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 Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:34 am
"How to put what in, the chicken into the oven or the spices on the chicken? Cause it doesn't say either, so I guess.... No to your question. Erm, here, I'll just-..." Faking confidence, Rivener grabbed the seasonings and shook a generous coating of it onto the bird, covering almost every inch of skin with a reddish dusting of poultry seasoning. Then he added salt and pepper.
"Okay, Chicken in the Roaster, check. Spices, check. Onions for stuffing into, check. Water, check." Riv poured half a glass of the liquid into the bottom of the pan, and waited for Isi to bring the onions, the two of them working as a pair to stuff it into the cavity. "...Looks like the ones Aphi makes! This is gonna be alright." With a prideful smirk, Riv brought the roaster to the oven and waited impatiently for the beep before putting the thing in. He pushed buttons to set the time to an hour and a half.
"There, all we have to do is wait!..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:54 am
Isi nodded, moving over to where he had left his crutches to slip them onto his arms again. "Sounds good," the boy said, eying the chicken through the dim red glow of the oven's see-through window. It looked good enough. It smelled good enough. However, Isi wasn't entirely sure that they had done it all correctly. Hell, if this was all Aphimset had to do to cook them dinner, then it wasn't at all as hard as Isi had thought it was! It was as easy as...Well, pie. And Isi knew how to make pie from heart, and he wasn't sure that "easy" was the word that he identified pie with.
But still...It was for Aphismet.
So, Isi prayed secretly to the gods of cooking and ovens and hoped that it would come out edible.
An hour and a half passed more quickly than Isi anticipated and before he knew it, the oven was beeping desperately and the first floor of the Delaran household was filled with the warm spicy smell of food, Isi got up from the couch where he had been sitting with Riv, half-heartedly watching a television show about ghost hunting.
"Riv, it's done. The chicken's done!" the crippled boy announced, swinging himself towards the kitchen, "Get the oven mittens!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:49 pm
Rivener had followed Isi into the living room and sat there together with the boy. Whenever he was left alone with the younger Delaran, Rivener was often overcome with guilt all over again, despite the forgiveness that he still didn't think he had deserved. As usual Riv mentioned nothing of this and just powered through the hour and a half, distracting himself with TV and thoughts of how happy Aphismet would be when he saw what the two of them had done for him.
When the beeping resounded through the house, Rivener's enthusiasm was easily mirrored by Isi's as the pair hurried to the oven. As ordered, too eager to see the results to care about being bossed by someone, Rivener fetched the mittens and opened the oven, grinning as he spotted the golden-colored skin. Pan juices were sizzling softly under the chicken, and it smelled delicious, and it looked just like the picture! Giddy, Riv grabbed the edges of the pan and pulled it out, placing it on the hot-plate Aphismet kept near the stove.
"...Looks good! Did you want to go call Aphi right away, or give it a try first? It looks so much better if it's not cut before Aphi gets here, but maybe we should make sure we did it right? ....Ah, I'm sure it's right, it looks awesome!" Needless to say, Rivener's chest and wings were both puffed way out with pride as he stared at the appetizing main dish. "Ah, make a salad! We should make a salad to go with it, that should be fast and easy, right? It's just vegetables in a bowl! This chicken needs a side!" Unfortunately, there would be no time to make this ultra-crucial side.
"What's that beeping? Why does it smell like chicken down here?" Aphismet had heard the oven, of course. The strange sound had prompted him to open his room door, startled to find the enticing aroma of roast chicken wafting through the hall... Curious and mildly worried for his brother and his ward, the chef entered the kitchen.
Dark brown eyes blinked open wide. "Wha-?" he asked, spotting the two proud-looking youngsters.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:23 pm
As soon as Rivener strong armed the roast chicken out of the oven, Isi was just as shocked as the frei was. The chicken looked great! It was golden and amber colored, glistening and tinged with black, sending off smokey wafts of smell. Hobbling into the kitchen, the youth jerked his arms out of his crutches so he could move about easier and actually use his arms. He was taking plates out of the cupboard and settling them on the counter when he heard Rivener happily exclaim about the necessity of a salad. Of course, Isi thought in bewilderment; they needed to make a salad! Why didn't they do that while they were waiting? Stumped by his own forgetfulness, the boy began digging into the silverware.
"We should have Aphi take the first taste," Isi said as he searched the drawer for the cutting knife. Finally, his grey eyes spotted a familiar gleam, and the boy retrieved the sharp object, raising his head just in time to see Aphismet stumble into the kitchen, his face a mask of surprise.
Well, damn, the boy thought helplessly. He was hoping they could at least lay out the table first and maybe light a candle or two. Candles were relaxing right? Oh well, there was no chance for that now because the older brother of Isi and guardian of Riv was now looking at them with his brows tacked up to his forehead.
"Aphi!" Isi blurted, "We were...We just...You...Uh...Dinnertime!"
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:52 pm
Rivener snickered at Isikoro's eloquence. "We made this for you!" he added, flapping his wings proudly, gesturing to the chicken grandly. "Roast chicken! Looks good, hunh? You get to have the first taste!" Rivener was excited for Aphi, and he hoped the chef would be happy for the effort.
As it was, Aphismet was floored. The stunned void expression on his face melted into an affectionate grin, and he shook his head. "For me? You guys make me a chicken? ...That's so sweet you two!" Feeling rather emotional at the moment, Aphismet was ashamed to admit that he was welling up again, his breath catching in hiccups. He moved over to give both of his family members a big hug, laughing. "Thanks, guys. Well, it looks ready so let's dig in!"
He reached to take the carving knife from Isi, but Rivener grabbed Aphi's wrist. "No, no you just sit! Isi and I will make your dinner, so just sit and let us do it, okay?" The Scorpion nodded in the other boy's direction, almost certain Isi would share the sentiment exactly.
"Ah? Alright..." Aphi smiled again and walked around to sit on one of the barstools facing the island counter, waiting.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:23 pm
Despite the fact that this wasn't exactly as grand as Isi wanted it to be for Aphismet, he was proud and completely satisfied with his reaction. Hearing Aphi's breath catch in his throat and seeing the chef's wobbly smile was completely worth the effort. Isi glanced over his shoulder at Rivener who was putting everything into words a whole lot better than the crippled boy was. To help push along the meaning of Rivener's directions, Isi nodded enthusiastically, his greying bangs bouncing on his forehead.
"Yeah, Aphi," Isi echoed happily as he reclaimed the knife and pulled out the other tool for sticking the chicken with as he cut it. He wasn't entirely sure how to cut it, but Isi figured that he had watched Aphismet do it enough times to at least carve the meat off the bone. "You've served us so many times, it's time for us to serve you!" he added happily.
With that final statement, Isi plunged the knife into the chicken, and it was to his surprise as its dried skin cracked underneath the knife and a suddenly not too pleasant smell wafted out of it. Isi felt his chest sink as he continued cutting at he glanced worriedly at Rivener. The chicken was too dry.
"Uh..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 2:51 pm
Rivener turned to the chicken to help Isi, holding the roaster in place as the smaller boy stuck the fork in. The Scorpion was anticipating the first cut, grinning proudly, wanting to see the juicy meat that Aphi would be so grateful to have for dinner... Only the meat wasn't juicy. It was dry and cracking on the surface, and didn't so much smell like delicious stuff anymore. ...And the more Isi cut in, the less cooked it was! The very center was even still slightly frozen!
Rivener blinked in outraged shock at the chicken, blaming it fully for not cooperating with the plan. Frustrated and angry, Rivener huffed and let go of the roaster, crossing his arms. "MAN!" He groaned, peering over his shoulder at the white-haired chef.
Aphismet was chuckling with amusement, shaking his head at the two. To have it fail after trying so hard, it must be so unfulfilling for the two young cooks... Getting to his feet, Aphismet walked around to the pair and slipped an arm around both shoulders. "Aw, it's okay boys. It's the thought that counts, and that you tried to do this for me really does cheer me up. Thank you. ...Now how about you guys make me a sandwich instead?" Aphi grinned.
Rivener pouted but peered over at his guardian. "You better not make a habit of asking me to make you stuff though! ...But for this time I guess it's okay."
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 4:29 pm
Isi stared in disappointment at the chicken lying in the platter, now no longer a dinner, but a testament to failure. It had looked so nice, all golden and lying bloated and ready to eat, and all for nothing. They had wasted an entire chicken for naught! Isi didn't even know how much the damned thing cost. Lifting his head to Aphi as the white-haired man glided over and slipped a comforting arm around their shoulders, Isi felt himself give a despairing pout. He was so excited and now his hopes plummeted to the bottom of his hungry stomach. However...The strong arm placed over his shoulders was comforting enough...Aphi's words gently lifted Isi's spirit and he felt the corners of his mouth pull up into a smile.
It was the thought that counted, and as long as Aphi was happy...The dry chicken, the dirty dishes, the wasted time...It was all worth it.
"I'll get the bread," Isi said, grinning softly, and he wiggled out from underneath his older brother's arm. Using the counter top to move over to the fridge, where the bread was located near the side in a bread basket, Isi put his hands around a loaf of 100% wheat.
Aphi was feeling better, and that's all that mattered.
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