026 [Video/Action for Cherrygrove PokéCenter]

[soggypastry]

[Hi, Johto. Hve you been enjoying your...odd weekend? Hopefully so, because it's about to get weirder. Enjoy your view of Lightning hunched over a stove in the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center, stirring something in a pot. It's an odd sight, both with her hair twisted up into a messy bun and the fact that she's...actually cooking. Anyone who knows her knows that's not a good sign. Especially when she's starting to look a little bit frazzled.]

No, no, no...come on. Don't you dare burn.

[Yes, she's talking to her pot of...something. Unfortunately, this doesn't help her with the cooking and it's with a rather frustrated sound that she takes that pot off the stove, camera tracking her movements while she places it in the sink before scrubbing her face, leaving smears of chocolate down her cheeks as she takes a breath to regain her composure. Is she giving up? Not on your life.

She's just turning back to the counter, where there's enough ingredients for one more try along with a recipe book she's looking back at.]

You could always help, you know.

[A startled "Pika!" and...end feed. Spark still enjoys being Camera-chu, it seems.]

Comments

[soggypastry]

[That's good. Because Lightning likes Fang just the way she is, too. Teasing included.]

If I keep burning this stuff, I'll run out of time to get it right and--[full stop. siiigh.] It's just important I get it right today.

[lif]

[ She's curious about that pause, but she can fill in the blanks at least a bit. Oh well. Valentine's Day is still new enough to her that it doesn't seem like such a big deal, but obviously Lightning's taking it as such. ]

Moment of truth then - water's ready when you are.

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

[Chocolate-covered Pinksis? Ven manages not to snerk, since he knows she must be putting a lot of effort into this.

And the positive attitude is always good, Pinksis has a great smile]

How's it been going so far?

[action]

[soggypastry]

[On this one occasion, the snerk wouldn't earn him a look. She might just think her frazzled behavior in place of her cool one has earned her a snerk or two...and it's Ven. He never means it to harm people.]

Not so good. Serah's the one who knows how to cook.

[And roasting meat over an open fire is an entirely different thing to making chocolates, sadly.]

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

I know what you mean, Aqua's way better at this kind of thing than me.

[He walks further into the room to set down the bags he's been carrying, tugging some folded paper from his pocket]

But I wrote down the things Minnie told me to try, I bet that'll make it easier for us.

[soggypastry]

[It's a big deal to Lightning because she's got a boyfriend who she needs to kind of sort of apologize to and that's what this is for since she's terrible with words and--ready when she is? Good. Down goes the bowl onto the pot, which Lightning will be watching like a hawk.

Yes, she's treating this almost like a combat situation. Go ahead and laugh, Fang.]

[action]

[soggypastry]

[A nod and a small "hmm" sound; Aqua does seem to be the domestic type, when she gets down to it. Makes sense that she'd know how to cook.

Same with Minnie, so Lightning will just be peering over to see what the older woman had told Ven to try. Any suggestions in there?]

I hope so. Running out of time to get this right.

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

[Ven shifts the paper over so they both have an equally good few of it. Minnie had quite a few tidbits and pointers, and he made sure to write them out word for word]

She said the temperature here was especially important, and making sure to keep stirring it...

[action]

[soggypastry]

[Lightning will just be reading over that paper, holding it against her memory to be sure she everything right until the bits about the temperate, at which point she glances to the stove and...yep. Way too hot.]

I had the temperature too high.

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

That's something I didn't get right either, last year.

[And he's only just trying now, this time around. After the previous year's epic battle, he'd been a bit reluctant.

But between Minnie's advice and teamwork with Pinksis? He's sure it'll work out]

[action]

[soggypastry]

You'd think they'd write down the right temperatures in these things.

["things" being the recipe book, which has the temperature Lightning is using written down as the proper one....if using a double boiler. No wonder she got it too high.

But with Ven here with Minnie's knowledge, they should be fine. She hopes.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

In that case, congratulations!

[All the happiness for her.]

[video] o-oh well c: nothing then...!

[suzakufeather]

[Slightly, but have a very inexperienced cook give you some help-]

It's better to put a pot into another pot of boiling water to melt the chocolate.

[video] ^^

[soggypastry]

[Hey, any experience is better than none--you know. So long as Yukiko doesn't say put in chili flakes or something.

Also, she's just glancing at the recipe book which....doesn't say that, exactly. yep. This one's never used a double boiler before. Pardon her while she ducks to find that second pot.]

They should really put this stuff in the books.

[video]

[soggypastry]

Thanks, Cecil.

[Still blushing, faintly. Someone's more than a bit twitterpated, as Ven would say. Does it show?]

[video]

[paladinlost]

But if I were you, I'd hide the Gear during the celebrations.

[Juuuust saying.]

[video]

[soggypastry]

[Celebrations--asdhksjagd Cecil!] That's the plan.

[More blushing. Dammit all, Cecil. Her face is going to freeze this way if this keeps up.]

[video]

[paladinlost]

[That was a completely innocent remark.]

Good. We both know the sort of timing they have.

[video]

[tapestodiane]

_{[..no, he hasn't quite managed anything like that. He just normally stays away. Eating out is a great alternative to burned stuff, after all.]}

That bad? Sounds like you have something to prove.

[video]

[soggypastry]

[Indeed it is. Especially when the stove won't turn back on due to said burning of food...or when the little sister is shoving the big one out the door.]

More like something important to get done, and I can't put it off for another day.

[video]

[soggypastry]

[She doubts that. She really does.]

I think just about everyone does after their first couple of months here. Hard to miss that timing.

[action]

[ex_aeroga402]

I know what you mean, sometimes recipes just don't turn out quite right.

[Ven hands the paper to Lightning and hunts for a pot]

[video]

[paladinlost]

[Would a paladin ever dare to tease people?]

And you'd certainly deserve to keep your happy moments private.

[video]

[tapestodiane]

Not a lot of people go through the trouble of actually making their own Valentine treats.

_{[Saying that, he sounds both happy and a little impressed that she's taken it upon herself to do so.]}

[action]

[soggypastry]

That's one way of putting it.

[While Ven hunts for that pot, Lightning will just be reading that paper; Minnie was able to salvage her last attempt at cooking, so maybe this time...what advice can Mama Mouse offer to a woman who can't cook?]