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Ever since the Shogun had invited her to breakfast all those months ago, Sara hadn’t been able to get the idea of cooking something for Ei out of her head. They’d eaten together on several other occasions and each time Ei, for her part, drank tea and only ate a little bit here and there. Was the food not to her liking? Did Archons even need to eat? She knew the kitchens sent food to Ei on occasion, though not the regularity or contents.
That uncertainty led her to keep putting the idea off. It had only just now resurfaced, along with another idea that Sara was not keen to entertain. If anyone was to know the sort of food Ei liked, it would be Yae Miko. While she didn’t hate the Kitsune’s company, asking for her help on something like this felt like she was admitting defeat.
Still, if she made something that Ei hated, that would be a much bigger blow to her pride and her heart than any Yae Miko could cause. The matter settled, Sara called over an attendant instructing him to invite the Guuji to tea that evening. Better to get it out of the way before she had a chance to change her mind.
************
“My, my what brings our little Tengu to see me? I don’t think you’ve ever come to me without Ei.” Miko smirked as she let the General into her room, leading her over to the table where she’d already made tea. She offered Sara a cup, filling it when she got a nod in return.
Sara took the cup, sipping it slowly to appreciate the flavors. She had never been that particular about tea before, but since Ei was so fond of it and enjoyed discussing the different flavors and undertones, Sara had begun to pay closer attention.
“Surely you didn’t come by for tea.” Yae sipped her own glass. It wasn’t her favorite tea, but it was warm and just a bit bitter. She enjoyed a bit of bitterness in her tea, while Ei tended to prefer smoother flavors. She’d yet to figure out Sara’s tastes.
Sara set the cup down, hands resting on her knees as she sat with her legs folded beneath her. “I have been considering preparing some food for Ei, but I don’t know her preferences.”
Ah, so that was it. The edge of Yae’s lips upturned slightly in amusement. “You really are infatuated with our Ei aren’t you?” Sara’s flushed face and annoyed expression only served to amuse her further. No doubt Sara was annoyed at the implication that Ei belonged to the both of them, not because she had any illusions about keeping Ei to herself, but rather because she didn’t want to admit she was sharing with Yae. That same implication was also the cause of her flushed expression. Sara knew she held part of Ei’s heart, but hearing the words spoken aloud brought out the reality of it.
“I am hardly infatuated. Even if I were you aren’t any better.”
“I never said I was.”
Sara exhaled in annoyance, turning back to the topic at hand. “You’ve known Ei the longest, so I thought you would know best what she likes.”
“I would say that I do, though I am a bit disappointed you weren’t planning to make anything for me.” Yae softened her voice, putting on a pouting expression, lower lip pushed out, eyes drooping slightly closed.
Sara’s flushed deepened slightly, but her tone was as harsh as usual. “We don’t know each other well enough for that yet.”
Yae maintained her pitiful expression a bit longer, before dropping it completely when it became clear Sara would not be affected. “I suppose so. Ei finds most foods good enough, though she will often go without eating for quite some time if no one reminds her. She can survive without it, but it does provide some extra energy. The one thing she actively seeks out would be desserts.”
Sara gaped at her, mouth opening slightly before being promptly clamped shut. “Desserts?”
“It’s a bit unexpected I know, given the aura she gives, especially in her formal duties, but our dear Archon has quite the sweet tooth.” Yae watched carefully as Sara took in the information, no doubt trying to piece together what desserts she had the skills to prepare or trying to guess what Ei’s favorites might be.
“Does she have any favorite desserts?”
“Not really. It changes from time to time. Even she won’t keep the same favorite for eternity. Though if you want to cook for her, why don’t we make a proper meal? We can make our own personal favorites and I’m quite sure Ei will enjoy them.”
“We?”
“Of course. You didn’t think I would let you woo Ei by yourself did you?”
Sara frowned. So that had been the catch. It had certainly been too good to be true up until this point. “Alright, but don’t get in my way.”
************
Somehow they’d ended up in Sara’s kitchen. Yae’s excuse was that if they stayed near the shrine it would be far too easy for others to interrupt. In a way Sara couldn’t argue with that. Very few people would be willing to bother Sara in her own home, but she also suspected the same was true for Yae. The kitsune was good at putting on an innocent façade, but she could be harsher than even Sara at times.
In the end they’d each decided to make two dishes. Miko would make her special Udon and Berry Mizu Manjuu - a recipe she’d gotten from the owner of Kiminami Restaurant. Sara would make her signature egg rolls and tricolor dango. They’d put in an order to get Dango Milk and Rainbow Aster delivered to accompany those items. It was possible to make Dango Milk using the dango that Sara would be making anyways, but the pair didn’t want to risk getting the texture of one of Ei’s favorite drinks wrong.
Yae started with the pastry that would cover the Manjuu as it would need to rest for a bit before wrapping the filling. The primary base of the dough was rice flour and despite her best efforts it didn’t turn out as transparent as she’d wanted. They would taste good enough. The filling was simply berries and sugar cooked down with a bit of starch added to thicken it.
While the dough rested Yae started on the Udon broth, which would need to simmer for a short time. It was a simple seagrass and shitake mushroom base. She often liked to add anchovy when making it for herself, but she knew that Ei didn’t care for overly fishy flavors. The noodles were, sadly, not homemade, but that was a sacrifice she was willing to make. Fish cakes, strips of seagrass, a boiled egg, and green onion joined the broth and noodles to make the finished product.
Sara focused her initial attention on the dango. The egg rolls were quick to make, but cooled quickly, so they would need to be made closer to meal time. The main ingredients for the dango were rice flour, milk, sakura blossom for the pink color, snapdragon for the green, and sugar. Though she didn’t have the proper tools with a bit of elbow grease she managed to get the dough to an acceptable texture.
“I’ll go get Ei, while you finish up your egg rolls.” Yae set the last of her manjuu aside, clearly pleased with her work.
“We’re bringing Ei here?” That certainly hadn’t been part of her plan.
“It’s too much trouble to bring everything to the Tenshokakku, not to mention the food would get cold on the journey. Besides this is a much more private location don’t you think?”
Sara turned to argue, but only caught a glimpse of Miko’s pink hair as she slipped from the room without waiting for an answer. Sighing, Sara turned back to the egg rolls. She could rush to have more time to clean and risk them looking messy, but the perfectionist in her just wouldn’t allow that. Thankfully most of the apartment was in good order, minus the kitchen. Yae’s portion looked something like a war zone. No doubt Sara would be the one cleaning that up.
************
Sara half expected Yae to take her time in the hopes that Sara would clean up her mess, but was surprised to find the Kitsune returning alone. Yae took over at the sink, washing up the dishes, while Sara tidied up the rest of the kitchen. “Ei is on her way. She had a few things to discuss with the Shogun first.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t wait for her to finish.”
“And leave you to clean up all by yourself? I wouldn’t touch the rest of your place, but I’ll certainly help in the kitchen seeing as I made the biggest mess.” Yae helped with various chores at the shrine here and there, though usually one of the shrine maidens would insist on doing so in her place. She didn’t mind the work, but she was happy to let someone else take over.
The two of them together had everything cleaned up by the time Ei arrived. The table had been set such that Ei would be sitting across from them. The dining table was rather narrow, due to the limited room in the space, but long enough for two people on either side. Nearly every inch of the table was covered. Plates or bowls for serving each of the food items: udon, egg rolls, berry mizu manjuu, and tricolor dango sat alongside several smaller bottles of dango milk and a pitcher of rainbow aster, and a pot of tea.
Ei paused when she caught sight of the table, but quickly gathered herself to take a seat. “Is there some sort of special occasion I’ve forgotten?” Certainly, it wasn’t either of her girlfriend’s birthdays. No, both of their birthdays were in summer rather than late fall. Was there a new holiday she’d missed during her time in Euthymia?
“Can’t we cook for you without a reason?” Yae teased, leaning her chin on one hand.
“I've wanted to cook for you since that day you invited me to breakfast. Yae helped me decide on the menu.”
Yae grinned, clearly pleased with herself. “I know how much you like sweets. You’ll have to wait until after you’ve eaten the main course though.”
Ei’s slight scowl only amused Yae further. “I know the proper order in which meals are meant to be eaten, though I will admit to occasionally skipping to dessert.”
Sara would have happily let Ei eat in whatever order she wanted to, but she supposed the correct order made more sense. “Would you like some tea? Or would you like to try the rainbow aster?” She motioned to the pitcher with one hand.
“I’ll try that if you don’t mind.”
Sara carefully poured Ei a glass, then one for Yae, and finally one for herself. It was quite sweet, but not overly so, certainly something she could have one glass of. Yae seemed of a similar opinion.
Ei’s eyes lit up when she took her first sip and it was quite clear she was barely holding back a smile. It was cute to see her like this, so far from the usual restrained personality seen in public. After her second sip, Ei’s hand came up to cover her mouth, no doubt out of embarrassment over her excitement. “This is quite delicious. Where did you get it?”
“Sailing Breeze.” Yae was the first to answer. “It was a limited edition item at first, but I convinced them to make some for us. I’m sure we can get the recipe if you’re that fond of it.”
“There’s really no need.”
“It’s no trouble Ei. Now, why don’t we try some of the food?”
Sara found that Ei ate with far more enthusiasm than she had ever seen before. Was the fact that the food had been prepared by her loved ones that significant? As far as the savory foods went, Ei enjoyed the udon, but it was clear the egg rolls were her favorite. Certainly, the slight sweetness had an impact. Despite this, she held herself back, setting several aside just for Sara. She still remembered the Tengu’s preference from that breakfast months before.
It was far more difficult to maintain that restraint when it came to the sweets. Sara and Yae shared their amusement regarding this.
For Yae’s tastes, she preferred the tricolor dango to any of the other treats. They weren’t nearly as sweet. Sara had to agree with her. Neither one has a strong sweet tooth.
Ei on the other hand was delighted with everything. That sparkle in her eyes from before remained throughout the entirety of the meal. By the time the table was clear she’d eaten about as much as the other two combined, something she could afford, unlike her counterparts.
Sighing contentedly, Ei set down her glass. “That was wonderful. Thank you both.”
“My pleasure.”
“Of course, your Excellency.” By the time Sara caught the slip, it was too late. Both Ei and Yae were looking at her with amusement. She’d gotten used to calling Ei by her name over time but still slipped back into old habits from time to time.
“Since the two of you did all of the cooking, I can wash the dishes.” Ei made to stand, but Yae quickly shooed her back to her seat.
“No, you two go sit outside and enjoy each other's company. Seeing as I commandeered our little bird’s house, I figure I can handle the clean up.” She turned back to wink at Sara before slipping out of sight.
************
The pair settled outside to enjoy the cool fall breeze and take in the scenery. By now most of the leaves had already fallen from the trees, but a few splashes of red, orange, and yellow still remained. Sara settled with her back against the wall of the house and Ei took a seat beside her.
After a moment Ei leaned against Sara, resting her head on her shoulder, and taking her hand. “Thank you for all of this.”
Sara’s instinct was to insist that it was nothing, but even if it was a small gesture, the thought and love behind it were enough. “You’re welcome. You always do so much for everyone else and sometimes you forget to do things for yourself.”
Ei chuckled lightly, giving Sara’s hand a light squeeze. “You’re hardly any better. All three of us have a hard time doing things for ourselves.”
Sara hummed. That was certainly true. It was just so much easier to do things for others. Anything done purely for her own sake just seemed selfish. “Good thing we take care of each other.”
************
The dishes washed, Yae headed outside to join her girlfriends only to find them both asleep. Ei had curled up against Sara’s side, something she’d done with Yae many times over the years. The pair looked quite cute together. After a brief trip back inside, Yae returned with a blanket to wrap over them. It wouldn’t do for them to catch a cold. Satisfied she took a seat a short distance away before pulling out the current novel she was reading. “Let them rest for a while. Perhaps tonight I’ll join them inside.”