Private The Great Luncheon

[Aris Noble]

Chores were pretty simple in the Temple. Every week they rotated, and the Padawan's only had to handle the task given. Cleaning, stocking the kitchen, helping to cook food for the younglings at the cafeteria, maintenance in the hangar. There were a good number of chores to be done to help the Padawan's get used to different tasks so they might not be completely dependent on the volunteers. Today for Aris was cooking duty. Truthfully it wasn't something he was the best at. The preparation, the cutting up of the vegitables, the measuring, all that was easy for him.

It's when it stopped being technical and by taste that he fumbled. How was he supposed to know what tasted good for others?

He let out a sigh as he stared down at the meal he was supposed to be preparing. In all honesty he would be fine if all he had to do was prep. The cooking part was always going to be the hardest in his mind.

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

It felt like Mahsa always discovered something new with every mission she accompanied her Master on, finally able to experience firsthand the many adventures and stories she’d read about in books. Not everything had turned out to be as she’d thought or hoped, some books really did sugar coat things, but despite her vibrant curiosity it always felt good when they returned to the Temple for a spell or two.

The place had become a sort of home for the Kazelrrian after some time, and how could it not when she’d spent about half of her breathing life in it so far? The Cage almost felt like a distant memory now, one that still stubbornly held on and haunted her dreams, but the Temple had confirmed what she’d always hoped: that there was something better, something more, than the bleak path Glorii Te had intended for his experiments.

Of course being back in the Temple meant she’d have to pull her weight in the form of chores, but kitchen duty was one of the few Mahsa honestly enjoyed. She’d become enamored from the first bite that introduced her palate to a world of flavors Mahsa never imagined could possibly exist, and ever since the girl had practically begged to be placed in its rotation as much as possible.

A particular scent had distracted the Kazelrrian from the potatoes she’d been peeling, her nose unconsciously scrunching up as her eyes looked around for the source. The familiar shade of snow white hair easily stuck out among the crowd, and she recognized him as one of her teammates in the previous field trip to Endor. One look at his face confirmed what her nose had already known, whatever was stewing in that massive pot on the burner wasn’t going according to plan.

When the last of her potatoes was peeled and washed, now handed off to the next person in the line to prep them for today’s dinner, the Kazelrrian quietly made her way closer to the fellow padawan. "Y’know… don’t think I ever saw you frown this much back in Endor." She spoke up loud enough for her words to be heard through the busy atmosphere of the kitchen, a friendly smile on her lips as she waved at the boy.

"Need some help?"

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

".. Huh?"

Aris blinked in surprise as he looked up. He hadn't realized someone had walked over. Was that because of the focus on this poor excuse for soup? Maybe. His frown worsened as he looked at the liquid. It was consuming so much of his focus, but he still couldn't make it right. That was frustrating. "Mom and dad are very good cooks. .. I did not pick up their skills."

A deep, heavy sigh escaped him before he gave Mahsa a sheepish looking smile. "I would appreciate help, yes. The younglings shouldn't have to pay for my inabilities."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

The look on his face had said it all, whatever was brewing within that pot had been monopolizing Aris’ focus until she’d stepped into the frame. She couldn’t help but peer at the contents within when his frown deepened, had he been attempting to cook some rootleaf stew?

"My experience growing up was very… rustic." That was a kind way to word it, Glorii Te had truly meant it when he’d decided to train them for all aspects of survival—though that had still been an upgrade to the nourishing gruel she’d been fed for the first year or so after leaving her tank. "I have a good palate though… and I might’ve read almost every cooking book I could find in here."

A sheepish smile accompanied that last part before the Kazelrrian picked up a spoon, dabbing it long enough to pick some of the broth before carefully placing it on the back of her hand. It was thicker than she’d expected, though looks weren’t always everything—"Eugh..." Her eyes shut tightly as the rest of her face scrunched up in displeasure, the acrid taste that overwhelmed her tongue stubbornly clinging on even after she’d swallowed multiple times.

"That’s… uuhm, yeah…" Aris was right about one thing, the poor younglings had done nothing to deserve a bowl full of this. "It’s really sharp, probably ‘cause of all those greens, but I think we can still save it…"

Her voice trailed off as the Kazelrrian looked at the available condiments around, making note of the earthy flavors that had finally found their moment to shine after the initial bitterness had worn off. "We could start off by thinning it out a bit, it’s really thick and starchy. Water works… but some vegetable broth could help us round the flavors more if there’s any left."

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

A somber, understanding smile was all Aris had as she tried his food. He knew how it tasted. Nothing good, he knew. But to have her confirm it was a bittersweet moment for him. At least he was aware it wasn't the best. And, well, he was focusing on that rather than what she'd mentioned about her rustic upbringing. Ayhan had already told him about what their youth was like.

He wouldn't wish that on anyone. But he also wasn't going to talk about it. That was for her to talk about, certainly not him. For now, it was his terrible cooking skills that needed to be corrected.

"There is more, yes." He stepped away to go pick up the container he'd measured out the exact measurements needed. Everything was perfectly exact, much to it's detriment. Especially the handful of flour.

He had big hands, technically.

"How much should we add? A cup? Two? A cup and a half?" He brought up the measure cup he brought with him. Everything had to be exact, after all.

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

She hadn’t meant to let it show as much as it had, but the flavor of the stew had really caught Mahsa by surprise. She was thankful that Aris was such a good sport about it, even if it didn’t lessen the guilt she felt. Nothing she could do about it though, she couldn’t take away actions done in the past—no matter how recent they might be… but she could help Aris fix this.

So that’s what Mahsa set out to do.

"Mmm, let’s do… two cups to start." She’d taken a moment to swirl the contents one last time, trying to get a better idea of just how thick the stew was. "We’ll need to let it simmer for a few minutes after anyways."

And, if it turned out to be too much, it wasn’t something a little bit of evaporation couldn’t fix. "Extra potatoes and carrots will be good too, they’ll soak up some of that extra bitterness—and you don’t even feel it when you bite into them afterwards." Mahsa still remembered the first pot of stew she’d worked on in the kitchens.

She’d knocked a whole salt container into it by accident, and the Kazelrrian had been on the verge of tears thinking the whole batch had been ruined—until one of the older cooks had given her a hand. It had been her first experience moving away from a set recipe, and it had taught the girl that cooking was more of an art than a science.

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

Two cups. Aris spun off the cap and poured it out exactly at the two cup line. There was no room for interpretation on it, he made sure it was level. Which he then poured in, all two cups, as he nodded. Simmer for a few (two) minutes. Which he set a timer for. Everything was very factual, there was no wiggle room in his mind. "Should I chop up more then? I'll get to chopping."

That he could do perfectly. This was science for him, not art after all.

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

A pair of golden eyes had watched with curiosity as Aris carefully poured out the exact amount of vegetable broth that Mahsa had recommended. Maybe he’s nervous…? She nodded to herself, able to understand that sentiment completely, while watching as the two cups—not a drop more or less—were poured into the pot and allowed to simmer.

"Mhmm, I’ll help you with the potatoes." After all she’d just finished peeling a large batch of them, so the Kazelrrian knew where to go to pick up a few for the stew. She’d returned not a moment later, a handful of potatoes placed down on a working surface. "They just need a rough chop before we toss them in so they cook quicker… try and keep them around an inch or so in size as you go."

The first potato was sliced in half with ease, and then into quarters, before the Kazelrrian proceeded to show Aris exactly what she’d meant by ‘rough chop’ as she got to work. Some potatoes yielded twelve pieces, others sixteen, and the smallest ones around eight or so—and each was tossed right into the pot without a second thought before Mahsa turned to work on the next.

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

While she'd gotten the potatoes, he'd gotten a pair of knives and cutting boards out for them to use. But when she returned and mentioned the size? His eyes narrowed in focus. Each piece of potato wasn't a perfect cube, so he couldn't actually cut them into inch squares, not perfectly at least. But he could- He took one, rather quickly chopping it.

Which was slow for him, as he was actively measuring out each piece. Any piece that could be a perfect 1 inch cube was. The others? He made sure to cut them in such a way that they still had the same mass, and yes he did that by sight alone. Every piece would at least weight the same, regardless of it's shape. He inspected it, brow furrowed in concentration before holding it towards her.

"Do these all work, or should we only use the cubes?"

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

There was a start difference in how each padawan had cut their potatoes, each a reflection of their personalities. While Aris had been slow and meticulous with his, keeping them as close to 1 inch cubes as humanly (?) possible, said shape was barely a suggestion if one stared at Mahsa’s cuts. The few of Aris that had no possible way of being cube shaped had still turned out to weigh the same in a scale, but no such thing was needed to know that Mahsa’s own didn’t match that either.

"Do these all work, or should we only use the cubes?"
"Mmm? Oh yeah, they're fine~"

Regardless of any stark differences all of the potato cuts had gone into the stew before Aris could’ve voiced a peep of protest, the Kazelrrian quietly humming to herself without an apparent care in the world as she slowly stirred the contents. "Alright potatoes are in, can you get some carrots Aris? A few chunky ones should be enough… probably three, or maybe four?"

A light shrug of her shoulders followed before Mahsa turned her attention to the nearby rack of spices, humming and hawing as she looked over the available stock. She had a fairly good memory of the flavor each carried, the tricky part was figuring out which ones would help steer Aris’ bitter stew towards a palatable spectrum than the younglings wouldn’t dread when it was time to eat.

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

They were closer to machine cut than humanly. Aris had far too much precision to be anything normal, though he did show sheer surprise as she dumped her pieces in. Not because he felt she needed to cut them properly, but rather the realization that, perhaps, he didn't need to cut them as perfectly as he had. There was a deeper meaning to it that he hadn't figured out yet, but he nodded to her direction and wandered back to the fridge to gather up the carrots needed.

Four. Specifically four.

"What sort of chop do we need for these..?"

He set them on the cutting board before picking up one to peel. He knew they needed to be peeled at least.

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Four very similar carrots were brought back, a feat to be admired considering how varied their shapes and sizes could often be. Each one matched exactly what the Kazelrrian had been hoping for, with a considerable thickness that only peppered slightly towards the end of the root. "... those might be the most picture perfect carrots I’ve ever seen." She was almost certain one of the many books she’d read in the past had an image of a bunch resembling the one here.

"They're getting a fun chop~" Peeling them posed no challenge for either padawan, and the carrots were prepped and ready in no time. Mahsa picked one of them to serve as an example, her knife placed against it without much measuring or guessing—kept at an angle.

"Learned this one from an older cook back in Atrisia," There was zero hesitation as she sliced through the carrot with ease, giving the vegetable a quarter turn before resting the angled knife against it for a second cut. "He said it’s called rangiri, and they use it for a bunch of different vegetables."

Turn. Cut. Turn. Cut. The results Mahsa provided were on par with the potatoes she had cut, none of them were perfect in shape or identical… but at least they stuck to a fairly similar size and shape. "It looks pretty in stews, and it helps keep all the ingredients to a similar size despite their different shapes so they cook evenly."

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

"The.. Fun chop?"

Aris tilted his head as he watched her chop this time, though his brow twitched at first. It seemed too random to him, but it only took a moment for him to realize how not random it actually was. It helped to make a shape that wouldn't provide equal pieces as equal as possible. Something seemed to click in his head, but he let her handle the chopping for now as he looked to the soup to stir it and keep the bottom from burning.

"That's very interesting. I didn't think that would be a way to cut things.. At all. But I see the use."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

"Mhmm, the fun chop." She parroted after him, as if that descriptor alone should’ve provided all the info Aris needed to know…

Any questions he might’ve harbored were finally answered, for the most part at least, when Mahsa actually displayed the technique for the Epicanthix. It was a simple concept with an even simpler still execution, solving what would’ve otherwise been a complex issue of attempting to cut irregular shaped roots and vegetables into similar enough sizes for even cooking.

"Right? Certainly takes away all of the guessing work when cutting stuff—and they look really nice in stews too~" Her cuts had been slow and measured, taking long enough so the padawan beside her could see how it was properly done. Soon two of the carrots had been given the rangiri treatment, a triumphant smile on the Kazelrrian’s lips as she set the knife down.

"Your turn to try now," She spoke while gathering the chopped up pieces, carefully lowering them into the simmering stew before taking hold of the stew paddle Aris had been stirring with. "Wouldn’t be fair if I hogged up all the fun stuff, right?"

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris was rigid for a moment as she looked to him and announced what was coming next. His turn, to do that cut. He frowned. Not in annoyance or disappointment, but focus. He'd watched her enough to pick it up, right? He took up the knife, took over one of the carrots, and began chopping. Slowly, at first, taking his time to make sure he was following her example.

Trying not to be perfect, at that. The chop didn't need to be specifically the same, just so long as they weighed the same.

Which was easy for him. His eyes could judge the weight of each piece eerily accurately, and as he started to get into a rhythm he got faster and faster with each chop. Until he finished the whole thing and moved to the next in the blink of an eye. Which was done, just as fast. He smiled after a moment, lifting up the tray to dump the carrots into the pot.

"Okay, there."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

She assumed his rigidness came from uncertainty, Aris had been honest about his lack of cooking skills from the start, and the Kazelrrian couldn’t help but offer a small smile to the taller Epicanthix as she patted his back encouragingly.

"Don’t overthink it, they’ll be amazing in the stew even if they’re not perfect." She’d been drawn to the kitchens thanks to the pleasant aroma and myriad of flavors Mahsa had only read in books before, but it was that small realization that had spurred the girl to try and learn so much about the techniques and skills used to make up those tasty meals.

He was slow at first, each cut made into the carrot performed with a focus and precision that was entirely unneeded—but the Kazelrrian never commented about it. "That’s it, you’re getting the hang of it~" Her praise came once Aris began to pick up the pace, and before long both carrots had been chopped into perfectly equal portions when it came to their weight—hard to gauge with the naked eye, though the Kazelrrian could sense it as she helped to pick up the pieces and add them to the pot.

"Look at that, it’s starting to look like a proper stew now." Stirring the contents no longer required an unexpected amount of force on the paddle despite the large amount of ingredients within the pot—the once thick and gritty broth having loosened into a glossy sauce that coated each one. Two spoons were dipped into it before she offered one to Aris, it was time for another taste test—

"... ngh." It wasn’t as bad as the first try had been, the potatoes had certainly worked their magic in removing the sharp flavor that had hit her tongue like a crashing podracer, but it certainly needed something else if they expected the younglings to actually eat it.

"Spiciness could mask most of the bitterness; but not everyone likes spicy things, and the younger ones might not be able to handle too much of it anyways…" Golden eyes peered towards the spice rack as the girl talked out loud, looking over them carefully even before her hands plucked the occasional bottle and set it on the counter. Garlic and ginger powders were slowly joined by a handful of others, before a lightbulb came to life as she spotted a red bottle.

"That’s it!" She squealed in delight while grabbing it, showing off the bottle of paprika to Aris with a toothy grin on her face. "Kids love sweet things, so we’ll work with that~"

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

"The closer in size and shape each peace is, the more evenly they cook."

Aris nodded once at his own logic. Which was, ultimately, sound logic. He wanted every piece, every item to taste the exact same. Which it did, just, wasn't a very good flavor. He glanced over to the soup, nodding slowly as he took up a spoon to try some himself. Frowned, just a little. It wasn't as bad as it was, but it certainly wasn't anything like the other flavors he'd tasted.

It was too.. Muddled.

He blinked at the bottle, tilting his head.

"That will work..? Paprika?"

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

"Mhmm, it should help bring everything together nicely~ "

The top popped open with ease before the Kazelrrian paused once she’d noticed the questioning look in Aris’ face. "You’ve never tasted it before, have you?" There were no mocking tones as she uttered that question, a silent realization instead passing through her mind, before the girl held the bottle towards Aris.

"Go on, try a lil’ bit then~" There was enough of the red powder inside that he would’ve had no issues dabbing a bit on his finger for a taste, a wide and encouraging grin on Mahsa’s face as she continued. "Don’t be fooled by the color, it’s not gonna scorch your tastebuds."

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Aris Noble ​

 

[Aris Noble]

"I am attempting to try many things, but I also taste a lot of things very.. Clearly. Spices can be.. Too much." He liked heat, all things considered, but what he considered heat versus what another would was far less. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin his ability to taste the rest of the glorious food that was often brought with such heat. But he trusted what Mahsa said, instead taking a little to try.

He blinked in surprise before a smile formed and he nodded once.

".. It is good. .. And it is what the soup needs."

Mahsa

 

[Mahsa]

Though she didn’t know just how sensible Aris' tongue might be to flavors, the Kazelrrian could find it in herself to sympathize with her fellow padawan. "True, some spices can be… shocking, I guess?" A little certainly went a long way for her own taste buds, inexperience as they were when Ayhan and her had first arrived at the Temple.

"Between you and me I prefer the natural flavors of ingredients instead," Perhaps that’s why she’d found many of the Atrisian dishes so agreeable to her palate? "But I’m still thankful these exist~"

A grin crossed her lips as Aris delivered his approval, and Mahsa diligently opened every bottle she’d gathered on the counter. One by one they were added to the simmering contents, the girl not bothering to measure as she generously sprinkled a good amount of each one into the pot.

After all, that was a lot of stew they needed to fix up.

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Aris Noble ​