[X] Group cooking, what better way to bond than to try and match Archer's cooking?
-[X] Still, even with Mami's baking skills on hand, it's just not possible at this time.
--[X] Let the others take the lead in making conversation, chiming in to take light jabs or add your own views. Avoid talking about magical girl business, you fought hard for this sort of normalcy so enjoy it.
Tomoe-san returns from the kitchen with tea and pastries for the five of you. Sayaka moves to help Kyouko up, but "Geddof me, will ya? I can do it myself." To Sayaka's shock, Kyouko swings her leg around and, though with some difficulty and a noticeable limp, ambulates her way to the table on her own. Sayaka follows closely behind, but never goes further than that as Kyouko manages to arrive and sit down on her own.
"You only broke that leg a few days ago," Sayaka remarks, taking a seat in-between Madoka and Tomoe-san. "Are you sure you should be walking around on it like that? I really don't mind helping you if you need it."
"Nah, really, I'm good," responds Kyouko, as she reaches for the first slice of Tomoe-san's pastries. "Redman stuck some glowy gold thing inside me that's been doin' a good job patchin' me up." She sticks her foot out just far enough, wiggling it about as she adds "Whaddya think, Mami? Think I'll be good enough ta get back in action in a day or two? 'Cuz I'm gettin' really bored just sittin' around all day."
"But you've only been here a day now, Sakura-san," Tomoe-san responds, pouring everyone their serving of tea. "It can't honestly be that bad, can it?"
"Well, Goldie's couch is just about th' fuckin' greatest thing ever, but honestly? Yeah, it is. I've been on my ass fer almost a week now, between my old place, th' hospital fer that head injury I never got, an' now this. I'm gettin' really bored just doin' nuthin."
"Can you like, not swear so much all the time?" Sayaka's interjection, by the look on Kyouko's face, is hardly a welcome one. "Like, I get that you lived on your own in a pretty rough part of town, and that green-haired guy you roomed with probably didn't care, but..." Sayaka's eyes dart towards Madoka. "But some of us don't need to hear every other word out of your mouth be a swear. And, even if you don't do it for me, do it for Mami-san. She was kind enough to take you in even when she didn't have to, so I think the least you could do is act a little more respectful towards her."
All eyes are on Sayaka, and she quietly stares into her lap with a guilty expression. "I... Sorry, Mami-san. It wasn't my place to try and enforce the rules of your house for you."
Tomoe-san waves off Sayaka's concerns, saying "That's perfectly fine, Miki-san."
Kyouko continues to stare at Sayaka, until a malicious smile spreads on her face. "Fine, fine, I'll stop swearin' all th' time. But in return, you gotta do sumthin' fer me." The lick of her lips accentuating her words only adds to the darkness of her intentions.
"Like what?" Sayaka dares to ask back.
"Ah, I know!" Tomoe-san interrupts before Kyouko can voice her demands, clapping her hands together as the light bulb goes off in her head. "What if we all did something together?" Now, eyes are on Tomoe-san, yours included. You had been wondering what Tomoe-san had been planning for this "party", and apparently those plans involved "Cooking! What if we all tried our hand at cooking dinner and snacks? It won't be like Archer's cooking, but if we all give it a shot I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves just as much."
Sapphire eyes meet ruby, and a truce is formed between Sayaka and Kyouko at the mention of food. "So, got any ideas fer what we're gunna be cookin'?" Kyouko asks.
"Well... I actually hadn't thought that far ahead, Sakura-san. But perhaps once we're all in the kitchen something will come to me."
Tomoe-san's kitchen has, miraculously, remained unchanged in the face of Caster's forced renovation, save for the replacement of her marble countertop for a gold-inlaid sandstone one. Why, you couldn't say, but judging by the very un-Tomoe-san-like mess adorning the surface, the change has had no ill effect to the kitchen's utility. A few cookbooks line the shelves, some in languages other than Japanese, most noticeably a pair in German, and one each in Italian, French, and English, with the French one appearing slightly ajar on the shelf- It's been recently used, likely in the making of today's lunch, if the scent coming from her lunchbox was any indication.
Tomoe-san was right in her prediction, and once the five of you are inside the crowded kitchen the ideas hit her in full. "What if we all chipped in to make a different part of the meal?" She asks, raising eyebrows. "I'll work on the sides, and, say..." She purses her lips as she thinks, eventually settling on "Akemi-san and Kaname-san, if the two of you work on the main course, then Miki-san and Sakura-san can make dessert. How does that sound?"
Madoka's face lights up at the thought of "Cooking with Homura-chan? I'd love that! Doesn't that sound like fun, Homura-chan?"
You nod, giving Madoka's hand an affectionate squeeze. "Yes, that does sound like fun."
"What do you want to make, Homura-chan?" Madoka asks, as you grab one of Tomoe-san's cookbooks from the shelf. While you know English and German well enough, you don't feel like showing off, and so your hands gravitate towards one of the Japanese tomes, one titled Today's Menu for the Entire Family.
You flip through the pages, occasionally reading the entrees to yourself as you decide what you'd like to make. "Toshikoshi Soba... Salmon and Mushrooms Baked In Foil... Spring Chirashizushi... Spring Greens and Bacon Sandwich. Huh, so that's where Archer got the recipe... Bamboo Shoot Gratin... Ah!" As you flip the page, your eyes settle on the dish you want to make. Weeks ago, it had been the first of Archer's dishes you had eaten, something he had served to you and your friends on the first day of school to celebrate you having brought friends home.
"Hamburg steak," you say, fondly recalling your first afternoon spent with friends in so many lifetimes. "It's perfect."
Quickly, Madoka raids the fridge and cupboards for the necessary ingredients, sidling up beside you as everything is lain out. "I'll read the directions, and we can both pitch in where we'd like," you say, to a bright smile from Madoka. "How does that sound?" Madoka nods; that's a yes, and the both of you work to finely chop the necessary onions.
You're both crying tears of joy. It's not at all the onions doing it.
"First, take half of the finely chopped onions and saute them on low heat. When they're fully coated in oil, add a dash of salt. Once they're caramelized, cool them off, and leave the rest of the onions raw." Your onions, golden-browned to perfection, are scraped from the pan and onto a clean plate prepared for you by Madoka.
Next is the beef. It's cold, but it's not frozen and is still quite pliable. Madoka unwraps it and hands the package of meat off to you. "Place the chilled ground beef and a dash of salt in a bowl. Mix it well until it's slightly sticky. When you've mixed the meat thoroughly, add bread crumbs, egg, nutmeg, pepper, the raw and sauteed onions, and mix them in." With your hands sticky with ground beef, Madoka is the one to add the ingredients to the mix, though afterwards she quickly joins her hands with yours in mixing them all in.
It's sticky work, but those occasional moments when Madoka's hands brush against yours as you mix make it all worthwhile. When you've mixed everything into a satisfying blend, you and Madoka remove your hands from the meat and wash them with just enough water the remove the slimy excess before returning to work.
Together, you both scoop out a small handful of meat. "Drop the meat from one hand to the other to remove the air, and shape them into patties around one-and-a-half centimeters thick. When you've shaped them to your liking, leave them in the refrigerator for thirty minutes or so." You look to Sayaka and Kyouko, the both of them covered in flour and bickering over nonsense, but still looking as though they're having fun all the same. Looking at the time, however...
"I don't know if we'll have the time. Let's just keep going, shall we?" Madoka nods in agreement, and after washing her hands prepares for you a fry pan with some oil. "I can handle the rest from here, Madoka. If you'd like, you can go help Tomoe-san."
Even though Madoka has scampered off to help Tomoe-san, you still find yourself reading the instruction out loud. It sounds silly, but doing that, you can almost imagine yourself in Archer's shoes, though your first attempt at hamburg steak is likely to be nowhere near his.
"Warm up the fry pan and heat them on medium heat," you say to yourself, gently placing the patties into the pan so as not to splash oil on yourself. "Once a crust forms, grill them for three minutes on low heat. When the sides turn white, flip them over and grill them some more." The oil has turned a dark brown, matching the colour of the now-cooked patties as you gently flip them. "Turn off the heat, cover them, and leave them for three minutes." You wait three minutes, and then "Turn on the heat again and grill them for two minutes or so."
After waiting two minutes, you poke your patties with a skewer. "If you see translucent juice, it's a sign that it's done. Lastly, cook on high for fifteen seconds. Once the patties are browned..."
Done!
You wipe the sweat from your brow as you carefully arrange five patties onto plates. Alongside Tomoe-san's salad, this should make a fine dinner.
Do you
[ ] Talk
-[ ] to Madoka
-[ ] to Sayaka
-[ ] to Tomoe-san
-[ ] to Kyouko
--[ ] About? (write-in)
[ ] Don't talk
-[ ] unless someone talks to you first
[ ] What do you do after you've eaten? (write-in)
[ ] Other (write-in)
?
