A Need for Brain Food

"Would that be cutting them up?" a voice rang out from the back. Honestly, Hercules wasn't entirely sure what he was doing here. He had heard that Tiana was offering a cooking class and he thought that it would be interesting to attend. After showing up, however he was starting to have second thoughts.

The demigod had never cooked in his life and was scared that he was going to screw something up. Not to mention the fact that he was probably the biggest student in the class, towering over the rest of the students. That was one insecurity Hercules felt. He never liked being the odd one out and here he felt like he was.

He gave Tiana a sheepish smile and hoped that his answer would be correct. He liked the thought of maybe impressing Meg with his newfound cooking abilities after the war. In the meantime, he was just excited and nervous to be in the class and couldn't wait to see how it would turn out.

Lady's presence in the kitchen, honestly, was something of a comfort to Tiana. It reminded her of how Stella would do the same thing when Tiana used Lottie's kitchen. A fond look was spared in Lady's direction before she was left to look back to Hercules and Tiifu. Now, Hercules wasn't wrong. What he had suggested, cutting the ingredients up, was definitely an important step. Tiifu... wasn't wrong, either, but her response did earn a soft laugh from Tiana. She should have expected something like that from a lion cub.

"Well... yes, that is right, Tiifu," Tiana said. "But we've already had the uh... hunting part done for us. And Hercules, you're close. That's actually the second step. What we need to do first, though, is make sure the vegetables are washed a bit. That way there's no dirt that could potentially get in the food." The chicken could be washed, too, but Tiana had done some reading and discovered that it wasn't necessarily required of them. The chicken had been more or less taken care of as far as she knew, anyway. Apart from it being cut up, that is. That way, her would be students wouldn't need to stress so much. Soon, she was stepping aside and gesturing for Hercules to come forward. He'd been the first one to voice his answer, so he should be the first to have the chance to help.

"Now, if you would be so kind, I'd appreciate if you'd help with the vegetable washing," she told him. "And Tiifu... well, if you like, you could help Lady with a very important job. You two are goin' to be my taste testers." She winked at both of them. By then, Tiana knew the way to anyone's heart. It was right through their stomach. What better way to ensure that much than by allowing the animals to be the taste testers?

"Once we get those vegetables washed and cut into reasonable pieces, we'll need to cut the chicken up too. I've got a few different cutting boards we can use." Mostly the different cutting boards were to make sure that vegetables and the chicken didn't get their juices all over each other. There would be a time and a place for letting those flavors get to know one another. It wasn't quite yet.

    The cocker's stubby tail started to wag back and forth as the term "taste tester" was invoked. The ends of her mouth turning up in a kind smile. On the tips of her paws she padded forward behind Herc and craned her head, her big brown eyes square on Miss Tiana. She knew when she was being appreciated, however she always tried to be modest about it. Especially now that she wasn't alone. The spaniel nodded her head, and cast her gaze over to the young lioness that had likewise entered the room. Tiifu's enthusiasm was contagious.

    “Why thank you. I believe we would be most honored to act as your official taste-testers,” Her tone was honey smooth and warm. The spaniel sat down on her haunches, her forelegs pressed politely together.

    Her head whipped to the side, ear's perking upward slightly and her smile dropping for a second as Stitch suddenly appeared. She raised a foreleg as if she was about to scoot away, only to lower it and cock her head to the side momentarily. The Experiment was one of those things Lady was still getting used to. Tiffu and her feline nature was at least recognizable. He reminded her of a very wild pup, if indeed one could consider him a dog. Still, she was growing fond of the furry creature. Even if she was still a little off-put by his unpredictable nature.

Naveen was no stranger to being in the kitchen. His primary role at Tiana's Place, of course, was as her head ukulele player in the house band. But living with one of the most incredible chefs he had ever known had allowed him to pick up on a few tricks of the trade. And Naveen loved learning from Tia; just hearing her speak of how passionate she was about cooking was enough to melt his heart, but seeing it in action was a whole different game. She was so focused, so prepared, so level-headed in the moment. It was truly admirable -- attitude to be revered, for certain.

And it came to no surprise to him that, when the proposal to host a cooking lesson came about, Naveen was Tiana's biggest cheerleader. He even pitched in to help make sure the kitchen was cleaned up and ready to go for her. Not only would it be a valuable resource for the camp as a whole, but even he might get something out of the whole experience. After all, he still had a lot to learn himself. And just a few minutes spent among her new-found group of students cemented his odd position.

He stood closer to Tiana than the rest of the group, hands behind his back and rocking at his feet a bit. He could not stop beaming from ear to ear, watching her answer questions with such ease. Even the lion's remark did not phase her. And the young man washing the vegetables for them seemed very eager to help, though -- like him -- still a bit out of their respective elements. Certainly, he was there to help his wife when she would need it (just a cursory glance at the taste-testing menagerie confirmed that she probably would), but there were still many, many things Naveen had to learn himself. He was not always the most attentive student in his younger years, and combined with the lack of want for having to feed himself for many years, it was... well... to coin a phrase, a "recipe for disaster." Yet, despite his insecurities, he was glad to be here all the same.

The next piece of instruction beyond washing was cutting, and this made Naveen's grin grow into a full smile. Now there was something he knew how to do well! It was the first thing lesson that Tiana had taught him, and the step that he had perfected. Nobody in the Crescent City had a better mince than Naveen -- that was a fact they both knew. The little blue creature that had joined the quickly-forming petting zoo had also offered to cut the vegetables, which was an... interesting proposition. It looked harmless enough, but one could never be too careful. He turned to his wife, a knowing expression on his face.

"Would it be all right if I supervised?" he offered. "After all, cutting is my specialty. Unless of course, there is something else you would like me to help you with..." Even if he had to miss out on his favorite part of the process, there was still plenty he was willing to do. And for Tia, he'd do anything.