(Untitled)

[epitomeofvanity]

WHO: Miyazawa Yukino [epitomeofvanity] + Don Draper [change_just_is]
WHEN: Friday, February 20th, 1953
WHERE: Schwarzalbenheim; Apt. 2
FILTER: Closed.
WHAT: Cooking Lesson time!
STATUS: [COMPLETED]

Comments

[change_just_is]

"I think I'm getting the general idea," he says, "Back home it's not really something we'd have unless you went to a specialty restaurant." He'd been to Japanese restaurants a couple of times, but since he wasn't the most adventurous of eaters, he'd mostly enjoyed the alcohol, so he'd never tried stir fry before, at least not that he could remember.

He laughs. "So, what are you going to teach me how to make the next time we do this?" He knows he's making assumptions--the first assumption being that they will do this again. He'd certainly like to, and it seems like she's enjoying herself, but he's not sure that she'll want to be in this close proximity to him again, given his teasing.

[epitomeofvanity]

"A special restaurant?" Well, Yukino had this kind of food more frequently that that, but considering she was from Japan... that and she lived in a more modern era, where you could just go to the city and eat just about any kind of food you wanted via fast food or a restaurant.

Don's presumption didn't faze her or even make her think twice. It had been fun, or was fun, and she didn't mind doing it again. The playful atmosphere was nice, compared to how droll it usually was. Standing in the kitchen teaching him, being teased by him, was a lot better way to pass the time than sitting up in her room reading a book she had already read before. "I'm not sure. Since we don't have many types of food to use... I'll have to think about it." Yukino waved towards the can of vegetables left. "The last steps now."

[change_just_is]

He picks up the last can of vegetables and puts the vegetables into the pan, then continues to stir. "Next time I can teach you how to cook something," he says, laughing. He knows she probably knows how to cook anything he's capable of, but it's worth an offer. After all, if he's the teacher, he might be able to flirt with her even more than he'd already been able to.

"I got a job," he mentions casually, still stirring the meat and vegetables and trying to resist just eating the food then and there. With the money that would come from the job, he could buy more food, and then they could have their cooking lessons more often. Or he could take her on another date.

[epitomeofvanity]

Yukino can't say that potatoes are one of the standard vegetables that they cook at home. While she could use the same techniques she used on everything else on a potato, if he did something special, she'd love to try it. She gives a little laugh. "That sounds like fun. We could give that a try." She watches him stirring the vegetables, gauging the color to see if it's done. A little while longer, but she didn't want it to get too brown.

At his mentioning of a job, she looks up at him, a smile automatically coming to her face. "I'm glad for you." And she was. He could get more things he needed. More clothes and better food, definitely. She didn't give any thought to him paying for more dates or anything like that, since she didn't exactly consider this a date. She was helping out a friend. "Where are you working now?" she asks, eyes sparkling with curiosity. If she was lucky, it was some place close to her, so she could drop in.

[change_just_is]

He laughs, "I'm a government clerk. Hardly the most prestigious of jobs, but they don't exactly have an advertising firm here." He had been sad to find that out, as he'd been drawing up potential ad campaigns that he would have shown to an advertising firm here in Veles. Of course, if he thinks about it, they don't have much to advertise, but still. The government clerk job won't be bad, but it really just makes him a secretary. A month ago, he'd been back home with his own secretary. Now he was here, being one. Things changed so quickly.

He hoped Yukino would come visit him at work, or maybe they could have lunch together sometime if they worked similar schedules. And if he got enough money together, maybe he could buy some nicer clothes. Anything had to be nicer than this jumpsuit, and although he doubted he'd have enough money to buy a suit--and wearing a suit in the snow like this was just asking to have it ruined--he could at least get a nice jacket and maybe even a hat.

[epitomeofvanity]

"They have a lot of jobs like that here." Secretary, clerk, all of the lower income paying jobs that had you tracking things for them. She had no idea if there was anything better, but she couldn't become a doctor here. It wasn't like they had a college with classes she could attend, even if she felt inspired to try it. It was all experience though, even if she forgot it when she went home.

She shakes her head and reaches for the pan so she can take it off the heat. "Here, let me," and takes hold of the spatula, pushing the vegetables around a bit more, regardless of whether his hand is attached to to still or not. "It's done now," and she moved the pan to an eye that was off, turning the knob so the fire clicked off. "They don't have anything here to advertise," she says with a soft smile. "If they do, they just use flyers or word of mouth."

[change_just_is]

He hoped that perhaps promotions were available within the job, and if he showed himself to be good enough at it, he'd get one. After all, a secretary in his firm had become a copywriter. Anything was possible--but that was back home, and this place seemed to run very differently. "Everyone has something to advertise," he argues, but he knows she's probably right. They wouldn't pay him to make their flyers, even if he designed really good ones. He'd just have to do this job and do the best he could, hoping for a promotion or a raise.

"And now we get to eat it!" he says, looking a little more excited that he'd meant to.

[epitomeofvanity]

She pauses to look at him, and then moves to get a plate for each of them. "You're right. They do have things to advertise." She brought them over and tipped the pan to spread the steamy contents out onto each plate. She gave him more out of habit. He was a man and he needed to eat more. She found herself surprisingly more hungry than she thought she'd be, which meant she'd have to find something else to eat for dinner since all of this would be gone. "But they have ways of doing it themselves for free," she said with a small smile. "Can you grab those shakers?" They hadn't added the salt and pepper in the pan, and she figured they had differing tastes anyway.

"I just hope you like it," she laughs.

[change_just_is]

He grabs the salt and pepper shakers, nodding. "I think I'm going to like it very much," he says, looking at his plate hungrily. He hadn't realized how little he'd been eating until he saw this food on the plate. Sure, he'd known that getting rations meant you could make some of your own food, but he hadn't thought of seriously cooking and making food this good. Once he ate this, it was going to be hard to go back to the cafeteria--he was suddenly very glad for his job, as that meant that he would at least have a bit of money to buy ingredients.

He touches her arm, "Thanks for showing me how to do this," he says, sounding both grateful and flirtatious simultaneously.

[epitomeofvanity]

Yukino had long ago abandoned any hope for the food in the cafeteria being edible. She was too used to food at home that she or her mother cooked. Even at school the food wasn't that bad. They had home economics class, and what they learned there was probably perfect to teach Don. She wished that they had enough supplies to do a wider range of foods. She mentally sighed. They would have to wait until spring, and hopefully there would be a wider variety then, even if it wasn't the harvest season.

Yukino marvels at how he manages to sound both grateful and flirty at the same time. She's learned that tone of voice from him, when he's trying to make her squirm, and finds herself erecting her defenses. Just in case. She smiles and moves off to the table, "You're welcome, Don. It was fun."

[change_just_is]

He follows her to the table with his plate, and sits down, all prepared to start eating. He thought that maybe if he was here long enough, the ingredients would get better. After all, he'd heard a rumor that they were currently on less rations than normal, and of course the fact that it was winter would affect the quality of the rations. It was hard to admit to himself that he might be there into the spring or even into the summer, but he had to accept that it was a very real possibility. After all, Yukino had been there so long--why should he be any different?

"So," he says, "Normally I'd ask you to go out to a club or something on our next date, but somehow I don't think Veles has much in the way of clubs."

[epitomeofvanity]

Yukino had been hoping that she wouldn't be there long either. Most of the people she had came with were gone. The ones who came before her were mostly gone as well. It was kind of sad, all the faces she probably would never see again. It was great they were home, but she was still here. Alone. No, not alone. Abruptly, that line of thought would have been cut off, since she decided to live again for now, and possibly a future in Veles. She would go home one day, she's sure, but she had to make the most of it while she was there.

"[Thank you for this meal]" she says, palms pressed together for a moment before she takes her fork and tries a bite. She reaches for the salt and lightly sprinkles it over her plate. She laughs. "No, we don't have any clubs here. We have a few bars, and..." here she pauses and takes another bite. She's looking at Don while she chews, thinking, before swallowing and continuing on. "And we have the brothel. Then the restaurants."