Little Chefs

"So, uh, what are we making?" Asked Ryan, following Oliver into the kitchen.

"I don't know," He shrugged, opening the earthen pot half buried into the floor to see what materials they had on hand.

"Well, what do we have on hand?" Ryan asked, looking through the vegetable rack on the side, trying to find something that could be turned into something tasty, while also being healthy and light enough for a fever patient.

After a few minutes of scratching heads and bickering on what to make, they made up their mind.

"Okay, then." Ryan said, taking a scarf from Oliver and tying it over his head, to keep his hair out of the way. "Let's do this."

Oliver turned on the earthen stove in the corner, putting in more wood to keep it running for an hour. He propped a pan above the fire, droplets of water sizzling on its surface.

As the pan was heating up, he soaked some flat breads in the sweet milk Ryan had grown to love. Toasting them on the pan with some butter.

By the side, Ryan was chopping some vegetables.

Two green, plump and juicy things. Tomatoes, he decided.

'Into the bowl you go,'

One big red thing with spots resembling eyes on it. Love child of Onions and Potatoes, he decided.

'In you go, too, big fella,'

Then, he got some spices and condiments, sprinkling them in to give some flavor to the dish.

'Looking good,' He thought, giving the nice looking salad a good mixing.

Next, he brought out the big guns — eggs and cheese!

The cheese looked as it did back on Earth. Mostly because the milk did, too.

Eggs, however, were different. Being twice the size of his fist, having a pale blue color and a spotty texture.

He carefully broke the two eggs at the edge of the bowl and poured the contents in, throwing the egg shells into the bin.

Taking the grater, he grated a little cheese into the bowl. Being careful to not put too much into it, in case it hurt his mother. The perfect balance between taste and health.

Adding some ginger chili paste from a jar and some basil leaves — the same purple ones Eloise had once used to ease his pain from the ant-bite — he began mixing it in the earnest.

"You done?" Came Oliver's voice from the other corner.

"Yeah!" Ryan exclaimed, hopping over to the stove with the big bowl in hand.

Seeing a dozen perfectly golden pieces of bread, added with his vivid imagination and the old taste his taste buds still remembered, made his mouth water.

Oliver handled the stove while Ryan handed him breads prepped with the veggie and egg mix between them.

In a few minutes, the tired brothers had a fragrant set of perfectly cooked egg and cheese sandwiches.

Some of the egg and cheese mixture dripping from the side of the sandwiches, adding to their mouth-watering visage, along with the light from the stove's fire making the traces of melted butter glow on top of the properly cooked brown tops of the breads and the steam rising on top of them — made the sandwiches look heavenly.

—Gulp

The brothers gulped, taking in the aroma of their hard work.

[I wish I could eat some...] Codex commented, his voice filled with longing, looking at the deliciousness sitting on the table.

Shaking his head, Ryan asked Oliver to make some hot milk tea while he himself went to see if Tristan was done with his Heart Engine or not.

Coming out of the kitchen, Ryan saw his brother Tristan sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed and an expression of pure concentration on his face, his brows furrowed and damp with sweat.

Standing there, Ryan hesitated, his feet itching to step forward.

'Should we try?'

[I see no harm. But I recommend you just enjoy today.] Codex answered.

Ryan nodded. He wondered how his brother would look like under his meditation. But now was no time for that.

'Rather, it's not a priority.'

Turning to go back to kitchen to help Oliver carry the dinner to their mom's room, He noticed a change on Tristan's face.

'He's smiling?'

Tristan was no longer frowning, but instead, he was smiling. As if proud of whatever he was seeing with his closed eyes.

[Looks like he's done in time for dinner, after all.] Codex commented lazily.

Tristan's eyes twitched, before he opened them, seemingly reluctantly, finding Ryan staring at him.

"Have you guys had dinner yet? What time is it?" He asked, sounding quite pleased with himself, a light smile tugging at his lips.

"Ah, we were just about finished cooking. I was going to help Ollie bring it to mom's room." Ryan answered. Pointing over to the kitchen, his feet following him back to the source of the aroma.

"That's nice. I'm coming too!" Tristan exclaimed, following him back to the kitchen.

"Oh, that was quick," Oliver commented, his eyebrows rising in surprise to see Tristan finished with his Engine so quickly. His hands not stopping to pour steaming hot tea through the sieve into a jug.

Inhaling deeply with his eyes closed, Tristan asked. "Smells damn wonderful. What did you guys make?"

"Egg and cheese sandwiches. The tray might be hot for Raiyu, can you bring it to the room? I'll bring the tea." Oliver answered, snuffing out the stove's fire with the ash below it.

"Sure thing,"

After a few minutes, all of them were sitting on a bed, biting into their sandwiches and drinking tea as they listened to Tristan continue to recount the stories of his travels.

"So, how did your Heart Engine turned out?" Oliver asked excitedly when he found Tristan pausing to catch his breath.

"Very Good!" He nodded enthusiastically. "I had all the parts ready in the carriage on my way back. At home, I just had to triple check everything and then assemble it, and viola!" He chuckled.

According to the books Ryan had read at the scribe's lodge, after baptism, one usually has a week at most to complete their Heart Engines. After which, their ability to succeed in forming it falls rapidly, until your only choice remains is to attend the next year's baptism.

"Speaking of which, when are you going to form your first Rune?" Oliver asked, sipping the last sip of his tea, washing down the bread from his gullet.

"Probably tomorrow morning. Oh, right," Tristan exclaimed, straightening up and extending his palm forward, facing up. "Meet me new friend." He said, his grin spreading the widest it has ever had.

Grayish particles erupted from his chest, passing through his shirt and moving along his outstretched arm.

The particles were as if a stone was grated many times, turning into fine powder, flowing in the air without any wind.

In an instant, the weightless particles coalesced on Tristan's palm, turning into a creature they were all familiar with.

A body with eight legs and as many eyes. A spider.

But that was where the familiarity ended. The creature before their eyes was much more... unique.

Its legs were much, much thicker than a normal spider's. Its main body having a jagged pebble on its back, weighing it down, forming a creature with eight giant legs holding up the sinking main body.

"Meet, Rocky!"