Susie gets into cooking

from /sus/ Thread #557: Susie's Portable Boyfriend Edition
https://desuarchive.org/trash/thread/50212675/#50220538
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>Susie gets into cooking
>She goes on to study culinary arts
>She works her way up to owning a restaurant and turns it into a 5 star Michelin-rated establishment
>She runs her own "Hell's Kitchen" TV show where she threatens to eat peoples' faces if their cooking scks
I'd watch it.
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Susie's love for food (like, good cooked food) being awakened is wholesome.
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What the hell, might as well try and write a short thing.

>It's been awhile now since Toriel helped Susie to bake her first pie.
>Something changed in the dragon after that, awakening a new interest in cooking and warm, home-cooked meals.
>For someone who had spent years living off greasy scraps, leftovers, and what most consider to be inedible, this was something more than just sustenance - it was an art.
>Not just something to gobble down, but to savor the intricacies of flavors and aromas.
>She wanted more, though she was uncharacteristically timid to ask for such a thing from Kris' mother.
>For her part, Toriel was more than happy to nurture Susie's budding culinary instincts.
>The young dragoness soon found she was always welcome in the Dreemurr household, not to mention the kitchen.
>At first she would just silently observe the goat matriarch with a sense of awe, wondering how Toriel seemed to create such masterpieces effortlessly.
>Then Toriel began to invite Susie to take part in creating her own dishes, with her patented brand of gentle guidance.
>It had been a slow but steady progress, and Susie had used every bit of her willpower not to curse out loud when things had gotten rough.
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>On this particular evening, Toriel had proclaimed that she would not be assisting, letting Susie take charge.
>Slowly and methodically, the dragon lumbered around the kitchen space, trying to remember the correct order of operations.
>She read and re-read the small recipe card with shaking hands, her stomach doing flips as nervousness collided with excitement.
>As she laid out the ingredients and items in front of her, she glanced back at Toriel as if for reassurance.
>The older goat merely smiled serenely and said nothing, which brought the dragon a sense of calm.
>Emboldened by all of her practice, Susie began to prepare the meal, remembering the ways Toriel had shown her how to cut certain ingredients, when to use her strength to crush and knead, and when to use restraint.
>She winced whenever her large clumsy hands miscalculated, but soldiered on, determined to create something wonderful all by herself.
>The minutes seemed to stretch on forever, but still she toiled, as sweat beaded on her forehead.
>At last she was nearly ready to let the dish bake, and soon after, it would be complete.
>She paused, and thoughtfully stuck a claw into the mixture - as she had remembered doing with Toriel to see if everything was satisfactory.
>She let the food sit on her tongue for a moment, and her eyes widened - but with concern rather than excitement.
>"S-something's not right." Susie stammered suddenly, as Toriel cocked her head slightly in bemusement.
>Quickly, the dragon paced back to the recipe list, scanned it, re-scanned it, then looked back at her dish worriedly.
>"It's not... it's not right. I missed something. What did I miss? I'm sure I got everything..."
>She began to stammer and shake, gripping the countertop tightly as her mind struggled to make sense of what went wrong.
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>Susie felt a soft paw on her shoulder, and her face went hot with shame.
>"...m'sorry... I just... I wanted it to taste... like yours does. I wanted... it to be perfect."
>Toriel clucked softly at this, rubbing the dragon's back encouragingly.
>"But my child, you are not making one of my meals - you are making YOUR meal. Cooking is never exact - we may follow these recipe cards to a point, but there is always room to make it your own. Taste it again, and tell me what YOU think it needs."
>Sniffling slightly, Susie reached back and dipped her claw in again. She let the ingredients sit on her tongue longer this time, silently contemplating.
>She let her mind wander past the recipe list, past trying to match perfection of Toriel's cooking. What would a Susie version of this dish have?
>She moved suddenly away, and began peeking around the pantry.
>Finding what she was looking for, she returned to the cooking board, and sliced a small amount of thin strips of her last ingredient, placing them carefully over the dish.
>She gently lifted the concoction and placed it into the waiting pre-heated oven, and closed the lid while setting the timer.
>Whatever happens - good or bad - it really would be her cooking, her own creation.
>She turned back to Toriel, fully aware of the wide and happy grin she was now sporting on her face.
>"Now there's the look of a proud chef! I can't wait to try it! And such a wonderful last-minute addition, the true mark of a culinary artist!"
>Susie chuckled despite her reddening face, wondering what her best friend would have to say when they sat down to eat soon.
>"Heh, guess I just really like apples, y'know?"
END