Can You Smell What the Dragon Is Cooking? [Vanyel, Amaranta]

As Amaranta rolled her eyes, Vanyel narrowed his as he took a step to the side, before raising an eyebrow as she grabbed a bowl.

"If you're wantin' to scramble 'em, why're you usin' a bowl? Just crack 'em over the pan after you've melted some butter and use a spatula to break them up and stir 'em around in the pan."

But, when she mentioned cheese, his eyebrow raised again, but came combined with a smile as he stepped out of the way of the fridge. He was honestly surprised that she'd thought to put something else in there. At least it wasn't some weird, out-of-left-field ingredient like...watermelon, or something.

"Sure. Spices, cheese, whatever you like. Just, at least be sensible about what you're throwin' in. Also, make sure to think about when you want to put it in. Some things might be best to put in early, some might be better to put in later, or needs to be prepared first. Y'like spicy stuff, kitty cat? I've got some stuff around here that can give it more of a kick."

"Break em' over the pan and throw them in with the butter. Got it."

Thankfully, she had yet to crack one egg inside the bowl. Moving the bowl away, Amaranta took a moment to approach the fridge after she expressed her desire to add variety to her scrambled egg dish. Curious sapphires swept through the assortment of possible ingredients until her eyes settled on shredded cheese, a green onion, and a small pack of ham. Tilting her head at his words, she grinned from ear to ear. Who did think he was talking to? She was the Burning Lioness. A fierce warrior with several battle scars that stood as symbols of her victory and her peril. Of course she enjoyed spicy food! Though she intended to make a starter meal she could take pride in, the temptation was far too alluring to pass up.

"Of course I do, Dragon Boy. That said, I do recognize that... too much spice ruins the flavor, right? What do you suggest is good for something as simple as scrambled eggs?"

Vanyel couldn't help but crack a smile as she started going through the fridge. She knew more than he expected, especially if she was randomly accosting him for lessons on cooking. He took a step back, giving an approving nod to the ingredients that she was taking out. Though, the little provocation he had given her seemed to have stoked her spirits, at least enough to reciprocate the nicknames.

"Ehh...less, ruin, more, overpowers it. It can ruin your personal experience with it, but, some people like an absolute ass-ton of spice on their food...for some reason."

He stepped around her, reaching for a pair of salt and pepper shakers, setting them on the countertop as he fished around the cabinets for some other shakers he had.

"Scrambled eggs are pretty versatile. There's the classic salt and pepper, just salt, just pepper, some people like cajun seasoning on it too, that's got some spice mixed with a good bit of flavor. There's also this other spicy seasoning I got from the store a month or so ago. The brand has a bunch of other types, but I just grabbed this one since it caught my eye first."

He reached for the bowl she had set aside, gently tapping the rim as he went through one of the drawers for a fork.

"If you want, you can mix the spices together to try and make them blend together. It doesn't work with all of them, and some you wanna use less or more of, but, it sometimes helps get equal amounts of the spices and seasonings throughout."

"No kidding. I can't tell you how many videos I've seen of daredevil retards testing the extent of their spice tolerance. I can't imagine too much spice would ruin a meal for me, though. Then again, this is me testing out my culinary skills, which means I have to think of other people's tastes in mind.'

Specifically, Vanyel and eventually, Khaana. Perhaps Kanako, but the first two came first. Vanyel in the immediate present, Khaana in the eventual feature. Since he was offering advice currently, it was best to keep her ears peeled and soak in his words. Inquisitive sapphires followed his finger as he tapped it against the rim of the bowl she attempted to use moments ago. In other words, the numerous variety of seasonings were entirely up to her to decide.

An exciting notion, to be sure, one that elicited a curious smirk along the corners of her lips. Grabbing cajun, pepper, and the spice seasoning he mentioned, she sprinkled small tablespoons of each. Ever so slowly, she grabbed onto a spoon, spinning it around with a profound focus as she observed the egg yolks finally forming into the desired shape.

Turning the heat to low, a burst of sonido carried her form toward the cabinets that contained plates. Extending her arm to grab the panhandle, Amaranta hurriedly, excitement in her step, placed the scrambled eggs along the plate. The sudden drop from pan to plate may have well lost her the race in presentation, but she was more concerned with its taste. After all, she took a great deal of pride in achieving a task. To fail at making something simple would surely be a strike against her pride.

Vanyel snickered softly. Too much spice wouldn't ruin a meal for her, huh? Well, maybe it wouldn't make it completely inedible, but it sure would take away from the flavor of the meal itself. At least, that's what his experience had been. Even if he had gone overboard with spices at times, he sure wasn't ever going to turn down a meal, especially not one that he had made with his own hands.

He closed the drawer as Amaranta went about mixing the seasonings and spices, moving to lean against the counter to give her some more room for her to move about the kitchen without trouble. But, he still monitored her progress closely, making sure that she wasn't doing anything potentially dangerous, stepping out of the way as she flashed across the kitchen with her Sonido.

He couldn't help but smile. It was nice to see her actually getting into the process -- there was something special about making food yourself. You got to control the ingredients, modifications to the original recipe, seasonings, presentation, and yet it all culminated into something special and personal. So, as he stepped around her and took a look at the scrambled eggs.

Taking out a fork from the silverware drawer, he took a stab at the eggs, scooping up a small bite of them, before finally tasting it. It definitely had some kick and some extra flavor, and while that didn't bother him, he set the fork down for a second, putting a hand to his chin as he took a moment to think.

"Not too bad, all things considered. Might wanna use teaspoons instead of tablespoons, though. You don't wanna completely overpower the original flavor when you're adding to it, either during or after the process."

"Not too bad? Hmph..."

What a disappointing answer. His reaction appeared pleasant enough, and she didn't expect him to say it was perfect, but she found her pride somewhat wounded nevertheless. Of course, a level-headed individual would've acknowledged that there was nothing inherently wrong with being not too bad. Even so, not too bad wasn't good enough. Competitive spirit set ablaze, Amaranta sampled her dish, reflecting on the flavor, the texture, and how she could improve on her current dish. Turning back to him with her arms crossed, Amaranta pouted softly, posing a curious question.

"What could I have done to make it better? What would have put on it to take it over the top if you were preparing it, Dragon Boy?'

Vanyel raised an eyebrow at her reaction. What, did she expect him to lather her in praise like a child? He rolled his eyes, sighing softly as he tapped the packaging for the ham, cheese, and the green onion she had left out in the competitive haste.

"Well, for one, you were so hyped up and focused on the spices that you forgot the other stuff you wanted to put in."

Taking the items and putting them back in the fridge, he closed the door, only to open the one on top, rummaging through the freezer as he looked for a small package near the back, pulling it out for a moment to show it off, then putting it back in.

"Second, for scrambled eggs, I'd recommend things that can mix and stick together with the eggs, like ground sausage or some chopped bacon. You could peel, chop, and fry some potatoes up to get some variety in flavor and texture that isn't just from the spices, too. Plus, you could even have bacon and sausage as additional side dishes to the eggs if you don't want them mixed in."

"Hey. Why are you putting the ingredients back? I want a re-do."

Of course, she expected to lather her in praise like a child! It was her first time. For a woman so accustomed to praise and adoration, she expected him to sate her ego as everyone else did, but that was fine. Winning over others with her charisma was always a strong suit of hers. Vanyel was putting on a strong front currently, but they all fell in line sooner or later. Inching forward, leaning down, she wrapped her arms around his waist, enhanced her pout, and brushed her cheek against his own. Squeezing him tightly, she inched one arm upward to open up the freezer again.

"Let me start over, will ya~? Isn't it customary for rookies to get a re-do, Dragon boy~?"

She wanted a redo? When she still had a full plate of eggs sitting there? No way in hell was he letting her use more until she finished them. Vanyel had always been a man that never saw food go to waste, especially in his younger years. In this day and age, food was something a lot of people took for granted -- a lesson he learned the hard way.

But, he wasn't expecting the lady cat to start nestling up to him to try and get him to let her have a do-over. But, rather than focus on her cheek against his, he noticed her arm snaking up to the freezer. But, before she could fish for the door handle, Vanyel's hand shot up, grabbing her wrist and bringing it back down to her side.

"Not until you finish that plate. You're not wastin' food in my house. Also, giving it a proper taste will let you better figure out what you want out of this particular dish and what you can do better. What I tell you is still mainly just my opinion -- everyone is gonna have different tastes and preferences with certain foods, spices, condiments, and so on."

"Huh? What the hell? I've already tried the eggs. I know where I messed up! Less haste, more focus!"

Firmly pushing her body onto his own, her arm darted forward in a desperate attempt to secure the ingredients. When her hand was met with another, her expression shifted into one of visible annoyance. On one hand, she could overpower Vanyel, toss him to the side, and harshly earn her ingredients. On another, it dawned on her that such a tactic might earn his ire, thereby invalidating her current progress.

Weighing the two options in her mind, she let out a small "tch" sound as she allowed the arm to fall to her side. Turning around, the man still held to her frame, the bronze arrancar gazes back at him with a defeated pout. Even if her spirit felt the fury of competition swelling within, she recognized that he was merely assisting her in what had asked of him.

Furthermore, perhaps there was a purpose to his instruction beyond something she was too stubborn to understand, though some might say it was closer to idiocy than anything else. At any rate, she released him from her grip, returning to the table to sit down, reflecting on his words. What if her intent to impress her boss ended up in failure?

If everyone shared different tastes, would it end up in flames? Chuckling to herself, she recalled how that might not have mattered to her at all in the past. But things were different now, and the cutthroat individual she was in the past, albeit not entirely vanished, seemed almost like a fragment of the past. Wrapping her fingers around a fork, she would slowly begin to eat the eggs on her plate.

"Opinion or not, Isn't it exhilarating to hear someone talk about how delicious your meal is? From what I see on television, the chefs are usually over the goddamn moon after earning the judge's approval, even more so when it's people they consider dear friends."