[PRP] Kitchen Takeover [Jeremiah/Cass]

[demon_pachabel]

Cass had gotten way more at the bakery than she'd initially joked she would. It was like a grocery shopping trip only way worse, actually, as Cass settled everything onto the Mercer's Kitchen Table. The damage ultimately stood at: a dozen cinnamon rolls, 4 types of cookies, some sort of cream-cheese-and-raspberry-tart, and a cheesecake.

...
...

OH. And delicious flatbread for Gyro's. Good thing they hadn't forgotten that (and that Cass had been reeled in before she'd bought the entire place with her sad, hungering, stomach). As Jeremiah unpacked the rest of their bounty, Cass fussed around for containers she could safely stash away some of her sweets in for Alg to have at whenever he was ready.

"So, just to be sure - we didn't forget anything, right?"

Maybe?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah had directed Cass to store things if she wanted but most of the things would be alright until he got her home. Or, if the case really arose, he could always get her there in a blink. Literally and figuratively.

"We got everything," he chuckled, gesturing for her to go ahead and have a seat at the kitchen island while he sorted things. "Even the kind of yoghurt that won't make anyone want to not eat these gyros." Since they had been able to try it before buying. Benefits of their local world market store.

Also, as it turned out, Jeremiah was pretty good about not picking too many things up at the bakery. Mostly because if anyone was going to be making things that Algie would probably snack on, it was him. (That was why there were always fresh scones.)

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass was definitely storing things in her belly. While there were fresh scones right there, she was shoving a cinnamon roll into her face with prejudice. Mostly to silence her stomach. Also because dem rolls were good. Mmmmmmm.

"Well good. I guess our first step, once we're mostly unpacked here," we was a loose term. Jeremiah had carried more things than Cass had, after all, "I'm gonna want to prep some sliced meat. So I'll want a few lidded containers, some vinegar, and to raid your spices as needed."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Bellies are the second best storage space after the nifty hammerspace that Jeremiah had gotten. No he hadn't gotten it but em had gotten it for him because em is a compulsive role-player.

Nodding towards Cass, he gestured towards the hanging rack above the kitchen island. "Fresh herbs in containers, labeled appropriately, including when they were gathered. If it's not there ..." A whistle was made, Hellbine's name said a moment afterward.

The small white cat came padding into the kitchen with a yawn.

"You mind helping out with the cooking?" he asked his familiar. Hellbine gave a mew to the affirmative, jumping to sit primly one of the stools around the kitchen island.

"I'll get you the containers. Did you decide on a type of vinegar?" There was a selection, alright. Which was why Jeremiah was getting containers from a cabinet below before grabbing vinegar. After that he was going to get out the rest of their needed cooking supplies.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass lifted her arms up to display her shortness and hey, it isn't my fault your kitchen was made for tall people when it came to the overhead rack, before she climbed up onto a stool, balancing on her knees and starting to look through the herbs assembled. "It'll be white-wine vinegar....would paprika be up here or with the spices?" she asked, glancing around an arm towards Jeremiah as she took down a container that was labelled as 'DILL'. She hadn't seen any Rigani, though.

Settling her feet on the floor and the dill on the counter, she leaned over the island to appeal to the sweetest, fuzziest, face in the room. "Hello sweet baby, aren't you the sweetest baby~" she cooed, offering scritchy fingers to add to her obviously genuine affections. "Can you get me some Rigani?" Hey, if there was a magic herb-cat in the room, she wasn't about to settle for Oregano just yet.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"There used to be a step stool but ..." Jeremiah's lips twitched. "Between bear arms and the fact that Alg is a little light in the loafers, both of us are able to reach up there." Not that Cass did not seem to have it covered. It turned out, in the far back, in an empty jar was RIGANI but it clearly had not been used in some time.

Containers were set out for her, Jeremiah nudging towards what looked like an empty bowl with dirt. It was set aside, away from other things. "You'll need that for him. Not that he can't grow it from anything but it's less odd."

Hellbine was definitely talking back to Cass, sweet mews as he stretched and pressed his paws a couple times to the top of his stool before he pressed them to the counter. As if he was saying 'Give me work space'.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Look at that sweet kitty, Cass continued to be kitten-smitten until Jeremiah hinted her towards the container of dirt. Quietly, Cass slid the container over and settled back onto her own seat of choice (she still had a cinnamon roll to finish, after all). Still, with how much attention and keenness she had on Hellbine, it'd be a wonder how she'd respond when she found out that Jeremiah was holding out on dogs she could be bothering.

Dogs were too good for this world.

"What's the weirdest place you've gotten a Hellbine original from, then?" she asked, looking to Jeremiah curiously.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah was in the middle of getting the home rotisserie out (too many fancy kitchen gadgets - not, one could never have too many) when he paused and looked towards Cass. "Mm, skin. Like growing something from someone's hand. It was ... interesting."

To put it lightly.

"When he was kitten he would grow dodder whenever he purred, which was a little problematic given that it's particularly invasive." Also parasitic but shhhh. Cass would end up with a lapful of Hellbine if she was not careful but the cat was working so she was safe for the time being.

Paws pressing to the dirt, he nudged at it and began to purr. Very, very slowly green started to push up and appear. Hellbine kept going until there was a decent amount of rigani, fresh and ready for gathering.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Skin was nowhere on the list of answers I was expecting to that question," Cass admitted with a laugh, leaning onto the counter to watch as the feline (so itty bitty, it was wonderful) got to work with baited interested. Frankly, it was like a smaller, less involved version of the scene from Totoro - but still more interesting to watch in person than in an animated movie.

When Hellbine was done, he got the default Cass-reward for basically the task of being furry and adorable - copious amounts of cheek scritches and smooches on the top of his fuzzy little perfect head. A lot of them. Cass, remove thyself from the kitten. "Thank you sweet fuzzy prince~" she cooed finally pulling away from her feline affection assault to gently preen the rigani, but leaving the plant base itself mostly in tact.

"Are you able to use these sproutlings as a start in your garden?" she asked, looking back to Jeremiah.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"My dear Cassandra, whatever kind of places were you thinking about?" Jeremiah's lips twitched a bit more. The rotisserie was being set up, settings adjusted so that things would be ready to go when they reached that point.

Hellbine let out a mew, accepting of his praise and attention in a most regal way (which meant he did not just press himself into her hands in that cat way of demanding more).

"I have thought about it but I like working from seeds for things like this and ..." With a small jerk of his head towards Hellbine, the cat was pawing at the dirt again gently. What he had grown was now receding now that it had been gathered, as if it had never been there in the first place. Another mew escaped, paws pressing to the dirt again.

"Did he grow you enough?" Jeremiah translated.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

She tilted her head innocently, "On cat food containers, under the fridge, on someone's favorite sweater," she began to list, but trailed off purposely and simply smiled. "What sort of places did you think I meant, Dad?" Cass seemed to freeze up the moment the word slipped and shrunk up a bit, sheepishly.

She didn't correct it, though.

"Yeah, that was a perfect amount," Cass confirmed, reaching out to awared Hellbine with another scritch behind the ear as she hopped up from her seat and began moving her pile of spices over to the counter. "Okay, but Paprika. You never told me where to find it. I need some of that and then I'll get seasoning some meat." she nodded, hands on her hips.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

When Jeremiah was called Dad it was usually said with sarcasm or uncertainty or a moment of uneasiness and needing the comfort of familial bonds. Cass's offhand use of it caught him off guard in a way he did not expect. Perhaps it was because Minerva was revealed to be his sibling or because Zac was essentially gone from his sight or maybe due to the fact their eyes, while not the exact same, looked remarkably close.

Whatever it was it made him smile a bit (crookedly and happily, a rare occurrence) and chuckle as he watched her move to the counter. "Sweaters, yes, but they dried away and dispersed, there's a spot on the veranda you can tell is theirs because of the flowering moss that covers it, and then the pillows in the bay window that the piano is by." His lips twitched. "As for what other places ... Well, perhaps to leave the gutter thoughts to the gutter."

He moved as well to overlook the spices (and get out things so they could work on prep). A hand did settle on her shoulder and squeezed lightly before it dropped away as he went to get the paprika.

Hellbine curled back up on his stool, proceeding to loaf now that his services were no longer needed. Besides, he knew that if he waited, the treats would come to him. This was why he helped, of course.

"Paprika," Jeremiah said, offering it out to her, "and the rotisserie is ready once the meat is prepared. I'll start cutting up the vegetables for now and get out a few other things that will go with."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Yeah, I really don't think that's any of my business anyways. Barbie doll anatomy applies to everybody in this house as far as I'm concerned as of this moment."

She tensed briefly as his hand touched her shoulder, but she looked up at him sheepishly and smiled, relaxing after a moment. "Y'know, I'd love to someday have a house that was covered with like, climbing plants and sort of that..." Cass trailed off, a thoughtful look coming over her face, "I want a house that looks more plant than house and has a whimsical middle-of-the-forest in a fantasy movie sort of look." She paused, then added, "And I require at least 2 deer to bless my yard with their presence."

As Jeremiah retrieved Spices, Cass began to layer her two containers with their first layers of meat. She'd splashed vinegar on them by the time she was given the paprika. She began a mix of it with some of the other spices and herbs that had been collected, sprinkling it over the meat. Then the second layer began.

"Sounds good to me. This will probably take me about fifteen minutes."

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"... yes because the idea of your parents having any kind of anatomy is mind boggling and potentially disturbing," Jeremiah chuckled but left it at that. Besides, it was a spoken yet unspoken acknowledgement of his affection for Cass. Especially after that sheepish look.

"Mine is only blessed by one deer," he replied, so very amused, "and lacking in being covered in climbing vines. It was getting to that point before something decided to tear most of it up." The garden to the Mercer house was something to behold (mostly because it could reach Disney level ridiculousness).

"Having found proper Greek yoghurt helps for the sauce," he replied, working on slicing cucumbers up. "Though I think with as much as we're making, I'm going to have to stock back up on vinegar." Just because they were making so much.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Yep. Yep. Yep." Cass agreed with a similar chuckle of amusement.

"Only one deer? After I finish prepping this meat, I'm gonna go try to chase a second one into your yard to make sure it has been properly blessed," it sounded like she was joking, but this was also the girl who had decided charging headfirst into a glitch was a good idea, so it was very possible that she'd be found trying to actually chase a deer into the Mercer yard at some point. "Man, who do I need to beat up for messing up your home's mojo?"

15 minutes had a way of feeling like two with how repetitive the meat-preparing process was. Once Cass had finally layered and seasoned everything, she put the lids on top of the containers and sighed.

"These need to sit for about 20 minutes before we put them on that rotisserie. Anything I can help you with while we wait?"

azuredreams