WHO: Ignis Scientia & William Laurence WHAT: Cooking lessons! WHEN: Backdated to: The last week of Sept! WARNINGS: None it’s very tame & two gentlemen. STATUS: Complete!
Laurence could not be happy about having someone in his apartment. He was fond of the apartment, and incredibly grateful that it had been made available to him upon his arrival, but it wasn’t fit for entertaining. His chambers, on a second level overlooking parlor, was entirely visible to anyone who would look up, and his kitchen was on the other side of the suite, also completely visible, without so much as a wall or a partition to shield it from view. There was no dining room to speak of, unless one would force their guests to eat in the kitchen, which Laurence most certainly would not. To make matters worth, the bathroom was also very visible from anywhere in the apartment, and while Laurence could close the door for decency’s sake, there was still the sure knowledge that it was there, in view.
It was the sort of home he’d only invite his most intimate friends to, men like Tharkay or Granby, or perhaps Jane, before he’d gone and betrayed her.
He had to remind himself, not for the first time, that he’d not invited Ignis over for a social call, though Laurence was determined to treat him as a guest nevertheless. It had made sense for him to learn to cook in his own kitchen, where he’d be doing most, if not all, of his cooking. He hoped that Ignis would not be too scandalized over the accommodations. His apartment was fastidiously clean, and that, at least, Laurence could find no fault with.
“Can I brew you a cup of coffee or tea?” Laurence asked, while Ignis got himself acquainted with the kitchen. That, at least, Laurence had learned how to do relatively early.
“Coffee, if you please.” As a true coffee addict, Ignis was one to never turn it down if the opportunity presented itself. He had brought a full kit of supplies, everything Laurence would need to learn a few basics, but first they would need to familiarize themselves with his kitchen.
His own apartment back home - when he actually lived in it - was as neat as this space, until Noctis and Prompto crashed and things managed to get a bit more chaotic. But Ignis appreciated orderly cleanliness, and even better when the kitchen was much the same way.
While Laurence went about brewing coffee, Ignis set his things out on the counter. Little containers of spices and oils, a small cooler bag of ingredients, a cutting board, and then finally his knife roll. It was much the same as his kit when the boys went camping, which allowed Ignis to be even more prepared to travel. “Now, let’s see what we’re working with here. Have you purchased anything beyond the starting cooking equipment the apartments come equipped with?”
“I’ve not, no,” Laurence said. Most of the cooking ware he’d seen were completely foreign to him, and he’d not wanted to spend any money on such things until he had a better idea of what he’d actually need and what would, essentially, be expensive and useless clutter. Which meant that Laurence had a small saucepan and a larger pot, a small frying pan and a slightly larger frying pan, a chopping board and knife block, and a colander.
Laurence’s coffee maybe wasn’t as good as a proper coffee shop coffee - most people would have considered it a touch too far on the strong side, maybe a little too bitter, but it was still worlds above the coffee that he drank at home. He poured a cup for Ignis and himself, and then added a half-spoonful each of sugar and cream, from the elegant, ceramic sugar bowl and creamers he’d purchased, to his own cup.
“Good.” Ignis was a firm believer in a minimalist way of doing things in the kitchen, but a great deal of that came from how rare it had been for him to cook in his own kitchen before arriving in Vallo, and how much he had needed to adjust to learning how to cook while blind. Now neither were truly an issue, but a habit nonetheless. “No bad habits to break,” He shot Laurence a sly grin, and accepted his coffee without adding anything to it.
A strong, black coffee was an acquired taste for most, but Ignis had always loved it. He leaned against the counter and sipped the coffee with a pleased little hum. “To start, a few universal tips. If following a recipe - which I do recommend to begin - always read the entire thing twice from start to finish. Don’t let yourself get caught unaware by a surprise at the end. Second is always prepping and organizing your space before you begin cooking, have everything you need out and ready to go. Third,” he glanced towards his knife roll. “A large and sharp knife will be your best friend.”
Laurence’s lip twitched. “It’s astonishing how many rules for cooking apply to most aspects of life.” He’d hardly claim a large, sharp knife as his best friend, but he was loath to go anywhere without a sword, and his own showing up here in Vallo had been one of the happier surprises he’d had here. There was little more useful or comforting than a well-honed blade.
“What will we be cooking today?”
Ignis huffed a little laugh in response. “A culinary battle is almost as important as any other kind, and I too am prepared for many options should the need arise.” His own daggers were out of sight, tucked away in the royal armiger, but a steady presence in his life nonetheless.
“We will be cooking pork with a tomato and pepper sauce. If you have no complaints, of course.” He brought a backup option, just in case, but this was a recipe he’d taught a few times now and had a slim chance of failure. “If you do not, we begin with the prepwork. Washing and trimming all produce before we begin cooking.” Ignis held up a pepper in one hand, and a tomato in the other.
“I’ve none at all. I’m quite fond of pork,” Laurence assured him. He’d never heard of anyone washing their produce, and these seemed free from an excess of dirt, but he’d trust Ignis’ expertise on the matter. “I think I can handle that much, at least.”
It was, overall, an astonishingly easy meal to cook. He was sure he’d not have done nearly so well without Ignis’ guidance - he was sure that if he’d been left to his own devices, he’d have both undercooked the pork and burnt the sauce - but the final result certainly looked good, and smelled better, and he allowed himself some small amount of pride at a job well done.
“You’re quite a good teacher,” Laurence said, once they’d plated the pork. “Have you always enjoyed cooking?”
Ignis hummed in pleasure, this was personally and selfishly one of his favorite meals, but it was also one of the more user-friendly ones when you had a minimalist kitchen and beginner level experience. “You are a very good student, Mr. Laurence. It was a pleasure.”
He started in on his plate, cutting a small bite of the pork to give it a test first. After a few moments, nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Not overcooked, still tender.” To answer Laurence’s question, he gave a small shake of the head. “Not always as such, no. I had to grow into it, though that came with learning? I was raised alongside Noctis, when he was our royal prince. Beyond just my duty to him, we grew up as best friends, and he had this love of a pastry when we were younger. I took to learning how to bake and cook in an attempt to recreate it for him, and ended up enjoying the task itself quite a bit.”
Ignis glanced at the dishes all around them. “It requires a measure of precision and discipline that appeals to me.”
Laurence felt a rush of pleasure at Ignis’ approval, and took a bite of his own meal. He didn’t think that he’d be able to recreate it on a scale large enough for Temeraire, should the dragon arrive, but perhaps he’d be able to enlist Ignis’ help in the matter; while Laurence couldn’t wholly approve of Temeraire’s preference for gourmet meals while they were actively at war, Vallo seemed relatively peaceful, and so there could be no harm in it. He thought Temeraire might be a little pleased, too, if Laurence did some of the cooking for him, and Laurence had enough free-time these days that he thought he might be able to at least make the attempt.
He started, and then schooled his features to hide his surprise. There was a brief moment, very brief, where he found himself thinking over his conduct at Ignis’ dinner party, trying to think of any awkward missteps that he might have made in the presence of a prince, but he didn’t think he had. He’d spent most of the evening trying very hard not to notice the obvious affection between the three men, though he’d since learned that such a thing was perfectly legal and quite common here, and the level of decorum Laurence might normally expect, back home, from a royal dinner hadn’t been present with the other guests.
He had to remind himself, sometimes, that things really were quite different here.
He smiled a little at the story of the pastry. “I think I can understand that particular appeal. There’s something to be said, sometimes, about simply being able to follow instructions.” It had always been one of the things that had made the sailor’s life appeal to him, and while he could not regret any of the decisions he made in the last five years, he did sometimes think longingly of the days when his responsibilities had consisted, mostly, of how to best execute his orders. “And I imagine there must be something uniquely satisfying in being able to create something delicious for the people you most care about.”
“It’s rare in one’s chaotic life,” Ignis agreed, pleased he’d been able to have some positive effect on this newfound friendship and that the lessons had done the first step in their job. There would still be more to come, more to learn. He had other staples to teach and other basics to throw out there.
He very much enjoyed the pleasures of serving others delicious food, but he also enjoyed teaching self-sufficiency.
Ignis was also obviously very openly fond of said people he most cared about, if the pleased look on his face was any indicator. He would have laughed and waved Laurence off, if he’d been privy to any such thoughts about royalty - there was nothing Noctis disliked more than being treated like a king - but Ignis also wasn’t one for usually speaking too candidly, at least in the past.
It still felt odd to deviate from that, but he was also in an odd space, being more comfortable with his relationship. “You would imagine correctly. Though, without me, my lovers would almost assuredly eat nothing but frozen burritos and cup noodles.”
Laurence himself wasn’t used to such candor when one was discussing their relationships, though he found that the aviators in the Aerial Corp were more prone to being quite forthright about such things. He thought he might prefer such open honesty though, instead of hearing of such things through rumours and gossip.
“I’m afraid without your help, that would have soon been my fate as well,” Laurence lamented with a hint of a smile. “I’ve not yet succumbed to such convenience, but it would have only been a matter of time, I’m sure.”
Ignis groaned the groan of a long-suffering man, one who had seen too many cup noodles in his life, and one that had to depend on them himself when he had been in more dire straits. He sighed, still long-suffering, but wholly exaggerated as he was so clearly fond of his pair. “I’m afraid they like them, so my work is not yet done. Please just reach out before you’ve reached that point of desperation.”
Desperation was a dramatic word for it, Ignis knew that, but still. The more people he could turn onto the path of good cooking, the better. “But, do let me know if you’ve anything in mind to learn next. We could move into soups, as it’s nearing that time of the year when comfort food is most requested. Or something with fish? Noctis is always happy to catch it fresh for meals.”
“That is dire. I wish you the best of luck in curing them of their poor taste,” Laurence said, struggling and failing entirely to hide a smile at Ignis’ dramatics. “But I promise I’ll contact you should I ever begin considering, with any real seriousness, the benefits of frozen burritos.”
Laurence considered for a moment. “I think fish,” he said after a moment. “Temeraire’s quite fond of if, and there’s been more than one occasion when I wished I could do more with them.” Of course, he was unlikely to find himself shipwrecked or stranded at sea with not so much as a mild breeze here in Vallo, especially while also having access to the various spices and ingredients that Ignis cooked with, but it was best to be prepared for any eventuality.
“Cheers,” Ignis finished off his plate with a sip of coffee and a generous nod in Laurence’s direction. The idea of frozen burritos could still make him shudder, but the more people got through to, the happier Ignis was in the end.
“Fish it is, then. I’ll prepare a meal plan for next week? You can hopefully get a few recipes under your belt and put that wish to good use.” Ignis knew full well the variety and versatility of cooking with fish, but most of that came from Noctis and his love of fishing - a desire to do well by one of his partner’s labors was something he was more naturally inclined to.
Ignis began rolling up his sleeves. “But now you get to learn the downside of cooking for oneself. The dishes. Shall we? I’ll show you proper knife and pan care, while I’m at it.”
“I’ll be glad to see what you come up with.” Laurence was quite sure that whatever recipes Ignis managed to prepare, they’d be delicious.
He did laugh as Ignis rolled up his shirt sleeves, and Laurence followed suit. “You may call it a downside, but I’ve always had a particular love of cleaning,” he said, without the slightest hint of sarcasm. There was little that was more instantly gratifying than putting your mind to a task and being able to see the results immediately. If knife care was anything like how Laurence cared for his sword, then he was sure he’d find that task gratifying as well.
If tonight was any indication, he was sure that these lessons would soon become a favoured part of his weekly routine.