Home is where the tart is [Open]

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Despite not requiring much in the way of food, Zouichi did know how to cook. But with friends and acquaintances from wildly different backgrounds, he figured he could stand to expand his repertoire. So today he was trying out desserts. The inside of one of the Sensoriums had been transformed into a brightly-lit kitchen, its counters covered with baking pans, bowls, fruit, flour, and a multitude of other ingredients.

Zouichi, wearing a dark blue apron, was just taking a batch of chilled dough out of the refrigerator, rolling it carefully out between waxed paper sheets. It was looking pretty good, or so he thought. Nothing had even exploded yet!

From somewhere within the kitchen, the smell of cake wafted up into the air. Caaake.

Comments

[seraphicthunder.livejournal.com]

Passing by, Reimi noticed the smell coming from the sensoriums. Poking her head in, she smiled and waved at him. "Zouichi! Hey! You're baking I take it?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi paused briefly to return the wave. "Hello, Reimi. And yes, but I've only tried once or twice before. I figured this might be a good place to practice."

[seraphicthunder.livejournal.com]

"That's a good idea, and better than practicing with what supplies we have." Reimi stepped in fully as she inhaled. "Can I try one of the completed ones?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi nodded. "Besides, there's less cleanup."

He put down his rolling pin, then stepped to the counter a little distance away, upon which was a large, dark cake covered with frosting and almonds. There was a small piece cut out already, but he took another slice, placing it on a plate to hand to her.

"Go ahead and tell me what you think. It's chocolate layer cake; I thought I'd try something basic first."

[seraphicthunder.livejournal.com]

Taking the slice and conjuring a fork, she took a slow bite, sampling it and swishing the taste around in her mouth before swallowing. "It's delicious! Did you use chocolate mix or cocoa powder in this?"

[fattynoparents]

DID SOMEONE SAY CAKE?!

Where there was cake, there was Chell, and even if it wasn't real cake, there was no way she was just going to sit by and let cake happen without her.

So she poked her head into the Sensoriums, only stepping inside after she confirmed that yes, cake was happening. That was definitely the smell of cake.

Quietly, slooooooowly, she crept towards the kitchen.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

OMG YES CAKE

Zouichi felt... watched, all of a sudden. Monitored. But by whom? And for what purpose?

He paused in his movements, scanning the kitchen area slowly for enemies. He would defend the cake himself if necessary.

[fattynoparents]

Oh, oops.

Chell hadn't quite gotten the message that it wasn't terribly socially acceptable to sneak around and generally be creepy.

Obviously the solution was to peek into the open, peering quizzically at the man in the apron.

Whatcha doooooing?

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Oh, it was that young corporate employee. Zouichi gave her a brief wave. "Hello. Chell, right? Are you looking for something? Or would you like some cake?"

[fattynoparents]

She nodded to affirm that yes, he'd gotten her personal information correct, and allowed herself a few steps further into the kitchen, very obviously eyeing the cake.

Asking Chell if she wanted cake was like asking her if she liked breathing.

[alastirra.livejournal.com]

Curiosity and the scent of something sweet had the shaman following her nose into the Sensorium Zouichi occupied. It also had a broad grin spreading over her face.

"Zouichi! I am glad to see you are all right! You are baking?" Alastirra asked. To some degree, she was stating the obvious, but that wasn't really one of his usual pastimes.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Ah... yes, that's right. How have you been?" Zouichi hadn't seen Alastirra in a while, and the last time, well. The last time was right after he'd gotten back from Galilee. Not something he was especially eager to recall. Especially not after his talk with Eva.

He concentrated instead on pressing the dough into one of the tart pans.

[alastirra.livejournal.com]

"I am all right. Are you relaxing? Or practicing?" She wasn't about to bring up bad memories, either. Alastirra had felt that he'd just needed some time and space to himself, and hadn't wanted to impose, but after Lirath...

Well, she needed to make sure he was all right.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"I suppose it's a bit of both. I had some free time, and I thought I'd use it to practice. I promised Allenby I'd try a few Neo-Swedish dishes, too."

And Jr. still had to make a request, of course.

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

Tall, pale purple, with horns? That was how Alastirra was described to Jr. when she came up in an interesting conversation with Zouichi. Jr. was drawn here because cake? Much better smell than the stuff Stacy served them. But noticing the tall Draenei when he entered would be a plus. Leaning forward and inclining his head as he approached her to get her attention, he smiled. "Hey!"

[alastirra.livejournal.com]

Alastirra smiled down at the red-haired young man. "Hello! I don't think we've met, have we?"

She offered Junior a hand. "I am Alastirra, a shaman of the Draenei. It's nice to meet you!"

[carrieswar.livejournal.com]

"Ah, so you are Alastirra!" he said happily. He knew the other Draenei he'd seen around was the council member, but he actually knew that councilwoman's name. He took her hand at the offer almost instantly. "Zouichi's mentioned you a few times, so it's good to finally meet'cha!"

[quick_strike]

That's what that smell was. Pastries being baked. It was rather pervasive and Alendian took a break from her own practices to step over to the next room. She pulled off her mask as she came in and took a long around.

"Pastries? You cook?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi looked up from what he was doing, raising an eyebrow at Alendian as she entered the room. Was he going to get a lecture about the innate inferiority of mon-keigh basked goods?

"Yes, on occasion. However, I'll have to wait until our next supply run to try this out with actual ingredients."

[quick_strike]

If only she actually ate baked goods and not just fruits and veggies. Such is the life on a Craftworld.

"Are you saying that is...fake?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

He thought he'd gone over this before. Maybe she hadn't been listening. "That's right. The food in the Sensoriums isn't real. Just like everything else."

She could have the strawberries on the counter, if she wanted. Of course, they weren't technically strawberries...

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Oh, come on. You're making food in the Sensoriums and you didn't invite your favorite taste-tester? Afraid you might get kitchen ghosts or something?" He hops up on the counter as if it's just made for him to perch on, swinging his legs. "Whatcha making?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi looked up. "Fruit tarts. But they're not ready yet. There's a chocolate layer cake under that metal cover you're sitting next to, though."

"Anyway, I thought I should make sure it was edible before I tried to poison you."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Can I have some?" If it weren't Zou, he probably would just help himself. "Man, I don't care how bad your cooking is. I've eaten worse, and you at least didn't set the kitchen on fire. That's better than like, everyone wh's ever cooked on a sitcom ever."

He peeks at the stove. "You know, I have some homemade jam from the fruit in Hydroponics. Might go good with all this."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"No, you can't have any," he said dramatically. "Help yourself."

Zouichi finished his current tart pan, and started in on another before he looked up again. "Hey, my cooking isn't bad. I just don't make a lot of cakes. And let's hold off on the jam until we have some actual food here. It'll taste better."