Cooking Lessons
June 14, 2025 at 12:59 PM
As the morning sun had arrived on yet another day, Ja'vassa found himself defeatedly walking from the gates of Gehenna. He had intended to finally meet with the Head Prefect and share that cup of tea as he had promised, but he was informed that Hina was out on some important business and didn't say when she was going to return. It was disappointing, but it didn't seem either of them had any semblance of good timing when it came to each other. However, given the lengthy journey from SCHALE to Gehenna, Ja'vassa was determined to ensure that it wasn't a total waste. Perhaps he could seek out Problem Solver 68 and invite them on that ramen date like promised, but they were likely busy with a job, so that was out of the question.
Whatever he was planning to do, he wouldn't be able to figure it out on an empty stomach and decided to visit the Gehenna Cafeteria to see about picking up some food. Though, he had arrived a little bit too early and no one aside from him was in the lunchroom. A soft, defeated sigh escaped as he turned to leave, someone had called out to him in a surprised, but somewhat cheerful voice.
"Sensei? Are you looking for someone?" A student called out; her red eyes immediately recognizable.
"Hm? Oh, Fuuka; it's good to see you." Ja'vassa replied, shaking his head at her question. "Not particularly, I came to speak with the Head Prefect, but she was away, so I thought I might stop by for lunch before returning to SCHALE. Seems I'm a bit early for that, eh?"
Fuuka giggled softly, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you're a bit early. Juri and I just returned from an ingredient run; we'll be starting on getting lunch prepared soon. It'll be well worth the wait, Sensei!"
It was always a pleasure to taste whatever Fuuka had come up with, but he couldn't help but notice how many boxes of vegetables, meat, and other ingredients she had stacked behind her. "Your cooking is always worth the wait, Fuuka, but... perhaps I could lend a hand? You and Juri work well together, but it almost seems like there's too much for just two people to handle."
Though she was surprised at the offer, Fuuka smiled warmly. "I didn't realize you could cook, Sensei.. we'd appreciate an extra hand. Are you familiar with Kivotos cooking techniques at all?" She asked, eager to get started.
Despite the time he's spent in Kivotos, Ja'vassa hadn't really bothered to learn how many of their cooking techniques and have relied largely on what he already knew. Combining his Flames spells with pieces of salmon or venison and potatoes on skewers for his usual meals, though he'd occasionally step away from SCHALE to sample the flavors at local restaurants. In response to her question, Ja'vassa laughed softly and shook his head, scratching at his cheek. "I'm afraid not. I'm still used to using the techniques I learned back home... you know, cooking over a woodfire out in the wilds." He admitted.
Hearing such a confession was a bit surprising, but she was glad that he at least wasn't eating frozen foods. "We got done with our shopping a bit earlier than we planned, so I'd be glad to help show you a few techniques... and I'll help you learn some recipes about the ingredients we use here." Fuuka replied, motioning for the old Khajiit to follow her into the kitchen. "What kind of food do you typically cook with, Sensei?" Though she fully intended to be the one teaching him, she was always interested in learning new methods herself.
"Wild game like deer and elk made up the bulk of the meat we cooked with, though goat, poultry, beef were common, too. While on the road, I frequently caught salmon and for a treat, I'd occasionally catch slaughterfish, too." Ja'vassa explained, a smile crossing his face as they entered the kitchen. "We often combined them with hardier vegetables like potatoes and cabbages, with most of our dishes coming in the forms of hearty stews or roasts."
Many of the ingredients mentioned were familiar to her; she frequently cooked with beef, chicken, and the occasional salmon. Venison and goat wasn't something she ate or cooked frequently, and the idea of a slaughterfish sounded strange to her. "Slaughterfish? Just the name alone makes them sound like they were dangerous..." Fuuka admitted, looking towards him skeptically.
"They weren't particularly dangerous, but those little bastards had viciously sharp teeth. It was all too often they'd bite at my ankles whenever I'd step into the shallow waters, but they tasted delicious. I enjoyed searing them over a roaring fire." An idea popped into his head as he spoke, a light smile crossing his face. "You know, Fuuka, perhaps I could teach you a few recipes of my own in exchange for your lessons."
Fuuka's eyes lit up at the prospect; new recipes would give her new options for the Gehenna Cafeteria, and it'd give her a chance to spend more time with Ja'vassa. Perhaps these lessons would be beneficial for Juri, too. After setting out some of the ingredients she had already planned to use, Fuuka turned to him. "Let's get started, shall we?"
Ja'vassa nodded in response, watching closely as Fuuka demonstrated how to properly use some of the equipment in the kitchen while making it quite clear that using open flames like he had been in the middle of his office was likely a dangerous idea and that if he was going to stay in Kivotos for an extended period of time, learning to cook like everyone else did would probably go a long way. First; he was shown how to use the microwave, then how to use the oven and stove top, and once she got the technology out of the way, she'd move onto the basic techniques.
The cooking techniques used in Kivotos seemed so much more delicate than what he knew in Skyrim; Fuuka was far more gentle, and yet, much more precise with movement she made with the knives she wielded. The fish she sliced up was far more uniform than what he'd typically do when preparing his own salmon back home, and the careful measurements were far more controlled than anything he or his chefs would do in Sjel Blad Castle. Ja'vassa couldn't help but grin as he watched Fuuka practically float around the kitchen, occasionally glancing towards Juri who seemed to focus on cleaning the ingredients they intended to use.
With his lessons practically over, Ja'vassa had stepped over to help Juri with her part in the cooking; standing beside her at the sink to aid in cleaning the vegetables. "Fuuka's incredible, isn't she? She wields her knives like a natural... even in all the years I've lived, I've never seen anyone move around a kitchen as effortlessly." He was genuinely impressed with her; occasionally stealing glances at the girl before returning his attention to Juri.
Nodding in agreement, Juri giggled softly at his assessment of her companion. "Yeah, she is incredible... so many students here rely on her magic touch in the kitchen. Even the Gourmet Research Society relies on her heavily, so much to the point that she's occasionally a kidnapping victim of theirs." She replied, stealing glances at Ja'vassa on occasion.
The casual admission to her semi-frequent kidnapping caught Ja'vassa off guard, and yet, it wasn't surprising. Skirmishes between student factions were so common that most residents just wrote them off as part of their daily commutes; he even witnessed several of these on his way to Gehenna. The longer he stayed in Kivotos, the more confusing things became. From the strange technology to the casual crimes committed by his seemingly innocent students, everything was strange to him, and yet, all these little quirks just made it that much more endearing to him.
"I'm not sure I've met that... Gourmet Research Society yet, but I'm glad to see they value Fuuka's talents, too..." Ja'vassa shook his head slightly, setting the cleaned vegetables to the side.
As they set the baskets of vegetables away, Fuuka smiled and nodded her approval. "I'll take care of getting it all cooked up, if you and Juri want to cut up the vegetables, that'd be a big help." She suggested; handing them both a few knives to use while she began to cook up as much chicken as she could.
Taking the offered knives, Ja'vassa and Juri each took care of half of the vegetables, deftly cutting them into even sized pieces. Despite Juri's difficulty with cooking, she seemed to be rather adept at the basic prepwork; all of the vegetables were perfectly cut, the seasonings and spices near perfectly mixed, and even the broth she prepared was exquisite, and yet, nearly every actual cooking attempt from her would end in disaster.
Within an hour, they were able to make up all they'd need for the coming students once lunchtime came. The food was served up to everyone that came, and as the final students picked up the fresh, warm meal; there was just enough leftover for them to enjoy with each other. Collecting their plates, they'd retreat to a quiet corner of the cafeteria to finally enjoy the fruits of their labor. As expected; the grilled chicken and rice were perfectly cooked, the seasonings hit all of the right notes. Ja'vassa has had plenty of dishes during his time in Kivotos, and even for as simple as today's lunch was, it was easily among the best things he's sampled so far.
As they finished eating, they'd join each other in cleaning the kitchen and making sure it'd look nice and pretty for the next day so they could repeat the process. Lunch had been cooked and eaten, the kitchen had been cleaned and prepared for another day of cooking, and now, all that was left was to see about getting a few lessons from Ja'vassa in exchange for the lessons Fuuka gave him after returning to their table.
"Sensei... do you have time to give us those lessons of yours today?" Fuuka asked somewhat excitedly, speaking a bit louder than she intended. Their conversation caught the attention of some passersby that decided to join them at the table.
"Oh, Fuuka's getting some cooking lessons? Sensei must be an impressive cook if he can give her some new skills to master." A silver-haired girl stated, giving them a sly smile.
Fuuka rolled her eyes slightly, subconsciously moving closer to Ja'vassa as the other students joined them. "Oh, Haruna... is it time for you to kidnap me again already?" She asked with a somewhat annoyed tone.
"You seem to act like that's all we do to you, Fuuka." A red-head responded, not so subtly rolling her eyes in response. "Well... that's not on today's agenda, anyways. But, we'll always show up where there's good food to be had."
Despite her retorts, Fuuka wasn't entirely convinced and crossed her arms. "Forgive me for being suspicious, Junko. These kidnappings from you seem to be on a near daily basis." She huffed, shaking her a bit.
Ja'vassa laughed softly as he listened to their banter, though he shook his head at them. "I don't think there's many skills I could teach her that she doesn't already have, but rather, I'm just teaching her one of my favorite recipes. I suppose I could make a little extra for the others." He replied as he'd stand up, stretching a bit. "But, just as you taught me the techniques of Kivotos, I'll teach you some of the techniques I use back home when I'm on the road."
There were plenty of open fields around Gehenna, and as long as he was careful; setting up a small campfire wouldn't be too difficult. "Let's head outside and get started, shall we?"
Juri seemed a little surprised, but her excitement was palpable. "So, you're going to show us a few grilling techniques, Sensei? I can't wait!" She and the others quickly stood up, following him outside to an open, relatively empty space in the fields surrounding Gehenna. Once finding the perfect spot, he'd open his Deep Storage spell. Creating the mystical chest, he'd pull out several pieces of firewood, some salmon filets, and potatoes.
Haruna watched curiously as Ja'vassa performed the spell and as he continued to pull item after item out of the chest. "That's an interesting trick, Sensei.. it certainly seems like it'd be useful to have on hand."
Ja'vassa nodded in response. "Indeed; it's one of the more important innovations we've developed back at the Castle. A personal storage space replacing the need for traditional supply trains, allowing us to cover far more ground than a traditional army would. I used mine primarily to hold food, weapons, and clothing for when I'm traveling." He explained, a somewhat proud smile on his face as he'd set up the campfire.
Fuuka watched as Ja'vassa lit the firewood with his Flames spell, a somewhat playful smile appearing. "Sensei... we're not magically inclined, but I suppose keeping a lighter or some matches on hand might not be a bad idea. There's something comforting about the smell of the burning wood." She hummed; watching him prepare the salmon and potatoes he planned to cook with, taking note of the seasonings he used. "What are you seasoning it with? That doesn't look like anything I'm used to..."
Ja'vassa smiled as he set the skewered pieces of fish and potatoes over the roaring campfire. "It's dried nirnroot; one of my favorite seasonings to use. Raw nirnroot can be mildly toxic, but when it's been properly prepared, it can elevate the flavor of whatever you're seasoning it with." He explained, carefully monitoring the food as it cooked.
The idea of the potentially toxic seasoning was a bit unnerving, but they trusted Ja'vassa knew what he was doing and watched as he carefully removed the skewers from the fire. With the food cooked up, he'd distribute it amongst the students that had joined him outside. "It's a bit simple, but comforting. Enjoying the soothing sounds of Skyrim's wilderness, the glittering lights of the stars overhead, and a warm meal. It all brings me back to simpler times when I spent most of my days on the road, exploring old ruins in search of treasure." He smiled, a soft laugh escaping him.
Fuuka was quiet as she took her first bite, savoring the unique taste of the nirnroot along that dusted the charred salmon and potatoes; she had never stepped foot in Skyrim, or even really knew what it was and yet, the flavor had brought her directly to the old brick roads of Tamriel's frozen province. The description of the glittering stars and gentle rustling of the surrounding trees as the wind blew made the meal that much more enjoyable.
"Sensei... it's such a simple meal, but it's delicious. If this is how people cook in your homeland, I'd love to visit it someday and sample more of these flavors." Fuuka released a soft, dreamy sigh as she looked towards him.
"I do intend to return to Skyrim for a few days in the coming weeks. Perhaps you could join me; I'd be glad to show you more of the local flavors of my home, and perhaps you'd be able to learn a few techniques." Ja'vassa suggested, returning the warm smile.
The prospect of visiting Skyrim caused Fuuka's eyes to light up, though just as quickly as she lit up, she faltered. "Will that be alright with you, Juri? I don't want to leave you with more work than you need..." She fidgeted with her hands slightly.
Juri returned her concerns with a warm smile. "You work harder than anyone else does in that kitchen, Fuuka. You deserve a break every now and then. At least traveling with Sensei will spare you from being harassed by Haruna and her friends." She replied, briefly glancing towards the Gourmet Research Society who were gladly enjoying the remaining pieces of salmon.
Rolling her eyes at Juri's comment, Junko crossed her arms. "I suppose we'll just have to wait for her to return; maybe she'll bring us some new recipes to sample when she gets back." She huffed, quickly returning her attention to the food Ja'vassa had cooked for them.
"Regardless, I'd suggest you find something warm to wear before we set off. Skyrim can be bitterly cold at times. I don't intend to leave for a few days, so you'll have time to prepare." Ja'vassa stated as he'd begin to clean up from their extended lunch. "I'll be sure to give you a call before I come to pick you up; be sure only to take what you can't live without. Pack extra ammunition, make sure your weapon is tip top shape, and be prepared to be without your technology for a few days."
It would be a major transition for her, even if just for a few days, but the prospect of learning about new cultures like this was too much to pass up. "I'll be ready for it, Sensei. Thanks for inviting me to join you."
With the temporary campsite cleaned up and as the afternoon sun had begun to set, it was time they'd go their separate ways. "I look forward to our trip, Fuuka." Ja'vassa hummed, briefly glancing towards the Gourmet Research Society. "I know she's useful to you, but if you could restrain yourself from causing her some trouble for a few days, that would be nice. We'll be sure to bring you some souvenirs upon our return."
Haruna chuckled softly, nodding at him. "Don't worry, Sensei, we'll leave her alone for the time being, but I expect her to have a fantastic new dish on her mind when she returns. Enjoy the trip, Fuuka, and keep yourself safe." She and her companions bid them farewell, satisfied with the food Ja'vassa cooked for them.
"Thank you for the meal, Sensei. I'll see you soon and make sure you keep Fuuka safe while on the trip." Juri smiled towards him, bidding her farewells and soon, it was just Ja'vassa and Fuuka left to enjoy the slowly setting sunset together.
"I suppose I should start heading back home for the night.. I've got a lot to pack up for our trip." Fuuka turned to him, reaching out to briefly embrace him. "...I can't wait for this, traveling will open me up to a world of new flavors to try and I'll get to see the place that made you who you are, Sensei..." She sighed contently, giving him a light squeeze before pulling away.
"Aye, I look forward to it as well.. being able to show you around the land I've called home is a wonderful prospect to me." Ja'vassa had gladly returned the embrace until she pulled away, sharing one last smile with her. "Have a safe trip home, Fuuka. I'll keep in touch with you until it's time to set out."
With their final farewells, the two glanced at each other once more before going their separate ways. Fuuka would return to the Gehenna dorms while Ja'vassa set off for his office in SCHALE; the excitement for their upcoming trip was palpable. So far, both Fuuka and Momiji had signed on to join his upcoming trip; he had wondered if anyone else would join him. Perhaps he could invite his Abydos students to come with him, though they were likely busy dealing with the ongoing aftermath following the situation with Kaiser. Regardless of whether or not anyone else joins him, he looked forward to the return home, even if it was just for a little while.
