rambling. "Oh," she stated softly when he'd finished. "Oh dear, did it really sound like that?" She questioned, giggling softly a moment. "Well, it certainly wasnt my original intent. You're right though, that is an intriguing idea. I had forgotten how nice it was to have company before coming to stay with Kami. I didn't consider another roommate, there is a spare bedroom now." She bit her lip, considering it. "Would you really want that, though? I'm sure our- er, my apartment isnt anywhere near as fancy as a castle. And I could pick up a few more recipes but it would hardly compare to what the house elves must make for dinner."

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell frowned when he noticed that she was actually considering it. Had he known that she had never intended for her letter to sound like it had done, he probably would not have come this way and ask her about it. But now she was actually considering it and he could already imagine himself spending his weekends with Karissa, working with her on her findings and theories of the magical world or watching those old movies with her like they had done before. ''I'd be happy to move in with you if you're up for it. It gets a bit boring at times, the castle.'' It wasn't always boring as bored as he made it seem, some times he would hang out with his colleagues, and other times he would spend his time entertaining her nephew and his godson by watching movies or television shows with them in his classroom. But most of the time he would sit in his office bored and alone, wondering if he should pick up Quidditch again or start reading a new book. He let go of the cat when it startled to worm its way out of his grasp and looked back up at his friend, smiling out of amusement at her words. ''Well, I've had your cooking before and it's much better than what the elves make,'' Mitchell told her truthfully. It all tastes so... standard after a while as it was the same most of the time.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari couldn't help the bright smile that crossed her face, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, are you sure? The guest room is already cleaned, I can go fetch some new sheets- when would you want to move in? I could make something special to celebrate, maybe pick up some new movies, I-" she stopped herself, blushing and stepping back. She pushed her glasses up her nose again, feeling shy. "Oh dear, I'm sorry, I got a bit carried away for a moment there."

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell couldn't stop himself from laughing at how excited Karissa seemed to be. It was nice to know that she was as excited about it as he was. ''Don't worry, I'll probably get just as carried away once I'm back in the office again and start to think about what I should bring back to the apartment with me,'' he said, smiling at his friend. ''And I could definitely do with a new movie. I could get some of mine as well,'' he offered. He would have to ask the students who visited his classroom to watch movies on his projector for permission first, as he did not want to ruin any of their plans, but there were a couple of movies he knew he could bring already, such as his favourites, the Godfather Trilogy. ''I would have to inform the Headmistress first that I won't be staying at the castle full time anymore but once that's done, I'm ready to move in,'' Mitchell replied to the question of when he would like to move in. ''Which could be done any given day, so I'll leave it up to you when you're ready.''

 

[Karissa North]

Kari considered his words. "Is tonight too soon?" She asked, "Oh dear, maybe tomorrow? I- would you like to come see your room?" She asked, twisting a strand of chocolate hair around her finger. "I can go shopping while you get your things, find something really special for dinner," She smiled brightly. "Would... you like to get a pet? Do you already have one?" She questioned, curious.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell thought about it for a moment, glancing down at his watch to check what time it was now and if it wouldn't be too late to organise it all now. It wasn't too late yet and he could probably get the essentials together for the first night and then get the rest of his things tomorrow. So they were really doing this, huh? ''I couuuuuld probably get some things for tonight if we wanted to do it tonight? I'd be back in about... twenty minutes to half an hour? Would that give you enough time for your things? I could come with you if that's too soon?'' he told her. He couldn't stop himself from frowning a little when she asked if he would like to get a pet, though smiled nonetheless. ''Well, I would have a pet already,'' he replied, pointing at the cat walking around them.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari giggled. "Tonight it is then," She agreed, clapping her hands excitedly. "A half hour...? Hm..." She bit her lip, thinking. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "You get your things, I'll make sure your room is ready, and once you're settled a bit we'll both go shopping! Can you cook? You can help me with dinner tonight, then we'll settle in and watch a movie while we eat." She offered, positively bouncing with excitement. She giggled at his comment on Milo being his, too. "Oh, I'm sure he won't mind. Do you Milo?" She cooed to the fat cat, who simply purred and rubbed against her legs before moving to curl around Mitchell's leg, looking up at the man expectantly.

 

[Mitchell North]

So they were really doing this. Mitchell nodded in agreement to her plan, making a mental note to himself not to linger for too long in his office, then. He would have to come back the following day anyway so it didn't really matter what he brought back with him tonight. He let out a laugh when she asked if he could cook. ''Yeah, no, sorry, I'm a horrible chef. I can make a mean omelette though,'' he told Karissa. It probably wouldn't be a very useful skill to have for making dinner though. He watched as Milo purred and rubbed against their legs, chuckling softly at the cat. He then bent down to pick up the cat once again so it was on their level while they spoke to each other. ''Whaddya say, Milo? Wanna hang out with me instead from now on?'' he asked the cat, stroking its little head.

 

[Karissa North]

Kari giggled a little at his answer. "Oh, shush, I'm sure you'll make a marvelous helper," She reassured him. She giggled again when he picked up Milo, kissing the cat's forehead. "Well, we'll just have to find out," She teased lightly, scratching behind his ears before pulling him from Mitchell's arms into her own. "I'll go get your room ready, you go get your things." She couldn't help but giggle. "I haven't had a sleepover in years, I'm really excited," She gave him a bright smile before turning and making her way up the stairs.

 

[Mitchell North]

Mitchell smiled at her before she turned to make her way up the stairs, spinning around in the room and vanishing with a soft plopping noise only to appear in an alleyway in Brightstone village. It took him a little longer than he would have liked to return to his office inside the castle, meeting a couple of familiar faces whilst still in the village. After a quick chat, Mitchell found himself in his office again eventually and immediately started to gather everything he would need for tonight, which wasn't a whole lot thankfully. He didn't know why but he was more excited for this than anyone else he'd done in a long time, except for maybe attend the dance with Robert, nothing could top that. Half an hour later, the Muggle Studies Professor found himself standing in the bookshop again with a duffel bag in hand. Announcing his presence, Mitchell walked up the stairs and into the apartment.

Shortly after his arrival the two of them left the building to do some grocery shopping and figure out what they wanted to eat for dinner tonight, as well as pick a movie or two they could watch afterwards. He had told her that he would help her with making dinner, but the moment something caught fire, he'd be out of there. An hour or so later they safely made their way back to the apartment. ''Alright, do you want to start dinner already?'' he asked Karissa, glancing down at his watch for the time.

 

[Karissa North]

The next few hours were oddly intense for Karissa. She deep cleaned the guest room at lightning speed, throwing open the window to air it out just as she heard Mitchell arriving. "Mitch!" She giggled, looping her arm through his. Once they dropped his bag in his room, they made their way downstairs and off to the supermarket, giggling and eagerly picking out the freshest ingredients, sure to show him how to pick out the best things.

She hummed softly, making her way back into the apartment and setting the groceries down. "Come on," She smiled at him. "Let's get this going. Just do what I tell you, it'll be great," She set about moving through the kitchen to set about making dinner. She pulled her dutch oven and set it on the stove, moving to pour the flour and chicken stock into a small bowl. She took the whisk and handed it and the bowl to Mitch. "You, whisk this until it's smooth, I'll saute the onions." She smiled and set to work.

 

[Mitchell North]

He nodded every time she gave him new instructions on what to do next, not wanting to mess it up by losing focus from the task at hand by having a simple conversation with his friend. While a part of him wanted to show her how disastrous it would be with him in the kitchen, the other wanted to show her that he wasn't completely incapable of cooking dinner. He had relayed on the house-elves way too much. ''Yes, Chef,'' the Muggle Studies Professor answered, grinning slightly when she handed him the whisk and the bowl, immediately doing what she told him to do. He had noticed that she was giving him the easier tasks while preparing the food, but didn't say anything of it, thinking that it was only fair after telling her that he was positively the worst cook alive.

He leaned against the counter ten minutes later, having finished all of his tasks, and was now watch Karissa move about the kitchen. ''So what do you like to do normally on a Saturday afternoon?'' Mitchell knew that he may have thrown a spanner in the works with his arrival earlier that day, so wanted to make up for it by still doing the things she would've otherwise done on a Saturday.

 

[Karissa North]

((godmod approved))

Kari helped Mitchell make dinner, preparing the rest of the ingredients while he stirred the mix into the dutch oven, adding in the rest of the ingredients as it started to boil. She preheated the oven while he divided the mixture into the ramekins while she dealt with the crust. While she placed the crust, she had him beat the eggs and water, and once it was brushed onto the crust she placed them into the oven.

She giggled, setting the timer for 20 minutes before leaning against the counter. She chuckled. "Oh, it was nothing special, I normally just curl up on the couch with either a book or a movie and some sweet tea." She smiled. "What about you? What do you normally do on a Sunday?"

((the recipe))