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[Alhaitham's book lowers as he looks up, tilting his head in greeting. No need to say a word when Kaveh will fill the silence right up, and right on cue.

Alhaitham leans over, as if sharing with Tsuruno a conspiracy.] Kaveh knows that there's a difference in how a spice releases in a dry dish versus a wet one, but it makes him feel better to believe he's always right in the kitchen.

[ Tsuruno doesn't have much on her, but obligingly places it in an unobtrusive corner before she trots over to join Kaveh and his spatula.

With a pause to listen to Alhaitham first, and she scrunches up her nose with an amused grin. ]

I think my grandpa used to say something about how there are certain arguments you won't win if you're not the one cooking. But you can leave the salt content check to me!

[ kaveh rolls his eyes so loudly that it can be heard over the din of the pot bubbling. ]

Tsuruno, your grandfather was a wise man. That man sitting over there having contributed nothing to this entire entire is not a wise man; therein lies the difference. I accounted for the differences in how a spice releases in a dry dish versus a wet dish. He just thinks I accounted for sumac in particular to be heavy-handed.

[ but he's moving to usher tsuruno in over to his side. the scent of cumin, tumeric and chili peppers intensify as kaveh pulls the lid off of a pot containing the bright red of freshly-cut peppers and the deep yellow of two, carefully-simmered onions. ]

Have you ever had meygoo dopiyazeh, Tsuruno? If you haven't, this is the perfect time to give it a quick taste. [ kaveh pushes into her hand a ladel. ] Go slow, though. Just a sip.

[Alhaitham simply shrugs, unbothered.] You don't want my help so you'd kick me out of the kitchen anyway. But anyone who eats a particular dish will form an opinion on it.

[ Amazing that the two of them being together hasn't changed their personalities at all. Which only means, in her opinion, that they'd as good as been together in the first place, they just hadn't put the right name to it until recently.

She doesn't say any of this, of course, accepting the ladle that Kaveh shoves into her hand and dipping it in just slightly into the pot and its contents. She's very thoughtful-seeming as she takes a sip.

And blinks. ]

That's a fun kick.

Yes, even if their opinions are wrong.

[ kaveh brightens. there's an expression, kaveh thinks. it's much like the one he personally had when tasting the dish for the first time. it had been his father's recipe.

kaveh's smile softens around its edges. ]

And is it? I'm glad you qualified it with the word 'fun' - otherwise, I'd have been compelled to ask if it was the same sort of kick I used to get Alhaitham out of the kitchen, which wasn't a fun one. Do you like it? More salt? Less?

[During the moment they're taste testing, Alhaitham closes his book and sets it aside. He rises and crosses the living room to stand on the opposite side of the kitchen counter. Where is he definitely not in the kitchen itself and thus cannot be shooed off.]

It also wasn't much of a kick.

[ Look at her brothers, being cute and shit (in her opinion). ]

I like it! And honestly, I think the salt's fine where it is. Any more and it'd probably muddle the flavor.

[ A very sage nod. ]

Did you want a more solid one? And they call me the masochist. [ alhaitham toes the line of sanctity. kaveh gives him a look, and then, with an approving nod: ]

Well, if Tsuruno says so, then I suppose I've done a decent enough job tonight after all. [ there's a grin there as he procures an entire basket of pomegranates, and pushes it between tsuruno and alhaitham. this is followed by a large, empty bowl, and then a set of tea towels. ] Here, the two of you get started on cracking open these. We'll have fresh pomegranate juice for our drink. Be careful while doing so, however, if the seeds rupture, you'll have pomegranate everywhere, but that's what the towels are for. I just want the juice to ruin what you're wearing, Tsuruno.

[Alhaitham simply hums and response, and for the sake of everyone in the room does not comment on the masochism.

Kaveh pushes the duty to them. Alhaitham takes the first pomegranate and one of the knives to slice each end and then score ridges to break it open in three ways.

Of course, while he's scooping seeds into the empty bowl he pops the occasional one in his mouth instead. And glances aside to see how Tsuruno fairs, in case this is new for her.]

[ This is absolutely new for her. Tsuruno knows her way around a kitchen and she knows what a pomegranate is, but she has never cracked one open before and if Alhaitham had not gone first, she would definitely have tried to. Well.

Literally crack it open a la coconut.

But she places the towel in her lap and, after staring at Alhaitham rather fixedly, he picks up a knife to mimic his actions. Without eating the seeds, though she's gazing at the little gem-like objects with some fascination. ]

--Ah, you don't have to worry about me! I don't mind getting dirty, but I'll be careful.

[ kaveh, who hasn't realised he ought to be grateful that the pomegranate hadn't been cracked open like a coconut, grins as he observes alhaitham's sidelong glance. he truly is like an older brother to tsuruno, he thinks, as he checks on the rice. ]

Please do. Your outfit is adorable. Even if you don't mind, I mind terribly, and I know that the machines here are quite good at getting stains out, but pomegranate juice lingers forever.

By the by, Tsuruno, since you're here, [ kaveh's eyes glint. ] are you up for helping us settle a debate?

[Tsuruno is astute and observant. Alhaitham sees the way she watches him and repeats, knows that nothing needed to be said for Tsuruno to use her surroundings to troubleshoot instead of jumping straight to the impulsive solution.

There is a slight smile as he pops another seed into his mouth.]

You're going to ask her to be our tiebreaker? [He looks at Tsuruno, all teasing mischief.] Kaveh can't accept he's wrong about hummus.

[That's right. They're arguing about hummus.] Have you ever had it, Tsuruno?

Hummus?

[ She's not sure if she should be incredulous that they managed to get into an argument over hummus or incredulous that they've decided to ask her to be a tiebreaker in any argument of hers, debated with equal weight regardless of topic. Surely. ]

I've had it, yeah. Kaveh brought some for me to try. ... Um, is that gonna skew my judgment?

Obviously, yes. Because now that you've had the best hummus possible, you can't possibly go back.

[ the way kaveh tosses his head, imperious, is entirely for show. he is already moving to the fridge. ] The crux of the argument however is that Alhaitham keeps insisting that the temperature of the water that you mix with the tahini doesn't matter. Just room-temperature water is fine, he says. Or just water from the refrigerator is fine, he says. But I assert that to get the best texture for your tahini, your water needs to be ice cold. I have mine sit with ice-cubes outside the bowl to bring the temperature down as low as it can feasibly go.

And it's so much better.

And I assert that it makes no difference at all the temperature of the water, and Kaveh only insists on it because he needs to justify his unnecessarily complex preparations for hummus. [He puts one peel of pomegranate to the side before continuing to scoop out the next one.]

But you won't be able to make any judgement until you've had it made both ways to compare.

[ Oh.

For a moment, she is just flooded with a lot of sappy love for these two men who are actually arguing over what temperature the water should be at as a flavor preference (or a texture preference?) and deciding her opinion is important enough to make her a judge. Even though they have both had hummus way more often than she has. And even though it's such a stupid thing to argue about.

Wow. ]

I really love you guys.

[ Happily. Because she's not afraid to speak her truth!! ]

But Al's right, I'd have to try the other way too or it's not gonna be fair at all.

Edited 2024-01-08 04:48 (UTC)

[ kaveh peers over the counter, all scintillating amusement. ]

And I love you too, Tsuruno. [ he says, with the kind of bemused warmth of a man just a little too old to be hip about this sort of thing, but is Trying. he rummages through the fridge, re-emerging from that cold recess with two tupperware containers. kaveh nudges the door shut with a hip, then sweeps across the kitchen for where stacks of freshly-made pita sit in their breadbox. ] Well, given that we're all in agreement on that matter, I've preserved Alhaitham's method of making hummus in a container, and I've a container of mine. I also have fresh pita for the judgment, given that you can't possibly judge hummus all by itself. It's just unconscionable. You might as well try to eat two scoops of different types of mayonnaise and then attempt to tell me what the fat content is.

[Alhaitham looks over at Tsuruno. His smile starts at his eyes and makes the trip down to his lips. It's the easy affection, really, that sort of honesty that for Alhaitham has always belonged within a home. A moment of trust reserved only for those who belong within the walls they carved into.

He pushes the towel to her before holding his hand out in silent request for her pomegranate so he can finish scooping it.] Not that it'll make a difference in this case.

[ She plunks her pomegranate in Alhaitham's palm at his request, taking the towel to wipe off her hands before she moves to trot back to Kaveh's side. She feels a bit like a ping-pong ball, bouncing between the both of them where she's needed, but it isn't as though she minds.

Honestly, a smile that reaches Alhaitham's eyes from the very start is as much a response to her announcement as Kaveh's reply, and with that, Tsuruno hums a little and offers up an enthusiastic nod. ]

Got it! I know you're not gonna tell me which one is which before I try them both, so I'm ready!

[ there ought to be some sort of prose here comparing tsuruno's endearing little nod to species of small dogs, the kind that you want to keep in your purse and spoil, but that doesn't quite do justice to how cute tsuruno is, so the prose will rest their case today. kaveh is grinning as he lays out the two containers of hummus, slotting in between a plate piled high with still-warm pita.

to the left, a plain tupperware of hummus. to the right, a plain tupperware of hummus, possibly done in ice-cold water at some stage of the tahini-mixing process. because it's kaveh, he is leaning in, chin propped on the heel of his hand as the red of his eyes glint. ]

If you're ready, then I am ready to place judgment solely into your capable hands. And tastebuds. Oh, before that. [ kaveh tips his chin towards the gently smiling man at the counter. ] Alhaitham, check the tupperware. I know you're going to make a fuss about the test not being blind enough or somesuch if you don't have a chance to circle it for yourself.

[Alhaitham leans over to peer at the containers presented.] I think a bigger issue is that you didn't label them, so how am I supposed to know which one is which? I didn't watch you put them away.

[Alhaitham sets the pomegranate aside and dusts off his hands before opening each tupperware. It just looks like hummus. And more hummus.] You do remember which one is which, don't you?

[ Yeah, she also has no idea which one is which, at a single glance, so she nods a tad sympathetically with Alhaitham's plight. Not that she's underestimating his ability to figure it out through some kind of wacky genius method, but. Still. ]

They don't even look any different, huh...

Hey, now. Even if they did look very different, I couldn't tell you which one is which, lest the knowledge biases you. And yes, Alhaitham, I do remember which one is which. I'm the one who packs up all our food after dinner. If I can track material compositions, where's the difficulty in two tupperwares of hummus?

[ kaveh shifts the plate to tsuruno. he gives her an encouraging nod. ] Have a bite of each. Let us know what you think. Whichever one that tastes better - well, isn't that further evidence for each of our arguments?

Though I'm confident mine will come out the winner.

[ kaveh, in his mind, possibly: right one! right one! right one!! ]

Since Kaveh has already forgotten what the counter-argument of this is: I don't expect you to find any measurable difference between them.

[He's already taking a piece of pita for himself but he at least holds off to let Tsuruno dig into the hummus first before he follows along. Not because he's part of the testing, he's just hungry.]

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