aterat | Holiday Baking

Entry tags:

Holiday Baking

Who; Mono & Ignis!
What; Christmas baking :D
Where; At home
When; Mid-December
Warnings; No warnings, only Christmas sweets

Mono had never really done the whole Christmas thing before he arrived here. In fact, beyond a few picture references or odd box of decorations in the Pale City abandoned in ruined buildings attics or closets, he didn’t really know what it was.

It had become one of the more pleasant things to learn about since arriving at Aterat, though, and over the last couple years he had gotten a lot better at understanding what you did during the season. Some of it he liked quite a lot, other things still made his nose wrinkle with suspicion and confusion as much as he accepted it.

Of the things he liked, the special foods people seemed to enjoy were his favourite. Which was why the revisit to a discussion with Ignis from a while back was rather exciting. It had taken him time to approach the man about it, unfortunately, between keeping himself busy after October for a variety of reasons… and working running deliveries (People sure liked to send stuff around to other people at this time of year!).

But they had finally picked a nice afternoon to set up in the kitchen after going through the recipe books together to pick out things that Mono would like to try to help him with and learn to make. Gingerbread people had been the first thing he picked out, and then some kind of funny cake that looked like a log seemed neat.

Both had icing and candy decorations, which seemed to be the boy’s preference. He had, of course, insisted Ignis pick out things, too. The man was nice enough to show him, and he wanted to help with stuff that Ignis liked, too. It was going to be kind of exciting, really, getting to learn something from someone that didn’t involve abilities and the like. Something new, and admittedly… Well, Mono had always admired the way people here could cook and bake (he also really thought chefs hats were cool looking, but that was just his general interest in hats), and had always wondered what that would be like.

So, carefully darting between the fridge, cupboards, and counter, the boy excitedly began to help set out what they were going to need for that afternoon. His moth friend (whom he had yet to name, insisting he had to make sure she liked it!) was fluttering up to settle on the rafters out of the way and reach of the house’s other pets. She was a timid sort of creature, and delicate despite her size, but seemingly happiest when she could perch somewhere and watch over her young human friend. Plus, the fluffy moth was not fond of the cold, so staying in the house in the rooms that were warmest (like the kitchen) were her preference.

So, that is all to say, they had a silent audience.

Setting a bunch of mixing bowls on the counter, Mono peered over the edge of the counter with a curious look on his face. “Do we got everything?” He eyed the ingredients he’d retrieved from the pantry and the utensils and such. There seemed like there was a lot to baking, and he didn’t want to miss anything important!

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Ignis had set a date with Mono and had even spent time at work with his nose in a book while trying out a few new recipes to see what would work best. Sugar cookie stars were of course going to be made as that had a longstanding reference to Nida. But Mono seemed to gravitate towards ginger bread so that was going to be a thing. A Yule log cake was definitely in order as well.

He'd gotten both of them some Santa hats to be seasonal, and his little black outfitted cooking gnome doll kept a silent watch as well as the moth that the boy had brought home. That took research on his part as well to get the correct food for it. It had taken some getting used to, but since the moth had wings and loved to perch in high places, it'd taken Ebony about two days to learn not to try and bother it.

Settling in, Ignis had thoroughly washed and dried his hands as he got the molasses and brown sugar ready. He planned to make enough for Mono to bring to his working cohorts and even have a few leftover for his boss Tommy.

On tap as well were Ignis' contributions other than the sugar cookies which were mini Eggnog Bundt cakes and a candy cane dessert. He had the pages of those desserts open and would be made after the Gingerbread people and the Yule Log desserts.

Hearing that beloved little voice, Ignis turned to see the boy peering up after he asked his question. "Yes, except the eggnog. Can you get that out of the refrigerator for me please if you don't mind?"

Mono tilted his head at the request, looking away from the collection of ingredients on the counter. “Oh! Yeah, I can get it!” He agreed, turning quickly to hurry back over to the fridge. The tail of the Santa had bounced slightly as he went. The hat was a very nice touch on Ignis’s part, considering how much the boy loved hats. It was like a bonus on top of everything else!!

The moth definitely appreciated the thought and work Ignis had put into helping with her diet. Mono did his best to find things she liked, but he was still just a kid with very little knowledge of his own on the subject. Really, she thought he was an excellent human looking out for her friend, so she approved of Ignis quite a bit. One day, Ignis might find some company resting lower than the rafters when the cats were occupied with other things. At least when her little human was away working and she could not join him!

Opening the fridge and peering inside, he took a moment or two to find the eggnog before carefully picking up the bottle and returning to the counter. “What’s eggnog, anyway? Is it just a whole bunch of eggs without the shell?” Listen, he does not know the concept of eggnog and it is a funny word!

Ignis just smiled as Mono went to get the eggnog. The hat had been a sort of last minute thought, but it worked. And seeing the white ball bounce on the end of it had him almost laughing. Surely things like this were what had been meant with the well meaning advice from the people in the village telling him to 'go home and make memories with his family'. Of course he had a photo of Nida and Mono displayed and many people had made inquiries as to who they were.

He was aware of the moth and loved that it was fond of Mono. He would speak to it as if it understood him, but he had no real idea if that was the case or not at this point. Still, if Mono thought it good enough, Ignis welcomed it into the little family that they had.

Looking up from his current work at the boy's question, Ignis smiled. "It does have eggs in it. However, it contains sugar, cream and vanilla extract. But you can put it in a glass and put cinnamon on top or even whipped cream as well if you like."

“Ohhh… So, it’s sweet? That might be kinda good, ‘specially with the whipped cream.” The eggs part still sounded kinda weird to the boy, but the sugar, cream and vanilla sounded good… So weird or not, Mono decided it must not be terrible, right? “What’re we gonna use it for, though? Are we just gonna have some, or do we put it in some of the stuff we’re gonna make today?” he asked, continuing the line of thought along with his own curiosity concerning the goal of learning.

And the boy intended to pay very close attention to Ignis and what he was trying to teach him, after all. This was important, especially if they were going to make tasty things… And Mono wanted to make sure he did a good job, even if he wasn’t sure he could ever make anything quite as good as Ignis did.

"I thought you might appreciate the sweet." Ignis smiled as he continued to gather things to get thoroughly ready for their endeavour. At the question he looked up and over at the boy. "We're making mini Bundt cakes with the eggnog, although I strongly suspect there'll be plenty for you to sip on once it's all done being properly prepared."

"I'll be sending some of this with you to share with your boss and coworkers should you wish to." Far be it from him to dictate to Mono what to do when it came to his choices. But it was the holidays and Ignis planned on bringing more things to the children to give them some holiday cheer.

“You’re right!” He chirped in response, definitely interested in trying some of this eggnog stuff later! At least after they made sure they had what they needed to make the mini cakes. “So you can use it to make cake too… That’s neat!” He added with a tilted half smile, rolling up his sleeves so they wouldn’t get in the way once they got started.

Mono tilted his head up again curiously at the offer, before nodding with a little extra energy. “Yeah, that’s a good idea! I bet they’d like that. Everyone needs snacks between delivering stuff, and Tommy always brings stuff… So it’d be kinda nice to be the one to bring stuff this time.” It would be a nice thank you for all that his boss did for him and the other kids, and they would enjoy it too!

Double checking the stuff they had on the counter, he made sure he got all the stuff out that he’d been asked to. “So, what do we do to start?”

Ignis made a mental note to sit Nida down somewhere early next year so that he could discuss something that had been on his mind concerning the boy as the youth rolled up his sleeves.

It especially had hit home since the..incident.

But for now, he moved a little to the side to give Mono some room to work and nodded in response. "Yes, yes you certainly can." And somehow he wasn't surprised to hear Mono wanting to bring stuff in so Ignis smiled. "If snacks are called for, we can provide that every week if you'd like. But do let me know what everyone prefers and we'll make it happen."

Looking around at hearing the question, he reached for a mixing bowl, a wooden spoon, a regular spoon, and a cup that measured a cup of dry ingredient. "Start with gently mixing the flour around in the bowl with the wooden spoon. Then take your cup and fill it with the flour until it's full. When it is, let me know and I'll show you how to level it off."

Ah, ‘the incident…’ Mono had honestly been very quiet on the subject of ‘the incident’ after it happened. The boy had been rather afraid to ask people who might have been aware of it what happened on this side of the mirror, and what they thought. He didn’t like that it had happened at all, and he couldn’t undo it… So he seemed to have redoubled his efforts to stay away from mirrors so try to make sure it didn’t happen again.

He just hoped it worked out better this time than his last attempt.

Ignis seemed to be treating him as normal, though, and it settled some of his nerves on the subject. Like maybe the man hadn’t been one of the unlucky people who has run into his other self! He could still… pretend to be a normal kid, and focus on helping his family here and learning things like cooking with Ignis. And helping out at the delivery service, which meant Ignis’s offer, gets his attention for a moment. “Really? I bet everyone would like that, and it would probably help Tommy since he usually tries to bring stuff for everyone. He needs a lot of snacks too, I think. ‘Cause of how fast he is.” So if he could maybe bring stuff more than just once, to make it a thing that might help out more? Yes, the boy would gladly accept that help!

Once his sleeves were rolled up securely, he took the mixing bowl and spoon and looked at the measuring cup. Listening to the instructions very carefully, the boy started following them as Ignis spoke. Only pausing to interrupt once in a while to check and see how he was doing. Taking the cup after the first few steps were done, he tried to fill it full of flower and looked to Ignis expectantly. “Kinda like this?”

Ignis had a mental note to talk to Nida and there were other matters to discuss as well so those were certainly on his agenda. But for now he was busy with Mono as he was now and he was one who could gloss over details such as seeing a vision of Noct in the future but resolving never to tell the other lads or even Noct himself of what he'd seen and learned.

Secretive was his nature if he didn't wish to divulge details.

Looking at Mono now as he mentioned Tommy, there was a small sigh. "And all of that energy needs fuel which will be in the form of food." Really he should've been doing this all along, but it was something that he wasn't going to forget. So he kept working and kept an eye on Mono at the same time as the boy followed his instructions.

Ignis nodded proudly as the boy was doing exactly as he was told. "Yes, you're doing a wonderful job, keep it up."

“Right, so he needs lots more than we do I think.” Tommy seemed to try to do a lot himself, and Mono wasn’t always sure how to best help the adults around him… But Ignis’s plan sounded good, and it was something he could help with in the kitchen sometimes! “I think he’s been doing a lot of extra work too, ‘cause of the new building the delivery service is moving into.” He added, thinking back to when the Nomes got in the way a while back.

The boy’s smile was still as clumsy and a bit tilted, but the energy behind it definitely was closer to beaming than usual when Ignis looked rather proud of the job he was doing. It kind of made the boy feel good, to hear he was actually helping to make something and doing a good job at it. “Thanks. I wanna make sure they turn out good.” He responded with a little nod, turning his attention back to focus on the steps as Ignis provided them.

"He does indeed." Ignis replied. He listened as Mono gave him the report and it was all as he had suspected. Apparently Tommy hadn't divulged to Mono or the kids as to how he got the new building but the advisor simply smiled. "I'm quite sure there's a lot to do there now."

Encouragement was in Ignis' nature as was spoiling even though he would never admit to it. So with that lopsided smile, it warmed his heart. "If you get good enough, it will soon be your turn to hold a class and have your fellow carriers make some baked treats as well."

No, Mono didn’t know much about the acquisition of the new location, only that they were moving the business away from the stand and into a proper space. “There is! It’s kinda neat, everyone’s got stuff to do, and it’s a lot bigger than where we were before.” It was very different from where Mono was from, and the boy liked that. It was alive and exciting, though he did worry about how much Tommy seemed to have to do sometimes.

So the idea that he might be able to contribute with Ignis’s help by bringing snacks was very nice. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be as good as Ignis suggested he might get, but he wanted to try! “A whole class with the other kids? I dunno if I’d be very good at teaching… But you’re a good teacher so far, so maybe I’ll learn that from you, too.” He responded with a little serious nod, focusing on the task at hand carefully.

Ignis smiled and looked over at his recipe to check to make sure that they were following all of the instructions. But then as Mono went on, he turned to listen. "Is it clean there?" He worried about a heating source too, but he and Tommy had gone over that. Warmth was definitely a thing that Ignis had brought up because he knew the snowy and icy days were going to be something to get through and Ignis of course prioritized Mono's health, but it simply wouldn't do to have the other boys come down ill and possibly get each other sick.

His green eyes lit up as he heard the boy's enthusiasm spill through at the thought of teaching other kids. But then there was a suggestion that he hadn't quite thought of. "What a splendid idea you've come up with. Although we'll still have to run it by Tommy."

Because he didn't want Tommy to think he was checking up or checking in on him and the business.

The question gets a nod, though the boy himself isn’t the best judge on what was messy and what was clean. Most parts of the city and locations he’d been to were more orderly and tidy than where he came from. “Yup, it was messier while they were fixin’ the place up. But it gets cleaned up really quick and Tommy makes sure nothings in the way when we’re working.” So it was quite safe in Mono’s opinion. Even the kids who weren’t as used to treacherous terrain as Mono was seemed to do just fine. Mono had a lot of faith in Tommy and trusted the guy to make sure nothing happened to them.

Which was why the reminder that they should check with Tommy also gets a serious little nod. “That’s true. I’ll ask him before I do anything. And maybe find out if anyone has got those allergies things like Nida.” He doesn’t know much about allergies beyond that some people should not have or be around certain things, so he tried to take that pretty seriously.

"That's good to hear." Ignis replied, at the report of the cleanliness of the place. He continued working on getting other things prepared along with the project with Mono and he just kept going. Heat had been a non negotiable and he'd laid that out pretty early in the conversation with Tommy. But he knew the man would look after the crew and keep things going as smoothly as possible.

"Yes, allergies are important. You'll need to make a list, or have Tommy himself make one. We don't need any of the lads getting ill due to eating something that isn't good for them after all."

Mono nodded, agreeing with Ignis on the subject. “I never really heard of them before here, but they seem really important. Be kinda good to know what everyone can have or not to be safe.” And if people could get sick from eating things or being around stuff, it would be good to know what those things are in advanced to make it safer for everyone. All the kids were pretty careful, but what if someone didn’t know and you put something in because you thought it’d be okay? So a list was smart. “I’ll ask him maybe, then we can have a list at work so any of us working can check before we bring stuff in.”

Finishing the current step, Mono set the spoon down and peeked up at Ignis from under his hat. “So what do we gotta do next?”

Ignis nodded in reply to Mono. "Of course should someone learn of an illness that they previously had no knowledge of, making sure it's updated regularly helps. And that is why the ingredients are listed under the dishes at the tavern. I wouldn't want anyone to get ill due to something they eat."

It had happened still of course here and there.

Looking over at Mono now, he smiled. "Why I do believe having a snack is in order before proceeding further."

Mono thought that made a lot of sense and seemed like the kind of thought Ignis would put into something for a menu where he was serving food. Because he was smart like that, the boy thought to himself. He wanted to try to keep it in mind for himself and learn from Ignis’s example!

The suggestion for a snack gets a curious tilt of his head, and then a serious nod. Because snacks to keep them energized to work on stuff was serious! “A snack sounds good! Gotta make sure we got the energy to finish all the stuff we planned, huh?”

"Quite." Ignis replied, washing his hands and getting ready to get a snack out. "Now, i have a few hot appetizers I can heat up, or would you prefer something to simply snack on and not have to wait for?"

After a moment, he realized he left Mono pretty much directionless. "You can put that down, let's give it a few moments to rest."

Mono definitely wouldn’t mind some simple snacks, but the hot appetizer things sounded good! Anything that the man made was, of course, so he tilted his head to think about it for a moment. “Those appetizer things sound good, ‘specially since it’s kinda cold out today.” He agreed, so he didn’t mind waiting for them to heat up if it meant a warm snack as opposed to a not warm one.

Oh! He didn’t have to keep stirring? “Okay, I’ll um… leave the spoon here.” He ended by setting it down and moving away from the bowl of ingredients he’d been mixing.

Ignis smiled and looked into the refrigerator. As he searched, he spoke to Mono. "I do happen to have some cheese sticks that I can fry. And I did make small pizzas, so there's a few of those. Or I can make some grilled cheese sandwiches..but what sounds good to you?"

Honestly, Ignis would make all of the above or more if the boy wanted to. He loved to secretly spoil people and of course Mono was no exception. The break would give him a chance to make another cup of coffee as well and get the boy something to drink.

Mono tapped his chin lightly as he considered the very delicious sounding options for snack time. Usually Mono went for grilled cheese… But pizza sounded good too! And if they were small ones, they would be good snack-time sizes, right? “Pizza sounds kinda good. Is that okay?” The boy asked as he turned away from the counter, now that they were taking a break.

"That's completely fine." Ignis replied with a smile. "Can you turn the oven on for me while I get these prepared?"

Really there wasn't much preparation, but he liked to make sure that everything was going to bake and crisp up rather nicely. He enjoyed this time with Mono as he always did, and made sure to make a small note to purchase some for the lads. He was more than sure that Tommy had an oven and Mono could help as well.

Mono was glad that Ignis thought the pizzas would be okay, then! The request is met with a quick nod, eager to be the assistant here and help Ignis with cooking their snack as much as he was about their baking. “I can do that!” He chirped, moving over to the oven and reaching towards the settings to get it turned on. He was pretty sure he knew the right temperature to set it to, but he did look over his shoulder to check with Ignis to be on the safe side. “Is this right?”

This was a simple matter to tend to, but he tried to get Mono to help as much as the boy wanted. It still irked him in so many ways and even in his sleep of the..person he'd met. But he wanted to focus on Mono here and now. And that meant that he hoped the boy would grow to be proficient in cooking.

There had to be a way to break this, and he'd go to the Aspects themselves. There had to be a way and an answer.

So he looked over the boy's job and nodded approvingly. "Yes, wonderful job."

At some point, he may wish to speak to Mono himself on the matter. As difficult a subject as it was, the boy did have some knowledge currently of his situation. It was just… a difficult subject that he actively avoided for the sake of those around him and discomfort born of knowing what he was.

For now, though, he was just happy to be able to help Ignis in the kitchen and enjoy getting to learn something that he would otherwise have never had the chance to learn. “Great! Is there other stuff I can do?”

Thinking a moment on Mono's question, Ignis nodded. "Yes, you can certainly help me decide what we're to have for dinner after we finish our little project and lunch."

He knew there would be a conversation between he and Mono. But he wanted to get Nida to be able to sit in on it too, because Ignis wanted to get it solved, even if it meant taking the boy back to Eos. Whatever way it went, he was determined not to let the boy face anything alone.

Running away from a problem wasn't going to solve anything and he damn well knew it. But for now he was simply going to enjoy the season and this moment of peace.

Edited 2024-04-01 04:52 (UTC)

“Yeah? Okay! I’ll try to help pick good stuff.” He agreed seriously, because dinner was a very important meal! Since it was the end of the day and everyone would be back home from work probably, so that meant the three of them got to eat together, and Mono liked that a lot. So it was almost as important as baking these sweet things…

"I have faith that you will indeed." Ignis smiled. Sure they needed to finish the cakes and they would. But he always tried to keep little tummies in mind and it was good to get back to the basics. Kind of like he was always trying to feed a certain little dark haired boy back in the day.

Some things never changed.

“Yeah?” He liked that Ignis thought he could do it. It was nice when people had confidence in you, even if cooking was something he was still learning about. “Thanks for showing me out to do stuff today.” He added, because it was a fun afternoon and he really couldn’t wait to see how it all turned out when they were finished after they ate.

"I am always at your disposal should you wish to learn more, or dare I say cook your own creations."

He loved the thought of spending more time with Mono and would get in as much time as he possibly could. So he turned to the task of getting plates and the like ready and after lunch, they'd resume baking.

“I’d like that to keep learning stuff in the kitchen from you if it’s okay.” He agreed with a small nod, because cooking seemed kind of fun… Plus, he liked learning this stuff from Ignis, and maybe if he got good at it, he could help around here more!

Ignis smiled. "Then that's where we'll keep it." He mentally added 'for now' but if that's the way it always was, then he was more than happy to keep Mono happy. It was all he could do for now but that conversation would come one day.

Not today though and he started to clean up a small bit before their lunch was ready.

Mono nodded, seeming quite pleased with the idea. It was exciting, after all, to know he could keep learning new things like this from Ignis. “Okay, thanks Ignis!” He agreed, before he started to move about and help clean up as well till their lunch was finished.

He paused, watching Mono move around and help clean up. As had happened during their cooking time, Ignis wanted to bring up a certain conversation. But he did and was now mentally chiding himself considering he might ruin this festive time. And he didn't want that, so he kept his mouth shut.

"You're quite welcome." was all he said.

Mono noticed Ignis had paused, but the boy figured if he needed to say something, then he would have said it, right? So the boy continued with his help with tidying up. Happy to wait for food, even as he did pay attention in case Ignis wanted him to do something.

He checked again after a few minutes and grabbed his oven mitts, producing the pizzas.

"These are ready, so do have a seat so we can enjoy these."

It was a perfect day for it.

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Holiday Baking

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Should we wrap this one?

Yes