It's still the Queen here. Now that Sabrina's fight with that pain-in-the-ass Asmodeus is over, I think we can go check on what the nun and the bear are up to. Looks like Ted is gonna teach Mary how to make one of his delicious dishes.
"Now that we done cleaned them fish — since they be lake fish, it's good to squeeze a bunch o' lemon juice on 'em to get rid o' that strong smell," the bear explained to the nun, giving tips on how to handle lake fish.
"While that's workin', we can start choppin' up the veggies," he went on. "First we gonna cut the onions. We cut 'em two ways: teeny-tiny little cubes and them round slices."
Ted and the nun started choppin'. Mary's eyes filled up with tears quick, but the bear was a seasoned cook — no puny onion was gonna make him cry.
"How do you cut onions without crying?" the nun asked.
"Beats me," the bear shrugged.
Once the onions were chopped, the bear moved on to the garlic.
"Garlic's easy. Jus' smash it flat with the side o' the knife and chop it real fine."
"Ugh, my hand's gonna smell awful," Mary whined.
"Just wash yer hands after. I know you done stuck that hand in worse places," Ted said, snorting.
With the garlic ready, it was chili time.
"Careful not to rub yer eyes," Ted warned.
"We gonna slice the bell peppers same as the onions," he said, and soon they had a big ol' bowl full o' red, green and yellow pepper rings.
"Now we just need to chop up the tomatoes and cilantro. Tomatoes go in slices, and the cilantro you can jus' tear with yer hands — let the leaves fall off the stalks." With Mary's help, all the veggies were prepped.
"Time to heat the pan. Gotta be a thick one — cast iron or stone works best — 'cause this dish needs to cook real slow on low heat. But we startin' it hot." The bear pulled a massive iron skillet from his magic bag and put it on the stove.
Once it was good and hot, he started cooking:
"We begin with dende oil. Gotta use real dende if you want it authentic," he said. "Now we throw in them cubed onions. Once they're nice and brown, we add the garlic."
The smell spread through the dungeon — even reached the Queen, who was already droolin.
"Now that the garlic and onions is refried, we add the tomato paste, chilies and spices. I'm just usin' paprika and coriander seed — I like it simple. Salt goes in now too."
With the base ready, he nodded to the nun.
"Time to lower the heat and start layerin' them veggies."
He started stackin: onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, more onions — layer by layer till the pot was full.
"Now we lay the fish steaks right on top."
The smell was so strong now, even Sabrina, the Prince, and the Sylph could smell it.
"Now we pour in the coconut milk," the bear said, covering the fish. "Put half the cilantro now, save the rest for the end. Then we cover the pot and let it cook."
The moqueca was nearly ready.
"I'll make some rice and fry up some bananas to go with it," said the bear.
"While you finish that, I'll make some drinks," Mary said.
She prepared classic margaritas — tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice — but added a secret ingredient: a few red lotus petals from that day they hunted slimes.
Soon, the food was ready, and the Queen couldn't hold back anymore. With a snap of her fingers, she brought everyone together.
"You could've done that from the start?" the Prince grumbled.
"Of course. But where's the fun in that?" the Queen replied.
"Mmm, that smells amazing," said the elf, ignoring the bickering. "Did you make moqueca, Ted?"
"Knew you'd like it, sweet pea," the bear said, grinning.
"How did you know I'd gather everyone to eat your moqueca, Ted?" asked the Queen.
"Just a hunch," he shrugged.
"I helped too! I made drinks to whet the appetite," Mary said, showing off her tray of margaritas.
"Don't drink that, sweet pea," the bear stopped the elf. "Take this one — I made one that ain't been 'blessed'."
"I'll take the non-blessed one too," Sabrina said, handing hers back.
"You're such a buzzkill, Ted," Mary huffed.
"Don't worry, Mary. Three people are still gonna drink your 'blessed' cocktail," the Queen said with a grin, handing one to the Prince.
Dinner went on, and they all shared stories. Sabrina didn't give details about meeting her brother — it wasn't time yet.
The meal ended, but for the Prince, the Queen, and Mary… the night was just getting started. Things were about to heat up once that red lotus kicked in.