Special Chapter: Birthday

"So today is our baby girl's 16th birthday and what else could we possibly do than make some lovely homemade delicacies" but it seems Bennett wasn't sure to so he sneakily whispered to Melody "ugh was it the 16th honey?"

"Yea its the 16th" Melody just smiled already used to her husband's memory

"Ahem, ahem, so anyway we are gonna do fried chicken for a nice meal and, um, we are also gonna do Lenatan which is basically beef soup, ugh the Lenatan is already in that boiling pot we already did it earlier because it takes a couple hours of boiling"

Meanwhile Melody is just sipping wine in the background

"afterwards, um since Melody is helping with cooking its gonna come out good this time"

"hehehe" Melody couldn't help but laugh remembering the burnt food that her husband tried to made in the past

"Hahahaha, and then afterwards we got some dessert that we're going to make. we're gonna make strawberry cake" After Bennett is finished with all of the introduction they started to prepare the ingredients

So Bennett started by cracking an egg and pouring all its contents on a plate "There cracked an egg, I know, im amazing, I can *cook*. and what are you gonna do with that egg honey"

"Dump the chicken in it" Melody was scrambling the egg until its all yellow

"Thank you this is why im try na, ugh, so our daughter understands. So thats gonna act as the sticky substance for the chicken, and which she's gonna slap in to this plate right here where the bread crumbs are to basically coat it with the bread crumbs"

Meanwhile Melody tooked the meat out of the ice box, she was preparing the chicken, she started touching and squeezing the chicken breast

Bennett seeing an opportunity to annoy Melody naturally opened his mouth "She's judging that meat, she touching that meat hard like she does to mine"

"Oh my fucking god honey why!?" Melody complained with annoyance but has a smile on her face

"Ahem, ahem, anyway she's just checking the quality of the meat because we just want that nice sweet delicious moist meat"

Melody started using a knife to slice the chicken, while Bennett stand closer to Melody

"can you move a little bit you might get cut"

Bennett moved his face closer to the table "yea, are you threatening me with that knife" Bennett spoke with a playful tone

Melody just plainly replied "no im just saying"

Bennett continued playfully "Are you gonna cut me with that knife"

"No I don't want to, thats why im saying" Melody sliced the chicken masterfully with precise precision

"oh okay, im just making sure on whats going on"

Melody grinned as if she had remembered a certain fact "hehehe, oh come on you can't even cook"

"Wait, wait, wait, honey I can cook"

"Oh ehehehe, Can you now?" Melody covered her mouth to hide her amusement

"I can cook I'll show you, not this time though"

"can you even make breakfast"

"Yes i can make breakfast for you, I can make good breakfast for you, I can make pancakes, although you don't like my pancakes but I like my pan cakes" Bennett started moving his hands around as he try to convince Melody

"but they're fucking burnt" But Melody dropped the facts mercilessly

"But I like them that way, I like them thick, I like them toasty, and they taste good. I can make toast too, anything that requires fire I got that"

-

After arriving at this part of the recording Evandle just grinned and joked "Burnt? My favourite flavour hehehe"

-

While the two was talking Melody was also working on the chicken, so all the pieces are all covered in bread crumbs

"Well then you go fry the chicken, I'll prepare the ingredients for the cake"

"Ugh, are you sure about this?"

Melody smiled smugly "Oh my, didn't you said you can cook, let our daughter taste her father's special way of cooking, burnt"

Bennett looked directly into the recording device "Daughter I know your gonna be mad at be for ruining a fine dish but its your mother's order" Bennett shrugged then picked up the plate with the chicken already processed by Melody. Bennett went to the stove and cast a fire node to create a small fire and began to fry the chicken on the frying pan

After mixing some ingredients like flour and egg into a bowl Melody started mixing it using a mixer in a circular up and down movement

Bennett glanced on what Melody was currently doing, feeling a bit playful again Bennett started telling a joke "Oh my, Melody is beating that up better that she does mine"

Melody looked at Bennett with an accusing gaze "EXCUSE YOU!? Ok there you go you do it"

"hahahaha" Bennett raised his hand in surrender

"huhu okay" but in the end Melody still end up the one mixing the ingredients until it thickens that it doesn't fall of the bowl when you turn it up side down

Since the start Melody just kept smiling, she seems to enjoy every second on what they're doing even the little teases that Bennett makes. Its quite rare for them to loosen up and relax, while removing the mask they put up when talking business with other people and just be them selves and act like them selves not caring of the opinion of others and just have fun.

While Melody was still mixing the stuff on the bowl Bennett suddenly gave a complement "She's pretty good at using her hands mixing that stuff, but Melody is better on using her hand on me"

*sounds of metal bowl getting getting put down*

Melody turns her head around and looked at Bennett directly in the eyes

"What its a complement, its just a complement"

Melody retorted in a sarcastic tone "Oh your such... an... innocent... boy"

Bennett grinned and pretend that he didn't heard the sarcastic tone "Melody, im a nice man, I gave you complements"

"huh" Melody went back to continued mixing

"I like your grip"

"Oh my god honey!" Melody just stared at Bennett

Bennett shrugged "hahahaha, I love you, I love you, im sorry"

"Hey honey so how's the chicken"

"Oh fuck I forgot" Bennett jumped in surprise he then immediately went to the frying pan

After he flipped the chicken It was then he saw it, the whole side which was facing the pan earlier was burnt black "Oh fuck its burnt"

Melody also approach the pan and started poking the burnt spots "Nah its fine its only the bread crumbs that was burnt the chicken is fine, its just gonna add some extra flavour that you dearly like"

"Hehehe sorry my bad I wasn't paying attention to the meat earlier" Bennett scratched his head in embarrassment

-

Currently while resting on a cave Evandle was watching the recording while smiling with tears on her eyes but she also has an urge to laugh, she also feels annoyed by her father's shamelessness

Even though she knows that they cant hear her Evandle just couldn't help but talk to the screen "Oh god they are at it again this two love birds, father why are you doing this in front of a recorder, saying dirty jokes and all its so embarrassing hearing it from my father, and mom don't let dad cook for fuck sake, hehehe"

-

Melody began to place the dough on the rectangular mold, after a few minutes in the oven it came out in perfect golden brown, she then proceeds to add the cream on top of the bread with a spoon

Seeing that there is cream on the spoon Melody decided to lick it off so none would be wasted

When Bennett saw the scene he couldn't help but joked "Oh, oh, she's licking of the tip, hahahaha"

"Oh god!" Melody had her smile contorted, as she try to stop herself from laughing too

Melody then proceeds to add sliced strawberries on the cream covered cake, the sliced strawberries were added in a 4x6 ratio, four on the shorter side of the rectangle and six on the shorter side of the rectangle

"four by six soldiers going in to battle. Its looking good honey" Bennett commented

Melody proceeds to roll the cake creating a cylindrical shaped strawberry cake, While smiling Melody then picked up the cake and approached close to the recorder while Bennett followed holding 16 already inflamed small candles, he skillfully inserted the candles in the strawberry cake

Melody smiled brightly while raising the strawberry cake in front of the recorder "My sweet daughter Evandle its really unfortunate that we aren't able to accompany you in your special day, your birthday. But even so as loving parents we will celebrate it even though we are far from you. So happy birthday Evandle!"

"Happy birthday Evandle" Bennett also greeted happily

-

Evandle's tears flowed silently while she smiles with a mix of joy and sadness, She had already been stuck in the forsakened dimension for months now, plus being separated from her family, staying in an environment full of negative energy, having to fight monsters everyday, and having to always keep her guard up is too much to ask for a little girl and it had really taken a toll on her not just physically but also mentally

Evandle sighed as she leaned against the cold rock wall of the cave as she closed her eyes in tiredness.