For tendershepherd

[punishingfire]

[For the fifth time since she'd been given access to the kitchen, Lailah rearranged the array of measuring cups, mixing bowls and other utensils she'd gathered together for the lesson with Sorey. It happened by chance... a compliment on a batch of cookies she'd made, a casual comment about wanting to learn to bake, and it all fell into place. It also gave her a chance to do something fun with the young Shepherd, and an activity that might take his mind off the enormous weight on his shoulders, even for a little while.]

[She'd asked him to go to the store to pick up the things they needed, since she couldn't exactly get any of it herself. Now that she thought about it, she could have easily gone and just taken what she needed without anyone being-- goodness! What a terrible thought! Zaveid was becoming a bad influence on her!]

I think that's everything! Now, I wonder what we should make. Something easy, but tasty. Hmmm...

Comments

(Mikleo in the distance) WHY WOULD YOU LET HIM HAVE CONTROL OF MONEY

[tendershepherd]

[Sorey didn't mind going to the store to gather ingredients. Part of the fun in cooking, he thinks, is figuring out what can be made from whatever you have. It's like a puzzle of sorts. A delicious, edible puzzle. Usually.

However, he might've gone just a liiiittle bit overboard, stumbling into the kitchen with many bags worth of food. They hadn't exactly gone into this with a plan, so when he went to the store he ended up getting a little bit of everything that sounded like it would be good and usable, regardless of what exactly they make. Various dry ingredients like flour, sugar and spices, a rainbow of fruits and veggies, as well as some milk and eggs, among other things.]

[He laughs nervously as he looks over everything.] Think I got too much?

Hmm...are cakes easy to bake?

What, and waste it all on PRACTICAL thing? Pshaw.

[punishingfire]

[Well, that all depends on who's doing the cooking... but on the bright side? While they didn't get much to eat the last time Rose volunteered to make dinner, she might have cornered the market on a new kind of armored plating!]

[As Lailah turns to see what Sorey's brought back with him, her eyes at first go wide with shock. It's so much to take in! She could make a dozen different recipes and still have food to spare! Her hands ball up and she's all but bouncing with joy.]

Oh my goodness! You can never have too many ingredients! It just means we can make lots of attempts if you don't get it right at first.

[She purses her lips, going through the bags and making surprised and happy noises as she pulls out a few of the more exotic finds.] Oh! We have everything we need to make an apple spice cake, if you'd like to try starting with that! We probably don't want to get more advanced, at least not until you've mastered the basics.

Oh! Or did you have a favorite dessert? We could always try that first, too!

Your Lailah's so cute I'm die TT TT

[tendershepherd]

[Seeing Lailah so excited makes him feel better about spending so much on ingredients. She had a point too.]

That's true! Good thinking, Lailah! [He says this with a wide grin.

He watches her sort through the ingredients, curious what she'll suggest, and when she does suggest something he hums in thought at it before nodding.]

Apple spice cake sounds fine! The only dessert I really like is vanilla ice cream, but...it's hard to top Mikleo when it comes to making that.

[There's a pun in there somewhere.]

Thanks! I'm still kind of nervous with her.

[punishingfire]

[She beams, then starts to set out the necessary ingredients, bunching them together as the center of the table. She can't help but hum as she goes about her work... she's actually really excited to help with Sorey's training. After all, a well rounded Shepherd is a master of many disciplines!]

[She can't completely fight off a giggle, and flashes a knowing smile.] That's true, I don't think I'd be able to match Mikleo on that, especially in your eyes.

Okay! First the easy part, we need to peel, core and chop up the apples. It shouldn't be too hard for you, since you're already skilled with a blade. [Setting a trio of apples atop a battle scarred cutting board, she takes a step back and gestures for Sorey to step forward.]

You're doing really well tbh! I can actually hear her voice in your replies, so!!

[tendershepherd]

[He answers her smile with a smile of his own, but doesn't say anything more than that. It's true Lailah can't make ice cream like Mikleo--but Mikleo can't bake like Lailah either.]

Got it! Let's see...

[It's true he has some experience, but he hasn't really had to prepare fruits like this often, so it takes him a moment to actually pick up the nearby knife and one of the apples in order to start peeling.

He's seen and heard about how it's possible to peel something in one go, so he's trying it out. His attempt awards him with only a piece of the peel coming off, with a small but noticeable chunk of apple going with it.]

Ah... [He laughs nervously as he looks at Lailah expectantly.] Like that, sort of?

Thank you! I can hear Sorey's voice as I'm reading too!

[punishingfire]

[Her eyes track the piece of apple and peel as it flies off, then back to the apple itself. She smiles, a gentle chuckle accompanying it, and she picks up one of the others and a second knife.]

I guess it's a little different, yielding a sword and using a kitchen knife.

[She carefully pushes the knife in near the stem, and slowly works her way around.]

The person who taught me to cook always cut the apples first, which makes it a little easier. Since they're going to be baked into the cake, it doesn't have to be perfect. But cooking's about the personal touches, so whatever works best for you is what you should do.

[The smile broadens. She can't help herself.] I guess you could say it would be hard for them to not... make the cut.

[The apple's peeled quickly, and she start to slide away wedges from the core.] I suppose raising you meant many of the seraphs you grew up with needed to learn to cook. Some of us never bother to learn.

Thanks!! And sorry for the wait *sobs*

[tendershepherd]

[He watches her demonstrate the technique before turning his apple in his hand and trying again the way she had.

This time the attempt works a little better, though still a little sloppy compared to Lailah's. While he does this he listens to her talk, humming in acknowledgement and laughing softly at the pun.]

Some of them did. It was actually Gramps who mainly taught us how to cook. Though there were a few older seraphim in the village who'd make treats for Mikleo and I sometimes. Not sure if they learned it specifically for us or if they already knew how to do that...

[Talking about home has him feeling nostalgic now, reflected in the soft expression on his face as he finishes preparing his first apple and grabs another.]

I never realized how much effort they put in to make me feel normal until I met Alisha...

It's ok, RL comes first!

[punishingfire]

Hmmm, I never knew Sir Zenrus knew how to cook. Maybe he thought the others. Or perhaps they found a book. Zenrus always--

[Suddenly, she pulls back from the table, her eyes wide and hands clasped to her chest.]

--always make sure to cream the butter before you start adding the other ingredients!

[She turns to the other ingredients she laid out earlier and picks up the butter. The almost ever present smile on her face fades for a moment. Though she can't say as much due to her oath, she understands his feelings all too well.]

It was extremely kind of them. But you know, that kindness is reflected in the kind of person you grew up to be, Sorey. So you could say you carry pieces of them with you, wherever you go.

Hnng, I hope this isn't too short for how long it took me to get to OTL

[tendershepherd]

I mean, it probably wouldn't be classified as extensive or anything. But he knew enough to hunt prickleboars and taught us what to do with them after.

[He finishes peeling the second apple right when Lailah pulls away, the sudden action making him jump a little and blink curiously at her. Confusion crosses his face at first, but then understanding dawns on him and he smiles softly at her statement.]

Will do!

[As he begins on the third and final apple he listens to her continue to talk, a sad but fond smile forming on his lips before he hums in acknowledgement.]

You think so? That's a good way of looking at it.

[When he's done with the last apple he sets it down with the rest, looking over his handiwork with both hands on his hips before nodding.]

Alright, done! What next?

Sorry for the extreme late with this!

[punishingfire]

So just the basics then. [She giggles, not at all shocked that Zenrus never tried to expand those skills too far.] I suppose you and Mikleo learned through experience after all. Though the foods from the outside world must have been a shock when you first tried them!

Yes, I believe that with all my heart. And as long as we remember them, they're never gone.

[That observation seems to nag at an old, seemingly forgotten pain. Lailah brushes past ]t and instead focuses on continuing the lesson.]

Next we make sure the butter is softened, then we combine the flour and spices. [And only now does she set a book down on the counter... it's not huge compared to the Celestial Record, but looks almost as ancient.] This should tell us everything we need to know about making the cake.

*finger guns back at you*

[tendershepherd]

Haha, yeah, something like that. [Experience is the best teacher, after all. Gramps said it a lot, but they also lived it. He considers the question for a moment before shaking his head.]

Nah, it wasn't really a shock. We had some cookbooks in our collection growing up, so...we had an idea of what was possible. I was kind of amazed at the complexity, though. And how the food differed between regions! Remember the cactus dishes in Loghrin?

[Oops, he's just a bit excited now as he talks.

He listens to the next steps and nods before moving to grab the flour and spices. The butter on the counter looks soft, but...

The gentle thunk of the book grabs his attention though, and he looks at it for a moment before looking at Lailah.]

Uh... Did you have that the whole time?

[punishingfire]

Oh goodness, yes! Those dishes were far better than I expected! I hope no one was injured in preparing the cactus, though. [She bites her lower lip, trying to fight off the urge to add something else to that statement, but she can't defy her nature.] Though they probably make it a point to be careful.

I think the food in Ladylake was one of my favorites during our journey.

[At the sudden appearance of the book, Lailah looks away, a sheepish expression on her face. It's partially because she was showing off with what she knew from memory, but more because she did something cruel and unforgivable. She didn't tell Sorey about a book.]

Well, um. Yes. But I make cakes so often I don't usually need it! I just wanted to make sure I had all the details right. I've learned a lot from it.

[The title on the spine is The Celestial Smorgasbord. What, chefs can have ancient and hidden tomes as well, right?]