sarajayechan: Angel and Husk under an umbrella during the "Loser Baby" number (Frey/Vishnal)
go ahead, baby, sing that song! ([personal profile] sarajayechan) wrote in [community profile] fandomweekly2016-02-12 05:26 pm
Entry tags:

[#002] Fry, Fry Again (Rune Factory 4)

Theme Prompt: Practice makes perfect
Title: Fry, Fry Again
Fandom: Rune Factory 4
Rating/Warnings: G
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 997
Summary: Frey decides to do something about her husband's middling to poor cooking skills.




"Princess, I tried to make lunch for you, but..." He sighed. "I'm sorry. This is the third day in a row!"

If she'd looked disappointed he wouldn't have minded so much. But she seemed resigned this time, resigned to the fact that her husband was mostly a failure at the one thing he wanted to do with his life. Vishnal dropped the failed dish into the trash can and shook his head.

"I'm sorry..."

Frey smiled a little, pulling her gardening gloves on.

"You tried, though, that's the important thing. And maybe gyoza was a little too hard," she said. "I mean, I had trouble with it when I first learned the recipe."

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but we might as well admit it. I'm only second to Forte in the Worst Cook Ever department," he groaned. "The dish from the other day was supposed to be an omelet." She blanched.

"Oh..."

"I know I say I'll never give up, but sometimes I wonder if I should at least stop cooking. I'm getting better at everything else, but the kitchen hates me for some reason!" He laughed sadly. "Sorry, I know I'm moping." Frey looked deep in thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.

"Then you need lessons," she said, pulling her nightgown over her head and quickly replacing it with her green dress. "I've gotta go tend to the fields, but I shouldn't be gone more than an hour or two. You wait here, and when I get back we'll get started. How does that sound?"

"Great!" He practically squealed, then blushed. "I mean...it sounds wonderful, Princess. I appreciate this offer."

She gave him a big hug and a kiss before heading out to the fields, and Vishnal changed into a clean suit. Cooking lessons with his princess! Maybe his failures had just been a blessing in disguise up until now...okay, maybe he wouldn't go that far, but he couldn't wait for her to come back.


Two hours later, he stood in Frey's kitchen area, both wearing aprons and standing before the cooking table full of ingredients. Rice, flour, fruits and vegetables, spices...he couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Princess, are we making a new kind of stew?"

"No, but it can't hurt to have a variety to pick from!" Frey said cheerfully. "Now, so far your best recipes seem to be the simple things...sandwiches, onrigi, rice, salad, pickles. And curry rice, right?"

"Right. But frying eggs is supposed to be simple, too, or baked apples, baked yams, omelettes..." He glanced towards the eggs. "Maybe I used the wrong size? I bought a few small eggs from Arthur's trade shop, but yours are so big."

"Actually, that shouldn't matter," Frey said. "In a few cases it does, but we'll talk about that later. What do you want to make?"

"Well..." Vishnal thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "I want to try gyoza again! Since I messed up this morning, I want to figure out where I went wrong so I can get it right this time." Frey looked about to say something, but instead she smiled and turned on the frying pan, letting it heat up.

"Okay, then, so we'll need flour, cabbage and onion! And just a little bit of oil, so it won't stick." She handed him the bag. "You pour the flour while I chop the cabbage, okay?"

"Of course, Princess!" He smiled, tearing open the top of the bag. With her by his side, how hard could this be?


Several oil splatters, flour-induced sneezes and failures later, he'd given up on making the perfect gyoza and would settle for edible at this point. Frey was looking a little worried, too; her flour supplies had been going into low to begin with and at this point she only had one bag left.

"I'm sorry...I'll go out and buy more, okay? And cabbage, and onion, anything else we might have wasted!" Frey gave him a slightly pained smile and brushed some flour off her nose.

"At least the failed dishes make good weapons," she offered. He had to laugh a little at that.

"Well, I'm glad you can get some use out of them..."

"Let's try again, then."

"What?! But Princess, we're running out of flour, and-and maybe this isn't worth it," he sighed. "I should just give up."

She shook her head, poking his cheek.

"Nope! You're not allowed to give up, the Vishnal I know and love doesn't roll that way! Now, let's go to the store to pick up some more flour, maybe another bottle of oil. I've been growing tons of cabbage and onions, so don't worry about running out of those."

"But-"

"But nothing," she said. "Every failure is just one step closer to success." Her face became serious for a moment as she took his sticky hand, squeezing gently. "I'll never let you give up any of your dreams, Vishnal. Even if it means holding your hand to make sure they all come true."

"Princess..."

"I believe in you. So much that I was willing to give up being your girlfriend just so you could follow your dream! I know you can do this...just have more confidence and keep trying!"

He smiled, hugging her close to him, neither caring as they were smeared in more oil and flour and bits of cabbage. She's right. Every failed dish was less epic than the last one...in fact, the one I just made looks closer to gyoza than any of them!

"Let's clean up and go to the store," he said, helping her take off her apron. "But let me buy the flour, okay?"

"Well..." She smiled. "All right! But you have to let me treat next time we go to Porcoline's for a date!"

"Deal." He kissed the tip of her nose, and they set to work cleaning themselves and the kitchen as best they could.

Four hours later, they sat down to share a plate of edible gyoza. No burns, not too salty, not soggy or greasy. He still had a long way to go before he reached her level, but edible was a success in his book.

ser_pounce_alot: (Default)

[personal profile] ser_pounce_alot 2016-02-13 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
poor vishnal is so hopeless! i liked seeing them work together to make something they could share. ♥
wallwalker: A green fruit tree with sparkling fruits surrounded by orange flowers and snowy mountains. (peaceful meadow)

[personal profile] wallwalker 2016-02-13 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Awwww. These two are so cute.
etoile_noire: (Default)

[personal profile] etoile_noire 2016-02-13 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Aww, they're adorable.