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[The following letter arrives early in the afternoon. The penmanship is neat and elegant, and it's clear that the writer took her time to appear as formal and professional as possible. And for the most part it does seem professional...save for the little cartoonish bunny face she drew in the bottom right corner that's smiling happily up at you.]

To Those Who Reside in Aqures Ixen,

Greetings. I hope the day finds you well. I find myself in need of an instructor in the way of cooking and preparing meals, as my skills are relatively undeveloped. In return for your time and patience, I will purchase the ingredients, and I will also be willing to teach you a skill of my own if I am able. I reside in the house marked as B-03, but if you prefer, I will go to you for lessons as I am unsure what utensils we currently possess for culinary purposes. Please respond at your earliest convenience. I would be most grateful.

Regards,
Rukia Kuchiki

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"Me far from old?" Raven wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either. He'll play into her confusion for now since her impression of him seemed to be all over the place. "What a kind thin' ta say ta this ol' man. Not lookin' his age. Ya know how to make a man's day." He commented in yet another playful tone before walking in.

The layout of her house was different from his. It looked like it was meant to room more people. His only had two. Raven wonder if was considered rude to scope for the kitchen, so instead he remained by the door where the young lady was so she could lead him.

"I never got yer name."

"Tch...!" Rukia hunched a little further. Those two were...! She would have been far more humiliated were he not here to help teach her to cook. She would just have to accept her own foolish assumptions for what they were, grit her teeth, and seek this Yuri person out to apologize.

Once he was inside, she shut the door behind him, and led the way to the kitchen. It looked as if it had hardly been touched, possibly because it wasn't. Chiaki had told Rukia that no one here knew how to cook, so the kitchen probably saw very little use.

Committed not to comment on age any further, as it was likely to be a sore spot for a while, Rukia focused instead on the kitchen. She was supposed to wear an apron to protect her clothes, wasn't she? Did they have one? She opened one drawer, then another, before he made his statement. Rukia glanced back at him. Oh. That's right. He likely knew from the letters they'd exchanged, but she would tell him properly now. "Kuchiki Rukia," she replied, only half as stiffly as her previous tone. "I apologize for the previous confusion. You are the same Raven as mentioned in the letter of the one named Yuri Lowell?"

"Th' one and only!" He chimed since she went though the trouble of asking. He won't make any comment on Yuri, figuring she'd be better off going to him directly if it was that big of a deal. Though she would only get messed with further if she persisted.

Now down to business. He was here for a reason, and that was to teach this young lady how to cook. As long as she can exceed Rita, and possibly Estelle, then this complex should be able to sustain itself without having to rely on others. Raven released all of his ingredients onto the counter. He brought as authentic ingredients as he could find for Mabo Curry. They probably won't taste as same as home, but then nothing they cooked here will taste what they're use to. Not that it would make it bad.

On the counter was onion, potato, rice, tofu, tomato, and some other necessary needs for the dish to be prepare.

"Are ya ready?"

Young lady... Raven, no. Not even remotely close.

Rukia exhaled her frustrations with one good, thorough sigh, then approached the counter to see what he had brought. The produce looked fresh and appetizing. He could select good ingredients, that much was clear.

"Mm," she replied with a single nod. "Would it be wise to take notes?" If the dish was simple enough, then there was probably no need, and she could get straight to work. Speaking of which, she had best prepare. She rolled up her sleeves and pinned them to bare her arms up to her elbows, then used a band to tie back the longer strands of her black hair. There was no apron in the kitchen, so she determined to buy one tomorrow before meeting with Zelda.

Honestly, why the warning? He wasn't the feeble old man she'd imagined, but Mister Archer was clearly not a threat to Rukia.

"You'll want ta cut th vegetables first, but make sure ya rinse them off before ya do that." Would be his first instruction as he slid the aforementioned ingredients toward her. He figured a hands on approach would help her learn faster. She seemed like a bright lady.

"You'll want a cutting board and when ya cut them, make sure your fingers are curled in. We don't wanna any missing finger mishaps."

So far he's generally harmless. Who knows how long it'll last.

Rukia bobbed her head to show her understanding. She ran each vegetable under the faucet, brushing with her fingers to dislodge the dirt from the potato to make sure everything was as clean as it could be. She took the lesson seriously, and wanted to be thorough.

Once it was clean, she examined each vegetable closely. Which should she start with? The tomato, she decided. She turned the red fruit onto its side, holding it firmly as she raised the knife to rest the blade's edge against the top to slice off the stem.

"Like so?"

She might be a natural at this. Already gaining an understanding where to cut.

"Ya might wanna start with the potato. It creates less of a mess. Some people skin it, but I think th' skin adds more flavor. Dice into bite size pieces."

Rukia was already a diligent student. He was guessing she was like this for any of her lessons. She seemed the serious type like that.

"Let me know if ya get stuck."

Cutting Hollows led to an instinct for cutting vegetables. Who knew? Rukia again bobbed her head, putting the tomato aside in exchange for the potato. With two quick cuts, she divided the potato into three pieces lengthwise. Then again, and she cubed. She was slow at first, careful to avoid nicking her fingers, but the further she went the more comfortable she became.

She was even starting to smile. Yes, this looked to be correct. The pieces were comparable to what she was accustomed to eating. Using the blade of the knife to push the potato cubes aside, she went for the onion.

This could only end in tears...quite literally at that.

"Be careful with those onions. Might wanna hold your breath while ya cut them."

Raven did alright when dicing up onions, but not everyone could handle their effect.

"Wouldn't want th' tears of a young maiden to spice up th' recipe."

Was he out of line? Well maybe, but just because he was helping her didn't mean he would stop egging her on. Whether she was truly several life times old or not, didn't change the fact that she has, for the most part, been naive. He's sure she had expertise somewhere, like Rita. Raven just didn't know what it was yet.

Rukia's shoulders jerked stiffly, a faint hiss escaping her grit teeth. Why that...! Why did he still insist on referring to her as young? "I have no intention of being miserable over a vegetable," she retorted. Hold her breath? Ridiculous!

...She still did it, but she had a suspicion that he only told her to do so just to see if she would. If he told her to hop on one foot while cutting the tomato, she'd throw it at him.

For a while she managed just fine. But it took longer to cut the onion than it did to reserve her breath. Suddenly her eyes began to sting. She rubbed at them with the back of her arm, but it didn't help. Her vision was starting to get blurry. Accursed onion!

"What is this?!"

Because in the end, he felt older than he looked and she appeared younger than she acted. They practically counter balanced each other in the long run.

Again, her naïveté made the better of her with her recent comment in vegetables. She obviously never cut an onion in her life, however, she was about to experience that now. Raven waited patiently for her to do so, and not just that, but feel it while she did so. His patience was rewarded with her upcoming reaction.

"That would be th' onion's fumes. Don't feel too bad. It happens ta a lot of people. Somethin' about its chemical's just makes yer eyes go watery."

He didn't really care about the scientific aspect of it. He just wanted to warn her about it.

Plup plup. Tears coursed down her cheeks, but she was determined to cut this onion. She scrubbed at her eyes, again and again, and sliced and chopped. She refused to be bested by an onion.

As she worked, she chanced a glance at Raven, and silently appreciated his patience. Most anyone else would have started laughing at her and cracking jokes. The teasing would be relentless. But he was holding back... She relaxed.

Finally the onion was properly minced. She stepped away from the counter with a sigh of relief, using her apron to scrub her face. It was conquered. "Does it lessen with more exposure?" He hadn't so much as sniffled. What a pro!

"Ya could say that. If ya do it enough, it's just another thing ta grow use to." He done more than his fair share of cooking when traveling with Brave Vesperia. Enough so that his skill level had grown to be what it is now. If she was planning on cooking most of the meals, she would get use to it in time at all.

"Now's a good time fer that tomato."

He won't bother to warn her about its spillage though. Unless the thing was dry, it was impossible to cut a tomato without getting it all over the board. That's typically why he saved it for last.

When she's finished with that, he'll proceed with the instruction that followed up. Along with warming up the pan and preparing the sauce mixed. Before that, she'll want to make sure her vegetables are cooked. Typically raw vegetables didn't taste as good in a curry.

Rukia found out how messy a tomato was, but at that point, once she recovered from her initial surprise, she found that she was very much enjoying herself. Raven was a good teacher, patient and encouraging. His instructions were simple and easy to follow.

She wanted to do her best. As he explained, she nodded, adjusting her approach when necessary, and openly showing her delight at the little successes they enjoyed.

"It's starting to smell good," she noted, once the sauce began to bubble in the pan to release the aroma of rich spices. "How did you learn so much about cooking?"

Raven wasn't quite expecting her to ask such a personal question so soon. Then again, he didn't expect half the things that had taken place in his lifetime, so this should have came as no surprise.

At the very least he had a standard answer for such. At least to pad it from what he's deviating away from it.

"A woman loves a man who can cook. Nothin' warms a way to her heart quite like a good meal."

He would never come clean about how he came to really cook. He had too many things that dredged up his past, and for that, he left most of it alone. Especially now-a-days when he committed himself to Brave Vesperia. A cause and ideal he related more to in his old age.

To impress women? Rukia regarded him with mild confusion for a moment. She had always thought the phrase to be "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Was she failing to remember the correct saying? She should have studied modern colloquialisms more diligently.

"I see...so this is how you go on several dates...it all makes sense now."

It didn't really, but if that's the way the living world chose to court each other, she couldn't disagree with it. To enjoy a good meal was a simple happiness, and probably an effective way for people to grow more intimate. Wasn't that why she was learning to cook, to develop better bonds of friendship with her roommates?

"Anyway, Might want ta get the rice water goin' while it sets."

Timing was everything! If she wanted the rice to be done the same time as the curry, she would have to started that now.

By then end of the session, her dish will have been completed. All that was left was trying the dish out for themselves. He wasn't familiar with Japanese customs, not by a l long run, but what he was familiar with, was that the cook offered a serving to everyone. And if they wanted more than that, they helped themselves. He'll expect a serving from her, but if she didn't, he'll just grab his own.

Of this particular custom, Rukia knew nothing. She did, however, feel responsible for the outcome of the meal, and she did want to learn how to serve the food properly. She scooped the rice into a bowl, then ladled it with plenty of curry sauce before extending it to Raven. Of course he should eat first; he was the guest, and he had purchased the ingredients with his own money. Then she dished up some for herself and sat down, plucking up her chopsticks. It smelled good, and it didn't look unappetizing. All that was left was to taste it.

She took a bite, resting her chopsticks against her mouth thoughtfully.

Then her expression brightened. "Oh! It's good!" It was really good. And spicy! It was the sort of dish she could envision her brother enjoying.

She wasn't the only one to taste test it. Even if Raven was a picky eater, he still ate what was in front of him. Whether he liked it or not, he could tell if it was good or bad, and well, this was good. For her first attempt at this, it was more than acceptable and worth feeding to her roommates.

"You did well, kid." Raven would be sure to eat a healthy portion as to not deter her, since it really was as good as it smelled. This would make for good leftovers for her housemates. She should feel proud.

"We'll try a different dish next time if ya still need lessons."

"I would like that," she agreed, grinning as she ate more. She probably couldn't get away with eating a regular adult's portion, but she certainly didn't hold back on eating her fill. If it turned out good, it was only because he'd managed to instruct her properly. They could share the credit.

She wondered if the flavor-enhancing elixir would have improved the dish even further. Perhaps next time, she could use it as a sort of secret weapon to impress her teacher.

And she was genuinely looking forward to a next time. This had been a good night, and she'd enjoyed the experience very much. There was just one last thing that was still bothering her...

"Why does the 'Brave Vesperia' force you into contracted labor? If you seek liberation, I will give it gladly."

Yes, she did think he might still need to be rescued.

And the complicated questions went from bad to worse. It was harder to shake that kind question with a nonchalant answer. He didn't necessarily feel oppressed by Brave Vesperia, it was quite the opposite actually, though part of him did feel indebted to Yuri and the others. For the most part, it was because he turned a new leaf and believed in what those kids believed in.

"It's nothin' of th' sort. They helped me out of a bind, and I've been with them ever since."

It was the nicest way he could put it. The most neutral way he could phrase it. That's all she really needed to know too.

Edited 2015-09-19 05:15 (UTC)

Rukia sat back. Her chopsticks lay dropped in the bowl as she came to the shocking, stupid realization at long last.

Yuri's letter had been meant as a joke to tease Raven.

She sat in stunned silence for a long, long moment.

nuooooooooooooooooo

"Then I have been a fool," she admitted begrudgingly. "I mistook the intentions of the letter entirely."

"Yuri's a wild one, that kid." Raven knew from the beginning when he met him in the jail cell. Not anyone would land themself there, but Yuri did.

"He's not what one would call an orthodox hero."

Meaning he wasn't bad, but his path didn't always remain good. He only did what he did out of necessity. The only reason why he hadn't made the same mistakes Raven made, was because he had the friends he did.

"Ah," Rukia grunted her agreement, chin slumping into the cup of her hand. "He made that clear." She'd chided him for acts unbecoming a Hero of Light, and he'd countered by asking when he'd ever claimed to be a hero.

Her misunderstanding was partially his fault, she supposed. But she was still responsible for the mess. She would have to swallow her pride and apologize in time.

"Thank you for clearing things up. I shall have to be less reckless in the future."

"Don't feel too bad kid." People often misunderstood Yuri. It was nothing new. Raven set his dishes down. His work was done here for the day, and he was thinking about taking a nap now that his stomach was full.

"Yuri's not so bad once ya get to know him." A pause. "But I'd better get goin'."

He stood up from his spot, giving her a grin and a gentle wave.

"I'll let myself out."

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damn_juicebox - 2015-09-19 23:07 (UTC) - Expand

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