(Private) Eating food and talking health

[Ermon]

Princess

Ermon had spent the last few days thinking about an appropriate menu for a date that really wasn’t a date. He had to be sure that things would be professional and not overly romantic. So chocolate fondue, strawberries and champagne weren’t an option. Overall, aphrodisiacs needed to be avoided and there had to be enough food to offset any alcohol they might drink.

Not that he didn’t like Azure, but there could be a thousand things that made a direct approach not the best idea in the world. She could have a boyfriend, or not like him. Or be a Seer in disguise. The last idea bordered on paranoia, though.

In the end he settled on a mixture of western and Ukrainian food that seemed appropriate. The latter he learned from another chef back in L.A. The man loved to complain about how difficult it was to get good meat in the Americas, but, damn, could that man cook!

It was true that buying decent pork and beef and, especially, entrails, was somewhat of a problem. But if you worked at a restaurant and were prepared to pay the supplier a little extra… It even wasn’t illegal, strictly speaking.

There were only two of them, so Ermon had to restrain himself: it meant soup, meat and a dessert. The first was borsch, prepared yesterday – it needed to be left for a day to strengthen the flavor. The second – Greek salad with potatoes, baked with Provence herbs and a point of special pride – baked sausage he made from scratch. Most people didn’t think about what went into making these things, so he was careful to throw out any entrails he didn’t use and everything that was left after cooking. And for dessert he had prepared a New York cheesecake – rather ordinary, but it was in the simple things that true skill could be shown off.

All that was left was to serve the table and heat up the borsch, waiting for Azure to come. He took a look around the studio to make sure everything was ok. The place was previously owned by Ixidor, who unfortunately wasn’t in town anymore. Still, it accounted for most of the furniture clearly being above Ermon’s financial means. It was accompanied by books on cooking, scientific studies of emotion and makeup kits – those were Ermon’s. The kitchet corner wasn’t state-of-the-art, but it got the job done.

  Cooking, extended, 15xx

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[08] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		3, 2, 1, 4, 7, 1, 8, 9, 3		2 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[07] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		5, 7, 7, 1, 9, 7, 8, 1, 4		2 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[06] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		1, 10, 5, 5, 3, 2, 2, 6, 3, 8		2 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[05] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		10, 2, 2, 1, 6, 1, 3, 4, 5, 7		1 success
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[04] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		1, 5, 10, 3, 1, 2, 1, 7, 8, 1		2 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[03] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		1, 4, 9, 7, 3, 9, 7, 2, 6		2 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[02] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		7, 2, 3, 10, 5, 5, 4, 9, 8, 1		3 successes
2014-01-30 11:13:25		[01] Ermon rolls 9 to 2 hours of cooking magic (Wits + Crafts + Spec +1 (components modifier) (10 Again)		2, 3, 7, 7, 5, 2, 5, 4, 10, 2		1 success

And he was confident that this time it got the job done well.

[Princess]

Azure arrives at his apartment, but being as exceedingly poised and good at planning as she was, she was only a little late from spinning in circles in front of her closet while she pondered what outfit said, I have no idea if this is a date. She settled on a knee length skirt and a sweater, with a flirtier top underneath in the event that this was actually a good date simply disguising itself as dubious dinner plans. Valentine's day and her birthday loomed awkwardly in the future, and she had a tendency to think too much. She'd use that excuse if he whined about the revolver in her purse - it's not as though either of them wanted for reasons to be paranoid.

So parking her car, she proceeds to the door and buzzes in. She very much hoped this would go well. Maybe that hope was why she wasn't walking in armored.

[Ermon]

Princess

"Sure, come on up".

He greets Azure by the elevator, looking just a shade disappointed seeing as there is no coat. Coats were important. Coats allowed for gallantry and stuff. But there was food and warmth and some red wine planned, so it was all good:

"Hello, Ash, It's great to see you.".

Ermon is wearing dark jeans and tucked-out light short for the evening. It's also perfectly obvious that he looks a lot less sickly than he did in the park. In fact, the Warlock has some colour in his cheeks that hasn't been there for a long, long time.

"Please, come in, make yourself at home", - he shows the guest where she can put her stuff if she wishes to and then leads the way to the middle of the room, where a table for two is served.

OOC

You can roll Perception to notice stuff about the apartment, if you wish

[Princess]

Normally she'd look around, but Azure is far too distracted by the smell of wonderful home cooking and... sausage. Ugh, fuck, I should have mentioned something. Well, here's hoping I don't get sick.

"It's a great place, very impressive. So, uh, straight to the food then eh?" Azure remarks, her focus split between Ermon and the table as she contemplates how much she can try to balance her desire to be polite, and her desire to not get sick from the sudden burst of red meat. Her expression, however, remains calmly smiling.

She could hold in all the swears and self-loathing.

[Ermon]

Ermon motions to the chair and walks over to the 'kitchen' part of the studio and starts to pour the soup:

"Yep, food is the best social lubricant. First things first, though. Normally I know someone a bit better before cooking for them, so. The soup is borsch - a Ukrainian dish, served with sour cream. Has a bunch of vegetables in it and ribs are used to add to the flavor but not eaten. For the second course we have baked potatoes, Greek salad and baked sausage. The last one is very fresh and well-cooked - not much fat and absolutely no blood. Last but not least is home-cooked cheescake".

The chef returns to the table with a frendly smile and puts the soup on the table along with some black bread and a separate plate with thick sour cream.

"I understand it's a bit too forward, but do I need to put any of these away? We don't know each other well yet, so I tried to make something neutral, but if you are vegetarian or don't like milk..." - the smile stays, signifying that it wouldn't be a problem. In love, war and cooking there are always risks and acceptable losses.

[Princess]

"Oh, it all looks and smells very good, but, well, I don't usually eat red meat often? I haven't had any in over a month, so excuse me if I go slowly? I guess it would be mostly pescatarian but it's more preference and habit than conviction, if that makes any sense. And no, I'm an absolute fiend for dairy. The cheesecake will not be spared."

Her explanation offered, and her dirty thoughts about his use of the word 'lubrication' squashed, she takes her seat and sincerely hopes she is not making a gastrointestinal blunder, but there really was only one way to find out. She steeples her hands and inhales the myriad scents - mostly for enjoyments sake, but she might also have been warning her stomach.

[Ermon]

Ermon listens to her speak, his smile getting a bit wider and wrinkles appearing around his eyes:

"Well, you shouldn't worry. Maybe I don't know much about running and stuff, but I do know a thing or two about food. Both cooking and eating it", - Ermon considers her complexion for a second and looks as if he's doing math in his head, - "Yeah, you'll be fine. We'll drink a digestive before the main course and I'll take care of the portions and the tempo. Thanks for telling me, forcing yourself to eat is never good".

He starts to eat the soup, not keeping Azure from the food any longer:

"Traditionally, black bread should be fried in oil and rubbed with salt and garlic, but I thought it'd kill the atmosphere", - he watches his guest take his first few gulps waiting for her opinion.

[Princess]

Azure tries her first bite, and can genuinely say it is the best Borscht she's ever eaten - because she'd never tried the dish before. But regardless, "This is very good, thank you. But actually, I'm pretty used to garlic in the atmosphere."

That sounded fucking crazy. You are a crazy person, she judgingly thinks at herself, but the ripples don't reach the surface as she enjoys her meal with a smile. But she does seem hesitant to say anything more.

[Ermon]

Ermon nods to Azure's praise with a smile:

"Glad to be able to the recepy justice. The man who taught it to me is a real master, shame he's back in L.A. I'm not very welcome there anymore".

He cocks his head a bit and raises his eyebrows questioningly at her reaction to the 'garlic' phrase:

"Really? I honestly thought I had a shot at making this a first date", - he pauses and his smile grows wider, - "Garlic in the food, in my experience is, like, date number ten - can be a bit too much".

[Princess]

"Ten? Please. As soon as the first kiss goes off without a hitch anything goes," she snarks, happily lowering her mental filter just a bit. "And that definitely explains why you went to the trouble of homemade cheesecake."

Her already calm demeanor is more obvious as it becomes more genuine and less about pretense. "The soup is amazing without it, though."