Tsuya found herself, once again, at the medbay entrance, preparing herself to go in. This time, though, her hands were occupied with a heaping plate of warm, fresh, steaming chocolate chip cookies, the smell filling the whole corridor. She took a step forward, balancing the plate carefully, then another and another until she was safely inside!
The medical facility was nearly entirely empty. What with the previous occupants of the last mission already gone, transferred to Kyoto’s more accommodating hospitals, the room itself was surprisingly silent save for the distant hum of light fixtures and computers. Sora was, evidently, out and about; the only one in the medical bay at the moment was Sanjuro Ashitaka, who was at his usual place behind his desk, head resting upon an open hand propped up on his elbow. He did not move or seem to notice Tsuya entering, edging her way carefully through the doors.
Tsuya smiled as she saw Sanjuro sitting there - she crept towards him, unwilling to startle him, remembering what had happened last time. "Ashitaka-heisho? I... brought you something."
The neko, however bright her smile or soft her voice, did not receive an answer from Sanjuro as he continued to sit there, chin nestled into his empty palm as his body heaved up and down rhythmatically. Upon closer inspection by Tsuya, it would appear that the doctor was actually asleep…apparently he had been browsing through the large book in front of him and had dozed off in the process, what with no patients to work on and the ship in a general state of peace.
The sight of the medical officer sleeping made Tsuya grin even bigger. She set her cookie-laden plate down in one of the cushy chairs opposite Sanjuro's, then shook his shoulder as gently as she could manage. "...Ashitaka-heisho...?"
Tsuya still received no give to Sanjuro’s sleeping state. He must have been very tired, barely moving a muscle as the neko jostled his shoulder lightly. Tsuya could make out a slight grinding sound or two as Sanjuro’s teeth readjusted themselves…but otherwise nothing, nary a movement of his closed eyelids.
"...he is hardly mean at all now," Tsuya murmured, entirely to herself. She shook him a bit harder, raising her voice. "Ashitaka-heisho!"
”BUH!”
Tsuya’s second attempt seemingly had the effect she desired. Almost immediately after the neko sounded his name into his ear, Sanjuro head shot up and his hand shot down, smacking hard against the table. The force of the blow to the hard wooden frame was enough to jostled a small stack of files just enough to shift, allowing a white mug full of cold, forgotten coffee to slide its way down along the desk before finally hitting a precariously-placed pen. The mug teetered and finally tips, spilling the contents across the book’s contents while continuing to travel past the pages, the murky cloud snaking its way across the wood towards one of Sanjuro’s many datapads on the desktop.
Sanjuro, alarmed and still confused, was able to see where the damnable liquid was approaching. Still seated, his arms reached out across to the far right of his desk to lift his datapad (1 of 5 functional, working ones now, since his last incident had left him down one expensive piece of hardware)…but in the process, he had reached too far. The medical officer leaned too much into his reach, causing his chairs wooden legs to skid against the frictionless floor paneling, causing Sanjuro to plummet off to the side and landing face-down beside the desk. Luckily, his hand had grazed the datapad enough to push it out of harm’s way, the device sliding off of the desk and landing softly into the second seat in front of his desk. Unluckily, the chair had also collided with the desk, diverting the snaking trail of cold coffee to a new exit; directly over Sanjuro’s head. The doctor twitched for a moment as the stream of liquid dripped off of the desktop and onto his head…but a complacent sigh and relaxing of his shoulders as he laid face down revealed that, at that particular instant, Sanjuro found that it was pointless trying to get up.
Tsuya tried to delay the Rube Goldberg chain of misfortunes, but every time she reached to assist, something else would go wrong. After a moment she just gave up, staring in horror as Sanjuro's desk was slowly destroyed. She winced as he fell out of his chair, and then finally crouched down to try and wipe some of the cold coffee off his head. "...Ashitaka-heisho, I am so sorry... so sorry... that was all my fault... I should have just... left..." She sniffled a little.
“No,” Sanjuro said amidst a groan. With his free hand, Sanjuro remained on the floor as he reached into one of his desk drawers, producing a square of white, absorbent cloth from within its confines. He rose, rubbing slowly away at his moist black hair as he calmly pulled his chair back into the correct position and sat. Within the time it took him to heave another sigh and switch the side of the cloth to begin cleaning the top of his desk, Sanjuro had returned to his previous spot on the desk, his face displaying not a hint of apathy or agitation. “It’s fine. Was there something you needed, Yamada-hei?”
Tsuya stood up as well, looking like she wanted to give the doctor a hug. "...I brought you some cookies, Ashitaka-heisho... I baked them myself. I... thought you might like them, and someone to visit you... you seem so lonely...I am sorry I woke you up…"
As Sanjuro finished clearing up the shimmering trail of fluid from the desktop, he began the process of surveying his damp book. The coffee he was drinking was undoubtedly black in its most perfect form; the dark, brackish color splayed across the pages left no doubt that his beverage consisted of zero parts cream and sugar. Although he did not look at Tsuya while he talked, Sanjuro continued to hold his conversation with her…starting with the piece of her explanation that he found most interesting. “Lonely,” he repeated, delicately pulling a wet page. “Now…how exactly did you come to the conclusion that I was lonely, Yamada-hei?”
"...you are always by yourself, and when I am by myself I am lonely... and I think we... have some things in common." She picked up the platter of cookies and offered them to him.
“My work is something that only Ketsurui-shoi and the medical bay assistant really need to stress themselves with,” Sanjuro replied, apparently unaware that Tsuya was offering him something as he gently tried to turn another page. The page, however, didn’t seem to want to become unglued to the next few pages, ultimately ripping slightly at the bottom. Sanjuro’s mouth wrenched a bit in disappointment. “And I am still uncertain as to what you mean by these ‘things’ we have in common. Are you talking about our placement on the Miharu, Yamada-hei?”
"Partially. We are both... socially..." She paused, trying to think of a way to phrase this that wouldn't hurt the officer's feelings. "...shy? Please, take a cookie, Ashitaka-heisho. They are still warm."
“Shy,” the doctor restated with great punctuation and emphasis. “I cannot say that I agree with you, Yamada-Hei. As a doctor I am required to be very social with my patients. I am up-front with them, am willing to converse with them and engage in conversation with them on a regular basis.” Midway through Sanjuro’s reasoning, the medical officer closed the book, apparently giving up on salvaging what little he could. As if the doctor would actually own a book with such filthy pages, never mind letting it sit on his desk. With that out of the way, Sanjuro turned to Tsuya and the tray of baked yummies. “So no, I do not believe I am ‘shy’. What are these?”
Tsuya's ears drooped as her attempt to connect with the doctor was utterly shut down. She stared down at the plate of tastiness. "...fresh chocolate chip cookies. I baked them for you." The neko shuffled her feet a little.
The Yamataian doctor reached forwards and picked one of the small, warm, flat objects and turned it over and over pinched between in thumb and index finger, examining it through squinting eyes. “…why?” Sanjuro said bluntly, his eyes turning back to Tsuya.
Tsuya paused for a good, long time. The cookie was warm and soft in that way that good fresh cookies are, and the enticing, chocolaty smell wafted into the Yamataian's face. "...because I like you, Ashitaka-heisho."
This answer, out of all possible ones, was one Sanjuro seemingly did not expect. Although it wasn’t enough to bring his face out of its permanently etched scowl, his eyebrows did raise slightly in realization. “Well, I consider all of my peers friends as well, Yamada-hei. Perhaps we do share some concepts,” Sanjuro stated, turning his attention back to the confection. “Yes, I suppose an exchange of such a thing between peers is acceptable. As long as this isn’t regarding my work as a doctor. I should have you know I do not accept gifts for doing my job, Yamada-hei. Is this what this is about?”
"No." She smiled gently at the doctor, glad he hadn't, at least, shot her admission down. "I thought you would like them, that is all. They taste good, I promise. I tried one myself."
Sanjuro exchanged a few glances between the cookie and Tsuya. The doctor had his doubts about this particular cookie he held aloft in front of him; every single dish he had been served on the Miharu, save for the ones he himself was involved in the creation of, had disappointed him. Tom Freeman was a good-enough cook…but he was no artistic chef, his food was not inspirational or exemplary, and considering that Sanjuro considered him the best cook out of the whole crew (aside from himself, of course), it always left the medical officer with something to be desired. It was understandable then for him to be skeptical about the supposed ‘goodness’ of this cookie. Despite all of this, Sanjuro did not want to seem rude; after a moment, the doctor bit into the soft, chewy baked good, chewed slowly and swallowed.
Tsuya bit her bottom lip as Sanjuro sampled the cookie. Her fingers curled into the plate she was holding, and she closed her eyes in anticipation of the inevitable berating... she did like him, it was true, but she still hadn't gotten used to his constant harshness.
Noticing Tsuya staring at him in anticipation, Sanjuro furrowed his eyebrows. “…what is it, Yamada-Hei?”
"...what do you think?" Tsuya replied. "I mean, of the cookie."
“Oh,” Sanjuro said, his confusion cleared up. “It was very bland. The chocolate was very boring. I don’t know why, but it seems like you used too much of the wrong kind of vanilla. They could use some improving. Around the board, probably from the basic ingredients and up.” Sanjuro named off all of the flaws he found in her cookie with the subtleness off a Nepleslian rock band in a Yamataian nursery.
As Sanjuro went on, Tsuya drooped further and further. Eventually, her arms slumped enough, and she put the plate down on Sanjuro's desk as tears began to stream down her face. "...I am s-sorry, Ashitaka-h-heisho... I... I will n-not... cook you anything, a-anymore..."
Sanjuro’s eyes widened as the young neko began to tear up, and by the time they were rolling down to her chin, he was looking rather confused and frantic. “Wh…what are you doing? Why are crying? Stop crying!”
"...I m-made you cookies so w-we could be friends and you d-don't even like them..." She was practically bawling by now.
The medical officer clenched his teeth in panic, suddenly feeling very lucky that there was nobody around to witness this. This was perhaps the first time Sanjuro had seen a nekovalkryja bawl in such a manner over something so trivial. “Of course I don’t like them, Yamada-Hei!” Sanjuro said, waving his hands at her as he attempted to calm her down…with all of the wrong methods. “They were not very good. It’s the truth!”
"I m-made them the best I k-know how! I am a b-bad cook and I am ashamed because I m-made you a gift and you h-hate it!" At least the neko was coherent enough to explain herself. She dragged the backs of her hands over her tearful eyes and sniffled again.
“J-just make them better!” Sanjuro clamored as Tsuya continued to wail. The doctor was flabbergasted by Tsuya’s behavior; everyone had the potential to be a better cook. They just needed the correct tools and experience. Skills such as these were not static, after all. “You just need some proper ingredients and better cooking methods! I can help you! Just, please cease this crying!”
It took Tsuya a few moments to calm down, and in the interim she dabbed at her eyes with her uniform sleeves. "...I am s-sorry, Ashitaka-heisho... I... I w-was just... upset. ...would you r-really help me?"
Glad to see Tsuya returning to a more sensible demeanor, Sanjuro was able to relax back into his seat with a short sigh of relief. “I don’t see why not, Yamada-Hei,” he said as he reached for one of the book sitting near the front of his desk, tenderly pulling it out of its place and handing it to Tsuya. The neko, if her memory served her well enough, would recall some manner of familiarity in this book; this was the very text that she had been caught reading back during her interview, a reference book detailing several different plants from all around the Yamataian system clusters.
“I bought this book for several reasons, Yamada-Hei,” he started, lightly flipping through the pages. “This text details several different plants and plant-derived substances from ecosystems around the universe. While it is primarily for use in the medicinal field, I have also used it as a reference material for the use of cooking. Several of the plants have properties that make them very valuable in the culinary arts. For example…” Sanjuro stopped flipping upon a particular page which he showed Tsuya from across the table, turning the book around so that she could see more clearly. The page was apparently detailing something known as a ’Kennewesian Habanero’, the hand-drawn illustration depicted a dark-brown pepper-like object, thin and crooked like a finger bent at a 45 degree angle.
“This is a Kennewesian Habanero,” Sanjuro confirmed. “Some of the elements in this pepper’s capsaicin can be used as an antiseptic, but as with any pepper a capsaicin belongs to a collective family of related chemicals known as capsaicinoids. When consumed, capsaicinoids bind with pain receptors in the mouth and throat that are normally responsible for sensing heat. Once activated by the capsaicinoids, these receptors send a message to the brain that the person has consumed something hot. The brain responds to the burning sensation by raising the heart rate, increasing perspiration and release of endorphins. This particular pepper holds a Scoville heat index of roughly 10,000,000 scovilles in its purest form. A very spicy pepper, in other words…I believe the spiciest known to our universe.” the medical officer relented in his detailed explanation of the pages contents only long enough to close the book and hold it out for Tsuya to take. “I believe this will help you with some of your cooking problems. Look for alternatives to ingredients in this book and supplement them into your cooking. I have personally used some Kennewesian Habaneros I brought with me to enhance a meal or two, and they have been exquisite. The flavors become very bold; it’s rather exciting to think about.”
Tsuya peered closely at the book, nearly bonking her nose on the paper. She ran her finger over the illustration. "...you like spicy food, then, Ashitaka-heisho?" She lifted her head and gave the medical officer the most wicked grin he'd likely seen on her face... she was feeling that familiar rush that happened whenever she was beginning to get into something. "Can we go to the galley? I would like to cook you something you will like."
“I enjoy any food that is loud and strong of taste. Bland and regular, I have no love of. Now before you go anywhere… the issue about the specific problem of your cookies,” Sanjuro’s voice trailed off as he bent over from his chair, hefting a rather large black bag. Sanjuro rose from his chair once he had a fair grip on the bags leather handles, moving over to the seat next to Tsuya, the contents of the band clinking with each step. Once seated, he placed the back on top of his knees and opened it; the inside of the container was literally packed to the bring with jars, bottles and glass containers, all filled with a varied assortment of dried plants, powders, liquids and all manners of oddities.
“As I said before, I brought many of my own spices with me when I joined the military, as I anticipated that the food might have been less than stellar. Every time we stop near Yamatai I always attempt to replenish my supplies. I believe, Yamada-Hei,” Sanjuro said, patting the side of his big black bag lightly, “that I might have just what you need to add what is lacking in your confections, as well as any other cooking you might attempt. I am willing to share with you the contents and teach you, if you are willing to learn.”
Tsuya's eyes lit up, and she bowed low enough for the ends of her short hair to brush against Sanjuro's desk. "I am very willing to learn, Ashitaka-heisho... I love to cook, and I would love to be taught by you." She ogled the spices rather shamelessly. "...what did you have in mind for my first lesson?" After that, she paused. "...should I... call you something less... formal?"
“I believe myself to be a doctor before a soldier,” Sanjuro began to explain, setting the bag down at his feet as he began rifling through its contents. “Although I am obligated and always adhere to giving my proper respects to my superiors, to those below me in rank I prefer that they be more comfortable. If they find that calling me by my surname more relaxing, or likewise, my first name, then I allow them to, as in my line of work having the patient be relaxed helps to increase productivity. I do not mind either way; if you would prefer to call me Sanjuro-heisho, Ashitaka-san or Sanjuro-san. Of course, in front of my superiors during moments of duty you should remember to address me with respect, for both of our sakes,” the doctor nodded, pausing from his rummaging to look at Tsuya with his usual blank expression. “So what do you prefer?”
Tsuya paused, thoughtfully, looking between the spice bag and Sanjuro's face. After a moment or two, she smiled again. "...I think I would like to call you Sanjuro-san. You can call me by my first name too... if you would like."
"Yamada-Hei will suffice," Sanjuro dismissed her offer almost instantaneously, without a moments hesitation.
Tsuya nodded. "...if you like, then. Shall we go?"
“I'm afraid I have other appointments scheduled,” Sanjuro answered, mostly talking aloud to himself rather than directly as Tsuya, closing the black bag and setting it back down on the floor as he stood up, preparing himself for a sudden departure. "I have to go retrieve a few of my things from my room before, however. Perhaps some other time, Yamada-Hei," Sanjuro gave the small neko a small bow before exiting the medical bay.
