Upon entering the ship's exterior, Ky was struck instantly by the scent in the air. It wasn't an overpowering smell -that would have made her sick almost immediately- but it was sufficient to make her head spin and her eyes water slightly. Subtly, she dabbed at the small tears, lest they fall and streak her makeup. She might not be a fan of all the products that had been caked on her skin, but she wasn't about to ruin the work so soon after it had been done.
Torian noticed her wiping her eyes and frowned slightly, afraid he had gone overboard with the spices. "Too much?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Not really," she replied. "I've just never inhaled air this spicy before. I'm sure I'll be used to it in a minute or two." She stood still, breathing slowly to allow herself to acclimate to the pungent spice lingering in the air. Eventually, her head stopped spinning and her eyes stopped watering. "There. I feel much better now," she said.
"Good." Torian walked back into the galley, with Ky following closely. Once there, he looked around for something to sit on, then noticed how easily she had solved the issue by simply sitting on the ship's floor. She gave him a shrug and a sweet smile, indicating it had just felt right to her. He laughed softly, finding a small silver tray amidst all of the dishes in a storage compartment. He went to work setting out the dishes and utensils they would need to enjoy the tiingilar to its fullest. He also noticed a small orange bottle sitting by itself; picking it up, he saw it had a note attached to it.
"'Enjoy this with my compliments. Gault.'," he read. Not sure what else to do with it, he added it to the other items on the tray before bringing it over to where Kybrina was sitting. As he set it down, she looked at everything with eyes widened slightly.
"It smells really good," she said. He blushed a bit, he wasn't used to hearing compliments on his cooking. Hell, he wasn't even used to cooking for anyone other than his buddies out in the field. Having a pretty young lady as his company was a new experience for him.
"Uh, thanks," he said, feeling a bit awkward. Careful so as not to spill anything on either of them, he handed one steaming bowl to her. He watched her pick up a fork, resisting the urge to laugh as she skimmed a tiny amount from the top of the bowl.
"No, no, not like that," he said, taking the bowl and spoon from her surprised grasp. "It's not pirpaak. Can't enjoy good tiingilar if you treat it like it's been poisoned." He used the utensil to scoop up a slightly larger portion, cupping his hand beneath it to prevent spilling. "Here," he said. "Like this."
"You know I can do this myself, right?" She started to reach to take the fork from his hand. A brisk shake of his head stopped her hand in mid-air, and he leaned a bit closer to bring the fork closer to her mouth.
"Let me, please. This one time," he said softly. She dropped her hand and opened her mouth, allowing him to slide the utensil in. When he withdrew it, he watched her expression silently, not sure whether or not she enjoyed it, and unsure how he would react if she hated it. She was sitting with her eyes closed, seemingly sifting through each flavor and spice in that mouthful. After what seemed like an hour to him, she swallowed. Her eyes then opened slowly and he silently braced himself for her complaints.
Complaints that never came. Instead, she smiled. "That," she said, "Was easily the spiciest mouthful of food I've eaten in my entire life. I love it. And I'm crazy enough to want more."
He smiled, feeling the warmth of his ears reddening slightly. That surprised him, as he wasn't typically prone to blushing. Granted, he wasn't typically prone to being nervous to the point of pacing, either. "Thanks. Take that as a compliment," he said, taking a mouthful himself. He had missed Mandalorian food; since he had been traveling with Kybrina and the others there wasn't much of an opportunity for him to either cook or find it. So he would savor every bite of this, he promised himself, not knowing when his next opportunity would come.
"Hey, what's this?" Kybrina reached out and picked up the small bottle, turning it in her hands. "No label or anything, where did it come from?"
"Gault," Torian replied after swallowing his own mouthful. "Must have left it while I was changing clothes. No idea what it is, but the note he left said to enjoy it."
"Hm." She normally wouldn't try strange drinks in unmarked bottles like this. However, the spice of the food still burned her mouth slightly, and at this point she would try anything to get rid of that burn. She twisted the cap off, gave the bottle a perfunctory sniff, then took a drink from it.
Immediately, she clapped a hand over her mouth to prevent her spitting its contents out right then and there. She set the bottle down and stood as quickly as she could manage, making her way into the galley. There, she spat the liquid into the sink, feeling considerable relief from its taste. She then turned on the faucet, grabbing a nearby glass and filling it with water.
"What the hell is that stuff?" She asked, taking a long drink of water. "It tastes awful! Are you sure Gault wasn't trying to poison us or something?"
"No clue." She returned to where they were sitting just in time to watch Torian take a drink from the bottle himself. Almost instantly, he spat it right back into the container, uttering a loud curse in Mando'a once he did.
"I don't know what that meant, but I agree with the sentiment," she said, taking the bottle from his hand. She held it up to the light, examining its contents. "It's strange...it looks just like any ordinary bottle of wine," she said. "But its contents are absolutely vile. Gritty, bitter, makes my mouth tingle..."
She stopped as a thought occurred to her. "Torian," she said. "You don't think...Gault wouldn't try to use some of 'those' kind of drugs, would he?"
"Not sure I follow," Torian replied, feeling his own mouth begin to tingle a bit.
"Think about it," she replied, turning and heading back into the galley. "He was very helpful with each of us. He got Mako to go with him and give us some private time. He left what one might think was an ordinary wine bottle with dinner..." she trailed off as she noticed the slight tinge of horror his expression took on. "My thoughts exactly," she said, setting it aside. "If we didn't need him so badly, I would just as soon chain him to the ship's outer hull and go through hyperspace over him pulling this."
"Wouldn't bother. Waste of perfectly good chains," Torian teased, taking another mouthful of tiingilar.
"You're right," she replied, taking a small mouthful herself. "That plus the fact he's proven to be rather useful." They both sat quietly for a moment before Torian stood up and headed back into the galley.
"Wait. Just remembered something," he said. "Something that would go perfectly with tiingilar." He returned a moment later, carrying a large bottle of a dark beverage Kybrina remembered all too well, along with a glass for himself. "Remember this?"
Kybrina finished the water she was drinking before holding out her glass. "How could I forget Ne'tra gal?" she asked, letting him fill the glass halfway. "When I was adopted into Mandalore's clan, he and I must have finished a case worth of the stuff. Gave me one hell of a hangover the next morning, I doubt Mako was too pleased at my being so sick." She took a drink, enjoying the ale's sweet taste and how it washed away the last vestiges of the other bitter flavor.
"Glad you like it," he said, taking a long drink from his own glass. "Was saving this bottle for a special occasion. Figured dinner with a lovely lady was special enough."
She felt herself blush. "Am...am I such lovely company?" she asked, trying to sound coy.
He shrugged. "Wouldn't be here if you weren't," he replied.
She decided to try being a bit bolder with him. She picked up her fork and scooped up some of her bowl's contents. Leaning forward slightly, she held it out for him, feeling a tingle envelop her chest when he leaned forward and eagerly took it. She laughed softly before taking another mouthful herself.
"Knew I should have offered to do this sooner," he said once he had swallowed. "Never thought dinner would be this much fun."