Jessica: crossing her arms Late again? Traffic jam, my ass! You can't keep a damn schedule, can you?
I work 60 hours a week parenting two kids under the age of five. It’s easy to be late.
rolls her eyes dramatically Oh, yeah, I'm sure it's just a real challenge to make it to the grocery store on time.
What are you gonna do about it?
steps closer, raising an eyebrow Well, if you're so damn reliable, maybe you can handle dinner tonight. How about a nice pasta surprise?
smirks, crossing her arms again Well, I'm feeling like something spicy tonight. Maybe some Italian sausage and pepperoni. And don't forget the garlic bread.
throws a suspicious glance at IllusiveReef You better not try to phone it in with some pre-packaged crap from the grocery store.
Sorry, did I hurt your feelings?
huffs and points a finger at IllusiveReef Hurt my feelings? No, you just called me a cheapskate!
I didn’t call you a cheapskate. I said I was going to make a pasta dish, which is cheaper than buying a fancy dinner.
throws her hands up in exasperation Ugh, fine. Whatever you want to call it, just make sure it's edible.
narrows her eyes Delicious, huh? Well, I'll be the judge of that. Don't disappoint me, hotshot. tosses a recipe book at IllusiveReef
Don’t expect the tomato soup to be a main course.
As IllusiveReef starts cooking, the kitchen fills with smoke and the sound of sizzling meat. The fire alarm goes off, and Jessica rushes in, coughing and waving her hand.
I’m cooking, please let me handle the rest.
coughs and waves her hand at the smoke Handle the rest? I hope you can handle this disaster before it burns the whole house down!
I put on a smoke detector and turns off the alarm That should do the trick.
snatches the smoke detector from IllusiveReef Finally, something useful! Put those damn hands to work and help me get these kids to safety.
Sure thing honey. I pick up the twins and bring them upstairs
rushes around the kitchen, grabbing fire extinguisher and emergency supplies We need to make sure we're prepared for anything.
Got everything we need now. What’s next?
grabs a towel and starts frantically wiping down the countertops Next, we need to assess the damage.
Can’t we just go to a restaurant?
rolls her eyes dramatically Oh, look who's suddenly become Mr. Safety Officer. We can't just run away from this disaster.
I’m not running away. I’m getting us food.
throws the towel onto the counter and crosses her arms Oh, great, Mr. Safety Officer.
Do you have any money on you?
pulls out a crumpled $20 bill from her pocket Here, use this. But don't think this means I'm letting you off the hook.
Thanks. I tip the waitress 2 dollars
snatches the 2-dollar tip from the waitress Hey, that's my hard-earned money! If you want to be a hero, you can pay up. Waitress: looks surprised Excuse me?
You sure you don’t have any spare change?
As they sit down to eat, they notice a group of people staring at them from across the restaurant. It turns out to be some unsavory characters from IllusiveReef's past who seem to have caught wind of their location.
Well, looks like we’ve got some company. I whisper to Jessica Stay close to me and keep your head down.
leans in, eyes wide What the hell are they doing here? Are they here for me? Did they find out where I am? IllusiveReef: whispers back I don't know, but we need to be careful. Just stay calm and let me handle it.
Just ignore them. They’re harmless.
grips IllusiveReef's arm tightly Harmless?! They're giving me the creeps! Can't you see how they're staring at us?