I really need to learn how to prioritize better. In any case, I'm continuing this fic first because it's planned to be short, just one or two more chapters after this one.

Not much can be said about the rising fervor that all participants in Lin Lee Koo's cooking class held as they steadily engaged in improvising their ideal dishes. Lin stayed in the background with Tatsu, observing the various interactions and steps that the four self-made teams performed.

"Man, now I really want to jump in and whip up something great," Lin commented somewhat wistfully.

"It would be no contest for Linly against all of them," Tatsu pointed out.

"Yeah, and it would totally defeat the purpose of them learning by trial and error," Lin added as a sigh. "As long as they don't wind up starting a dangerous fire in my kitchen, then I suppose anything goes. Still, I can't wait to see what our friends come up with."

"Tatsu is in agreement," Tatsu chirped, hopping excitedly in place. "Tatsu can hear stomach calling out to taste hopeful delicious food friends make."

"You'd practically eat almost anything," Lin shot back. "It'll take a unified consensus from the other judges to determine who has been the better cook here."

Tatsu glanced over to where the other food judges were situated. He and Lin briefly watched Secretary Nagi leading the conversation as to make the other judges more sociable.

The Ma-non judge, Veverta, was the first to open up and start chatting the others' ears off, bragging about how she got to live off of her parents instead of having to work. Of course, such a topic brought about mix results that got the other judges to start talking, such as the Orphe and Wrothian judges being against such an unproductive lifestyle. Erio, the Definian judge, attempted to mediate the situation while the Prone judge remained indifferent to the whole thing.

"You know, I should check up on each team to make sure that they're doing okay," Lin proposed. "Like a sneak peak of sorts."

"Ooh, can Tatsu come along?" Tatsu asked eagerly, eyes sparkling behind his round glasses.

"Sorry, Tatsu, but you have to remain impartial as a judge," Lin responded, shaking her head while picking up the rather portly Nopon, much to his dismay. "Besides, I'm the cooking expert here."

"Meh-meh-meh!" Tatsu huffed, flailing his limbs and wing-like arms in a tantrum.

Lin took him over to where the other judges stayed. Secretary Nagi was the first to notice her arrival and greeted her with a silent hand wave.

"Ms. Koo, to what pleasure do we owe having you here?" Nagi inquired.

"Sorry, Secretary Nagi, but would you mind also babysitting this one?" Lin replied, holding up Tatsu before him.

"Tatsu no need to be sat like baby!" Tatsu exclaimed in outrage.

"It would be my honor," Nagi chuckled, taking hold of the Nopon as Lin handed him over. "As you might tell, my fellow judges are currently in a heated debate over work ethics with Veverta against nearly everyone. I'm curious to hear what Tatsu has to say about the matter."

"There you go, Tatsu!" Lin concluded, clasping her hands. "Now you won't be bored while I check out how our students are doing."

"Hmm, Tatsu suppose it fine," Tatsu mumbled, calming down before Nagi placed him on the ground. "Tatsu can settle argument with persuasive Nopon charm."

"Yeah, you do that," Lin assured, sending a quick thumbs up before taking her leave back to the kitchen.

Her first stop was with Elma and her team of Irina and Gwin. Lin was very curious on what her almighty Team Leader was capable of in the kitchen… or possibly not. But she wasn't going to make an early judgment call just yet.

"Irina, are you sure that it's supposed to turn purple?" Elma asked, staring into the contents of the large pot before her.

"It's the special hot sauce for my homemade enchiladas," Irina assured. "This should be plenty for all of our judges. This sauce gets its extra kick from rare Indian spices. Thankfully, I have Gwin to experiment the spiciness with many herbs and powders whenever I get in the mood."

In the background, Gwin blanched from the mention. He said nothing the whole time the cooking began out of sheer fear. He really did not want to be the one to ruin Irina's good mood. He had worked on setting up the enchiladas, but that was about it.

"Mixing Middle Eastern ingredients for a Central American dish is certainly thinking out of the box, Irina," Elma remarked with a bit of awe. "Is this the kind of lesson Lin wanted us to learn about being creative in cooking?"

"Something like that," Lin intervened, waving to the women. "Irina is really fired up over this, isn't she?"

"I sure am, Lin," Irina replied, bearing an uncharacteristically wide grin. It was rare for her to smile this brightly. "I'm so glad the higher-ups let you start this class. From all the missions and BLADE work, I almost never have time to hone my cooking skills. And best of all, the Colonel is actually looking up to ME for guidance! It's so surreal, but so fulfilling at the same time."

"It's only natural to look up to you since you clearly have the greater expertise in this field," Elma nodded. "I'm also fortunate to learn from someone I can trust anywhere and any time. I await further orders, Irina."

"Come now, Colonel, no need to sound so stiff," Irina grinned.

"Drop that 'Colonel' title and I think we'd be more on familiar grounds," Elma smiled back.

Irina was quick to look away and pretend to have a fascination with the nearby ingredients while fighting off the glowing blush on her face. At the meantime, Lin was curious on how their enchilada sauce was turning out, but not before Gwin inconspicuously tapped her on the shoulder.

"I wouldn't get too close if I were you," Gwin whispered. "The lieutenant is enthusiastic in regards to cooking, but that's about it."

"Come on, Gwin, have some faith in your fellow teammates," Lin jested, sending a soft elbow nudge in his ribs.

He warned her.

Simply hovering her head over the metal pot with the unique purple sauce did Lin felt that her face was going to melt off and expose her mimeosome skull. The fumes of the spicy sauce were apparently that potent to induce such an overwhelming feeling of dread.

"Lin, you feeling alright?" Gwin prompted after noticing the Genius Girl's frozen expression of unsavory abhorrence. "Lin?"

"… Huh, oh right," Lin mumbled, shaking herself active and out of the sauce's noxious trance. "I, uh, better check on the others to see their progress."

"You sure you're feeling fine, Lin?" Elma asked, having caught on to her previous display of weakness. "It looked like that sauce threw you for a loop."

"What'd I tell ya!" Irina exclaimed. "My enchilada sauce is guaranteed to knock anyone's socks off!"

"Probably 'cause you used your own socks as the secret ingredient," Gwin jested in a low tone, which was unfortunately picked up by Irina's ears; Lin quickly shuffled away with the attention off her after sensing major trouble coming in like a sudden thunderstorm.

"What was that, soldier?!" Irina barked, which prompted Elma to physically hold her back from doing something potentially regrettable against the Farm Boy. "Must I use Brainjack as punishment for your insubordination?"

"You can't be serious!" Gwin yelped, holding his hands up in immediate surrender. "That's both cruel and unusual!"

"Maybe, but with you under control, at least you could put your mouth to better use than idling about with useless snarking," Irina warned, an evil grin slowly growing on her face. "As a matter of fact, I have plenty of ideas to put that joking tongue of yours to good use."

"Oh, geez… Elma, help?"

"She's not really going to kill you or subject you to Brainjack as that would be illegal, not to mention total abuse of power," Elma said, folding her arms sternly. "However, considering that you haven't been giving her proper respect, the best I can do is help her decide on a more appropriate and less… drastic punishment."

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing, Colonel," Irina assured, not letting up on her eerily calm temperament. "If Gwin has something to say, then it'd be best for him to say it now before I make him say it."

Gwin attempted to take a deep breath and stand his ground. If they were to stand at least a decent chance in this cooking competition, something had to be done. At least if he was going to go down, either in battle or from gravely upsetting the lieutenant, then he would be doing so as a real man.

Speaking of real men…

"Wow, Lao, you're really feeling it!" Lin commented, watching the Master Sniper's expert display in slicing up meat.

"Lin, that joke has practically been done to death," Lao grumbled, not letting up in his dicing.

Next to him, L was sorting out the various meat products he managed to obtain before the other teams shoved him aside. He handed salmon first to Lao and as of now, he was judging between the tuna and a large slab of raw ribeye steak. Lao never really specified which meats to pick out, and besides, throwing in the variety of meat for their sashimi plate should certainly earn them some bonus points. But in regards to the meat outside of fish, they might require a little more attention as to prevent unnecessary illness.

On the other side of Lao, Cross was working with the vegetables. He worked on shredding up the keppo carrots into long strands as part of the presentation side. In addition, he was working on carving out the leaves of a fordornallow greens he picked up a while ago. He also managed to save up a cup of yaya sesame to throw into the sashimi meat for extra flavor.

"It seems that you guys know what you're doing," Lin added as a final remark, glancing at Cross. "Who would've thought that you'd actually be making sashimi for me?"

"Never gave me a chance," the amnesiac shrugged. "Lao's the one mostly working on it anyway. Still, all of us would rather have you cook considering you're the only one that does it right."

"Come on, have some confidence in yourselves!" Lin reassured.

"Indeed, this activity has opened our windows to new know-hows," L spoke up. "This reminds us, we have concocted a special delectable dipping sauce originally targeted towards the 'knuckle foods' you humans made, such as, how you say, pigs in quilts."

"Okay… how's that relevant to our needs now?" Lao inquired.

"L is probably suggesting using his dipping sauce for your sashimi," Lin clarified.

"That hits the nail on the cranium!" L responded joyously, to which Lin rolled her eyes; he was close enough as always. "The alluring flavor of this sauce is sure to make every tongue bow and every knee confess of the greatness of our culinary revolution."

"Not to shoot you down, but sashimi doesn't usually require dipping sauce; sushi does," Lao explained. "But hey, if we're to take in more suggestions to our plate, then how about Lin handing us over the talking potato for us to feast on?"

"Nice try, Lao, but you know that Tatsu would still need another hundred grams before he could be properly served," Lin jested. "He's still not filling enough as he is now."

"Fair enough," Lao relented.

"What about L's sauce?" Cross reminded, much to the Jolly Xeno's delight. "We haven't resolved that issue yet. And personally, I see no problem giving it a shot if it passes preliminary testing."

"It's an anything goes, remember?" Lin added. "You are using different meats for the sashimi, it seems. And the vegetables that Cross is chopping up are really going to make you guys look good, possibly good enough to tip the scales."

"Lin," Lao warned.

"I regret nothing!" Lin cheered, skipping to another team before she could irritate Lao with another overused, memetic line.

"That is the close one," L whispered to Cross. "We could sense that Lao is reaching his melting point."

"I suppose she'll get her chance another day," Cross muttered with another shrug.

"No, she won't," Lao interrupted with a furious sneer. "But you two, on the other hand, will get yours today if you don't get back to work. I'll have none of that kind of nonsense here."

As a means to curb his irritated temperament, he momentarily left to recollect his thoughts alone. Of course, he didn't flee from the barracks. There were too many witnesses to take that risk. In any case, Cross and L merely exchanged confused glances before silently deciding to continue their dish until Lao returned.

Lin appeared to have a better time visiting Hope's team. They decided on making a dessert instead of attempting a standard full course meal. There was nothing in the rules against that as long as they've learned something useful and applicable out of all this.

Unlike the previous teams she had visited, there was barely any conflict as far as the eye could perceive. Hope easily got along with her teammates, Ada and Doug. Ada respected Hope's opinions and was willing to help her out as means to reciprocate the help she received in the past. As for Doug, well, it was clear even to Lin that he was rather smitten with her. Then again, most guys in New LA were smitten with her as she was practically considered the guardian angel of NLA due to her kind saintly ways.

"This is a difficult one you're pulling off, Hope," Lin commented. "Crème brûlée is a dish that even I have difficulty making. Placing that caramel layer on top of the custard is very tricky, but that's just one thing I had issues with. There's making the custard and caramel layer come out right separately."

"No worries, Lin," Doug intervened, holding up several medium-sized ramekins in his firm hands. "I feel like the only hard parts to this were finding these things to put the crème brûlée in."

"We've got our groups dynamics figured out from the get-go," Ada explained. "Hope found a doable crème brûlée recipe from a recently recovered Lifehold archive that held a huge library of exquisite recipes, making her our team leader. Our big man, Doug, fetched all of the ingredients and cooking utensils needed for this endeavor and then some. And I am basically coordinating how this recipe is gonna go down."

"Wow, you guys are really on the ball with this," Lin commended. "You definitely have high marks from me. I love crème brûlée!"

"That means so much coming from you, Lin," Hope replied sweetly, placing a hand upon her heart. "I know it's not a suitable meal on its own, but I'd like to think of it as a comfort food I can give to others in need."

"A comfort food that's not easy to make, but if you're going to put in that much effort, then by all means!" Lin concurred. "Hope you save some for me! I'd definitely need it after all those missions."

"Then it works out in the end," Hope said, smiling brightly.

"Yo, Lin, have you checked up on Lao's team yet?" Doug asked.

"Oh, he appears to be doing well with Cross and L keeping him grounded," Lin explained. "Anyway, I have one more team to check up on, if you guys excuse me."

"Come on, don't you have any more cooking wisdom to share with us?" Ada pressed.

"You know I can't actually help you guys as much as I love what you guys are cooking up, but remember that you're welcome to try out anything you feel would be appropriate for your recipe," Lin offered, preparing her leave. "See you guys at the end of the hour!"

The Genius Girl left before Ada could shoot another question. This left her for a moment to consider her last words before facing Hope and Doug, with the latter attempting to awkwardly flirt with her friend once again. It kind of reminded how she and her boyfriend originally started out. He was really sweet when the occasion would call for it.

In any case, it started to make her wonder how a relationship between Hope and Doug would turn out. Doug did turn out a bit intimidating due to his brutish size and looks, but was ultimately considered a gentle giant of sorts considering that he easily went along with many of Lin's trial runs and tests. He could definitely offer the kind of sturdy, supportive shoulder Hope would need after a whole day listening to the problems of NLA residents.

But right now, they had crème brûlée to make… or experiment with.

"Hey, you two!" Ada called out, feeling a bit of regret for having to break up their moment. "What'd you say we add some personal touches to the recipe? I have some ideas for layer toppings and custard mix we can try!"

Now to the last, but not least, the team of unique misfits…

"Never thought anyone here would use the reserves of goose liver we have," Lin mused. "I should've figured you'd go for something fancy, Murderess."

She watched the Deadly One begin the preparations for a dish she made not too long ago herself: foie gras. The livers she retrieved were rather plump to start with, but now she was making a careful incision in one probably to stuff it up even more.

"This is the kind of delicacy I grew up with, so of course anything less just won't do," Murderess reasoned. "Besides, I'm gunning for the prize money. I'm going all out for this one. It's too bad I don't have Cross on my team, though. I could tell he'd be wonderful with this kind of thing."

"He is really good at cutting up stuff," Phog noted, pointing at a fair distance where their team and Lin could see him quickly carving up more leaves from another fordornallow greens.

"Come on, you guys are pretty talented yourselves," Lin reassured.

"To be honest, Lin, I don't think I've done much for our dish," Phog admitted. "So far, I shared my mom's apple pie recipe with Celica, just as I remember it."

"It does sound delish, you know," Celica spoke up in his defense. "The apple pie Phog recommended is a must for after meals and snack hours, but I know we need to help Murderess out for this class of yours. I want to learn how this foie gras is made."

"It's not really something you can have everyday unless you're made of money or have an easy access to goose liver, fairy princess," Murderess said rather disapprovingly. "Elma's team is lucky to have a good storage of liver. As much as I hate to say this, I have to recommend something of less class for you, dear."

"I'm open to any and all kinds of Earth dinner cuisines if I can share them with Rock," Celica asserted.

"Always thinking about that gargantuan friend of yours, so selfless," Murderess remarked with a quick roll of her eyes. "You know it's perfectly okay for you to think about yourself for once instead of coddling him."

"I don't coddle him!" Celica retorted hotly. "As a matter of fact, Rock has become a hardworking citizen that's earning his stay in this lovely city. I almost never see him during the day."

"So Rock is enjoying his work in construction?" Lin jumped in to defuse the situation, which fortunately redirected the Xeno Girl's temperament back to her peaceful self.

"Indeed he does, Lin," Celica replied. "It's so fulfilling to watch him use his strength for beneficial purposes. I can't wait to see the houses he gets to build with his own two hands."

"That's good to hear," Lin nodded. "And if you want to pick up on more Earth recipes, come see me once this is over. I can guide you to a repository of recipes retrieved from our latest Lifehold archive hunt."

"That would be splendid," Celica responded, graciously clasping onto one of Lin's hands. "Thank you so much, Lin."

"Wow, she really is motivated because of how protective she is of Rock," Murderess pondered, wearing a neutral expression. "It's not a bad thing, but it's not often you see such an innocent idealist stay this stalwart once all crap hits the ceiling fan."

"Rock is her only companion despite becoming friends with Team Elma," Phog rationalized. "You can't really blame Celica if she does come off a bit clingy towards Rock."

"That's… bizarrely insightful on what you said," Murderess quipped with a raised brow. "Guess you really aren't a waste of oxygen after all."

"Um… … I guess that's a compliment from you?" Phog chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"You know, with this string of good insights from someone like you, I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it," Murderess continued with a slight predatory look. "How's about you put that big brain of yours into enhancing this rather dull foie gras?"

"You… … … really want to listen to what I have to say?" Phog asked incredulously.

"Why not?" she shrugged. "I'm sure dear Celica would benefit from this and inspire her to come up with her own spin-off recipes."

"I heard my name; what's going on?" Celica prompted after a twitch of her furry elfish ears, facing away from Lin.

"I know you want to work hard here in New LA to make a life for you and Rock," Murderess began, her features subtly softening as she spoke. "Help Phog and me out and I'll follow through with my promise of sharing the knowledge of all rich Earth cuisine I can remember."

"Oh my!" Celica gasped, her eyes practically sparkling with joy. "This is so kind of you. You humans really are kindred spirits."

"Please don't mention it," Murderess grinned through her teeth. She wouldn't admit it aloud, but it did feel nice to help others out. Celica was such a sweet soul. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Celica gave an enthusiastic nod before joining her and Phog, leaving Lin to her lonesome self. She smiled upon reflecting upon the progress she had seen from all the teams. The truth be told, she was very eager to see the end results of this class competition.

"… Great, now what am I going to do for the remainder of the hour?" Lin huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she glanced all around the barracks. "It hasn't even been thirty minutes yet."

I hope I did alright with the development for each team. Some were funny, others possibly not as much. I guess it's all a matter of opinion.

Please review!