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...how?
A blanket of black smoke was hovering all over the Stellaron Hunters’ kitchen. Shielding his nose and mouth with a hand, Blade rushed to open the window before turning towards the culprits behind the mess.
“I-it’s not our fault!” Stelle said in a squeaky voice, as she was pinching her nose to block the burnt stench still filling the air.
“We were being very careful,” Firefly echoed at her side.
“I think there may have been something wrong with the vegetables you brought, Bladie. One moment they were cooking fine, and then boom! ” Stelle nodded.
“I promise I didn’t activate Sa-”
“Why were you using the stove?” Blade cut off the couple’s excuses, “I only told you to cut them while I went out, not cook them.”
That question seemed to plunge Stelle and Firefly into a deep silence. But Blade had no rush. Tapping on the kitchen counter, he waited as the two newlyweds exchanged nervous glances.
Finally, Stelle spoke, her hands fidgeting timidly:
“I figured, since cooking usually softens things, wouldn’t it be easier to cut them afterward?”
“...”
Blade was starting to understand why Kafka had been so insistent on him taking over this job from her. Of course, he was well aware of how much of a calamity Firefly was in the kitchen. During the many years the Hunters had spent together, hearing Silver Wolf complain about having to find a new oven on the black market had been far from a rare occasion. And, perhaps because the stench still lingered in the air, Blade could almost taste the countless questionable cakes he’d been forced to sample to avoid breaking his companion’s heart.
In the end, she managed to learn, though…
But no, he had expected Firefly’s skill in baking Oak Cake rolls wouldn’t translate into everyday cooking. What Blade had hoped for was that, during her travels, the Trailblazer girl had picked up some common sense that would’ve prevented her and Firefly’s newly bought house from going up in flames during the week they moved into it.
I’ve never been more wrong, Blade covered his face with a hand.
Even if Stelle had common sense, she was clearly making a point of not using it.
“So…um… I know this delicious pizza place that opened around here recently, how about we order?” Stelle chirped.
“If we keep relying on take-away, we are never going to learn how to cook,” Firefly let out a sigh, “besides, it’s getting expensive.”
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to release new merch and we’ll continue to feast on the royalties!” Stelle flexed her biceps.
“...Stelle, I’m the only one who bought the last plushie you made… twenty of them.”
“Well… You know how it is, fame is feeble nowadays. Even being the saviour of the universe doesn’t cut it anymore. Maybe if we go for a more daring design…”
“Absolutely not. I think you wouldn’t have any issues selling merch if you didn’t insist on including the trashcan every single time…”
“But it looks so cool!”
“It does, but-”
“Are you two done?” Blade grunted, finally deciding to put an end to that silly back and forth.
They got married a week ago, but they still act like they just started dating.
Not that it was an issue. The way these two girls always seemed to light up the room when they were together had always given him peace of mind.
Sometimes things not changing it’s not a bad thing.
But right now he had an important mission to complete.
Even if I’m no longer bound by the script, making sure Stelle and Firefly didn’t end up addicted to junk food like Silver Wolf is of the utmost importance, Blade thought, grabbing his apron from the wall hook close to the kitchen counter.
Now that he had heard the word ‘take-away’ it was no longer about Kafka’s request, it was a matter of principles.
“I’ve bought extra groceries just in case something like this may happen, quit bickering and take them out of the pantry.”
Maybe it was his determined tone or the red glint in his eyes, but even Stelle obeyed without complaining.
“What are we making, by the way?” she asked, setting a bag filled with onions on the counter before helping Firefly to do the same with one of carrots.
“Curry rice.”
“Curry rice?!”
“If you want me to teach you something more complicated, show me you can avoid setting the house on fire first.”
“Don’t worry, Stelle, Blade’s curry is super tasty!” Firefly intervened, “If we can manage to replicate it, we can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner!”
I would rather you learnt different dishes, eventually.
One step after the other.
“Stelle, you’ll chop the onions. Firefly, you are on the carrots. Then both on the potatoes. I’ll handle the meat.”
“Roger!”
“Alright…”
A motivated klutz and a lazy menace. Hardly the ideal sous chefs. But there was something soothing about teaching a skill to others.
Blacksmithing and cooking… they both take a way to clear my mind.
Or so they were supposed to do.
“Stelle… what are those supposed to be?” Blade groaned, pointing at the ridiculously oversized goggles the girl had extracted from her coat.
“My special Furbobo Goggles, director-edition. With them, these pesky onions won’t be a problem! I mean, there’s no way the mighty Trailblazer would cry in front of her wife!”
“Stelle… you have been crying every day since the wedding…”
“Tears of joy don’t count! Nevermind me… are you sure you’ll be okay Firefly?” Stelle asked, turning serious, “I know you don’t have ELS anymore but… if your hands suddenly shake and…”
“It’s fine, Stelle. I’m perfectly okay,” Firefly smiled, putting her hand on top of hers.
“I see… but-”
“Less flirting, more cutting,” Blade lightly tapped both their heads.
At this rate, if he didn’t act like a bona fide general, curry was going to be their midnight snack, nevermind lunch.
“So… how do I start?”
“First of all, remove the top and tail ends and peel the skin off.”
Blade watched attentively as Stelle managed to dispatch an onion after the other, all without many directions needed.
As I thought, she is more than capable, just lazy.
Firefly was another story. Her first attempt to peel a carrot reduced it to a pencil-sized thickness, making Stelle snort with laughter. But after Firefly looked at her with a pout, she was quick to help her out by holding her hands from behind.
Soon Firefly managed a perfectly acceptable end product by herself.
“Now to chop it, put your hand like this, like a cat's paw,” Blade explained.
“Like Sesame Cake’s?” Firefly giggled, “You know, I’ve always thought you would get a proper cat as soon as you were able to. Seeing how you always took care of Elio.”
“Think about what you are doing. If you cut yourself, your wife will get a heart attack.”
“Hey! Getting self-conscious is not a good excuse for bullying me!”
Surprisingly, they were able to complete the cutting process without any incidents. But now was the time for the most dangerous part.
“Leave the flame low like this, till the onions brown, then add the meat and the rest of the vegetables we cut,” Blade explained.
“Wouldn’t a hotter temperature make the process quicker?” Firefly asked, her hand reaching for the stove’s knob.
This time Stelle was faster than Blade.
“Let’s make Blade happy for today, okay? You know how grumpy he can get! Don’t worry, this curry may be too weak for you, but I can take all your heat no problem, my beautiful wife!”
“Stelle!”
Blade’s first instinct was to let out an exasperated sigh, but what came out was a breath of relief.
Whatever… as long as it keeps Firefly away from the fire.
There was just a tinge of pride in his heart when his two idiotic students managed to deliver all the ingredients into the pot without making a mess.
“Alright, now we just add water and wait. Take turns skimming the scum off the surface.”
“That’s it?” Stelle asked, surprised.
“I usually make my own curry roux, but for you two, we are going store bought. We’ll add it once the meat and vegetables are done cooking.”
“Lame… What about the rice?”
“Why do you think my wedding gift was that fancy rice cooker?” Blade grinned.
“...I liked you better when you were gloomier.”
“Stelle! Don’t say that!”
“Don’t worry, he knows I’m joking!”
“Oh, I do… it’s a joke just like your cooking ability. How did you even survive on that train? Did you have your friends make food for you?” Blade asked in a sharp tone.
“The Conductor is the equivalent of a starred chef! Sorry, Bladie, but you don’t hold a candle to Pom Pom. But… I have to admit you are a great teacher and definitely leagues ahead of Dan Heng, at least.”
“That’s hardly surprising,” Blade returned her smirk, “he may be a different person, but taste buds don’t change that easily. That man made the blandest food I’ve ever tasted.”
As he and Stelle laughed together, Firefly who had looked nervous since their previous exchange, smiled softly.
“I don’t really know much about cooking, but I’m sure I will miss eating what you make, Blade. So… I was thinking…”
“Of course, we’ll be here every weekend,” Stelle put a hand on her shoulder, “Being married doesn’t mean you need to stay away from your family… our family!”
“Mmmph…”
“What’s that sound, Blade? You’re acting tsun like Silver Wolf? I guess that’s normal. They say: ‘Like father, like daughter’, but maybe the opposite is also true.”
“She is not my daughter. Come on now, it’s time to add the curry roux. No, not you Firefly, you handle the rice.”
Blade took a step back as the two girls worked together to complete the dish. Stelle dissolved the curry roux inside the pot with a pair of chopsticks, while Firefly started serving the rice inside on the cooker on several plates.
Speaking like this with them…
It still felt alien. And yet, so natural.
Even if the Mara had left its body, the weight of an eternity of suffering couldn’t be erased from one day to another. That was why… How was he supposed to act in these situations, when happiness and laughter were expected?
And yet he was able to handle even someone like Stelle without many issues. Maybe… maybe it was because he had already felt this way before.
“Ahh…”
As many times before, the past and present overlapped in front of him. The face of Firefly, her exasperated expression as Stelle teased her and the tender smile that followed, they all appeared on a white hair maiden.
Jingliu… always so disciplined and stern, but she would always make an exception for her…
Baiheng. A true menace, like Stelle. A silly girl who would’ve given everything to protect her loved ones, even her own life.
“Blade? Blade is everything, okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Stelle’s voice pulled him back into the present. If the curse were still in control over his flesh, madness and rage would’ve been rampaging in his mind. Nowadays, though, there was only a deep sense of melancholy.
“Are you sure? Well, fine. I guess you are an old man after all.”
“Shut up. Are you done with the curry?”
“Yes!” Firefly nodded, “And it’s delicious!”
“But?” Blade predicted what was coming next.
“Come on, Blade! Of course, there’s something missing! I mean, every household must have its own curry secret ingredient!” Stelle puffed her chest out.
A shiver ran down Blade’s spine.
I won’t let her ruin everything right at the last second.
“I’ll let you take some spices from my cabinet, just promise you won’t use them today.”
“Sweet! Let’s choose, Firefly!”
“Ok! Let’s be quick though, I want to eat it while it’s still hot.”
Blade sighed as the two wives began to raid his precious trove. Grabbing the plates of curry rice from the counter, he began to set the table.
Silver Wolf should be coming down soon. Kafka is out today. I should make a big lunch for Sunday when both she and these two will be here.
Blade sat down, rotating his spoon over the palm of his hand. Really, it was weird. Not having to follow a script, making simple plans like this.
“Surprisingly passable…” he muttered, the hot curry rice warming his chest as he took a cautious first spoonful.
His eyes moved up, towards the two lovebirds, still giggling while they rummaged through his spice cabinet.
So similar… but so different.
Perhaps it was the hot meal giving him spirits, but he was sure their ending was also going to be different.
They fought hard for it.
A rare smile curled Blade’s lips. Why worry about the past now? If anything, Stelle and Firefly had shown him that miracles could happen. Some stories could be as comforting as a hot plate of rice curry, after all.
“Mmmh, what’s this nice smell? Oh, you made curry, sweet!”
Silver Wolf made her entrance into the kitchen, yawning as usual.
“I’m not the one who made it.”
“Oh, crap!” Silver Wolf let go of the spoon she had grabbed as if it was electrified, “I forgot you were giving cooking lessons to those two idiots today!”
“We can hear you, Wolfie!” Stelle and Firefly scolded her together, briefly turning around to send her a glare.
“Yeah, yeah, just joking!” Silver Wolf exclaimed, before lowering her voice, “so… do I warn the fire department close to the house they bought?”
“...I think they are going to be just fine, actually.”
“This looks cool, Firefly! So sparkly! It’s going to make our signature curry taste out of this world!”
“...Stelle, I think that’s the powder we use to clean the dishwasher.”
“Just hack their phones and make sure they have the hospital on speed dial.”