A long time ago, Kevin believed ferrets to be bothersome little creatures. While harmless
and at times cute, they often made a mess. Having had suffered several years from his
sister’s ferret, the cook felt it would be too damn soon to see another one as a pet again.
Of course, little Nanoha just had to bring one home one day, though thankfully it seemed
far more tolerable than his sister’s. Still, a blond ferret with green eyes was definitely a
unique breed, not to mention its bizarrely high intelligence for a rodent.
But it was still annoying. A little while ago, he had been invited over to the Tsukimura
mansion to meet the family and have some tea. Checking in on Nanoha and her friends,
he had managed to avert disaster by catching a dizzied maid tripped up by a kitten chasing
the damn thing. Then it decided to crawl on him, causing the cat to pounce. So
troublesome. One thing still bugged him about that day, however. He must have been
really tired, but Kevin was sure he had seen a gigantic grey tabby in the forest surrounding
the mansion. It had stayed in his vision for a full five seconds, but the moment he blinked,
it was gone.
Maybe he should ask for a short vacation, like what the Takamachi family was doing now.
They had left for a hot springs resort along with the Tsukimura and Bannings families a
little while ago, opting to stay for the weekend. As a result, Kevin was left to fend for
himself for a little bit, a break that he appreciated.
Which brought him to the current moment, returning from a quick shopping trip. In his
bag were an onion, some ground beef, broccoli, small red potatoes, and mushrooms,
foodstuffs that Kevin couldn’t really sneak bits of for his meals. Not that the Takamachis
minded, but the cook never did like mooching that much.
As he approached a crosswalk, a flash of yellow caught his eye. In front of him, several
people away, was a small girl with blonde hair dressed in black and red. Such a sight was
uncommon in Uminari City, especially one of this girl’s possible age, but Kevin thought
nothing of it. She was probably some daughter of tourists; no big deal.
The signal changed to walk, and with the crowd he moved. Through the street and to the
next corner, Kevin’s destination was forward but the blonde girl turned to cross another
street, gazing around the skyline, as if searching for something. Was she lost? Her
attention was definitely not on the road, as she stepped off the curb. Fortunately, the
road was for the most part clear. Unfortunately, the most part mean there was one truck
speeding towards the girl without any hint of stopping. For a moment, the cook pondered
the absurdity of it all; it was like a damn anime.
What the fu—you’ve got to be kidding me.
Kevin’s arm snapped out reflexively, grabbing a handful of the girl’s shirt and yanking
her back onto the curb, just as the truck sped by without any regard to the streets. The
cook’s glare would have caused the vehicle to spontaneously combust, but he lacked any
sort of power. The girl, in the meantime, had the decency to look shocked at how close
she was to becoming roadkill. Her stare went to the truck, then to the man who pulled
her off the road. Wide red eyes.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, eyes scanning the girl for injuries.
“I-I’m okay,” the girl murmured, looking away from him. Was she shy? Or was she afraid?
Her Japanese was clear, strangely, but Kevin didn’t think much of it.
“What was that about? What were you thinking, walking into the road like that?”
“I’m sorry. I was… I was just a little lost,” she replied, her voice soft and almost timid.
“Right, well you're not hurt, so that's all that matters. Still, where are your parents?”
“She’s… they are very busy. I am on my own.”
What the hell kind of parents does she have?
“They just left you here?”
“No, she's just...” she trailed off.
“Alright, nevermind then,” Kevin interrupted. If she didn't want to talk, it wasn't his
place to dig. However, with a timely growl of her stomach, the cook felt that he could
do something about that.
“That's a pretty loud one,” he chuckled at the girl's flushed face. “Listen, I work at a
restaurant nearby. Do you want something to eat?”
“Um…”
“You look like you need a good meal. C’mon. It’ll be on me. No questions asked, and
afterwards you can go off on your own.”
He expected her to outright reject him, an unsurprising move considering that the two of
them were pretty much strangers, and he probably looked like quite the suspicious person
Still, some part of him hoped that she'd accept the invitation—she was so damn skinny it
looked almost unhealthy. At her silence, Kevin shrugged. It was expected, after all...
“Okay.”
Well. All right then.
“Follow me, then. The restaurant isn't too far off,” he turned, but then looked back. “By
the way, my name is Kevin. What’s yours?”
“It’s…” she paused, briefly wondering if she should reveal her name. “It’s Fate.”
“Fate? Huh.”
Without another word, he led the way. A few blocks later, the two slipped into the empty
Midoriya, closed as the others were still out—tomorrow was their return time.
“Take a seat,” Kevin commanded, already striding towards the kitchen. “I’ll make us
dinner.”
Hesitantly, Fate slid into one of the stools at the bar section, closest to the kitchen.
Though she could not see him, she could hear the hustle and bustle of the kitchen. Kevin
came out only twice, once to place a few pieces of silverware and a napkin in front of her,
and the second time to serve her a glass of chilled lemon-honey tea. He did not speak
much, something Fate was actually thankful for. She wasn’t sure what she could talk about,
and she definitely wanted to avoid any awkward moments. They would only draw suspicion
towards her… Still, it was a little boring sitting out there, alone in a lightly lit diner with
only the distant sounds of cooking to accompany her. At the same time, she felt
comfortable in this relative silence, almost at peace. Maybe if Arf was here, it would be
better.
Oh no. Arf is going to be so worried.
To distract herself from getting too anxious, Fate took to studying the restaurant she sat
in. And somehow, thirty minutes passed before she knew it, with the cook slipping out of
the kitchen with two plates of food, one of which was placed right in front of her.
“Here you go. It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll fill you up.”
Fate stared at the dish, spellbound at the sight and smells. Two patties of seared beef,
covered in a rich, thick brown gravy with mushrooms. On the side were steamed broccoli
drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and a helping of roasted red potatoes.
It was almost foreign to the girl, to see such a complete and elaborate (in her mind) meal,
and she was hesitant to even pick up her fork. She glanced over to the cook, seeing him
already digging into his own plate of hamburger steaks, hitting them with a dash of Tabasco.
Slowly, Fate picked up a fork and knife and gingerly cut out a small piece of meat. It
smelled… good. Delicious, even. It was far better than those rations she was stuck to
eating recently, a wave of nostalgia and melancholy accompanying a brief memory of
happier times. Linith would have made something similar, and Arf would’ve liked this…
She bit into it, chewing slowly and letting the warm flavors coat her tongue. Salty, savory,
rich. It was… homey. She could taste more than just the herbs and spices, a warmth that
the child had missed for a long time now.
“How is it?” Kevin asked, interrupting her small trip through memory lane.
Fate did not look at him, but she smiled. A small, but simple and honest smile.
“It’s good.”
-------------------------
Recipe File: Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Gravy
1 lbs ground beef
½ cup diced onion (optional)
½ cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp canola oil
½ cup beef stock/broth
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
Combine the ground beef, onions, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, pepper,
and thyme in a bowl. Mix together until well combined. If the mixture is too loose, add more
bread crumbs. Form the beef mixture into tennis ball-sized balls.
Heat the oil in large sauté pan over medium heat. Without overcrowding the pan, put the
patties into the oil and flatten them with a spatula, until they are roughly a centimeter thick.
Cook them for seven to ten minutes on each side, or until the patties are fully cooked
through. If there is only room for one or two, have patience. Once they are finished, set
them aside and keep them warm. You can do so by wrapping them in foil. Do not clean the
pan.
While the pan is still hot, cook the sliced mushrooms in the residual oil / juices in the pan,
adding more oil if needed. Add a dash of salt to the mushrooms to promote sweating. Once the
mushrooms are cooked, about ten minutes, add the flour and stir. Cook out the flour taste,
about two minutes, then add the beef broth, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of
the pan. Stir constantly. When the gravy thickens, it is ready.
Pour the gravy over the hamburger steaks.
Serve with steamed vegetables and roasted potatoes.
Serves 4
Tempest’s Note: This is only one component of a full meal. Be sure to add in side dishes like
roasted asparagus and rice pilaf to make it more complete. The hamburger steak could also be
used as, well, a typical hamburger and bun. As always, customize to your tastes. One thing I like
to add to the burger mix is a tablespoon of Montreal Steak seasoning.