[dated to January 26]

[jianhuo]

Saffron has cooked meals for others dozens of times in Darrow alone. Tracking back to the island, to her life before, it may number into the hundreds, she doesn't know for sure. But this meal she's cooked for tonight, this is a meal that's required a little more preparation, a little more research. Because this meal has to blow someone's socks off. It's not just food for Saffron, it's strategy. It's another way to get her into the position she wants to be with Molokov, a step closer to being in the perfect place to pull out her final and devastating card.

She's patient. She's always been patient. And that means Saffron's going to be careful with this, because she wants to pave her way smoothly, doesn't want anything to get messed up. Every time she thinks of Anatoly, she knows she needs to see this through for him. And she regrets nothing.

So when she steps into the elevator of Molokov's apartment building, the box she's holding contains a veritable feast - shchi, pelmeni, vegetables, pirozhki filled with mashed potatoes, and a vatrushka. She let him know when they planned this dinner that all he needed to provide was the alcohol, and Saffron is sure he will be pleased when he sees what she's brought.

She presses the button for the eighth floor, her finger hovering only a moment over the seven. Heading to Molokov's door, she shifts the box in her arms and rings the bell, smoothly adopting a sweet and slightly nervous smile.

Comments

[molokovcocktail]

When Helen had called to confirm their dinner tonight, Molokov threw himself into a flurry of activity. The flat was meticulously cleaned, the dining room table set with the finest china he owned and the wine was ready and waiting to be opened. All he needed was Helen herself and the hours until she was set to arrive moved unbearably slow.

When the bell finally rang, he leaped from his chair and hurried over to open the door. "Ah, Helen!" he said as he stepped out of her way so she could come through. "I am so delighted to see you. Please, come in."

[jianhuo]

"Hello, Alexander," Saffron says, her smile brightening as she steps inside. She adjusts her hold on the box a little, pausing while he shuts the door. "I hope you're hungry. I may have gone a little overboard with the cooking."

[molokovcocktail]

"I am utterly famished," Molokov answered. The smell emanating from the box was tantalizing and reminded him very much of the food his mother cooked all those years ago. Helen had outdone herself, that was for certain, and he had no doubt that everything would taste wonderful. "And I am very much looking forward to seeing what you have made. It smells lovely."

[jianhuo]

"Hopefully it tastes as good as it smells," Saffron replies before heading into the kitchen to unload the box. "For true, I didn't know a whole lot about Russian cuisine before I started all this, but I hope I did all right after a little research." It's not something she planned to hide, the fact that she put work into this. All the better for him to think she's invested enough in him to make that kind of effort on his behalf.

[molokovcocktail]

Helen was nothing less than a goddess, Molokov thought as he followed her into the kitchen. He was touched and honored that she had worked so hard to prepare a dinner from his homeland. She was a treasure, a goddess among women and he was pleased he had found her. "I am sure that you have done a wonderful job."

[jianhuo]

She pauses in the middle of carefully unpacking dishes to smile over at him. "Maybe you'd better reserve your judgment until you actually try it, Alexander," she says with a soft, somewhat self-deprecating laugh.

[molokovcocktail]

"There is no doubt in my mind that this will be wonderful," Molokov protested. "But if you would prefer, I shall wait until everything has been devoured and I can't eat another bite to tell you how amazing dinner was and you are."

[jianhuo]

"Now," Saffron says, moving to stand close to Molokov, her hand resting casually at his side, "why don't you go have a seat so I can serve you."

[molokovcocktail]

Molokov gently kissed Helen's cheek then obediently went to sit at the table. He was delighted that not only had she brought dinner, she was going to serve it as well. Truly, she was everything he had ever hoped for in a woman.

[jianhuo]

As he goes to the table, Saffron takes a moment while unseen to grin to herself, pleased at how well everything's shaping up. She never intended this to be a rush job, and she's patient enough to let it develop at whatever speed is natural. She's already glad with how tonight's going.

It takes her a couple of trips to get all the serving dishes to the table, carefully lifting the lid on each one to reveal its contents as she brings them out. Finally, she sits and takes Molokov's plate to serve him. "I hope you're hungry enough to try a little of each," she says with a smile.

[molokovcocktail]

"Most assuredly," Molokov answered, salivating with eagerness as the delicious aroma washed over him. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine himself as a boy again, sitting at the dinner table and playfully poking his sister as they waited for their meal to be served. He had not thought of Nadezdha in years and it was a bittersweet memory.

Once Helen had filled his plate, he thanked her graciously and dove in. From the first bite, he was in heaven. Each bite after that was just icing on the cake, as it were. If ever there was a reason for him to propose marriage, this might well be it.

[jianhuo]

She's given Molokov a generous serving of everything, but for herself, Saffron takes a more modest amount. She's silent for a while as he eats, taking dainty bites from her own plate and letting him savor the meal.

"I hope your silence means you're enjoying it?" she says finally, fondly teasing, smiling at him from over the rim of her wine glass.

[molokovcocktail]

"Very much so," Molokov answered after swallowing the spoonful of borscht he'd had in his mouth when Helen spoke. "Oh, Helen, this is very wonderful. I am eating way too much but I have not had such good food in a long time. I cannot thank you enough."

[jianhuo]

"Oh, I'm so glad you like it," Saffron says, like she's both pleased and relieved, as if she isn't so confident in her cooking she knew without a doubt he'd find it incredibly good. "I've never been to Russia, obviously, never even had Russian food before, but I was hoping to get it as authentic as I could."

[molokovcocktail]

"You should be very proud of yourself," Molokov said. "If I did not know the truth, I would swear that you were a countrywoman who had cooked this fantastic meal from the recipes of her mother and grandmother."

[jianhuo]

She practically glows at that praise, and part of it's even genuine, since Saffron still loves compliments even if she knows where her strengths lie. "Thank you, honey," she says, before taking another delicate bite.