Surviving The Jungle

1st Request: N v E Cook-off!

A/N: I am attempting a more professional writing format, and I apologize if this chapter is sloppy or difficult to read. If it is incomprehensible, please let me know via comment or pm.

     XenoBudgie excitedly tucks her phone away in her pocket and jumps to her feet.
     "Oh my Gallifrey! This dare is going to be epic!"
     Nahkt asks, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad would you rate it?"
     XB smirks evilly. "Oh, don't worry, it's not that bad. You'll survive."
     "What is it then?" chimes Eden.
     Xeno claps her hands together and giggles like a little girl. She is apparently enthused for this next dare.
     "You two are challenged to compete in a cook-off against each other! The dare is by OkashidesuOtaku"
     Nahkt face-palms and exclaims, "A cook-off?! All I can do is prepare water! And the Okapi doesn't count!.. Hmm, guess I won't be able to participate then. What a shame..."
    Budgie replies, "Don't worry! I found a recipe on Food.com! You two are going to make cheesecake!"

     Eden nudges his arm and frowns. She bats her eyes at him and pleads,
     "C'mon, Nahkty. This'll be fun! Let's do it!"
     "Alright, just this once," sighs Nahkt.
She smiled at him. "See? It's not that bad! It'll all be worth it!"
     Several moments of silence fall on the room.
     Eden questions, "How are we going to make anything? It's not like we have a kitchen available."
     "Ah, there is a solution to that problem," answers XB. "Both of you, get up. I know exactly what to do."

     They leave the sitting area and enter a long hallway. After passing several rooms, Xeno opens a door to reveal a large kitchen. There are ovens, cutting tables, electric mixers, and measurements of the necessary ingredients.
     Eden inquires, "XB, how did you manage to cause two culinary stations to appear out of thin air?"
     "Because I'm the author, and anything I say is law."
     Nahkt intervenes, "So, what exactly are we supposed to be doing? I have no idea how I'm going to make this 'cheesecake'."
     Eden agrees, "Yeah, I've never made it before either."
     Budgie hands them a step-by-step recipe to follow.
     She chirps, "All the directions are here on the paper. It's easy!"
     Nahkt mutters, "What could possibly go wrong?"
     He and Eden report to their side-by-side stations and wait for further instructions. Before they get started, Xeno hands them each an apron.
Eden ties it around her waist and asks, "Why are you making us wear these? I don't see a point."
XB responds, "Because professionals wear them. *wink*wink*"
Nahkt fastens the apron around himself and turns around. At the sight of him, Eden sputters and bursts out laughing- for good reason. His garment is covered in red lipstick prints and reads: Kiss the Cook.
He growls, "Somehow, I know you're trying to make fun of me... I can hear you smiling..."
     Budgie exclaims, "You two each have an hour and 25 minutes to complete the task. Your time starts...now!"

     They both scan the recipes quickly before scrambling to the ingredients. Eden is crushing a pack of graham crackers together with butter and sugar. She lines the edges of a springform pan with the crumbly mixture. Nahkt is eyeing her closely and copying what she is doing.
     Eden catches Nahkt cheating off of her. She scowls at him and pushes the cheesecake out of view.
     "Stop peeking! All you have do is follow the paper!"
     He answers, "Why're you complaining? You're the one who forced me into this ridiculousness in the first place!"
    Eden glared at him. "And what's so bad about that? You're just cooking."
     "Hey, I've been trained for the hunt and fierce combat ever since the time before I could walk. This dare is making me look like a-a wimp!" states Nahkt.
     "A wimp wouldn't risk their neck to save me from many dangers across multiple occasions. C'mon, I know you're no wuss. This is just for fun!" beckons Eden.
     Nahkt rolled his eyes. "Fun? Well I'm definitely not having a good time."
     With a devilish tone, she answers, "Huh, I guess I've finally found something that I'm better at than you! I am the cooking champion!"
     Nahkt perks up at her statement. Knowing how he hates to lose, Eden knows that he can't resist being beaten in a competition.
     He replies, "No, you're not the champion. This challenge isn't over! I will beat you! I will be the cooking boss!"
     "Prove it," she taunts.
     Her lover flashes a toothy smirk. "You have yourself a challenge. Prepare to be destroyed!"
     Nahkt whips around and begins combining the ingredients together for the filling. He hastily throws the different components into the mixing bowl and starts to blend them together. Eden is doing the same, however, she is being more patient with the recipe. She knows well that slow and steady wins the race.