thenearshore | [closed] it's not a nutritional dinner

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[closed] it's not a nutritional dinner

Who: Chikusa, Ken, and all the people invited to Hakkai's temple
When: October 12
Where: Li Tieugai's temple in the Central District
What: Having recently lost their other god, Ken is sad by yet another loss.... so Chikusa is fixing this with his dog's favorite things: people he likes and copious amounts of meat.

Unless people actually ask, Chikusa.... doesn't exactly tell what time the dinner is actually going to be at. At least he'll probably tell them that Hakkai's temple moved? One would hope.

The temple of Iron Crutch Li doesn't really seem all that impressive upon approaching it, despite being in the Central District. The walled gardens are certainly large and lovely enough, if a little wild, but the building itself is rather plain at its two stories. There's a small sign attached to the front door that simply says 'come in'. Chikusa isn't going to bother answering the door for visitors. It's not like Hakkai locks that thing anyway.

The inside of the temple is about as sparsely decorated as its outside, but, today, the overwhelming smell wafting from the kitchen has overtaken any medicinal smells that might normally be about. It adds a certain warmth to the room.

Until dinner will be served a little later into the night, people are free to do whatever- hang about the gardens, go bother Chikusa in the kitchen, or otherwise find the other residents of the temple. Chikusa won't care to stop anyone, although Hakkai might.

As for dinner? Chikusa is serving so much meat: rabbit stew with olives and rosemary, swordfish, curried chicken, veal marsala, and a more traditional spaghetti served with meatballs. Fortunately, at least there's garlic bread and stuffed mushrooms, so there's something that isn't meat.... And for dessert? Zeppole, cannoli, and an apple ciambella with almond cream.

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Which are your favorites?

[Hakkai picks his favorite knife out of the block and begins chopping; his own movements are neat and swift, rendering first one onion and then the other down into a pile of fine, tiny cubes.]

I don't mind varying my menu a little, since you two are living here now.

Whatever I can eat. [He is, alas, a simple soul. And anyway-] These are for Ken....

[Thus, all the meat. Laying the chunks of fish into its marinade, Chikusa begins to shuffle off off to the next bit of food he can do while that's waiting in its bowl.]

Well, whichever are Ken's favorites, in that case.

[Hakkai's assuming that the majority of these are Ken's favorites, since Chikusa is going to the trouble of making them for his friend.]

Surely you have some dishes you prefer?

....I'm checking that. At least if there's a particular meat...

[Sure, Ken probably would have been perfectly content if it had all been different varieties of beef or something, but... Ken is also someone Chikusa wants to exert a little more effort for.]

[Especially when he's like this.]

[Crouching down, Chikusa checks how the chicken is coming along in the oven before moving onto the spaghetti. With how he pauses looking over it, there's more churning through his brain than simply its condition.]

....I don't know. I... guess there was a stew once...

[Hakkai nods thoughtfully. So, they'll have to watch to see which of these Ken likes best, or ask him later. He's fairly certain to have a preference... and if he doesn't, Hakkai will just stick with "meat as a major ingredient."

At least that's easy. (And he can sneak in vegetables, with care.)

He scrapes the chopped onions to the side of the cutting board, and lifts his knife in a cheerful gesture.]

What kind of stew? -- ah, and if there's anything else that needs chopping....

...The mushrooms...

[They're really more to help wash the overwhelming taste of meat out of people's mouths (read: chikusa's mouth) then a necessary part of the dinner, but Chikusa still shuffles over to get them out. He guesses they can do these things, too.]

...I don't really remember. Ken and I... and... someone else... We broke into somewhere and I just... shoved things into a pot. There was chicken, and some herbs...

Certainly. [He sets the knife aside and picks up the box of mushrooms, heading for the sink to rinse them before he chops them.

Chikusa's memory sounds, if anything, like he'd enjoyed the stew more for what it signified than what was in it. Still, Hakkai makes a mental note. Chicken stew: sometimes, the memories that come back with food make it a favorite, regardless of the flavor quality.]</small. We'll have to try some chicken stew, then, sometime. It sounds like Ken would enjoy it too.

[While Hakkai goes to chop the mushrooms-]

Keep the stems...

[That's all Chikusa will say, even as he fetches the rest of the ingredients. While Hakkai is chopping those, then the parsley Chikusa sets near him should be fine to do as well. He has cheese to grate.]

...Ken likes anything with meat.

Whole or chopped?

[He sets the dripping box down next to the cutting board, beginning to pull the stems free.]

Ah. So he's not too picky, hmm? I'll try not to impose any vegetable entrees on him.

[When he doesn't have to watch the household budget, it's much easier to get meat for every meal, anyway. There are advantages to having the budget of a god, rather than merely being the employee of one.]

Chopped.

[Pecorino cheese, bread crumbs, eggs... Chikusa keeps his attention focused on mixing thing together as he adds them.]

Neither of us are... I remember why of that much.

[When you're a pair (trio?) of children running around away from society, you take what you get.]

[Hakkai nods, turning his attention to mincing the mushroom stems.

He knows why, too, having seen both Ken and Chikusa as starving, feral, self-sufficient small children. It's the kind of history that rarely leads to much pickiness in foodstuffs -- "liking meat," perhaps, or "disliking sour things," and that's all.]

Yes, that does make sense. Should I chop the caps as well?

Mm, no. But the parsley...

[...Oh, yeah, he should explain this, maybe.]

I'm making stuffing with that, and the stems, and some crumbs... to put into the caps. Then virgin olive oil, water, and a little white wine to the bottom of the pan, and they'll bake. That kind of thing...

Oh, I see.

[So the parsley just needs to be minced enough to flavor the mushroom stuffing. Hakkai finishes detaching and mincing the mushroom stems in silence for a moment, before glancing up again and teasing, a glint in his eye:]

But I notice there's no meat in that recipe.

[Chikusa moves his head just enough to deadeye Hakkai.]

....You suggested other things.

[Hakkai can't resist chuckling.]

Oh, well, I'll certainly enjoy them.

You don't know that...

[Huffing, Chikusa finishes mixing things and waits for the parsley.]

The ingredients sound good, and I'm not too picky myself.

[He smiles, and flicks a few trimmed-off stems into the garbage before scooting the cutting board with its chopped mushroom stems and parsley towards Chikusa.]

[And into the mixing bowl they go.]

...So no favorite?

No... not really. Ha ha, I'd never have gotten away with pickiness when I was little-- I'll like most things that are well made.

[His smile goes a little softer, almost shy for a moment as he takes back the cutting board and looks down at it.]

I do enjoy cooking, though.

[....Oh. That's a strange look he hasn't seen before, and Chikusa pauses in his mixing to stare at it for a few seconds.]

....Why?

[With that single word, he goes to stuff the mushrooms properly.]

Because ... it's part of having a home, I suppose.

[Kanan had been hopeless in the kitchen, though they'd loved shopping together. Gojyo was nearly as bad, Goku had little more interest in cooking than Ken, and Sanzo, despite his hunting prowess, would live on beer, coffee and cigarettes if he were allowed.

Being with people he loves, being with family, means cooking for them.

He breathes out on a soft laugh, and shrugs, glancing at Chikusa with an expression that's amused, but back under control.]

So is unclogging a drain or doing laundry, I suppose, but cooking is more creative.

[A home... Chikusa's gaze wanders, a little distant, even as his hands work on autopilot. It's something he's used to, that he's had to become used to ever since he was a child and his mind went away to leave his bod to its own.]

...What's good about it? Having... that kind of thing.

[None of his memories tell him what kind of value is there... Only that it seemed to be something he and Ken were constantly looking in on, outsiders.]

Having people you can trust and rely on, or even--

[He shakes his head, smile twisting at one corner.] Even just be comfortable around.

When I was young I thought families should be that way, but now, I think there's no guarantees with family. Home is who you make it.

....So it doesn't have to be a place. Or a kitchen.

[Well. Finishing with the mushrooms, Chikusa scrounges up a baking tray from the various cooking tools he's got around. When it comes to that kind of thing, at least he knows it.]

No, certainly not. It can be anywhere.

[He leans back against the counter to ensure that Chikusa has enough room to get around him for anything else he needs.]

The people matter more than the place.

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