Alice
Dinner at a reasonable time was a thing of the past for the ravenous kid fixated on the pot in front of him. As was just *One* Dinner, some nights. Logic and reason had gone out the window in favour of the little voice in Owen's head that whispered, *'paaaaastaaaaaa'*.

And so, in the surprisingly homey kitchen at 9:42pm, Owen was chopping an onion in a trance. To protect his eyes from the accursed juice that made him cry, his face was covered in a visor of red crystal; no expression was visible through it, only the sharp, exaggerated versions of his features. Black shorts, lazily tied red high-tops, and his old *Diamond Head* T-shirt served the rest of him well enough- he was practically a stove himself, after all. 

In his state of focus (and the volume in his headphones), anyone else in the kitchen would be news to him...
Cecil
Raizel was sitting on a tall stool watching Owen in awe while enjoying the dying smell of an onion being sliced. Behind her wooden mask, she felt her mouth watering from tasting the air. She was watching him the entire time like a patient predator waiting to come swoop in for the murder. She couldn't help it. Raizel was slightly vibrating where she is sitting as her wooden maw form beneath her mask. Now she's crouched down on the stool like a gargoyle with claws gripping the edge of the seat, tail wrapped around the long legs, her maw dripping with thick saliva. The mask sat idle on top of her forehead.
Alice
It had been a little harder navigating the stores in this country that wasn't his own, but Owen had been determined enough to find the things he was missing. Onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, and all manner or spices- in they went, filling the air with the mouth-watering, savoury aroma of a boy with a hollow leg's last stand against his own stomach. 

It was also the perfect time to be belting Foo Fighters. His, er, *Passionate* Rendition of *My Hero* Had him twirling between the stove and the sink. The cord on his headphones, ever intent on killing his fun, got hopelessly snagged on a handle; headphones rudely flying off of his head, an undignified yelp escaped his mouth. He turned, reaching for them, eyes skipping over the drooling monster perched on a stool, grumbling-

The drooling monster perched on the stool. 

Another, *Even more* Undignified yelp. 

"EEvening, Raizel!" 
*Damn, his voice cracked.*
Cecil
Her maw moved with her wooden, pliable lips moving creepily as she speaks. It would be almost like seeing that white wolf talking from Princess Mononoke from a Ghibli Studio Film. Her voice was slightly deeper, rougher with a feminine grumble. "Evening..." She was looking down at him with her glowing white eyes with his reflection looking back at him. Her sharp, wooden teeth appeared sharper than thorns and tougher than steel with saliva giving it a glossy complexion. Cold, thick drool drip onto the floor. "Feed me," Raizel's voice grumbled.
Alice
"Aye! Uh, you feeling alright?"

Another voice crack. He was disturbingly okay with a number of things here now- a bit of jumpiness was good, *Healthy* Even, he thought. 

"You can, uh, help if you want to," He squeaked, fumbling with a wooden spoon whilst also trying to situate his headphones to rest around his neck comfortably. Headphones almost in pot and spoon almost in hair, he seemed to have figured it out; in an instant, after confirming that the wooden gargoyle was *Not* Here to feast on his terror, he returned to his focused, fixated state of sauce sorcery. Eyeing the herbs and spices in front of him, Owen gingerly selected. The thing of pepper flakes. 

"This bit's *Important.* The ratio has to be just right."
Cecil
*"FeEd Me..."* Rai said again, her stare was hungrier as ever.

She watched him contently when Owen squeaked and fumbled about before his focus stays back to his sauce sorcery. Rai's maw clamped with a loud shuck sound before licking her maw with her glowing white tongue. A low, crocodile growl hissed. Rai's pointed ears perks up, tilting her head to watch Owen select the pepper flakes.

Rai's stomach growled.

Her long, prehensile tail swooped over to pick out a herb and held it in front of his face.
Alice
"That stuff's not going to taste as good on its own, mate," Owen chuckled, plucking a bit of basil from her tail and casting it into the pot. He was sure to avoid the mouth, with all its teeth and glowing tongue, with a reigned-in sort of caution. It was normal to be a little wary around that many sharp teeth, but this was Raizel, and he was (reasonably) certain that she wouldn't bite his hand off if he dawdled a little more. 

"Hush, it's almost done," He whispered, holding his breath as he added *Not too much salt like last time*. Grabbing a spoon from the cutlery drawer, he stuck it into the pot and scooped some of his creation out and held it up to the drooling maw poised over his shoulder. 

"Think it needs more salt?"
Cecil
She place the basil herb back where it belong before taking out some other spice. The monster girl paused when her eyes focused on the wooden spoon as it stuck in the pot. Her ear flickered hearing the fine liquid get scooped up into it. Her nose twitched from the delicious aroma as it draws closer. She almost slipped from her chair from nearly dancing in one spot on the stool. Rai clamped her jaw onto the spoon, breaking it from the bite as she savor the taste. A pink flush of color spread across her face as she held her cheek with her claw like hand.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The tip of her tail wiggled happily behind her.

"Mmmm... MoRe SaLt... TeEny BiT."
Alice
"ALrighT!" 
Well, she seemed pleased. A little more salt, then. Making a mental note to discreetly dispose of the spoon handle, he added a pinch more salt and took out another spoon. With an indignant noise, the water on the other element started to boil- "Shoot," He muttered, almost having forgotten about it. Grabbing the nearby box of long, straight noodles, he quickly snapped a handful in half and dropped them in. 

"You can only eyeball this bit," He explained. "Somehow it's always either too much or too little. I.. Take it you'll want a bit more, ah?"

Owen took a deep breath in through the nose. Savoury heaven.
Cecil
Raizel nods, staring at he other bubbling pot with focused glowing eyes. It was visible to see her sitting eagerly with such jubilance in her posture when she watches Owen work his sorcery. She used the end of her tail to open a draw to pull out a utensil for Owen to stir the noodles before grabbing a strainer to place aside on the clean counter.

As Owen huffs the savoury smell, her snout point upward in the air to drag in the beautiful scent of food.
Alice
"Oh, thanks mate!" 
This was all normal and fine. "Man, that tail's handy," Owen murmured. He'd wanted one like it as a kid. Setting the timer for the noodles, he went back to facing the beautiful, spicy red stuff he had willed into existence. "And now, we wait."

He took this opportunity to get a closer look at Rai's monster form- when it wasn't scaring him shitless or taking bites out of walls, it was *Cool*. Reminded him of something he would see in a comic book or on an album cover back at the shop, menacingly poised to swallow up the onlooker. 

Against his better judgment, he gently laid a hand on her cheek, just to see.