Cooking 101 with Horace - RP with SpotBlur

   Grey clouds filled the skies, pouring a light sprinkle of rain on Riley. She was silently thankful that there was no breeze since it would’ve been freezing in the cold rain. In front of her stood the house belonging to Gary and Horace. A smile lit on her face as she remembered building it. She knocked on the door.


   “Hello?”


   The door opened, Horace walking out to greet her. “Oh, hey Riley. What’s up? Did you get caught in the rain?”


   Riley nodded. “I was at the library working on a personal research project and lost track of time. You wouldn’t mind if I stay here until the rain calms a little, right? Normally, I wouldn’t want to bother you guys, but,” she held up a few papers and books, “I forgot to bring my bag and I don’t want these to get soaked.”


   Horace opened the door a bit wider. “Not at all, come in! Gary’s out picking something up at the post office, but he should be back soon enough. In the meantime, I was just starting on dinner. Would you like to help out?”


   Hesitance clearly showed on Riley’s face as she stepped inside. “Um, are you sure that you want me to help cook?” Memories of the flaming skillet at Augustus’ house played through her mind. However, she also remembered that her partner had been someone with the same amount, or lack of, cooking skill as herself. “Are you a good cook?” Riley asked.


   Horace laughed a little sheepishly. “I like to think so, yes. Why do you ask?”


   “Well, I figure that if your cooking skills might be able to offset my, um, lack of cooking skill.” Riley gave an embarrassed chuckle as she thought about the irony of someone who was so good at brewing potions being so terrible at cooking. “Perhaps you might be able to show me a couple tips, like how not set the food on fire,” Riley said, half-joking and half-serious.


   “Sure, I can give you a few pointers.” He led her to the kitchen, where several pans and bowls were sitting out containing various foods. “Step one,” he grabbed a pot and filled it with water, “Just put some water on the stove. You can make lots of things just by boiling some water, and it’s pretty easy to do.”


   Riley nodded. “Okay, sounds simple enough.” She set her books and papers down on the counter, taking her pencil and notebook from the stack. “Step one,” Riley mumbled to herself as she jotted down a note. “Boiling... water... can make... lots of things.” She set down the pencil and paper.


   “So how long do you let it boil? I think I tend to let water boil a little too long.”


   “Once you see the bubbles become more frequent, you take the lid off and just mix in the ingredients you are using. For example…” Horace looked around the kitchen, then back at Riley. “Er, what exactly is it you want to make?”


   “Hmmm.” Riley pondered for a moment. “Well, I really like Pecha berries. Have you ever tried boiling Pecha berries?”


Horace rubbed his chin. “I have not. Well, you know what they say, no time like the present!” He dropped a few Pecha berries into the pot. “Alright, what else do we need?”


   “Well,” Riley mentally went through the list of foods that she liked. “I also like spaghetti and Oran berries. Should we add those to the pot?”


   “Sure, what harm could it do? If you only put good foods together, the result must be good too, right?” He tossed a few more things in. “Ok, now we stir it a little, let it mix just a bit, and then we throw in some spices and herbs to give it real flavor. Any in particular you’d like to use?”


   “I don’t have any favorite spices,” Riley replied. “I guess we can just add whichever ones you think taste good. Like you said, mixing good foods together can only result in one really good food.” Riley smiled and reached for the spices. “So how much do I pour into the pot? Whenever I cook, I try to add a lot, but then my food ends up tasting weird.”


   Horace laughed. “The key is to use just a pinch. Only tap a little of each one into the pot. Now, we’ll want some cinnamon, that tastes good. Oh, and some pepper to give it a kick. But to cancel out the taste, maybe garlic? I hear that can be effective.” He shrugged and poured a little of each one in.


   “Mmmm, this sounds like it’s going to be delicious,” Riley said. “Is there anything else we should add or do we just wait for it to all boil and mix?”


   “Hm, how about we throw some chocolate in? Chocolate makes everything taste better.” He tosses in a few little squares of the candy, giving the pot a few more stirs. “Alright, now we just sit back and wait.”


   Riley nodded. She loved chocolate almost as much as she loved Pecha berries. Surely combining the two in the pot would result in something tasty. She decided to chat with Horace while waiting for the food to boil.


   “So how have you and Gary been doing? Anything new with you guys?” Normally, Riley was a lot more shy around other mons, but she’d worked with Horace’s team long enough to feel more comfortable around them. Plus, Horace was one of the few mons to know about Riley’s magic. She’d felt as if she could trust him more ever since then.


   “Oh, we’re doing fine. A lot of things have been happening lately, though, and they worry me a little. I heard you tangled with Morgan in the woods not too long ago. How did that go?”


   Riley sighed, her gaze becoming slightly downcast. “Not good. Chip got hurt, so I used my magic to hold off Morgan.” She felt... relieved to be able to tell someone about her encounter with Morgan without having to create a lie on the spot. If only I’d trusted Chip. “I thought Chip didn’t see me use my magic, but...” Riley trailed off, sighing with regret as she remembered their fight.


   “So what’s been worrying you?” Riley asked in an attempt to steer the subject away from her and Chip.


   Horace sighed. “Well, mostly it’s the sickness spreading in Mosswood. Gary and I are scheduled to go over and help soon, but…” He looked down at his feet. “It kind of reminds me of my mother’s illness. The symptoms seem similar. I wonder what it is. None of the doctors seem to have any idea.”


   Riley pondered for a second as she remembered studying the illness. The way it functioned defied explanation. “My mom’s been pretty worried about it too. She’s a doctor and I’ve been helping her research it in hopes of figuring out how the disease functions.” Riley sighed. “It just doesn’t make sense, though. If we find something, anything that might help your mom, I’ll let you know.”


   “Well, it’s a bit late for her now. But, I have to ask, this disease… does it seem a little… strange to you? I think that-” A loud bang from the pot cut him off as the mixture they had been boiling burst into flames. “Oh dear, that wasn’t supposed to happen.”


   Most mons would be panicking at the sight of a flaming pot. However, Riley had years of experience with flaming pots, most of them caused by her. The ones not caused by her were caused by her father.


   “Should I go grab the fire extinguisher?” Riley asked calmly. Suddenly, a worrying realization rose to her mind. “You do have a fire extinguisher, right?” She’d grown so used to her family keeping a few for the sole purpose of when Riley would attempt cooking that she hadn’t considered the fact that Horace and Gary might not have one.


   “Yeah, about that…” He was cut off yet again by the door slamming open, Gary rushing into the kitchen. “Wh-what happened here? I was only gone for h-half an hour! Quick, s-someone grab a b-bucket!” He rushed back out, shouting “Fire! Fire!”


   Riley quickly grabbed a bucket and filled it with water before pouring it onto the flaming pot. She continued pouring water on the pot, forgetting the fact that the stove was still on.


   Whoosh! The flames rose even higher, almost touching the ceiling. Horace pulled out his Grass Whistle, hesitating before pocketing it again. “That’s not going to do me any favors here.” He muttered before grabbing a bucket and helping to pour it on the stove.


   Why won’t the fire go out? Riley thought as slight panic began to rise within her. Suddenly, she remembered her mother’s advice from when she used to try to cook. If you want to put out the fire, you should turn off the stove first.


   Riley reached to the knob and turned it, switching off the flames. The pot was still burning, but Riley was sure that a little more water could solve that problem. However, a new concern rose to her mind.


   I hope the food isn’t too burnt.


   Once the flames were finally out, Horace leaned back against the wall and sighed. “Who could have guessed that chocolate and Oran berries were so flammable?” He looked around the kitchen, scorch marks on the walls and ceiling. “Well, I suppose I ought to start cleaning this place up.”


   “I’ll help,” Riley said as she grabbed a mop. “Sorry about burning everything. I really should stick to potions when it comes to recipes.” As she began cleaning up the kitchen, a memory of something Horace had said entered her mind.


   “You asked if something about the disease seemed strange, right?” Riley leaned close to Horace, not wanting anyone else to hear what she was going to say. “The disease feels... odd to me. Not odd, like normal odd. Odd, like the kind of odd that witches can feel when they’re near each other.” Riley lowered her voice to a small whisper. “I might be wrong, but I think that the disease might be magical in origin.”


   Horace nodded. “I thought something was off about it. When my mom caught it, we thought it was a simple cold, and I ignored the bad feeling I had because it was the first time I had ever seen her sick. I figured I was just overreacting. But it wasn’t contagious, and it got worse, and nothing could cure it. Maybe…” He sighed. “Maybe only magic can cure those afflicted.”


   Nervousness ran through Riley. What if I could cure it with my magic? Copycat combined with my magic allows me to interact with magic in ways that other witches can’t. What if I could cure someone by using my magic? Yet she couldn’t help but be filled with fear at the thought of using her magic as she remembered what had happened to her years ago in the library.


   “You might be right,” Riley replied quietly. “I’m... I’m really sorry about your mom.” She wasn’t sure what to say. Although she’d lost her father, this was different. Her last memory of her father was his courageous eyes filled with love for her and her mother. Horace had to watch her slowly die.


   “Maybe... maybe my magic could…” Riley trailed off, wondering if she should really commit to saying that she’d try to use her magic on the disease. Can my magic be used for good without me losing control?


   Just then, Gary’s voice came calling from outside. “Horace! We’ve talked about this! Be careful with the stove!” Horace turned to Riley. “You better head home, or else you’ll get an earful from Gary. I’ll finish cleaning up here. Sorry I’m such a terrible teacher.”


   Riley nodded. “Don’t feel bad. You were a great teacher. I’m just not meant to be a cook.” She began gathering up her papers and books. A quick glance out the window revealed that the rain had stopped.


   “Are you sure you don’t want help cleaning up?”


   “Nah, I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve burned a kitchen either.” He winked at her. “Besides, the rain has stopped.” The two looked out the window to see that the clouds had gone away, and the sun was setting. “It’s probably about time that you get home now.”


   “Okay,” Riley said as she began heading towards the door. “Thanks for letting me stay here until the rain stopped. Hopefully we can see each other again.” She smiled softly as she stepped outside and gazed upon the setting sun. The beautiful sunsets of Tabira never failed to light a feeling of wonder and awe within her.


   “Have a good evening, Horace!” Riley called.

   “You too!” Horace waved after her until she was out of sight. Sighing, he turned back to the kitchen. “This might take a while.”