Side Episode: How to Not Burn Water: A Kishargal Primer on Cooking

[Kim]

3018 GSC
Port Endeavour
Half Mast Pub


It was late evening station time, and with only a trickle of customers here and there Adan could take the liberty of being away from the bar and actually get things done. He closed the bar early that night, and went down to the station’s markets and came back with a wooden sign under his arm and a hammer in the other. The halls around the pub were quickly filled with the dull rapping of hammer against nail as Adan posted the sign to the right hand side of the large oak doors. “No Longarms Allowed.” His decision excluded station security and military personnel obviously, but they would know that. The crazed human with an obsession with carrying half an armory inside and potentially scaring away customers was another thing.

As he finished driving the last nail in, he smiled to himself. His tail contently moved behind him as he removed his porcelain pipe from his pocket and placed it in his mouth. He followed it with a struck match, and he quickly lit the imported tobacco and took a quick puff. The pub’s owner was content with his life, and stepping back inside he spoke with a small cloud of smoke coming from his opening lips, “I need to buy a bench.”

Sheepishly, the young Ersetu Dragoon slipped through the double doors. Her short fuschia hair was still damp from a quick round in the shower, and she looked like she was dressed for a quick scrum rather than a drink. The jersey was all black save the glowing gold name of the National Rugby champions and the single gold feather on the front. “Hullo, did you mean it earlier?” Her bright teal eyes curiously appraised him as her caramel colored tail swayed tentatively behind her as she approached Adan. As far as he could tell, she was unarmed, unless she had a holster for her cavalry pistol tucked behind her.

“Eh?” Adan turned somewhat quickly, his right hand taking the pipe from his mouth so he could accurately speak. “What, to teach you how to cook? I don’t see why not.” A warm smile arose from his lips as he placed his pipe back into his mouth. He’d honestly temporarily forgotten about the little dragoon, but seeing her again brought the memory back into his mind. “I closed the bar and let my colleague go to his quarters, so it will just be us.”

Alaw nodded. “If it’s not too much trouble!” She smiled and her freckles seemed to glow a bit brighter for it. “Ma always warned me that I was doomed to be alone with my Kirikuu if I didn’t learn to cook.” She scratched at the base of her right horn, blushing lightly, “I can heat coffee and tack but she was saying that was probably why I haven’t found a guy yet.”

“Well, at least I don’t think you can burn water. Come on.” He walked back towards the bar and held open the door to the pub’s kitchen. The door was almost as thick as the outer doors and styled to meet. The kitchen was just like any other Kishargal pub’s, and even similar to those of a larger household’s. “We’ll start you off easy, that way your Sergeant won’t think you’ve been moonlighting or whatever those humans say.”
“Ok!” She perked up and followed dutifully after Adan, her tail swaying happily. “I didn’t want to ask the other Dragoons, they would rather sample the station food since we’re not limited to tack right now. But I wanted to surprise my Mum and Da when I go home next!” Her attention darted around the kitchen and she looked impressed. “Oh wow! This pot looks like it could cook a pinkie whole!”

“Yeah, I definitely have more than I should ever need, but from the size of the station I couldn’t tell how many would come. Name something you’d like to learn, or else we’ll start you with a cake of some sort.” His continued to puff on his pipe when he wasn’t speaking, his whole stature and expression warm. She reminded him of someone he knew from back home. He finally let the pipe’s warmth die and pocketed it, patiently awaiting his answer.

Alaw tapped her finger indecisively against her cheek as she considered. “Oh! Maybe Dundee cake or rarebit or.. Bubble and squeak?” She rocked on her heels as she tried to decide. “Maybe rarebit is too easy? Or is dundee cake too ambitious for a first go?”

“Well, ye don’t have to worry. I’ve been in the business since probably before you were able to see the star or hear your own wails. You just tell me what you want to make and we’ll make it.” He gave her an encouraging smile and walked over to the pantry and began to look through what he had and didn’t have, humming a popular shanty quietly as he did so.

She was torn with indecision as she peeked over Adan’s shoulder into the pantry. “Dundee cake.” Alaw decided finally. “It keeps well and goes with coffee and tea.” She did her best to stay out of Adan’s way as she followed him and watched what he was doing.

“Okay,” he began taking things from the pantry and handing them to the young dragoon. “Go and place these on the counter by the oven. I will get you the metal ware you’ll need.” As he took the last item he needed, he closed the pantry and walked over to the ice chest to check something before going back over to the counter. Before them was a selection of dry fruits, a bag of generic fruit cake mix, some sugar, flour, and some dried butter. Adan walked over to the ice chest and got a glass bottle of milk and imported Alliance chicken’s eggs. He pulled a large metal bowl from a high shelf and placed it between them and got a much smaller glass one and placed it in front of Alaw. “Go ahead and start the oven burners, let them warm up while we start putting things together.”