D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

Freddy nodded, chef’s had moving with his head and not wobbling at all despite what conventional physics would have you believe. ”Right thas good. Glad ta have you both. Got a lot o’ work lined up fer you but I’m not sure which you’d be best at, so do you mind if I go over a few tings with you first?”

*I mean… that should be fine? This isn’t another envy situation right? He’s probably just trying to ask us a few questions about our cooking skill… right?*

Kamiko, knowing the Gluttony faction better then Kat, wasn’t worried at all about this being some sort of trick. They were suckers for food, and while some might consider it a weak point, they took it very seriously, so using food as a distraction, or in a lie for information… that brought you more ire then any demon could survive, even when compared to Wrath having access to more execution talents. ”Sure what do you need?”

”Well, I jus need ta know what your skills in the kitchen are like. We got plenty of drudge work for ya if you really got nothin, but you only have two hands so we got better people for tha if you’re good fer somethin else” said Freddy.

Kamiko rolled her shoulders and puffed out her chest before boldly declaring. ”I have basically no kitchen skills whatsoever!” Kat nearly choked at the answer. *Why is she proud of that?* ”I’ve got a few too many people in my house that like to use cooking as a way to relax. Not all of them enjoy it to the same degree but it’s rarely something I do.

”However, I have done the basic medical training for identifying edible foods. Not sure that’s really any help to you guys though, but I’ve got myself certified for Succubi and general demons. On top of that, I have exceptional knifework for someone at Rank 2. I’m not a master of it by any stretch, even in my own family I only rank 4th, but that’s behind a Rank 4 and two Rank 5’s.

”It was part of my basic weapons training since I took an interest when I was very little before I could be allowed to use real weapons and something that I kept up. I also routinely do more elaborate carvings shown to me by my older sister, practicing them while on Contract and occasionally at home when she’s not around to do it, as my family likes it but normally won’t go to the effort is Elmony isn’t around.

”Other then that… I have some minor practice with making demonically infused ice cream? My demonic fire is ice attributes and I’ve managed it, but only twice successfully, it’s a recent thing that I don’t really have much experience with.”

Freddy admired Kamiko with a pleased expression. He looked about read to lick his lips in anticipation. Not in a weird way, it was just clear he enjoyed food and had heard some better points then expecting. What was not expected was that his neck split open and a tongue at least two feet long licked up and down his neck. ”Yes, tha’s quite good. I can work with tha. Dependin on what yer friend knows I’m sure I can find a place.

”Even just the knifework is something appreciated by our more discernin customers. We ain’t just food enjoyers but food lovers. The extra effort can make or break a dish so tha’s something. Not sure on the ice cream. We got people fer that, but it’s always in high demand considerin the rarity of frost fire. Twice ya said?”

Kamiko nodded, and in response Freddy pulled on his hat, pulling the top part down to meet the base, fabric stretching to accommodate the movement without it leaving his head. Kat was wondering if it wasn’t a hat. She didn’t like that thought, but it was creeping up on her. ”Yes, I’ve made the attempt… four? Maybe five times? Completely botched the first, frozen solid with no hope of recovery. The second I messed up and put in some incorrect ingredients.

”Last failed attempt I remember I didn’t put enough energy into the fire. Just came out as normal ice cream but at least it was frozen. Oh, but I didn’t manage it twice in a row. The final failed attempt was in between the first and second successes” Wait what? Freddy was nodding as if this explanation made sense. *So there is more to making demonically infused ice cream then just freezing it with your fire? I mean, sure you got to balance things out but it sounds like it’s actually a bit more finicky then that.* 

Freddy bit his lip, which, told Kat that he at least had teeth there as well. *Wait… does he have a mouth on his neck and on his face? Isn’t that redundant? I… I don’t understand gluttony demons.* ”Ya that’s not really the consistency I’d be lookin fer if to send you to the ice cream parlour. I understand everyone’s gotta practice somehow, but in the Food Court… some… well… a lot o’ us don’t take kindly to wastin food so I’m not sure it’s a safe idea to set you up there even if it would be useful. Kat, what about you?”

*Well shit I dunno how I stack up at all.* ”I’m… not really sure what to compare myself to honestly? I grew up in an orphanage and while the caretaker normally cooked, I took it upon myself to learn how from him and managed to cook occasionally. Most of the time the caretaker would make sure it was all done, or at least mostly done before I was awake, or a few hours before meals at lunch and dinner.

”Despite that, I can confidently say I’ve cooked for an orphanage, so while my cooking skill is certainly acceptable, I have additional skill when it comes to making food for multiple people… or maybe in this case just large portion sizes? I can work perfectly well if not better with large pots and three ovens and the like…”

Kat was going to stop talking there but Kamiko gave her a slight nudge as if to say she should continue. Seeing this but not understanding, Kat boosted her reaction time to puzzle it out. *Ok, clearly Kamiko thinks there is something else Freddy might want to know. What could it be? The orphanage had a shockingly large variety of meals. I think Gramps ordered whatever he could get cheap at the time and wasn’t afraid to mix the meals up. 

So maybe I know a larger then normal variety of dishes? Still, I probably only know how to confidently cook… twenty or so? Is that a lot for normal people? It was just whatever ingredients I had around but it’s not like I improvised, it was always recipes Gramps had shown me or slight variations…

Elmony probably had more fruits on her breakfast table then I’ve ever seen in my life so it’s not like I know that great of a variety… WAIT. Is that it?* ”Sorry one moment” said Kat, before giving Kamiko a big hug, before continuing, Freddy raised an eyebrow at the scene, slightly scrunched face.

”Will yer be doing that ofen?” asked Freddy

Kat shook her head. ”No Kamiko was just trying to prevent me looking like a fool, without giving away I was forgetting something major to you. I think she should get some credit.” Kamiko blushed and looked away slightly but Kat could see enough of her face to see her smile had grown even larger. ”I’m not from the Hub, I’m from a different dimension, and while I know how to cook with what I’d say is a large variety of ingredients on my home planet, I don’t actually know that much about the foods here.”

  Freddy stopped in his tracks freezing completely still, before his face started to morph into a slightly fearsome visage. His neck mouth opened slightly revealing jagged teeth that looked ready made to rend and tear flesh countless in number while his ’main’ mouth on his face broke into a full sized grin. ”Oh tha’s just perfect. We can charge so much for a decent cook from off Hub.

”Despite the variety we can’t claim to do non-Hub food all that often. Gluttony of course likes ta keep things movin so if yer store has been operatin for a certain amount of time it stops being considered ’non-Hub’ after just five decades, of cookin or if you’ve lived on the Hub for ten.

”It’s even worse for adopted dishes. If ya just use somethin you learnt from a Contract then ya only got a year of sellin before it’s considered Hub food and the price goes down accordingly. I think I can find yer’s a job easy. Just gotta find us an empty space and some familiar ingredients. Should be very possible. Can advertise fer two days only!”

*I’m wondering if I’ve just made a mistake.. Then again… if they really take this so seriously if they found out later and thought I’d lied it would be worse.*