Private A Convergence Of Misplaced Dreams

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

"Oh..."​

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Patience, yes... He was patient. That was unexpected in truth, usually by now people were regretting their decision to be around her. Zaavik had been quick to drop her off at her apartment and leave her to settle in, didn't return for like a month after, and before him there had been others who had done similar too. Always left to feel like a burden.​

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Yet here this one was, choosing to engage with her more than he had to. Teaching her something that wasn't even remotely related to her studies.​

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She felt a very slight blush forming at that. The loud voice in the back of her mind was quietened even if only a little.​

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"That makes much more sense" she replied, with a short nod. Okay, she opened the next couple of drawers then found the one with all the stranger utensils and tools. Knives, the aforementioned cups and spoons with numbers on them, and even the peeler. At least she reckoned it was a peeler... Looked like it would do the job well enough if nothing else, they were just going to remove the skins right?​

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After that she quietly got to work with the prep he'd already told her to do, namely measuring out the dry ingredients into a bowl.​

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"One... Two... Three..." a brief pause as she switched cups, "and a half." Despite how simple a task it was, pure satisfaction ran through her all the same. Next came the bicarb and the salt, and they were measured just as swiftly. She turned toward Davron then.​

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"What next?" she inquired, an eagerness to her voice that she struggled to contain. Usually she might have tried harder to, it was easier to face dejection and frustration from another when you didn't get your hopes up.​

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Davron Feln​

 

[Davron Feln]

"Are you ready to learn the difference between dry cups and wet cups?" he asked, a small grin on his face. "No, no, don't answer that. The difference is that the ones for measuring liquid are clear and have graduated markings, so that you don't have to fill to the brim and spill. Otherwise there's no difference. Could you look in the refrigerator and see if we have some buttermilk?" As he spoke, he sifted the dry ingredients around a bit, making sure everything was reasonably evenly distributed and forming a small well in the center of the bowl.

"I don't really bother to measure it out anymore because the amount of liquid needed is never exact with breads. You learn to just recognize when it's right by feel." Much like when cooking many other things, although that was during the actual act of cooking, not the pre-cooking step. "If we don't have buttermilk, hopefully we've got a thick cultured yogurt and some regular milk to get an actually-decent substitute."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Dry and wet cups?​

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Oh, this was getting out of hand! Now there was two of them...​

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Still, Davron's explanation came swiftly enough and seemed oddly simple this time. Just an easier way to measure and carry? Huh. Okay... She glanced through the cupboards again in search of the measuring jug, with its notches on the side, and had it out and on the countertop by the time that his next instruction came.​

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"Buttermilk?" she muttered. That was a thing? Alright, if he said so... She moved to the refrigerator and began to rummage through it. There was definitely milk, and blue milk, and butter... Eyes scanned this way and that, and then settled on a smaller carton. Yep, buttermilk. What a weird name.​

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"Why's it called that?" she asked as she pulled the carton free and set it on the side, "Is it like, a mix of the two?"​

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Further explanation on the process, this time about how measuring wasn't entirely as helpful when it came to making dough. Did that mean she wouldn't be using the jug then?​

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Oh well, it was out now anyway. "Um, how much of this did you want? Roughly, I mean..."​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

She set the buttermilk beside him, and without even giving her a measurement he opened it up and poured a bit in. Sure, it would need about a cup and a half, but this part of it was never exact. "No, buttermilk can either refer to the liquid left over after churning cream into butter, or—more commonly available to buy for a long time now—a low-fat milk product that has been cultured with certain bacteria to thicken it and make it palatably sour, rather than make-you-sick sour." His fingers rapidly became messy as he started to mix the ingredients into a dough, adding the buttermilk slowly so that he didn't end up with a mass that was too wet and sticky.

Really, though, this was the part he liked the least. He hated getting dough bits all over his fingers. Making the soda bread didn't exactly help, as it wasn't a dough that you wanted too dry, or to work until it developed a tight and smooth surface, because then it just wouldn't rise at all.

"Smell it, if you like. It'll definitely be in the general direction of spoiled milk, but it's actually safe to drink. Or bake with, as the case may be."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

He didn't provide her with a measurement because he took over once the buttermilk was set down, and began to work small splashes of it into the dry mixture, getting a feel for how much or how little to add. She watched him curiously, listening as he explained what exactly it was. Leftover from the butter making process.​

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Well, Auraya didn't know how to make butter so she was grateful that they had a carton on hand. Would he have urged her to make some otherwise?​

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That was a scary thought.​

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"Sour?" she wrinkled her nose at that, "I thought milk wasn't supposed to sour." Though he did say it remained safe to consume. Even so it seemed a little at odds with what little else she knew about such things. Hopefully he really knew what he was doing.​

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She leaned an arm against the countertop and peered over the rim of the bowl to its contents. His hands had gotten all sticky and she didn't envy him that.​

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When he urged her to smell the carton, she raised a brow. Heck even as he said it he stated it would smell rotten. Why would she want to smell it then? For a moment she refused to...​

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... Then curiosity got the better of her and she took up the carton, twisted off the cap, and - keeping her nose as far from it as she could while still catching its scent - sniffed.​

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The girl recoiled, her face pulled into an exaggerated grimace.​

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"Eugh" she vocalized, shaking her head. Oh, the cap was quickly returned. Very quickly...​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

The dough was nearly at the right consistency. He added just another small splash of the buttermilk after Auraya passed it back his way, chuckling quietly. "It's not that bad," he jokingly chided her, before scraping the dough out of the bowl. "Alright. Grab me a baking sheet and spread a bit of flour over the top of it so that this won't stick. Also, grab me a small, sharp knife, if you would." While she busied herself with getting all of those, he'd busy himself with shaping the dough into an actual round ball. Thankfully, by this point it had gotten beyond momentarily wet and sticky and was just a nice, soft mass.

Hopefully he'd be able to properly score the top without being able to see. Otherwise...that might be an embarrassing loaf, splitting unevenly all over the place.

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

"Well you smell it then" she grumbled when he dared to tell her it wasn't so bad. Her nose was still wrinkling from it, that's all she knew.​

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Further instructions were given, and she set about gathering up the items requested. Baking sheet, the surface of it lightly floured, as well as a small paring knife which she hesitated to give him.​

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"You uh... Maybe want me to do this part?" she asked, dubiously. Handing a blind man a knife? Yeah no that sounded like a recipe for disaster. "Whatever it is you plan on doing with it, I mean."​

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Davron Feln​

 

[Davron Feln]

"I'll be fine," he protested. He was just blind, not an infant. "I need to score the top of the loaf so that it doesn't try to split while it bakes, and that means scoring it deeply enough, which is best if done in a single stroke. That way it won't tear. And, well, you don't want to go too deep, either." He had experience with it, he could likely do it in his sleep, the real trouble would just be making sure he got the cross-shape he intended to score centered.

And at a proper right angle, of course.

As he spoke, awaiting either protest or acceptance from Auraya, he reached out to the buttermilk. "I'll do you one better than smelling it, by the way," he replied, and tilted it back to pour a bit in his mouth, where it was swallowed without issue. "I'll drink it."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Auraya wasn't exactly convinced, yet as she stood and watched him drink the not-so-nice-smelling substance whatever it was she'd intended on saying was momentarily lost to the wind. The girl grimaced, already not really one for thicker drinks, and shook her head at him.​

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"It's not a competition" she mumbled, unable to stave off a shudder at the thought of trying to one-up that. Nope. No thank you. Keep your stinky sour milk.​

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When he set down the carton she remembered the knife in her hand and turned it over in thought. On the one hand, he was the Jedi Knight here. This was his ship, and she was only along for the ride for as long as he required a pair of eyes and then she'd be back on Coruscant doing Force knew what. It wasn't her place to call the shots, and she knew it.​

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But on the other hand... Newly blind man and knife did not sound like a sane combination!​

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"If I say no, are you going to do it anyway?" she asked, voice a little quieter than before. Timid, even.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

"I would really prefer not to have to order you to give me the knife. That would start things off on a really sour note."

A pause.

"Almost like the buttermilk."

Even if she wouldn't laugh, he at least was proud of his joke. "I know better than to just start hacking wildly, don't worry. I don't cut until I know that what I want to cut is right under my knife. Beyond that, at some point I'm going to have to be handling a knife to cut my own food or open things anyways, I can't have you doing everything for me. Just make sure I turn the loaf far enough to get the scoring right. I want to make a near-as-possible-to-perfect cross, preferably without having to poke around at the dough to get my alignment right and risk messing up the shape of it or the first score I cut."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

She considered that for a moment, before finally nodding her head and relinquishing the knife to him. The last thing she wanted was make him annoyed with her, to regret his decision to bring her along for the ride. How many people had she pushed away with her failures? Did she really want to add this as a reason why she was back on Coruscant aimless once more?​

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No. No she did not. Besides, he seemed adamant.​

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"Okay" she breathed, though she couldn't keep from hovering close by all the same. She could excuse it as being a moment of learning, right? To see just how to score a loaf of bread in the future. Totally wasn't to keep watch in case he cut off a finger or something.​

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Nope, not at all.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

Of course, Davron couldn't see that she nodded, so he didn't actually reach out to let her place the knife in his hand until he finally heard her say 'okay.' Then he took it, lightly felt for the loaf of dough, and made on quick slash across the top, one finger up along the blade of the knife to make sure he didn't cut too deep. Then, after turning it—with Auraya making sure it ended up turning far enough—he made the second. A close-to-perfect cross in the top.

"Alright. The oven should be up at full heat by now, so this needs to go in. Fifteen minutes at that temperature, and then down to two-oh-five for...oh, another half-hour or so. We'll have to check it to be sure. It'll be out and cooling by the time the meat is thawed and you can get the stew going."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The fact that he didn't take the knife when she initially resigned herself to handing it over only further solidified her reluctance to do so in the first place. Pursing her lips, she hovered nervously around him and helped to ensure nothing went amiss. Told him how far to turn the unbaked loaf, that sort of thing.​

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When it was over and the slits had been made she let out a sigh of relief. Okay, good, it hadn't gone quite so terribly as she'd seen it in her mind.​

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More instructions came, and Auraya moved to place the loaf into the oven; a wave of heat washed over her as she opened the door, near-suffocating in nature though thankfully it was over as quickly as it happened. The heat was palpable though, so she was careful as she set it into place upon one of the racks.​

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"Fifteen minutes" she muttered, glancing around for some sort of clock she could use to keep watch. Then she realized the oven had a timer, and just settled for making use of that instead.​

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"What's next, boss?" she asked with a fairly goofy grin now that the worst of her worries had failed to come to fruition. Truly this dynamic reminded her of the brief amount of time she'd had a job back on Coruscant, while Zaavik was missing. Nobody really wanted to step in preemptively, so beyond the standard classes she'd attended she found herself mostly left to her own devices.​

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It had been an experience to say the least. At least she had some sort of idea of what might await her out there when the Jedi inevitably kicked her to the curb.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

Davron grinned.

"Wash the potatoes, of course. You can even start peeling and slicing them if you feel like, if you don't mind them starting to turn brown by the time the meat is thawed and ready to be cut up with the onions." And this time, unlike with scoring the bread, he doubted she'd let him help chop them up. Not that he minded, anyways; dicing potatoes was hardly his idea of fun.

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

As she glanced over at the small pile of potatoes and onions she'd gathered earlier, she couldn't deny that they were looking pretty grubby. She wondered why they hadn't already been cleaned before being put into storage, though the question didn't plague her enough to have her ask it outright. Instead she shrugged it off and moved to do as he had bid.​

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Then she paused.​

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"Wait... But there's meat in the sink. How can I wash them if the sink's in use?"​

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Quite the conundrum indeed.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

...

"Wait, does the sink only have a single basin? I didn't notice that." Davron furrowed his brow. "Can you pour some of the water out of what you've got the meat thawing in so that it's still submerged but it won't spill everywhere? You could just set it on the counter for as long as it'll take you to wash the potatoes."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

She stared at Davron.​

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Then stared at the sink.​

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Then back at Davron.​

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Reached up a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, then ran it down the length of her face. Of course he couldn't see it... This was going to take some getting use to, but for now she set about turning off the faucet so that she could dump a little bit of water from the bowl and set it on the side. She took a quick second to rinse out the sink, and wash her hands, then pulled one potato from the pile and gave it a quick scrub to remove the residual dirt.​

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"How'd you end up blind?" she asked softly, as she took to the task and pulled the next potato under the running water for its shower. It seemed like a newer development, but he didn't visually have anything wrong with them that she could tell. No injuries to the face which would speak of ocular scarring. Maybe it wasn't a nice question to ask, or maybe it could have been asked in a better way, but it sort of just spilled out of her before she could hold it back.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

As Auraya moved to wash the potatoes, Davron reached in the refrigerator for another shuura. As much as his general sight situation messed up his days, he'd been pressing for a bit more independence from the hospital staff for a few days, and they'd finally granted it to him. One of those was when he'd call to have his meals, trying to get himself to live on a routine without the aid of them constantly waking him and telling him exactly when he would take his meals. One downside to that was forgetting lunch.

Of course, the blindness had its own downsides, like potentially having to answer just what had made him that way. He couldn't fault Auraya for quickly coming to the conclusion that it was a new thing for him, either, he'd certainly been acting quite like it. "Carbonite sickness," he replied, about as short and detached as he could. Just the basic fact, no details about why he'd been frozen in the first place. "My hands and feet are still all prickly and tingly, too. Can't say I recommend it."

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Carbonite..?​

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Her mind began to whir with possibilities, not least because he wasn't particularly forthcoming with the reason for it. Had he been subjected to some sort of bounty hunter's lockdown methods? Kept in cryostasis? For certainly they were the only things she even remotely knew as being the cause for such, and even then her knowledge was, well, limited.​

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"Is there anything to help? The tingling, I mean..." She presumed that the sight was just going to be a matter of time. Hopefully it wasn't permanent, but what did she know? Nothing. She knew nothing.​

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So lost in thought, she didn't even realize that the next thing she picked up to clean was in fact an onion.​

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Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

Was there anything to help stop the tingling? He certainly hadn't noticed if anything the various doctors had tried on him had helped diminish it, at least not without diminishing his remaining senses in general. "Nothing more than time, I think," he replied. "It's far better than when I got thawed out, at least; I couldn't even sit up in a chair on my own." That sort of thing certainly didn't make for a good first impression to a new galaxy. Or, at least, he highly doubted that it did.

Being honest and at least appearing unconcerned about it, though, should certainly make him look calm, accepting. Serene, with a bit of humour on the side, a much better impression when speaking about it than when it actually happened. He hoped it would work that way, at least in Auraya's mind.

"If I'm being entirely honest, though, the tingling is much less of a bother than the whole not-seeing part."

Auraya Irath-Ur