A/N:
Dear readers,
Good morning/afternoon/evening again! I know it's early, but here is 7/16's update; since I don't think I'll have access to my comp tomorrow, here ya go! 7/17, if I get my comp back, will be "Happy Birthday."
I hope you enjoy today's reading. Comments appreciated!
I do not own or have the rights to Fire Emblem Awakening or any of the characters.
"The Outrealm? What is that?" Her husband's fingers were lightly playing with her hair, braiding them nimbly; he already had a few finished strands.
Robin scrunched her face in thought, then shrugged. "I don't know. The scene just changes."
"You don't know?" He raised an eyebrow.
"It's a dream, love!" She slapped his chest. "Do your dreams happen like it would in life? It's like a scene skip in a story or a movie. Anyway, dreams rarely make sense."
He hummed, not wanting to rile up his wife more. "What happens next?"
"Well…"
ooo
"Here we are, in this arena for cooking! These ladies and gents are vying for a date with the lovely Robin, Grandmaster and tactician to Ylisse." Robin waved at the camera that zoomed in on her, forced smile on her face. Anna, or a relative of hers, one could never tell, was standing in a red suit, smiling and facing a different camera. "Our competitors must use the ingredients in these mystery baskets and satisfy our judge's palates, or they will be CHOPPED!" Anna swung a cleaver into a cutting board, adding extra emphasis. The audience cheered.
ooo
"…It turned into a cooking competition."
"…Yes."
"…Just for a date with you."
"…Yes…" He felt the heat on her cheeks as she tried to bury her head into his chest.
"I think you've been watching too many cooking shows, love."
Her reddened face glared back at him, cheeks puffed in a sulk. "You like them too! You yelled at the TV when your favorite chef, for that episode, lost in the dessert stage."
"Of course! His appetizer and entrée were both superior to the competitor's! He made a soufflé and lost to a pain perdu!"
"In all fairness to the other chef, your favorite's soufflé failed."
"That doesn't matter! Anyone can make pain perdu! The chef took his chances and made a soufflé, yet he lost to some subpar cook! Pain perdu isn't even a dessert! It's breakfast! BREAK! FAST!"
"Well Mr. Know-It-All, what would you have made with jalapenos, chocolate milk, cherries, and a caramel apple?"
He thought for a bit, then replied, "A chocolate jalapeno cake with cherry compote, drizzled with caramel. Then, on the side, some pickled apple."
She clicked her tongue, then squished his cheeks. "Don't get cheeky, dear."
He gave his usual smile, softly pressing her cheeks together as well. He stared, she glared, but after some time, she started laughing, which led him to chuckle as well.
ooo
"However, because we have too many entrants, we'll start with an audition. Each contestant must make a dish focused around a mystery ingredient chosen by our head judge, Robin. The four with the highest scores will move onto the actual challenge. Head judge, the mystery ingredient, if you please."
Robin looked at the contestants, surprised at how many Shepherds were in the competition; there was Sully, Stahl, Vaike, Donnel, Kellam, Ricken, Gaius, Gregor, Tharja, and her son. "The mystery ingredient I chose is common, yet extremely versatile. However, it's rare that this item to be the prominent food on the plate. My mystery ingredient is…the egg!"
ooo
"An…egg?"
"An egg."
"You chose an egg?"
"I didn't choose it! My dream-self did." He stared at her, dumbfounded. "Stop it!" She grabbed her pillow, whacking him in the face. She held it over him, so she couldn't see his "are you stupid?" look, but it wasn't to the point of suffocation.
A barely audible mumble came from underneath. "An egg…"
ooo
Baskets of eggs were being placed at each cooking station. When that was finished, the host continued talking. "Now then, contestants. You will have an hour to prepare your dish. Once time is up, you must stop cooking. You may serve at any time; however, once you receive your score, you cannot remake or change your dish." The contestants nodded. "Very well! Get ready! …Three! …Two! …One! START!" A mad rush was made to the pantry.
"Now then, it's time to introduce our judges! First up…"
"What's Morgan doing?"
Anna stopped, looking at the person who spoke, glaring. "Did you have something to say, Miss Olivia?"
Realizing attention was on her, Olivia squeaked, blushing horribly and shaking her head.
"She asked, 'What's Morgan doing?'" Eyes turned to the dancer's right. Frederick, then the other judges and Anna, stared at the young Tactician. Unlike his competitors, he stood in his cooking space; arms crossed, shoulders hunched, eyes closed in thought.
"He looks like Robin, when she's analyzing." Chrom sat on Robin's right, elbow on the table, his cheek resting in his palm. The boy then stood straight up, gleam in his eyes, rushing over to the pantry. At this time, most of his competitors were already making their way back to their stations.
"I-I don't look like that when I'm planning…do I?"
"You kind of do, Robin."
"A-a bit…"
"Almost all the time when you readjust your strategy on the battlefield."
"…Damn."
"NOW THEN!" Shocking the judges, they turned to Anna. "We will introduce our judges. The first is the elegant butterfly of Ylisse, daughter of Lord Chrom and Lady Sumia. She comes from the future, to alter the events of today. Some of you in Feroxi may know her as Marth, but let us introduce you to Lady Lucina!"
The blue-haired princess, on her father's right, nodded. "I'm not an expert in the kitchen, but I will do my best to judge these dishes accordingly." Following the female lord's statement, some loud whoops and applause echoed throughout the kitchen.
"…Chrom, how did Anna know that Lucina is from the future?"
The cobalt shrugged and whispered a reply. "Best not to think too hard, Robin."
"Next up is the leader of Ylisse and the Shepherds! He defeated Plegia's Mad King Gangrel two years ago! Now leading Ylissean and Feroxi troops to stop the Valmese from invading their continent, let us welcome the current Exalt…"
"I'm not the Exalt."
"Lord," Anna's smile twitched. "Chrom!"
"Like my daughter, I'm not skilled in the kitchen; however, I will do my best to judge my men. As well, I am grateful for this opportunity." He then gave the camera his usual princely, charming smile.
ooo
"Chrom…as a…cooking judge?"
"Yes."
"And he's a ruler?"
"He is, yes."
"That…doesn't sound right."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! You're talking badly about our boss and friend, love. Is the world coming to an end?" Mock shock on her face.
"…I will concede, that maybe…maybe…he could be a ruler, being that, yes, he's the boss of our company, well respected by our co-workers, and he's doing well enough in the position; but a cooking judge? He's had fine food all his life and still doesn't know the difference between a pie and a tart; a squab and a chicken; wine and liquor!"
"I think he knows the difference between the last one, dear."
"He doesn't even know what couscous is, and he's eaten it several times. Luckily for chefs, he eats what you put in front of him, since he's not picky, but sometimes it's unforgiveable! Did you see him eating that orange the other day? Did you know it still had the peel on! The! Peel! I wanted to rip the thing out of his hands and peel it for him."
"…I'm guessing this has been bubbling in you for a while, love." She rubbed his chest, trying to soothe her husband.
"He always eats his oranges like that…He even ate a lemon, peel on, then asked, 'Why is this orange so sour?'"
"…You're joking. That must have been when he was younger, right?" Silence. "R-right?"
"…That was two years ago."
"Let's hope we never have to rely on Chrom's palate to save the world…"
"Why won't that lazy man peel his own orange!"
"Calm down, love."
ooo
"Next we have our head judge. A mysterious young woman, with no known past. Found in a field, she showed her tactical prowess, soon becoming the tactician for the country of Ylisse. She formulated the plans for the campaign against the Mad King, and is now readying to tackle the terror of Valm, let us introduce Grandmaster Robin."
"In truth, I'm not happy to be here." She grimaced at the camera. "However, since we are, I'm curious to see my comrade's cooking techniques and I hope you all can appease my appetite. The fondest luck to all of you…most of you will need it." She ended the speech with a smile, although it was a bit sinister. Although the audience applauded, there seemed to be some apprehension due to her last statement.
"Our fourth judge is a powerhouse on, and off, the battlefield. Lieutenant to the Shepherds; he has personally served House Ylisse for over twenty years. Not only a master with sword, lance, and axe; this man's perfectionism extends to daily tasks including cooking, cleaning, and keeping order in the army. Let us welcome the Great Knight, Sir Frederick."
"I am honored to have been chosen as a judge for this competition. I expect the highest quality out of all of you. I do not wish to be disappointed."
"Sir!" Echoed several voices, coming from their cooking stations.
"Very good."
"Finally we have a well-known dancer, from the Feroxi courts. Known to strengthen morale on the battlefield through her dancing, for men and women alike, this lovely lady entered the Shepherds just before the end of the Plegian War. Unbeknownst to the dancer, she has a secret fan club throughout the world; let us welcome Lady Olivia!" With the final judge, the arena erupted. Although the applause was loud, some "whoops" and whistles could be heard above the clapping.
"I-I have a fan club?" Her face crimson, she hid herself in her hands.
"Yes. Khan Basilio seems to have created it. He told the Shepherds about it, soon after you joined. Quite a few men became fans; I think Robin, Maribelle, Sumia, and Lady Lissa also became members."
"D-don't tell Olivia that!" Robin started hitting the knight's armor with her Elwind, making the brunet chuckle.
"THIS IS SO EMBARRASING!"
"Do you have anything, about the cooking contest, to say, Miss Olivia?"
She removed her hands, face still glowing; however she straightened herself and spoke clearly, like a practiced performer. "I'm honored to be here. Please treat me well." With that, she shrank again, face hidden in her hands.
A/N:
If you don't know...pain perdu is also known as French toast. I do like it...but is that really a dessert? I don't think so...