D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad

--- Kat ---

Kat finished off the quesadilla and gave it a few seconds extra thought. "Ok, formal verdict? The heat definitely adds something to it. I wouldn't call it flavour… and it's not really like… umami, savoury, sweet that sort of thing. It's an extra dimension to the dish. Which, I guess is probably there for everyone because ice cream is different to icing… it's not just a texture thing though.

It's almost like tasting the colour red? It's not quite that far though. It makes the dish… more.

"Though I also think it does diminish the other flavours a bit. Like… hmm… I don't want to say it's more intense because that's not quite right either. It's really hard to find the words for what this is. Which I guess makes sense because while they don't exist in English they probably exist in demonic now that I think about it.

So… yeah it certainly adds something to the dish but what that something is I can't properly explain,"

"How noticeable is it once you stop focusing on it?" asked Callisto.

Kat frowned at the quesadilla in front of her, really not hungry enough to have another one right now… "Do it for science," whispered Lily. Kat rolled her eyes at the whispering but after looking over at Callisto who shrugged and pulled a third complete, but uncooked quesadilla from the oven Kat decided to have a second and test it.

This time she tried not focusing on things… and the heat just sort of winked out. "Oh. Oh that's very weird," Kat took another bite this time focusing on the heat. It was almost a completely different taste. Kat tried again, intentionally not looking into it and got the same result as the first bite. "Oh this is extremely strange…"

"Well don't just say that," grumbled Lily. "Tell us what's going on! I'm in your head and I'm still not really getting the full picture,"

"It…" Kat paused to take one more bite, finishing off the slice of quesadilla "It's almost like there's a switch in my brain. I can just turn it on and off at will. It changes the taste of the dish in a pretty significant way… why… why do I even have that?"

"I can at least take a guess," said Callisto as she took the second quesadilla off the plate and then started to cook the third.

"Before that, why did you magically have an extra quesadilla prepared? Or if not magically prepared why hide that one?" asked Kat.

"A few reasons. The first, is that while it is in the oven the quesadilla is not going to attract flies. The second reason is that I was not completely sure if I was going to cook it right now, or freeze it to thaw and cook later. The final reason, is that it has become a habit to store things in the oven to save on bench space. I am unsure why.

It is not as though we are lacking in that department… if I had to say, I find it strange I picked the habit up," explained Callisto.

Callisto paused after her first explanation to pour herself a cup of water. After a few sips she moved onto her guess. "I believe that some demons evolved either additional sets of tastebuds, or simply different methods of tasting food. We know that Gluttony demons exist, and before I assumed that they wanted either excessive amounts of food, or intricately made food.

Now I wonder if what they want is food that caters to a whole set of… let us say 'tastebuds' just to keep things simple.

"The second option is that they want one dish that tastes distinctly different but still wonderful every bite as they cycle through modes of eating. I can imagine that being a monstrously difficult challenge but a potentially interesting one for high level chefs.

I am unsure if it is something I would ever be interested in, but it is something to think about, using hot and cold spots in a dish to change the 'texture'."

"Hmm… interesting…" mumbled Kat as she wondered how best to find out the truth of the mater. Well, that is until Lily prompted Kat mentally. [Kat. Stan isn't around anymore we can use D.E.M.O.N.S. This is surely common knowledge.]

*Oh yeah. System?*

User Kat and Bonded Lily are correct. Many demons possess alternative modes of taste. Additionally, Mortal Callisto is correct with both guesses. Some demons possess multiple sets of tastebuds while others possess a mental switch. There are further additional exotic methods of taste some demons possess, though there are arguments regarding if they constitute 'taste' and not something else.

"Huh… well there you go. Both of your guesses were correct Callisto," said Kat aloud for the older woman's benefit.

Callisto nodded and took the quesadilla off of the stovetop after turning it off and then leaving it in one piece on a plate. "I will ensure Sylvie is awake and ready for breakfast, one moment," said Callisto as she vanished upstairs.

Kat looked over at Lily. "So… you want some of this?" asked Kat as she poked at the quesadilla on the table.

"I will have some, it smells quite nice… but I'm going to wait for Sylvie," returned Lily.

Kat let out a long sigh, "Yes I expected that but I was going to start putting the slices on plates for everyone. Callisto can start with two, Sylvie one, and I was unsure if you wanted any, or how much you might want,"

"Oh. Right, woops," said Lily with a blush. "Um… I think I'll have… hmm… just the one then I guess,"

Kat nodded and got to work, using the knife that was still on the plate as well as one of the unused forks to dole out the quesadilla. "Drinks?" asked Kat as she worked.

"Um… I'll just have water I think," said Lily. Kat nodded and finished plating everything up before pulling out two glasses. She topped up the cup Callisto had been sipping from earlier, then filled Lily's glass, then one for herself before putting them all on the table and grabbing one extra glass for Sylvie.

It was not long after she finished that Callisto came downstairs with Sylvie walking shakily behind her. Kat had to raise an eyebrow at that. Sylvie was normally quite good when it came to going to bed on time but the younger girl looked like she was struggling to stay awake as she walked.

The fact that Sylvie stopped to yawn twice just on the stairs leant credence to the idea that she hadn't had a proper sleep.

Kat waited for the expected good morning… but instead of saying anything Sylvie just walked over and then hugged Kat's side… while slowly falling over. Kat quickly grabbed Sylvie and placed the smaller girl on her lap. Kat then had to prevent Sylvie from faceplanting on the table and that was when Kat decided something was wrong. "Sylvie are you ok?"

"Just… very tired," mumbled Sylvie. "Not sure why, just had a hard time going to sleep yesterday. I don't know why I am so tired," Sylvie stopped to yawn. "Still trying to wake up. I only got about six hours of sleep,"

Kat gave Sylvie a pat on the head while Callisto shifted the plate and cup set aside for Sylvie to Kat's seat. "Thanks," mumbled Sylvie.

Callisto nodded, "Indeed, thank you Kat for taking the time to serve out the quesadilla for everyone,"

"No problem," said Kat as she glanced at Callisto with a worried look on her face, trying to convey how concerned she was about Sylvie's state without saying anything out loud and letting Sylvie catch onto her worries. Callisto was of a same mind and gave the slightest shrug of her shoulders to show she didn't know what was going on.

"If you were awake late you could have come and visited me you know," said Callisto. "I was of course awake like usual, so if you needed my attention I would not have minded. Of course… that being said I do hope you were not staying up in an attempt to copy me,"

"No, that'd be silly. I know most people need sleep and you get to cheat your way out of it, but I also know that you've put in a lot of work to ensure that you do not have problems not sleeping. I would guess that you use your mental work to rest your body while using your maid work to rest your mind.

I think I'd be better off trying to work out how to make something that lets you operate on less sleep. Like coffee plus," mumbled Sylvie.

"I do believe that would be a major money maker if you could figure out the secret to something like that. It is not really my field but even without my own need for sleep it is a tempting project. The money would certainly make it worth it," said Callisto in a considering tone.

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com