“What is that?” Elkay asked as the front door opened and Teekay stepped inside. Teekay was carrying a large bag of shopping, which he unceremoniously dumped on the dining table.
“What are you doing?” Teekay replied with a completely unrelated question. “What are you cooking?”
Elkay’s eyes drifted from the dining table to the frying pan he was holding. Small pieces of bacon were slowly cooking in their own fat.
“I, uh, needed more protein in my diet. While I am doing mostly fine, I felt I could do with some additional protein in my diet due to having a higher metabolism and larger dietary needs compared to Skyans…”
Teekay blinked. “I only asked if you were cooking…” With a tut, Teekay wandered over. “So you are just having bacon?”
Elkay shrugged. “I could not be bothered with the entire process of making a full meal. But then I changed my mind and decided to make a full meal anyway, to save you from cooking. You have looked after me far too much and this is… the least I can do to return the favour…”
The Skyan inspected the Rethan’s work. He watched as Elkay cautiously pushed the bacon around the pan, being careful not to splash fat everywhere. When he was certain the bacon was cooked, he took it out of the pan and put it to one side. Elkay then poured some pre-cut vegetables into the pan with the bacon fat in it and started frying the vegetables up.
“So what are you making?”
“I am… winging it.”
“Ah…” Teekay left Elkay alone and wandered back to the dining table, sitting himself down and going through the bags of shopping. He had just bought basic groceries mostly, apart from one single item which he revealed slowly from the bag. Clearly, Elkay was watching as well, as he immediately asked what it was.
“What is that?”
“This?” Teekay teased.
“Yes.”
“Something special.”
“Like what?”
It was a large bottle. Mostly clear with a slight blue tint to it.
“Why are you being coy with me?” Elkay grunted. “It is a bottle, clearly. But it is not among your normal list of items.”
Teekay smiled. “It is a bottle of syrup-mead.”
“You bought a bottle of alcohol?” Elkay exclaimed. “But I was under the opinion that you do not drink! And I do not drink either…”
Teekay’s smile turned into confused blinks. “You do not drink either? At all?”
“No.”
“Why? Too disruptive to your duties, like everything else?”
Elkay hesitated, then nodded. “Yes. I assume it is the same for you.”
“Was. I have been considering trying the many, many things I pushed to one side while I worked. So now that I am… essentially retired, I felt it is time to taste the many pleasures I ignored for all those years.”
Teekay got up and grabbed two glasses from a nearby cupboard. The only two glasses he had. Elkay stopped what he was doing and also wandered over, feeling rather curious.
“You do realise, with our low levels of tolerance, we will most likely get drunk, yes?”
Teekay nodded. “That is very true. But now that we are out of work, a little bit of drunkenness is alright, is it not? Plus, one of the best meals I ever had was cooked by a party of drunkards. So perhaps this will make our evening interesting.”
Elkay started at the bottle, then headed over to the fridge. He seemed very unsure, but Teekay could sense that he too had realised that maybe they had worked too hard over the years. After a few seconds of rummaging, Elkay returned, carrying a carton of fruit juice.
“We shall have a drink, but we will not have it neat…” Elkay smiled as he sat down next to Teekay. “Because that is how you drink syrup-mead, you mix it with something else.”
Teekay grinned. “Sure!” There was a happy lift in Teekay’s voice. “I think we are going to have a wonderful evening…”