When Shin and Lena were busy with their excursion, the cottage bustled with people coming to the celebration. Raiden and Bernholdt were busy heating the equipment, with the musty coal from another place hindering their task. They cursed at the flames refusing to take over, discussing if adding the fuel would be a good solution.
"Absolutely not. You youngsters knew nothing about the art of grilling. Using any boosters will make the food stinky, ruining the flavor. I know you didn't have any cooking classes in the Eighty-Six Sector, but come on, it's obvious! Gasoline reeks!" Brent Bernholdt was a grill veteran, mastering the technique over the years. The blasphemy of using any additives was not something he could permit on his watch.
"Gasoline smells fucking awesome! I've seen people opening their tanks just to take a sniff or two. It'll evaporate after a few minutes, why are you making a big deal out of it?" Raiden defended his idea, sick of their constant failures.
"Hey! How long will it take to fire it up? Everything is almost ready..." Anju called out from the kitchen, hungry from the wait. She, Rito and Shana occupied the inside, inventing creative dishes with the available ingredients. Since all of it was made for the barbecue, unless the boys started the grill, none of them could've started eating.
"Shit, another minute! Old prick stalls our progress with some obsolete rules. I'm telling ya, let's add something flammable, it doesn't have to be our fuel..." The tall man gesticulated intensively, also suffering from a growling stomach.
"I guess we can add some kindling. There are some birch trees in the back, I'll try to get their bark. If it's dry, it should neatly light up. You go and gather thin twigs from under the conifers. We'll do it the old-fashioned way." He instructed agreeing to the compromise.
Theo ceaselessly tinkered with the equipment, not bothering to help with the preparations. Another journey could further damage the fragile electronics, so he wanted to finish the job by tomorrow.
"Jeez, you're no fun since you started this new hobby. The drawing was way cooler to look at." Kurena nagged her friend, watching from above how he concentrated. Her task was to set up the tables with the rest of Nordlicht Squadron, but it was long ready. She roamed around the stations, judging the progress of the work. Theo was by far the least helpful, refusing to drop his radio for an hour or two.
"If you're bothered by it, go and berate those two. We all are starving, and they only bicker with each other. Shiden went to check up on Lena and Shin, don't you wanna to join the hindering? What if they had decided to ditch us completely, seal off in the secluded bedroom, and-" The girl covered his mouth with her hand, red with anger, worry, and shame.
"STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! I know Shin has a crush on her, but maybe it's only temporary. I STILL HAVE A CHANCE!" Kurena yelled way louder than she intended, making the whole gathering overhear. Once she had realized her mistake, all she wanted was to curl up and die. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! STUPID THEO..."
When she stormed outside to get some fresh air, Theo couldn't help but burst out laughing. Teasing her was so easy, it was almost regrettable. Chuckling he accidentally nudged the apparatus with his elbow, and the sound got unbelievably clearer. The boy rushed to get a note and a pen, to write down as much as he could. There was no telling if the change was temporary, so this could've been his only chance. After a few repetitions, the junk jammed again, ultimately falling silent. Theo stared at the pad in dismay, unable to comprehend what he just witnessed. When he snapped out of the frozen state, he rushed towards his friends, almost bumping into the heated grill.
"GUYS! I'VE GOT IT!" He wasn't making any sense to the onlookers, swinging his sketchbook in the air. "I decoded the message!"
"Congrats, bud. Don't you wanna eat first?" Raiden took the news laid-back, as they thought of this more like their friend's pet project, not realistically life-changing news.
YOU ARE READING
86 Eighty Six Novel- The world engulfed by flames (ShinxLena)
FanfictionVladilena Milizé survived the fall of the Republic and reunited with her long-lost friends. In the war, however, there is no time for rest. Spearhead Squadron, with Shinei Nouzen as their leader, once again tasked with an important mission, on which...
