Totrium

Chapter Twelve: Something New

Jacques raised an eyebrow. "You sure? What about your arm?"

Adrian moved it around with a grin. "It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm ready to do some heavy lifting again."

Andre came and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "That's great news!" he boomed. "There is quite a bit to unload, so that'll really help me get started cooking earlier."

"Well, we'll see you at the ship later then," Jacques said as Andre was leading Adrian away with his arm still around him.

"See you later, Ian!" Zuri yelled a bit too loudly as they were searching through a crate of parts.

ϟ ϟ ϟ

 

Adrian stepped out into the hallway, having finished putting away all the supplies. The sunlight from a nearby window gleamed off the beautiful orange shirt now on his body. It was paired with pine green pants and a beige sash around his waist. His hair was tied in its usual half ponytail with a green ribbon.

Sniffing the air and detecting grilled onions, he made his way to the kitchen. He poked his head in to see Andre swirling a pan over the stove while adding some spices to it. The large man spied him out of the corner of his eye and grinned.

"You're looking good!" he exclaimed, then gestured to himself. "Look, I also got myself new things and they actually fit me properly for once." He showed off a smart looking green vest over a white shirt with cuffed sleeves and loose brown pants; all of which fit him perfectly.

Adrian was so used to seeing clothes pinch the man's sides and biceps, he was impressed by the striking profile. He nodded in approval. "Must feel nice. They look great on you."

He grinned. "Never had clothes tailored for me before. Always had hand-me-downs. By the way, the food will be ready in an hour or so."

The blond stepped further into the kitchen, leaning on the small black countertop. "Can I help?"

Andre considered him. "If you want to, though, I'll warn you right now I have a very specific way of doing things."

He chuckled. "Yeah, so Zuri's told me. I'm pretty new to cooking myself, so I was hoping more to learn from you than anything else."

He blinked in surprise. "Oh?"

"If that's alright with you."

A wide smile spread over ebony lips. "I wouldn't mind taking on an apprentice. Come here. I'll show you how to caramelize the onions in a way that leaves the senses longing."

He suppressed a grin, stepping around the counter to stand by his side. "Sounds inviting."

"Trust me, when I'm in the kitchen, food is more than a necessity. Now, you want a medium flame like this and always use a wooden spoon with these kinds of pans. One scratch on my babies and you're out immediately. You understand?"

After the onions were ready, Andre moved onto cooking the meat while he directed Adrian on how to prepare the filo pastry dough.

"This process requires precision and diligence," he said. "You'll need to knead it."

"Knead?"

"Here let me show you." He stepped away from the pan for a moment to take up the dough on the floured countertop and pressed down on it with his hands. "Everyone has their own technique, but this is the one I use. You try." Adrian imitated the motion on the dough. "Put a little more elbow into it. You don't need to be so gentle. That's right."

The blond beamed with pride. "How did you learn all of this?"

Andre went back to his pan. "Taught myself mostly. I found myself in the kitchen a lot back when we were living with Jacques's parents. It was one of the few things I was allowed to do, and I've always loved it."