Modern Kitchen

Hiro suggested that Cassie talk with Stenilaw Mystol and Frausig Tlink, a couple from New Earth who had actually lived during the desired time period. He pointed out the house the couple shared. "I assure you that they are quite helpful. I must be getting back to my own home. I need to practice my sword skills."

Cassie began to protest, but then realized that she had monopolized quite of bit of Hiro's time already. "Thank you for all your help. I hope to see you around."

"I'm sure we will meet again. I'm looking forward to it," and with that, Hiro turned away and was gone from sight within two seconds.

Cassie felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and could hear Dorothy's complaint, "People come and go so quickly here," ringing inside her own head.

Cassie gathered her courage together and walked up to an imposing façade and looked for something like a doorbell. She found nothing and simply knocked.

A rather pudgy man answered the door, "Yes?"

"Hello, I'm Cassie. My Boss seems to have abandoned me here and I am looking … well, I'm trying … actually I'm hoping to get settled in. I have recently designed my home, but heard that your kitchen might give me some inspiration in setting up my own."

The man said, "Hello, I'm Frausig Tlink, but please call Frau. I'd be happy to show you the kitchen, but I'm not sure why you would find it at all interesting." He then shouted into the interior of the house, "Sten, we have company." He escorted Cassie into the house and back through a hall to the very small kitchen.

Cassie looked around in wonder. There was a small stand with a machine no larger than a microwave and a round table with four chairs. There was nothing else. Nothing else at all. Cassie looked around. "Is this the dining room?"

"The what? You asked to see the kitchen. This is it. Was there something else you wanted to see?" asked Frau who hoped sincerely that his wife would soon appear. Apparently this woman was a lunatic.

"Hello, I'm Sten," the voice came from behind Cassie. She turned and looked at an absolutely stunning woman. She was beautiful and had a friendly, open face.

Cassie held out her hand to shake, "Hi, I'm Cassie. Watanaba Hiro suggested that I get some ideas about a kitchen from you."

Sten stopped her hand halfway to the shake, "Watanaba Hiro?" She looked over at her husband and Frau's frown was bordering on angry. "You are a friend of Hiro's?"

Cassie looked between the two angry faces and paused. Why had Hiro sent her here when these people clearly didn't like him? She wished she hadn't used his name, but he was the only person outside the bar she had met so far. Well, except these two who were now going to hate her.

"I met him in the park and he has been showing me some of the ropes here," she finally confessed. "He suggested that your kitchen was remarkable and that I might find some ideas for my own kitchen," she limped on helplessly.

"I see," said Sten.

"Well, this is it," said Frau.

"Where are the appliances? Where do you store your food? Where do you cook it or clean up? I don't understand at all. It looks like a dining room," Cassie realized she was almost whining.

"Everything is right there. The food comes from that," said Sten pointing to the small microwave looking thing. "You enter a recipe and the food comes out in serving sized portions. What were you expecting?"

Cassie really had no idea what she was expecting. She was torn between her curiosity about the food machine and her concern over why this couple apparently didn't like Hiro. Discretion being the better part of valor, she asked for a demonstration of the food machine.