>You are anon.
>And it's dinner time.
>Okay.. Well. not really.
>It's somewhere around 10 PM.
>That's why you're sneaking into the kitchen in the cafeteria with your cast-iron pan, a small container of garlic butter, some fresh asparagus, an uncooked rib eye and a beer in a backpack.
>The past few days have been... Straining.
>A training mission to go track a pack of Grimm south of Vale with Professor Port.
>Nothing but stories.
>For three days.
>And when you finally get back, you find that the cafeteria had just closed for the night.
>So screw it. Not only have you been working you ass off, you had to listen to what boiled down to pretty much the exact same story all day.
"When I was (Inset age here) my (Insert family member/friend and name here) and I had to stop a (Insert Grimm species/pack here) right outside of (Insert location here.)"
>It was enough to make you consider feeding yourself to a Death Stalker.
>It's time for a good meal for once.
>You climb into the cafeteria through an open stained-glass window and squat on the ledge over the ground.
>You take a moment to look around the room, trying to find a table within jumping distance.
>There we go.
>You drop down onto a table, and hop over a few more.
>All the floor tiles by the windows, and a few random one throughout the cafeteria are glyphed to keep people like you out.
>After several near misses, a bunch of alarms, a handful of stern discussions with Professor Goodwitch and/or Ozpin, and a threat or two of expulsion; you've figured out the pattern.
>Haven't been caught in over 7 months.
>Suckers.
>After reaching a safe spot, you finally get off the tables and casually walk into the kitchen.
>What?
>Something smells like... hamburger meat.
>Someone's cooking.
>You slide behind one of the long counters in the prep station area and sniff a little bit.
>Burnt Garlic.. About to be burnt ground beef..
>Whoever it is.. They aren't the best cook.
>So chances are that isn't one of the cafeteria staff.
>You peer around the counter ever so slowly.
>They're wearing all black.
>Definitely not kitchen staff.
>Wait a second...
>You peer around the corner again.
>Long red hair tied up into a ponytail.
>So tall they almost have to slouch to use the stove comfortably.
>Bronze crown-looking thing around her head.
>What the hell is Pyrrha Nikos doing in here?
>Relieved that you don't have to hide, you quietly stand up as to not startle her.
*DONG.. CLANK CLANK*
"EEEEEEE"
>Or not.
>That's what you get for not looking up before standing.
>Stupid low-hanging pans.
>Pyrrha spins around and reaches for a bread slicing knife and extends it towards you.
>You put your hands up and start shaking your head no. If she screams again, or (god forbid) turns this into a fight; not only will you lose you'll probably get kicked out of Beacon.
"Who're you!? And what're you doing here?"
>Shit..
>Well here's hoping she's as level-headed as you've heard.
>"Relax! I'm a student here, just like you. I just wanted to make myself dinner."
"Prove it!"
>"Okay! Just.. Put the knife down. The name's Anon."
>She lowers the knife slightly.
"What's in the bag?"
>You slowly take off your backpack and reach in.
>You glance around the kitchen to find a clean spot to put your food.
>The entire area is a goddamned disaster.
>Meat juice, broken egg shells, outer layers of onion, and garlic skins are somehow littered on almost every cooking surface.
>What. The. Hell.
>You peer behind her and see smoke rising rapidly out of the pan sitting on the stove.
>"Uh... Ms. Nikos..? Might want to check that."
>The realization makes her eyes go wide as she immediately spins around and starts haphazardly turning dials in hopes of turning off the heat under the pan.
>This.. This is the famous Pyrrha Nikos?
>After a few moments she still hasn't found the right dial.
>You walk up to the stove. She backs away as she sees you coming.
>Third dial to the left. Off.
>You look down into the now blackened pan.
>A small mound of completely charred beef is in the middle of the pan.
>Going through a small Rolodex of recipes in your head, you turn to her.
>"First time trying to make your own hamburger patty, right?"
>Pyrrha nods, slightly ashamed.
>"You giving up on a diet or something?"
"No Anon... It's.. For a boy."
>"Trying to impress him?"
"Yes.."
>She's either ashamed of the unappetizing attempt at a meal, or still embarrassed about being caught here so late.
>You take a deep breath and look around the kitchen.
>At the mess she made.
>Then your backpack.
>And then at her.
>Okay.. She's distraught about the meal.
>Thinking over your options, it becomes clear that you don't have much of a choice.
>This guy had better be worth it.
>"Clean all this up. I'm going to teach you how to make a meal that'll make an impression."
"Wait, really? Why?"
>"Because I 1: don't want the profs to think that there's anyone other than me sneaking in here because that means they'll lock this place down tighter than they already have. And 2: I don't have the conscience to see anyone try to serve something like that to someone they're trying to impress. So clean up while I unpack."
>You let out a sigh and go to unpack your bag.
>Everything is still in pretty good shape.
>Let's set up for a nice meal.
>You maneuver around the cleaning Pyrrha to get to the stove.
>Pretty sure you heard her whisper "I'm sorry," as you walked by.
>It better be for this goddamn mess..
>You spread the ingredients out on a small area and put your cast iron the stove top.
>Time to prep this motherfucker.
>You look around the kitchen and eventually find salt, pepper, and olive oil.
>Okay. Time for the cooking lesson.
>"Pyrrha, give the cleaning a break. We'll be here for another hour if-"
>You turn around and find that her once disgusting workstation is now spotless.
>Well.. At least she cleans up fast.
>Maybe there's some hope for her.
>She walks over to you, placing a chef's knife on the cutting board.
"Okay.. Thank you. Now.. What's first?"
>"Steak dinner."
>She recoils a little bit.
"Isn't that.. A little out of my league?"
>"Not at all. Pay attention, and you'll be fine."
>Pyrrha looks away and crosses her arms.
>For fuck's sake.
>How the hell is someone this famous this unsure of them self?
>"Okay. Let's step back for a sec. Who are you?"
"Pyrrha Nikos."
>"And you're probably the biggest name of come to Beacon in.. Ever, I guess. Right?"
>She nods sheepishly.
>"You didn't get famous for nothing. You trained and worked you ass off. Right?"
"Yes..?"
>"And just like anybody else who wants to be a hunter or huntress, you start with the basics."
>Now she just looks confused.
>"Look. My point is that this meal is filled with the basics. Things anybody can do, and anybody can understand. And if you can learn the basics of being a huntress, you can learn these too."
>The look of confusion fades, and is replaced with one of curiosity
>Think you're up to it?"
>Pyrhha smiles a little and nods enthusiastically
>You start turn on the heat under your pan.
>"Good. Then lets start."
>While the pan and oil heats up, you give her instructions on seasoning.
>She produces a pen and tiny notepad and starts taking down everything you say.
>Everything.
>You season the piece of rib eye with salt and pepper
>"Salt and Pepper are tried and true. There is always plenty of room for experimentation for seasoning. But hold off on that until you feel more confident."
>The pan is finally hot enough.
>You delicately place the steak in the pan.
>Smoke starts to rise immediately.
"But. Aren't we worried about it burning?"
>"No. We sear it to lock in all the juice. Turn down the heat slightly before you put the steak on. Once it's on don't touch that, and don't touch the meat."
"But.. What if it-"
>It's not going to burn. You're going to have to trust yourself. Wait 3-4 minutes. Flip, and wait another 3-4 minutes for medium rare."
>She's still furiously writing to keep up with you.
"What if I don't have a timer?"
>You hold out your hand upwards and put your middle finger and thumb together.
>Pyrrha awkwardly mimics your hand.
"what's this supposed to do?"
>You push on the muscle at the base of her thumb.
>"It's called a touch test. Simply touch it while it's cooking. If it feels as firm as that, it means it's at medium rare and ready to come off."
>She bobs her head back in a "Never imagined that" sort of way as she stands in place and presses at the little muscle, trying to become more acquainted with the feeling.
>"Worry about that later! We've got a timer doing that job for us and I need you here!"
"Right."
>She hustles over to the side and looks at the steak in the pan.
"What about a side dish?"
>"That's what these are for.
>You pull out the asparagus.
>"Usually potatoes are a go-to with steak. But potatoes take too long to cook, and I'm always pressed for time in here."
"Why?"
>She stops for a second, realizing that you both are still trespassing.
"Oh.. Right. Sorry."
>God. What is with this girl?
>The timer on your watch goes off.
>"I need to go wash these off. Flip the steak and I'll be right back.
>She pockets the notepad and picks up the spatula as you walk over to the sink and turn on the water.
>You mindlessly wash off the greens, your mind focusing on what you left her to do.
>The sizzling comes to a stop.
>She got the steak off the pan.
>Waiting..
>Waiting......
>You turn around to see her awkwardly handling the spatula with the steak on top of it.
>You finish the last stalk and walk up to her.
>"Having a little trouble?"
>She laughs awkwardly.
>"Here. One sec.
>You position yourself behind her and put your hand over hers so you're both now holding the spatula
>"Okay.. Together now."
>You lower both your hands so the steak so it's not so high in the air.
>"1....2.....3"
>Guiding her hand, you twist your wrist and get the steak back into the pan uncooked side down.
>"There we go. That wasn't too hard, was it?"
>she smiles and looks back at you as you step away from her.
>"Go grab the asparagus from the cutting board over there."
>She disappears from your side and you adjust the pan over the heat.
>A few moments later she returns, veggies in hand.
>"Good. Toss them in."
>Pyrrha places the asparagus in the pan next to the steak.
>You lightly drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
"Are we going to dig right in after it's done?"
>"No. We need to let the steak sit for ten minutes after we take it off. Usually I'd cook the asparagus in that time. But we need to get out of here sooner rather than later."
>You shuffle the veggies in the pan a little bit to keep them from burning.
>"And If you're going to cook them separately, make sure to only do it on medium heat. That way you don't have to constantly mix them to keep them from burning."
*BEEP BEEP*
>"And we're done!"
>You turn the heat off and pull out the aluminum foil.
>You remove the steak from the pan and place it on your square of foil.
>Drop the dallop of garlic butter on top, and place the asparagus on top.
>You look over at Pyrrha.
>She hasn't looked at you since you took the steak off the pan.
>"..... You haven't eaten dinner yet.. Have you?"
>Pyrrha looks down and starts blushing a little.
>You've got to be fucking kidding me..
>Ugh.. Okay, fine.
>"Take it. It's yours."
"But Anon. You made that for yourself! I can't just-"
>"You can't know if you did prepared it correctly if you haven't tasted it. Take it."
>She looks up at you and her face lights up.
"Really?!"
>"Yeah.. It's yours."
>She squeals in happiness and gives you a huge hug.
>In her glee, she manages picks you off the ground.
>"But we still have to get out of here!"
>You're put back on the ground.
>Ow... Now your sides hurt..
"Sorry.."
>"It's fine."
>You wrap the whole meal up and clean your workstation.
>You give Pyrrha the foil-wrapped meal and start packing everything into your bag.
>So.. Before we get out of here.. Any questions?"
>The two of you slowly start to make for the exit as Pyrrha poises question after question to you.
"Should I only use that kind of pan?"
"Is Olive oil the only oil that works?"
"What if I want to use another cut of meat?"
>Jesus. You didn't expect a million questions at once.
>You take a moment to figure out which you can answer first.
>"Well.. As far as pans are concern-"
*BWOOP BWOOP BWOOP BWOOP*
>You look down at your foot.
>Goddamn.
>Mother fucking.
>Glyphs.
>"SHIT."
>The main door bars itself shut.
>Pyrrha makes a b-line straight for the window you came in through and kneels down facing you and cups her hands
>You realize what she wants as you run towards her. Stepping into the little platform she made as she boosts you up onto the ledge.
>You squat down and grab her hand as she jumps up to grab it.
>You look at her as she dangles from your grip.
>"Find me on campus. Don't cook that meal until you get all your questions answered."
>She nods
>"Oh. And I'm sorry."
"What? Wh-"
>With all your strength you heave her up and throw her as hard as you can towards the first year dorms.
>You drop down into the bushes and make break for your team's room.
>Somewhere in the school, Gylnda is loudly swearing as her scroll suddenly blares an alarm and starts flashing red.