[Open] Sleep on the Floor

Cullen's baking hobby wasn't something he generally went around advertising, not that he tried to hide it either. For the most part, there'd been little time since joining the Templars to indulge his baking passion. Now that he was settled at Soldier's Peak with his family and friends, he was actually able to do a lot more baking than any time in the past. It was cathartic really, and of course always making him recall fond memories of his mother.

Once all his main daily chores were done, Cullen decided he would get a bit of baking in. Though it would be more accurately described as stress baking. The way things were going with the blights, even with the magic protecting them, he was worried.

Cullen had just put in a dozen meat pies to the oven and now he was working on dicing up some berries for a tart specifically for Lana, a surprise. He'd had leftover dough from the meat pies, and didn't want that or the berries to go to waste. He whistled an old nursery rhyme song as he went about getting the tart ready for the oven.

Morrigan could not cook. She'd never cooked. She ate whatever someone else made her, with zero opinion. And when she'd been with Loghain, he'd cooked. And he tended to figure out what she liked better based on how many servings she'd eat, so he'd cook more of what she preferred without ever needing her to tell him she preferred something.

It'd been nice.

But Morrigan had recently asked a very pretty woman out. And she didn't want to go somewhere and purchase something that was very obviously store-bought.

...she really shouldn't have asked Grainne to a meal. Anything but a meal.

She'd tried to cook, though. Had burned it. And when she stepped into the kitchen at Vigil's Keep, she was more than excited to see that the Rutherford man was already cooking.

I need your... help. She paused, as if the word was foreign to her. I asked a girl to dinner. And uh, well, he'd probably remember the last time she'd tried to cook using the Vigil's kitchens, she'd almost started a fire if not for her ability over ice and water.

Anyway... She refused to believe she was flushed, asking for help did not come naturally, though. There were certainly other things she could be embarrassed about, such as the fact Cullen's seen her naked more than once. But no, it's asking for help that's the issue. ...will you?

There was a moment when Morrigan walked in to the kitchens, that he thought back to before when she nearly burnt them down and hoped that she wasn't there to repeat the events, he rather liked his kitchens just the way they were and hated the idea of having to rebuild them. Though what came out of her mouth had him completely speechless and stopped in his tracks. Had she really just said help? Like had she actually just asked him for help, help, Morrigan was asking for help?

He turned and wiped his hands off on the apron he was wearing, he raised an eyebrow but did his best not to look too amazed or smug or anything like that, she was like a wild animal, he didn't want to provoke her or scare her off and if she'd actually asked someone to dinner, well after all she went through with Loghain, she definitely deserved to be happy, he didn't want to belittle that. He smiled warmly and compassionately, doing his absolute best not to look dumbfounded. 

I mean, probably? I can teach you but whether or not you pick it up is another story, some people just aren't good in the kitchen, no matter how hard they try. His sister Mila was a good cook, but Rosalie wasn't as good in the kitchen, and their brother Branson couldn't cook if it hit him upside the head.

Morrigan huffed at Cullen, rolling her eyes. I guess I phrased my question wrong. Can you help me make dinner for tonight? She didn't want to totally ruin it. She'd never bothered cooking, Loghain had always done the housework.

I think we both know that my expertise in the kitchen is not cooking.

Cullen listened, still doing his best not to laugh or do anything that might spook and or piss off Morrigan, he was still trying to wrap his head around her wanting to make dinner, it was probably the craziest thing he'd ever heard. It had to be the craziest thing he'd ever heard.

Did you have anything in mind you wanted to serve for this dinner? Wait, no don't answer that, you have no idea what's in this kitchen so you wouldn't know what we have, dumb question, sorry still wrapping my brain around the fact you actually came to me for help. I've got meat pies already cooked, wouldn't be hard to come up with a couple of sides to go with it and then there's stuff for tarts for dessert, I mean if that sounds OK?

Morrigan enjoyed how anxious she could make Cullen. Without even trying. It was always a pleasant reminder that he knew her, understood what she was capable of, and chose to make light of situations at times. She appreciated it.

Then again, anyone married to Lana would need to be able to make light of situations.

I don't... yeah, know what's in a kitchen much less this one. All of that sounds okay?

Cullen felt almost at home in the kitchen as he did leading an army or being out on the battlefield. It was cathartic really, something to do that didn't involve fighting or defending kept him grounded. Plus, he did love eating. What better way to indulge in his favourite hobby of eating than by cooking and baking. He tipped his head as Morrigan confirmed she didn't know what was in any kitchen, let alone this kitchen.

I think we have the stuff for a Charcuterie Board, that's something easy to eat at a picnic, and I can toss together a sald of some sort. Did you want to help? Most of it is just cutting things up and putting it in containers, or you could keep me company, but I also understand if you'd rather me do everything and you just come back in a bit when it's done. Cullen was pretty easy going, he didn't mind helping Morrigan out even if it meant him doing all the work and her doing nothing.

Cullen went on about something called a charcueterie board, and really she didn't understand it. Even in Orlais, nobody had let her near the kitchens. Cooks just gave her things, didn't tell her what she was eating. If it was good, she didn't care what it was called. But she nodded, politely.

I'm good at cutting things.

Cullen refrained from making a comment about how he was surprised she bothered with cutting things and didn't just use magic for everything, instead he quickly went over in his head what would need to be cut up and settled on having her cut up the strawberries for the tarts. He pointed towards a box of the red berries and where the knives were.

Knives are there, and if you can slice up the strawberries for the tarts, that would be great. I'll work on finishing up the tarts. They're the most time consuming since the salad and charcuterie board are just sliced up stuff thrown together. He thought about asking for more details about the picnic, but for now chose to just accept that there was a picnic and not to press too much for information, even if the desire to know felt like it was killing him.