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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 7:22:36 GMT -5
Hitoshi and Alex's quarters were nice, clean, and decorated with an obscene number of adorable throw pillows. A TV in one corner of the living room was dwarfed by several orders of magnitude by Alex's sound system, and several shelves were filled with books, CDs, and the occasional strange brass knick-knack. Portraits of the entire extended family on both sides were hung on the walls, including pictures of Xander and Aisling as far more identical-looking blob-faced infants.
And of course, there was a well-stocked kitchen. Alex led the group inside.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 28, 2009 7:33:24 GMT -5
Hitoshi headed into the kitchen, beginning to wash his hands under the sink. "Alex, you'd better not run off," he called back into the other room. "If you want blintzes, you're at least making the eggs." Hitoshi grabbed a paper towel, drying off his hands.
"Aisling, Xander, don't break anything and don't go prowling in the bedroom."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 7:58:07 GMT -5
Alex stood up from where he had plopped himself onto the couch and sighed sheepishly. "All right, I'll be in in a minute."
He smiled at his nephews before going to wash his hands and help Hitoshi.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 28, 2009 8:13:39 GMT -5
Hitoshi smiled back at Alex. "You know where the recipes are," he said simply. "I'll start the french toast if you start collecting the rest of the ingredients."
Even after all this time, Hitoshi still couldn't help but feel unbelievably content having Alex help him cook.
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 8:15:56 GMT -5
Xander flomped down in the pile of throw pillows on the couch, snatching one of the books off of the shelf and thumbing through it.
Even if the rest of the school felt like the musty old castle that it was, there was something very comfortably and homey about being in here.
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Post by Aisling Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 8:23:35 GMT -5
Aisling walked slowly around the apartment, tracing a spiral around the living room, poking around the sound system briefly before deciding to come back to it later, taking off his socks and feeling the carpet, poking through the closet and the washroom...
Ten minutes later, Aisling found himself in the kitchen, watching his uncles cook. "Can I help?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 28, 2009 8:39:16 GMT -5
Hitoshi glanced over at his nephew, pausing. Most of what was being made had to do with either raw eggs or raw meat... Still, if he was watching closely, he could probably manage to keep close enough eye on Aisling that it wouldn't be a problem.
"You can help make the filling for the blintzes, if you like," he replied. "I'm making the crepes right now." He gestured toward the open folder on the counter. "It's open to the recipe. Pay attention to the notations in the margins, because they'll save you a lot of trouble. Wash your hands and gather all your ingredients, and I'll help you from there."
He glanced back at the living room. "Xander, if you'd like to help Alex with the eggs and bacon, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 8:47:08 GMT -5
Xander shut the book and shoved it back onto the shelf, shuffling into the kitchen and peering around Alex. For a few minutes, he just watched silently.
"Can I help do the eggs?" he asked. "I make scrambled eggs all the time at home, but I can never make them fry right."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 8:53:11 GMT -5
"Absolutely," Alex smiled at the boy. "It's partly a matter of getting the pan to the right temperature- if it's too low, it'll cook funny, and if it's too high, it'll stick to the pan too much. With eggs, you're a bit lucky, because if the first one doesn't work, you'll know it quickly and can adjust for the rest of them..."
He continued on talking to Xander in a soft voice, explaining the eggs in silly amounts of detail, then asking to see Xander try one, all the time having entirely too much fun.
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Post by Aisling Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 9:01:52 GMT -5
Aisling went to the sink and washed his hands first, humming a little song under his breath to make sure of the time. He then went over to the cookbook and read all the instructions, twice, still humming. Aisling enjoyed cooking, for two reasons: first, becayse it reminded him of his uncles, and second, because a recipe felt to him a little like reading a magic ritual. Baking was even more fun, with its precise measurements and arcane chemical reactions.
As he got the ingredients out, he thought towards his classes. He was really looking forward to necromancy, and to chemistry with Tristan, and to being with Xander in English, which he usually had a lot of trouble with. Maybe the teachers here would be less mean- they always asked for interpretations but his were always wrong, he read too quietly or too loudly, he spent too much time on his handwriting and not enough on the essay.
Aisling realized he was staring into the fridge, and skittered to get the last couple of ingredients.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 28, 2009 9:19:14 GMT -5
Hitoshi slid the last crepe out of the pan onto a plate, then watched his nephew as he began assembling ingredients. Aisling seemed always lost in thought, always introspective. When he spoke, it was extremely concise. He couldn't help but be curious about what he was thinking about so often. He wasn't nearly so easy to read as Xander.
"If you put the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds, it makes it easier to work with," he commented. "Don't leave it in for too long, though. You don't want it liquid."
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 9:23:44 GMT -5
Xander nodded, listening carefully to his uncle. He carefully knocked the egg against the side of the counter, dropping the egg into the pan. He watched as the clear gel-like body of the egg started to sizzle and turn white.
"How do I know when I need to turn it?" he asked.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 9:31:25 GMT -5
"When the white turns completely opaque- when you can't see the pan at all through it- you take the spatula and-" Alex took the thing and slid it carefully under one side of the egg, then removed it slowly, a little bit of egg sticking to it- "hopefully it comes out clean. That didn't, okay. When it does, that's when you slip it under all the way and flip it over."
He handed the spatula to Xander. "It doesn't take too long, so... just a little longer."
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Post by Aisling Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 9:35:20 GMT -5
Aisling looked closely at the cream cheese container, then plopped it in the microwave and set the timer for five seconds. He took it out and began blending everything, slowly and deliberately.
"Where's Alyn?" he said offhand, barely distinguishable from Alex's happy yabbering.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 28, 2009 9:46:50 GMT -5
"Probably still asleep," he replied, watching Aisling closely. "You're welcome to try and wake her up when the food is done, if you want, but she usually doesn't want to wake up until lunch time. Make sure to get the texture nice and smooth, Aisling."
Hitoshi had made sure to set out a few extra crepes. Alyn would probably have one when she woke up -- she hadn't wanted to move out of his quarters, mostly, Hitoshi presumed, because she didn't want to have a roommate -- and he was certain that if there were any left, Alex would probably eat them before the day was over.
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 19:50:28 GMT -5
Xander slipped the spatula under the egg, attempting to flip the thing. The egg split down the middle, breaking the yolk and sending it running all over the pan.
"Shoot," he muttered.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 20:26:33 GMT -5
"Oh well," Alex said. "It takes practice. Do you want to eat that anyway or use it for more scrambled eggs?"
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 20:39:52 GMT -5
Xander shrugged. "I don't mind that much if the yolk is solid. I'll just take that one, I guess."
He scooped up the egg and dropped it onto the plate. "Can you do one again? It helps if I can see it." Xander handed the spatula back to Alex.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 28, 2009 21:58:22 GMT -5
"All right. We've got plenty of eggs, anyway, so you can have more than one if you like." Alex took the spatula and sat it on the spoonholder, then took another egg and cracked it into the middle of the pan. It slid off towards the side and then stuck, bubbling happily. After another fifteen seconds or so, Alex slid the spatula underneath and quickly flipped it over. It folded up a bit, but flipped properly. When it solidified, he flipped it over again, then picked it up and put it onto the plate.
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Post by Xander Elderton on Dec 28, 2009 23:40:12 GMT -5
Xander nodded, taking the spatula back and cracking the egg on the side of the pan. It split cleanly into the pan. Xander prodded at it, scooting it around the pan and squishing it some but finally managing to turn it without breaking the yolk.
After a few seconds, Xander turned the pan and slid the egg out onto the plate.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 29, 2009 0:32:42 GMT -5
Hitoshi stood behind Alex, leaning against the other man and watching for a moment. He wrapped his arms around Alex's waist.
"If you break the eggs closer to the pan, they keep the shape better," he said. "It keeps them smaller and rounder, which makes them easier to flip."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Dec 29, 2009 1:12:03 GMT -5
Alex squeezed Hitoshi's hand and leaned back. "That's very good, Xander. You'll be making souffle in no time."
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Post by Aisling Elderton on Dec 29, 2009 1:17:11 GMT -5
Aisling looked at the mixing bowl. Seemed smooth enough. He swirled a bit on his finger and licked it off like cookie dough.
...Yummmmm.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Dec 29, 2009 2:50:22 GMT -5
"I think that should be enough eggs."
Hitoshi glanced back at Aisling. "Alex, if you and Xander will start putting things out on plates, Aisling and I can put the blintzes together."
Hitoshi slipped the plate of crepes toward him, running his hands smoothly over them. "You don't want to put too much inside them," he said. "You might think they'd taste better, but they end up hard to close and the filling goes everywhere."
Hitoshi dropped a dollop of the filling on one side of the crepe, folding the crepe over twice into a triangle. "It's not that hard. Just try and get them symmetrical."
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Post by Aisling Elderton on Dec 29, 2009 3:27:03 GMT -5
Aisling watched his uncle make the crepe, tongue pressed between his lips. He took one crepe and lined it up very carefully, then took a very small amount of filling and plopped it on the same side of the crepe that Hitoshi had. Then, he leaned down, and, picking up one side of the crepe, folded it very carefully on a precise line.
He looked over to his uncle's crepe and examined it closely. He looked back to his crepe. "Is that right?"
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