And pretty soon those are scraped into the pan as well, while Hailey keeps stirring. The venison browns up nicely, and the onions and garlic cloves cook down.

"Almost done. Can you set the table for us?"

"Of course!" 

Hyacinth gets down bowls and... forks? Yeah, forks. And sets the table as best she can.

Hailey scoops the stir fry into the bowls, grabs a roll each from the stasis cabinet, and sits down. "Ta-da."

"Looks lovely." 

Hycainth eats, a little cautiously at first but then faster as she realizes she's hungry. The venison's delicious and the veggies complement it well. 

"... This is good." She grins at Hailey and returns to her meal.

Hailey smiles and sips some water as she eats. "I like cooking. Picked up the habit from shitty exomemories, but it's really nice when I'm cooking for someone I like."

"Exomemories? Exo... outside? Memories outside what?"

She gives Hyacinth a considering look. "Sometimes headmates are created from fictional characters, and are called fictives. Sometimes fictives come with fragementary memories of their lives in their source. Those are called exomemories."

"So memories outside this reality, I guess. That makes sense."

Hyacinth smiles and goes back to her food. 

She smiles and blushes faintly, leaning over to kiss Sin's cheek before going back to her own food. "Took that better than some people have."

"I think it's natural that you'd come with backstory, so to speak. And since you're real, those experiences were real for you."

"And yet so many dumb shites can't do that simple mental math." She shakes her head, smiling fondly. "You, however, figure it out just fine. Yet another reason to love you."

She takes another bite of her stir fry. "This turned out pretty well, I think."

"Yeah, I think so too!"

Hyacinth returns to her food.

Hailey keeps eating. Midway through the meal, she gives Sin a tired smile. "Think I'm getting front-fatigued. How d'you feel about Sable or Maya switching in?"

"I think I'd like to get to know Maya some more, if that's okay?"

Hailey squeezes Sin's hand, smiles, and nods.

And then with a quick shift, Maya is seated next to her instead.

"Hello, dear," she greets Sin with a steady smile.

"Hello, Maya." Hyacinth smiles softly. "It's nice to see you."

"Likewise. You've been very good to those of my loves you've gotten to know so far. I'm grateful we have you."

"Awww, thank you." Hyacinth cracks a smile.

She squeezes Hyacinth's hand gently, eating more of the stir-fry. "Hailey's cooking continues to delight."

After a moment, she looks up and asks, "Do you have a favorite coloring book? That is not a market we have looked into before."

"Not really. I like fantasy ones with detailed linework, but I haven't found something that fits quite yet."

"It will take some research, then. We will find something truly correct sooner or later."

"I'm really looking forward to it." 

Hyacinth finishes up with her stir fry and lets out a soft sigh. "Hailey's a good cook."

"She is," Maya agrees. "We were a touch concerned about her, when she first brought up the idea, but she has truly made it her own, made it about her enjoyment and desires rather than what she remembered being forced upon her. I'm proud."

She collects the dishes and brings them to the sink, setting about washing up.

"Awww. I'm glad." 

Hyacinth yawns softly. "I'm not sure what else there is to do today. Traveling by night would be foolish... any suggestions?"