Earlier that day, in the compound:
Amora, Vida, and Akilah sat in Akilah's bedroom.
Akilah read her book on swordsman tactics while Amora and Vida sat on the floor.
"So, yeah. I've tried manifesting almost every animal, but Hardy said something about the Spirit flow of brains being so complex that most people usually make one animal their whole mode." Vida ranted as she twisted a pen between her fingers.
She raised her gaze to the ceiling fan above, letting out a big sigh.
"I wonder how the boys are doing." Amora rocked back and forth.
Vida went silent. She thought about how much the Doctor had been worrying about Hendrix, those words she overheard in front of Nagi's office.
"I hope he's okay." Vida thought.
"I'm hungry." Akilah spoke with a bored, monotone voice, shutting her book as she rolled off of her bed.
"Oh! I'll go get it!" Vida jumped up to her feet, pointing a finger at her friends. "Whatcha want?"
"Club sandwich." Akilah hung her head off of the edge of her bed, grabbing her glasses before they slipped off her head.
"Apple juice!" Amora held a finger up and smiled.
"Alright, I'll be right back." Vida made her way out of Akilah's bedroom and down the hallway, the smell of the cafeteria hitting her nose as she descended the stairs.
She walked into the cafeteria and surveyed the loud room.
Dozens of compound residents sat shoulder to shoulder as they ate their food, a common and comforting sight to Vida.
She ran over to the lunchline only to see the metal shutters already pulled down, the kitchen closed for the day.
"Vida!" Ginji waved at Vida, Asuka spotting her as well.
"Hi!" Vida ran over to the couple. "Is lunch over already?"
"Yeah, Chef closed it five minutes early because someone asked to use the kitchen." Asuka shrugged. "We had to go into the kitchen through the side door to get some of the leftovers."
"Thanks!" Vida ran over to the kitchen's side door, swinging it open as the scent of fresh food filled her nostrils.
A less satisfactory sight met her eyes as her gaze met Molly's annoyed glance.
The girl was stirring a pot of something that Vida would reluctantly call appealing.
"Hey!" The chef walked up to the girl, wiping her hands off with a towel as she removed her hairnet. "Sorry, Molly wanted to use the kitchen and I was gonna close early today anyway. We're going into the city to get more produce."
Vida glanced at Molly, who rolled her eyes before bringing her gaze back to the pot in front of her.
Chef noticed Vida staring at Molly's section of the kitchen, smiling at the girl's interest.
"You're welcome to use it too." Chef said, completely misreading the situation.
"Okay, thanks!" Vida said, shooting a sharp glance at Molly as she did.
"Alright, then I'll leave you two alone." Chef cracked her back as she made her way out of the kitchen's side door. "Just clean up after yourselves."
Vida waved to the Chef, her smile fading immediately after the door shut.
"Wait, why did I agree to this again?" Vida thought, spinning around towards Molly.
"Why're you copying me?" Molly asked from across the kitchen.
"What are you doing, anyway?" Vida asked in return, walking over to the steaming pot on the stove.
The smell of flavorful seasonings rose from the pot, yellowish orange tints circling around the center of the water.
"Oh no, that actually looks good." Vida thought as she peered into the pot.
"Nunya." Molly snapped.
"Well, how can I copy you if I don't know what you're doing?" Vida asked in a comedically honest twist of events.
Molly smacked her teeth. "If you MUST know… I'm making a special dinner for Hendrix. He'll be super hungry when he gets back, and it'll show how much I care about him."
Vida's brow furrowed as Molly smirked, going back to stirring the pot.
"This is chicken and dumplings. It'll be super tasty if you want the leftovers… Later." Molly's sarcastic undertone was impossible to miss. In fact, it was more of an overtone.
Vida rolled up her sleeves. "Fine, I'll make something too. We'll see whose cooking really tastes better."
Vida opened the fridge as a terrifying thought crossed her mind.
"Oh, wait… Do I know how to make anything besides a… Grilled cheese?" Vida asked herself as she looked at the almost fully stocked fridge. "Oh well. He always said I make good grilled cheese."
She grabbed the pack of sliced cheddar and the loaf of bread before walking over to the second stove on the other side of the kitchen.
"Grilled cheese?" Molly exclaimed, surprise written on her face.
"Yep, his favorite!" Vida responded, a bold smile crossing her face.
"I hope she believes that. Hendrix always shrugs when I ask him what his favorite food is." Vida thought, resting a stick of butter on a searing pan.
"What do you like about Hendrix, anyways." Vida muttered. "You just pulled him away on the first day."
"You're right!" Molly closed her eyes, starting to daydream as she continued. "It was love at first sight. He's so handsome, but then I found out he's so caring and kind on top of that."
"Love?!" Vida screamed in her head, her expression unable to hide her bewilderment.
"What about you?! What do you like about him?" Molly asked.
Vida's eyes widened as her cheeks began to burn.
"Love… Do I love Hendrix…?" Vida thought. "I know I like him, but…"
Vida's thoughts raced even faster when she tried to think of an actual response to Molly's question.
She thought about how he smiled at the sushi restaurant, how he remembered every little thing she said, how he grew concerned at every little problem she had.
"Well?" Molly asked.
Vida shrugged before flipping her grilled cheese, pressing the sandwich down with a spatula.
In Akilah's room:
"I'm hungry!" Akilah yelled, groaning as she stared at her bedroom door upside down, her head hanging off the edge of her bed.
"Yeah, Vida's been taking a while, I hope she's okay." Amora stood up, fixing her shorts. "I'll go check on her."
"Bring my club sandwich." Akilah pointed at Amora, who rolled her eyes and chuckled.
Amora made her way down to the cafeteria, where she asked Ginji and Asuka where Vida was after realizing the kitchen was closed.
She opened the kitchen door as the tension of the situation inside hit her like a brick wall, the atmosphere so thick she could cut it with a knife.
Vida and Molly cooked silently on their respective stoves, occasionally glancing at each other before letting out a scoff as they spun their gaze away.
Amora's eyes lit up as she wrapped her head around the situation.
"It's just like my favorite rom-coms!" Amora thought. "I know who I'm rooting for!"
"Whatcha doin'?" Amora strolled over to her friend, looking down at the pan as Vida made her second grilled cheese.
"Making Hendrix a pick-me-up meal, for when he gets back from the mission." Vida flipped the grilled cheese. "I got the idea from Molly."
Molly looked over, surprised at the sincere comment.
"That's nice…" Amora gritted her teeth as she debated her next words. "Me and Akilah are still hungry."
"Oh, that's right!" Vida looked up as her memory rushed back to her. "The leftovers are over there."
"Thanks!" Amora rushed over to the table, grabbing her and Akilah a sandwich and an apple juice. "Hope you win the contest!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Molly exclaimed.
After a few more minutes of cooking, both of the girls' meals were done and plated as they began to clean up.
Molly passed by Vida's grilled cheese, resting in a tupperware as it steamed up its container.
"It looks good." Molly muttered, unsure if she meant to say it aloud or not.
"Thanks!" Vida smiled sincerely, "Yours looks good too."
Vida looked at Molly's chicken and dumplings, prepped into a small bowl with a lid on it.
"Ugh!" Molly stormed out of the kitchen, Vida's sincerity surprising her.
She slammed the door as Vida chuckled.
"I hope Hendrix likes mine. I used to make them for him all the time back at the Frewin's." Vida thought as she looked down at the tupperware.