((OOC: Continued from Post-Robbery Caffeine Fix))

By hook and by crook, they'd cast their sails. The map to the grocery store was drawn, and their destinies thrown to the foul whims of the wind. And walking. There was a whole lot of walking. To the grocery store, where Aurum could buy fish. And maybe some tasty potatoes. All for the insatiable hunger of a bonny lass from Ireland.

Because Aurum did not have a car. Yes.

It was most good the bank had been near his apartment, even better the cafe had been near the bank, and tantamount to destiny that there was a market Aurum knew of with good products within a five block radius of his apartment and the bank! It was only a shame this meant he and her would have to get exercise before they bought their cod.

He hoped she was hungry, because they'd earn this.

As they approached the market, Aurum upped his pace. They were nearly there. One last burst of speed, and he--!! Paused to open the door for Kealey. He smiled at her. "We're here."

After she entered, he followed her in. They were there. Aurum led the way to the first booth he saw, and ordered up a couple pounds of cut cod from the man at the booth. The man grabbed some fish from the patch of ice behind the glass, and took it behind the counter for cutting and weighing. A minute later, the man held out a white paper-wrapped bundle for Aurum.

Aurum turned to Kealey with a childish grin, clutching the fish in his hands. He looked at her expectantly, and told her the price.

Out of the little coffee shop they went. They were on a quest, and Aurum’s excitement over said quest was literally infectious, and Kealey found a bounce in her step that didn’t quite belong. Considering the earlier events of the day, she should have bee exhausted and mentally drained. Emotional events like the one earlier usually drained Kealey to the point of barely being able to function….Aurum’s excitement was sustaining, though, as were the emotions of all the people in the street. Then they arrived at the market. Kealey nearly ran into the door when Aurum stopped to pull it open for her, and she grinned sheepishly as she stepped through.

It was a market, in every sense of the word and Kealey smiled as she looked around at booths that could have come out of an open air space back home. It had been a long time since she’d seen anything like that. Aurum led the way and Kealey followed, basking in the emotions of the people milling around them. She hardly noticed he was buying fish, until she heard the type, then she smiled. Aurum was getting them the good stuff.

She looked at him, and realized it was expectation she was feeling from him, and again, impatience from the man behind the counter. What could they both possibly be…”Oh! Sorry, I got distracted.” she said, fishing into her purse and fishing out the proper bills and grinning back at Aurum’s grin as she handed it to the man behind the counter.

After everything was said, done, and paid for, she turned back to him, ”What’s next? Do you need batter ingredients or cooking oil?”

>>”What’s next? Do you need batter ingredients or cooking oil?”

"Beer," Aurum replied with certainty. "One bottle of brown beer. After that, some safflower oil. Then, I think we'll be set." He had most of what he needed back at his apartment, after all. No chef worth his hat neglected their seasoning rack. He still had potatoes left over from the heavy sack he'd purchased earlier that week.

Fun side note: He'd made potato soup the night prior. With some corn, some onions... all the good stuff. Real savory. Maybe they could heat some of that up and have it with the chips and fish? Fish and potato soup was a winning combination. And with some cooking magic, excess cod could turn into ingredients for chowder.

Aurum took a look around, then pointed the way to the next booth, and set off. He led Kealey through the crowd, to a booth that sold cooking oils, and picked the appropriate one out from the shelf. Again, he asked the price, and looked to Kealey.

She paid. The man held up a paper sack, and Aurum nodded. He could put the fish in that, too. Aurum shifted the package of fish into the paper sack. He held the sack under one arm, and swung his eyes to glance down the rest of the market.

He paused. "One more... but I don't think they sell beer here." They'd have to trek to a nearby liquor store.

Luckily, he knew of just the one. "Follow me."

Beer…and sunflower oil. Aurum was good. Kealey’s mouth watered at the prospect of what they were going to do. ”And vinegar…you’ve got vinegar, right?” This was getting more and more exciting by the moment, it really did seem like Aurum knew what he was doing. Maybe this day was going to turn out okay after all…which was saying something considering Kealey had already been through a hostage situation and a bank robbery.

They needed beer? That was something that Kealey hadn’t ever had in her fish and chips, at least as far as she knew. It was kind of funny, thinking about a bunch of nuns unknowingly purchasing fish and chips with beer in them for an orphanage full of children. The proprietor had probably had a great laugh about that when they’d left if the alcohol was one of the ingredients.

They bought and paid for everything else they needed for cooking the fish and chips, and Kealey grinned as they made their way out of the busy market. She’d done very well in there, no excess nerves, even after what had happened earlier in the day. It appeared they were going to walk to wherever Aurum’s apartment was, and that was fine with Kealey. Public transportation at this time of day was something she didn’t want to tackle under normal circumstances.

It was a quiet and companionable walk down the street, and it remained that way until a question sprang to Kealey’s mind, ”Where did you learn to do all this cooking? Is that what your parents have always done? Is it a family trait, or were they the first culinarily gifted?”

>> ”And vinegar…you’ve got vinegar, right?”

"Of course," Aurum replied matter-of-factly. "And lemon juice, too."

A hop, skip, and a skitter away, they found the liquor store. Aurum picked up two bottles of brown beer, and had Kealey pay. Once they were done, it was time to return home.

They'd gathered all the pieces. Now, to get to that 'X'...

The walk was quiet, starting out. Aurum held the bag of ingredients close to him as they slipped down the street. His mood was positive. They had everything they needed. Kealey was chipper. Lunch would be fantastic. He was alive.

After a while, Kealey finally said something to break up the silence.

>>”Where did you learn to do all this cooking? Is that what your parents have always done? Is it a family trait, or were they the first culinarily gifted?”

Aurum smirked. "Actually, my dad's an author. He doesn't have as much cooking skill as either my mother or I. Doesn't get much emotion from cook books, I guess... but my mom..." Aurum trailed off knowingly. "She used to work in catering. Used to fix all sorts of good snacks for my t-ball teams, too. I guess I was a momma's boy, because it inevitably rubbed off on me. The rest, as they say, 'is history'... I took up a job as one of the chefs at my mom's restaurant during my last few years of high school, and kept on there on off and through my first few years of law school." He paused, and let that hang there with a grin. After a moment, he continued. "When I got my job at Full Circle, I spread my schedule out a bit. I couldn't help out at the restaurant as much, juggling that and school, so..." He shrugged his shoulders. "What about you? I haven't asked. What is it you do?"

Kealey nodded as Aurum explained how he’d come to work in the family restaurant. It was cute. His mother had worked in the catering business. It seemed natural that his father was an author, his abilities would have lent themselves in that direction, after all. ”What section of the Full Circle should I be looking for his books in?” she asked as they walked. Her father had been a day laborer, it came as a bit of a shock to Kealey that she couldn’t remember exactly what it was he’d done…her mother had worked in a consignment shop. That was nothing positive to add to the conversation. They’d been very poor, but very happy.

Law school, though, that came as another slight surprise. Somehow the picture of Aurum in a dark suit standing up to point and shout, ‘I object!’ was difficult to call to mind. He’d said he’d been at it for several years though, so it seemed like he was well on his way to a career in law, ”What kind of law? Please don’t say tax law…I never pictured you as the layering type, but if I have to start thinking about you crunching numbers and pawing through tax tomes…my head might explode.”

He asked her what she did, and Kealey smiled over at him, wondering if he’d be as surprised as she had been, ”I’m in school too, over at FIT. I’m studying fashion design. Until then, I work in the clinic under my apartment and at the New York Public Library in the religion section. I’m kind of an expert about the stuff in a round about way.” Kealey didn’t know how round about it really was…but it sounded better than, ‘because I was almost a nun for a while.’ Wow, that seemed like another life.

>> ”What section of the Full Circle should I be looking for his books in?”

Aurum shook his head with a wry smile. "He isn't, yet. Unfortunately. He's one of the many great unknown writers of New York. He's still working on that. Right now, he just helps manage the family restaurant."

>>”What kind of law? Please don’t say tax law…"

Tax Law. Darn. Now, he wanted to say it.

>>"I never pictured you as the layering type, but if I have to start thinking about you crunching numbers and pawing through tax tomes…my head might explode.”

Aurum gave a light chuckle at the image. "All sorts, although I'm looking towards 'criminal law'." Criminal law, not Tax Law. No Kealey head-explode. "I kind of want to be a defense attorney. Help those that can't help themselves. The shield against the prosecution's sword." He brought up his right arm to pantomime the curled arm bearing the shield.

Then, she told him what she did with her days. Aurum was impressed. "Fashion design? Lord knows, I have a lot of respect for anyone that can make something pretty." He grinned. "And, 'oh'?" His interest perked at her comment about being a 'kinda expert' on religion. "What 'kinda expert'?" In lawyer talk, there were either experts, or not-so-experts. There usually weren't witnesses who were experts in a 'roundabout way'.

((OOC: Next post, I'll have us hobble over to Aurum's apartment. I'm liking the peaceful walking conversation.))

Walking had always been one of Kealey’s favorite things to do in New York City. Even though that meant more interaction with the mass of humanity that lived there than she usually liked, the architecture and urbanity of the city was almost addicting. Everything there had so much character, old buildings that looked like they could have been from a different century often stood next to buildings that could have jumped off the pages of a modern architecture magazine. Kealey noticed that as she and Aurum continued making their way towards what Kealey assumed what his apartment.

The blond smiled in relief as Aurum revealed that he was, in fact, studying to go into criminal law. What was even more interested, was the fact that he wanted to defend people against the court system. It presented a fascinating ethical dilemma, one that would not go unquestioned on this lovely walk.

”Doesn’t that mean that sometimes you’ll have to defend people who really are guilty of a crime? How are you going to handle those situations? I applaud your commitment to the judicial system, though. It takes both sides to make everything work.”

Her smiled returned quickly as Aurum complimented people who could make “pretty” things. Kealey wanted to point out that pretty was very much in the eye of the beholder, but because this really wasn’t the time or place for philosophical discussion, she just nodded her head. ”I hope I make pretty things.” she said demurely, ”It’s a far more involved process than I’d have ever known until I really got into it. I feels right though….which is saying a lot coming from me.”

Kealey winced at Aurum’s next question, apparently he’d caught onto more than she’d thought, and the blond sighed as she tried to figure out how to answer his question. Truth or little white lie? Kealey looked at Aurum as they walked and sighed, the started speaking, [color-deeppink]”Kind of an expert….because I grew up in a convent….and I very nearly became a nun.” [/color]

Kealey didn’t know why, but her cheeks were coloring slightly as she said the words. After everything that had happened since she’d moved to New York, it seemed almost wrong to claim that she’d nearly been one of the sisters, ”Over the years I learned a lot from the sisters, and though I griped and complained at the time, all those history and religion lessons are basically what got me this job, so I’m grateful.”

She waited for his response to that, then shook her head as they walked. All of that had been difficult to say, it was time to switch the focus off of her again. ”You’re turn to surprise me.”

>>”Doesn’t that mean that sometimes you’ll have to defend people who really are guilty of a crime? How are you going to handle those situations? I applaud your commitment to the judicial system, though. It takes both sides to make everything work.”

Aurum nodded. "Of course. But they're innocent, until proven guilty. My job is to make sure people remember that, and to give them a fair trial. If they're criminals, that should become apparent beyond shadow of reasonable doubt thanks to the prosecution. I'm the one who gets to bring that shadow, by exposing flaws in their logic, and contradictions in the evidence and testimonies." He was prepared to handle both scenarios. It was only by both sides upholding their duties that innocence and guilt could be be properly determined by the courts. "All I have to do is have faith in my clients, and do my best. From there, it's up to the judge or jury to decide whether I've done well enough."

Of course, he'd also offer his help to people dealing with the less-severe sides of the law... but that was far less exciting.

>>”I hope I make pretty things.” Kealey said demurely. ”It’s a far more involved process than I’d have ever known until I really got into it. I feels right though….which is saying a lot coming from me.”

Aurum nodded. "I suppose it's a little bit similar to my job, what with 'prettiness' determined by judge or jury of your peers. Maybe I'll have to check out your work sometime?" He smirked. "Once I become a lawyer full-time, I'll need a good suit."

His curiosity was met by wincing. Wincing? Wincing... that wasn't good. He walked along passively as she sighed, and swung his head to watch her reactions with interest. If it was something hard for her to confess, she really didn't have to dig too deep. Still, he'd ask it. He wanted to find out the answer.

And the answer, it seemed, was worth all sorts of good things.

"A convent." He looked her in the eye. She'd very nearly become a nun. The image of Kealey in a habit flushed through his mind as red flustered her cheeks. The innocent image, mind you. Complete with 'ruler of strictness' and angelic wings.

>>”Over the years I learned a lot from the sisters, and though I griped and complained at the time, all those history and religion lessons are basically what got me this job, so I’m grateful.”

>>”Your turn to surprise me.”

Aurum paused, and considered what would surprise her after her nun-revelation. They'd been walking a while, though, so...

"My apartment's up ahead," He swung his face to point towards the massive building on 71 Broadway. The front of the building was big, with three glass doors under three glass windows, and a revolving door to the right. It was built in traditional New York style, with pretty pillars and ornate stone decor. Aurum waved to the doorman, and they were both let in. In the entrance area, bright lights hung like flying saucers from strings. There were black leather chairs, black flower pots, and marble floors. Beside an elevator, there was the main desk.

Aurum led Kealey to that elevator, and pressed the button for his floor. After that, he turned to smile at her, slightly pleased with himself. "Just my lil apartment, with elevators and revolving doors." And common rooms with pool tables, and sun decks, and exercise rooms. He left that last part out.

After a minute or so of elevator-riding, the lift stopped. They both got out. Aurum founjd the door to his apartment, and unlocked it, letting her in.

The interior of the apartment was simple, with white painted walls, brown laminate flooring, and plenty of floor and cupboard space. A grayish couch sat in the middle of the 'living room' area, next to a black and glass coffee table covered in magazines. An easygoing television lazed its way onto the 'pedestal' on the entertainment center close by. Out the windows, one could see a nice view of the city. The kitchen area was spotlessly clean. Aurum walked over to the counter, and set the bag down. He rummaged through the cupboards, gathering the rest of cooking materials he needed. A dutch oven plopped down next to the bag.

Aurum turned towards Kealey with an honest smile. "I still can't believe you were a nun."

Aurum seemed to have everything worked out, at least logically, and Kealey didn’t push him any further. She wondered, though, would he welcome the challenge of the questions she still had to ask? What if he knew someone was guilty of something heinous. What if he was simply the better lawyer in that case and that person got let loose on the public? Kealey had seen the things that bad people could do when given the chance. It was a scary thought. Aurum made a point though, without proper defense, prosecution would be left completely unchecked. It was a heady moral dilemma, and one Kealey was glad she wasn’t the one trying to deal with it. Maybe she’d ask Aurum about it after dinner.

He pointed out that after he became a big-time lawyer, he would need a suit and Kealey hmmm’d quietly, turning her head as they walked and looking at Aurum with a professional eye. ”I don’t usually work on men, but I’m pretty sure at some point they’ll make me for school. I’m always looking for people to walk for me in student shows. Maybe if you help me out, I’ll help you out in the future.”

A comment about the convent and Kealey winced slightly again, nodding her head slowly. ”It was the only place for someone like me to go. I was raised in rural Ireland.” she left it at that, doing her best to ignore what Aurum was thinking about the revelation. Maybe that could wait until after dinner too.

Apparently they’d done a lot of walking as they spoke and as they made their way into the apartment building, Kealey tilted her head at the doorman. He seemed to be a happy sort, his round face stretched into a grin as she and Aurum went in the door, and Kealey smiled back before turning her attention to the lobby of the building.

Kealey’s new apartment was nice, probably very nice, but it was on top of a medical clinic. It lent a slightly impersonal and clinical feel to the area when people came in up the back stairs. There wasn’t a doorman and definitely nothing like the decoration here. Aurum was pleased with himself as they made it into the elevator and Kealey chuckled and shook her head as he smiled at her, ”I live in one of the apartments over the Iris Clinic. It’s a nice place, but nothing as fancy as this.”

They made their way out of the elevator, Kealey trailing slightly behind Aurum and in they went. The apartment was quite similar to the other apartments Kealey had seen that were owned by males. That thought gave her a moment of pause, she’d seen a few of those. Interesting. It had to be a pact between men that décor had to be sparse. Not that it was tacky or trite, just sparse. The view, though, the view was very nice. Kealey was a little jealous. She stopped thinking about that when he made the nun comment and smiled through slightly clenched teeth.

”I wasn’t a nun…I was almost a nun.” her smile faded slightly and she crossed her arms, ”And that seems like another life time, they thought I was meant for more than life in a rural church. Sent me out to do God’s work.”

It had been a while since Kealey had thought about that, and she shrugged slightly, ”I interpreted that loosely.” she walked past Aurum towards the kitchen, ”That fish isn’t going to cook itself.”

>> ”I don’t usually work on men, but I’m pretty sure at some point they’ll make me for school. I’m always looking for people to walk for me in student shows. Maybe if you help me out, I’ll help you out in the future.”

"Take my little spin on the cat walk? I guess I could help out..." Aurum replied wryly. It could be fun. Here's hoping she made him look good.


++"A convent."

On his mentioning of the convent, she reacted, but he missed it.

>> ”It was the only place for someone like me to go. I was raised in rural Ireland.”

He gave a good-natured shrug. "Ireland must be gorgeous, from what I've seen on television. And all the history..." And all the old castles that seemed larger than life, and torn straight from the pages of a good Holmes mystery.

As they entered the apartment, his interest was piqued. He turned his attentions to describing the apartment, though, and shot a friendly wave Frank's way.

>>”I live in one of the apartments over the Iris Clinic. It’s a nice place, but nothing as fancy as this.” Kealey commented.

"Iris Clinic? Hmm..." Aurum wasn't sure if he knew about them or not. For a moment, he racked his brain trying to recall something. Nothing came. "Who works there... the name sounds familiar..." Aurum said, after a while.

They moved to his apartment, up in the elevators, and straight to the door. He popped in, and got straight to work with pulling out pots and pans. As he worked at getting things ready, Aurum turned to smile, and make an innocent comment.

++"I still can't believe you were a nun."

'So, a nun, huh?', read the subtext.

Kealey smiled a terse smile as she replied.

>>”I wasn’t a nun…I was almost a nun.” ”And that seems like another life time, they thought I was meant for more than life in a rural church. Sent me out to do God’s work.”

"So, they got you into things you didn't really want to do, and you decided to go?" He quested. Somehow, the thought he was dealing with an ex-nun was momentarily more interesting than the fish. Though, not like a freak show. No. More like a mystery... he hated his mind for thinking it, but she didn't seem like the stereotypical 'nun type'.

She brushed past him as he was thinking. Right, the fish. Aurum gave a weak smirk.

"Maybe if we all clap our hands and make a wish?" He joked. One joke, mind you, then down to business.

Aurum moved over to the oven, and turned the dial to start it up at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If she was being pushy about the cooking, and changing the subjects, he'd just offer her up some duties. "Can you measure out a gallon of that safflower oil into the Dutch oven, and heat it over high heat until it reaches 320 degrees? There's a thermometer in the cupboard." He gestured to one cupboard in particular, then turned to grab a V-slicer from a nearby crock. "I'm going to slice the potatoes while the oven is heating up."

Aurum pulled down a whale-shaped cutting board from one of the cupboards, and got to work slicing potatoes with their skins on. After they'd been sliced, Aurum slipped them into a large bowl with cold water.He stalked over to another side of the counter, and set down a bowl for the ingredients. He gestured back towards the bowl of cold water and potatoes for Kealey.

"When the oil reaches 320 degrees, could you drain the water off the potatoes into the sink, and submerge some of them into the oil? I'll hop over there and check on them once I'm done whisking this batter... start with small batches, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until they are pale and floppy, okay?"

He looked up from his whisking of flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning, and shot her a grin. Then, he poured in the bottle of beer. After everything was thoroughly mixed and smooth, Aurum popped over to the refrigerator, and put the batter away for a bit. They'd want to refrigerate it for about 15 minutes before they used it... he moved back over to where Kealey was, to check on her.

"Here, let me help with the draining." It looked like she'd already done alright for herself with submerging the small batches of potatoes. He helped her remove them from the oil, and drain them off. They were quickly getting a good pile of potatoes for the cooling tray. He let those cool to room temperature.

When they had enough, Aurum took over with the oil sheepishly. It was time to heat it up again, to 375 degrees. He re-immersed the fries. Over the course of the next 2-3 minutes, he heated them to a nice crisp golden brown. He removed them, drained them, and set them down on the roasting rack for seasoning.

After they'd been seasoned with kosher salt, he brought them to the oven for the finishing touch.

Aurum turned his head to look back towards Kealey appreciatively. "Can you let that oil cool back down to 350 for me, and pull the corn starch down from the cupboard? It should be in the one to the left of where you found the thermometer. We'll use that for dredging the fish." She moved to set it out for him.

Aurum glanced towards the wall clock. It was just about time... the batter had been refrigerated long enough. He waited until Kealey told him the oil was at the proper temperature, busying himself by pouring out some corn starch in the meantime, then moved on to the first step in the fish's preparation.

He lightly dredged the fish in the corn starch, then moved on to the batter. Working in small batches, Aurum dipped the fish into the batter and immersed it into hot oil. Each time the batter looked set, he turned the fish over, and let them cook until they were a beautiful golden brown. He worked in small batches. Time passed quickly. Ten or so minutes later, Aurum turned to Kealey.

"Clear some space on the roasting rack," He gestured to where the fries were cooling. "Gonna drain this cod off there..."

He set the fish across the roasting rack to drain, and to cool. A few minutes later, everything was ready. Aurum turned off the oven, and checked to make sure everything was ready, and cooled or cooling for clean-up later. The recipe had gone off without a hitch. Everything looked great. He stepped over to grab the malt vinegar, and set it on the nearby eating table for them.

"Plates are in the cupboard above the sink. Silverware is in the drawer on the right of the sink. Help me set the table." He asked.

A few minutes later, the table was set. Everything was ready. Aurum looked to Kealey. "Any preference on beverages?"

”Ireland is beautiful, at least in the countryside. The cities are still very poor, though, and I stayed as far away from them as I could for most of my adult life.

That was apparently all there was to say about Ireland, but Kealey filed the topic away for later. It was always good to have a backup in case all other conversation failed.

Aurum wanted to know who worked at the Iris Clinic and Kealey shrugged her shoulders, ”I don’t know everyone. Sebastian and Garrett mostly, there’s quite a few people who live in the apartments though. Sebastian’s wife Maya, though I’ve not met her yet, and one of the brothers, Pluto I think.” Kealey paused for a moment, thinking, was that everyone? She nodded, as far as she knew, yes that was everyone.

She could feel the skeptical nature of Aurums thoughts as he spoke to her about being a nun and she tilted her head. Had she really changed so much? It hadn’t seemed like a stretch to Jacen, or many of the other people she’d met when she’d first arrived in New York. ”You’re the first person who was surprised.” she said softly. The rest of his comment went unaddressed, Kealey was still too distracted by her musings on the changes she’d gone through since coming to New York.

She moved past him, and Aurum took the hint. It was easy to throw herself into something like the cooking, and Aurum’s single-minded concentration helped even more. His directions were crisp and clear, easy to follow and Kealey found herself moving around him like they were almost dancing. It would have been amusing if she could have thought of anything else.

The hot oil from the double boiler, combined with the movement and hot burners had Kealey’s cheeks pink and she actually jumped a little bit when Aurum asked her if she had any preference of a drink. The blond blinked and looked around, they really were done with everything. When had that happened. Kealey glanced at the clock and blue eyes widened, ”Wow. That….went by fast.” she said, pushing her bangs back into the loose ponytail she’d pulled her hair into.

”Water would be wonderful.” she said simply.

"Ah, Sebastian." Aurum nodded. That was all the information he needed. "Ghost's husband. I was at their wedding. He's a nice man." Certainly dashing, with his white mane of hair and his horn. That was for certain.

And first to be surprised? "Guess I march to the beat of a different drum," Aurum replied sheepishly. "Which is surprising, because usually I'm not surprised by much."

~*~

>>”Wow. That….went by fast.”

"It always does," Aurum chimed. He turned to grab a glass, and went for the sink.

Water, it was. He dropped a few ice cubes into the glass, and set it down on the table by her plate. Then, he got himself a glass of ice water, as well.

The table was set. The food was all present and accounted for. Aurum washed up, and sat down.

"Time for the dramatic reveal. How we did." He smiled at Kealey. "Dig in."

They began to eat.

Ghost’s husband? Sebastian? Maya was the one who owned the Full Circle? The same one who Sam mentioned living at the mansion he always talked about when they were doing their consulting visits? That was interesting and Kealey was kind of surprised that she’d missed that connection. Usually she was better at things like that…at people. With as focused on herself as she’d been, it probably made sense, Kealey frowned a bit. That wasn’t what she was all about.

Aurum responded to her shock at his surprise and a smile spread across her face, he did kind of march to the beat of a different drummer, didn’t he? It was funny too, he was actually a little abashed by the admission that he wasn’t easily surprised, Kealey grinned as she made her way to the table he had set…had he done all of that while they were cooking? Kealey really did need to do a better job of paying attention when she was absorbed in a task and emotions.

On the bright side, the food looked awesome. Really awesome actually. Kealey thought and couldn’t actually remember how much of a part she’d played in the preparation, again she’d been too focused on the tasks Aurum had given her. Kealey sat and took a couple pieces of fish, followed by some of the chips they’d made. The salt and vinegar went on top, the blonde muttered a prayer, crossed herself, and dug in. The first crunch was bliss, and she almost wished she could loan Aurum her power to let him know how good his recipe was. Instead, she smiled after swallowing a mouthful.

”This is almost too good.” she said, then laughed, ”You’d better convince me they wouldn’t be this good every time, though. Otherwise, you’ll find me at your door several times a month begging for a repeat performance.”

>>”This is almost too good.” Kealey said, then laughed, ”You’d better convince me they wouldn’t be this good every time, though. Otherwise, you’ll find me at your door several times a month begging for a repeat performance.”

Aurum grinned, and speared some fish for himself. It really was good. He was glad the recipe had turned out as well as he could have hoped. "I had good help," He replied modestly. And the company certainly didn't hurt. "I certainly wouldn't turn down making this again, though." The world could always use more good food.

He turned his focus back towards eating. For a while, he ate in silence, just enjoying the food.