Tanji Darkwatcher
Legacy Name: Salim Shad

Profile

• Name:Tanji Darkwatcher
• Age: 20
• Height: 1.89m
• Sexuality: Bisexual
• Status: Single

Life Excerpt

Placing a big yellow onion on the counter he took a step back and looked at all the ingredients, making sure that he had everything he needed for the dish he was making. Tanji was feeling slightly nervous about the whole ordeal as this would be the first time that he’d be cooking for his parents, after starting culinary school. All he wanted was to show them how much he had learned in just the few short months he’d been studying. In other words, nothing was allowed to be less than perfect. So, no pressure he thought to himself as he also made a mental note that he indeed had all the items he’d need. He took out a big, sturdy, wooden cutting board and then picked an appropriate knife for the job at hand.
He started working on his mis en place. Peeling, and chopping, all of the vegetables and then moving on to cutting the meat into small chunks and getting rid of any superfluous fat on the pieces as he went. The last steps on his mis en place preparation was to make sure that all of the spices, herbs and liquids, that he needed for the stew he was making, were in their separate bowls and containers.
He walked over to one of the floor cupboards and took out a pot that was large enough to fit all of the stew in. To anyone else it might seem like he was cooking for more than just three people, but Tanji knew that one of his fathers, Skorn, had a big appetite so he wanted to make sure that there was enough to even satisfy Skorn’s hunger.
Putting the pot on the stove, and turning the stove on, he then waited a little bit for the pot to get a bit warmer before putting a bit of butter in. Then, when the butter had stopped sounding he lowered the temperature a little bit and then added the chopped onion to the pot, to sweat, and soften it. He knew that this would take a bit of time so in the meantime he arranged the bowls of ingredients in the order that he’d be needing them. Stirring once in a while, he made sure that the onion didn’t burn. And once it was ready he started adding the meat so that he could brown it off and give it a nice sear.
As time went on he kept adding the ingredients calmly and methodically, until all that was left to do was let it cook for a while. Once he got to that point he left the kitchen and went to the dining area so that he could pick plates and cutlery that suited the dish. And to make sure that that area was as perfect as he wanted the stew to be.

Mere minutes before his parents were set to arrive he lifted the lid of the pot and stirred the stew a little before dipping a spoon into the sauce and giving it a taste. He smiled. It was perfect! Just the right balance of sweet and savory from the vegetables, herbs and spices. And a nice heat that didn’t burn your tongue, but was just there, pleasantly, in the background.
As he turned the stove off he heard the doorbell ring, and his smile grew even bigger. They were here! He hurried over to the front door of his apartment and opened the door. Almost immediately he was embraced by Yanai, the more flamboyant, and outspoken, of his two fathers. Skorn stood behind Yanai and smiled at the both of them, waiting patiently for Yanai to step away so that he could also hug their son.

They were sitting down at the dining table and his parents were just taking their first bites of the stew. Tanji was so curious about what they would think about it that he just sat there, ignoring his own food, while he waited for their first impressions. But he didn’t need to wait for long because he could see on their expressions that they were enjoying it a lot. After swallowing Yanai looked at him, beaming with pride.
   ”Oh, it’s absolutely delicious, sweetie!” Skorn nodded as he continued eating. And then gave Tanji a thumbs up as Yanai kicked him lightly, under the table, to get him to say something encouraging to their son. Both Tanji and Yanai laughed at Skorn’s response. “You are such a strange man.” Skorn paused his eating and raised an eyebrow as he looked at the bunny dragon that he’d married. Yanai gave him a loving smile in return before adding. “And I love you for it.”

The visit lasted for several hours, and there were a lot of conversations had in that time. And much laughter too. Tanji was very happy that the dinner had been such a success in the end.

Credits

Story by me. Overlay by CORE. Elven art: lineart by Reno-Viol Tree, stone, flower, mushroom & bush graphics assembled by me.