AN: haha I giggled all the way through writing this lol... hope you like it.
Taste Test
"I didn't know you liked baking." Asbel commented from his seat.
"I don't; I'm just doing it because the cooks made the procedure sound terribly difficult, so I wanted to try it - as a challenge to myself." Asbel chuckled at her explanation; only she had the energy to randomly do something for the difficulty of it. She was of course referring to a baking "experiment" from earlier in the day: making Pahklisev. Pahklisev was a sort of cookie-pastry, mildy sweet and made only in the Valley; the highest quality creations would be marked by a light, airy outer crust, smooth but not soggy inner layers, and a tart filling of berries and fruits that pervaded (but did not overpower) your palette... It was an art that could easily take years to master. But Nausicaa was the type of person to try it anyway, just to see if she might actually possess some aptitude for it.
It turned out to be quite an enjoyable and rewarding experiment - for when did lab procedures and scientific experiments ever give you something edible in return? In the kitchen she moved with organization and speed, keeping her work area clean just as she would her lab bench. At the end of the three-hour-long undertaking she had several batches of bite-sized, adorable looking Pahklisevs, sitting on the counter. They weren't professional, but looked decent enough, so she decided to show her results to Asbel. At the moment she sat on the ledge of his chair, one hand cupping several of her baked creations for him to try.
"Close your eyes, so you depend only on taste." He frowned at her request, but obligued.
"Here's the first one." She spoke as she carefully popped the pastry into his mouth. With a smile she watched him happily devour her handiwork.
"Good?" She piped up after he had time to analyze the textures and flavors. He tilted his head, trying to compare her Pahklisevs to the ones he had tasted from the kitchen. It was pretty darn similar, but certain elements were missing...
"Not bad." He declared.
"I agree it's not the best, so I made a second batch." She announced, holding another in her fingers while Asbel shut his eyes again in preparation for another sample. In the second attempt she had tweaked some of the proportions of fruit to flour, amongst other things. The cookie had a delightful crunch, and Asbel savored the floral notes wafting through his senses long after the confection had been swallowed.
"This one's got more flavor..." And Nausicaa hummed in agreement. Just then an scrumptiously naughty idea popped into her head.
"One last one." She uttered quickly before he could open his eyes, even though her hand was now empty. Instead of giving him another food item however, she smoothly slid her lips over his for a warm kiss that lasted barely more than a second - not long enough to turn into a grossly passionate embrace, but still capable of leaving a sweet, slightly romantic aftertaste hanging in the air. When she drew away she watched the corners of his lips curl up in pleasant surprise. Her hand that had steadied his head now strayed over to brush away slight crumbs from the corner of his mouth, and with a mischevious smile she patiently awaited his verdict. He slid his eyes open to send her a reprimanding look, but Nausicaa could tell he was quite impressed.
"The best." He finally admitted in a throaty voice, while Nausicaa chuckled rather seductively. She was more delighted to hear this comment than the rest of his critiques about her actual pastries.
"Baking's not the only thing I'm good at." She hinted in a tantalizing tone.
"I noticed." He replied, eyeing her lips covetously for a second helping.
Please don't judge! Haha these scenes just pop into my head like I'm watching a movie, and then I have to write them out...Cheesy I knoooow. But good fun to write (and read I hope)!