It almost seemed like Jasper and Pearl were having a rare moment of equal happiness for each other and then the giantess had to go and open her mouth. Not to say there wasn't still happiness, but it just morphed into a less innocent and more rival-esque form of happiness and friendship. Pearl shivered at the last mention of what she said and wondered for a moment if Jasper could have somehow knew that what she said was what Pearl was going to do. She smiled back and crossed her arms. "I enjoy myself plenty as it is, though I don't think I have to prove that to you..." Her smile had graduated to her own little smirk at the snarky woman. It was clear now Jasper was teasing her back. At least the woman wasn't as oblivious to everything. Only any sort of effect she may of had on women in her vicinity. It was no wonder she was striking out, if she was looking.<br/><br/>"That's honestly a lot better relationship with her parent than I know a lot of my other kids get in my class..." It was true. A lot of the kids would sometimes stop Pearl after class to talk to her about something, even Jasper and Mala had witnessed it the few times they stayed a little later. Some of the kids felt more comfortable asking their instructor rather than their parents and those were typically the kids Pearl tended to keep her eyes on the most during class, making sure their mental and physical health remained well. Pearl was humbly impressed by the display of love and trust between Mala and Jasper, though, and she was happy Mala was one less child she had to watch so closely. Not that Mala would have hated having all of Pearl's attention. The instructor wasn't blind or nearly as oblivious to some things as the girl's mother and so she saw how the girl coveted her. And Pearl<i>loved</i>it. So attention started in her love life, Pearl had become a fiend for it, sucking it up wherever else in her life she could as to offset the lack of it in her private affairs. She wasn't dumb, she realized what her girlfriend was doing. At least, she had realized eventually... But Pearl was also a child of unhealthy optimism and tried to see the best in everyone and the opportunities that were always there, but perhaps, not necessarily open or available.<br/><br/>When Jasper spoke up about possibly leaving the kitchen, Pearl just about jumped out of her skin. Yes, hanging out with Mala was and would always be super fun, but she was convinced the proper trifecta was needed in order to keep the status quo for this careful balance of happiness happening. Plus, Pearl just loved getting attention from both sides, honestly. "No no! I mean... We don't necessarily need help. If this kinda hobby doesn't interest you, you have to at least stick around and be Mala's taste tester, yes?" Pearl was unknowingly giving the woman a doe eyed, pleading look, which was further enhanced in its begging attributes by her crimson gaze. "Pleaaaaase~?" Surely it wouldn't hurt the woman to stay and hang out anyway as Pearl wasn't just there for Mala. Though the child was plenty of incentive to come over any time and hang out.<br/><br/>~~<br/><br/>It was a few hours later and all the meals were prepped and they were just pulling the lasagna out of the oven to cool, but already, the smell was filling the spacious kitchen with its goodness. Pearl would have omitted the meat for something a bit healthier, but it was a stretch trying to make such a dish<i>truly</i>healthy without altering it too far from the original; so they managed a common grounds of healthy and savory. The instructor grinned at their accomplishments, gave Mala a low-five and stretched her arms above her head, hearing the satisfying popping of her vertebrae as they found their way back into proper alignment. There had been a lot of cooking and Pearl was already wiped, but completely happy. She glanced down at Mala with a grin, as if they had an unwritten code now for when the shenanigans were starting. "Man..." Pearl sighed, rather dramatically, "Sure wish we had room in this sink, though... We definitely piled up quite the mess with all our hard work cooking everything, didn't we Mala? Maybe<i>someone</i>, in exchange for some tasty dinner, could clean the sink out for us, hmmm?" Pearl glanced at Jasper in her peripheral and chuckled.