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“...I sound like Maya Sundaresh.”
Estelle stood framed in the doorway of her darkened apartment, her bleary-eyed, flushed face the only part of her that was visible from within the blanket she’d shrouded herself in. Sigrid silently agreed with her friend’s statement, but doing so aloud wouldn’t have been helpful, so in reply, she just hefted the pot in her hands meaningfully.
“So...does that mean you’re not gonna let me in for some reason?”
Estelle huffed out a congested-sounding snort at that even as she relented, stepping back to allow the other Guardian inside. “Ever since you started spending more time with a certain someone, you’ve turned into a real smartass,” she grumbled as the Hunter slipped past, closing the door after her before shuffling back towards the couch.
Sigrid let out a soft laugh at that and turned a grin over her shoulder at the taller woman. “Always was, actually. But also yeah, he might be a bad influence.”
Estelle rolled her eyes as she all but collapsed onto the couch. “Case in point.”
As Sigrid ducked into Estelle’s kitchen to put the soup back in the stove to keep it warm, she pondered a certain aspect of this whole situation to herself once again. She’d seen a lot of weird things over the past year or so, but it still struck her as strange that for all their seeming near-invincibility, Guardians were still susceptible to something as relatively minor as a cold. She would’ve found it funny, if not for the Titan coughing miserably in the next room; instead it just seemed a little ironic, that someone who’d basically made a hobby of killing gods could be brought low by the same virus that had plagued normal non-Lightbearers for centuries.
Leave it to the common cold to survive the Collapse.
Having crashed on Estelle’s couch for several weeks before managing to find her own apartment, Sigrid knew her way around the other Guardian’s kitchen, so it was the work of less than a minute for her to get out a bowl, ladle a generous helping of soup into it, and snag a spoon on the way out as she returned to her friend. She vanished back into the kitchen again a moment later after handing off the bowl of soup, returning in short order with a glass of water, then stood back and watched Estelle expectantly. The Titan looked down into the bowl cradled in her hands, her expression just slightly unfocused, though her red, watery eyes went a bit sharp when she looked up from her as-yet-untouched meal to meet the Hunter’s gaze.
“...Did Crow help you make this?”
“Would it keep you from eating it if I said yes?”
Estelle answered by scooping up a big spoonful and cramming it into her mouth, followed in quick succession by several more spoonfuls of equal size. “Nuh-uh,” she announced unnecessarily after a moment through her latest mouthful, and Sigrid couldn’t hold back a chuckle in response.
“Well, even so, he didn’t. I actually got the recipe from Devrim. He and Marc apparently do a fair bit of cooking together, when he isn’t stuck sniping in the EDZ. It’s called ‘sick soup’ or...‘nonna’s penicillin.’ Devrim said that he originally got the recipe from Eva Levante, so...I figured it had to be pretty good, or...decent, at least.” She gave a casual, one-shouldered shrug and kept talking, even though she wasn’t certain that Estelle really wanted to listen to her go on and on about this right now. “I had a little myself before I brought it over, just to be sure it was actually okay. It probably needs more salt, and if you wanna season it somehow and make it...stronger or whatever, go for it, but...I didn’t want to do too much. Simple is better for sick people, I guess.”
In a ripple of Light, Charlie appeared at Estelle’s side, peering down into her already half-empty bowl before briefly scanning it. “Are those...is that pasta shaped like stars?”
Instantly Aster popped out as well, the usual grin in his cheery tone as he chirped, “You got it, Chuck! They’re apparently called ‘stelline pastina’ which kinda just means ‘little pasta’--plus the ‘stelline’ bit for the shape!” Ignoring Charlie’s usual and very visible bristling at that despised nickname, Aster zipped in a little closer to nudge the other Ghost before turning towards Estelle, beaming warmth in his tone as he added, “Little stars for our star-girl!”
“Ugh, don’t call her that!” Charlie replied, a ripple of disgust moving through his spines. “That might even be worse than your nickname for me--and that’s saying something.”
“Whaaaat? Why? But her name even means-”
“I know what her name means.”
“It’s the same thing as what MY name means!” Aster said proudly, and Charlie rolled his eye in exasperation--which did not go unnoticed by the other Ghost, who put on a soft, faux-concerned tone.
“...Oh...oh, Chuck...are you jealous that my name matches Estelle’s better than yours does?”
“I’m not jealous about ANYTHING about you! And my name is perfect.”
“Ohhh, okay...if you say so, Chuck-”
Charlie let out a frustrated little static growl, but before he could launch himself at Aster once again, Sigrid slid in and neatly scooped up her Ghost with one hand. “Aaand that’s our cue to go, I think. Let me refill your bowl and put the rest of the soup away, Estelle, then we’ll leave you in peace, so you can get some rest,” the Hunter said, angling a stern look down at her Ghost, who tilted himself downwards in her hands sheepishly.
“Uh, yeah. Good idea. Get well soon, Estelle!” he called before transmatting away, leaving Sigrid shaking her head at him in his wake.
“Sorry about that. Might be time for another little chat with him.”
“Eh, s’fine. Entertaining,” mumbled Estelle, who had turned herself into a blanket-lump by now. Sigrid wasn’t certain she agreed that her Ghost’s behavior was fine or entertaining, but now certainly wasn’t a good time to argue about it--if there was ever really a good time to argue with a particularly stubborn Titan.
In a handful of minutes, she’d done as she’d said, refilling her friend’s bowl and putting away the leftovers. Estelle was drowsing over the food when Sigrid returned, and the Hunter deftly caught the bowl before it could spill, ducking back into the kitchen to put that in the fridge as well. By that time, the Titan was fully horizontal again, so Sigrid took a moment to make sure the blankets were enfolding the other Guardian snugly before moving towards the door.
“Send me a message if she needs anything, Charlie,” she half-whispered, and the little turquoise Ghost gave a silent nod of agreement. Sigrid gave him a fond half-smile and a small wave before pausing in front of the door consideringly...then reaching out to lock it securely, slide-bolt and all, before heading out the nearest window instead, leaving it cracked ever so slightly behind her.
Just in case she needed to drop by again later, to check on her friend. She owed the redheaded Titan a huge debt of gratitude--she likely always would. And while she was still a New Light in many ways, Sigrid definitely knew by now that a good Hunter repaid their debts.