August is a month for Prompts #1

1. 
   
   
   8/1: Spinach 

Prior to the tyrannical drill sergeant, Tonja Storm becoming the quartermaster of the Hummingbirds, dinner time onboard the Perfidious Nest was sporadic and everyone fended for themselves. Nowadays, when the dinner bell rings everyone better be present. 

For all the fighting she does, Tonja struggles daily in the kitchen. Her natural maternal instincts fail her when the time comes to prepare a meal. If it weren’t for Turner, her largest and oldest Storm Child’s knack for the culinary arts they’d be stuck with...

The oven bell chimes and Tonja excitedly scurries over to it with her apron tied over her black spandex training outfit. She opened the ovens door and it belched a plume of thick black smoke. The smell of burnt meat permeates the air as she waves away the lingering cloud. 

The sound of the vents opening and gently sucking out the fumes made the kitchen bearable again. Tonja’s jaw clenched and her arrow eyes started to glow red, a malicious aura began to rise from her feet and stopped the moment she heard the door slide open. She whipped around to see Belinda and Molly, “Dinner isn’t ready yet.”

“I hope not.”

“Ew, what’s that smell?” Belinda asked.

Molly inclined her head slightly and took a whiff,  she held her nose as if it were affronted by the stench, “It seems to be a burned carcass. I’m not sure what it was.”

“It was supposed to be meatloaf,” Tonja sighed.

“Where’s Turner?” 

Tonja sighed heavily and in a very uncharacteristic way she started to whine, 

“He went on a mission with Bova and Hudson. Now I’m stuck making dinner and I’m awful at it.”

“No worries,” Belinda said, “Look what I got?”

She reached into her cloak and pulled out a large can. Molly looked up and Tonja looked down meeting each others gaze in the middle.

“What’s Spinoch?” They asked in unison, their Hymnia accents thick and on display.

Belinda started to giggle, “It’s called spinach ladies and it is my absolute favorite!”

“You want me to make it?”

“It’s unwise to heat an enclosed metal capsule in the oven,” Molly warned.

Belinda shook her head, she lifted the tab and cracked open the lid. She took a big whiff and sighed with delight then offered it to Tonja and Molly.

They looked in the can and back at one another. The mushy green substance that sloshed back and forth in the can didn’t appear edible, however it’s sweet pungent aroma caused their faces to turn green. 

They turned away as the door slid open and Captain Mine appeared with Gunther on his shoulder. The two of them sniffed the air fondly, sighed and were carried by the scent to Belinda’s side. The three of them salivated over its contents. 

“Creamed spinach,” Captain Mine said and took another huge whiff.

“Aye, me thinks this’ll be the best dinner yet.”

Tonja and Molly couldn’t believe the delight that appeared on Captain Mine, Belinda, and Gunther’s faces. She couldn’t understand the the fascination with the seaweed like substance in the metal can. When Mine produced spoons she wanted to stop them.

“I thin-“ Mine shoved a spoonful in her mouth and before she could finish her statement. 

Her eyes clenched shut as the gooey, slimy texture of the spinach filled her mouth. It was unsettling at first but the taste...it was tangy, acidic, and strangely sweet. Her eyes widened as her tastebuds rejoiced. 

She looked to Molly who was also force fed a spoonful of creamed spinach. She clearly enjoyed it as much as Tonja had. That night, the dinner bell never rang and as the rest of crew grew hungry they made their way to the kitchen where they found Captain Mine, Gunther, Belinda, Molly, and Tonja fast asleep in the kitchen.

“What happened in here?”

Ryder picked up the can and started to laugh, “They ate Bova’s Sleeping Spinach.”

Gilda shook her head, “Belinda must have stolen it from his lab.”

“He keeps telling her that nothing in his lab is edible,” Ryder said.

“Should we let them sleep?” Gilda asked.

“I’m hungry though,” Kyan said.

“Good luck getting into the fridge,” Saddensen said pointing in its direction.

Tonja installed a training mechanism that is ten times harder than their usual sessions. 

She said, “Midnight snacks are for the weak. In order to eat you gotta earn it.”

None of the Hummingbirds wanted to take on Tonja’s mechanisms, instead they left one by one with empty stomachs. Their Captain snored quietly with his head hanging off the table, Molly’s head on his chest, Belinda draped over a chair, and Tonja shadow boxing in her sleep in front of the fridge daring anyone to approach.