The Black & White Saga

Chapter 16 - Preparations (3)

“Are you sure you don’t want either me or Sam to come with you?” Nebula asked after a pause.  She was cutting the potatoes and carrots she had just peeled.

“It’s fine.  Just another mission.  Gaia and Skye need both of you here,” replied Lunette nonchalantly.  After dusting her hands with some flour, she punched all the air out of the puffed up dough in the bowl, and started to knead it again.  She then split the dough into smaller pieces and rolled them into individual balls.  Placing the small rolls on a baking sheet, she covered the tray with a damp kitchen cloth, and left the bread alone on the side for its second rising.

“Be very careful then.  And let me know if you need any help with anything,” added Nebula uneasily.  This would not be the first time she and Lunette acted separately since they be came fellowship partners, but something about this mission made her nervous.

Lunette nodded and said, “Don’t worry.  I know what I’m doing.  There will be plenty of LOA members there, so the bigwigs will be the ones leading the investigation.  Insignificant students like me will mostly be bystanders there.  They just need to make a big showing since so many people are affected by the pink fog.”  She lifted the lid of the pot of oxtail cooking on the stove, and a thick, savory aroma of beef and spices warmed the kitchen.  After giving the pot a quick stir, she added half of the potatoes and carrots Nebula had just finished preparing.  She made sure there was enough liquid in the pot, and covered the pot with the lid again to let it continue to cook.

“Still…… something about that pink fog is making my skin crawl.  I’ve never seen anything like it, but my instincts are telling me that it’s not something good,” responded Nebula softly while she cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.

“How’s it going in here, ladies?” Sam asked boisterously.  He grabbed a piece of the beef jerky on the counter and took a big bite.  “I smell something delicious.  And this beef jerky is simply divine!”

“Of course it’s delicious.  We’ve been working our butts off all afternoon,” Nebula retorted with a roll of her eyes.  “All you can think about is eating.  Can’t you make yourself useful?  Lunette, Trey, and Savana are going to a dangerous place tomorrow!”

“I will make sure she comes back safe and sound,” Trey promised, as he walked into the kitchen behind Sam.  He picked up a piece of beef jerky and tasted it as well.  “Delicious!”

Sam embraced Nebula and reassured her.  “Don’t worry too much.  I asked Tommy to look after them for us.  He got back to me just a while ago and confirmed that his team will be taking on this mission with the LOA as well.  Besides, Trey’s teacher and other seniors from the Continental Academy will be there.  They will be fine.”

Lunette nodded in agreement.  “We’ve made plenty of preparations.  Don’t stress yourself out.”

Nebula sighed and said, “I know.  I can’t help but worry.  It must be a mom thing.”  

She smacked Sam’s hand away, and shoved a big bowl of raw rice into his hands.  “Stop eating all our beef jerky, and go wash the rice.”

“Yes, mam!” Sam quickly answered.  Nebula grabbed the washed tomatoes and started cutting them into quarters.

Lunette took out another pot and started to prepare curry.  She poured a bit of oil into the pot and added chicken thighs and drumsticks once the oil became hot enough.  She added a pinch of salt and pepper, and was about to toss everything together, when Trey grabbed the spatula from the kitchen counter.

“Let me help,” Trey said.  He tossed the chicken pieces until they were evenly covered with oil and seasoning.  Then he lowered the heat and occasionally moved the chicken around in the pot until they were golden brown on the outside.  He did not have much experience in the kitchen, but after following Lunette around for so long, he gradually picked up a couple of skills from her.

“Look at Trey cooking now,” sighed Sam.  “I still remember those days when he either burnt or uncooked everything he tried to make.”

Nebula chuckled and shook her head at him.  “You guys were his harshest critics.  His cooking was not that bad for a beginner, but you guys tore him apart for every little mistake.”

“And look at his accomplishments now,” Sam responded dramatically, before laughing out loud.  Lunette laughed along with them, while Trey shot Sam a glaring look.

While Trey was helping to panfry the chicken, Lunette mixed the dried spices for the curry.  She combined cumin, turmeric, coriander, salt, sugar, black pepper, white pepper, and dried garlic flakes in a bowl.  She passed Trey a plate, when the chicken was ready.  After taking the chicken out of the pot, Trey added another spoonful of oil into the pot and started to panfried the potatoes.  When a crust formed on the outside of the potatoes, Lunette passed him the carrots.  He added them to the pot.  Then he added a pinch of salt and pepper, and tossed everything together.  Next, he poured some water into the pot and turned the heat up on the stove.  Lunette then passed him a quart of chicken stock.  After adding the soup stock, he put the lid on the pot.  When it came to a boil, he turned the heat back down and let the pot continue to simmer.  Next to him, Lunette was mixing the spices she prepared into a smaller pot of boiled water.  Once everything was combined, a thick sauce was formed.  The unique scent of curry permeated the kitchen.

Sam finished washing the rice and put it into the rice cooker with water.  Nebula finished slicing the the vegetables for the noodle stir fry.  When the potatoes and carrots were cooked all the way through, Lunette added the chicken, sliced onions, and fried tofu to the pot.  Trey continued to stir the pot occasionally to prevent ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Once the pot came to a boil again, Lunette poured the curry mixture into the pot.  Trey gently stirred the potatoes, carrots, chicken, onions, and tofu into the sauce.  The timer went off on the stove.

“The lasagna’s done.  Can someone help me take it out of the oven and put it into the preservation box?” Lunette asked as she turned off the timer.

“Yep,” Sam volunteered.  He went over to where the heatproof gloves were hanging on the wall.

“Of course,” said Trey almost right after.  He quickly put down the spatula in his hand, and caught the gloves Sam tossed over to him.  Putting them on, he lowered the heat under the pot of curry, and pulled open the oven door.  The scent of roasted tomatoes and melted cheese floated into the room, stirring everyone’s appetites.  As Sam and Trey moved the four lasagnas out of the oven, they could see the tomato sauce and cheese glistening and bubble on top of the pan.  

On the other side of the kitchen, Lunette removed the cloth covering the bread dough.  The rolls of dough had poofed up and were ready to be baked.  She brushed egg wash on the surface of the rolls, and put them into the oven.  Nebula followed right behind her with the trays of eggplant she had sliced earlier.  They were drizzled with oil, and seasoned with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper.