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Bruno was home early from Mass and just climbed down the stairs with his first dozen rats. He wasn't wearing his ruana and his hair was tied back. All of this was because it was his turn to cook today. The only other person in the house was Kate because of her beliefs, or lack thereof, which the others have slowly learned to respect.
Speaking of the red-headed outsider-turned-native, she was already in the kitchen next to something on a cutting board that gave Bruno pause.
"Uh..." Bruno stammered, "W-why is there a dozen pufferfish on Julie's favorite cutting board?"
"Julie has a—" Kate began to ask before stopping herself to get back on track, "This, my clueless clairvoyant, is today's lunch."
"You..." Bruno fidgeted with the hem of his maroon shirt, "Y-you do realize those are... P-poisonous... Right?"
"Only if prepared improperly." Kate smiled, "You told me that you Saw how to prepare one, right?"
"Well, yeah..." Bruno admitted timidly, "I Saw eight different chefs prepare it. But—"
"Then it shouldn't be a problem." Kate grinned while grabbing several different knives, "I've always wanted to try fugu and there's no one I trust more than you."
Bruno could feel the heat creeping up his neck from the confidence she had in him. Misplaced as he feels it is.
"Besides, if something goes wrong, Julieta's food can save me." Kate shrugged, "Right?"
"Y-Yeah, Julie's food can save you from poisoning." Bruno nodded.
Kate was sorely tempted to ask how Bruno knew that before recalling the stories Julieta told about how often he would test those blasted potions of his on himself. He probably fatally poisoned himself at least once and Julieta's food was able to save him. Thank goodness Alma had the good sense to make him promise to never test his concoctions on himself again after the Rancid Incident over thirty years ago. An incident firmly on the list of things to never speak of again. Any attempts Kate made at getting people to talk about it usually end in people turning very pale or muttering something about there being a horrible smell. So, she eventually gave up asking after several days of trying.
"Well, then we'll just leave a plate of her arepas just in case." Kate smiled.
Bruno nodded while putting leather gloves on and masking up with a cloth mask in fear of poisoning himself.
"In fact, how about we make this more interesting." Kate grinned.
"Sure, 'cause potentially poisoning my family isn't already interesting enough." Bruno muttered sardonically while carefully slicing into the fish.
"A little wager." Kate answered with a smirk.
"I'm not a betting man, Kate." Bruno reminded her while removing the skin of the fish with extreme care.
"Aww, come on just this once?" Kate begged while giving him her best puppy-dog eyes.
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleeease?"
"No."
"Pleeeeeeeeease?"
Bruno groaned, knowing this girl isn't gonna stop until she gets what she wants. This is the same girl who managed to out stubborn Mirabel, Pepa, and Alma in one fell swoop. Might as well throw himself in there for extra credit.
"Alright." Bruno sighed, "What's the wager?"
Kate pulls out five silver coins, "Five Pedros say that more than half the family will eat the arepas."
"Do you really think my family thinks so little of my skills with a knife?"
"Well, they don't exactly have the best track record with taking you at your word." Kate shrugged, "Even with your lack of ability to lie."
"I can lie." Bruno reminded her, "It just... Really sucks when I do."
"It hurts when you lie, I know." Kate sighed, "But, it doesn't seem to stop people from not believing you."
"Well..." Bruno admitted sheepishly, "I don't exactly have the best track record with telling all the truth."
"True." Kate shrugged before asking, "So, can you match my wager?"
"I'll do you one better." Bruno smirked before pulling out a gold coin, "One Milagro says they won't even lay one finger on those arepas."
"You seem to have a lot of confidence in your family." Kate raised an eyebrow.
"They're gonna assume that I'm trying something new and the arepas are just me being cautious." Bruno explained, "But, they don't want to hurt my feelings and they'll feel too guilty if they eat Julieta's food. They'll assume that I'll see it as them not trusting me and we all know where the lack of trust has led us."
"To the depths of hell." Kate answered.
"In a handbasket." Bruno rolled his eyes as he finished removing the skin.
It took Bruno almost an hour to finish preparing the fish due to the slow and methodical way he removed the bits that will kill people. He soaked those bits in the closest thing he could make to bleach before disposing of them. The smell of the cleaning solution alone sent Kate and the rats running out of the kitchen to get some fresh air for several minutes. Bruno has gotten used to smells most would consider harsh or horrible years ago. You try mixing all kinds of foul-smelling concoctions while also changing the diapers of five different kids and see how nose blind you get.
The rats got and cooked some rice with some help from Bruno. Kate helped with the prep work by cutting carrots, cucumbers, and avocadoes. She only sliced her finger open three times this time. Bruno washed his hands so thoroughly that Kate was convinced that he stripped two layers of his skin. He got all the ingredients together and used a piece of parchment to make sushi rolls. The rolls were plated along with some fruits and arepas from this morning before being taken to the table.
"Alright." Kate held out her hand, "Ten goes to me if they do. Ten goes to you if they don't. Deal?"
"Deal." Bruno shook her hand.
The family came in shortly after noon and gathered around at the table for whatever Bruno prepared for them. They were understandably a bit thrown off by the unusual food. The only one who seemed to have any recognition is Agustín who claims to have seen it before.
"You've seen it before, corazón?" Julieta asked.
"Yeah, they call it sushi and it was pretty popular before I left." Agustín shrugged, "It's basically raw fish and vegetables wrapped in rice and seaweed."
"They eat raw fish?" Alma asked incredulously.
"It's usually safe to eat when it's fresh." Kate explained, "And I mean just fished it out of the water fresh. I caught those pufferfish less than an hour ago. So, it should be safe to eat."
"Pufferfish?!" Julieta gaped, "Aren't those poisonous."
"Yep." Antonio confirmed, "Pufferfish are really poisonous. Tío Bruno helped me read about it yesterday."
"Only if they're prepared improperly." Kate defended, "There are parts of the fish that are safe to eat. Only the skin and organs are really poisonous. Bruno removed those parts and thoroughly disposed of them. Honestly, I've never seen a man cut fish so slowly and methodically in my life. It took him almost an hour just to skin and gut them!"
"I... I-I just don't want to accidentally poison anybody." Bruno stumbled.
"Which is why he also left this plate of arepas Julieta made this morning in case it does poison somebody." Kate added.
Everyone looked at the plate of arepas and nodded hesitantly. It shows everyone how much Bruno cares about the safety of the family. But, it also shows just how little he trusts his own skills. None of the family were sure if they were gonna find the will to even touch those arepas and run the risk of hurting Bruno's feelings. He may have been back for quite a while and his metaphorical skin is getting thicker every day. But, he still has days where even the slightest slip of the tongue will make him fall into a deep depression and bitter self-loathing that can last for days. Nobody at the table wanted to run that risk.
Kate was the first to eat the rolls without even a moment's hesitation. She saw Bruno preparing the fish herself and trusts him completely. She didn't even so much as glance at the arepas because of her trust in the seer. She found the fish to be surprisingly light and a bit rubbery. Honestly, she didn't really get the hype about this dish. She doesn't hate the roll. But, it's not something she'd wanna eat all the time. It's just kinda "meh" to her.
No one would touch the rolls until Bruno ate one. The guy barely trusts himself even on his best days. But, he does trust his intuition. He feels that he has to because the few times he didn't nearly cost him his life. This time he feels completely certain that the roll is perfectly safe to eat and that nobody was gonna die of tetrodotoxin poisoning. So, the usually timid seer ate the roll with confidence without so much as glancing at the arepas. He found the fish to be light and oddly rubbery. Not a texture he's overly fond of. But, at least it's not the horrible feeling of a banana or the way-too-many-seeds of granadilla. Nor the horribly sour taste of lulo or mora. Bruno doesn't really consider himself a fish guy, but this fish is... Tolerable. Seeing him eat the roll soothed everyone else's nerves enough to eat theirs.
Alma is more than willing to trust her son with her life and ate her rolls first. She knows that he would never do anything so reckless as to give the family something that could kill them without preparing it with the utmost care. She didn't even so much as glance at those arepas as she sampled the sushi. She found the fish itself to be surprisingly mild and the texture to be somewhat rubbery. She doesn't despise the fish. But, it's not something she'd consider eating all the time.
Julieta has full confidence in her hermano's cooking and was the first of the second generation to eat the rolls. She has seen how skillful Bruno was with a knife firsthand and it's only gotten faster since his Gift returned. His cutting speed is to the point that he can have a bunch of vegetables sliced, diced, and chopped in just a minute or two. She's also seen how careful he is when it comes to making anything from his potions that cover what she can't heal to food in general. So, she didn't pay her arepas any mind as she ate her sushi roll. Julieta finds the fish to be surprisingly good and the roll was even better. She has got to get her hermano to give her the recipe even though she knew she might not have much luck. After all, she has yet to get him to give her his recipe for his infamous double chocolate almond cookies.
Agustín was almost too afraid to eat the roll until the Look that Julieta was giving him convinced him to eat. He loved his cuñado to death and would do anything to protect him. But, he's not too sure about placing his life in the hands of someone who has been known to drop his own visions. He was just about to reach for an arepa only to get his hand slapped away by an indignant Julieta who pointed at Bruno who was watching everyone eat the rolls without touching the arepas. That was when the guilt hit Agustín. Does he really want to be the one who shows that he didn't trust the man he considers the brother he never had? No, of course not! So, Agustín pointedly ignores the arepas as he ate his rolls with purpose. He thinks the fish and the rolls are pretty good. But, they weren't anything he'd consider spectacular.
Pepa was very nervous. So much so that she was grateful for her ability to finally control her Gift. Otherwise, there would almost certainly be an unseasonal blizzard in the dining room. But, she managed to push through her anxiety and will herself to eat the rolls to avoid making Bruno feel bad. She's aware of just how clumsy her baby brother can be and that pufferfish sounds really dangerous. But, she's also seen how careful and caring he is when it comes to his family and his work. He puts his heart and soul into everything that he does and it shows in the effort he put into making these rolls. She will admit that she stole a glance at the arepas. But, the guilt of being the one to wipe the smile off of Bruno's face again proved to be too much for her. She focused on the taste of the roll to take her mind off of the times Bruno hid away because of her. It was really good in her opinion. The fish had a pleasant taste and the rolls were pretty well cooked. She hopes Julieta can get the recipe from Bruno. But, she isn't holding out any hope considering Bruno still refuses to let anyone get their hands on his cookie recipe.
Félix ate the rolls with fearless conviction. He always loved Bruno's cooking and even considers it better than Julieta's. Not that anyone would ever get him to admit that. He didn't even so much as glance at those arepas. Honestly, Félix felt that his cuñado needs to have more faith in himself. Bruno is far more capable than he thinks he is and Félix wishes he could see that. He felt that Bruno really outdid himself with this new dish. Félix always loved fish and this "sushi" stuff is fast becoming a favorite of his. Maybe it could do without the death fish. But, other than that, he could tell from taste alone that his cuñado put his all into it.
Isabela ate her rolls with quite some hesitation. She's seen how clumsy Tío Bruno can be and those pufferfish sound really tricky to work with. But, one look at those arepas and the possibility of seeing those sad eyes on her tío's face flashed through her mind. She honestly loves the sushi and would love to have more made to snack on. Preferably without the deadly pufferfish.
Mirabel was the first of the third generation to eat the rolls because she trusts her tío. This is the guy who gave up everything to protect her. Why would he run the risk of poisoning her without taking a whole bunch of precautions? Those arepas are the last thing on her mind as she ate the roll. She liked the mild flavor of the fish. But, she didn't care for the weirdly rubbery texture. It's an interesting dish, but not something she'd eat all the time.
Luisa ate her rolls out of trust for her tío too. But, she did get a bit paranoid and glanced at the arepas. Then guilt hit her like a runaway wagon at the mental image of how Tío Bruno would react if she ate an arepa. She stopped looking and chewed her rolls mechanically. She's never liked rubbery fish and these pufferfish rolls are doing very little to change her mind. But, she'll eat them since Tío apparently spent over an hour just cutting the fish. The least she could do for that kind of dedication is eat the resulting food.
Dolores ate her rolls without any fear because she trusts her tío favorito with her life. Also, she heard everything that happened in the kitchen and wanted her tío to win the bet. So, she didn't even so much as glance at the arepas. She actually really liked what he made. The fish was light and the roll was tasty with the rice and avocados. This is definitely gonna become a favorite snack for her... Minus the potentially deadly fish of course.
Camilo hesitated the most and eventually gave in when they see their mamá give them a dirty look. They do love their Tío Bruno as well as his cooking. Especially those cookies he makes. But, eating something that could kill them is a bit of a stretch for Camilo. They also tried reaching for those arepas only for their mamá to smack their hand away and gesture towards Tío Bruno who was all smiles. The guilt quickly set in and made the roll feel like a lead weight in their stomach for a few minutes. They already ruined Tío's reputation with their rumors. Do they also want to be responsible for making him think they don't trust his cooking? No! So, Camilo ate the surprisingly delicious food with renewed vigor.
Antonio ate his rolls a bit hesitantly at first because he feared they were poisoned. But, he remembered what Kate said about the skin and insides being poisonous and the rest being safe. Besides, Tío was the one who made this food. He'd never want to hurt anyone. Even his rats rave about how much he cares about the family. He just feels a little bad about eating the poor fish. But, the animals have told him that even humans have to kill other animals to survive. That it's just a fact of life and they've learned to live with it. So, Antonio's trying to learn to live with that admittedly upsetting fact by eating what's given to him. He didn't grab an arepa either because he knew his tío would never hurt him. He also really likes the light taste and rubbery feeling. It reminds him of his favorite fish as well as the time he tried squid and he kinda wanted some more. It's a good thing Tío Bruno had made enough rolls to feed the village... Or Camilo after a busy day.
By the end of lunch, nobody laid even a finger on those arepas. Kate felt a long finger tapping her knee. She looked under to see Bruno's hand silently asking to pay up. She looked at Bruno to see the self-satisfied look in his eyes. Kate groaned and rolled her eyes before fishing out ten silver coins and handing them to the smug seer. Dolores could only silently snicker as the oblivious Madrigals finished their food and complimented Bruno on a difficult recipe well done.
Fortunately, nobody was poisoned and Bruno felt he could trust himself a little more.
Just a little...