Chapter 2 - Stew for the Soul

Bringing Sara's POV into the chapter. Also by an ironic twist, I am currently sick! xD


Jaal's call had been enlightening, but the resistance leader was still flabbergasted by how Ryder had sauntered right into his house with such ease! Indeed this flu was making Evfra lose his touch!

A low musical humming caught the angaran's attention and he peered again into the kitchen to find that Ryder had a large pot set on the fiery stove. The young woman was humming an unfamiliar song as she tossed and poured ingredients into the sizzling basin. Ryder then began to stir the contents of the pot in time with the tune she played.

Evfra was momentarily entranced by the scene in front of him for there was an alien cooking in his kitchen! Well, the Kett never cooked Evfra a nice meal, neither did they hum merrily with their heads bobbing in rhythm.

A sudden urge to blow his nose caused the spell to break as Evfra quickly ducked back into the hallway, trying to quietly use his handkerchief without making a loud honking noise that would disrupt Ryder. However, the young woman must have heard him as her humming had stopped.

Carefully, the angaran cleared his throat and entered the kitchen. "So," Evfra began in a slightly hoarse voice. The leader felt as if he was trespassing into uncharted territory, even though it was his kitchen. "What are you up to Pathfinder?" Evfra questioned as he drew close enough to take a peek into the pot.

The bubbling saucy concoction looked normal enough and there was a familiarity in the fragrance that wafted up to his stuffy nose. For a moment Evfra was confused as to why he felt so apprehensive, until he became acutely aware of how close Ryder was to him.

"I'm cooking a stew from a recipe Jaal gave me," Sara simply replied without showing any sign of discomfort at his closeness, nor awareness of how his bioelectric field was inching towards her, seemingly of its own accord. Evfra frowned as he sucked back his field so that it was snug against his form. 'Just sick for a few hours and the damn field has developed a mind of its own; it would not bode well for me to shock the Pathfinder!' A low growl escaped from him, causing Ryder to give the angaran a curious sideways glance.

Evfra's posture went rigid as he tried to mold his facial expression to a neutral one at her questioning gaze. Quickly the angaran cleared his throat again and asked, "Do you need any help?"

Sara paused her stirring to turn fully towards Evfra and gave him an appraising gaze. He actually looked worse now than he had upon opening the door. Evfra's nose looked red and irritated, yet the resistance leader still inquired if she needed assistance. Quite the polite host, who would've known! And the fact that the grouchy angaran had not booted her out of his abode was a miracle in itself. The young woman's plan was off to a good start and she beamed up at him with a bright smile. "None at all. Go rest and I'll let you know when the stew is done."

Evfra remained silent and still as he just blinked back at Ryder. That smile made him feel...odd, as if he had just missed a step on a staircase. Plus the angaran didn't know how to respond to her dismissal. Evfra was a General, he gave dismissals, not received them, and he felt an instinctual urge to remind the young woman of this fact; that he was the dominant one here.

The resistance leader cleared his throat purposefully, "Are you sure? The flame seems to be set too high for a stew. You appear to be over stirring, and should consider adding more salt," the angaran paused thoughtfully before he continued in his low rumbling aussie accented voice, "Is this your first time cooking?"

Sara's smile slowly thinned as her eyes narrowed dangerously over the course of the gruff angaran's questioning. Finally even Evfra's muddled angaran mind realized that his 'General' approach may have been a tad bit much.

"Out!" Sara commanded as she brandished the sodden ladle sending droplets of stew about.

"And now you're getting food on the floor!" Evfra grunted all the while feeling quite affronted at the young woman's reaction.

"There will be more than just food on the floor if you don't get out!" Sara threatened as she whipped around the wooden ladle as if it were a Firaan.

Evfra's bioelectric field rebuked with a few voltaic crackles in the air, but the angaran quickly extinguished it as he slowly backed away with a glare. It was his skkuting kitchen afterall! Now Evfra was really unable to relax! Dabbing at his sniffling nose, the leader paced up and down the hall, sneaking surreptitious glances back into the kitchen. 'Just making sure the Pathfinder doesn't burn down my house,' Evfra reasoned. Though he did feel a little pang of regret upon realizing Ryder did not resume her merry humming.

'Really now, and just when things were looking up,' Sara huffed as she resumed stirring the pot, a bit roughly at first until she caught herself.

["Sara, you did expect for Mr. Tershaav's behavior to be worse due to his current ailment," SAM's crisp voice zinged in her head.]

'I know SAM. It's just that…' Sara paused, for how does she explain her feelings to SAM when she's still unsure herself. 'I just want us to continue the trajectory we have been on so far.' Though to what end she couldn't fathom; for them to become trusted colleagues, maybe even amicable friends? Even friendship seemed like a reach for the resistance leader. 'Stupid silly heart, why do you do somersaults every time Evfra makes the slightest compliment...and in that rough aussie accent to boot!' Sara gave the stew a few rough stirs. When the leader once said she was bold and a little arrogant like him, Sara was sure her heart skipped a beat. 'Ugh! Maybe I have some undiagnosed heart condition?'

["Negative Sara, you do not have any aberrant heart conditions," SAM instantly remarked.]

'Thanks SAM,' the young woman sighed wistfully into the palm of her other hand. The stew bubbled angrily at her. 'Okay...maybe the heat is a tad high.' The young woman pouted before bringing Jaal's recipe up on her omnitool.

Evfra was about to sneak another peek into the kitchen when Ryder leaned into the hallway. "Food is ready!" The young woman cheered, and the angaran was relieved to see that she no longer brandished the ladle. Still, the angaran cautiously made his was through the kitchen as he watched Sara set up one side of the wooden table. The young woman turned and beckoned him over with her usual playful smile, and it became more amused at his cautious approach.

Realizing this, Evfra pursed his lips, straightened his posture, and strode confidently forward before taking the seat the human had offered. His molten blue eyes then peered down at the steaming bowl of rich stew before him. Steam delicately rose into the air, lifting forth an enticing fragrance to tantalize his nose. Evfra paused, taken by surprise by how famished he was. Usually the leader was so inundated with work that he barely gave his body a second thought.

On the opposite end, Sara was sitting at the edge of her seat. Underneath the table, her fingers were criss-crossed in hopeful anticipation. The young woman was a decent cook...or at least no one complained about her food when it was her turn on kitchen duty, though Jaal always kept to his nutrient pastes. And, it was her first time cooking an angaran dish. From what has been researched so far, the taste buds of the angara were not as sensitive than humans.

["You followed Mr. Ama Darav's recipe. There should be no displeasure as Mr. Tershaav is Angaran." SAM politely remarked.]

'Yeah, it doesn't always work that way SAM. I'm sure taste varies even among the Angara,' the young woman replied. On realizing that Evfra was cautiously sniffing the stew, Sara couldn't contain herself any longer as she stated, "I didn't poison the food you know."

Evfra opened his mouth for a retort, but his ravenous belly answered for him, causing Sara to snicker.

Huffing loudly the angaran took a bite...it was good, a little under salted, but other than that the spices were just the right balance and the vegetables were cooked to the right degree of softness. Evfra was unaware that his eyes closed as he let out a deep sigh in content. It had been a long time since the leader had a real home cooked meal, and it was apparently much needed by his burdened body.

His eyes fluttered open to focus upon Ryder, who, he realized was avidly watching him, causing the angaran to become hyper aware of everything. Suddenly Evfra wasn't sure how to properly eat, and wondered if he was making noises while he ate, or if he appeared unsightly as he did so, wait was he using the correct utensil? The angaran quickly peeked down to check, then paused when he realized the ridiculousness of his sudden feelings. He was skkuting General Evfra de Tershaav, leader of the Angaran Resistance after all! He looked back up at see that Ryder looked eagerly back at him with her many fingered hands now cradling her chin as her elbows leaned against the table.

"So?" Sara inquired with eager anticipation.

"It's edible," Evfra grunted as he looked away.

"Oh," Sara replied with a slight droop, though she still gave a small smile. 'Well, at least he doesn't outright hate it and didn't spit it out, right?'

The glum tone in Ryder's voice was something new to Evfra and he quickly looked back at the young woman, who was now greatly interested in her many fingered hands. Even with her being human, the leader could tell that Ryder was disappointed, and he recalled as the she had painstakingly chopped up all those vegetables. "It...it's good," the angaran added in a quieter, softer tone as he took in another large mouthful, as if to emphasize his remark.

Sara's doe eyes widened, before a mischievous gleam danced within them. "Praise from General de Tershaav, a rare treat indeed," the young woman gasped in mock adoration as she placed her hands upon her chest.

An amused snort escaped the gruff angaran before he busied himself with the warm wholesome stew. After a few more spoonfuls, Evfra peered back at the unusually quiet human across the table, and noted that Ryder had not grabbed a bowl of stew. Instead the young woman munched away on a nutrient bar. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked out upon the view of Aya. Ryder wore the same wistful look Evfra had noticed her wear many times while on Aya. Not that he'd been watching her. Well, he had been watching her, warily, in anticipation that she would make her true intentions known. Yet all she ever did was gaze out upon the lush landscape and sigh longingly.

Evfra began to wonder if Ryder had that expression while on other planets? What about Havarl and Voeld? Or was Aya special to her?

'I hope so.'

Evfra gave a little cough in response to whichever neuron had sparked that thought. Surely what that little neuron meant was in respect to the feeling of pride for the world he worked hard to protect, and nothing more.

As if feeling his molten blue eyes upon her, Sara glanced back only to catch a glimpse of a contemplative expression upon the angaran's usually gruff demeanor. Evfra's eyes quickly dropped down to his soup as if the medley was the most interesting thing in all of Aya. Had she caught General Tershaav flat out studying her? It made her cheeks warm as she smiled down at the empty nutrient wrapper. Actually, she felt more than just her cheeks blush, for a warm slightly tickling sensation crept over her body, making goosebumps form upon her skin, and the little hairs on the back of her neck lifted in response.

Meanwhile Evfra had felt the young woman's gaze upon him, and this time the angaran felt embarrassed as he had been caught undeniably staring at Ryder. 'Skkut it!' The sooner he got over this damnable flu, the sooner he would have everything back under control...

"Oh whoa," Ryder whispered in amazement, causing Evfra's gaze to snap back up at her. He nearly dropped his spoon into the bowl as he watched Ryder's hair stand on end, her 'ponytail' sticking straight up. The angaran had never seen anything like it and quickly realized that his bioelectric field was the culprit! His field had surreptitiously crept over to the young woman, enveloping her in gentle waves of energy. Hastily, Evfra reeled it back in, causing Ryder's hair to instantly fall.

Sara let out a small gasp when the pleasant sensation was suddenly yanked away, leaving an odd emptiness in its wake. 'Wow, well that was surreal,' she thought as she smoothed her hair over.

["You were feeling the effects of an Angaran bioelectric field at minimal levels." SAM helpfully informed.]

"Wait, that was you?" Sara blurted out at Evfra as her mouth hung open in utter bewilderment.

"I...well...it was a slip up," Evfra stumbled to explain before quickly grumbling, "This flu has me out of sorts." He then silenced himself with another spoonful of stew lest he blurted out something embarrassing.

"It was, kinda fun," Sara admitted shyly as she rubbed her hands together. The goosebumps had abated, but the tips of her fingers and toes lightly tingled.

The angaran snorted incredulously into his empty bowl. A darker hue of blue had spread across the angaran's head and neck as Evfra slowly looked back up at her with glassy eyes. Sara's own eyes widened in surprise. Was General Tershaav blushing?

Turns out he was having a very high fever...


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