Gilded Ashes-Chapter 287: How To Make a Lasagna

The rain hadn’t stopped.

Raizen pushed the door open with his shoulder, arms occupied by two cloth bags that smelled like fresh vegetables and herbs. Water dripped from the umbrella onto the wooden floor as he stepped inside, shaking droplets off his sleeves.

Behind him, Saffi slipped through the doorway with her own bag, smaller but packed tight. She nudged the door shut with her foot and immediately started scanning the room.

"Kenzo’s still not back?" she asked.

Raizen set his bags on the table and glanced around. The temporary house felt quiet. Too quiet. Eiden’s papers were still spread across Saffi’s mattress in their organized chaos, but no one sat hunched over them this time. Kenzo’s hammer wasn’t propped against the wall. That guy took it literally everywhere he went, like a huge hammer floating at your side was a fashion sense.

And in the corner, on Kenzo’s now ruined mattress, the cocoon sat undisturbed.

"Guess not" Raizen said. He pulled off his damp jacket and hung it near the door. "Atman probably dragged him somewhere."

Saffi made a small sound of amusement as she started unpacking her bag. "Those two have been spending a lot of time together. I didn’t know Kenzo had friends."

Then she paused for a short second. "...Besides Kori, heh"

Raizen snorted. "He has one friend, and that friend won’t leave him alone."

"Lucky Kenzo."

Raizen walked over to the table and started pulling vegetables out of his bags. Carrots. Mushrooms. Tomatoes. A bunch of leafy greens he couldn’t name but the vendor swore were "essential for proper Ukai cooking."

He’d never been grocery shopping before. Not like this. In the Underworks, you scrounged. You bartered. You took what you could get and didn’t ask questions.

Here, people sold things. With prices. And smiles. And recommendations.

It felt weirdly weird.

Saffi glanced at his haul and raised an eyebrow. "You bought a lot."

"The vendor was very insistent" Raizen muttered.

"Mhm." Saffi’s lips twitched. "And you’re a terrible negotiator."

"I got us food, didn’t I?"

"You got us enough food for six people."

Raizen looked at the pile of vegetables on the table. Then at Saffi. Then back at the vegetables.

"...We’ll manage."

Saffi laughed quietly and turned to organize her own ingredients - onions, garlic, a small container of creamy cheese, and something that looked like herbs wrapped in cloth.

Raizen’s gaze drifted past her, toward the cocoon.

It looked... Slightly different.

He frowned and stepped closer.

The vines weren’t as tightly woven anymore. The dark wood that had sealed Enya inside like a tomb had loosened, gaps forming between the layers. Some of the thinner strands hung limp, no longer contributing to the structure.

It looked like it was falling apart.

...Or opening up.

Raizen crouched beside it, studying the gaps. He could see hints of metal underneath - Enya’s ridiculous armor, still intact.

Carefully, he reached out and brushed aside a loose vine. It came away easily. Too easily. He moved another. Then another. A small opening formed, just wide enough to peek through.

Raizen leaned closer, ducking his head slightly.

Inside, Enya was still curled up on her side, helmet still taken off, arms tucked close to her chest. Her breathing was slow and even, soft snores escaping in a gentle rhythm.

But there was something else.

A single tear, barely visible in the dim light, ran down her cheek.

Raizen’s chest tightened. She looked so small. So innocent. He’d seen her fight. Seen her throw vines around like weapons. Seen her grin like chaos incarnate while launching seeds at anything that moved. But right now, she just looked like a kid who’d cried herself to sleep.

"Is she okay?" Saffi’s voice came from behind him, quietly, like she was afraid she was gonna wake her up.

Raizen glanced back. Saffi stood a few steps away, arms crossed, eyes on the cocoon.

"Yeah" Raizen answered. "Still snoring."

Saffi stepped closer, tilting her head to see through the gap Raizen had made. She saw the tear too, but her expression didn’t change much. Just a small flicker of something - empathy, maybe - before she turned back to the groceries.

"She’ll wake up when she’s ready" Saffi said simply. "Cocoon or not, kids sleep however long they need."

Raizen let the vines fall back into place, covering the gap. He stood slowly, brushing dust off his knees.

"I won’t even ask where you know that from..." he said quietly.

"Alteea is surprisingly educated when it comes to kids. Surprised me, too." The answer came.

For a moment, he just stood there, looking at the cocoon. Then he shook his head and turned back to the table.

Saffi was already pulling items out of the bags, organizing them in whatever order Saffi found most efficient.

She glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "So. You ready?"

Raizen blinked. "Ready for what?"

Saffi’s grin was sharp. "To cook."

Raizen stared at her.

Oh.

Right.

That.

He’d agreed to this. Somehow. The details were a bit fuzzy - something about Saffi saying she’d handle breakfast yesterday, and him saying he’d handle dinner today, and Kenzo conveniently being "busy" whenever food preparation was mentioned.

Raizen looked at the vegetables. Then at Saffi. Then at the small stove in the corner that he’d seen Eiden use more than once.

"Well, I guess I could cook" Raizen said, more to convince himself than her.

"Can you?" Saffi asked sweetly.

"I’ve cooked fish before."

"We don’t have fish. You’re in Ukai" Saffi raised a brow

"I can figure something out."

Saffi’s grin widened. "Good. Because I’m very curious to see what you come up with."

Raizen narrowed his eyes. "You’re enjoying this."

"Immensely."

He sighed and walked over to the small shelf near the stove where a few cooking supplies sat. A pot. A pan. Some utensils he vaguely recognized. And tucked between two jars of spices-

A cookbook.

Raizen pulled it out carefully. The cover was worn, pages dog-eared, stained with oil and what looked like a fainy scar of tomato sauce. Someone had used this book a lot before. It was almost funny, seeing something used in a house where everything was pretty much new.

He flipped it open. The first page had an index. Soups. Stews. Grilled dishes. Baked dishes. Pasta. Raizen’s eyes widened slightly.

There were so many options. And somehow, all of them without meat.

He turned the page. A recipe for mushroom soup stared back at him, complete with a hand-drawn illustration and a list of ingredients that included measurements like "two pinches" and "a generous handful."

What in the world was a generous handful?

He flipped again. Roasted vegetables with herb butter. That looked manageable. Simple. Hard to mess up. Another page. Stuffed peppers. Another. Grilled eggplant with garlic.

He kept flipping, a small thrill of curiosity building in his chest. He’d never thought about food like this before. In the Underworks, you ate to survive. At Kori’s, nobody really asked him to cook. When Arashi was cooking – literally and metaphorically – somehow, he made cooking look elegant. Raizen just watched, sometimes helping chop things but never actually leading. He didn’t dare approach Keahi’s cooking, she put in the most vile spices the world has ever seen.

But this... This was different. This was a challenge. He could do this. Probably.

Raizen turned another page and froze. The illustration took up the entire spread. Layers of golden-brown pasta stacked with rich red sauce, melted cheese, and vibrant vegetables. Steam rose from the dish in delicate curls.

At the top of the page, in bold letters:

Vegetable Lasagna

Raizen stared.

It looked... Incredible. And also completely impossible.

"Oh."

He glanced up. Saffi had moved beside him without him noticing, and now she was leaning over his shoulder, eyes locked on the picture.

Her expression had shifted. The teasing edge was still there, but underneath it was something else.

Hunger.

Pure, unfiltered hunger.

"That looks amazing" Saffi exhaled.

Raizen looked back at the picture. Then at the recipe below it. Pasta sheets. Tomato sauce. Béchamel sauce. Layers. Baking time. Resting time.

He scanned the ingredient list.

Tomatoes. Onions. Garlic. Mushrooms. Spinach. Cheese. Flour. Butter. Milk.

They had most of that. He looked at the instructions.

Step one: Prepare the fresh pasta sheets.

Step two: Make tomato sauce from scratch.

Step three: Make béchamel sauce.

Raizen’s confidence wavered between step four and fifteen.

"That looks... Complicated" he said slowly.

Saffi turned to him, eyes bright. "Come on, it’ll be fun!"

"Fun?"

"Yes. Fun." She tapped the picture. "Look at it. Doesn’t it look worth the effort?"

Raizen looked at the lasagna again. It did look worth it. But also really terrifying.

"I’ve never made laza – Lasag – Lasagna before" he admitted.

"Neither have I" Saffi said cheerfully. "That’s what makes it exciting."

Raizen gave her a flat look. "You’re not helping." Then he exhaled slowly. He looked at the cookbook. At the recipe. At the illustration of the perfect, golden lasagna.

How hard could it be? He was smart, wasn’t he? At least, he could follow instructions. He’d survived an avalanche. He’d partially survived Kori’s training. He’d fought Nyxes. Surely, he could make lasagna.

"Alright" Raizen said, closing the cookbook with a soft thud. "Let’s make lasagna."

Saffi’s grin was dangerous. "Perfect choice."

Raizen set the cookbook on the table and started pulling out the vegetables they’d need. Saffi moved to help, sorting through the ingredients with utmost efficiency. For a moment, everything felt manageable. Then Saffi paused, glancing at the cookbook still sitting closed on the table.

"So..." she said casually. "Do you know how to make pasta sheets?"

Raizen froze mid-reach for a tomato. He turned to look at her.

"...Pasta what now?"

Saffi’s smile was innocent. Too innocent.

Raizen stared at the closed cookbook like it had personally betrayed him.

Pasta... Sheets.

How hard could it be?

(Very hard, probably.)