melodiesofeternity | [Closed] From Heart to Stomach

Entry tags:

[Closed] From Heart to Stomach

Who: Papyrus & Madhuri (Open to a very sneaky Frisk)
When: August 16th
Where: Sparks Golsaucia, The Lady of Bliss and Madhuri's apartment
What: It's a date! Gotta catch a show and then cook dinner together.
Warnings/Notes: Papyrus. Nerds. Gratuitous foodiness.

The applause was uproarious. Each actor and actress quickly collected upon the stage to link hands and give their final bow, the orchestra playing the final overture. Weeks of hard work paid off for premiere night, allowing all of Vaikuntha to feast their eyes on a sweeping love story: An Otherworlder falls in love with a Native, but saves the world and is granted the chance to go home. But do they stay and live their life with their love, leaving family, work and friends, or do they depart...?

Madhuri gave her applauding hands a rest and sighed, resting her hat upon the table. As the owner of the establishment, a private box seat was always in the wings for her. Tonight, she took in a date. She turned to him, smiling.

"I'm elated that Rosemerta - the woman playing Beatrice in tonight's production - was able to overcome her fear of the stage. She'll have a wonderful career here in the Lady!"

She crossed her ankles. "What did you think, dear? I realize I never asked if you've seen an opera before."

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She nodded. "Thank you... I've never been very good with decorating, considering I never really had a home to do it in. I'm more of a traveling caravan sort of girl. I always have to move, you know? Stories to learn, songs to sing." Death to avoid.

"Either way! If you're hungry, we can get started on the dish, if you'd like to join me in the kitchen and partner up on a proper spaghetti carbonara."

"AH, BUT THAT SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A THRILLING LIFE TO LEAD! THE JOYS OF ADVENTURE. NEW SIGHTS. NEW SOUNDS! FREEDOM TO COME AND GO AS YOU PLEASE!!!" He clutched his chest at the thought. Ah, it's just like one of those human adventure documentaries! Like the one with the cool hat and the swagger. What was his name again? Delaware Dunes?

Nonetheless, dates were better with food. Probably. It was his first date. Still, he beamed at the proposition. "CARBONARA, THOUGH? THAT SOUNDS LIKE QUITE THE FEAST. AND A GOOD BREAK FROM MY TYPICAL MARINARA. VERY WELL, THEN! LET'S COMMENCE WITH THE CULINARY CREATION!"

"The freedom certainly sounds nice, doesn't it? Seems I can't quite open any doors here, though. Maybe in the future! I'd love to show you a Spelljammer...!"

Don't mind her, then. With the cue, she went to gather everything needed and place it on the counter.

"See, space itself is made of a material we can't traverse through. It's too cold, no air, nothing to speak of aside of those little burning points we call stars. But many universes are encased in these vast crystal spheres, and are capable of housing life. Spelljammers are ships designed to pass through the space 'material', and safely enter the spheres to explore what universes are locked away inside."

She pat her chest. "Or, those with the magic can create doors to move between worlds when conditions are right, say with phases of the moon or tapping into magic ley lines in some cases."

"I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT IS, BUT IT CERTAINLY SOUNDS ENTICING!" Just the name alone carried a very... cool edge. Even if its purpose involved some sort of magical jam rather than the musical meaning. It had spell in it. No matter what, it was sure to be a treat.

He followed along, just in case she needed any assistance. Granted, it was her house and her kitchen. Naturally, she'd know it better than he would. But what sort of date and guest would he be if he had her do all the busywork?

"CRYSTALS, YOU SAY? WOWIE. THAT'S THE FIRST I'VE HEARD OF IT! GRANTED, MY EXPERIENCE WITH PARALLEL REALITIES HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE EXPERIMENTAL. AND BY EXPERIMENTAL I MEAN THAT MY INTERDIMENSIONAL TRANSPORTER JUST SORT OF... MAKES CONNECTIONS SOMETIMES. SO FAR, ONLY ONE OF THEM'S BEEN STABLE, HOWEVER."

Much to his dismay. He would have loved to interact with more alternate realities. "BUT... IF YOU CAN CREATE PORTALS BETWEEN WORLDS AT WILL, THAT'S EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE! EVEN IF THE SHIP DOES SOUND AMAZING. BUT RAW MAGIC OF THAT LEVEL... I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE!"

"I do need a few nights of rest after, or risk bodily damage from moving between worlds with little protection, even if it's for a split second. ...Now!" She clapped her hands together.

"I need this parmesan grated into this bowl here, with two eggs and this garlic, crushed. That's going to be our first of two sauces. The heat of freshly-cooked spaghetti will poach the eggs and melt the cheese, forming a lovely velvet around the pasta. The likes of which..."

She opened that icebox and pulled out a covered bowl.

"I made from scratch this morning! Once you make your own pasta from the beginning, goodness, you can't buy the stuff folks have already made. You'll see!"

As much as he would have loved to chat about the nature of worldhopping, the moment the subject shifted, he nodded, and even did a little mock salute, zipping over to the supplies. Far be it from him to procrastinate on something so crucial! Although as she went on, the more appetizing she made it sound. Skeletons didn't really drool. Or have stomachs that rumbled. But wowie, she knew her stuff!

He proceeded to get to work on the ingredients, but at the mention of homemade noodles, his eye sockets widened. "GASP!!! HOMEMADE NOODLES. TRULY, YOU TAKE YOUR PASTAS SERIOUSLY! EVEN UNDYNE ONLY RELIES ON STORE BRAND... ALTHOUGH IN HINDSIGHT, UNDYNE'S METHODS WERE ALWAYS A BIT. FIERY. AND OVER THE TOP."

Fortunately, he'd gotten more practical guidance in the form of Toriel. It allowed him to actually learn a thing or two about proper cooking. "ACTUALLY, I'VE BEEN MEANING TO TRY MAKING A PAPYRUS-SHAPED PASTA. A PAPASTA, IF YOU WILL!"

She laughed. "Papasta... that's perfect! Well, if you ever need a basic pasta recipe to work with and build into your own, do let me know. Some meals seem so intimidating until you learn just what goes into it!"

Madhuri set to her spot with the bacon, giving that a dice into smaller pieces. About a half a pound will do...

"Now, what goes into a Papasta? I'm curious."

"AT THE VERY LEAST, WE COULD ALWAYS SWAP NOTES." Clearly, she knew her stuff. To share ideas and recipes with a fellow culinary artisan... ah, how perfect! Nyeh heh heh.

For the time being, he kept at it on his end of the arrangement, his movements careful and methodical, thanks to Toriel's guidance. "BUT THAT'S WHERE I'M TORN. THERE ARE SO MANY POTENTIAL SAUCES. ALFREDO. MARINARA. MEAT SAUCE. PESTO. CARBONARA, OF COURSE, BUT... WHICH IS THE SAUCE THAT TRULY ENCAPSULATES MY PERSONA? THAT IS THE TRUE STRUGGLE!"

"You're asking a very wise question, Papyrus. Certain shapes of pasta demand certain sauces, I've found, but if you were to come up with the right kind that fit the mood instead, that's nothing short of culinary genius."

But as she started cooking on her end, she had to think a second:

"Oh, the mood, but a drink pairing to go with the pasta. Then you've got a full meal with personality!"

"YES, VERY TRUE! BUT WHAT WOULD TRULY COMPLIMENT A SKULL-SHAPED NOODLE..." His bony brow wrinkled. Red sauces do fit his overall aesthetic, but would it capture the right flavor?

Though the drink comment gave him pause, and he looked away from his ingredients for a moment. "AH, YES. DRINKS. I, ER..." Ducking his head, he tried and failed to withhold a sheepish little laugh. "ADMITTEDLY, THAT'S THE ONE AREA WHERE MY EXPERTISE IS A BIT... LIMITED. THOUGH I DO KNOW THAT WINES ARE VERY HANDY IN COOKING, AT LEAST!"

"For starters, not a chunky sauce. You want a smoother sauce to fill in the little skull gaps and stay on the pasta, housing and carrying every flavor. That's why something like macaroni works with a smooth cheese sauce. Sticks right to it, hides in the tube."

Just a splash of white wine into the reducing bacon, letting the pieces absorb their flavor while cooking off the alcohol.

"Wine's quite versatile! But we can set that aside for now. How's that velvet mix coming? Should I start cooking the pasta?"

"PERHAPS SOME SORT OF RED SAUCE... MAYBE WITH A HINT OF WINE FOR ADDED FLAVOR? I'LL HAVE TO STEW ON IT, BUT-" Right. The velvet! He glanced down at his mix, then offered a thumbs up.

"NYEH HEH HEH! I THINK WE'RE GOOD TO GO. TIME TO LEVEL UP THIS COOKING EXPERIENCE!"

Yes, that was nerdy. No, he did not regret it.

A red wine sauce for Papasta... she couldn't wait to see what he would come up with in the end. She'd offer no suggestions or even further ideas. This was his baby, and what fun was coming up with a recipe when you didn't have any part in its creation?

"Leveling up! Pasta, in!" The dough had been waiting for so long, and with a splash into the boiling water and a stir, it'd be good to roll in just a few minutes.

"So here's the plan: Once this pasta is done, we need to move quickly: The heat of the pasta is what will cook the sauce, adhere to the velvet, and drink in all the tasty flavors. If it's too cold, we'll end up with noodles and scrambled eggs... a tragedy, really."

She wiggled her fingers at him and grinned.

"So I hope you're feeling limber, Papyrus."

Ohoho. He rubbed those mittens together, eye sockets-half-lidded and a very sly smirk on his face. Oh, how intense! How exhilarating! It almost reminded him of cooking with Undyne... albeit with a lot fewer explosions and flames. Fortunately, thanks to his variety of lab work, he'd gained some fairly fast footing. No Ninja, certainly, and his jobs didn't benefit agility too much, but still!

He was no slacker. Not like his brother. Nyeh heh!

So he gave a mock salute. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALWAYS LIMBER! AND SPEEDY. AND DILIGENT TO BOOT! SO NATURALLY, I WELCOME THIS CHALLENGE!"

"I'm counting on you!" Because time would be of the essence if this was gonna be a proper dinner date.

Two minutes later, Madhuri's helpful little kitchen timer in the shape of a chocobo gave a little ring-a-ding-ding.

"It's time." She went for the pot and hurried it over to the sink to drain in the colander. Warmed bowl, two forks, it was simple enough to mix the noodles like an unconventional salad. She'd never had pasta salad, sshh.

The parmesan sauce took to the heat of freshly-drained spaghetti, melting and forming the silky velvet. White wine added a sweet, dry bite to balance the salt of the bacon. With some pepper to add piquancy, the combination was complete: A garlic-touched, peppery, smooth and rich pasta dish. Spaghetti Carbonara!

Papyrus gazed upon their culinary creation with big, googly, and slightly teary eyes. No, he wasn't going to cry. Of course not. That would be silly. He just got... salt in his eyes. Yes! Of course.

Even so, that giddy smile and the balled up fists conveyed his excitement clear as day.

"IT'S... IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!!! MAJESTIC, EVEN!!!"

A bit of an overreaction, perhaps? But still. Madhuri clearly knew what she was doing. And to think he contributed, too!

"The most majestic pasta Vaikuntha has ever seen!" She snapped twice for sassiness, and departed to the table to get the glasses turned upright, ready for filling.

"And with a little drink to go with it, dinner's ready! Please, come have a seat and I'll get something to wet the whistle and go with the food." Goodness, where was her water jug...? Okay, here it is. The wine was chilling, good, good... wait, did he drink wine? She'd forgotten.

"I'm so sorry if this sounds like a repeat: Do you drink?"

Oh! That was... a good question. One that earned a slightly nervous laugh. His head ducks a little- albeit briefly. He doesn't want to appear too sheepish, after all! But, wow. Drinks. Presumably mature, sophisticated drinks.

"OH! WELL. I DO DRINK LIQUIDS, YES. BUT YOU'RE PRESUMABLY REFERRING TO MORE ALCOHOLIC SUBSTANCES, TO WHICH, ERM. WELL." Drat.He was going to sound so childish, wasn't he? Even if he's legally an adult! Right.

He just needed the right phrasing to encapsulate his maturity. Yes. Maybe?

"I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! ONLY THE CLASSIEST OF BEVERAGES FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!!! ...WHICH IS TO SAY THAT I'M SURE WHATEVER YOU HAVE WOULD BE DELIGHTFUL."

There. Nailed it.

He was nervous. That was so adorable. With a passive smile, she reached back into the icebox and selected the second bottle instead. She wasn't about to have him overdo it and make himself sick, so the sparkling apple cider would do just fine without the pip and buzz.

It poured in chilly gold and fine little bubbles as she filled the wine glasses, and the water was... well, water. Nothing really fancy about it. She settled into her seat and crossed her ankles.

"Now, then... what was your spark, if I may ask? What made you decide to take up your career back home?"

Ooh, how intriguing! For a few seconds, he watched the bubbling liquid flow. But once it was ready, he too plopped down. The question that followed gave him pause. In fact, before he even reached his drink, he pulled his hand back, face downcast, and tapped his fingers against the tabletop.

It was... a good question, certainly. Looking back, he never would have expected to end up in this position. Lab partner to the Royal Scientist, with so many accomplishments... but still few friends.

Nyeh heh... Well. No reason to keep it a secret, really.

"IT'S... WELL, IT'S A FUNNY STORY. BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT SCIENCE WAS JUST FOR NERDS! BUT MY BROTHER WAS JUST SO PASSIONATE ABOUT IT. HE'D SPEND HOURS UPON HOURS OUT AT THE LAB, ASSISTING... HIM WITH HIS LATEST PROJECTS. I REALLY DO THINK SANS WANTED TO BECOME THE NEXT ROYAL SCIENTIST ONE DAY."

He paused, finally taking a sip before continuing.

"AND HE... GOT WHAT HE WANTED. JUST NOT THE WAY HE WANTED IT. AND I SUPPOSE AFTER A WHILE, IT WAS TOO MUCH? HE NEVER SAID. BUT ONE DAY, WE JUST PACKED OUR THINGS AND MOVED TO SNOWDIN. SOME TIME LATER, HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD. NO EXPLANATION. JUST A SPONTANEOUS CAREER CHOICE AND THE END OF HIS SCIENTIFIC EXPLOITS..."

Sighing, Papyrus leaned back, a distant look on his face. "IT JUST FELT WRONG TO LET HIS DREAM DIE."

So the lazy brother wanted to be a scientist, bore a passion. But he suddenly swapped to guard duty. Papyrus entered the resulting void. She had to wonder what was going through Sans' head when he made his decision.

"Dreams can shift. Perhaps he wanted to aid people in a different way, somewhere that he can directly interact with the folks he's helping. It's quite sweet of you to take the mantle regardless! Someone needs to be the Royal Scientist, and it changed your mind on science strictly existing for 'nerds'."

She canted her head. "But... what of you? Do you enjoy your work, or do you wish you were doing something else?"

Ah... That's a question he's heard many times, including from his brother. Looking down at his plate, he takes a moment to nudge the noodles with his fork. "WELL, OF COURSE I DO! SCIENCE OPENS THE DOOR TO SO MANY AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES! NEW TECHNOLOGY. NEW DISCOVERIES! AND DISREGARDING THE MULTITUDE OF APPLICATIONS IN PUZZLERY, THERE'S THE OBLIGATORY COOL TELEPORTERS. AND SEXY ROBOTS! AND POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE BUT EQUALLY EXCITING LEVELS OF SPONTANEITY!!!"

Sure, it took a while for him to really get into it, but he was also... a kid. A kid who had no idea what he was getting himself into. Years of study and guidance from a super cool mentor certainly helped over the years.

"BUT EVEN SO, I JUST WONDER ABOUT SANS... IT'S SO HARD TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THAT SKULL OF HIS. AND HE'S GOT A REMARKABLY GOOD POKER FACE, TOO!"

Okay. She was gonna put a pin in 'sexy robots' and ask about that eventually, but it seemed more and more like he was perhaps convincing himself to a degree of how much he enjoyed what he did. Maybe he liked it now, but an obligation through necessity put a fly in the ointment.

"Whatever it may be, I get the feeling he may tell you in time why he did what he did. It sounded like a very tough decision nevertheless." Or he may never tell his brother, because such news would hurt him deeper than he'll ever know.

Papyrus was a damned good boy. It'd be difficult to break something even remotely heavy to him.

"Forgive me for prying. But thank you for discussing this with me. Perhaps I should share a few things with you in kind... it's fair, isn't it?"

Papyrus let out a sound like a sigh crossed with a moan before taking a few more bites. Not much he could do but contemplate, really. In the end, it was up to Sans to speak if he wanted to, and if not... well, the most he could do was encourage him to open up.

Still, with the offer on the table... He looked up from his meal, fingers drumming. "WELL, ONLY IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE! BUT I'M MORE THAN WILLING TO LISTEN."

She read so much from that sound, and could understand it. She regularly surrounded herself with such guarded people that may never talk about what drew those deep lines in their face, what left them in regular stretches of silence. She could pry, certainly, but they'd just prickle. It was a tough spot to be in.

"Certainly. Well..." She steepled her fingers.

"There was an old kingdom, grand and shining, called Bael Turath. It was the pinnacle of technology, magic, and legend. The keyword is 'pinnacle'... and yet they wanted more. Where does one go when they're already at the top?"

She took a drink from her glass and leaned back. A fingertip traced the rim as she pondered how precisely to treat the end of the condensed version of the tale.

"A whole bunch of magic is appealing to a manner of creatures... demons especially. Demons, traditionally, are grand sweet-talkers as well. They promised higher power, the world and all that lay beyond their still-growing borders. Which, of course, they accepted. Foolishly."

Madhuri set her glass aside, and reached up to tap a horn. "A demon never makes a deal that they don't ultimately benefit from. The Bael Turathans got the power they wanted, but they themselves became corrupted. Children were being born with horns, spines and tails, scales and glowing eyes... their children were born a blend of human and the demons to which they made the deal. They would be born as a reminder of their ancestors' mistake, standing out like sore thumbs in society."

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