[ToxicShadow]

Toxic hummed a delightful tune as she practically floated around the kitchen, tending to the feast that was close to being complete. A glance into the oven, then to the stove top, and then the roaster. With each approval, she nodded her head once. The dishes were coming along well.

All the while, she had an eye on her, just one, but Cheshire's gaze was critical even with only one eye to make use of. Of course, the woman was very used to his gaze and fond of her companion, even if he usually just preferred sitting on a shelf like a decorative wall ornament. His company and friendship was of great value, even if he had very odd ways of showing his own likeness.

When Toxic stepped in his direction, procuring a cellular phone that set next to the Kuhna, he spoke up, "Why are we having a celebration on Thanks For Life Day? You're a Turkzilla, shouldn't you be outside, going crazy and eating people?"

Even as he spoke, she was busy dialing in a number from memory. Holding it up to her ear and listening to the ring, she responded, "I'm only half Turkzilla, and I don't like most forms of meat as it is."

[ToxicShadow]

"You're a freak," the Corpse Kuhna stated, the ends of his tails flicking up.

Toxic paid Cheshire no more mind, speaking into the phone as someone on the other end finally answered her call, "Hello. Everything is almost set, will you be here soon?" She had to work to keep some mild aggravation out of her voice, since her would-be guest had originally said that they would have arrived at her home by this time.

The person on the other end offered a simple, "Yeah. I'll be there."

"Well, hurry up!" She snapped, though her tone never really changed. "I needed you to be here, and you're already late."

The other line went dead, the other person clearly having hung up on her.

[ToxicShadow]

With a snap, the cellular phone was shut and replaced back onto the shelf beside Cheshire. Her expression was now slightly annoyed, though her eyes held some sort of different emotion within them. Was she actually feeling some sadness that he had broken one of his promises, regardless of how small, yet again?

The Kuhna shook his head. "I don't see why you worry and fuss over him so much," he commented. "He's my friend, just like you are," the woman retaliated with a stern tone, turning her back to him.

Just then, much to their luck, a different voice broke into the kitchen, "How goes it?"

[ToxicShadow]

Both gazes went to the newest arrival, a Rattegan that stood in the entrance to the kitchen.

"Just fine," Toxic replied, now moving around the kitchen to gather up everything else she needed for their dinner. She counted out plates, forks, knives and spoons, setting them all in stacks on the freshly cleaned counter top.

"Z is late," Cheshire responded, noting that the woman wasn't about to say what was actually on her mind. it was a pretty normal thing for her not to, actually.

"Oh, I see."

The Rattegan's mouth formed something close to a frown as it thought this over, but he didn't speak on it. "Toxic, is there anything that we can do?"

"Not much," she said, now digging out a pile of napkins. "Without hands, I'm afraid that there isn't much you can do."

[ToxicShadow]

Both Cheshire and Mister Rattigen frowned at the woman's statement. Mister Rattigen didn't have a human form at all, at least not one that he had ever tapped into. And Cheshire, even though he had the ability to transform, wasn't too keen on leaving his creature form.

Toxic, noticing the sudden change in the atmosphere that reflected their thoughts and feelings, smiled at them. "Don't worry about it you guys. How about you both let everyone else know that the dinner will be starting soon? Make sure that no one from here is missing at all."

The two nodded their heads rather than arguing, quite happy to help. Cheshire vanished into thin air, using his abilities to his advantage, while the Rattegan turned back the way that he had came to bother everyone upstairs.

[ToxicShadow]

As Toxic continued to busy herself in the kitchen, almost violently stirring butter into the mashed potatoes at the current moment, a clattering noise had her almost jumping out of her skin. Clearly, she was way too focused on her current task, since she had completely missed someone else joining her in the kitchen. She turned abruptly, wooden spoon still in hand, to see Z standing at the counter.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he managed to cut her off before she got a single word out, "You're impatient."

"But you promised!" She cut him off, her  words coming out under a yell but louder than her normal tone.

"I brought you apple pie," he said, ignoring that she had cut him off. The occurrence was common, after all. "It didn't make it, it's store bought, but I had to cook it. It took longer than I expected."

Said apple pie was currently sitting on the woman's counter, directly on top of two oven mitts.

[ToxicShadow]

Toxic's expression went from annoyed to alarmed, her mind having quickly processed his reasoning for being late. Well, that was new. Very rarely did Z ever manage to have a good excuse when he showed up late when meeting her. Though he was rarely late anywhere else, it seemed to never cease that he was late when it came to something they were supposed to do together. For now, however, she would forgive him, if only for the pie.

"Thank you," she amended, a smile slipping onto her face once again. "I didn't get the chance to pick up an apple pie. I had forgotten to grab one when I went shopping." Sure, she had remembered everything else, including things to make her mother's family-famous cheesecake, despite the fact that she absolutely hated the taste of cheesecake made in anyway.

"Did everyone else arrive?" She then asked, knowing Z wasn't often the type to say "you're welcome," to her.

"They're on their way. I left without telling anyone I was leaving. They'll probably notice that I left and run here." If anything, the young man seemed almost amused by this.

[ToxicShadow]

"That's not very nice," the woman said, shaking the wooden spoon still in her hand at Z. With the action, she seemed to realize that she had forgotten all about the mashed potatoes, if the, "Gosh dang it!" was anything to go by. She continued to stir the potatoes.

Without saying a word or being asked, Z picked up the pile of plates that Toxic had left on the counter and shuffled into the dining room, possibly one of the largest rooms in the house since its table fit so many.  

"You didn't have to do that," Toxic shouted at him from the other room.

The response that came back was a simple one, "I don't mind."

"You know that we can't eat until everyone is here."

"That shouldn't take too long. They should have noticed by now."

[ToxicShadow]

While Z set the plates, Toxic had finished her fussing over the various foods and when he returned to the kitchen to get the silverware, she snapped up the napkins and followed him back to the dining room. When she set up a folded napkin next to a plate, he responded by setting the various pieces of silverware on top of it.

"Oh, I forgot the glasses!" Toxic realized, running back into the kitchen once the napkins and silverware were all nice and set.

"Shall I start moving the food to the table?" Z asked, eying the woman as she pulled various glasses from her cabinets as well as some glass pitchers to match.

"Would you, please? Just don't mess up the flowers."

[ToxicShadow]

Toxic added the finishing touches as she ran around the table setting up the glasses, only to have to return to the kitchen and prepare the cold drinks. She'd saved such things for last intentionally, since she preferred all of her beverages on ice, with the few exceptions of hot cider, hot tea and hot cocoa.

All the while, Z hauled various different dishes of food out to the table, setting them up while carefully avoiding the center piece of flowers that Toxic had made herself. He knew that the woman occasionally dabbled in the art of arrangements. Most things artistic, she had tried at least once or twice. Back in their school years, he could easily recall her walking around with her latest project for her art classes.

Only when Toxic was done preparing the drinks, lemonade, raspberry ice tea and an interestingly delicious fruit punch, did she offer Z a hand.

Between the two of them, it didn't take all that long to get things set up.