It's late at night, again. Ika should be going to bed by now - or at least, practicing in her routine of wandering around in her personal cocktail of mental health issues. But, tonight, she has different plans. Most of everyone's gone to sleep, but some wick away the demons, particularly Velvet, who's finalizing some steps of their plan in the Main Stage with a couple of helpful assistants. Ika's not there, though - she's in the kitchen. She already had dinner (Mako had packed her a couple of sandwiches and pre-cooked tofu steaks for the road), but she still was hungry. Maybe it was that lack of eating finally catching up to her, or maybe that she missed her girlfriend, her dearly beloved, who was probably just having fun with her grandfather right now. Best not to pry, she thought. Ika pulled a small card from her pocket. Upon it was a recipe. ``` Roasted Potatoes Serves 1 Ingredients: - Variety Small Potatoes (Yukon Golds, etc.) - Cooking Oil - Earthy Seasonings (Salt, Pepper, Garlic, etc.) - Cast Iron Pan Preparation: - Put pan on stove, set to medium heat. - Add thin layer of oil (to coat pan) - Wait until oil starts sizzling ``` As instructed, she searched around in the various cupboards for a pan. She found one that was dark and black, which didn't *look* like iron, but her instincts told her it would be best. She set it on the stovetop, turning the corresponding dial a half-turn. Next to the stove was a tall glass of some kind of oil, she figured - it was like an amber yellow, opaque, the glass itself with a square base, but the top was more of a small spout, to control output. Snatching it from its position, she added just enough oil to coat the pan. She probably could have used something like a paper towel or cloth to run the oil around the whole pan, but quite frankly, that wasn't what she was concerned about. According to the card, she was to wait until the oil starts to sizzle. There were already potatoes out on the counter - the variety kind, of varying colors of red, yellow, and brown. Ika then decided to check the cabinets for spices. Thankfully, her first choice was the correct one - just up-right from the stove was a large space for spices and such. She grabbed out what the card asked for - some salt from the mountains, pre-ground pepper, garlic powder, but she also noticed the bay spice. "Why not, right?" Grabbing the four spices and setting them down, she didn't have any time to herself, as the oil started to bubble, sizzle, like the pitter patter of rain. Acting quickly, she flipped the card over to its other side. ``` Cooking: 1. Slice potatoes in half (any oreintation) 2. Season potatoes as wanted 3. Place potatoes in pan, cut side down 4. Let cook until easy to poke with fork Optionally, serve with garnish. Goes great as a side dish. ``` Ika was sure it *would* be great as a side dish, but that's not what she's cooking the potatoes for. Getting to work, she pulls out a small cutting board, as well as the dagger she obtained from the lab the other day. Tater by tater, she cuts each one in half, so they're all somewhat the same size, before sprinkling the <font color="#e64539"><u>Four</u></font> powders of the potatopocalypse over them - Salt for Materia, Pepper for Flame, Garlic for Life, and Bay Spice for Honor. It was a pretty liberal coating, the cutting board probably was more seasoned than the potatoes, but there's no time to waste on petty things like that! One by one, Ika placed the cut tubers into the oil, being careful not to burn herself. She let them cook on one side until, like recipe said, a fork could easily poke them, but she also flipped them over onto the rounded side for a little extra cooking there. Ika wasn't exactly the best chef, she knew that, but still, her heart's desire was naught more than the foodstuffs in front of her. She carefully used tongs to remove the taters onto a plate, killing the heat, before placing the cast iron into the sink, using the dish soap and water to wash it out thoroughly, being extra careful on any residue from oil or seasoning bristle. Ika returned to the plate from earlier. It smelled earthy, but still pretty good. She rummaged through the drawers on the island that the plate was held on, eventually procuring a fork. Instead of sitting down to eat, though, she decided to just chow down right there and then. A steadied hand holds the fork. She pushes it into the potato. There's not much resistance - certainly doesn't take a weightlifter to eat a potato, but the outside might have been a bit crisp. Cautiously, Ika brings it to her lips, holds it between her teeth, removes the fork, and then bites into it. The texture, it was as she feared, just a tad too crispy. The seasonings were a good addition, and offset this issue somewhat. She burst it in her mouth, revealing the near gooey inside, piping hot, melting in her mouth... She swallowed it without really chewing, the warm feeling travelling down into the rest of her body. It was nearly too indulgent for her, like a forbidden other partner. Mako *could not know* about the potatoes. Ika acted quickly, abandoning the fork, nearly throwing it into the sink, before hastily using her hands, popping them into her mouth like candy, savoring every single one, squishing and enjoying the fruits of everyone, licking off the seasoning in her mouth so the taste would stay longer, she couldn't resist the temptation anymore, she dove head first into them, poking them, eating them, satisfying her cravings- "Uh, Ika, you alright?" Ika became defensive, swallowing what was in her mouth quickly and pushing the plate of remaining tubers across the island, She looked at who interrupted her - just Velvet, making sure everyone was getting to bed on time. Ika tried her best to vamp. "I'm fine! I wasn't- uh..." She was ashamed she only get through 4 and a half words. "Sorry..." Velvet raised an eyebrow, crossing their arms. "What's to be sorry about?" Ika sighed. "I'll tell you something, and you won't tell Mako when she comes back, alright?" Velvet nodded, still a little worried. "Go on..." Ika pulled back the plate and presented it to Velvet. "Mako does all the cooking in our house... She made me lunches and such, but... I didn't eat that much of it, so I wanted to make myself some potatoes. If she founds out, I think she'll kill me, so I don't want her to know." "Mako doesn't strike me as the type to be offended by you not eating her cooking, though." "Still... I don't want her to try it and not like it." Ika looked at Velvet, who was clearly a bit invested in the cuisine. "You want some?" Velvet took one of the lumps and put it in their own mouth. They chewed it, savoring its taste, before swallowing. "Mmh! Wow, that's really good, Ika!" Ika scratched the back of her neck. "You think so...?" "Yeah! Actually, I might have the rest of that plate if you're so embarrassed to eat them." Ika pushed it into their hands. "Yeah, it's... I got a bit carried away when I started eating them. It's probably best if you just eat them and I go to bed..." Before Ika would walk away into her dorm, though, Velvet called out to her. "Ika!" "Y-yes...?" "Maybe you should try cooking for Mako some day. I have a feeling she might appreciate it." Ika nodded. Maybe she would. Maybe she wouldn't. She just wanted to get some rest right now, though. Tomorrow, she'd be heading off to the [[City]].