(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 9)

[Oldmansour]

>Well, if she was hauling said sack, then obviously spud's is on the menu tonight.
>Open up the sack. "How many of these did you want?"

[DracoOmega]

>Well, if she was hauling said sack, then obviously spud's is on the menu tonight.
>Open up the sack. "How many of these did you want?"

>That would seem a logical conclusion.
>Miyuki takes a look at you and chuckles lightly. "You've never cooked for these many people at once, have you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Not yet, anyway."

[DracoOmega]

>"Not yet, anyway."

>Miyuki smiles. "Well, we'll be going through a lot of these before the evening is out." She pulls out a substantial and study-looking potato peeler and hands it to you. "Mind going until I tell you to stop?"

[Oldmansour]

>Have we ever peeled potatoes en masse before?
>Not that it matters. I mean, how hard can it be.
>Still, assuming we do know what we're doing, "Certainly."

[DracoOmega]

>Have we ever peeled potatoes en masse before?
>Not that it matters. I mean, how hard can it be.
>Still, assuming we do know what we're doing, "Certainly."

>En mass, no. But you've certainly peeled a potato before.
>Besides, you're not about to be defeated by a potato peeler for crying out loud.
>She nods. "Great. Okay, let's get to it, then. I don't know about you, but I could use a nice hot meal after today, and I'm sure that goes for everyone else too."

[Oldmansour]

>"Damn sure goes for me."
>Start in on stripping spuds.
>"What did you have in mind? Beyond potatoes, of course."

[DracoOmega]

>"Damn sure goes for me."
>Start in on stripping spuds.
>"What did you have in mind? Beyond potatoes, of course."

>You pull a potato out of the sack and set to applying the peeler to it.
>"I thought I'd make shepherd's pie," she says, ducking back into the pantry. "It's nothing complicated, but it feels like comfort food to me. And we've still got some roast beef I've been meaning to use up."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod., "I can get behind that. Wouldn't go wrong with a little cheese added in too, but each to their own, y'know?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod., "I can get behind that. Wouldn't go wrong with a little cheese added in too, but each to their own, y'know?"

>"I could grate some to put on top," she says. "If you want. If you're helping out, you get a say. One of the perks of doing the cooking."

[Hanzo K.]

>Smile. "That works! So, what kinds of cheese we have to work with then? If we're putting Cheese on it, we're gonna be doing this right."

[DracoOmega]

>Smile. "That works! So, what kinds of cheese we have to work with then? If we're putting Cheese on it, we're gonna be doing this right."

>Miyuki laughs. "I thought you said you weren't much of a cook? Or is this just a mouse thing?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Grin. "Mouse thing. I'm not much of a cook, but I know my cheeses."

[DracoOmega]

>Grin. "Mouse thing. I'm not much of a cook, but I know my cheeses."

>"Well, you can come back here and have a look for yourself," she says. "Though we don't really have a lot to choose from, I'm afraid. There's cheddar and some... Northswald mild, I think it was - a bit pungent, actually. We may have a little gouda, too, but that's probably it. Might need to stick with the cheddar, actually," she says apologetically. "I'm not sure most of the crew are adventurous enough for the Northswald and there isn't enough gouda to cover the whole thing. But you can put whatever you want on your own portion, of course."

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Well, it'll be melted anyhow, so it should be alright."
>What do we know about the Northswald?

[Hello Purvis]

The only solution is to make a delicious horrible omnicheese out of all of them.

>"So...has Captain done a secret run like that in the past?"

[Hanzo K.]

I like the way you're thinking Purvis. I actually do that when I make grilled cheese sammiches. Great stuff that.
Even the stinky cheeses like Limburger turn out awesome when melted.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "Well, it'll be melted anyhow, so it should be alright."
>What do we know about the Northswald?

>"Okay, great." You hear more rummaging.
>You're not actually a big fan of it yourself. You suppose pungent isn't a bad word for it; there's something just a little earthy and even bitter to its aroma, though the taste itself is fairly bland. If it's a reflection on Northswald cuisine in a wider sense, you don't envy the people who live there.

>"So...has Captain done a secret run like that in the past?"

>There is a pause. "Like this? Well, yes, I suppose you could say that." Her tone is slightly clipped.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "We can use all the cheeses. Northswald's a bit bland, but it should mesh well with the Cheddar and Gouda. We can just put a light sprinkling of Gouda, and make the majority of it be a Northswald-Cheddar mix."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "We can use all the cheeses. Northswald's a bit bland, but it should mesh well with the Cheddar and Gouda. We can just put a light sprinkling of Gouda, and make the majority of it be a Northswald-Cheddar mix."

>"You sure on that?" she asks with a touch of skepticism. "It didn't smell that bland."

[Hanzo K.]

>"I meant tastewise. If all Northswald food is like that, then my sympathies to them."

[DracoOmega]

>"I meant tastewise. If all Northswald food is like that, then my sympathies to them."

>She chuckles. "If you don't like it, then why do you want it on the pie?" You hear her take a sniff of something. "I think this is Neu's doing, actually. Because it certainly wasn't mine."

[Hanzo K.]

>Have we ever tried melting the Northswald before?
>If Not; "Simple, cheeses change when you melt them.

[DracoOmega]

>Have we ever tried melting the Northswald before?
>If Not; "Simple, cheeses change when you melt them.

>You have not.
>"Well, I suppose... But I think I'd like to sample it before I put it over the whole works. It's still my kitchen, after all." She says this lightly.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Good idea, let's try melting it on some toast. I haven't tried melting it after all, so now's as good a time as any."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "Good idea, let's try melting it on some toast. I haven't tried melting it after all, so now's as good a time as any."

>"Knock yourself out," Miyuki says, emerging from the pantry with a sizeable cheddar wheel in one hand, upon which is balanced a much smaller block of Northswald and a narrow wedge of gouda - there really isn't much of it, if that's all they have. "Just don't forget about the potatoes."

[Hello Purvis]

Wonder if there's enough for au gratin potatoes?

>Eyeball them cheese amounts, then grate off enough to make a toast-sized sample of this horrible omnicheese. Then whip up that toast-sized sample.

[DracoOmega]

>Eyeball them cheese amounts, then grate off enough to make a toast-sized sample of this horrible omnicheese. Then whip up that toast-sized sample.

>You scrounge up a grater and then set about making a sample of this three-cheese blend, shredding a suitable amount over a slice of bread and leaving it to toast. You peel some more potatoes while you wait, as Miyuki processes other vegetables and fills the pot with water. The aroma starting to waft from the melted cheese is rather more muted than the Northswald on its own - not as succulent as you might have hoped, but better than it could have been. You see Miyuki sniff at it experimentally; her reaction seemed mildly positive, if reserved. Soon enough you think the toast is ready to eat, and frankly, it's reminding you of just how hungry you are.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, it smells nicer. But now comes the important part, the taste."
>Let's split the toast into two parts, and split the cheese mixture between them.
>Then hand one to Miyuki and taste our own. "Gotta make sure it's okay for non-mice too after all, and you're the closest person."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, it smells nicer. But now comes the important part, the taste."
>Let's split the toast into two parts, and split the cheese mixture between them.
>Then hand one to Miyuki and taste our own. "Gotta make sure it's okay for non-mice too after all, and you're the closest person."

>Miyuki nods. "Right."
>You cut the piece of toast in half and hand one to Miyuki. She bites into it and chews with a thoughtful expression
>"This actually isn't bad," she says, taking a second bite. "A little different, but not bad."
>You help yourself to your own half, and taste-testing quickly turns into simply eating. Objectively speaking, it's kind of middling, but you're not really in the mood to be picky right now; you're hungry, and it's been a very, very long day.