Editing Cooking Chemistry

<span style="color:#800000"> '''''Joshua's such a flirt. LOL. Thanks, Andy!--Maer.'''''</span> <br><br>



'''Thursday, 09 Jul 2521'''<br>
'''Kuiper II class ''Summer's Gift'''''<br>
'''En route to Meridian'''<br>
'''1725hrs, ship's time'''<br>


I had a few tasks that needed tending before I could execute the idea that came to me in the dropship. When I finally got to it I finished it in a matter of minutes and left the result where Joshua would find it, then took off for the galley to inspect the menu plan for the night's dinner. The duties of ship’s steward apparently required a description of the day's meals and Joshua kept the plan on the fridge door where everyone could see it. I understood it served to whet the crew’s appetite but it also told me what needed prepping. Tonight it was pasta with a veggie cream sauce. I got the water started on the stove and left for the botany bay with a colander to hold the harvest. <br><br>

Several herbs, mushrooms, peas, and a single plum tomato later, I returned to find bubbles drifting upwards in the pasta pot and rinsed the produce in the sink as I waited for it to come to boil. The cutting board and the knife make fast work of the produce and the water was ready. In went the pasta with a stir and dollop of oil, out came the saucepan and the milk, butter and flour for the sauce. I'd just set the butter to melting when Joshua walked in.<br><br>

"Everything's ready to go," I said in greeting, nodding to the ingredients arranged in their bowls to the left of the stove. "I'll just get the butter started and get out of the way."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"You've done all the work," Joshua said with a smile on his face as he entered the galley. She really had done all the hard work already - the chopping and the material gathering. All that was left was the fun stuff. Chopping and prepping could be fun sometimes, much like cleaning up afterward. But the real joy was putting everything together and creating magic through heat. He felt guilty swooping in at the last minute, so he decided to do something about it.<br><br>

He walked in next to her, put his hands on her shoulders and playfully turned her back around towards the stove. "You should finish it off. See it through, Rina. You've got the skill and the knowledge. I'll just provide the guidance and the faith."<br><br>

And he waited for her to get started.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

The weight of his hands felt good and I closed my eyes as he turned me around.  ''Maybe we can do something about that later.  For now, cook.''<br><br> 
 
Making a white sauce isn't hard.  The trick lies in allowing the ingredients sufficient time to come together.  Impatience was my main enemy when cooking.  ''Watch the heat.  Don't let it burn.''  I turned the burner down a touch and when the butter was foaming, whisked in the flour a little at a time.  When it was smooth, I added the milk in a steady trickle and continued stirring to keep it from clumping on the bottom of the pan. <br><br> 
 
"Should I add cheese?" I asked Joshua once everything was blended.  "Or would that be too heavy?"<br><br> 

'''***'''<br>

He smiled at her and shrugged slightly as he watched over her shoulder. "You can if you like. In a sauce like this, it's chef's choice. It won't make it too heavy if you're in the mood for a little cheese." Choice was one of the hardest lessons he had learned while teaching himself to cook. Cooking from recipe was straightforward, but you didn't really start learning until you made your own choices. Walking on that culinary tightrope had its risks, to be sure. But the willingness to freelance was the difference between a cook and a chef.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"Cheese, then."  I looked over at him.  "Could you shred some for me?"  I adjusted the heat a little more and kept stirring.<br><br>
 
'''***'''<br>

"Of course I can." He went to the fridge and pulled out their block of Parmesan cheese. Joshua considered it the most versatile of cheeses, as it got put to work in lots of dishes in a lot of different ways. He pulled the grater out of a drawer and pulled a small bowl to grate in. As he started grating a nice fine shredded Parmesan, he asked casually, "So...how are you?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

How was I?  There was any number of ways I could apply that question, any number of ways I could answer him.  I thought back to our conversation in my quarters the night I took the timeline down and decided that for now, face value was best.  I kept my eye on the sauce, lest it scorch, and kept my tone as casual as his.<br><br>
 
"I'm good. A little tired, maybe, but good.  You?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

He finished shredding a small pile of cheese and slid the bowl across the counter to her. "Good. A little lonely every now and again, I guess." He said it with no real concern in his voice, just a statement of fact. "Nothing to be worried about. Just funny how I can miss a family I never knew I had. You ever miss your family, Rina?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

I nearly dropped the whisk as his question broadsided me and I had to look aside.  Losing Mike had been something I'd had over a month to prepare for, from the moment I first got the news of his arrest to the moment he left for Miranda. I'd had time to adjust.  Or so I'd thought.  I was still raw and I should have known better, but the question about family and missing them caught me by surprise.  I ''did'' miss them, all of them:  Mike, Omar, Wallin and his crew ... my parents, my brothers....   Some were beyond my reach.  Others were simply out there.  None were currently with me.  Save the crew on this boat and one man in particular.<br><br>
 
''Face value'', I reminded myself and started stirring again.  ''It's just conversation''.<br><br>  
 
"Yeah. I do."  I reached for the cheese. "You know the story of mine, so I won't bore you with it.  How about you?  Have you done any more digging into the whereabouts of yours?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

Joshua had known almost the minute the question left his lips it was a bad idea. Rina did a good job of not reacting and she had let it go. He would too. ''In a minute''.<br><br>

"''Izvinite''," he said apologetically as he put a hand back on her shoulder. "I should have known better. And no, while I've been digging through the file, I haven't found anything else. Someday, I'll charter us to Lourdes and see what I can find. Until then, I have you...and the crew. I'm not unloved." And he let a small smile cross his face.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"''Eto'v poryadkeh''." I took up the cheese and stirred it in by degrees, whisking to distribute it evenly, watching the sauce take form under my hands. I added the peas next, then the mushrooms, incorporating everything thoroughly. I turned down the heat and turned from the stove. I gently took his hand in mine and said in a voice meant for him alone. "No need to apologize, Joshua. It's okay and yes, you are definitely loved."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"I love you too, Rina." He said it calmly looking it into her eyes, the simple statement of fact it was. Then he leaned his head over to look past her shoulder at the oven. "Also, the sauce looks fantastic. Either I'm a better teacher than I thought or you're just a natural talent. I vote for the latter."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

His face was close, close enough that his words fanned my neck and sent little thrills down my spine. It would take very little effort to kiss him ... but once I started, it would take a huge effort to stop.<br><br>

I grabbed a pair of tongs from the drawer and pulled a few strands of pasta from the pot, catching the drips with my hand. The water was searing hot and the sting was the distraction I needed.<br><br>

"Here," I said, in control again. "Tell me if it's done."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

He took a bite from the dangling strand. ''Yum. Perfectly al dente''.<br><br>

Joshua slurped the rest of the strand into his mouth and gave her the thumbs up sign. "Excellent," he said as he finished the bite. "You want to mix them in the pot and serve on the plates or mix in a serving bowl?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"Let’s mix it at the table," I said, turning away from his mouth, his neck ... ''him''. I took up the diced tomato and basil and mixed them with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. "That way we can add sauce to each person's liking. And garnish it." I put the tomatoes in his hands and muscled the pasta pot to the sink to drain it.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"Table it is, milady." He took the tomatoes he had been given to the dining area. Joshua realized he finally felt comfortable again with how things would work out. If he and Rina got back together, great, but if they didn't, he'd manage. He was lost in his thoughts for a minute, then realized he was still holding the tomatoes. He put them on the table and swooped back into the gallery. "Sorry, let me get the sauce," he said as he went looking for another bowl.<br><br>
 
'''***'''<br>

I had poured some of the hot pasta water into a heavy ceramic bowl to warm it and when Joshua came back I dumped it, wiped it, and poured in the sauce. I sank a ladle into it and gave it to Joshua.<br><br>

"There you go. I'll be right behind you with the pasta."<br><br>

I just needed to find the dish we normally put it in. I bent over the deep drawer where we kept our larger pieces and shifted the crockery around, looking for the damned thing.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

The hot food wasn't the only thing steaming right now. Joshua had just told himself he was comfortable however things turned out. But gorram if her bending over like that didn't make it hard as hell to concentrate. It was all he could do not to put the bowl down and grab her from behind. But instead, he did the familiar and followed orders like a good boy. As he put the sauce on the table and she hadn't made it in yet, he didn't know whether he wanted Rina to have found what she was looking for.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

I found it several dishes lower down the stack than it should have been given its size. ''Arden’s work. Man’s got the hands of a surgeon and the stacking sense of a donkey. I hope he has better luck with Kiera than he does stowing plates.'' The too-small platter made everything on top rattle and rock as I slid it out and I winced at the racket. I eyed the pasta and then the dish in my hand and went back to the drawer for the biggest plate we had. We had six extra mouths to feed and though I'd remembered to make enough on the stove, I hadn't mentally upsized the china to serve it on.<br><br>

''Rather like this business between you and Joshua and you and Mike. Hell, all three of you'', my internal imp whispered. ''Find your base, then stack your wants and needs on it. Prioritize''.<br><br>

"Fine," I muttered as I warmed the platter under the hot tap before putting the pasta on it. "Right now I want to get this to the table without dumping it on the deck. Everything else can wait."<br><br>

And so saying, I suited action to word and delivered dinner to the table. I put the platter down and said to Joshua, "Want to call them in? I'll get the plates."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

Joshua walked over to the hall and pressed the button on the ship intercom. "Ding ding ding," he said playfully into the microphone. "Dinner bell is ringing and dinner is served, ladies and gentlemen."<br><br>

Stepping back to the table, he started positioning the food bowls for maximum accessibility. Looking up at Rina as she headed back to get plates, he said, "Make sure to let everyone know you cooked this. That way you can get the credit."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"I'm famous for my rotten cooking," I said over my shoulder, grateful for the opportunity to crack wise. Humor focused me as effectively as pain. "Why disillusion them?"<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

His voice floated into the galley. "Because you deserve better, silly."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

Having eleven at the table took pretty much everything we had in the way of place settings. I piled it together and brought it out and divvied it up with Joshua.<br><br>

"You say that now," I said, setting up my end of the table. "Let's see if you still feel the same after you've tasted it."<br><br>

'''***'''<br>

"I seem to remember you tasted fantastic." He grinned a little and looked over at her. "Did I say you? I must have meant the pasta. Of course I did." And he turned to seat the first of the miners entering the dining room, a sudden new pep in his step.<br><br>

'''***'''<br>






'''Go back to: ''[[Mutineers Timeline Season Four | Timeline Season Four, April 2521 to Dec 2521]]'''''<br>

'''Go to ''[[Peripatetica - Rina's Journal entry and RP log]]'''''<br>
'''Go to ''[[Rina's Russian Glossary]]'''''<br>
'''Go to''' [[Marina Kseniya Sebastien | '''Rina's Crew Page''']] <br>
'''Go to [[EPISODES]]''' or '''[[MTimeline#2511-2518|TIMELINE]]'''<br>