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High-functioning Marshmallow
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 Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:36 pm
“Yes..” She answered him in case her look didn't give him enough of one. She went on easily enough, though, because she doubted Alex knew what he wanted to do. He didn't even look like he knew he was supposed to be teaching her anything, let alone have a lesson plan. So, that gave her room to make one for him! “I grew up in China - I already know Chinese food.” She told him firmly, although it wasn't very sincere. She hardly cooked in China – her mother did and her father was too busy tossing her out to the farm for anyone to even think of giving her some lessons. Still, basics were easy enough and it wasn't like she was dying to get back to eating the same food Mao and her parents shoved at her. “You cook for River, don't you? What does she like to eat? I want to learn how to do that.”
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 2:03 pm
...Oh. Of course Zhi had cooked before. And Chinese food. She was Chinese afterall! Alex would feel silly for asking if he was the kind of person who bothered to indulge in social insecurity. But he wasn't, so he just shrugged it off. She was still just a kid, afterall, so she probably wasn't that great. It wouldn't hurt to teach her some things, right? And he was the one being inconvenienced, he could easily teach her how to make something non-Chinese, too. Who cared if he listened to the assignment? He wasn't the one getting graded! Besides, it made it that much easier for him. Complete beginners were annoying as ********. Still, he couldn't help but be bothered by the assignment. The coincidence was too much for it to seem random, so it was just plain stupid. Oh well.
Alex's eyebrows rose when Zhi asked about River. River? Really? Why her? Sure, he knew that the two were friends, but Elliot was closer to Zhi in age, wouldn't she be more concerned with someone from her class than that person's older sister? "Huh? River?" he shot her a perplexed frown. "Why the hell do you want to know that?" Of all the people Zhi could be interested in cooking for, she picked River? Immature, stupid, reckless, clueless River? Well, the girl was friends with Elliot first. She must have had something wrong with her. "I guess... she likes little kid food? Think of an average five or six year old... Those are her favorites..." he answered her with a small sigh, scratching the back of his neck. Again, seriously, River? He didn't get girls.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:59 pm
She tapped a finger to her chin as she tried to go over what she was fed until one food stuck out – “..Ba Bao Fan?” She asked as she returned her eyes to Alex. She used to like that whenever she got it, even now! Though.. it didn't seem like that hard of a dish.. Oh, well, whatever River liked, she didn't care if it turned out to just be a microwaved dish or something. “What sort of fruits does she like?” She went on as she started to search the kitchen for where they kept the dried stuff. They should have dried fruits here, don't they? It was a restaurant – they should have every kind of food somewhere!
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:36 pm
...She didn't answer his question. Alex flexed his fingers a few time -- a habit he developed whenever he was irritated. Really, he didn't care that much about why Zhi seemed to be preoccupied with his sister, but for some reason, she was, and she didn't bother to tell him. It was the fact that she completely blew him off that was so annoying. Teenage girls were way too much work. They made him tired. They were just as exhausting to figure now as they were when he was seventeen, too. But whatever. He didn't care enough to push the issue. She had already started asking other questions about River. River River River. It seemed that everyone was interested about River.
"Ba Bao Fan? Really? That's your first thought?" Alex asked with a smirk. Well, it made sense. What he ate as a kid would probably be different from what Zhi ate as a kid. Thankfully, he knew what she was talking about, so that wasn't an issue. "I don't think she's ever eaten Ba Bao Fan before..." No, he knew she had never eaten it before. She had never been a very internationally minded person.
When Zhi took off in search of fruit, Alex let out another rough sigh. He reached up to grab a dish towel, dried off his hands, and turned around to lean against the sink, crossing his arms firmly. "Why don't you ask her that yourself?" he asked her as he watched her search through the kitchen. He had to resist the urge to shoo her away; she wouldn't break anything... Right? "But you know, Zhi, you're not going to get anywhere if you're worrying about pleasing someone. You should just cook what you want, and worry about others later. If cooking was to make everyone happy, it would be a hell of a lot less interesting." He wasn't entirely sure he was saying, he was just trying hard to tell Zhi to stop worrying about River, but in a way that wouldn't make her upset. But it just came out as gibberish. Teenage girls were challenging.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2011 5:27 pm
“I know River. She will like it.” Zhi replied firmly as she closed the cupboard she had just been in and scooted off to the side to get to the next one, careful not to rid her stockings with the action. But, learning how to get this done was more important than a pair of stockings, right? ..Oh, she hoped so, because Kotone's charity money wasn't going to last forever! She was already considering calling her aunt to wire her some money for her plans and having to ask her to give even more than she needed would just be horrible! “Cooking is already boring, Alex.” She went on to point out in response to that, sounding amused at what he said, “If I'm going to get stuck doing it anyway, I want it to be for someone I love.” She smiled to herself, her heart quickening just a tad as it always did whenever she announced her love for River~ Ah, it was so exhilarating! “Where do you keep the dried fruit?” That was the most important part, wasn't it?
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:42 pm
Alex let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. As he thought, Zhi had missed the point of what he was trying to say completely. She seemed to be annoyed. What the hell did she have to be annoyed about? And she was on the counter. He was just about to yank her off when he realized that that was probably not the best idea at the moment, and decided against it. If Zhi was sure that she had to cook for River, then whatever. He wouldn't argue. He didn't understand, but at this point he wasn't sure he wanted to. "Okay, fine..." he gave up. "It's in the pantry," he pointed to a door that was held open by a small rubber doorstop. While she looked for the dried fruit, Alex returned to his cleaning, drying off the pans he had already cleaned and leaving them on the counter. Since he had time, he had just picked up a plate when Zhi's words finally processed in his head, and he dropped the plate. It chipped when it hit the steel sink, but he didn't care. Did she... did she just say she loved River? "Hold on a moment. Zhi, did you just--" he turned around and followed after Zhi, but he stopped himself. No. No. No. He was better off not knowing. Sure, it explained a lot. But he didn't not have the energy or brainpower to comprehend why some cute, girlish teenager like Zhi would have a crush on River. Really, of all the people on Nirvani, she had to pick his sister? At least it wasn't Elliot. Oh god, Elliot. But he still didn't want to think about it, so he stopped talking, and instead made a sharp turn to the side, into another doorway, where the storage room was. "If you're actually going to cook, take this," he changed the subject as he emerged a moment later, holding out an apron.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:16 pm
“Alex, when – ” She started to say as she turned back around when she saw that the man was already in the pantry with her and looking pretty stunned himself. She raised a brow in a silent 'What?', but he didn't do anything to answer that as he turned off to the side. ..Er. Weird. She shook her head and went back to going through a few jars of walnuts. Dried fruit should be kept right next to the nuts, right? They seemed to always be paired off – aha! She smiled as her guess was found to be correct. There was the multitude of little dried fruits~! Now, she just needed to guess what River would like.. It was normally.. eight, right? That's what the Ba in Ba Bao Fan was all about, wasn't it..? Yes, that sounded right. She had already started to take down all the containers of dried fruit to sit them on the ground when Alex came back in with an apron in hand. She looked at him, then to the article, and frowned. It didn't look pretty.. or frilly.. or anything that she would consider 'cute'..
But, it would be better not to get her dress dirty, right? She sighed reluctantly and took the apron from him, slipping it on quickly, “You never answered me.” Zhi said as she trying to at least tie a cute bow in the back and was failing horribly, “What fruit would River like? And..” She looked back at the containers lining up on the floor with a crinkle in her nose, “Who labeled these? Their handwriting is horrible.” She could hardly read any of it! Then again, Zhi was still having trouble reading anything that wasn't computer printed, but she wouldn't mention that. Best to just blame whoever wrote it.
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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 5:00 pm
...She really wasn't going to drop this River thing any time soon, was she? Alex could feel himself grow more and more irritated. No -- no. He couldn't let himself get out of hand. Even if he found Zhi annoying, she was friends with his sisters, and he should just learn to live with her. Afterall, if she really did... you know, like River, then the two of them would probably run into them many times during their stay in Sonata Town. He may not have been enjoying himself, but he wasn't the kind of person that he'd let that get in the way of him being civil. "....Bananas. And apples. Mangoes, too." He did say she had little kid tastes, didn't he? Okay, he had given up the information she wanted, now they could move onto other things... right?
Apparently not, because as soon as he had spoke, the rest of Zhi's question registered. Usually he wouldn't care about something as stupid and meaningless as handwriting, but... He was already at the end of his tolerance for annoying things. This was just the nudge he needed.
"Are you going to cook, or not?" Alex snapped, crossing his arms. He was a good foot taller, so he didn't need to work to seem bigger than he was, but he unconsciously straightened up slightly. Signs of aggression, all that stuff. "If you're not, then get the hell out of my kitchen and go home. But if you are..." He took a moment to shove her out of the pantry, closing the door firmly after them. "...Then you should start taking this more seriously. I'm in charge here, you should do whatever the hell I say. And for ******** sake, stay off the counters!" he added irritably as he glared down at her. Was he being too harsh to a teenage girl? Maybe. Was this stemming from a year of pent up frustration? Definitely.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:53 pm
Zhi blinked once before she realized that she was outside of the pantry and Alex was angry for reasons she wasn't quite getting. She didn't think she had said anything to deserve this! It was worse than when Tàijiàn was randomly being creepy or when Mao suddenly came home and pulled her into an argument for no reason whatsoever! ...Why did Zhi always get such luck with guys? She guessed her infinite luck with woman (River~) had to be balanced out somehow. “I was taking it seriously.” She snapped back as she straightened out her apron, although there wasn't much need for it. She just needed to keep her hands busy doing something else or else she may try to punch the guy. What? Alex wasn't family and she was pretty sure she could take on some chef! But, she wasn't going to because this guy was going to end up being her brother-in-law and she didn't want to ruin future family-gatherings!
“Alright. I won't go onto the counters and I'll start cooking. ..Hūndàn.” She added in a mutter while she moved away from the man to go to the stove and.. stand there. What was she doing? ..Oh, yes, Ba Bao Fan. She needed hot water and for hot water she needed a hot oven! She stared at the oven for a few more seconds before she looked back to Alex, “Where does the wood go?” Both Mao and her father always used wood-burning stoves – why? She didn't know, they were both weird. The stove at the house she was boarding in was never touched by her and her aunt never let her touch the electric stove when she was with her! For all she knew, the oven she saw just hid where it kept the wood better!
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:41 pm
Alex would have been pleased that Zhi hadn't left the moment he raised his voice if the girl hadn't been so... what was the word? Irritable? Unpleasant? Teenager-y? He silently cursed his luck at being assigned a teenage girl. They made his blood boil, and part of him was glad that he was so much older than his sisters. Elliot was okay, but the rest of her set? Just as insufferable as Zhi. Even more so. All they talked about were boys and makeup and actors. No wonder Elliot chose to live with him. And now that he thought of it, if, by some twist of fate, maybe ten years from now, he found himself married, he would hope that he'd have only sons. If he thought Zhi was bad, imagine a teenage girl who he actually cared about!
Anyway, he should have been pleased but he wasn't. He had to hold back a dirty look as she muttered something under her breath that he couldn't catch -- was it Chinese? He wouldn't have been understand, then, even if he had heard, but he had a feeling it was something bad. Uncrossing his arms, he moved away from the door, watching her tentatively as she moved towards the stove, and... Wait, what?
All of Alex's irritation and his general bad mood went away as she asked where the wood went. Was she serious? He bit back laughter; the last thing he needed was for her to get offended. If she was serious, then... Well, that was kind of cute! He'd never admit it, but it was cute that she could be so old-fashioned! "Where in the world did you learn to cook?" he asked, a few chuckles slipping out. "It's the twenty-first century, Zhi, the oven runs on electricity, not wood. You just turn the knob there," he stepped forward in long strides to point to the temperature control above the oven door.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:08 am
She raised a brow and stood back up, confident again now that she knew she wasn't wrong. He was just trying to play a trick on her or something because she was foreign – who knew Alex could be such a d**k? She thought he would have been okay to hang around, if only for the River relation and how he fixed her dress up a long while back. “There isn't any fire, Alex.” She pointed out unnecessarily and went on in accusation, “It's broken or you're lying.” She crossed her arms and waited for him to admit to his stupid joke and then fetch some firewood in apology. She was already overdue for one since he barked at her in the pantry!
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:41 pm
Alex smirked as he watched Zhi. Did she really not believe him? He could understand her being used to wood burning stoves, especially since she was from a different culture, and there was a chance that in her part of China, things could be a little more old fashioned, but to this extent... It was as if she had never heard of an electric oven in the first place! It was amusing to him. She was like a small child, experimenting with things. So he stood silently and watched her turn the knob and peek into the oven. But that's when he realized that she wasn't just naive, she honestly could not imagine an oven functioning without fire!
"It doesn't use fire," Alex explained, stepping forward. He adjusted the knob to a more reasonable temperature, so they wouldn't make the kitchen explode, and opened the oven door. Thankfully for the point he was trying to make, Zhi had turned the knob high enough that he could easily feel the heat radiating from it. "Here, feel.... But don't touch," he added as it occurred to him that she probably would end up grabbing the rack. "The electricity heats up the metal and makes the inside hot, so it cooks food without fire," he explained with a small smile, holding his hand near the oven. He never though he'd have to explain that to a soon-to-be-adult.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:06 am
She frowned and straightened back up, a hand going to her hip while the other was more preoccupied feeling the heat come from the oven. Hey, embarrassment didn't change the fact that that was cool – who wouldn't want to enjoy the revelation for a few more moments? “So, you have a fancy, expensive oven.” She shrugged – that didn't mean he could cook very well! It just meant someone wanted to splurge when it came to furnishing the kitchen! “I understand now. You can leave me to cook.” She made a quick shooing motion to the man so he could go back to whatever duties he was planning on doing before. Yes, she was back in control! Alex wanted her to cook, well, she couldn't cook with him hovering in front of the oven like that!
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:43 am
Oh good. She seemed to buy it. Or, at least, accept it without any visible issue, though she did look kind of floored when her hand was in the oven. Alex smiled to himself and shook his head. At least she was quick to recover. He wasn't sure he'd be able to put up with her, or even be okay with her hanging around his sisters, if she was unable to comprehend an electric oven. Still, she was a stubborn girl, so she was doing an excellent job of standing her ground. Oh well. It wouldn't hurt, to let her do as she pleased. At least, not for a little while.
"Fine, fine, just don't burn the kitchen down," Alex shrugged and closed the oven door. "If you need something, just say so. I'll help you out." He backed up over to the sink again. Most of the dishes were clean by now, and he could leave the rest, and he didn't feel like actually doing work. Someone who didn't know how to work an oven was in his kitchen, he couldn't just relax. He needed to cook something to get his mind off of the idea of Zhi burning the kitchen down. So, he pulled out some chicken and some vegetables, to make stir-fry.
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High-functioning Marshmallow
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Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:31 am
After rinsing the rice off in the sink, she filled the pot up and turned to look at the oven again curiously. Well, if there wasn't any fire and it heated itself on the inside, then that meant she should just.. shove the pot inside the oven like that? It didn't sound right, but it was the best she got and, hey, she didn't think an electrically heated oven sounded right before today either! So, ready to try new things, she opened the oven and carefully slid the small pot onto one of the racks, shutting it as soon as she had it inside. Since a watched pot never boiled, she leaned against the counter and looked around the kitchen instead. ..This was boring.. “Are you cooking too? What are you making?” She asked disinterestedly to try to pass the time. How did she know when it was boiling, anyway? It was hard to tell with this kind of new device – before, she could just see the bubbles and know it! Ah, well, she would figure it out in a few minutes.
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