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Post by Panda on Mar 16, 2023 21:42:00 GMT
[Initiated by Nico.]
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Post by Joker on Mar 16, 2023 22:31:17 GMT
"They say if you want to hide a tree, you'd put it in a forest." Nico said to himself, as he entered the cafeteria. "Now if the Ultimate Chef wanted to hide somewhere, surely it'd be somewhere around here?" He begins looking around the cafeteria in search of Felix.
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 16, 2023 23:16:53 GMT
Nearby, Nico would hear the sounds of... singing coming from the kitchen.
"Ohh, I just can't wait to be kiiing!~" Felix belted, seemingly very confident that no one was nearby. He had a surprisingly good voice, too, reaching the high notes of the song with ease. As he sang along to the music he had playing, he was in the midst of cooking something -- he added flour to a pot once the butter had melted, and after a minute or two, began to stream in some milk.
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Post by Joker on Mar 16, 2023 23:54:43 GMT
"Oh, that sounds like Felix, I think. I shouldn't bother him if he's singing." Nico said to himself. "I'll just come back later."
He tried to stealthily leave the cafeteria, but somehow managed to trip over his own feet in his haste to exit, causing him to hit the ground with a loud thud. "Ow..."
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 17, 2023 1:06:24 GMT
Hearing the thud, Felix immediately stopped in the middle of the verse and turned, eyes widening as he saw that he was, in fact, not alone. Nico hadn't heard that, right...?
"Y-You okay, Nico?" he asked after a moment, continuing to slowly stream milk into the pot. He wanted to help him up, but he couldn't just leave the pot alone without stirring it for too long, or else the milk would scorch or boil over.
Still, though, he couldn't just stand there. He lowered the heat, set the spoon aside, and darted over to Nico with surprising speed to offer him a hand.
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Post by Joker on Mar 17, 2023 1:36:05 GMT
Nico takes Felix's hand and pulls himself up.
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks." He smiled. "I appreciate it." He takes a second to brush any dirt off and neaten his clothes.
"You cooking something in here? Something smells good."
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 17, 2023 3:37:32 GMT
Once he pulled Nico up, Felix quickly rushed back to the pot. Despite his clear rush, he didn't stumble over himself at all -- he was shockingly light on his feet.
"N-Not a problem," he said in response as he began to stir the mixture. "And yeah, um, I'm making some mac and cheese. Just making the sauce now, then onto the breadcrumb topping -- the pasta is already done. It's a simple dish, but... it's my favorite. Comfort food, I guess. For, y'know... the situation we're in."
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Post by Joker on Mar 17, 2023 21:39:42 GMT
"Oh, sorry!" Nico said, following Felix so he didn't have to yell. He stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. "I hope your food didn't burn because you were helping me up."
"Mac and cheese though, huh? Not exactly what I'd imagine a professional chef cooking, but you can't beat comfort food!"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 17, 2023 22:12:48 GMT
"N-No, no, it's fine, really! I can afford to leave it be for a few seconds. But, uh, definitely not much longer."
Felix nodded, turning the heat a bit lower as he began to stir the milk in with the roux, the combination beginning to thicken into a sauce.
"Fair enough, b-but hey, I like it," he meekly chuckled. "I mean, I've cooked way fancier things than this for sure. Filet mignon, glazed pork chops, beef wellington... Those are good, but sometimes, it's nice to just to back to simple comforts. ... Then again, um, I am gonna jazz the mac and cheese up a bit. Add a lot of herbs and spices and such to really bring the flavors out, and bake it for good measure. The cheese will melt on top, and the breadcrumb and bacon topping will give it that nice crunch to contrast that rich creaminess."
Felix paused for a moment, then cleared his throat.
"S-Sorry, I ramble on a lot about food. Hard to believe I've only been cooking for three years..." he noted to himself.
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Post by Joker on Mar 18, 2023 0:37:59 GMT
"There's nothing wrong with liking it! Sorry if I gave you that impression. You'd have to be crazy to hate mac and cheese." Nico chuckles.
"And you don't have to apologize." He continued. "Only three years though, huh? That's around the time I started my speleology work. Guess we're the same in that regard."
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 18, 2023 8:18:12 GMT
"Heheh, or lactose intolerant. Thankfully, I'm neither," Felix said with a little grin. "Oh, really? It's awesome that you've managed to become an ultimate in that amount of time! I-I was just lucky to have such a good teacher that got me into cooking to begin with."
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Post by Joker on Mar 18, 2023 20:21:38 GMT
"Don't sell yourself short! You're an Ultimate too." Nico smiled. "So that means you're just as awesome!"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 18, 2023 21:38:30 GMT
"Oh, um... t-thank you," Felix replied, his cheeks flushing red a little. "So, uh, wh-what got you into being a speleologist anyway, if you don't mind my asking?"
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Post by Joker on Mar 18, 2023 22:55:51 GMT
"You're welcome!" Nico replied.
"The place where I moved too when I was younger didn't have a lot to do, but there were a lot of caves." He answered. "I use to explore them with my best friend all the time as a kid, but it wasn't until I got older that I started my speleology work."
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 19, 2023 0:51:40 GMT
"Really? That's neat," Felix said. "Exploring caves sounds kinda scary, s-so I can imagine that you and your friend were pretty brave to explore the unknown like that. Did you guys find anything interesting during your, uh, expeditions?"
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Post by Joker on Mar 19, 2023 2:26:26 GMT
"It was pretty scary at first." Nico admitted. "But my friend had been exploring them for years before I moved there, so it wasn't that bad. It was kind of like having my own personal tour guide."
"I'd love to say we found some treasure, or a dragon, or something cool like that, but unfortunately we didn't. It was fun at least!"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 19, 2023 7:42:38 GMT
Now that the sauce had thickened up quite nicely, Felix began to add some spices -- salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, and just a tiny bit of cayenne pepper. He began to whisk those into the sauce, turning the white mixture into a more orange-ish color.
"Oh, um, yeah, in that case I can definitely see it being fun! Exploring with someone who has experience would definitely make things easier, I imagine."
He let out a little chuckle.
"Heheh, f-finding treasure or a dragon would make for one heck of a story though, huh? ... Provided the dragon was friendly and didn't eat or burn you."
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Post by Joker on Mar 19, 2023 15:40:17 GMT
Nico's mouth almost began to water at the sight and smell of the food.
"Yeah! And who knows, if demons are real, then dragons could be real after all!" Nico said. "So it's not out of the realm of possibility." He laughs.
"What about your talent? What made you take up cooking, if you don't mind me asking?"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 19, 2023 20:23:47 GMT
Felix chuckled. "I-I'd sure love to meet one! Preferably a friendly one, of course."
At Nico's question, he thought for a moment, then shrugged.
"I-If I'm being honest, uh, I was taken in a few years back by Claude and Thea Nadeau. I never knew my mother, and my father... he was a piece of work. Dunno where he is now, though. We may not be related by blood, but they're my parents. A-And they run a restaurant, so one day, I wanted to see how to make their various recipes. Turns out, I-I was pretty good at it, heheh."
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Post by Joker on Mar 20, 2023 2:51:39 GMT
"You must be pretty darn good if you're an Ultimate now!" Nico said.
"Does your family's restaurant specialize in French food or something? Nadeau is a French name, right?"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 20, 2023 5:05:07 GMT
Felix's cheeks flushed a rosy red yet again, and a nervous chuckle escaped him. "T-Thanks."
In response to Nico's question, he shrugged.
"They serve just about anything, really. Dishes from all across the globe, cooked right there in their kitchen! Buuut we are pretty famous for our bakery in particular. I-I don't say this lightly, but our signature honey butter croissants are the best thing I've ever eaten. And as a chef, I've eaten a lot. They're something else."
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Post by Joker on Mar 20, 2023 16:02:16 GMT
“Alright, you’ve convinced me!” Nico suddenly exclaims. “When we get out of here, I’m visiting your family’s restaurant! And that’s a promise!”
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 21, 2023 1:38:00 GMT
"I-I'll treat you to anything on the menu, on me!" Felix replied. "I just hope we somehow get out of here soon, though..."
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Post by Joker on Mar 21, 2023 2:44:49 GMT
"We will!" Nico said, optimistically. "We just have to remain positive!"
Suddenly, Nico's stomach growled, causing him to blush a bit from embarrassment. He laughs at himself, trying to play it off. "All the talk of food got me hungry..."
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 23, 2023 3:01:19 GMT
"Yeah... Just wish it was easier said than done," Felix said with a pained smile. At the mention of food, though, he perked up a bit.
"Y-You're more than welcome to have some mac and cheese! I made quite a bit, and I doubt I'm gonna eat it all. Though I still gotta make the breadcrumb topping and then bake it for about twenty minutes... think you can wait that long?"
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Post by Joker on Mar 23, 2023 5:22:00 GMT
"That'd be great if you don't mind, thanks!" Nico said. "I'll try to find some way to repay the favor. And I don't mind waiting, I've been having a lot of fun talking with you." He smiled.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 23, 2023 23:13:08 GMT
Felix sheepishly chuckled. "W-Well, um, the feeling's mutual! As for how to help... um, i-if you don't mind, could you start mixing in the cheese to the sauce? Just add it a little bit at a time just so it all melts evenly."
On the countertop nearby were two plates stacked with various cheeses, all different tastes, textures, and colors. One plate was noticably smaller than the other.
"Um, d-don't use the smaller plate, though. That's for the topping once it's in the baking tray."
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Post by Joker on Mar 24, 2023 0:37:43 GMT
"Leave it to me!" Nico said, giving Felix a mock salute. He laughs as he gets to work, and begins diligently following the chef's instructions.
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Post by Collin1002 on Mar 25, 2023 2:31:19 GMT
It took a little bit, but the two made progress. After a few more minutes, the sauce was finished, and Felix proceeded to pour both it and the pasta into the awaiting baking pan, which was lubed up with butter. He then sprinkled the remaining shredded cheese on top, and proceeded to top that with a breadcrumb and bacon mixture. Once everything was in place, the only thing to do was to put it into the oven, which he promptly did and then set the timer.
"Whew... t-thank you for the help, Nico!"
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Post by Panda on Mar 25, 2023 17:25:44 GMT
[This FTE is now permanent!]
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