middaeg | [ closed ] chop chop.

Entry tags:

[ closed ] chop chop.

Who: aerith gainsborough & ignis scientia
When: the beginning of may
Where: tifa & aerith's cottage
What: cooking 101
Warnings: none!

( well, it turns out that chef s is really, actually, quite talented: talented enough that she wants to learn how to do all sorts of things from him; after their initial meeting, after all, she sort of feels like she owes him a little, for the rather improper way she got him to help her with things. where her hands tend easily to a garden, his hands tend to ingredients and other things without difficulty, and a part of her wonders if maybe she could learn half of what seems to come to him with relative ease.

as always, she's up for the challenge: seafood risotto sounds a little difficult, but if it's what he comes with, then she'll do her best. it all depends on what ingredients he's bringing, and what she has on hand to supplement: but that's the exciting part, right?

she's volunteered her kitchen, though she hopes that it will have everything he might need--she's taken to rigorously cleaning it before ignis arrives, scrubbing at the counters and sweeping the floors to try to make it seem more glamorous than it might be. she doesn't know where he might be living, after all, or what sort of things he's used to, kitchen gadgets or something more than the few supplies she's managed to gather, pots and knives and cutting boards. it'll be okay, right?

she's tending to a few of her flowers in a cup--no vase yet, sadly--to try to arrange them for a bit of quiet support in the kitchen when she hears someone at the door; naturally, she calls out after it-- )

It's open! Come on in!

( the entrance to cottage opens up to the dining room and the kitchen, so really, it should be easy for him to find: just follow the faint humming and the sound of aerith standing up on her toes to check in all the cupboards and make sure they're clean, too. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The last month's full moon had brought with it some abrupt and very uncomfortable changes that Ignis had not enjoyed dealing with in isolation. However, lacking anyone close enough to feel like he wanted to burden them with such things, he had done so. When he arrives at Aerith's kitchen, it's clear without the need for explanation that the magic of this place had done its work. Rather than legs, he's sporting a long, white-scaled tail.

This, fortunately for Aerith, is definitely something he would have called ahead and warned her about. Space is something you need to think about when half of your body is a snake-tail of at least twelve feet in length. The house he lives in now is more than big enough to accomodate it, but he sees immediately that he's going to have to be very careful in maneouvering in this one.]

I'll do my best not to knock anything over. [He says wryly as he comes in, cradling a bag of cooking supplies to his chest. Luckily, he's had the time to practice moving in this new shape and he makes it to the kitchen with only a small bump against the corner of a chair to show for it.]

Ah, there you are.

[And... hopefully this won't be too surprising.]

( it's true, this is something that she's known, even before inviting ignis over: and yet it's still something of a surprise when she actually sees it, enough that her cheerful voice falters for a moment, lips parting, and she just looks at him like she can't quite believe it. a part of her feels sorry for him, given how disorienting it must be--but she's dealt with so many potentially strange changes in stride, here, that it doesn't bother her so much as she thinks she needs to make sure she can accommodate him to the best of her ability.

so she gives him a bright smile, as she closes the distance between them--and, unfortunately, ignis is going to be subjected to something of a hug, though he's so tall, with or without the tail, that it's more her arms looped around his middle in a quick squeeze, there and then gone again. ) It's good to see you!

I'd ask how you've been doing, but... ( a teasing grin, as she flicks her gaze to his tail and then back up again. ) I'm your assistant today, so don't worry! Anything you need, I'll get for you, and you can boss me around as much as you like. Promise I'll only get mad a tiny little bit.

( that is to say, she won't really get mad at all, but maybe he'll smile at the obvious joke. )

[A blind man would catch that look, but he lets it go past him - there was a reason he'd warned her, after all. The hug is more unexpected, with just enough time for him to return it with a quick arm around her shoulders before she's moving away again.

But it's nice. The contact is not unappreciated.]

You can ask. [But he'd understand if she'd prefer not to. This is a lot to take in, he imagines, even when you're not the one going through it. He leaves that offer with her and begins unpacking the things he brought along.]

I'm making this for you, so you can help as much as you'd like to.

Well, it'd be rude if I just sat around and let you do all the work, right?

( even if it's kind of him--even if he's nearly an expert chef, or at least that's what her stubborn beliefs are--she doesn't think that she could remain idle if she tried. rather, she wants to make sure that she keeps her hands just as busy as his; so she puts her elbows on the counter, and watches as he unpacks the things he brought.

her gaze drifts down, towards his tail, and then back up at him again, curious as she watches his profile. )

Did it hurt? The changes, I mean. Do you keep warm, or do you have to lay in the sun?

( isn't that how snakes work? she can't quite remember: the most she's seen are the sweet green gardener snakes that would weave in between her bushes and plants. )

Oh...! Right. What do we do first? Do you need a knife? A pot?

A good knife, if you please. Preferably two. And a large pot.

[He sets the now empty bag out of the way and watches her steadily for a few moments before he answers her other questions. Though he had said that she could ask, he finds that he wasn't entirely prepared for the answers he'd need to give.

Ignis taps his fingers lightly against the counter top, then breathes out a slow sigh and glances away.]

Yes, it hurt. [Unimaginably so, and dealing with it alone hadn't been idea.] And it takes me longer to get moving in the mornings than I'd like, but I'm finding ways to deal with the torpor.

Got it!

( at the very least, he doesn't have to contend with her staring at him with her round eyes while he answers--she's moving around the kitchen instead, collecting a large pot for him and then, carefully, picking out two knives that she thinks might work out okay. tifa is more the chef--she's more the helper, anyway.

her movements do slow for a moment, as he answers, and she feels almost guilty for it; maybe she shouldn't be so curious after all. solemnly, she brings him back the pot and sets it down. the knives, she sets down on the counter, too, one after the other, careful to keep them at a safe distance. )

...Is there anything about it that feels good? ( she looks at him for a moment, before she looks back at the counter. ) Like, one of my friends liked having his new animal ears rubbed...Something like that?

I haven't put much time into investigating it.

[He meets her eyes briefly when she looks at him. While Ignis doesn't feel too much resentment towards what's happened to him while he's been here, he can't say it's ever been the most comfortable of experiences. Unsettling at its very best to have your body twisted and changed in the space of half a year into something that you barely even recognise.

Though it could be worse. At least he still has five fingers.

Ignis picks up a knife and a wrapped package, which he opens to reveal something that looks like large, whole prawns.]

It's a powerful feeling, at times. But that isn't the same as enjoyable. [He frowns thoughtfully.] There may be something, but I haven't discovered it yet.

( the package does draw her attention for a moment--she gives it a quick glance, trying not to get in his way, but she does want to see all the ingredients, and it's somewhat fascinating to watch what he does, and all the things that he uses. does he have the recipe memorized? he doesn't seem to be reading off a paper or anything like that. but then again, maybe he'll consult it later?

so she stands there for a moment, watching, before she realizes that she could help: in another way, of course. rather than reach for one of the knives, she instead moves down the length of him, taking slow, measured steps like she's trying to gauge just how long his tail really is.

she chooses a place at random, arbitrarily, and then crouches down, the skirt of her dress curving out around her knees and legs as she tucks them in, and reaches out with a hand to run a fingertip down his tail, gently. she can't reach too much, so it's just the one spot that gets the attention--but see, she's trying to help, right? she continues on, warmly: )

So what's the first step? You're going to cut up those big shrimp things?

[She would likely find in time that Ignis has many recipes memorised and often doesn't think about the fact that other people won't, so won't realise that she's struggling to follow until she says something. That is, if she does struggle to follow. He isn't going to make the assumption.

When she moves away he doesn't really mark it, and he sets the prawn-like shellfish out before picking one up and deftly splitting the shell to pull out the meat inside.

It takes a moment for him to register being touched, and he visibly jolts as a few feet of his tail scrunch up in response to the contact.]

That-- What are you doing?

( she imagines that he might have the same reaction, as when they first met: a sort of tempered annoyance that she imagines flares up for worse things than an impertinent girl touching places that she shouldn't, so it's not like she'll get necessarily in trouble, just maybe more politely redirected. still, his tail does a little curl, scrunching up, and that's a curious reaction, isn't it?

she immediately glances up at him, almost guilty, but she offers a soft laugh. )

I thought we could see if there was anything good about it... The tail, I mean. I haven't seen a lot of snakes before, but...

( she pats her palm, gently, along a thicker part of the tail; is this like petting the back of his ankles? that makes her threaten to laugh again. )

Maybe it might feel relaxing! Like a massage. Right?

[It's a recent change, and he still hasn't really got used to how it feels. He definitely hasn't got used to how it feels to have someone else touch him. His not-quite-subconscious revulsion at what he's been turned into doesn't help matters, but he's doing his best to make his peace with that.

After all, being angry or upset about it isn't going to change things.]

I, uh... I don't know. [Ehem. He stops cutting the prawns for a few moments to gather his thoughts back together.] I'm not accustomed to it being there at all.

[Let alone having someone else put their hands on it. Rather than the restrained irritation Aerith might expect, Ignis seems decidedly flustered instead.]

( she doesn't know that much about him yet--just the little that he shared, before, but it's almost fascinating to watch his expression change, the way that his hands pause as though he's trying to gather himself up before speaking at all. that tells her the touch isn't necessarily unpleasant: it's just different, she imagines, especially with such a huge change. there are likely things he doesn't enjoy, things he misses, and that's sort of the whole point of it, really, that she wants to try to make it better.

silly, perhaps, but now she's a bit more determined than before.

so she stays for a moment, rubbing one hand down the length of his tail, and then alternating with her other palm; it's soft, no pressure put around it except the spread of her fingers, squeezing only faintly when she shifts from one to another. it seems like a massage to her, at least, so it can't be that terrible, right? )

I used to have snakes in my garden, back home. But they were the green ones, friendly ones, and sometimes I would have to shoo them away. Luckily, I won't shoo you away.

( with a soft laugh--her hands continue, but her head lifts to look up at him. ) So you're cutting up the big shrimps, and then what? Is there something else I should do?

[He can't quite help when he reacts to the entire situation with a soft but very discernible rattling sound coming from the end of his tail. If it were any louder it could be interpreted as a threat, but as quiet as it is it sounds more like a warning. A reflection of his uncertainty about what her hands are doing more than anything else.]

You can ignore that. [Ignis mutters, the tops of his ears flushing faintly pink with embarrassment. The fact he is unable to control that aspect of this new physiology is something that constantly rankles him.]

You can take this fish fillet and skin it. Make sure you get the bones out too.

[At least it would get her hands off him. Not that he...

He doesn't think he minds it. Not really. But he isn't sure what he thinks about it and needs a few minutes to work out if he'd like her to do it again or if he'd prefer to ask that she just... doesn't.]

( it's a startling sort of sound--something akin to a warning, she thinks, which is why she immediately lifts both of her hands up, slowly, as though she's showing her surrender. she may be able to ignore a lot of social cues for the sake of trying to push past barriers, but this is something entirely different; she moves up onto her knees, first, and then back onto her feet.

maybe she should be disgruntled, or even embarrassed, but her expression is just warm and understanding, nodding faintly as she hears the instructions. she's learning ignis' boundaries slowly, but at least she's learning. )

Okay! Skinning and...bone removing...

( she's never--really does this before, but she's up for the challenge, so she squares her shoulders, taking the fish fillet and plopping it down on the cutting board next to him. plucking up a knife that looks reasonable, she bends to peer at the fish, trying to decide how best to start; she frowns, going for the tail, squeezing the knife in with a soft little hum. )

Sorry about all this~ ( yes, she's talking to the fillet. )

[It's embarrassing, and he doesn't like that he can't control that particular response to his emotional state. The snake tail itself has been far easier to get used to than the rattle at the end of it, and the way it will flag up when he's annoyed or agitated in any way.

Something he's always been so good at hiding.

He glances sidelong at her as she picks up the knife, seeing immediately that she doesn't really know what to do. Ignis watches her for a moment, then reaches over and places his hand lightly on hers just as she pushes the tip of the knife through the scales.]

I can show you. Would you mind?

Oh!

( it's not really embarrassed so much as it is startled: maybe it's more that she's concerned with the fillet instead of ignis or anyone else, really, and the reminder of his existence, outside of her focus, draws her back to the present. it's a sheepish, grateful sort of smile that she gives him, nodding faintly.

she doesn't move her hand away--the touch doesn't bother her, and she moves with ignis' guidance, rather than against it, letting him help her do it in a way that she likely would have messed up just on her own. )

You're very kind. ( softly, as she watches them work together. ) Thank you. Guess I won't be winning any chef competitions any time soon, huh?

[He lets out a soft chuckle at her comment on his kindness. Well... he is, he supposes, though Ignis has a much harsher side that Aefenglom has not seen a great deal of. He does try to be kind, and was raised with kindness, and Aerith has done nothing to deserve anything less than gentle treatment.]

If you're enjoying what you do, that's all that matters. [Ignis tells her with a glance at her face before he looks down again, lightly guiding her hand with his.]

I'm not looking for it to be perfect, but I'd rather you didn't cut your hand trying to impress me.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ closed ] chop chop.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject