When they step into the kitchen, it is a bit like making an organized mess, grabbing sugar and apples and even dough that Shirayuki had made beforehand, and some other scattered bits. And Zen isn't quite sure how he'd gotten roped into helping to make dessert, but Shirayuki was a happy teacher anyway.
And the counter is quickly cluttered with their ingredients, as Zen starts washing the apples, as familiar as it was to wash tomatoes all that time ago with Kiki, how easy this step is and kind of soothing in its pattern.
"How do we cut the apples?" Zen may not be a chef, but he knows they can't just throw an apple that isn't cut in a dish and call it a tart.
"I'll show you." And when Zen comes over to the cutting board with an apple, Shirayuki takes the time to guide his hands and before he knows it, there is a whole sliced apple on the cutting board, and the core set aside.
And while Shirayuki finishes gathering up whatever else they need to bake with, Zen slices apples and watches her, it's always interesting to see how his friends seem to cook with ease, like it's just something they've always known. Zen does turn his gaze back to the apples, half afraid, he'll make a fool of himself if he doesn't and accidentally slice his finger off.
And besides slicing apples takes a lot of concentration when this is your first time doing so. And soon, Shirayuki's back to show him how to mix the ingredients together and make the filling for the tart.
"This almost seems too easy." Zen admits.
"It is when you're used to it, for the most part." Shirayuki shrugs, and then she sets the dish in the oven, once they've arranged the dough overtop of it.
"I'm glad that it gets easier." Zen always feels a little flustered that he isn't used to cooking and to baking when he thinks about it. Though that didn't come with his childhood training at all; Izana and his parents were far more interested in teaching Zen how to defend himself and building up his poison immunity than in teaching him how to move effortlessly around a kitchen and cook for himself.
"Yeah, that's a good thing." And sometimes it's a shock how even making a new friend outside of royalty and titles can lead to working in a kitchen with her to make something that Zen already knows will be delicious.