sugarcube | psl || and something sweet

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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]

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[ 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. ]

Sir Ookurikara!

[she stands up perfectly straight, and immediately tucks the bowl of water she'd retrieved behind her back. this does nothing for the smoke that continues to billow from the oven. it's not even entirely clear whether she knew what to do with the water now that she has it, but it seemed like a good start?

she's. trying. in theory.]

Ah - well, you know, just... baking!

[she can't bake.

she's never known how to bake.

she has never baked a damn thing in her entire life.]

[ 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. ]

[what would we do without ookurikara. she watches him carefully as if mentally taking notes of what she should do in case this happens again. (it will happen again.) don't mind her if she just casually steps back toward the counter to place the bowl of water back... onto the counter...

and she manages a brief - ] Ah, thank you...

[because he did prevent her from burning down the kitchen at least. though as for his question]

I asked them to lend me the kitchen briefly - just until dinner service.

[and they let it happen, because they love natalia.]

... oh, though I don't suppose I can return it to them in this state.

[perhaps now is a good time to mention that natalia also has the barest understanding of how to clean.]

[ 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. ]

[following a recipe is really hard, kuri. especially when you're natalia. but she nods easily enough in agreement - though she admittedly does spare a moment to think that she ought to ask the maids to help too. she feels like she made quite a mess,,

though she pauses at the question.

um.]

... nothing especially pressing!

[what if she tries to stand in front of the oven so he can't investigate. what if she completely fails at being covert at all.]

[ 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. ]

Oh - thank you.

[she goes with his push easily enough, because at the end of the day she understands that he's looking out for her well-being. some part of her wants to be stubborn about it, but it instead opts for the internal panic and mortification at the idea of presenting her possibly still on fire sweets to him.

noooooooooo.]

Well... perhaps slightly pressing.

However I intended for it to be a surprise... Preferably a more pleasant surprise than this.

Edited 2019-02-04 19:15 (UTC)

[ 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. ]

Are you offering?

[that's sweet... she's momentarily distracted from her awkward situation as her expression warms. it's a little sad, she thinks, that her attempt is so bad that it's making even ookurikara lend her a hand, but at the same time she can't help but be touched.]

Yes, you're right. I absolutely must figure this out before the chefs need the kitchen back for dinner service.

[and with like

less smoke in the kitchen]

Could I ask you for your help? Or... more of it?

[since he's already prevented her from like burning herself and the rest of the kitchen down]

[ 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?

[when will someone say no to natalia. please start saying no to natalia.

but her expression lights up because she totally thought that he was offering to help, nice.]

Hmm, perhaps taste testing? I'd like to do the majority of the work myself, you see, but it wouldn't be any good if - ['you' nearly leaves her mouth but she pauses minutely before continuing] the recipient doesn't find the dish favorable.

[nice.

also he's going to die.]

[ 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. ]

[they're not going to make it to valentine's day because ookurikara is going to be fucking dead.

but she says in her incredibly confident way:] No, I'm rather confident that I can rely on your taste buds.

[actually this is genius? if she wants to give sweets to ookurikara, then she should've asked him to taste test all along. he doesn't seem to suspect a thing! absolutely amazing planning, natalia. (this was not planned.)

but she'll head back over to the counter where she has the remnants of the ingredients she used for the first batch. chocolate chips, flour, baking soda, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla extract, marshmallows, cheese, salt, pepper, and some spices.

maybe it's

good that the first batch burned]

[ 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? ]

My intention was chocolates, but then the maids reminded me of these delicious sweets we'd served at the last banquet. I believe they were some hybrid of chocolate, and that campfire treat - s'mores?

[natalia might have had s'mores like once in her life]

So I sought to replicate those!

[why]

[ 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?? ]

They do?

[oh no.

she looks back at her ingredients and tilts her head thoughtfully]

... were the spices too much...? I thought they would be suitable replacement for an open flame...

[natalia,,]

[ 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.

[it's bad, it probably looks like a tar pit inside. they're going to have their work cut out for them once they have to clean.

but that's a problem for later! for right now natalia just nods her head in thought and she honestly wishes that she'd brought a paper and pen to take notes?

wait, this looks like an opportunity]

Do you like spices in your chocolate?

[she just barely manages to keep from sounding Too Eager, but she still sounds. fairly eager to hear his answer.]

[ 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.

Cayenne it is!

[it's amazing that he doesn't notice, but she's going to take it as a blessing. she wanders over to the cabinets to open it, looking for spices.

... and then she closes it, because they weren't there. then she'll open the cabinets next to them, because maybe the spices are there? she can't seem to remember where she grabbed the original ones she picked out from. well, she'll keep searching.]

Are there any other flavors you're partial to?

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.

Oh! Thank you.

[she'll head over to that cabinet to reach for the spices. though admittedly she does take a second to find cayenne. there are a few where she thinks 'ah, isn't this close enough?' but also. kara is right there and she would like to do her best for him, so she will procure the cayenne.]

Caramel...

[she parrots softly and

looks around the kitchen

because to be honest she has... no idea where she would find caramel.]

[ 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. ]

Hmm... I wonder where I can find a recipe book for caramel. I can ask one of the attendants to check the library.

[what did he say? leaving it out? no, he said caramel so that means natalia has to go and make it happen! she's actually about to head out the kitchen to go and do exactly as she's said before glancing back to ookurikara]

Unless you dreadfully mind mess?

[she asks, like that's not making it all the more obvious what she's doing,]

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. ]

[she's getting a recipe book. more specifically she'll excuse herself for a moment to ask for a passing butler to get a recipe book, and then she'll go back into the kitchen. as they wait for it, she'll also... go to inspect the oven....

and frown deeply when she comes face to face with her frankenstein chocolate creation.]

I wonder if I could...

[heal it? what if she heals it.]

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? ]

Well I'd meant to heal it perhaps...

[this isn't a burn wound, natalia]

But I suppose it truly is beyond saving then.

[yes, one glance should be able to tell her that much

and yet,]

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- ]

I can't say whether it would or wouldn't, but it might be worth a try?

[and she'll focus her energy into her right hand, her fingertips emitting a green glow before she extends her hand out to the absolutely destroyed mess of a baking attempt in front of her

she holds her hand there.]

[ . . . . . .

it does nothing.]

Oh drat.

[why,]

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. ]

... in any case, I'm sure this next attempt will go much better.

[where does she get all this baseless confidence from?

but she's confident anyway, for some reason. she gets a small glint in her eyes, but otherwise sets her hands on her hips as she surveys the rest of the ingredients. she probably... doesn't need everything that she gathered, from the sound of it, but better safe than sorry. (no.)

she'll set about grabbing new bowls so she can start mixing the other ingredients while waiting for the recipe book for the caramel.]

I hope you didn't have anything else pressing to do today while I borrowed you.

[ 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. ]

Oh, I see. Then certainly you can be excused momentarily. If anyone asks, I'll assure them it was all my idea.

[she's on the exact same wavelength,, she's happy to steal him away and cover for him. natalia doesn't get away with everything, but she can get away with a lot.

though as she thinks of that, she tilts her head]

And if you would still like to train later, I'll happily spar with you.

[she's an archer? but also.

what if she tries anyway.]

[ 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,, ]

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psl || and something sweet

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