Cooking Class Date

The cooking instructor was a small, short woman with medium brown hair and brilliant green eyes. She might not have a dragon, but she had something better--a professional cooking degree. She was passionate about the art and enjoyed sharing it with everyone. The bright smiles on the faces of people tasting their own food--and loving it--was what kept her going. That's why, when she saw a terrifying-looking dragon waiting next to a charming-looking boy outside, she didn't panic. Sure, the dragon was big and intimidating, but the boy was cute and seemed excited. In fact, he almost sparkled. Maybe he was single? They were about the same age. As she organized the kitchen and prepared for the cooking class, she had no idea what was coming.

Outside, Curt was dressed in a thick coat and scarf, soaking up the bright light of the midday snow shower. He didn't need glasses today, so his head accessory of choice was a simple beret to keep the snow off his hair. It was coming down in large flakes, landing gently on his clothes and melting in an instant. Would this sort of snow stick? He hoped so. Building snowmen was romantic for some people--his guides said so.

This is the stupidest idea you've ever had. At least you can blame your failure on the instructor; Maybe Vonius won't abandon you then. Grim made a deep groan, her way of saying she was annoyed and didn't want to be babysitting. Sitting out in the cold wasn't doing her skin any favors, either, and she had neglected to wear her cloth parts today.

Von wouldn't leave me unless I did something really bad, Curt replied. This won't hurt him, will it?

Debatable, came the answer. I'll allow it, but in the future when I say 'don't do it,' there will be no room for disagreement. Understood? The Rider nodded. Hopefully Vonius arrived before Grim's impatience reached its peak.

"Can I help cook today?" Monty asked from inside Vonius’s warm hood while the boy checked his phone.

"Not today, and you'll have to hang out in the coat pockets once we get inside, or maybe the hood depending on how I hang it." Grim was there, but Grim didn't look like a mouse and act like a mouse, so she could attend in person. This earned pouts from Monty, but it wasn't like he had forgotten the treats on offer. He would live.

For once, the Rider was not sporting too heavy of a coat, but he did make sure to wear a nice fluffy scarf and a hoodie with a furred hood for the dragon to hide in. Underneath, he dressed lighter than usual. There were still layers of clothing–a casual dress top with a striped tank top underneath–but the fabric was lighter and let a comforting, chill breeze through. He had gloves and a hat, but he had tucked them away, enjoying the perfectly crisp weather that reminded him of home. Even the snow felt perfect.

Monty didn't agree with the sentiment, snuggling into the hood and scarf, wanting to head inside before exposing any piece of himself to the so-called winter wonderland. Unlike his Rider, he was no fool, and he knew snow was not the type of weather to underdress in.

"Do you happen to see Curt?" Von asked Monty, looking around.

"I see this fluff and this scarf, so no." Thankfully, it only took a moment more to spot Grim, and where there was Grim, Curt would not be far behind. Waving, he headed over to the two, happy to see Curt at least. He reached for his hand and was surprised by the cold fingers. "You're so cold! Here, borrow my gloves for now, they're very warm and have a little warming feature. I added them in when I bought them."

Curt smiled and happily took the gloves. He didn't have any since they messed with his sense of touch and made using the phone annoying, but a gift from Vonius was a good omen. "Thanks, Von. These will help a lot." He smiled happily, "Though I'm not sure how long I can wear these. We're going to be cooking today." He looked the other boy up and down, suddenly growing concerned at how underdressed he was. "Don't you need the gloves a little more than me, though? Today, I think the frostbite timer is two hours...we aren't staying out that long, but what if...?" Did he have hypothermia, is that why he was dressed so light?

Taking a moment to hold and rub against Curt’s arms to warm him, Vonius was already at a comfortable temperature and was alright donating his extra things to try and warm up the freezing boy.

Curt still looked worried until he saw Monty's little ears poking out to listen. "I can just use Monty to warm my hands instead, so put your gloves back on." He pulled a walnut out of his deep pockets and held it over the rat-shaped bump in the scarf. When Monty reached out to grab it, Curt plucked him out with his cold fingers and held him tight.

Even if he is round, you can't use him as a stress ball. Curt released before causing trouble and Monty scrambled up into the warmth of his coat sleeves. He felt nausea sweep over him, but he would persevere. He had to. The relationship counted on this date.

You did that to yourself.

"Anyways, let's head inside. I want to make something nice for you two," Curt said with his normal dazzling smile.

"A shame, but fair. It’s nice out here to me." He smiled, taking Curt's hand for now so he could share his warmth since Monty wasn't going to come back out until they were inside. "I didn't have the gloves on to begin with, the scarf is for Monty as well, he doesn't share in the same mindset."

"It cold!" Called Curts sleeve. That was a problem that could be fixed.

"Yes, yes, so cold, let's head in before everyone freezes. I'm curious about the cooking class, I've only learned from the maids and chefs back at home." They were very good teachers, but there was no way he was going to pass up a date opportunity. "I can't wait to have some more quality time with you, even if it hasn't been that long at all."

Don't forget about the party, you wanted to invite them. Kaiser reminded him, before he went back to being a lazy noodle, always on watch.

I'll ask at the end, I want to focus on the date for now.

They walked into the class, where several others were lounging around and waiting for the instructor to start. Vonius took in the decently sized room and figured Curt or Grim would have a preference on where they sat. Grim had to duck to squeeze into the building, and once inside, she shuffled to the back of the room and pointed to the table furthest from the front. "This is the best place." She couldn't lounge in the middle of the room, so if she wanted to keep an eye on the two 'lovebirds,' then they needed to be back here with her. There was no way the dragon would participate. Regardless of whether her hooves would work for cooking, she wanted nothing to do with a kitchen cursed by Curt.

Monty was starting to peek out now, the cold finally outside while they were in. Curt took off his scarf and oversized coat, freeing the poor rat dragon and putting his blood pressure into a healthier set of numbers. "Alright, here we are." Underneath he was dressed quite stylishly; His pants were solid red and made from a thick wool since he couldn't quite change them. For a top he had a collared white shirt covered with a thin red jacket. Were long sleeves a bad idea for a cooking class? Maybe. He could always clean it properly later or just make a new jacket.

Feeling a slight chill as they were near a window, Vonius’s body seemed to return to normal and he regretted not layering a bit more. Something longer sleeved would have been wonderful until they returned to the winter wonderland that was the outside world. That sort of inverse layering was required for him to be comfortable.

The instructor from before looked at the two sparkling boys with curiosity. Could they be...? The blond boy might not be single, but perhaps she would witness something more dazzling today...? She smiled and clapped to draw everyone's attention. "Alright, it seems like everyone's here! I hope you're ready to make a delicious winter dessert." She pulled out an example of the finished recipe: a beautiful cake decorated with white buttercream frosting, crisscrossed green holly patterns, and finally topped with a tiny gingerbread house and its inhabitants. She took out a slice to show it was just as beautiful on the inside--the chocolate cake had a soft and fluffy texture and the inner layer was lined with raspberries. "We'll be making this from scratch. Everyone check your materials and let's begin."