pyr min solemnly swears he is up to no good (twinclaws) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-11-17 10:34:00 |
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He had been scrubbing at that same spot so long that he’d not only removed the coffee stain—he’d cleaned that square inch so thoroughly that now the rest of the wooden surface looked dirty by comparison. He’d need to scrub the rest of the counter too, or find some coffee to spill on this one spot, but for the moment, he was too busy salivating at the smell wafting from the large skillet, and trying to see what was cooking without being too obvious. Unfortunately, Divina was in the way, and the growth spurt that supposedly came to teenage boys when they hit puberty had eluded him so far—and so he had no option but to continue pretending he was concentrating on his task as a good squire should, and lament that he was so terrible at pretending where food was involved. Finally, he could not resist any longer, and asked, “What are you making?” The knight responded with a pointed glance. For the past hour, the squire had been so diligent it was a miracle he had not worn straight through the wood. Lips pursed, Divina gestured toward a pair of bowls filled with vegetables. “Wash your hands,” she instructed, “and add the beans and spinach into this.” She stepped away then, revealing the pork that had been simmering for the past half hour. Without waiting to see if he would do as she bade, she shifted her attention to a nearby pot and removed its lid. The smell of freshly cooked rice joined the curiously sour smell of the pork stew. She hummed softly in approval, reaching down to kill the flames. Dark eyes returned to Pyr to assess his handiwork. “You are familiar with Sako cuisine, I presume?” "A little. Sako isn't so far from home." And certainly, he would not be opposed to becoming even more familiar with the island's cuisine—the smell made his mouth water. It occurred to Pyr, as he was following Divina's instructions, that he had no idea where Divina had grown up. It wasn't the sort of thing one asked during training, and he didn't see her much outside of it. Though perhaps she wouldn't mind the question. "Do you have family there?" he asked after a beat. “No,” she said. Divina moved to stand beside him, plucking up a nearby spatula and prodding the newly-added vegetables. “The cuisine of Sako and its surrounding islands—” here she offered him a tip of the head to his hometown, “—is not dissimilar to that of East Valendia.” Another woman might have offered some insight into Fi’noi-Ordalian trading relations. Instead, Divina turned the pork around the skillet. Not tender enough, she thought. “Sinigang,” she named the dish, pulling open a drawer and reaching for a spoon. The spoon was dipped into the stew and handed over to the squire. “Tamarind makes it sour.” Pyr had never heard the name before. He had no idea what tamarind was. But those two things now counted among his favourites. “This is really good!” he told Divina with a wide grin. “You’re a really good cook!” He was half-hoping she’d let him have another spoonful of the stew, but he didn’t ask; he’d rather she focus on cooking. Maybe when the sinigang was done she’d let him have some. She leaned back against the counter, eyes not leaving the stove. Ten minutes more, she estimated. “Finish the counter,” Divina said. Tilting her head in the direction of an overhead cupboard, she added, “Afterwards, the plates are in there.” Pyr had never cleaned so fast in his life. |