The Adventure Continues

[abrightboy]

For thatsfascinating.



The villa Malcolm rented was in the Languedoc, not far from Marseilles, south of Avignon. It was a very historic region, though Malcolm was particularly not interested in visiting Marseilles again. There was a charming village nearby the villa and if they were going to go to an historic city for a day, he'd rather make the trip over to Montpellier, where he'd never been at all, much less with Dr Whitly.

The villa had six bedrooms. As the driver brought their luggage inside the bright and spacious main room, Malcolm handed him some folded Euros and thanked him and shut the door behind him.

"First choice of a room is yours," he told Edrisa with a smile. "But you might want to explore first."

Comments

[abrightboy]

When they got there, he helped her into a seat, then grinned at her and went to the fridge.

He took a bottle of white wine from the fridge and poured two glasses, setting one in front of her before returning to the fridge to retrieve the cheese board he'd ordered. It looked even better than he'd been expecting. He set it down with a flourish.

"Et, voila!"

[thatsfascinating]

She clapped her hands gleefully. "Très bien!" she said with a grin, her pronunciation getting a little better. "This looks wonderful!" She picked up her wine glass and sipped from it, then hummed. "That is so good."

[abrightboy]

He smiled broadly, pleased.

He picked up his own glass.

"What shall we drink to today?" he asked.

[thatsfascinating]

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, looking away, considering that. "How about..."

Then she smiled and shifted her gaze back to Malcolm, lifting her glass.

"To jumping in."

[abrightboy]

"Feet first," he agreed with a grin, tilting his glass against hers before drinking.

"Try the cheese," he said, leanin forward eagerly to see her reaction rather than to dig in.

[thatsfascinating]

She smiled as they clinked glasses and took a bigger sip, then set the glass down and rubbed her hands. "Okay! Where to start! Is this goat cheese?"

She picked up the knife and cut a circular slice from the log of cheese.

[abrightboy]

He nodded.

"Everything here pairs with this wine," he told her, tilting his head towards his glass.

[thatsfascinating]

"Mmm!" She took a careful bite of the cheese, chewing it slowly, savoring the taste. She swallowed and sipped some wine, letting the tastes mingle on her tongue. "Oh," she said after swallowing. "That is nice!"

[abrightboy]

He smiled happily and picked up a cream cracker, putting a thin piece of the goat cheese on it for himself to nibble at while he watched for her next choice.

[thatsfascinating]

"What's this one?" she asked, using the knife to cut a piece from a firmer cheese with a red rind.

[abrightboy]

"That's port salut, I think," he guessed. He cut a bit and tasted it. "Yes. Definitely."

[thatsfascinating]

She bit into her piece and chewed. "Mmm! Very nice!" She plucked a grape from a bunch and popped it into her mouth next.

"You're pretty well-versed in cheese."

[abrightboy]

He shrugged a shoulder and put his cracker down to help himself to a grape.

"I can stomach... most of them. In moderation."

[thatsfascinating]

"What's your favorite?" she asked, then took another sip of wine.

[abrightboy]

"...I guess jarlsburg. Oh! Or gruyere!" he considered it a further moment. "It's hard to choose; it has a lot to do with my mood."

[thatsfascinating]

"Mood cheese!" She giggled, reaching for another grape. "Does it change colors?"

[abrightboy]

"Imagine that, huh?" he replied with a laugh. "Try the brie; it's supposed to be double cream."

[thatsfascinating]

"Ooh!" She cut a piece, put it on a cracker, and took a bite. "Very good," she said, her mouth half full. She swallowed and chased it down with a sip of wine. "It's really interesting...there is something in the flavor that both the wine and the cheese share. I can't quite put my finger on it..."

[abrightboy]

"It's the complementary sweetness in both," he told her. "And the acidity cuts the creaminess."

[thatsfascinating]

"Mmm..." She shook her head, gesturing toward her mouth. "No, it's not that. I mean, yes, but not just that." She considered for a moment. "These were both made here, right?"

[abrightboy]

He nodded, leaning forward, eager to hear her thoughts.

[thatsfascinating]

"It could be the water. Oh!" She pointed at him. "Or the yeast! If they both use the local wild yeast they could take on similar flavors."

[abrightboy]

"Very scientific; I could subscribe to that," Malcolm remarked. He loved it when she got scientific. He had a real love for the hard sciences as a child, when his father would teach him about anatomy and chemistry, but he drifted away from it after the Surgeon's arrest. With her, he could find joy in it again.

[thatsfascinating]

She smiled proudly and plucked another grape, popping it in her mouth. She loved that he liked her geekiness. Particularly her brand of geeky.

"What should I try next?"

[abrightboy]

He pushed his hair behind his ear absently as he leaned over to survey the cheeseboard.

He pointed at one that looked a little bit like the brie. "Try this one; I think it's reblochon."