[Amelia Lynsdaughter]

Crystalline blue eyes flashed furiously left and right, committing each step of the recipe for beef stew to memory. Every now and then, those innocent eyes would make a detour around the kitchen, registering the locations of the various ingredients required. Nei kept on going about her own business, preparing meals out of her experienced hands with practiced ease. Amelia, on the other hand, had realized the importance of planning ahead. What Nei managed to do out of instinct and habit, she had to think about carefully.

First thing first, she needed to gather all the ingredients in one place. Having them scattered all over the kitchen would be suicidal in the long run. The first few minutes were dedicated to this marching to and fro, collecting the ingredients together. While Nei pretended she wasn't paying attention, Amelia fetched oil and vegetables on the nearest table, next to the ubiquitous kitchen knife and chopping board. Then she retrieved the beef and lifted the cover on one of the pots resting on a stove top, revealing that it already contained the required broth. The pleasant warmth emanating from the oven indicated that everything was ready down there, as well.

A slight, concentrated smile graced her features. So Nei believed that she could pass this test, and had arranged these little hints beforehand. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that she could indeed do it. The trick to success was about breaking the big tasks into smaller tasks, and carrying them out in sequence. Step 1 involved chopping the beef into chunks - she knew how to do that! Placing the meat on the chopping board, she sharpened her knife and then cut through the beef with even movements of her arm. Then, rotating the board by about ninety degrees, she cut it into rough chunks of the desired size.

Now, the flour coating. Borrowing a raised dish, she poured flour in it and dipped the beef chunks in it, one by one, laying the white-coated meat on a different dish. So far, so good. With the casserole on the table next to her, she put olive oil from a jar into it, enough to get the bottom completely wet and slippery but not overdoing it. She inserted the casserole into the oven with kitchen gloves on - the purpose of this, in her mind, was to keep the beef from getting stuck to the casserole. Nodding to herself, she waited for the casserole to warm up... not.

No. Nei had said it once before - never waste any time when you are cooking. Look ahead and do what you can, when you can. Right now, steps 4 through 6 required the casserole to finish step 3, but step 7 was fair game. Picking up a smaller knife, Amelia began to peel the carrots, using the same principles that she'd learnt when Nei had peeled the onion. With an eye constantly on the oven, she eventually decided it was time to put the beef in it.

The girl carefully removed the tool and gently lay the chunks of coated beef on the bottom of the casserole. Helping herself with a fork, she flipped them to brown them with the oil, just like the recipe said. In doing so, a pleasant smell was liberated in the air - surprisingly appealing to one who loved meat as much as she loved broken nails.

The next step, step 5, had her add the previously prepared spices as well as concentrated broth from the pot with a ladle. Finally, she put the cover on the casserole, and wearing her gloves she inserted it through the opening in the oven. Fire was no longer burning there, but the heat was still intense and Amelia found herself untying the strip of cloth that guarded the brand on her forehead to wipe the sweat away. She hardly needed it with her fancy bangs anyways, it mostly served as the last remaining link to her father.

Fine. She had to stir the stew every few minutes. Meanwhile, she resumed work on the carrots and then the other vegetables, which she chopped and diced the way she had been instructed to. All the while she was keeping track of time and pulling the casserole into and out of the oven for stirring. Something strange happened when she turned her back for an instant and when she was facing the table again, a hourglass had appeared which had not been there before, with Nei walking off at a steady pace.

A five-minute hourglass, Amelia would bet everything on that. She turned it upside down and used it to better keep track of time. After a full candlemark, she added carrots and other vegetables to the stew and let it simmer for a while longer, testing them for softness every time she stirred the food.

Eventually, she felt her stew was ready for serving, and lifted the casserole to the stove top. "I think I'm finished here, Nei..." she said softly, speaking for the first time since she'd started work on the recipe.

"I guess I'll have some also, if it's half decent that is!" the Kemite replied as she gave some finishing touches to the veal she'd be serving the Ablutos. A few scant minutes later, they were sitting at the same table as the first brightening. Amelia's fork sank into a chunk of beef effortlessly, and she smelled it thoroughly before her lips slowly parted to eat it. "It's not bad..." she said, half-shocked by the realization. Nei hmmmm'ed her agreement and added: "There are a few flaws in the presentation, so it's not something I'd put on Lord Agamon's plate, and the coating is a little uneven here and there. You were a little shy on the spices which could have made it a little more savory, but all in all I can see a lot of improvement from yesterday."

Nei ate a couple more mouthfuls of beef and excused herself as she had to take care of a few details that the kitchen boys could not deal with themselves. Amelia was left alone at the table, but did not mind it in the least. If anything, that spared her the embarrassment of Nei seeing her sniff and cry like a small child for no apparent reason. She cried in front of the meal she'd prepared, releasing the pent-up stress and frustration as tears of joy and relief.

"Pracenda for the living," she murmured "there's plenty of time to be dead." And to her great surprise, she enjoyed the meal much more than she had anticipated.