Initial completion: August 10, 2021
The clock struck six and it was dinner time.
Various people had already seated themselves in the dining area and began chatting with each other as they waited for their food, the delicious scent of it already sneaking its way through the hall of hungry people.
Sarah was still setting up the last remaining tables before she would return to the kitchen where her new assistant was.
He had gotten some work done for her throughout the evening, mostly preparing the vacant rooms for coming guests and general cleaning, all the while keeping himself mostly hidden from everyone.
It didn't bother her too much that he wanted to avoid being seen. His situation did seem quite dire, after all.
Currently, she had him collecting dishes and utensils from the kitchen while she prepared the tables. Once she had finished she stepped into the kitchen to bring the silverware to the dining room. But instead of getting supplies for dinner, he currently stood over the food in the kitchen, specifically eyeing the large pot on the stove.
"Did you find a fly in the food?" she asked.
Clearly caught off guard at her sudden presence, he looked away from the pot of stew like a thief caught red-handed. It reminded Sarah of all those times she discovered Jim trying to get into the cookie jar before dinner, eliciting a smirk from her.
"Eh… no, nothin's th' matter with th' food," he explained and scratched the back of his head, "… but I, uh, caught a whiff o' this here stew an' it seems in the need of just a bit o' spicin' up."
She raised an eyebrow, "Does it?"
"Nothin' much," he shrugged, "… just a pinch o' this an' that." He straightened up a tad, adding, "Mind if I give some input? I do know a t'ing or two about cookin'."
She felt a little apprehensive but directed him to her rack of spices. The cyborg wasted no time in scanning the containers and eyeing a select few, grabbing the spices and bringing them to the stove. Sarah watched as he seasoned the bubbling brew with routine and swiftness.
"Ya see, the crawton chunks in 'ere, they sometimes need a wee bit of encouragement to bring out th' flavor," he mentioned. He briefly inspected the container in his hand before adding a whopping pinch of its contents to the pot, "Nothin' a little garlic can't fix."
"I'm sure it'll help," she answered. "I don't use garlic or other traditional spices as much because most people tend to prefer a season-all since it's faster and cheaper."
He scoffed, "Ah, they don't know what good ol' fashioned ingredients can do fer 'em. Whene'er someone like that comes into my restaurant I challenge meself wit' the task of provin' 'em wrong," he said, then smirked, "Never fails."
Sarah's eyes widened, "You work in a restaurant?"
He chuckled aloud as he continued fiddling with the spices, "I be the owner of such a beaut. The Silver Fish, she's called, saddled in th' Lagoon Nebula. 'At be quite a ways from here, if me memory proves correct."
His enthusiasm caused her to smile. "I'm sure you can't wait to go back," she said.
Though she meant no harm with her words he visibly stiffened at them. "Eh… yes, it's… been a while," he said more quietly.
The conversation seemed to have suddenly vanished as two stood in silence, the only sound being the bubbling stew. Sarah briefly wondered if she unintentionally brought up some bad memories of the cyborg's time as a captive.
Quickly clearing his throat, he gave the stew a stir. Raising the ladle up he blew on it, placing his robotic hand under it should anything spill, and carefully lifting it to taste. Satisfied with the flavor, he nodded and moved his other hand to allow Sarah to taste from it herself.
Gently placing her smaller hand on his, she steadied the ladle and carefully took a tiny sip. She almost thought she felt him tense up, maybe from the anticipation of her taste test. Scrunching her face, she said, "It's not too different, but it is noticeably more robust and maybe a little more fragrant."
He blinked momentarily before quickly removing his hand and returning the utensil to the pot, sheepishly chuckling. "I didn't do much to it, ye already did a rather fine job," he admitted, earning a shy smile from her.
Glancing at the silverware on the counter she remembered what she had come in here for. "If you're done seasoning the food you should begin serving it," she told him.
He wasted no time in grabbing a dish and filling it up as she returned to the dining room, now beginning to fill up with hungry people.
As she began setting up the utensils she thought about the cyborg. He seemed to be nice enough, certainly a good cook. Maybe he could help some more with the actual cooking and take just a little weight off her workload. And she wouldn't have to worry about paying him since he was staying here for no charge.
However, she still wasn't entirely sure if she should fully trust him, as friendly and charming as he seemed.
She returned to the kitchen to find many bowls already filled and ready to serve.
He glanced at her with a smirk, "Ya might want to start servin' these lest they get cold."
Sarah quickly arranged the dishes onto a tray and went to serve the diners, the savory aroma of the food quickly filling the dining hall. Perhaps she didn't have reason to either trust or distrust this man just yet, but he did make a nice improvement with the stew.