crumbs_and_yums

This is a thing that just...happens, around here? That's awful! For Sylvain, and for Felix and everyone else left behind! But he'll be back, right? When he wakes up? Just...different? With new memories of home... This is difficult to wrap my mind around, I'm sorry. I'll stop bothering you with questions for now. Thank you for letting me know, Claude. I'll reach out to Felix, if he wants to talk.

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vrdantwind

Yeah...not all the time, or to everyone, but it can happen. We'll all be worried, and there's no telling what new things Sylvain will have gone through back home until he wakes up again, but it won't be long. And hopefully everything will be just fine.

Believe me, it's hard for anyone to understand. I've just seen enough crazy things here that by now, nothing sounds all that far-fetched. Plus I have seen it actually happen to one other person, which helps.

Felix is definitely at his most short-tempered right now, but you're one of his favorite people. I think you've got as good a chance as anyone at being able to help him. Just...try not to take it too personally if he snaps at you. You don't deserve it, but also when he's this worked up it's a tossup as to whether or not he can help it.

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I absolutely understand. If snapping at me is what he needs right now, then he'll have that. And if he wants to talk, he'll have that instead. I'll do my best either way. Thank you Claude.

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vrdantwind

It's no problem. Good luck, Annette - I hope you can help him.

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vrdantwind

Hey, Annette, do you have some time to chat? In person, I mean. There are some things I should probably tell you.

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Of course, Claude! I've been really busy studying everything I need to know about Pokemon and this world, and I'm nowhere near done yet, but I could use the break. Tomorrow afternoon I'll be at the library until it closes, do you want to come by and rescue me? It's probably not a good idea to count on me to pry myself away, there's still so much to learn!

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vrdantwind

Ha, you and I are in the same boat! Not that I think either of us will be done in a lifetime. After all, who's to say what the limits are on what we need to know? And there's enough information to have kept scholars of this world busy when they've spent their whole lives here.

Not that that's meant to discourage either of us, of course. It's more just a gentle reminder to not expect this to be a task we're ever precisely 'done' with. It's more of an ongoing journey of discovery, right?

And it'd be my honor to rescue the fair maiden from the jaws of the Overachievement Beast! Your hero will arrive tomorrow afternoon - say around five? We want to leave some time for talking before dinner, after all.

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nastyboy

[Sometimes, it's hard to remember dates when everything just Happens All The Time. This is especially true in an entirely different world, Dimitri has found, where their use of the calendar is completely different. It's not only in the differences of when they start and end a year, but also completely different names.]

[Fortunately, even when Dimitri is overwhelmed, his Pokemon seem to help keep track of things... and so Annette can thank Silkie later when Dimitri comes to find her.]

Annette! I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.

[He already has some gifts in hand - one a box of local sweets that were recommended to him, and the other a pair of plush Jigglypuff slippers.]

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[Annette really wants to inspect the sweets more closely, because she's simply dying to know what they are, and what they taste like, but...she can't possibly focus on those right now. On the one hand...tasty treats! Best thing ever! But on the other hand...]

Are those...are those Jigglypuff slippers???

[She shakes her head vigorously, forcing her jaw back shut. Where were her manners?]

I'm so sorry, I meant to say...Thank you very much Dimitri, that was very thoughtful, and are those Jigglypuff slippers??? Tritz, come look at what Dimitri has for us!

They're adorable, Dimitri, they're just so cute!

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nastyboy

[Seeing Annette get so excited, lighting up again... It has Dimitri smile a little, relieved that he was able to do something food for her after everything that's happened. That he's done.]

Yes... I thought you and Tritz might care to match.

[Although it could also be creepy, but he had very much hoped that wouldn't be it.]

I know that we travel often, so there may not seem to be any need for slippers, but hopefully you enjoy them regardless.

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It's in the early evening on the day after the auction and beach party that Felix finds Annette at the house in Olivine, not meeting her eye. Which is nothing particularly strange for Felix.

"Hi. Are you busy?"

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"Of course!" She caps her pen and closes her notebook, taking the opportunity to stretch her arms and wiggle her fingers a bit.

"What's up, Felix?"

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"But--oh." Silly Felix. Of course she's busy. It's Annette.

"I...want to show you something. On the beach."

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"It is a nice day, isn't it. Sure, let's go!"

She stands up and stretches her back slightly, before scooping up her bag. She neatly squares away her notebook, pen, and her small stack of books, but leaves them behind on the desk. Whatever it was she was taking notes on, it can wait.

Annette nods with a smile, indicating she's ready. "After you."

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Felix nods back and heads out, but before they step out the door, he stops to pick up something that looks suspiciously like a guitar case and sling it over his shoulder, along with one of the large blankets they've accumulated for sitting on the beach.

They don't have to go far, of course, and soon enough they've reached a small stretch of beach that's a bit isolated by a handful of rocks. The time of day means that no one should be around--at least, that's Felix's hope.

Felix spreads the blanket out and takes a seat, and then he sets down the guitar case and opens it. And there is, indeed, a guitar in there, which he takes out and starts tuning, all without looking at her.

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Annette doesn't pester Felix with questions or small talk along the way, despite the burning curiosity that immediately blooms when she sees him pick up the guitar case. What could possibly be inside?

After he sets out the blanket, she arranges herself neatly on one side, facing Felix with anticipation. What could possibly be in the case? It's obviously not a sword, wooden or otherwise, but...could it be a mace? Oh! Maybe an axe? But why sit down on the beach to...

Annette blinks. Then blinks again. As Felix draws out the guitar, they begin to widen. As he begins to tune it, her breath hitches in confusion and wonder.

Do NOT squeal and make a big deal of this, do NOT, Annette! You will not freak out and gush and and is this really happening right now?

It's very fortunate that Felix is not currently looking at her face, which gradually settles into a big, stupid grin, mixed with a little awe, a dash of confusion, and a lot of excitement. She brings one hand to her mouth, and the other to her chest, then proceeds to sit as utterly still as if she had a whole flock of Vivillons about to land on her.

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It's convenient, Felix thinks, that you have to tune a guitar before you start playing, because it gives him a great excuse not to look at her or say anything.

...at least, until he's finished. He chances a quick glance up at her just to make sure she isn't...laughing at him or something, not that he actually thinks she would. He clears his throat.

"I've...been taking lessons with Greg Universe. It started as an emoji misunderstanding with Dimitri, but...hmph. Anyway, I started with the food song."

With a look of intense focus that's highly reminiscent of the one he wears when he's squaring off against a worthy opponent in battle, he starts to play. It's recognizably the food song, but not just the melody - it's an accompaniment that she could sing along to.

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For a long moment, Annette's brain scrambles to actually parse the music with a critical ear, instead of staring at Felix's nimble fingers dancing across the strings. Once she finally does, though, her face flushes pink.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius is playing -- on a guitar -- one her songs. That song. And...is that arranged to be an accompaniment?? No way...how did he...?

No matter, that's a straight up invitation. She can't not join in!

Annette sits up straight, rubs quickly at her traitorously watery eyes, takes a deep breath, and just in time to join in on the last line, she...

...croaks.

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Felix doesn't really have the extra attention to spare to watch her while he's playing, so he doesn't notice anything of her reaction until--that noise.

He abruptly stops before he quite gets all the way to the end of the song, his head snapping up to look at her. He didn't think it was that bad...

"Um..."

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Both hands are covering her mouth now, as if they could hide the sin they just committed from the eyes and ears of the goddess. She could swear she can hear that horrible noise echoing back to her in the sudden, awful silence.

"Nonono, don't," she croaks out hoarsely. Annette pauses to clear her throat, her traitor organ threatening to close even tighter under the heat of her burning shame and cheeks. "Don't stop! I'm so sorry! I was trying to sing along with you and I wasn't ready, please! That was amazing, when did you...and how did you do the arrangement...I mean I didn't even...please, Felix, keep going, I'll be quiet and list--*hic*"

Her babbling is cut short by a sudden hiccup. She looks Felix helplessly in the eyes, then...she can't help it. She giggles, then starts to laugh at her ridiculousness.

Finally reining herself in, she stops, and sits up to a kneeling position on the blanket.

"Felix, I'm so, so sorry for interrupting. Please forgive me, I was a little overwhelmed. You caught me off guard! Please, I would love to hear you play whatever you want to show me. If you want me to sing along, I'd love to, but I want to hear you play first, if that's ok."

She looks at him with apologetic, then hopeful eyes, waiting expectantly, hoping her outburst didn't scare him off.

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Felix relaxes as she starts babbling, and then flushes faintly at the praise. He's about to interrupt her when she interrupts herself instead and starts laughing. He's really not sure what he's supposed to do, here, so he just kind of...stares at her until she's finished, half-considering whether he should just...go...

But then she's asking him to keep going, and his faint flush returns.

"I don't...that's the only song I know. So far. I didn't write the arrangement, Greg did."

Which implies that either he or his Pokemon sang the song for Greg...but he'll just gloss over that.

"Um...I could play it again, though, and you could sing. If you want."

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"Oh! Greg Universe, you said? I'll be sure to thank him, you sounded really good."

She doesn't ask how Greg learned that song, or why he just decided to arrange it that way, or why, of all the songs in the world, Felix chose that one to learn first before all others.

She does, however, ask, "What kind of emoji misunderstanding lead to you learning the guitar?"

Without hesitation, she smiles and straightens a bit more. "I would love to accompany you, Felix."

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Hm. It was adequate.

[It's not modesty; just an accurate assessment. It sounded fine, but he still needs to think way too much about each step of what he's doing to get it right.]

Huh? Oh. He showed me a series of them that Zuke showed him, which was supposed to represent a band of some kind. But to me it looked like he was suggesting that he would play the drums and I would play the guitar.

[He shrugs.]

I suppose I...didn't hate the idea.

[Then he frowns.]

What? No. I'm accompanying you.

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"And just how long have you been playing? Even adequate is pretty good for just starting out, and you sounded better than just adequate to me."

Even with her obvious bias aside, Annette hopes he realizes she's being sincere. He still sounds a bit far from improvising or even just playing by feel, but she really is genuinely impressed all the same.

"I'm not super familiar with guitars, but I've heard plenty of beginner fiddle players and...well, I obviously enjoyed your playing." She wrinkles her nose at Felix, eyes twinkling.

Her eyebrows lift a little at his explanation of the backstory. "Well, I for one am very glad you didn't! Hate the idea, that is."

She waggles her hand at Felix, grinning. "Semantics! Fine, then let us accompany each other! You start, I'll jump in."

She clears her throat surreptitiously, just in case, and leans forward eagerly.

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"Hmph. Perhaps." He's not going to accuse Annette of lying to flatter him, but it's silly to talk up a beginner's ability as though it were greater than it is.

He nods, reorienting his fingers for the opening chords of the song, and then glances up at her briefly before he starts. The look on her face--how excited she looks for just this small thing--gets him smiling just a little, without realizing it.

Then he starts playing the song again from the top, still looking down at what his fingers are doing, both because he mostly needs to and because it means he doesn't have to meet her eyes and die of embarrassment.

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Annette is ready this time, eyes also locked on Felix's fingers. Her first few notes are clear and on pitch, but a little loud in her excitement. She's also not used to accompanying - or being accompanied by - an instrument, and it takes a couple bars to figure out the right volume. She wants to make sure she can still hear Felix, and that he can hear her.

By the time they get to the mountain of sweets, she's in the groove, which allows her to relax and just enjoy the surreal moment. Part of her has a hard time believing this is happening, while another feels like this is the most natural thing.

Then, all too soon, it's over.

Annette claps her hands and bounces on her heels. "Again! Again!"

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Felix makes a few mistakes this time, because he's listening to her too much and it's distracting him from the focus he needs to get this right. They're small, though, and few, and with Annette singing along it feels more right. Practicing it without the singing made it sound sort of empty, even when he sang along under his breath to make sure he was getting the timing right.

But this... This is perfect.

His mind is already turning to the places where he could have done better when she's doing her best golden retriever impression, and his brows lift, but he nods.

"All right. I need to work on the muscle memory so I don't let your singing distract me."

(Felix, that's not why she wants to do it again...)

...then he realizes what he's said and his face flushes. "Um...because I'm not...used to coordinating it with someone else. Is why I got distracted. That's all."

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Annette barely notices the mistakes, as caught up as she is in singing with Felix's strumming. In her mind, even the tiny missteps she does manage to notice only form a crossweave to the wonderful pattern they're crafting together, of string and cord.

When he speaks, it doesn't even occur to her to take insult, of course, which leaves her briefly confused about his flushed clarification.

"Of course! I was a little distracted too, that was so much fun! Thank you, Felix. I am more than happy to sing with you any time you like, for practice or for fun."

She sits back on her heels, smiling broadly. "Whenever you're ready!"

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Felix wasn’t clarifying because he thought she would take insult, although she has been known to yell at him for incomprehensible things before...

But never mind that, because she’s ready to sing it again. Practice and fun are the same thing to Felix, so he’s not sure what the difference is, but either way he’s glad. Not only did she like his playing, she wants to do this more in the future. He’ll have to practice on his own to really get it down before they do it again...

“All right. I’ll have to learn more of your songs. Maybe I’ll start with Creepity Creep, and we can invite Claude next time. That’s his favorite one.”

He can’t help the small smile that appears on his face as he starts to play the song again.

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Practice and fun are not the same things at all, to Annette. Practice is hard work, where fun is just an inefficient distraction from applied diligence. Though, hard work is usually very enjoyable.

She blushes slightly in embarrassment at the reminder that Felix isn't the only one who has a favorite song of hers. "I'm looking forward to it."

Seeing his smile as he begins to play again is all it takes to ease the pink from her cheeks, as she relaxes and joins in for the third round of, hopefully, many.

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Someone is in the kitchen. This is not an unusual thing, of course; it isn't as though Dedue and Ashe have a monopoly on cooking. Claude occasionally experiments with his curries; Dimitri... well, His Highness should only cook if he has a recipe to follow religiously. Not that his skills in the kitchen are bad, exactly-- he is a precise and meticulous cook-- but his idea of what flavors work together and in what magnitudes is... unreliable.

So when Dedue walks past the kitchen and sees Annette inside, it's not a strange thing. What is, however, a little alarming is the amount of red powder that she dumps into the pan that she's cooking in. He can tell by the color and shape of the bottle that it's chili powder, and the amount that she adds is ambitious. To say nothing of the fresh chilis that she then also adds in, and also in quite a significant amount.

Something is happening here. Dedue's not entirely sure what, but he feels that it's only right if he intervenes now.

"Hello, Annette," he says, announcing himself before he enters. He's found that, despite his size, he is quiet enough that he sometimes startles people, and he wouldn't want to startle her while she's working with something hot. "What are you making?"

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To her credit, Annette only jumps a little. And surely it's due to fortune and luck, not Dedue's careful eye and thoughtful timing, that he speaks her name at the precise moment when she has no pan or knife in her hands.

"Oh! Dedue! Perfect timing! I'd love for you try this, when it's done."

She takes a spatula and carefully moves the peppers and veggies around in the pan, where they seem to be heaped on a filet of some sort. It appears and smells to be some sort of fish, but either this world has fish with brilliantly crimson flesh, or its color has been supplanted with the spices poured liberally on it.

She smiles over her shoulder at Dedue. "I just read the other day that sugar can counteract spice to an extent, and I wanted to put it to the test! I thought if I made a spicy fish sauté, and a yummy sweet sauce to pour over it to taste, I could make something that lovers of both spicy and sweet could enjoy together, each adding however much or little sauce they liked! I'm just making the fish now. And look! I even remembered what you said about cooking the veggies with the meat, for better flavor on both! What do you think?"

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When Dedue approaches the stove, he gets a look in the pan and sees... that Annette either has managed to find a fish with very unusually colored flesh, or she has managed to add so much chili powder that she's stained the flesh crimson. For this to happen in so short a period of time, not after, say, hours of sitting in a pungent marinade, is impressive, probably. It's certainly something. He can smell the pungent aroma of toasting spices, and while it is normally a good thing, he's a little concerned about who's the ultimate recipient of Annette's experimental dish.

"I see," he replies. "You are correct in that pairing sweet and spicy elements can enhance the overall flavor of a dish. And you have done well with the vegetables."

Nothing seems to be technically wrong with the dish-- all of these elements could, theoretically, come together to produce something appealing. And, to the correct palette, it may already be something that's appealing. The question is whose unsuspecting tongue does Annette want to unleash this upon?

"I would be glad to try it and provide my opinion. May I ask who you intend to make this for? I recall that you are not particularly fond of spicy food yourself."

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Annette's smile widens even more at the compliment. From Dedue, no less!

"Thank you, Dedue! I was thinking of making this for Felix, since I remember he liked those spicy fish balls we used to have back at the monastery. I didn't hate them, but I never really would've chosen to eat them over other, much tastier things. And while I've never managed to successfully make sweet fish myself, I've had it before, and it's so good. So I thought, best of both worlds!"

She cocks her head thoughtfully, as she continues to poke and prod and flip the sautéing fish. "Quite literally, in this case, since I'm cooking with one world's ingredients while inspired by another world's dish. Hah!"

She should probably leave the fish alone to just cook, but she's always been a bit impatient with how long things need to just sit and cook.

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Annette lights up at the simple praise, and it's good to see her so pleased even with just a small compliment. She always tries very hard in everything that she does, and it's a commendable thing; Dedue sees no reason to withhold praise when it's due, just as he doesn't hesitate to draw attention to mistakes. To learn, one must know both what's being done that's right and that's wrong.

There's a tiny hint of an uptick at the corners of his lips after her little joke-- a suggestion of a smile. Annette has always been good company. It's good that the five years that they had all been apart hadn't changed her cheerful nature. Or her impatience, apparently, as she's poking that fish so much that you'd think she was trying to wake it up.

"Be careful that you do not overwork the fish."

Thankfully for her patience, or lack thereof, fish is a reasonably quick meat to cook, and it shouldn't take too long to finish up if she doesn't keep fidgeting with it.

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Annette looks about to protest, but she sighs instead, giving the bright fish a few last fidgets before letting it be. "Sorry, I just hate sitting and staring and waiting for things to cook. Baking is better because I can just do other things and ignore whatever's in the oven."

She wrinkles her nose at some unpleasant or embarrassing memory. "Well, so long as I don't get carried away by whatever else I'm doing and forget to keep track of the time. Or forget I have something in the oven at all."

She shakes her head and grins at Dedue. "At least I can clean my work area while I wait. That much I can do!"

She asks Dedue about his day, and other pleasant small talk while she cleans up after herself. After a minute, though, a keen culinary nose might detect something burning. Strangely, it doesn't seem to be coming from the fish and peppers, at least not yet. What could have been ironic foreshadowing aside, the oven is off, and the only other thing on the stovetop is a lidded pot in the back.

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Annette launches into her clean-up, and Dedue nearly offers to help her-- but it's a small clean-up, all things considered, since she is only making food for once person, not the whole monastery. He leaves her to her distraction, though he does step in to put things on high shelves that she cannot reach. One of the benefits to his unusual height-- there are no inaccessible cabinets.

Her chatter is quite amiable, though Dedue's never had much skill with smalltalk. He tries to keep up with her questions as best as he can; even if he doesn't, she'll still fill the silence. She, at least, has never seemed to mind how lackluster he is at conversation. Perhaps it's a side effect of knowing Felix so well, that she has very low expectations for it.

The sharp smell of something burning hits his nose, and Dedue turns his head in the direction it's coming from. It isn't the fish or the peppers, and when he looks at the oven, it isn't on, either. What could be burning?

"Annette, do you have something else on the heat?"

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Annette enjoys Dedue's presence, especially in the kitchen. She's never been an especially anxious person, but something about having Dedue in the kitchen is like having a good cloak in the rain, or good armor on the battlefield. It just feels safer, like having an extra layer of insulation against disaster. Surely nothing would dare to explode or curdle in front of him. Not to mention she's grown entirely comfortable with comfortable silence and quiet responses.

"Hm? Oh, just the sauce simmering in the back. I couldn't help making it first, I just wanted to taste it! It's really, really good if you like it sweet, which I do! I kept tasting it, and every few minutes it would get even sweeter and thicker and more delicious! I haven't tasted it since I got busy with the fish though, by now I bet it's simply d--"

She cuts off with a gasp and some coughs as she eagerly lifts the lid on the pot and is promptly wreathed with black, foul smoke, and the distinct smell of burnt sugar.

"No! Nooo, no! Where did all the *hack, cough* liquid go?! It's on low, come on! No no no no, don't do this to me *hack*, it was so good!"

She tries to wave the smoke away with the pot lid, but the thick, clinging stuff is not so easily dispersed. At least there's no fire!

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When Annette lifts the lid, a plume of smoke wafts out of it, accompanied by the distinct smell of burned sugar. She must have left it on the heat too long and boiled all the water out of it, scorching it to the bottom of the pan; looking over her shoulder confirms this suspicion. It'll be a nightmare to get out, but at least it's just smoke and no actual fire.

"Unfortunately, sugar can burn even on a low flame."

As they have just seen. Welcome to the wonders of evaporation, caramelization, and pyrolysis, Annette. Sugar is a cruel mistress and can go from delight to disaster in the space of an instant.

"Allow me to take this out of your way." He'll just take that pan and put it in the sink, so that it isn't choking Annette with smoke anymore. A little water will dampen things down and the rest of the nightmare that's now fused to the bottom of that pan can be dealt with later.

"If you do not mind fetching a clean pan, and you remember the ingredients that you used, we can recreate your sauce."

So don't worry, Annette, just because you possibly destroyed a pan doesn't mean that your whole dish is ruined.

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Annette groans, shoulders slumping in defeat as the water hisses and steams from the charred mess.

"Thanks Dedue..."

When he mentions remaking the sauce, she brightens up a little. "I do have it all written down right here! Can... Can you please help me, Dedue?"

What she shows him is some sort of variation on an apple cider glaze, that was probably never intended to be simmered and reduced for anywhere near so long. Or applied in such large quantities, unless you had a real sweet tooth.

In all the excitement, as she finds a clean pan and gathers the ingredients again, she'd probably let the fish burn too, unless a more capable chef were to rescue it -- and themselves -- from a spicy, smoky doom.

All the while, Annette casts an occasional glance at the ruined pot, alternating between a glare and a gleam, probably already plotting how to clean and rescue it later tonight.

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