6th Floor Kitchen, Friday After Support Reserves

[thatsamilkshake]

"The nice thing about refrigerators," Francine said, staring at the array of groceries laid out on the counter, "is we can make a bunch of food ahead of time and just warm it up right before the party. Which, you know, helps when you don't have a whole castle full of cooking staff."

Somehow, she'd hadn't exactly planned for those cooking lessons she was going to give Merlin to progress straight from brownies to party catering. Then again, there were a lot of things she hadn't planned.

[OOC: For The Gay BFF Eaaaaars.]

Comments

[thatsamilkshake]

"Which this is kind of just an extension of," Francine said, nodding. "But now you can cook dinner, stick a cover on it, and save it for tomorrow, without it going bad."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"That sounds like a good plan. no need to cook for hours on end."

[thatsamilkshake]

"No need to cook for hours on end right before the party, anyway." She eyed the package of carrots with a frown before shoving them to the side and picking up a bag of potatoes. "So... beef stew? We could do chicken instead, I bought both, but beef is easier." And less greasy.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Beef sounds lovely." Next time he'd beg Arthur to find a non-sickly colored deer for it. "I can chop things up!"

He was good at that!

[thatsamilkshake]

"I got the beef already cubed," she said, because yeah. Not cutting meat today. Not even watching somebody cut meat today. "But--" She un-shoved the carrots. "Knock yourself out. I'll peel potatoes." Wait. It was them. With sharp objects. "...Don't actually knock yourself out."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I know how not to cut myself," Merlin replied, exasperated, but amused. "I do take care of Arthur's weapons, you know."

[thatsamilkshake]

Never would Francine have been so glad of not having a dirty mind if she'd had a dirty enough mind to realize why she should be glad of not having a dirty mind. "And you never hurt yourself on one?" She couldn't claim the same about kitchen utensils, honestly.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

They were weapons! Nothing dirty about them!

Not even when he took care to make certain Arthur's sword was polished to utter perfection just in case there was a fight and he needed it.

"...not since the first few weeks of working for him."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I still stab myself in the kitchen sometimes," Francine said with a - very - careful shrug as she reached for the potato peeler. "It happens." Not frequently, thank you. This was the one place where she generally wasn't a complete klutz.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Well try not to," Merlin replied with mock seriousness. "We'd have to go to the clinic and then the stew would be burned by the time we got back..."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Not if I did it now; we haven't put it on to simmer yet." Francine paused and set down the potato. "I should do that." It would mean paying attention to the beef browning behind her, but it would save a lot of time.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I can--see if we can peel these with magic." This could only end in exploding potatoes.

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine paused with her hand on the double-boiler. "...With or without the sharp scrapey object involved?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin frowned. "I'm not sure. It can't be that difficult, right?"

[thatsamilkshake]

She poured oil into the pot and went for the chopped beef. "I don't know. I've never peeled potatoes by magic before."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I've polished armor that way before, at least." Merlin, you're not helping. He stared at the potato, willing it to peel itself.

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine looked over her shoulder at him, stirring the meat now. "Did it work? It seems like that would take a lot of concentration. Or can you just say 'start polishing' and then ignore it?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I read a book while it polished, but that was an actual spell. I don't think anyone believed peeling potatoes was a good enough reason for a spell."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Well, that's silly." Turning away from the pot, she rejoined him at the counter. "Feeding people is way more important than having shiny armor."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I'd think so too." A beat. "Maybe I could make one up!"

Oh god.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Just for peeling potatoes? Or all kinds of vegetables?"

Francine, no. Don't encourage him.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Apparently just being near each other was enough to make things got horribly wrong. "All kinds! Though, maybe just potatoes to start with."

[thatsamilkshake]

"How's it going so far?" He might want a bowl. For the skins. Assuming they ever came off.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I think--I'll do it by hand until it's perfected."

Meaning it didn't work at all at the moment.

[thatsamilkshake]

She wasn't simultaneously relieved and disappointed at all.

Also somehow he'd taken over her job, which was fine, but she still wasn't chopping carrots. "You stick with that, then - I'll do the onions." Mm, lovely smelly onions.