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Acacia found herself off balance at the joke that Tambrey had made about 'lick attack' her mind had instantly raced to a very different place than what she normally allowed, a very heated place filled with desire. Shaking her head in efforts to dislodge the thoughts Acacia focused on Ampule instead as the bird-type slowly removed herself from the sleeping totodile. Pressing the button on the red and white pokeball she returned her still slumbering partner to his home.

'Ack. Sorry Palu. Uh. Ace..? Could... uh, you please?'

Blushing darkly as the hip was offered out, biting her own lip in retort of the movement made by her new friend Acacia felt the tsunami of fluttering in the pit of her stomach.

If she only knew what she was doing to me right now---god she is such a tease without even knowing it! Oh gosh, lick attack who says that sort of thing, gawd! She is making so hard to stay cordial.

Nodding in silently reply the slender medic stood up replacing her own pokeball on her belt attachment before reaching over with a careful grace that was restrained, pulling Palu's ball from the bookish grunt's hip Acacia found herself returning the pokemon then taking to a knee in front of Tambrey as she slid the device back into place at the belt on her friend's hip.

Staring up with the flush still deep on her cheeks the tall thin woman offered a cheeky half-grin towards the other grunt before standing and lightly dusting her jeans off, reaching out Acacia linked arms with Tambrey before leading the woman towards the cafeteria on the first floor of the headquarters.

“All right Tamie, tell me are you craving anything in particular?” She inquired as they walked arm in arm down the hall.



Within a short matter of time the two arrived in the cafeteria along the way Acacia had urged herself mentally to remove her arm from that of Tambrey's and rushed ahead of her walking backwards and continuing conversation with her new friend. She had a few things in mind for their lunch she wanted to impress the bookish grunt as much as she could with her culinary skill set, she was a blow hard in certain areas but cooking was not one of them, at least she thought that genuinely.

She was excited and planned very fully to have her friend assist her in the dishes that she was planning to make. Giving the woman her back for the first time in a long while Acacia glanced around the area and lightly shivered as her bare feet padded along the cold tile flooring. It looked like they had the area to themselves which meant the kitchen as well.

"Oooooh looks like you have me all to yourself Tamie," biting her lower lip she teased playfully as she turned to face her friend. "Exciting lunch date huh? C'mon lets go wash our hands and pick out some fresh ingredients."

Once within the kitchen Acacia reached into her pocket and pulled out a hair clip and a rubber band. Fumbling a few times with her short hair she grunted irritably but finally managed to restrain her long bangs and most of the other hair away from her face and kept back, nice and sanitary. Within a few moments the medic was washing her hands in the sink, extremely thoroughly very much so like a medical administrator, hands, nails, wrist, and forearms; her sleeves pulled up past her elbows as she scrubbed away any germs that she might have had.

“I would like for you to get four colanders and a slicer. They should be in the cabinets, I would like for you to heat sanitize them with hot water from the sink then look for some onion, garlic, tomato, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and a red bell pepper; put those on the working station. If you can't find some of those let me know and we will substitute them. Meanwhile I am gonna get the herbs and some E.V.O.O.” She beamed happily, it was as if she was completely carefree in the kitchen and almost like a girlish teenager whom was about to go on a huge date to the prom. Moving away from the sink the slender woman began to riffle through the cabinets and bins in the pantry area of the kitchen. She certainly was excited, her hands even trembled every so slightly as she pulled items from the shelves and placed them in the center island in the culinary domain.

Chuckling into her shoulder the medic placed the herbs and bottle on the counter before leaning against the island. “E.V.O.O. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, so much easier to say, and maybe I had better cut the veggies instead of you, if you have issues not scalding yourself I don't think I want to see you with a knife.”

Pacing over to the refrigerator once the bookish grunt had announced that they lacked squash and eggplant for the dish. It was a bit disheartening but she could think of a few things to replace the items, she just hoped the ingredients were to be found. Otherwise she would need to get very creative.

Pulling the door open she squatted as she peered into the cooling unit and scowled. “Does Tamie need Ace to kiss her boo-boo better?” Teased the whitish-haired stick as she pulled out a bit of extra firm tofu and a huge shiitake mushroom.

“If you haven't guessed it by now, we are making ratatouille over couscous. Buuuuuuuuut—“ she exaggerated by stretching the latter word of her sentence as she stood and rolled her eyes. “We lack some ingredients so we are going to put a bit of flare to the traditional French dish. How does a teriyaki undertone sound to you, Asian is good right? Is couscous okay? Or did you want it over something else, normal rice or maybe---noodles?”

Ambling over to where Tambrey was Acacia pulled the woman's hand that had been twinged pink, lifting up by the wrist she eyed the skin carefully and with medical scrutiny flashing in her crimson eyes. The small 'hmm' reverberated in the back of her throat as she ran her thumb over the palm.

“It isn't too bad, the stinging will be gone in a little while. You really need to be more careful in the kitchen Tamie. If it bothers you get some vinegar out and soak your hand in it sweetie. It will drawl out the burn.” Raising the slightly wounded hand to her lips Acacia placed a small innocent kiss on the pink tinted flesh just above the wrist. “You need to be careful. Do you think you are gonna be okay to help slice the veggies or did you want to use the blender to puree the tomatoes? Or do you just want to watch me, I know a lot of people learn by watching rather than doing.”

The snapping of the salute was a little too much and merited the white-haired woman rolling her crimson colored hues. “You cheekily little brat. If you want a drill sergeant, I will make you do push-ups over a bowl of wasabi,” warned the tall woman in a serious but fell away as she grinned broadly. “You are too much, anyhow, go ahead and wash the veggies in the colander with cold water and we will start chopping together. I personally like to make the puree towards the end so it keeps all of its flavor better. Personal opinion.”

For a few moments Acacia stood awkwardly as she debated placing her hands on her narrow hips or cross her arms over her chest however befuddled with her own movements the light-haired grunt rolled her eyes yet again before striding over towards the stove. Flicking the oven on with the inside of her wrist the medic seemed to have odd quirks in the kitchen, perhaps a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder; regardless she worked efficient and with an almost urgent haste.

Glancing from side to side her face scrunched up as a perplexed expression clouded her features, sighing lightly Acacia shook her head and she pulled a deep dish out as well as a skillet from a low drawer, she lightly snarled as she pulled a small package of sanitary wipes from her back jean pocket and began to clean the handles of the cookware.

Peering over towards Tambrey the slender woman tried to gauged the progress of her friend's washing project. “Alright, bring those goodies over here in the colander and we will start chopping and slicing. We are gonna keep the tomatoes off to the side though, oh gosh I need to get the couscous started, I only have traditional style so it takes a long time to cook.”

Within moments the willowy built blonde briskly moved into a walk-in pantry, exited and began to steam the roughly-ground hard durum wheat. Quickly rejoining the bookish grunt Acacia offered up a confident smirk as she took a knife in her left hand and pulled the tofu over towards herself. “Now,” she explained professionally while focused on the bean curd. “The reason that we am getting the tofu ready first is that we are going to let it set on a very low-heat in the teriyaki sauce so that it soaks in the flavor, once it has completed that process we are going to keep it in the sauce and raise the heat so that it gives it a more substantial consistency and will bring the sauce to a glaze so that it has a nice sweet crunch to the outer layer. Once that is complete we can work on the puree which won't take but a moment. Now, would you like that we carmelize some onions to add a sweetened flavor to the teriyaki or did you want to just add the onions with the other veggies to give it a bit of a crisp underlying snap to it. Or both, both would be amazing, however I am letting you decide because it is a learning experience to make a culinary decision based on knowledge of how something by itself taste then picture it as a whole worked into the dish, it is a great way to visualize things that you are making before you make them. It is a handy skill especially if you are trying to make something completely new but want the dish to have certain aspects.”

Focused solely on thinly slicing the tofu Acacia's motions were concise, her elbows tucked tightly to her sides as she cut quickly and evenly; it was only faintly noticeable that her hands were still shaking. She was nervous though her expression never betrayed that fact yet her trembling was a slight hint towards her true demeanor.

“If I am going too fast, please let me know.”

'Traditional style is usually the best of things.'

The statement had been made so subtly, without any restraint Acacia knew that it was a genuinely true comment. She didn't know how to read it, though it stung nonetheless. Instantly the light-haired woman took a few steps away from the close proximity of the other woman, she couldn't do it. She couldn't spread her sickness onto Tambrey. Keeping her side towards the bookish grunt exposing far less of herself to her friend, her demeanor became guarded and cold within seconds of the comment; her crimson hued eyes near emotionless.

“Well, good. I didn't want to be going too fast. I have never really taught anyone so I am a little nervous that I am going to forget something important---Oh yeah for sure, we can use the onion both ways. We will go ahead and throw the onion that we want to use into the skillet with the tofu that way it will also get a teriyaki glaze and its own sweetness will add to the flavor.” Lapsing into silence as soon as she had spoken, her hands had long since ceased shaking. She wasn't excited anymore, this was just a task that she needed to complete. She had no idea how she could have even allowed herself to loosen up so much in such a short amount of time.

Sliding the thinly slivered bean curd bits into the flat pan that she had set to the side with mechanical like movements Acacia took a hold of the crisp red onion, sliced it in half then began to chop coarsely. Again the wisp of a woman added the ingredient to the skillet before pulling a bowl from a cabinet, slowly turning to face the bookish grunt she showed the woman what she was adding to the bowl.

“This will be our teriyaki sauce. It is really easy to make---um---we are going to add into a single bowl the mix. We will start with one fourth cup of soy sauce, one cup of water, a half of a teaspoon of ground ginger, one fourth teaspoon of powered garlic, five tablespoons brown sugar, two tablespoons of honey. Now we are going to also be adding two tablespoons of cornstarch and one fourth cut of cold water to the mix later. First we need to get the ingredients that are in the bowl heating. Normally you would do so in a pan however we are going to pop it in the microwave for a few minutes to save a bit of time,” brisk strides lead away from the counter as Acacia did exactly as she said and placed the glass bowl into the heating device, placing in a splatter guard then hammered in three minutes on the keypad. Whirling around she came back to the spot she had left and mixed the additional water and cornstarch into a cup and mixed it until it was dissolved. “Mm, okay. The reason that we are keeping this to the side because the more of this mixture you add to the rest of the continents depends on how thick the sauce will become, so depending on what we want we will add it slowly so that it isn't too thick or too thin. We want a nice balance, but we also want it nice and thick for this dish. Questions so far?”

Again the woman paced towards the microwave and tested the heated sauce in the bowl with a spoon, perfect. Walking over towards Tambrey she placed the sauce on the counter and slowly began adding the dissolved cornstarch mixture, stirring it, she pulled the spoon out to test the consistency and forced a thin smile for her friend. “Here,” she offered out the spoon with the tip barely covered by the dark liquid. “Tell me, how does it taste to you, would you personally add anything to the sauce maybe a bit of spice, or sweeten the mixture, more garlic, or ginger. Tell me your personal view on it, and be truthful this is helping me get a free for your tastes, so I know for future reference.”

'Is she baiting me? Or was I just reading into it wrong---'

Slowly pulling the spoon away from Tambrey's mouth, a grin spreading across her pale face as the woman lightly moaned as she tasted the liquid. She couldn't help but to flush and feel the icy wall she was trying to build crumble instantly. “More ginger? Oh my, I wasn't expecting that,” Acacia found herself giggling despite how she had felt only moments ago. “Well, then. More ginger it is. Normally if you are going to be preparing a dish that you know requires ginger or garlic buy some fresh ingredients rather than going for dried powers, the flavor is so much more full and well rounded. But that is a lesson for later. Right now we are gonna add some more ginger, I am going to wash my hands again, and did you want a wine to go with dinner?”

Skating around the bookish grunt Acacia allowed her left hand to trail against Tambrey's shoulder as she bypassed her, placing in a bit more ginger the light-haired medic stirred the mixture before popping it back into the microwave for a few more minutes. Turning in place Acacia leaned against the counter and exhaled with relief revealing her long slender white neck as she did so. After sighing, for just a moment the woman once again paced over to the sink and washed her hands thoroughly. Within moments she was beside Tambrey again and was helping the woman slice the vegetables while making sure to save as much of the juices as she could.

“Do you think we should make the tomato puree with a bit of an Asian flare too?” Her face scrunched up slightly as she inquired openly. She wasn't sure, but she thought maybe a bit of sweetness to the tomato sauce would make the dish something special.

“Oh yes,” she grinned widely showing off her cheeky half smirk once again. “I like wine, and I have several bottles in my room----okay that made me sound like an alcoholic, it isn't like I drink it often or anything, but I like to have it just in case,” she stressed the latter of her sentence with over enunciating each single word as she spoke. “I have mostly cooking wines mind you, a lot of dishes require things like that, especially French dishes, as far as my wine list goes I only really enjoy one type of wine but I do have several to choose from. I will jog up to my room in a little bit to get a bottle for us so I can chill it before dinner is ready. And I have few items that I want to bring down for Palu because I promised to make her something expensive and fancy. I can't break her little birdie heart at giving her a peasant dish. Now can I?” Acacia allowed herself to give a brief playful wink towards her friend, carefully edging closer to Tambrey she examined the vegetables on the woman's cutting board.

She shook her head at the mauled remains of the veggies and burst out laughing sweetly. “Oh my gosh, you really do have some skill in the kitchen,” Acacia firmly stated as she slid behind the bookish grunt and waited for her moment to wrap her arms around Tambrey's waist then peer over her shoulder. “You really do have skill, but,” her hands which never connected around the woman reached to her sides and pulled at her elbows so they were now tucked firmly beside her. “Keep your elbows as tight to your side as you can, it helps with the speed and stability of her hands. Oh right---what type of wine did you want for dinner. I have a few more white wines than red. I really don't like red wines unless I am cooking with them. Lets see,” pulling herself away from the shorter woman Acacia moved away once again returning to her spot against the counter. “I have a muscat, which is really a dessert wine and is very sweet, it is my favorite. I also have a---” she paused for a moment as her finger trailed up to her mouth, absentmindedly she sucked on the tip of the digit as she tried to pronounce the type of wine she had. “Gewürztraminer, gawd that is hard to say, well it is a more dry wine that has hints of rose pedals, peaches, lychees, and allspice. It goes well with Asian dishes. And to finish up my white wine list, I have sake. It is really bitter, but if you are planning on getting me drunk so you can have your way with me, it is your best bet,” mirthfully teased the pale-haired woman as she pulled her finger away from her mouth then scowled at her digit. Dammit, she needed to wash her hands really badly now. “My red wines are kind of eh, I have merlot and---merlot. Yeah. That is your only choice on the red wine.” Acacia chuckled once again as she strode over to the sink and began to wash her hands yet again until the skin on her wrists and palms where a glowing pink.

Glancing over her shoulder Acacia seemed happy once again as she locked hues with that of her friend. “You choose one of those wines and I will get your started on making the puree while I run upstairs to get the beverage. I never thought about making an Asian Ratatouille before, I really hope it turns out well. Either way I am having fun with you Tamie---”

“Right! Muscat it is,” merrily chimed the slender built woman at her friend's choice. “As accompaniment the wine will be refreshing and it will help cleanse the palate. It is a very good choice,” Acacia affirmed evenly, with quick strides the slender built woman took the colander of tomatoes in her left hand and slid her hand around Tambrey's wrist lightly urging the woman to follow. Gentle movements and light direction guided the dark-haired woman as they both neared the spot that Acacia had wanted the woman at. “Alright I am gonna leave the puree up to you, this right here is a food processor,” gesturing towards the small device near the stove. “You are gonna need a bowl, to slid the puree into once you are doing making into a paste. Um, when you are processing it, don't mix any liquids into it, that will come in a few minutes, which I will also leave you in charge of. Hm, lets see. Just put the tomatoes into the top of the machine and it will make it into a paste, however while it is doing this I would like for you to also had a bit of veggies of your choice into the mash-up as well as---” grinning pleasantly the white-haired medic slid her hand towards a piece of produce that she had kept off to the side; a single deep green pepper. “This lovely little thing here is a Serrano Pepper, it has more kick than a jalapeno pepper, so don't be fooled by its size. It might be small but it backs its heat like a pro. I want you to use gloves when handling the pepper, you still need to wash it as well as remove the seeds then I am leaving you to the honors of putting in about a quarter into the puree then zest some of the peel into the tofu and onions that are simmering. I will be right back, and if you are done before I get back--- take a load off and have a seat.”

Instructions had been given and as the final words escaped her mouth Acacia waved before jogging to where her sleeping quarters were, pumping her legs as quickly as they would carry her Acacia sprinted towards the second floor. The self generated wind tousled the already unruly white and purple locks as she took to the stairwell, and ran up the single flight of steps.



The hammering sound of bare feet on tile invaded the kitchen as the medic reentered the culinary area, thrown over her shoulder was a rather unusual backpack of sorts, it was fuzzy, cute and ungodly yellow. Completely not what someone would expect the dainty framed willowy woman to own, much less wear in public. Grinning with flustered cheeks the pale complexioned grunt waved as she approached the freezer, sliding the duck shaped backpack from her shoulder Acacia lifted out a long green tinted bottle from the duck-sack then carefully she maneuvered the wine into freezer trying to find a way to wedge it in without disturbing other items in the cold box.

“So how is it coming, over there,” she called without pulling her attention away from the task at hand. Shifting the bottle she grumbled irritatedly at whomever the person was that had so many blasted Lean Cuisine dinners stuffed into the already overfull freezing unit.

Seriously, who is so selfish and inconsiderate of communal space that they would hoard so many---ohhhh--- Blushing with embarrassment at her own stupidity Acacia's mental raging ebbed as she saw her own name scrawled across the sides and tops of the dinners.

“I totally forgot that I had these in here! I don't think I have bought these since I was a trainee---erm---” trailing off into a whisper, she attempted to casually remove the food items. “I feel like a jackass---” clearing her throat with a small cough the barefooted grunt approached Tambrey while unknowingly cuddling against the backpack she was still totting around the kitchen. “I brought some surprises for Palu, I got some jarred helix snails and some red and black caviar for her to try. It isn't fresh, we would need to go shopping for me to buy fresh caviar it only last a short time before it needs to be eaten. It is pasteurized, I bought it about two months ago but it keeps up to six so, I am sure it will still taste okay. Did you want some hors d'oeuvre cause I brought enough for all of us, I don't know if you enjoy the whole idea of consuming fish eggs but it actually isn't bad. Especially if it is served right. Did you want to give it a taste or no?”

Reaching into the duck-sack slender fingers withdrew two small jars one of black and the other of red, both showing signs of condensation obviously they had been refrigerated prior to her bring them down stairs. Indeed this was the case, within her closet she kept a few ingredients that she didn't wish to leave down in the kitchens and having a mini-fridge tucked away in her personal living space was ideal for the recovering anorexic. Smirking towards her bookish friend Acacia winked as she placed the two jars down followed by the larger jar with the escargot, seemingly a few other ingredients and items followed from the back but not many, including pinon; pine nuts and extremely beautifully crafted spoons that were no bigger than average teaspoons yet the four in the set shimmered almost dazzling in the overhead glow of the florescent bulbs and were seemingly displayed in their own case, clearly the items were expensive and made out of something other than metal. Ambling over to the fridge once again Acacia placed the caviar away and let out a soft sigh of seemingly relief, within a moment she found herself back at Tambrey's side curiously looking over the puree that she had been assigned; a small click sounded as her wrist turned the heat on the stove higher when she approached the dark-haired grunt.

(epic post is epic!)