Iron Fandom, Wednesday

[spin_kick_snap]

Today's class was in the most epic kitchen yet, a large arena with stadium-style seating that could easily fit hundreds. A four-sided screen hung above their heads, showing close ups of the currently empty stade. On the stage sat three pristine kitchen areas, their sous chefs standing patiently to one side, everything there clean and modern-looking stainless steel. At one end was a long wooden table, where their teachers were standing next to not one but two bound individuals.

Er....

Raven looked from her kidnap victim guest judge of the week to the other one. ". . . I thought I was the one getting the guest judges? I mean. Not that I'm complaining. . . ."

"Well this is awkward," Kathy agreed, looking at her kidnap victim guest judge. "I figured you were doing all the, uhh, obtaining? Of our guest judges? And that I should pull my weight and she--" Kathy nudged Kenzi "--was at the diner when I came downstairs, so..."

"Two judges!" Raven said, turning to the class. "It's our last class so we went all out! This is definitely all according to plan."

"Yes?" Kathy said dubiously. "I mean, yes! Definitely all according to plan! This time, you'll have to present your dishes to four judges! Who should introduce themselves so you can get to know them!"

To be clear, it was so that the class could get to know the judges. As opposed to the teachers who had obviously met both before and had gotten their consent to be, err...borrowed.

“I’ve been told I will be compensated for my trauma in food,” said the first person. Kenzi was looking hopefully around, because, free eats! “This kidnapping was very traumatizing and upsetting. I mean, way worse than the last four alien invasions. Really. Do we get dessert out of this?”

"And an appetizer and a main course," Raven assured her, and waved a little. "You should maybe give them a name." Whichever Kenzi happened to prefer just now would work fine.

“My name?” Kenzi clarified, as only a veteran of Fandom and various lock-ups could. “...Taylor Swift.” She grinned at the student chefs. “As far as you know. I work in town at Caritas on Mondays, Luke’s on Wednesdays, I’m a graduate of the class of 2014, and this person next to me owes me a beer.” That would be you, Miss Superhero.

“If I owed anyone a beer it would totally not be ‘Taylor Swift’,” the red-headed girl next to her said, rolling her eyes. “Her name is Kenzi and she will not get a beer from me because beer is almost as disgusting as coffee.” She stuck her tongue out at the girl and then turned back to the class, totally composed again. “Ahem. My name is Momoko Akatsutsumi and I am also a graduate of the school. Class of 2011. Somehow Kenzi and I are friends, but we totally didn’t plan this and I promise that it won’t affect my awesome judging abilities. Food is too important.”
She leaned around to look at her kidnapper. “This will be edible food, right? Do I need to make a reservation for after to cleanse my palate?”

“It will totally affect my abilities. I think bribes are appropriate here,” Kenzi said, sticking her tongue back out at Momoko. “This is why I don’t invite you to my raves. You never contribute the right kinda beer. Also, note that she is way older than me. Olllllld. Keep that in mind.”

Momoko kicked Kenzi under the table, not at all showing anything on her face.

"Oh my god. The students can hear you," Raven said, wondering if maybe she should have included a gag in her kidnapping recruitment gear this week. "We are very confident in all three of your abilities to make edible food," she told the students. "You've done great for the last six weeks."

"They’ve only been cooking for six weeks?!” Momoko muttered, reaching for her phone ready to text Doctor Lector to send her a bento...

Kenzi, meanwhile, had been sliding closer and closer to the Secret Ingredient table to get a glimpse of what they were in for.

Kathy leaned forward and swatted at Kenzi. "Oh my god, will you behave?" she hissed. "Anyway, students, for your final class, our secret ingredient today is cheese. All cheese. Any kind of cheese. There are almost as many kinds of cheese as there are breads, which means that your only limit is your imagination. And because of that..." She paused dramatically. "We won't be accepting cheesecake as an entry for dessert. You're more creative that that."

Momoko stared at Kathy, eyes wide. “No cheesecake?!”

Kenzi patted Momoko sympathetically. “We’re feeling very betrayed. Make it up to us.”

"You'll still get dessert," Kathy sighed, realizing their class had never given them half as much trouble as these two, uhh, guest judges. "So there's that. Are we ready to begin?"

"We'd better be, or we'll waste the whole class on introductions alone," Raven said. "So . . . go!"

Comments

Re: Talk to your hosts/judges

[spin_kick_snap]

"We did!" Kathy said, turning around to clasp Raven's hands. "And I stopped hyperventilating by, like, class three!"

Re: Talk to your hosts/judges

[tigerundercover]

"Clearly, we are the best workshop hosts ever."

Re: Talk to your hosts/judges

[spin_kick_snap]

"Are you suggesting we try to do another one?" Kathy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Re: Talk to your hosts/judges

[tigerundercover]

"Do you have another idea? Because IIIIIIIII don't. But it might be fun. . . ."

Re: Talk to your hosts/judges

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't," Kathy said. "At least not yet. But maybe we'll think of something?" She wasn't going to stress over it either way, which was already a good sign.