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The ghost was quiet as Sabine left the confines of her cabin, her head heavy and body aching as she went to make herself a drink. Normally, Sabine would be up at the crack of dawn, not one to waste the early morning hours when she could be training or preparing her gear for their next mission. However a sudden bug had wiped the young warrior off her feet, Hera suspecting Sabine had come down with the flu.
Entering the common room, Sabine was momentarily surprised to not find any of the crew, remembering Kanan mentioned they had a supply run planned this afternoon. I must have slept in longer than I thought.
Rummaging through the cupboards of the small kitchenette, Sabine groaned as she realised they were out of caff, hoping Hera remembered to get some whilst she was out.
As Sabine searched for an alternative, a bubbling sound caught her attention. Turning towards the source, she found a saucepan simmering on the stove. Her curiosity getting the better of her as she lifted the lid of the pot, a plume of steam escaped, clearing her nostrils as she was hit with a delicious aroma.
It was a stew, the sight of cooked meat and chunky veg sitting in a thick broth, causing her stomach to rumble, reminding Sabine that she had yet to eat today. Grabbing a ladle, she scooped a generous serving into a bowl and sat herself down at the deajrik table.
Sabine’s eyes widened as she had her first spoonful, a wave spices assaulting her tastebuds as the warm broth soothed her dry throat. It was far better than anything she had on the ghost before, none of the crew having the best culinary skills.
Hera lacked the patience for cooking, often burning food by using too high of a heat. Kanan didn’t know what seasoning was and Zeb's massive paws denied him the dexterity to make anything more advanced that space waffles. Chopper…. well best not to think what that droid would do with access to knives and an open flame.
As Sabine continued to ponder who made the delicious stew, the door to the common room slid open and Ezra walked in, wearing an apron and drying his hands with a towel, only to stop in his tracks when he spotted her at the table.
“Sabine, you’re up!” He said nervously, his eyes filling with genuine concern as he gave her a once over. She probably looked as bad as she felt, her lack of armour and baggy clothing not doing her any favours.
“You feeling alright?”
Ignoring the question, Sabine gestured to her bowl. “Did you make this?” she asked, regretting her incredulous tone.
Hesitating, Ezra responded with a sheepish nod. “Yeah, I did. I may be a street rat but that doesn't mean I’m clueless about food, Lothal is a farming planet after all”
“It’s really good” Sabine admitted as she took another spoonful, almost humming in contentment as she bite down on the tender meat, “Why didn’t you tell us you could cook, I’m sure the crew would prefer nicer meals like this” She encouraged, only for a pained expression to appear on the young boys faced.
Sighing, Ezra grabbed the saucepan from the side and a bowl, refilling her own as he sat across from her and served himself a portion, his gaze far away as he stared at it’s contents.
“When I was younger, I used to cook with my mum and dad” Ezra explained, Sabine surprised he was talking about his parents, knowing how sore of a subject it was for the kid. “They used to set up soup kitchens with funding from the governor to help those most effected by the food shortage, until the empire deemed the funding was needed elsewhere. My mum and dad always brought me along, even when I was to little to help with food prep”
Ezra pushed the chunks of food around with his spoon, not having eaten any yet, “Cooking reminds me of them, and I don’t really want the crew to know or start expecting me to be designated cook”
Out of an instinct she didn’t know she had, Sabine reached for Ezra’s hand as she looked into his sad blue eyes, understanding Ezra’s reluctance to reminisce about his child hood. Even happy memories were tainted by the bad, the past being a slippery slope to pain for both of them. Whilst ignoring the past might not be the healthiest habit, Sabine had little ground to stand on, having shared little of her own story with anyone in the crew.
Best to let him take it at his own pace she thought, silently proud of him for opening up as much as he had, having gotten quite fond of street thief over the last few months, even if he did wind her up at times.
“I won’ tell them” Sabine promised, retracting her hand as a mischievous smile graced her lips. “On one condition” she added, deciding to lighten the mood.
Ezra’s eyebrow raised in mock suspicion, “What condition?”
“Next time I’m sick, you make this stew again” She said, taking another mouthful.
Ezra chuckled to himself at the request, Sabine having successfully pulled him out of memory lane, “Deal. You do realise you will actually have to admit to being ill though, Hera told everyone this morning that you pulled an all-nighter painting and would be sleeping in”
“Fine” Sabine groaned in fake annoyance, willing to throw away some of her Mandalorian pride if the result was getting more food like this. “In all seriousness though, this is really good. Thank you”
“Any time” Ezra responded, smiling warmly and finally starting to eat his stew before it got cold, the pair “hiding” the evidence before the crew got back, keeping this as their own little secret.