middaeg | [ 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

[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.

[ closed ] chop chop.

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