A Mouth that Praises and a Hand that Kills.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"Whichever you liked," Mark laughed, taking a healthy sip of his wine. "I'm happy to cook for you whenever you like. Just let me know." He smiled at Rex, raising his eyebrows. "I ought to keep in practice, anyway."

[Undefined Affections]

"Garlic bread." Rex nodded firmly. "It goes with everything." He sipped the last of his wine, but didn't pour himself another glass. He decided to wait until dinner was ready. "I do miss good barbeque from home." He sighed. "Shrimp and lobster tails have always been a favorite of mine."

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"Really." Mark considered that. "I've never tried lobster," he admitted, getting up to stir their sauce. "Maybe someday you'll have to cook for me." Then again, Rex hadn't said anything about cooking shrimp and lobster, he'd only said he liked to eat it.

[Undefined Affections]

Rex chuckled. "Maybe I will." He could grill pretty well, if he had a grill at his disposal. There were mostly stoves and ovens and quick meal cooking appliances in the base. Nothing right for grilling. "I'll have to take you out somewhere that has what I need."

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"That sounds like a plan." Mark strained the pasta into the sink, then divided it into two bowls- he'd made just enough for the two of them. Retrieving the meatballs from the oven, he let them rest while he ladled thick sauce over the pasta, then piled several large meatballs into each bowl, garnished with a sprig of herb, and slid Rex his bowl along with a fork and knife. "Here's hoping I don't let my grandmother down," he joked, returning to his own seat. He wasn't really nervous, this recipe was older than he was- and it was still a good one.

[Undefined Affections]

"I don't think that's even possible." Rex chuckled as he shook his head. He eagerly picked up his knife and fork and cut the meatballs and pasta into good sized bites. He didn't really like having to twirl pasta around his fork. Too much of a hassle for him. For his first bite he made sure to get a little of everything in it: sauce, meatball, pasta, and all those spices. He glanced at Mark and paused, just to make the man a little more anxious, before he took his first bite.

"Wow." He smiled as he chewed. There were no other words he could use that would do the meal justice. "Just wow."

[Calette_Sentrinde]

Relaxing, Mark picked up his own fork and knife, though he only cut the meatballs apart. Twirling pasta was a part of his family heritage, and he wasn't worried about flicking sauce onto his shirt. He had years of practice. "I'm glad you approve," he laughed, taking a bite of meatball. His family would have been appalled if anyone hadn't appreciated their recipes. Not that his family held much influence in his life, anymore.

[Undefined Affections]

Rex smiled, though he soon concentrated on just eating the delicious pasta. He didn't want to rush through it, but it was too good. To give himself some time to savor the flavor, he poured himself another glass of wine and sipped on it. "I love it. What else can you make?"

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"Mmm." Mark finished his forkful of pasta, thinking about it. "Lasagna.. ravioli.. I can cook scallops and make a pretty good broth- mozzarella chicken, roast chicken, roast beef, lamb.." He shrugged. "A lot of things. I love making tiramisu."

[Undefined Affections]

"Tiramisu? Does this mean you know how to make other desserts?" Rex wasn't really a fan of tiramisu. He much prefered the French desserts. On his last visit to France a few years back, he'd had the best chocolate mousse and strawberry cream crepes he'd ever tasted. "You know, I haven't had good pie lately."

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"I can make apple pie, so I don't see why the others should be so different." Mark considered it. "I don't make many desserts," he admitted. "We usually just had fresh sweet cream with berries, or something like that."

[Undefined Affections]

Rex found it amusing that Mark had such a big sweet tooth yet he didn't make many desserts. "I make a pretty mean pecan pie." Rex's tastes ranged considerably, and there were few foods he didn't enjoy. "But I think any dessert that has whipped cream on it is to die for."

[Calette_Sentrinde]

"I wasn't really introduced to desserts until we moved to America," Mark grinned. "Even then, my parents tried to limit how much of them I ate- probably a good thing, or I'd be overweight by now." He shook his head wryly. He didn't often get a chance to eat dessert, which probably only made his love for sugar worse. Thoughtfully, he twirled another forkful of pasta. "You'll have to teach me how to make pecan pie, sometime."

[Undefined Affections]

"I'll have to do while I'm showing you how to grill shrimp and lobster tails properly." Rex chuckled as he stabbed a few more pieces of meatball as he took another bite. "I'm pretty sure I'm in love with this pasta. It's a bittersweet goodbye." He grinned. He was almost done and was sorry to see it all disappear.

[Calette_Sentrinde]

Mark grinned, finishing off the last of his own bowl of pasta before he picked up his wine glass. "I can always make it again," he smiled, still very pleased that Rex had enjoyed the meal so much. He had his pride, after all.