The hardest, most difficult part of living in the new world? Of course, it's learning how to cook!

The next day, as expected, Crimson was nowhere to be seen. It's a shame, since I was almost growing fond of them. They were a pretty funny fellow-- when they weren't trying to kill me, at least.

But, we've decided to spend a bit longer before heading back to the village-- it would be disappointing if the only time spent here was fighting Crimson and then sleeping, after all. So, we're going to hang out here until mid-afternoon. I'm sure Mom won't mind.

Instinctively, I've found myself in the library, skimming spines to see if anything interests me. It's a fairly big library-- leaving me honestly impressed at how much Exgrave has stocked. I guess it gives them something to do, when they're not busy trying to take over the world. Never really figured them much of a bookworm, but I guess I never really stopped to think what their hobbies were beyond 'attempted world domination.'

Still, the books are stacked up to the ceiling. I've never been good at measurements, but I wonder if they even needed to stretch to reach any of the books at the top shelf. Honestly, I'm glad that the dragons of this world have wings.

...Yet, even as high up as I am right now, nothing catches my eye. It's a bit disappointing, but what can you do when you have a selection this immense? I'm sure I'll find something.

After a while spent skimming, Exgrave and Zephys walk in, the latter waving to me.

"Good morning, Penelope."

"Morning, Lady Pento!"

I wave to the two of them.

"Has anything caught your eye?" Exgrave asks.

"Not particularly-- I'm assuming you don't have any fiction works?"

They tense up, hesitating a moment before pointing over to one of the bookshelves I hadn't checked yet.

"O... over there."

Strange-- they're usually not one to hesitate. I wonder why that is? Flying over to the bookshelf in question, I-

...

Ah... I get it now.

These are all romance books.

...

One of them is titled 'Me and My Two Left Paws...'

I think I'll take that one.

"I never figured you to be a romantic type, Exgrave." I say, flying over to sit at one of the nearby tables.

"I'm not-- at least, not outside the realm of fiction." They sit down besides me, looking over the book I'd picked out. They grimace, clearly embarrassed, but continue nonetheless. "...I've no interest in romance on a personal level. I just find romantic fiction to be particularly enjoyable."

They touch my shoulder, engaging in a mind-link. "...That, and I often find myself, as you've said before, 'touch-starved'."

"Fair enough." I say, trying to hide my amused expression.

"So, you consider yourself much of a bookworm, Lady Pento?" Zephys asks, sitting opposite to me with a startling amount of books in front of them.

"In my past life, yeah. I had a pretty big collection of books, actually-- when I had a home, I mean."

Their eyes light up-- metaphorically speaking --at my response. "Oh wow! W-what kind of books did you read?"

"All kinds, I suppose. I was pretty fond of adventure stories, though-- always made me want to travel the world with a group of friends." I laugh it off, embarrassed at the thought. It's not something I'd ever really shared with anyone else. Though, I suppose I'm living that fantasy right now, in a way-- that's weird to think about.

"Ahh, yes yes. I'm more into reading non-fiction myself-- aspiring mage and all --but I can appreciate a good adventure story. I'll have to ask dad if he's got some of my old books from when I was a kid." She leafs through her mountain of books, skimming their contents at a rate that makes me wonder if they're even able to process anything.

"Have you ever considered writing your own books?" She asks, continuing to breeze past books.

"Not really." I shrug my shoulders, idly reading through my book. It's a story about a klutzy catfolk learning how to dance to impress her crush-- fascinating stuff. "...I never really had the drive for anything like that."

"Fair. I find it therapeutic to write, myself. Really helps me explore my emotions."

"Huh. I might need to consider that, then." I briefly lower my book, almost surprised at her earnestness. Never really thought of it that way. "You have any samples of your writing?"

Now it's her turn to tense up-- face turning redder than Crimson's armor. "...I-I, ahh.. I mean... If you want to see, then m-my will is yours, my Lady." They reach for their bag, before I gesture for them to stop.

"You don't have to if it's so embarrassing," I laugh. "I was just curious."

They relax, giving a long sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Lady Pento."

"I have to ask, though." I tilt my head slightly. "Are you actually reading any of these books?"

They turn to me, confused-- before realizing what I'm getting at. "Oh uh, right. I had picked a few books with some interesting titles, so now I'm trying to sift through them to see what I'd actually want to read."

...a FEW?

"Right, that makes sense." I pivot, trying to hide my shock. The fact that Exgrave's stifling laughter tells me I'm not exactly succeeding. "They're all books on magic, then?"

"Some of them are-- some of them are on cooking." They respond. "I figure it best to train my mind when not training my body with Lord Exgrave."

"Mmm." I look to Exgrave. "So you're a spellcaster and a cook when you're not a Demon Lord?"

"A spellcaster, yes," they respond. "I had resurrected myself, if you recall. I am not a cook, however. Those books are mostly holdouts from my extended family, back when we had personal chefs."

"Hand-me-downs, then?"

"Mmhmm. I kept them in case anyone in my army fancied themselves to be chefs-- as well as whenever I needed ideas on what to make for myself whenever it came time to eat."

Speaking of... none of us have actually taken the time to eat, huh? Oops.

"If you'll let me, Lord Exgrave, I'll have to borrow some of these-- both me and Khil'nub were interested in learning some recipes together, after all."

"Of course."

That's right, I almost didn't realize. "Say, where's Khil, anyway?"

"Sleeping," they respond bluntly, chuckling. "She's endured a not-insignificant amount of stress worrying about you yesterday-- so I do not blame her."

I lower my head, feeling a tinge of guilt. I should do something for her-- to make up for how much of a big sister she's ended up being for me.

"Maybe I could surprise her with a big meal, then," I think aloud.

"That would not be a terrible idea." Exgrave chimes in.

"I would be more than willing to assist you, Lady Pento!" Zephys beams.

"Then it's a plan."

I guess I'm going to have to learn how to cook, then.

...

Can I go back to fighting Crimson Black, instead?

Setting aside my nervousness-- and after trying to find a balance between extravagant and feasible --we've decided to follow a recipe for chicken with pasta. Nothing too complex, seeing as the two of us have been cave dwellers our entire life, but it's exotic enough for us that it'll be a fun change of pace.

First stop is the larder, to see if there's any usable meat for the dish. Zephys carries ingredients on their person, so we'll be able to fill in for some ingredients there; but, given we still need to travel back home later today, the more we can source from the castle the better.

…

"Huh." Exgrave remarks, surprised.

I notice it too. Nothing is rotting or moldy, despite the five year absence. I don't know anything about preservatives, magic or otherwise, but that's a little peculiar.

"Maybe Crimson was keeping the place stocked, just in case?" Zephys suggests.

"Perhaps. But I doubt they would keep the castle stocked just for me, given they knew I was residing at Poi Village."

...Do animated armors eat? Is that even a thing they can do?

I don't know what to make of that idea, so I push it away for now. After a brief detour to the cellar to get some wine, we head to the kitchen, ingredients in tow.

"Are you sure we should be using wine? Me and Khil are both kids, after all." Well, in my case, physically a kid.

Zephys chuckles. "It's just for flavor, Lady Pento. We'll be burning out the actual alcoholic content, so no need to worry there."

"R-right." Shows how little I know about cooking. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll follow. You two know much more about this than I do."

"Here." Exgrave gestures to the pot, as Zephys fills it with ingredients. "Supply the fire for us-- it'll give you practice for breath control."

"...Are you sure? I'm still not really used to using it."

"I'll guide you through it-- you need to learn." They gesture for the bowl. "Take some deep breaths to prepare yourself. When you're ready, breathe lightly."

I've done breathing exercises like this plenty of times. It'll just be like preparing to dive underwater.

In... and out...

In... and out...

In...

I start breathing fire, careful to control the intensity this time. It feels strange, like I'm trying to hold out a note. Zephys begins mixing in ingredients, stirring them in as per instructions. Whenever Exgrave sees that I'm starting to strain myself, they tell me to stop and take another big breath before continuing.

Honestly, this is still pretty stressful-- though at least I don't have to worry about ingredient management when I'm playing the role of draconic stovetop.

It feels like an eternity, what with my constant firebreathing, but eventually we get the recipe done.

It's a strong aroma, one that had built over time during the process, but is unmistakable now. Chicken, cooked in cream sauce, served over pasta. Even with us just following a recipe, it's still seriously impressive to look at-- given none of us could be considered chefs.

Zephys smiles. "I'd say we did a good job."

Exgrave, however, looks nervous. "Yes, but I do wonder if we overdid it on the portions. ...I don't eat as big as I used to."

"Anything we don't eat now we can eat later." I shrug. "I'll go get Khil, though."

Heading off to the barracks, I notice that Khil is still asleep. I almost feel bad waking her up, but it'll be worth it to see her reaction. I lightly shake her until she starts to stir awake.

"H-huh...? I'm up- I'm up, sis!" She lets out a yawn, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning!"

"W-what's going on, are we under attack again?"

"No no, nothing like that. I just wanted to show you something-- come on." I crouch down for her to get on my back.

We take a leisurely walk to the dining hall, both to keep up the surprise and to allow Khil some time to wake up. When we arrive, Khil's eyes go from half-lidded to wide open in an instant.

"Oh wow...! Did you make this, sis?"

"Nah, nah-- I just used my fire breath to heat the pot. This was all Zephys and Exgrave's doing."

"It was still your idea, though." Exgrave interjects.

"She wanted to treat you for being such a good sister~" Zephys adds, causing me to blush with embarrassment. It's true, but it still feels weird to hear out loud.

Khil hugs my neck tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Sis, c'mon... Ya didn't need to do this for me."

"I know, I know," I laugh, "but I wanted to do something nice for you since you've done so much for me."

She scoffs, playfully. "Nah, I haven't done much of anything, sis. Buuut, I won't object to a nice cooked meal~" She hops off, scampering over to one of the chairs.

All in all, for our first meal made together I'd say we did a pretty good job. Maybe a bit on the burnt side, but that just means I need work on my breath control some more.

Regardless, Khil seems to love it-- she's already finished her plate and is reaching for seconds.

"We've gotta get Mom here and make this for her sometime! Her hatchday's coming up, after all."

"Oh right, yeah. We should!"

"If she can be pulled away from the village, you mean." Exgrave muses. "She's always stretching herself thin trying to micromanage everything-- I unfortunately see a lot of myself in her, in that regard."

Khil lowers her head, slightly dejected. "Oh right... yeah. Well, I'm sure we can find some time. Maybe we could bring the ingredients over and cook it for her there!"

Exgrave nods, and we all get back to eating.

Afterwards, the rest of our day was nice and cozy; a comfortable reprieve from everything that had gone on before. We relaxed in the courtyard, enjoying the crisp air until it was time for us to make the long trip back home-- hopefully without any interruptions this time.