Nyir rolled her eyes, heading back into her room. She took a quick shower and returned, wearing a tank top, shorts, and no shoes. She pulled her hair into a high pony tail, letting it drip dry as she headed to the counter. "Wine?" she offered, retrieving the bottle. She was typically a whiskey drinker, but the wine usually went well with the pasta.
When she returned, a plate of tasty pasta was waiting for her, with garnishes of garlic bread and sprouts on the side of the spaghetti. James glanced up when she entered from where he was taking off his bright yellow robe and hanging it up, politely shaking his head. He never really liked alcohol, even before he lost his memory.
She poured herself a glass and sat at the counter, admiring her plate. "The sprouts are a nice touch," she said lightly. "My boyfriend used to–" her words faltered and she fell quiet, quickly taking a gulp of her wine.
James joined her at the counter, handing her a fork and setting down some butter, salt, and grated cheese nearby for them to use. He didn't say anything or question her silence, having learned that was quite a bad idea. Instead he just started to eat.
Nyir wordlessly dumped some of the cheese onto her spaghetti, silently thankful that he hadn't pried about her slip up. She took a huge bite of spaghetti. "This is delicious," she commented with her mouth full.
James grinned at her comment, feeling warmth flood into his system again as he sipped at his drink. "Thanks. Do you think I'm ready to make more stuff for us to enjoy?" He asked gently, careful not to overstep the silence.
"Hmm," she replied with a mysterious smirk that most definitely meant yes. "We'll see. Maybe I'll come home tomorrow with groceries. Maybe I won't. I'm not a predictable person."
James giggled excitedly, wriggling in his seat. "I'll write you a list as to what to get! I can make a cake! Oooh!!!" He sounded very excited. "And I can make all kinds of stuff for you! You better be excited!"
"Alright, alright," Nyir said, smiling at his enthusiasm. "Just be quiet and eat your pasta."
James huffed yet shoved his mouth full of the tasty creation. "You should consider yourself lucky that I enjoy my own cooking so much."
Nyir shrugged with a light snort. "Sure." She took a sip of her wine. "So, what'd you do all day?"
"You know what I do all day. I sit around and watch cooking shows. I feel so educated," He gushed happily, smiling like a dork over a forkful of sprouts.
"As impressive as that is," she said in the most deadpan of voices, "you've lounged around a lot. Remember, you were a hero. Maybe you should try practicing your powers and exercising."
"Uuuuughghhhhh I don't want to! I don't even know what I can do yet," He complained, sitting back in his seat with an over-exaggerated groan into the air.
Nyir shrugged again. "All I know about your power is that you could manipulate water. I don't know how or the extent of it. You'll have to figure it out."
"I don't wanna figure it out. I wanna watch cooking shows," He whined to her, leaning forward in his chair to continue eating.
Nyir rolled her eyes. "If you relearn how to use your powers, you may trigger your memory. Plus, we could spar and that'd be cool."
"Noooo the doctor said that's not how it works," James huffed angrily. "He said that I'm probably destined to be– what was it again?" He tilted his head.
Nyir rested her elbows against the table, interlocking her fingers. "An amnesiac for good. But since the nature of your memory loss may be trauma-based, it could still come back."
"Well, he doubts it, so do I!" James stupidly exclaimed with a big, stupid grin on his face to match. "I like being like this, anyway, it's like a whooooolllleeee new start!"
Nyir resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. "Why would you want a whole new start if you can't even remember your old start? What if your family is looking for you? When the doctor tried to figure out who you are, nothing came up."
"Well, when you left the room he told me I have no family records and that I shouldn't tell you that," James replied smartly, raising his nose as if he just made a point. "I don't really want a family anyway. I wanna be that lone soldier that just comes from no where."
"No, you don't," Nyir shot back, her brows lowering. "Think about what you're saying. If you've got someone out there looking for you, they're probably so worried. They probably think you're dead." She gritted her teeth together, remembering the cold panic when she hadn't heard from her boyfriend, remembering rounding the corner of that alley and finding him. "That's not fair."
“I don’t have anyone looking for me. If they wanted to find me, they would. I’m fine with this new start. I might be able to go out and make my own family. Maybe find a job n’ stuff.” He sighed, looking down at his big hands. “But the doctor said I also had a criminal record. And I wanted to ask you about that. Are you sure I’m not some kind of bad guy?”
Nyir glanced off to the side, avoiding his gaze. She'd tried to avoid this subject on purpose. "Lots of heroes have criminal pasts," she said softly, evading the question.