Cooking with Adja

Author's Note: Fantasy elements, homosexuality, a light touch on addiction, and... a decent appetite.

This one is a two-parter.

---

Before history, before time, and space, long before there was anything at all. Before light and dark, came the will... To create.

The will burst forth, flowing down in slow and dripping motion. Running outwards and foaming into the voids before what was, became what is. The many, unseen, shaken loose and into creeks, streams and rivers. Into eight.

As the universe became, and each fibre began the lengthy process into seperation, some of it began to dream. To picture a tomorrow that was not a today. Of those, a handful raised their voices, determined to use everything in their power to dictate.

From the light and dark, came a force of will... It was Fate.

The order, still half-forming demanded a balance for this, something to negate.

The first of what formed were the endless ones, those ethereal and unknown creatures. Sometimes called gods, sometimes demons. The immortal creatures whose motivations seem so inconsistent, so unknowable to us.

We were formed to be the balance. To be finite, to their infinity. To be mortal, to live and die, whilst they remain, unchanging. We become a sum of our experiences, whilst they remain ever infantile in their understanding of the worlds that have sprung up around us.

Yet, the two of us were not in true balance, a third was required.

The never-changing, and the ever-changing, together forged by instinct and need. The third was forged with sweat, and hatred. A creation of both sides, in a war that nearly destroyed all of what was.

The Fey, the magical, was created to be a weapon by both sides. Sent out by gods to turn the finite environment against mortal kind. Floods, earthquakes, and broken skies to tear away the ever-changing and remove them from existence.

Yet, with time, some of mortal kind proved to be resistant. An adaptability that allowed them to grow and triumph when so many of their predecessors were wiped from the temporal memories of those who had an end.

From these, arose warriors that could forge their own Fae, and these they plagued upon the gods. Stripping their powers from them, their meaning from them, until the eternals fled in terror and left reality unbalanced in their wake.

With reality teetering on the edge of destruction, a desperate pact was formed.

The Fey would use their stolen power to try and guide the world onwards, and the magical warriors of mortalkind would act as advisors, maintainers, and ambassadors to the rest of their kind.

Thus, came the witches into being.

---

"Whatcha doin'?"

Adja pressed the fork down into the bowl and spun it around with a practiced flick, "Mashing two avocados."

Two arms slipped around her waist from behind, and she shivered as she felt a couple tiny kisses along her neck. "I can see that."

"Can you add a couple twists of salt?" She pretended to ignore the warm breaths plucking her skin with goosebumps, raising her chin towards the grinder.

Her date, from the night before, gave a very long sigh, and reached out. Still positioned behind her. They did as she'd said, before going back to cuddling into her.

"And now those." She waved her head at the red and chopped up ingredient waiting nearby. "Don't get 'em on your hands. Not if you want those hands to go anywhere near me, again."

Her date gave a small laugh, "Jalepenos? Don't want those in the kitty?"

"Kitty will bite if they do." She gave a rough glare, before joining in the laugh.

Iniya planted a soft kiss on her lips, whilst blindly pushing the remains of the single jalepeno into the bowl. Tongue reaching out playfully and teasing at Adja's teeth. Which did more than warm her a little, downstairs.

Unfortunately, they didn't exactly have time to fool around. The mayor had called some kind of emergency town meeting, and that meant that the both of them were expected to turn up.

Which also probably meant a little bit of awkwardness, as Adja had been noticed by the tavern owner, Paul, leaving with Iniya. That would be the first time that anyone had seen her with anyone, let alone a woman, in about five years.

She still hadn't tracked down the leak in her main field, either.

She needed this sweet, indulgent, breakfast. Because the rest of her day was likely going to be a steaming pile of shit.

Adja pulled away a little hesitantly, "After breakfast. If we have time."

"Adi!"

"No. One of us has to be a responsible adult." She put her foot down, and then pushed aside the bowl. "Now, that's the guac. What do you say to my famous corn fritters, for breakfast?"

"I am the most spoiled woman upon the island." Iniya grinned at her, and let go, heading over and starting to set the table for them. "Any ideas what this meeting is about, this time?"

"One cup flour, half cup milk..." She said distractedly as she started to put together the batter, "No idea! How can he find anything to complain about when there's so few of us on this god-forsaken tiny spit of land? Your weather station and my farm are the only landmarks!"

Iniya scratched her head, looking at the table like it was missing something, "Speaking of... How long has your farm been here? I built the weather station on top of the old campsite from the military. That was eighties. But your house seems... Older?"

"Three eggs." She said to herself, cracking them all expertly in one hand and adding them as she began to stir the mix together with a whisk. "It's forties. You've never been here, before, have you? Guess that's why my home was so boring. You never came over to say hello to your only neighbour."

The woman opened a cupboard, and pulled out two tall glasses, "Yes, yes. I get distracted, okay? Not good with social customs. There's a reason that being holed up in a freezing cabin with hot chocolate and blanket, halfway up a mountain, is my dream job."

"I make a decent hot chocolate." Adja smirked.

Iniya frowned, "You never came to see me, up at the research station, either."

"Lies! Lies and slander!" Adja protested, as she added half a diced capsicum to her batter. Before brandishing her knife dramatically and turning a handful of mushrooms into similarly sized tiny objects. Finishing it off the aggressive move by shaving two corn stalks into the batter with a few flourishes of the blade.

Iniya raised an eyebrow at her, "What do you mean? I cannot recall you ever appearing at my doorstep."

"Aha." Adja rolled her eyes, "Who do you think delivered your mail, every morning? Just because you don't get out of bed until the fog has started to settle, doesn't mean the rest of us are lazy bones."

Iniya flushed red, "Eh... I kinda figured that was Tomas? He is the mailman."

"And Tomas is too lazy to climb the mountain. He dumps all your stuff in with mine." Adja shrugged, "I did wait around, a few times. Knocked on your door. But you really don't get up early, do you?"

The woman put her face behind her hands, "Eleven? Usually? You really knocked on my door?"

"Eleven. Wow. Teenager."

"I am not!"

Adja made the finishing touches, adding a diced onion and half a zucchini, before pouring the mixed batter into a hot pan. Making three small biscuit-sized pools, which immediately began to hiss.

She made sure to flatten and spread the mixture, before using her flipper to brown the other side more. Listening carefully to the sound of the food to tell just how cooked through it was getting.

"You've got a teenager's stamina, though." Adja flirted with a grin, "How about your appetite? This is supposed to make enough for three. One of my favourite recipes. At least, for active mornings."

Iniya walked over with two glasses of orange juice, passing her one and kissing her cheek lightly, "You are not of little determination. I have never had anyone stay down on me, that long."

"We had all night." Adja blushed.

The woman's face suddenly became one of concern, "Um... We never did talk about today, did we? And tomorrow. Um..."

"I have no problems making this a longterm thing." Adja said quickly, "I... I prefer romance. But if you're going to be all science-tropey and make it only a sexual thing then... It'd hurt. But I can do once in a while, instead. If it's all I'm going to get."

"Gods, no!" Iniya said excitedly, putting her drink on the table and cupping her cheek, "I like you, Adja! We may have been more... Active... Than... Talking... Last night, but I really like you. I would not have offered to buy you a drink, were I not also interested in conversation."

"Oh, thank god." Adja breathed out and relaxed, before directing Iniya to sit, and slipping into her lap. She cut a piece of fritter and put it on a fork, lifting it to her new girlfriend's mouth. "I'm terrible about asking people out on a date."

Iniya didn't speak, her mouth full.

Adja leaned against her shoulder, relaxing comfortably. Knowing that this was probably the most relaxed she was going to be able to feel for the rest of the day. "Mmm... After the meeting? You're going to be headed up to check your sensors, aren't you?"

"I'm scheduled to do the weather balloons, today. Or I would take the day off." Iniya said regretfully.

She shook her head, "No. No... I've got a full day on my hands, too. We wouldn't have much time to... Do things. But I should be able to make it up a couple times. Briefly... Do you like soup? Wraps?"

"Sort of... I am afraid that I am not quite used to chicken wraps, yet." Iniya said hesitantly, "Meat was... Not a big part of my diet, before I came to study here. Then it was easier to not buy it, because I was a poor uni student."

"And now you're poor because living remotely is expensive as the ever-living fuck." Adja grinned, "Never fear, Iniya. I'm a veggie. Well, not a strict one. You can take milk and eggs from my cold dead hands, bitch."

Iniya gave a small laugh, "I do weep when I see my receipt and the cost of chocolate. I'm afraid this one cannot live without either her hot chocolate or her solid blocks of it. Do you have a sweet tooth, too, Adja?"

"I grow cocoa in a greenhouse." She replied proudly, "I get fresh chocolate, year round. Not a lot, mind. Enough to make about equal to a block, a month? But it's so much better than the confectionary crap you can buy."

"My ajji used to make chocolate! It was the best!" Iniya said excitedly.

Adja kissed her cheek and shoved half a fritter into her mouth, "Well. I'll have to keep that in mind, the next time I scoff the lot, all by myself."

"Adi!"

---

There were just under a hundred people on the whole of the island. Not everyone made it to the mayor's emergency meeting, and they never would. But that didn't stop him ordering his secretary to take a roll for those that arrived.

Adja and Iniya decided that they weren't quite up for everyone leaning in and advising on their fresh relationship, and so had decided to arrive seperately. At least, until they had it fully figured out, themselves.

Astrid looked up, with an expression of boredom, "Hey, Adja. How's the farm?"

"Neglected. Know what he wants, this time?" She replied tiredly. "I've got a leak in one of my watering systems that's going to take all day to fix. If I'm lucky."

The blonde sighed and fiddled with a new necklace, "Uh... Yeah. You... You are not going to like it. Jonathan has got his panties in a real knot, about some... Descrimination crap. Try not to scream when you hear the hate pour out of his mouth."

"Fuck. Not again." Adja cringed, "Racist bastard could barely stand it when Iniya moved here."

"This is going to be worse." Astrid cautioned her, "... Remember when he asked to see your passport? Because he assumed you hadn't been born here, because of the name? Worse than that."

"Oh, fuck me." She growled, and then gave a weak smile, "Ta, Astrid."

"Sure." The woman yawned, before turning to greet the next arrival, "Oh, hey Iniya. This one... It's going to be bad. Feel free to run off and hide on your mountain, after."

Adja found a seat about halfway into what served as a meeting hall. Plastic chairs sitting on the town basketball court, the only large and indoors place that the people really had, where they could do anything. She'd hosted a few farmer's markets here, as the only farmer.

She found herself next to one of the town's more eccentric folk. An older gentleman who lived outside the town proper, near the swamp. He didn't often make it into town, but she did have a regular supply of edible mushrooms that she sent him every week, via Tomas.

"Mornin'." He said grumpily, glaring towards the lectern at the front of the hall.

Adja smiled tiredly, "Morning, Otto. Catch anything decent, recently?"

"Common browns." He named the garden snail most people hated for eating their gardens... That he thought of as good eating.

She was used to Otto's quirks, but apart from discussing escargot for the hundredth time, she couldn't really think of anywhere to go with that. Especially as she wasn't really sure if he actually fried the snails or just sort of... Ate them raw. He was a weird one.

Adja had to admit she didn't really know what Otto did with most of his time. His place was outside of town, like her farm, but on the other side of the small community. Out beyond the landing strip, and into forest.

The few times she'd made it out to his log hut she had been very confused when she found him. One time he had been staring off into a fire, like he was transfixed. A fairly normal sort of thing... If it hadn't been in the middle of both a drought and an active sandstorm.

Another time, she'd gone out that way to gather mushrooms because her harvest was running late, and in the middle of an absolute downpour of rain, she'd found him sitting underneath a tree, wearing a simple cap with bottles and straws attached.

He was sipping at the drink, as rainwater dripped down off the tree above his head and into the open bottoms of the bottles. As if it were all a perfectly normal thing to do.

None of the times that she'd gone out near his cabin, had he acknowledged her existence until she made a concerted effort to talk to him. He always acted surprised to find her waving in his face, even if she'd been foraging around in front of him for a good long hour.

Always asked her why she'd come out his way.

Despite the strangeness of the man, and the niggling feeling that maybe a doctor would force a medication on him if he was willing to see one, Otto was an incredibly sweet madman.

The town doctor, Marie-Anne, had lost a pregnancy two years back. Most of the town had been sympathetic, but Adja had been horrified to learn that almost everyone badgered the woman about who the father had been, when they came over to wish her well.

As if which fly-in worker mattered a damn when the woman had just lost her kid!

Otto had made one of his infrequent trips into town, and gone to the only store and bought their entire supply of chocolate, crisps, and biscuits. True, that wasn't a lot as most people got the majority of their food flown in, but it was substantial for a man that didn't have a job or a bank account.

He had then delivered it to Marie-Anne's door, in a little hand-woven basket that he had made, with a handful of wildflowers decorating it. Adja had watched as he put it down, rang the doorbell, and then sprinted off around the corner so that the doctor wouldn't catch him in the act.

Some people pushed the woman as she was hurting. Otto just gave her heartfelt gifts.

"Was it you or Iniya who finally asked the other to dinner?" Otto asked, with a tone suggesting that he wasn't really interested in a response, just trying to make conversation.

She flushed bright red, "Oh no. How many people do you think... Know? Already?"

"Paul told Jonathan." Otto's eyebrows furrowed, "Do you think anyone would mind if I made Jonathan eat a psilocybe azurescens? Or three?"

"Please tell me that you haven't been growing those, again." Adja shuddered, "You make them so much stronger than they should be. And no dumping into the town's well, either!"

Otto made a knowing grin.

She shook her head in exasperation.

"Welcome, welcome!" Jonathan stepped up to the lectern with the fakest smile in existence. You could pin down a tiger with how tight it was. "I am afraid that our little community, that I am always so very proud of, has been tainted... No, no. That word is too kind. Our community has been infected! A plague has come among us, and they must be sentenced!"

"Oh god." Adja sank lower in her seat.

"These infected plague carriers walk among us, as if they own the place. Holding their heads high, and proclaiming their messages of intolerance for the good and righteous way to live!" The man continued, and despite the furious tone of voice, he was still wearing that same plastic grin.

Otto gave a half yawn, and then his head dropped forward. Just like that, the old hermit was instantly asleep. The mayor had nothing interesting to say, and so Otto wasn't up to listening to it.

"Of course, the law prevents me from naming names, but I have recently become aware that there are... Witches... Among us." Jonathan said with true hatred, "Taking the good among us, and twisting them to engage in acts of perversion so horrible that God himself will abandon us, if we do not take immediate action!"

Adja sucked in her breath and came to immediate attention.

She wasn't sure which half of his declaration to be more terrified about. The anti-gay rhetoric was coming on strong, and the warnings she got from Astrid were making sense on that front.

However, Adja had a secret. One that she'd hoped to keep from most people. The snoring man beside her had known it when he'd first met her, somehow, but she'd never had anyone else even so much as hint that they knew that she was a witch.

"Sammael cannot be allowed to get a foothold in this community, and despoil the paradise we all fight so hard to maintain." Jonathan said firmly, "And so, I am establishing a Community Watch program. Astrid has the schedule, but someone will be patrolling the town at night, who you can report any... Deviant... Behaviour to. You'll know they're with the Watch by a red badge they'll be wearing."

Adja sat up in her chair, staring in disbelief at the man.

"You're going to spy on these good people?" Iniya was not as reserved.

The mayor held up his hands, "Now, now. Many communities have a Community Watch program. Whilst it is something we've avoided the need until now, it is a necessary evil, to prevent the rise of true evil. We cannot let... Witches... Run free in our town."

Adja rolled her mouth, and whispered quietly, "Witches? You want to blame magic... I'll show you fucking magic. Your methods make me think you stricken, you despise all things Wiccan, and so the hate you quicken. I say... Cluck like a chicken."

Otto snorted himself awake, "Hmm?"

"There are no witches here, Jonathan!" Iniya stood up, throwing out a hand, "We all know each other! There are not enough people for some relic of the Dark Ages to be hiding. And if they are... So what!? Magic isn't real! It isn't a threat!"

Paul spoke up from another seat, "I know you're a scientist, Iniya, but I saw it. I saw a spell, last night."

"Oh for... Then spit it out! Don't just go accusing people without proof!"

The mayor held up his hands, "Now, now. Stay calm. The Watch is to -braaaawk- prevent... Uh... -buk- Prevent! Things from coming to -bukbuk- that. Uh... We are not going to go -braaawk- Go! Around accusing anyone. -bawk- Not! Not without definitive -bukbuk- Definitive! Proof."

Adja installed a poker face as she tried her hardest not to snicker at the asshole.

Iniya sneered, "I'm not listening to this... This... Bullshit!"