Chapter 104: Slow Winter Day (And Mayonnaise Bonanza)

Chapter 104: Slow Winter Day (And Mayonnaise Bonanza)

Farewells is weird. For me, at least. I don't really have anyone I'd bother saying farewells to. Grandparents? Never knew them in this life, none of them survived long enough for me to remember them properly. Oh, I've been introduced to some of them as a toddler, I recall, but none played a significant part in my life. Dad's father croaked before I was even born, gramma didn't really live long enough to see me out of swaddling. On mom's side, things were a little better, but neither of grandparents really lived all that long. I vaguely recall they died together in some kind of river-related mishap, but no one told me the details back then and I don't really feel like asking now.

Mom and dad obviously have people to think back to, their parents and other assorted members of the family they knew well back in time. Bridgit has her father to think back to, doubly so considering this year he was properly avenged, and that is a sort of thing you really mention on Farewells. Her mother too, I guess, she mentioned remembering her vaguely. Lily-Anne went back to the palace for today, I believe there are people the royal family remembers together, but I didn't pry. Moon Unit is similarly occupied, her parents were gone relatively recently for an elf, so I shouldn't bother her. That leaves me, Roxy, Cy and boys as people without much to do this day... Oh, and Selene, apparently. Since Ed is busy with his family, she is at the loose ends, and promptly called me to see if I'm up to anything. So this is my coterie for today. And, I guess, I'm the designated adult.

"So.. What does everyone want to do?" - I ask.

"Maybe a long walk?" - Roxolane suggests uncertainly - "I haven't really seen Parsee much in spite of living here for months by now. Always busy at the Academy or something else."

"Yeah! Let's explore!" - Antoine is up for the idea, I suppose.

"Maybe with a stop over at your shop, sister?" - Jean-Paul, are you trying to be sneaky?

"Fireworks, mom." - Cy suggests, and I have to shake my head.

"During day?" - I retort.

"Making some, I mean." - she corrects herself - "Tomorrow evening is clearly the best time for fireworks."

Oh. Well. I ruffle her hair.Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

"It's cute of you to think I didn't make some already." - I tease, - "But sure, if you want to, we can tool around with alchemy in the evening."

"Soo... Walk, sweets, more walk, then making fireworks?" - Selene sums up - "Sounds like a plan to me! Where to, first?"

"That's what I'm asking." - I retort - "I'm pretty sure everywhere is closed, so we're stuck with parks and streets and such. Just wander around aimlessly for a while? I'd offer a picnic, but I hardly think any of you wants to sit in the snow, food or not."

"...Dangit." - is Selene's succinct reaction.

"Oh. That is a problem, yes..." - Roxolane agrees, as she looks outside - "We're really on our own here, aren't we?"

"Well, how about we walk around a little, see if it works or not, then come back here for lunch and figure things out from there?" - I suggest.

___

We ended up coming back to the mansion and having a snowball fight after about half an hour of wandering over sparsely populated streets. The city is sporting a somber mood on a day like this, hard to get any excitement going. And right now, me and Roxy are making lunch. I'm pretty sure that will cause Bridgit to grumble at me, hence why being sly and sneaky about it.

"...Mayonnaise? What's that?" - Roxolane inquires cautiously. What the hell. I didn't realize it, but apparently mayo isn't a known thing? Well, darn.

"A sort of sauce." - I respond as I look for things. Eggs? Here they are. Mustard? No problem. Vinegar... Vinegar... Oh, here it is. Hm. I wonder... Oh well. Salt, here... Oil. Oh, olive oil? That'll do.

Now, let's see about... I look around furtively. "Roxy, watch the door, would you kindly?" - I suggest - "I'm going to do unnatural things with my hand to prepare it quickly, probably shouldn't be letting boys or Selene see that, lest they ask far too many questions."

She raises her brow. "This I have to see." - she quips, as she solves the issue by deadbolting the door.

So I crack the egg in and twist my hand into a blender head, sticking it into the egg. Roxy jumps up at the sound of the egg rapidly becoming a foam.

"What... how!?" - she demands. I lift the tip slightly, letting her see the bit of iron I conjured whirling madly in telekinetic grip, pouring vinegar in at the same time. Mustard goes in next, then salt. As I gauge the results to be uniformly whisked, I start pouring oil in, drop by drop. Roxolane watches in fascination as the whole mix thickens into an off-white sauce.

"Why are you pouring oil in so slowly?" - she inquires.

I guess she likes it, too.

___

"...Alyssa." - mother facepalms - "First, thank you for the meal, second, why in the name of all that is sane did you cook? We have servants for that!"

"Well, for one, they wouldn't know how to make mayonnaise. For two, since when did I do things normally?" - I tease. She sighs and chuckles.

"I'll give you that, dear. You've always been odd. Good, but odd." - she agrees - "Mayonnaise? Now I'm curious... So, do I just... Oh. Oh, it's thick. OOOH! MMm... MMmm~!"

And I guess she likes it as well.

"...MMm!... What is this made from!?" - father finally pitches in.

"Eggs, mustard, vinegar, salt, oil and lots of whisking." - I offer.

"Teach the cook, please. This is wonderful." - he requests - "...Ooh, it's also good on bread! I wonder..."

"Yes, it's even better if you add some garlic in, but not everyone likes it, so I put garlic separately." - I tell him and he nods eagerly, far too busy with his meal to respond.

He likes it too.

___

"MMm! Moom, so good!"

"Mnyam,mmm!...Yesh!"

"Yummm!"

Good grief. Mayonnaise. A great success all around, I guess. I'd pester kids for the opinions more, but they are in a great hurry to stuff themselves. I suppose a couple hours of snowball fighting does bamf up an appetite a lot.

___

Finally, it's evening. Selene left an hour ago, citing the need to return to her domicile and fall over. Roxolane essentially did the same. I guess kids have worn her out. For that matter, Antoine and Jean-Paul are also exhausted and offer no resistance when mother decrees an early night for them. In the end, only me and Cy retained some sort of energy. Score one for unholy abominations, I guess. So now, we're quietly sitting at my alchemy table. I'm granulating the metal salts, Cy is slathering up the paper strips with glue. A little bit of trial and error had confirmed that guncotton works for fireworks, but needs to be rolled up tightly with pigment to produce different flame colors. A bunch of dried reeds are already stuffed with guncotton, they will be the basis of our bottle rockets.

"Mom, do you ever get the feeling like you know something... against the expectation?" - Cy wonders suddenly.

"Like what?" - I inquire.

"Well, like... Things out of blue." - she muses - "Like, everyone expects you to do something and you plan on it and... just sort of end up doing something else first that no one expected you to do..."

"That's called life, I believe." - I joke back, crumbling the granulated cobalt over the prepared petard. I conjured the metals, a bit tiring to make them last for two days or so, but well worth the show tomorrow, I think.

"Well, you're going to have a life." - Cy retorts - "I'm kinda really certain about it. Like Pinkie sense certain."

I pause. Put things down. Turn to her and pat her head, offering - "If at all possible, mind holding back on channeling that particular pony until I invent the camera? I have a hunch it would generate a lot of photo-worthy moments."

She grins - "I'll try, but no promises."