Shade Emblem: Hunger Eternal Part Eleven [Fire Emblem: Three Houses]
As far as things went, cleaning the fish was the most annoying part of cooking it. Perfect, easy recipes with fish required still a lot of preparation; be it in removing the tiny fishbones, or in cleaning the guts and making sure that whatever bauble the small scaly things had eaten didn't end up choking someone to their death.
Then, one had many options available; one could use an oven and some thick aromatic leaves, or grill it, or even cut it in small bits and swirl it around a fish sauce to serve as a soup with hot bread. One could always fry it, and depending on the kind of seafood one had available, one could even make a seafood mix.
"I used to live near the sea," I mused, "a local dish was a mixture of calamari, shrimps, anchovies and octopus cut and fried..." I swirled the contents of the pan in front of me, letting the chopped fish bits catch the aroma of the sauce, "used to be eaten piping hot in paper napkins, while walking down the pier, fighting off the seagulls."
I chuckled, "Damn seagulls, ruining the seaside with their incessant cries."
"From afar, they were quite the beautiful animals," Flayn's vivid interest in the contents of the pan were second only to the nature of the discussion, "a bit loud sometimes."
"Once you get used to their cries, you can pretty much fall asleep anywhere else," I said. "And now, for the finishing touch to this-a hint of white wine for the flavor, a pinch of pepper for the bite, and a nut of butter for the final mellowing-"
The contents of the pan were then gathered into a deep bowl, and as I handed it over, the saliva in the corner of Flayn's mouth was hard to miss.
"Here you go, tell me how it tastes," I said.
Judging by the pleased happy sounds Flayn was making, I had hit the spot. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed after a couple of bites, "Now I understand why there's a line when you're cooking."
"I'll never understand why others can't just cook as I do," I grumbled instead, "I have a limit to how much strength I can use and how big I can make the pans and pots," I sighed, "I could use more cooks by my side."
"I'd love to help," Flayn said, "But my cooking skills are...subpar." She sighed, sadly. "Everyone disappears from the dining hall when I'm done cooking, even my brother."
"Oh?" I blinked at that, "If you're interested, I'm teaching how to cook to Byleth already. One more student doesn't bother me at all." And I was sure it wasn't going to bother Byleth either. "I can start with a couple of fish dishes, since Byleth doesn't really care about what she eats as long as she eats."
The excited look on Flayn's face told me I had hit the bull's eye.
The slightly crestfallen look on Byleth's face told me instead that I had missed some manner of imperceptible cue of hers. Annette simply stared at both, having joined us in the cooking lessons, and then held on to a twinkling, knowledgeable gaze that had me wonder what was going on.
Still, Byleth soldiered on like a good mercenary, and the cooking lesson with Flayn and Annette went pretty much as expected, really.
"Byleth, you can't eat fish raw! No, spit it out! Yes, right now! Oh-Flayn, wait! Did you measure the salt!? Measurements by 'sensation' and 'eye' are only for experts! Measure it! A pinch-how much is a pinch in your dictionary? Byleth! I said spit! Spit! Annette, why is your pot of bubbling water screaming for salvation? Have you added something!? You're supposed to wake water boil, not breathe life into it!"
Spear and horse training with Leonie, at least, was more normal.
"If the horse dies, and it will die, learn how to jump off the saddle before you end up crushed under the beast's weight," was an easy to follow instruction in theory, but difficult in practice to master. A horse could fall in a lot of different ways, depending on what hit them.
"Captain, is there any horse-death you haven't gone through!?" Leonie's exclamation was pretty much on the nose, but I simply gave her a bitter smile.
"Let's just say that for the enemy, it was easier to kill the horse than it was to kill me," I said with a small grin. "I'm made of tough stuff, seasonal colds notwithstanding."
"I saw you fight off the Thunderbrand, and got into a bit of an argument with someone," Leonie said. "If she had her Hero's Relic, do you think you'd have been able to defeat her?"
I hummed, "Perhaps," I said. "But if she had her hero's relic, and I was fighting her, I wouldn't face her in open combat. Not unless I had a relic myself, or something equivalent in power," I sighed, "at least the environment should be on my side. Things like traps, or superior numbers. Eventually, she'd just be too tired to properly swing her blade. Lots of things can go into upstaging and defeating a superior opponent...and many more can spell the downfall for yourself, if you're not careful."
Leonie absorbed my words like a sponge.
Sir! It's a pleasure to meet you! We heard so much about the likes of you-
Kid, how old are you?
Ah-Seventeen, sir!
Scraping the bottom of the barrel, uh...
Sir? My age doesn't matter! I'm ready to fight for Agarth! We shall turn this war around, I swear-
Kid, you're just one year older than my oldest-
"Captain Shade?"
I blinked.
"You trailed off..." Leonie said.
"Sorry, Lelolelie," I said with a sigh, "Just-remembering all the circumstances that happened, takes a while when you get to my age," I chuckled.
"Both you and Captain Jeralt have seen so much," Leonie said, "but I never managed to find out how old either of you are."
"Eh, you stop counting after a certain point," I said with a dry grin, "Maybe a thousand thousand years? Maybe a million?"
"Fine, old geezer," Leonie said with a snicker, "Guess that's one secret you're keeping, uh? But on lance techniques, tell me everything."
"Of course, those are going to hopefully save your life, after all," I said.
It was a nice change of pace. Such peace was shattered, as all peaceful moments must be, when it came to the cooking lessons. Byleth wasn't amused at the presence of Flayn next to her on one side, or Annette on the other. Yet, they all started with a simple dish just to gauge their preparation levels. Kind-of like a certification exam of sorts to move up from E-Rank cooks to D-Rank cooks.
I stared at all three meals.
"This...was supposed to be a boiled egg salad with boiled potatoes and a simple enough dressing," I said offhandedly.
Instead, I had a rock painted like an egg, surrounded by sharp, deadly spikes of hardened charred potato crumbs, an egg that was made of jelly, melted over a mashed puree that seemed to squirm and beg for sweet relief from life and a final egg that seemed to be oozing some manner of dark, rotten liquid from within that reeked of spices...next to two, definitely raw, potato peels. The contents of the potatoes had apparently been eaten beforehand.
"Why did you eat the potatoes?"
"I was hungry," Byleth answered, honestly enough. "Made the eggs spicy so I wouldn't eat those too."
"...if you can't eat it, then nobody else can," I said dryly. I passed a hand over my hair, "seriously, Byleth, I taught you to control your hunger. This is a disappointing show. Flayn's just started recently, and her puree at least seems to be edible enough, considering how it's begging for death...while Annette forgot her food on the fire too long."
Byleth looked downcast. "This is quite the sad show, guess I'm not that great of a cooking teacher, which-"
---
"Child, this is an absolute waste of my divine gift," Sothis said, floating by her side.
Byleth said nothing, the deliciously looking and neatly cut eggs sitting at the center of a series of round, sliced potatoes garishly decorated with a mayo and olive oil dressing, with tiny flecks of oregano to go with it. It had taken her a few tries, but it was an outstanding success.
Shade was actually dumbfounded.
"That's..." he hesitated, "it's not an illusion?" he touched it carefully with the tip of his fork, slowly lifted the potato up and even sniffed it. She'd be hurt by his lack of trust in her ability to cook, but she had failed repeatedly before, so...it still hurt, but not that much.
He took a bite. "Uh, that's actually...yeah, no, there's everything. It tastes good. It actually tastes good," he seemed puzzled. "I could have sworn you were going to mess it up," he said, shaking his head.
"That's delicious, professor!" Flayn said in turn, having taken a bite too.
"I guess there's still much left for me to learn," Annette said instead, looking downcast.
"Don't worry," Shade said, "It just means I'll have to teach you two further to get you both up to Byleth's level. If she can do this, you both can too! Guess Byleth will have free time for a while, no point in teaching her further until you both get to her lev-"
Byleth's downcast feelings were felt by Sothis, who suddenly started laughing gingerly. "Oh, you pouty child! Serves you right for abusing my power!" her laughter was gentle, and matron-like, kind-of betraying her actual childish form. "The turning back of the hands of time is meant for important events, and battles," Sothis continued, "Do you not understand that?"
It was Sothis who didn't understand. This was an important battle. It was the most important battle of them all. She had to get Shade in her House before someone else tried to steal him away.
Once both Flayn and Annette excused themselves as they had other business to handle, Byleth took the cue.
"Is this good enough?" Byleth asked. "To get you to enroll?"
Shade blinked at her words, and then chuckled, "Too soon, Apprentice-Cook-Expert-Eater. Uh, A.C.E.E, that sounds nice for an acronym," he winked at her, pointing a finger in her direction, "Ace."
She shook her head. "How much better?"
"How much better? Uh, really fired up in getting me as one of your students," he mulled her words through. "Fine, there's a dish, a typical one from my homeland," he said. "It requires great care in preparing both the sauce and the pasta to accompany it. Make me a perfect lasagna, Byleth, and I'll join your house. Though I warn you, you're going to make Jeralt sad. And the company men sadder. They might sabotage you to prevent that."
Byleth nodded, lifting her right fist up and clenching it firmly. "I am not scared."
"You say this now..." Shade said with yet another chuckle, "I don't think you understand just how fundamental I am to the morale of Jeralt's men. I swear, couple of weeks ago I had to say no to a marriage proposal-"
Sothis laughed. "Oh, this is so much fun. I admit, these feelings of yours are just wonderful to admire. Good luck, child."
"Can't you teach me how to make it today?" Byleth asked.
"Why the rush?" Shade remarked, "it's not like there's much to hurry about. And aren't you supposed to be on the lookout for the archbishop's assassin?"
Byleth shook her head, "We think that's a diversion," she said. "The holy mausoleum, it will be open to the public on that day, and is perhaps the true target."
"The holy mausoleum is open on that day?" I blinked at that information. "The place where Seiros lies asleep?"
Byleth nodded. "It will be opened, and also for the most part unprotected. We will hold watch over it, so, in the upcoming days, I will be busy training and teaching the students, but I am still free for today."
Shade scratched the side of his cheek, "I do have to start preparing for dinner. Let me go fetch the supplies, and I reckon you can help me out. If we finish in time, then I'll start explaining how to knead the dough properly."
Byleth nodded, and as she watched Shade's back, she exhaled a soft sigh of relief. "See?" she whispered, "Shade is kind."
Sothis rolled her eyes from her side, "Such desperation, truly-what is it that you seek for me to discover? Or rather, what you are trying to convince myself of? I understand that my past words may have worried you, child, so perhaps the fault lies with me, but you need not persist in this foolish, clinging need to prove to me that man's kindness."
She shook her head. "I dreamed last night," she whispered. "I did not like that dream."
"Those dreams we do not like, we call them nightmares...or revelations," Sothis mused, "Perhaps we had the same dream, perhaps the filaments of thoughts that bind us together formed a tapestry of things I cannot remember, and that you dread; perhaps the face I see is one you remember, but the events you witness are those I cannot place."
Byleth hoped that was the case.
"Why not ask him more about his past?" Sothis hazarded. "He seems the kind of person who may fold if you push him enough. Try some charms-you do not lack those."
Byleth blinked at that. "You don't think of yourself as charming?" Sothis tapped the side of her chin, "My-my, this won't do. Perhaps try a maid outfit? There are-"
Byleth's own hands would have gladly made Sothis disappear in a puff of smoke, if only she could actually touch the ghostly figure floating by her side, which held on to a teasing, motherly grin that was equal parts infuriating and embarrassing to behold. "Oh well, I am sure in your own way, you would know best."
Sothis sighed, "But this gentle teasing, it brings back feelings. I definitely must have had a child. Or maybe a family-no, quite surely, I must have had a big one, and I enjoyed teasing them, watching them-yes, most certainly, I was quite the motherly figure."
Byleth stared at Sothis. She felt motherly, but she definitely didn't look the part. "I don't think that qualifies as gentle teasing," she said.
"What doesn't?" Shade asked, having returned in the meantime carrying a large bag of flour and dropping it on the table nearby.
"Nothing," Byleth said. Shade blinked at that, and frowned.
"You all right?"
She nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Very well then," Shade shrugged. "So, first things first with prepping the dough, is knowing the proportions-"
---
I was quite surprised by Byleth's cooking skills. It felt as if she already knew most of the stuff I would have needed to explain to her; and in short order, we did move from the basics to some more intermediate stuff. She knew how to knead without getting her fingers completely stuck in dough, for example, and could control her strength while using a rolling pin.
It was bizarre. It felt like she knew what I would be saying even before I did.
The slightest hint of a headache was also making itself known, which would probably spell trouble. I couldn't take another day off so soon, and headache-me was not the greatest cook ever, but rather an annoyed, darkness-seeking and quiet-wishing individual.
"...Seriously, you're a natural at this," I said in the end. "This is...a perfectly rectangular pasta..." I pulled a tiny strip off and munched on it. "Even the salt-everything's perfect."
I touched it, and then turned to stare at Byleth, very, very firmly. I stared right into her eyes, half-narrowing mine. "Are you sure this is your first time cooking this?"
Byleth quietly nodded.
"Really? Well, I'll be...guess for today that's going to be all though, I need to get started turning these into strips, drying them, and then getting the sauce for the normal pasta-we'll work on the lasagna another day," I muttered mostly to myself, touching the layer that had no blemishes, nor bumps.
It was perfect.
It was smooth.
It was absolute perfection.
"I just..." I had no words.
"I'm honestly impressed," I nearly had tears in my eyes, "You had this potential growth all along within you, but-but only now you're bringing it out. I'm amazed. I'm proud. This is-This is wonderful-" I nearly had to hold back a sob.
Freedom from cooking for Byleth was coming, I could taste the bittersweet moment when the shackles of her eternal hungering stomach would finally break, and I felt a turmoil of emotions swirl within me.
Eventually, all birds had to leave the nest.
Hey dad, listen, don't be mad...but I joined the army today.
But those who left sometimes plummeted into the maws of hungry, bloodthirsty monsters, did they not?