poised: (✰ i beg ur pardon)
Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear ([personal profile] poised) wrote in [community profile] sugarcube2019-02-03 09:56 pm

psl || and something sweet

[natalia is a lovely princess. she's adored by her people, headstrong in all things politics so long as it means that she can take care of her country, and holds a lifetime's worth of grace in her pinky finger.

there are plenty of days that she's happy to be doted on and taken care of by the castle, given that she's been looked after since she was only a baby. she accepts having knights at her side when she's traveling, even though she's a plenty accomplished archer in her own right. however given that a holiday is approaching especially for extending personal affection, and individual attention, she can't help but think that it would be very wrong indeed for her to ask someone else to prepare chocolates for her to give out.

which is what leads us to today's predicament.

kurikara can probably smell smoke from a way's away.]


Oh no, no no no.

[that doesn't sound great]

How could this happen? I thought it said - only that long?!

[help]
unfriendliest: (absolutely not)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 04:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ smoke. the smell stops him in his tracks, eyes narrowing as he turns to sniff at the air. that isn't something one should smell in the castle... and somehow no one else seems to have noticed it yet (or are they just steering clear?), so ookurikara supposes it's now his job to find the source and deal with it. because of course it is.

that's alright. the reality of serving as a knight means that sometimes there will be unexpected surprises in his life. maybe he doesn't appreciate them as much as certain others might, but he can handle it. since this particular surprise could potentially prove dangerous, it's with a renewed since of resolve that ookurikara starts to follow the trail.

that it leads to the kitchen probably shouldn't be another surprise - but aren't the castle cooks usually better than this? are they training someone new? this he wonders until he spots natalia among the smoke, and all his questions are answered.

...no, he still has one, expressed through a very resigned sigh. who allowed this. ]


What did you do.

[ should he offer an actual greeting? be a little more courteous to the princess, maybe? yes. but as long as the kitchen is on fire, she's not getting courtesy from him. ]
unfriendliest: (trademark ookurikara face)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
[ his eyes trail from natalia, to the suspicious bowl she's trying to hide, to the oven that's apparently the source of this disaster, and finally back to the princess. ]

Is that what you call this?

[ did she even use a recipe? why is this his job? this isn't what he signed up for.

whatever. he shakes his head and steps around her to get to the oven and turn it off. he makes no move to open it or to fetch water, however; he settles for waving his hand through the smoke to help it disperse, nose wrinkling. it'll go away eventually, so in the meantime he backs away from it to stare natalia down. ]


Where are the cooks?

[ there should've been someone here to keep an eye on her - even just one person, but there's no sign of them. he'll have to talk to them about this later. ]
unfriendliest: (thinking too much)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ and of course they can't say no to the princess, can they. is ookurikara the only one who can in this entire castle? eyebrow raised, he agrees with a simple- ]

You should clean up after yourself.

[ is. is that an offer to help or ]

What were you... [ he gives the oven a pointed glance. ] ...trying to make that was so important?

[ whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t important enough to get it right. following a recipe isn't that hard. ]
unfriendliest: (@ god why)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[ well that's. suspicious. ]

But you needed the kitchen to yourself for it?

[ with no one to keep an eye on her or save whatever concoction that was supposed to be from its fate? sounds fake. but now that he's here, he can step forward again to gently push her back, away from the oven where the smoke is only just starting to slow down. ]

Don't stand that close - it's still burning.

[ probably. maybe it's gone out, but no one will be opening it until the fire's out - and it certainly won't be natalia who does it. ]
unfriendliest: (siri google how to people)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 09:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ luckily for her, ookurikara pays exactly zero attention to holidays and as such has absolutely no idea that natalia's here for something like that. a birthday, maybe? he doesn't pay much attention to those either, but none of that really matters, anyway.

what matters is that she's looking distressed, and what is he supposed to do about that? ookurikara can protect her from assassins or from getting burned, but he can't protect something that's already charred beyond repair. he's never been much good at making people feel better, either.

he hesitates, but... ]


You can try again once it's cooled down. [ is that good idea? he wonders, but as long as natalia is happy and nothing else is set on fire, it's probably fine. quickly, he adds, ] With help this time.

[ maybe then she can still have her surprise. ]
unfriendliest: (one fear)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ that was definitely not an offer and he looks ready to back down, but... ookurikara can't just take it back now that she thinks he was offering to help, can he? congratulations, natalia, you've successfully trapped one (1) idiot knight. good thing this one can cook.

resigned, he lets out a soft sigh. fate accepted. ]


That's fine. What do you need from me?
unfriendliest: (@ god why)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ didn't he think ookurikara could say no to her? turns out he was wrong. instantly he regrets this, giving the oven another apprehensive glance. what did he just sign up for, exactly? ]

Their tastes might be different than mine. [ a moment later he'll add: ] ...As long as you don't burn it again, it'll probably be fine.

[ this absolute fool. ]
unfriendliest: (trapped)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ his only answer to that is to shrug and follow her to the counter so rip i guess. he brought this upon himself and deserves every bit of suffering he'll get.

though when he sees the array of ingredients natalia's gathered, he stops short, frowning. ]


What are you making?

[ because the oven smoking wasn't a bad enough. she's not planning to put all this together, is she? ]
unfriendliest: (siri google how to people)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[ s'mores? all this for s'mores? no. no - absolutely not. ]

S'more only have three ingredients.

[ how did natalia even... what made her think all of think of all this would go into a s'more? they aren't that hard?? ]
unfriendliest: (not in the mood)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 11:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ that's what she's worried about?? that's - well. it's fine. she's starting over anyway. though now he's lowkey dreading having to open the oven once it's good to go. what kind of monstrosity did she put in there? ]

The oven would have been fine for that.

[ if it hadn't caught on fire. ]

Spices... won't replace a campfire, but the right ones are okay with chocolate. [ he squints at the ones natalia's pulled out and sighs. of course. ] ...Not these.
unfriendliest: (trademark ookurikara face)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ maybe someone else would pick up on that but ookurikara absolutely doesn't, the fool. she's always this excitable when she drags him out, isn't she? it's probably just another fun experiment for her.

to her question, he merely shrugs. ]


Sure. Cayenne goes well with it.
unfriendliest: (why can't i uninstall emotions)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
The spices are over there.

[ he points out the correct cabinet, but... how does he know this. why isn't he noticing these strangely probing questions. the world may never know.

instead he's focused on the next question, though he's still eyeing the rest of the ingredients on the counter with something like distrust. what other flavors...? ookurikara is hardly a picky eater, but what would go well with what natalia's trying to make? it'll take a bit for him to settle on an answer. ]


...Caramel, [ is the one he decides on with a nod. ] It's good with both chocolate and cayenne.
unfriendliest: (thinking too much)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-04 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[ they should probably put the rest of this away, shouldn't they? it would give them a leg up on the cleaning, which... actually, he should probably check the oven, huh. the smoke's started to fade, so maybe it's alright now. ]

The cooks probably make the caramel fresh instead of storing it.

[ which means natalia will have to make it herself if she's that determined. rip. ]

But if you're making s'mores, it might be better to leave it out. They're messy enough on their own.

[ peering cautiously through the remaining smoke and into the oven, ookurikara already pities the poor soul who's on the receiving end of... this. whatever it is, it's definitely not fit to be called s'mores. he sighs and closes it again, content to leave it to its fate for now. ]
unfriendliest: (absolutely not)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
I've dealt with worse.

[ case in point - the one in the oven, right now, that he's going to have to clean before anything else can safely go in there. otherwise the cooks will kill him for letting the situation get even worse.

first thing's first: they have to remove... that. so while natalia is looking for caramel or a recipe book or whatever, he's going to try to find a potholder or oven mitts so he can set it out to air. ]
unfriendliest: (who asked you)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
You are not eating this.

[ because he never thinks about her healing outside of battle - and why would anyone even try that on food, anyway? ]
unfriendliest: (siri google how to people)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
Heal it...?

[ glancing between natalia and the absolute wreck wreck of food on the stovetop, he. actually wonders if that's possible. none of the ingredients were ever really alive, except as plants. would it make them plants again, or just fix the burning, assuming it does anything at all? how does healing magic even work? ookurikara has his doubts, but... ]

Would that work?

[ why is he even considering this- ]
unfriendliest: (trapped)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
Ah.

[ that's. probably for the best, judging from all the things she'd left on the counter. if all of that was in this mess, it would've been inedible no matter how perfect it might look. (it probably wouldn't look perfect, either, but who's he to tell the princess that.) ookurikara stares down at it for a moment in disdain, trying not to imagine how it might have tasted. ]

Trash, then.

[ and you know what? he's not going to bother trying to scrape it out of the container - the whole thing is going into the garbage. the cooks can find a new one. maybe they'll even thank him for saving them the trouble of trying to clean this mess. ]
unfriendliest: (trademark ookurikara face)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ good confidence, but... he has a concern or two. ookurikara might be a decent cook, but he's no mitsutada - there's only so much he can do to mitigate the damage if things go so badly on the second try. natalia looks determined, though, so maybe if he just keeps a close eye on her and what she's throwing into those bowls, it'll turn out okay this time? ]

Nothing important. Training, mostly.

[ they'll excuse him for missing guard duty if he's busy watching natalia, right? right. ]
unfriendliest: (a smile reserved for cute animals)

[personal profile] unfriendliest 2019-02-05 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ such an offer from the princess shouldn't surprise him after all the times she's made him sneak out with her and yet - ookurikara looks relieved, maybe even a little pleased if you tilt your head and squint. as long as natalia is willing to cover for him, he only has to worry about the wrath of the head cook.

on the other hand... ]


You're an archer, princess, not a swordswoman. You wouldn't be much of a challenge.

[ wow way to respect his liege,, ]