It was during his second winter on the ship that Seifer had learned to cook- none of the other men could cook for shit and Seifer was getting sick and tired of TV dinners that were always half-frozen. Sucking on a peas-and-potatoes-popsicle didn't hold much appeal when outside, your spit and snot froze to your face in the equivalent of one.
Through trial and error (one of the latters had given the entire crew the runs for two days), Seifer had become an decent chef, and could turn the day's extra catch into something savory and different, no matter how many times they caught it.
Typically, during the summer and fall months, the crew only spent a few days on the water, and the rest of the time, Seifer was free to do what he wanted with the long stretches of time that remained. This month, Seifer only worked two weeks, and he was looking forward to putting in some improvements on the house (namely, a new roof and plumbing that didn't back up every third flush).
He'd never had to cook as a cadet- Garden's cafeteria was more than adequate and he'd always taken higher-maintenance girlfriends like Rinoa out to eat. Now, however, he enjoyed making occasional trips to the farmer's market that opened every morning on the coast and cooking something decent as an alternative to frozen pizza.
The sun was still rising over the docks, and the activity was staring to pick up. Merchants were unloading their carts and people had set up stalls out of the hatchbacks of their trucks. Now, in early fall, boxes of corn, crates filled with ripe tomatoes, zucchinis, and lettuce, and freshly caught fish and crustaceans laid out on beds of ice lined the docks by idling trucks.
Vagrant trotting at his side, Seifer stopped at his favorite vendors' stalls and picked out a pound of clams and mussels each, as well as some tomatoes, parsley, and a loaf of fresh bread from the bakery stand. He'd make his own version of Ciopinno tonight. In addition to Rajin and Fujin, Cel would be coming over with his latest fling, and with any luck, she'd bring a hot friend.
It was a shame that Lady_Shallot couldn't be there, but there was no ignoring that Lady_Shallot was somebody real, and that somebody real happened to be Quistis Trepe.
And inviting Quistis Trepe to a meal at his house was a very, very bad idea that could only end in him losing a lot of blood.