Scene 4 - Relaxation: Part II
Despite the minor setback with the ice cream, everyone managed to bring their share of food to the cave for "Potluck Day" which was suggested by M'gann after watching a show on TV. An array of food was placed on the table and Wally kept darting up and down the kitchen, clearly hungry by the spread.
Robin contributed potato salad, Artemis brought over sandwiches and summer rolls which her mother insisted to bring, Superboy purchased a couple of cartons of juice from the Happy Harbor supermarket, Aqualad had a box of fresh crabs from Atlantis and Wally unfortunately ate the tub of ice cream on the way to Mount Justice. Thankfully, the fridge was stocked with ice cream as M'gann went grocery shopping the day before.
M'gann and Brianna decided to make their food at the cave since beef stew and chocolate lava cake taste best when made fresh. The ingredients were laid out on the table and the team helped out with the cutting to speed up the cooking process. Brianna had to swat Wally's hand periodically as he attempted to lick the bowl of chocolate batter.
"Wally, stop it. It's unhygienic and you'll get your share later." Brianna said, a little irritated as she transferred the batter into a piping bag.
M'gann looked at the box of crabs, "How do you want to cook the crabs, Kaldur?"
The Atlantean raised an eyebrow, "Cook? We eat them like that…" Everyone looked at him with surprised expressions.
"Well Kaldur, we're not used to eating raw seafood. Do you want to try another way of eating crabs?" Brianna said and Kaldur blushed faintly, nodding.
The Martian clapped her hands, "Ooo, this would be easy. I'll just boil a pot of water and cook the crabs till they turn red."
"No sauce? My parents always make a tangy mayo dip when they eat seafood." Brianna replied as she piped the chocolate mix into the ramekins before adding on to her words, "I can make the sauce if you want to."
M'gann nodded, "Sure thing!"
The brunette got down to work as she popped the ramekins into the oven while M'gann and the others were done cutting up the ingredients for the stew. It took a while but a pot of beef stew was now simmering in the pot, the crabs were being boiled in the other and the sweet aroma of baked chocolate wafted through the cave.
Brianna threw a few condiments and sauces into a bowl for the dip. She squeezed half a lemon into the bowl and mixed it some more. "Won't that be sour?" Kaldur asked. The girl shook her head, "It won't, trust me." She spooned the sauce into individual dipping saucers and now they waited for the food to be done.
The team sat around the table as the food was finally ready. "Alright, let's dig in!" Wally said excitedly and spooned the potato salad, sandwiches and summer rolls on his plate at rapid speed.
Everyone ate heartily but no one appeared to be touching the crabs. "Hmm, do we have a crab cracker?" Brianna asked and M'gann shook her head.
"A crab cracker?" Kaldur repeated after her, slightly puzzled.
"To crack open the shells to get the meat."
The team leader smiled and took a crab, pressing down on a few weak points and the shell fell away from the meat. "That's how you do it," He took a piece of claw meat and ate it with the dip. Chewing thoughtfully, he let the new flavors burst in his mouth. "This is interesting. I have never tasted crab like this before. The sweetness and freshness of the crab is still there but the dip… it amplifies it a lot more."
"Dude, you've never tasted mayo before? It's the best condiment ever!" Kid Flash exclaimed and de-shelled his crab quickly, eating up the fresh piece of seafood. The rest followed suit and clearly enjoyed the crabs. Even Conner, who was normally expressionless, was lighting up at the taste.
Dessert came last and Brianna inverted all the ramekins onto plates, dusting the surface of the cake with cocoa powder as Artemis helped her scoop out the ice cream. "Dig in, everyone," she smiled with a little twinkle in her eye.
"Whoa!" Robin shouted as his fork sliced through the cake and the molten chocolate center oozed out. He mixed the chocolate with the ice cream and ate it. "I got to tell Al… the cook to make this. I'm sure my father would love it."
Everyone nodded in agreement and praised the brunette for ending the potluck with the best dessert imaginable. They looked at their leader as he ate the dessert eyes wide open. "Are you alright, Kaldur?" Brianna asked worriedly.
Kaldur nodded, "This is delicious. I don't like popcorn but this is one of the best surface foods I've ever eaten."
She chuckled and slapped his back lightly. "Well, you should come to the cave for meals more often. M'gann's cooking has improved tremendously and I help occasionally."
Aqualad smiled. From then on, if anyone asked what his favorite food was, he would mention chocolate lava cake.
Author's Note: Yes, I love adorkable Kaldur! =3
I'll take the opportunity to reply to my reviews. Thank you so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it. =D
To Zutara507: I have never noticed that OCs take a liking to Kaldur first but thank you for your comment!
To criticderomance: Since my account is fairly new, I'm relatively unknown to the & YJ community. Maybe you could help spread my story around? =)