Your OC Makes Dinner

"Whoah!" Spyridon's eyes widened with excitement as he saw a plate of tomatadas served to him. The food itself was unfamiliar to him but it is sure looks well made. The programmer cannot resist his hunger but he's not hesitant trying out some new dishes. As long as it energizes him from all those gaming and programming sessions. "I bet this gonna be good" he slice of tomatadas from his plate and enthusiastically ate the slice of tomatadas. It's sure does taste like what it was promised, the programmer currently enjoying his scrumptious feast as he finished the first piece of the food. "This is just my first time trying some Mexican dishes" he gleefully ate another piece, "and I'm not disappointed. I'll tell my friends to try your food sometime, Zen!"

Spyridon took another piece of the dish, though, he felt thirst from all the eating. "Do you have any milk shakes?" he asked. "I... I would give this dish a five star"

Cooking isn't Spyridon's forte, but thanks to his friend, Kyrillos, he got a little knowledge about cooking. The programmer preps up his ingredients and sets up the oven at the squat's kitchen. Moments after the dish is done, Spyridon sets a plate of bougatsa and placed it at one of the dining tables to whoever will eats it. "My dad used to make these when I was a kid, now I tried making myself", he said in hesitation "It's just my first time baking, but I hope you enjoy the bougatsa".

Ir'Vothgen smiles at Spyridon as she moves over to the table. "I'm sure it's wonderful!" Irrie takes a bite and chews thoughtfully for a moment. "It's amazing!" She takes another bite quickly. "It's perfectly creamy and has the perfect amount of cinnamon - not too much, not too little." She peels the crisp top back, focusing on eating the custardy center first. "You said this is your first time baking? I don't believe it. You did so well." She eyes the bougatsa Spyridon didn't put on the table. Irrie clearly wants to go steal it.

The winged tiefling lands on the roof with a thud. You can hear her talons hitting the roof as she walks. She pops down to the front of the house and practically kicks the door down. As she enters the room her posture straightens and her stomping steps calm. "Hey!" Her voice is much too cheerful for the way she made her entrance. "I'm feeling nostalgic, so I'm cooking for the group today. I know, I know, today isn't my day in the roster. But you don't mind, do you?" She's already pulling ingredients from the bag she carries.

There's the loud sounds of ripping and tearing, Irrie preferring to use her claws to get things done rather than actually chop the meat and veggies. Why bother when she's strong enough to do it herself? It takes her a long time to finish, the smells of the stew wafting through the air. When she finally sets the bowls out on the table she has considerably relaxed and her mannerisms have calmed down significantly. The soup looks normal, aside from the rough edges and irregular shapes she made by ripping instead of cutting.

"Here you go. The beef stew the way we made it in the temple."

Although she was very unnerved by how the meat had been prepared Magnolia had to admit the stew looked good, and once she tried it she realised it tasted even better. "Mmm, this is great, thanks~!"

Stepping from her kitchen over to her guest, Magnolia placed down the bowl before them as she announced "Here it is, one of my favourite dishes, dark chocolate mousse~"

Sophia had long since subscribed to the idea that chocolate... wasn't that healthy. But, dark chocolate? Surely it was a little nicer, no matter how bitter it was. Hell, part of her even preferred the bitterness of it, she thought as she prodded at the bowl with her spoon, and then took a bite of the dessert...

It was good. No doubt about that. Still, her stony expression did not change much, as she straightened herself and then politely wiped her face with a cloth. "You're terribly good making these." she remarked, "I didn't see any cacao outside in your garden, but... this seems just as homemade. Do you... make the chocolate yourself, at least?"

Sophia tried to meet Magnolia's gaze, only to shy away as soon as she did so. "I will take some home, if you must get rid of some of it." she offered mildly, "My son would like it."

"It is still a bit cold out." Sophia said to the other person. She passed the bowl onto them -- inside was a creamy potato soup, with tiny shreds of carrots, cheese, and bacon, and rye bread on the side of the plate. "Here you go." she murmured, her tone flat, "Eat and be warm."

“Oh um…” Io squinted at the bowl in front of her, “It’s fine, I- I like the cold…” She prodded at the carrots, imagining the taste ‘corrupting’ the other parts of the broth. She didn’t mind potato, bacon, and the like, but vegetables were a big no in her books. 

“Mamá says stuff will look better if I squint…” she muttered under her breath, opening her mouth wide as she took in a spoonful of soup. Her eyes widened - “Ay. Dios. Mío. This is the best carrot I have tasted! It doesn’t taste nearly as bad as the one I have back at home!” Maybe her parents should stick to preparing meat…

• • • ☄️

Io slid casually in front of the person seated opposite, shifting a plate across the wooden platform. Her parents, having owned a tavern, meant she could easily access good food.. for the most part. On the tray was an assortment of food ranging from honeyed chicken to custard pudding to sticky rice; it looked mouthwatering! 

“No need to thank me,” she leaned back, a playful grin toying on her lips, “Just have a go at it first, cultured people love our food.”

However, she still eyed the other down like a vulture, watching their every reaction.. Hoping.

     Hopper gripped the edge of the table tightly. It was either the strength of his grip of the pure fear he felt, but he was trembling the minute that food was placed in front of him. It looked delicious! Too delicious. Baggy eyes darted to Io. She was just a kid, barely a teenager, how could she cook something like this? This was something he'd see from his professional chefs! That's where it had to have come from, and if she was lying about cooking this then what was stopping her from lying about it being poisoned?! Yes, it was all making sense now. Use an innocent teenager to make him believe everything was safe, only to poison him in the end and steal the crown!!

     "N-N-No thanks," stammered the prince as he nervously looked everywhere for any signs of the assassin no doubt behind it all. "I-I'm not h-h-hungry." His stomach doubled-crossed him and growled in protest. He sank in his seat with a whimper.

     The way Hopper shook as he set down the food in front of you, you'd think he was being held hostage. He might be thinking that right now too. He probably thought that if the food wasn't good enough you would strangle him to death, that's what his tearful eyes showed.

     "I-I cook a l-lot," he sniffed. Although the chefs were great and made good food, there was always that chance that someone infiltrated them to poison his food and kill him. Realizing that starving would also cause him to die, he took to learning how to cook and ended up being okay at it.
     The food in front of you looked like chicken parmesan, but was actually cauliflower!

Anaximandro smiled at the chicken parmesan on his plate. Knowing that almost none of his citizens could reach this standard of living made him feel at peace. Even better was that his dish lacked that characteristic smell of warm cheese, which he wasn’t too fond of; whatever recipe Hopper had used was the best Anaximandro had seen yet.

“There’s no need to be so nervous, young man,” Anaximandro reassured. “Yes, I have arrested people by the dozens before, but those are only the citizens who disobey me. As long as you stay in line and don’t question my greatness, everything will be fine.”

He stabbed a piece of it with his fork, noting that the food seemed stiffer than typical chicken parmesan. If this was the trade-off for a decent-smelling plate, though, he would accept it. He raised the fork to his mouth and took a bite.

…This was not chicken parmesan.

Anaximandro raised his other hand to his eyes and wept. Alas, he had fallen victim to a culinary caper, tricked into eagerly awaiting a delicious chicken parmesan dinner, just to be met with the bland taste of cauliflower. He didn’t even have the energy to call his guards to perform an arrest. He was just too heartbroken from this woeful realization to do anything.

—

Anaximandro slid a decorative glass tray filled with pink donuts towards you.

“As the patron saint of donuts, it is my duty to spread the glory of donuts around the world. I made these myself, as I am an expert at donutology. Before you ask, no, I did not force one of my servants to make these for me. Just ignore any muffled screaming you might hear from under the floor.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I hope you enjoy them.” His pink and teal eyes were weirdly fixed on you as he anticipated your response.

(Note: to help visualize the donuts, they look a bit like this)

6s caught the tray of donuts as Anaximandro slid the tray across the table. As he spoke, his tone was callous and dismissive, yet 6s shook the notion away. The sentient technology nodded after he finished speaking, and she examined the donut in her hand. Light and airy, the frosting decadent and rich. She took a small bite out of the donut, before her eyes opened in shock. 

It tasted.. much better than he anticipated. In fact, these were probably the best donuts 6s had ever tasted. She quickly began scarfing down the donut in her hand, no disregard for Anaximandro, who was still sitting in front of her. They quickly took a few more, consuming them in a similar fashion. 

6s sighed after eating the last one, before he spoke. “Excuse my manners there. These are..” She trailed, figuring how to phrase her next words, “Amazing. Please spread these around the world, and I wish you the best of luck in doing so.”

—

6s placed down a glass plate in front of you, akin to what you’d find around Christmas. Following the plate, she slid over a glass of milk. 

“Here you go, some chocolate chip cookies, and a glass of milk…”

^^ "Ooh, donuts? Sure, I could use a snack" Yoshiko said as she grabbed a donut, barely looking away from the computer screen. "wait hol up..." Forcing servants? Muffled screaming? This guy was joking, right? She cautiously took a bite, and... "Hey, this is pretty good, thanks! And uh, could you stop staring like that?" Yeah, something about his vibes were pretty sus, but at least the donuts were good.

^ "Plate of milk and cookies? What, do I look like Santa?" Yoshiko said jokingly. "But hey, I'm not complaining!" she said as she started eating a cookie. "Oh, not bad! Can't go wrong with cookies..." She took a sip of milk and gave a thumbs up as she swallowed. "Yeah, this is pretty great!"

---

Yoshiko looked around for something to serve the other person. "uuuuum... oh, how about this?" She grabbed a bag of chocolate snacks from her snack stash, along with some salty chips. "And to drink, my speciality..." She took out a glass and poured in multiple energy drinks and some Coke. "For when I have to stay up extra late. I call it "The Charger". Bone apple tea" she says with a small grin.

Lissli is someone with fine tastes. And of course she would be; she's an aristocrat, the opulent magnate overseeing an entire planet. She dines on the sweetest foods every day, throws parties every night, and wakes up every morning planning to do the same exact thing, over and over. Seeing this, though, is... not what she had been hoping. Lissli stares at the assorted snacks and offers a forced smile, wide and uncomfortable. "Oh, you're... too kind. Right from your little collection of snacks, just for me..." 

She swipes a piece of chocolate and nibbles at it, feeling a bit relieved by the sweet taste. She's tasted finer chocolates before, handmade back home, but that doesn't mean she's averse to something store-bought. Chocolate is chocolate; it's good either way. 

However, her smile falls as soon as she saw the most certainly poisonous concoction of energy drinks bubbling in the glass. It mixes into a bright, concerning color. She had never had an energy drink before. That would kill a person. Right? Like, that's enough to stop a heart. She slowly takes the glass as it's handed to her and stares it down. 

Don't drink that. Don't you dare drink that -- 

She takes a sip and slams the cup down. Another forced smile. "Really. You're too kind."

"Let's be clear: I don't cook." 

Lissli sighs as she sits across from her guest at a grand table, her cigarette swirling smoke around her. The night is still young, and she'd much rather be out partying; but a guest must be well-fed before all else, even if it meant sitting here in awkward silence until the food is ready. What was taking so long? "My chefs cook for me. I let them make the dinner plans and everything. All I do is approve them. And tonight, we're having risotto." 

Finally, the food is set before them. She stares at her guest before she eats, awaiting their response.

Oh god.  Oh god, oh god!  Mine didn't eat 'food' she couldn't.  She got horrendously sick should she consume something cooked- but her she sat, smile plastered on her face, beads of sweat rolling down her face.  She had tried insisting she wasn't hungry, but it fell on deaf ears, and now her host was looking at her expectantly.  Doe eyes darted from the food in front of her, back to Lissli, with a wobbly voice, Mine comments, "Looks good..." and yet...she wasn't grabbing her utensils to eat. 

No, she sat hands folded awkwardly in her lap, trying to think of a way out of this.  It was rude to not eat what was given to you, but even more rude to violently throw it all up- not to mention also unpleasant.  But, finally- it struck Mine, a masterful plan, fool proof even.  

Awkwardly, the disguised kitsune picked up her utensils, and somehow 'accidently' knocked her elbow into the plate, sending the hot food into her lap, "Ah-!" She jumped up, looking down at the splattered mess, "Oh- my!  I'm so clumsy- so sorry to waste food like this- I should go take care of this-" She didn't even leave time for a response, she was booking it out of place. 

Four, even though the woman didn't eat 'food' by most standards, was able to cook.  She was used to hosting clients in her home sometimes, and thus picked up cooking to better care for her guests.  She turned to her garden to gather fresh herbs, searing some chicken in a pan before it was thrown in the oven with the fresh herbs and vegetables. While it finished baking, the woman washed her hands, and cleaned up around her.

With the chicken done, Mine plates the food for her guests, and offers it to them with a smile.

Bojing coughed, his eyes watering as the spices mixed with steam hit his unguarded eyes and nostrils. 'What is that..? I've seen Sichuan food, but... That...' Before he could finish his thought, he felt a burning sensation in the back of his throat. 

"Th... Thank you for preparing dinner. I love fish," Bojing said, which wasn't a lie, "this looks great, I'm sure I'll enjoy it." He lied. 

Picking up his chopsticks, he carefully did his best to navigate the sea of peppers and chili to dig into a piece of the fish. The flesh was surprisingly soft and seemed juicy, based on the feeling of his chopsticks, though when he took a bite, everything hit him. 

The succulent texture of the fish was completely covered by an overwhelming sense of spicy. It felt like he had eaten a piece of hell itself, and Bojing could not bear to swallow it. Strategically picking up his napkin to pretend to wipe his mouth while spitting out the fish, he hoped he wouldn't come off as rude- After all, this was still food, and someone had prepared it for him. 

By now, his eyes were clearly watering, throat burning like it had never burned before, and between coughs, Bojing managed to stammer out a, "T... Thank you... For the... meal... Carmen... Regrettably, I... Have eaten already... And am... Full, but, ahem... Thank you..."

'Master... This life you gave me seems to be ending...' 

--

Still not recovered, Bojing seemed to struggle a bit as he labored in the kitchen, but brought out a few dishes. 

"Ahem... I've prepared," He coughed, before quickly adding a, "Ah, I am not sick by the way, and rest assured I wore a mask and gloves while cooking."

He brought out several dishes, a plate of fragrant, white steamed fish with fresh scallions on top, a bowl of bright red tomatoes and scrambled eggs, some green beans and garlic, a bowl of rice, and for dessert, what looked to be small tapioca pearls and chunks of taro swimming in coconut milk. 

"I've prepared Cantonese steamed fish, tomato and egg stir fry, and some garlic green bean stir fry. For dessert, there's also a bowl of taro sago for you. Please enjoy. Oh, and I chose to not add the chili to the steamed fish for... Personal preference."