Avery/GM: Hello and welcome to a very special interlude episode where we take a peek back at Bruce's past to see just where the heck that blender came from. And has Bruce been a spy the whole time, or was it just sheer luck? Enjoy.

Bruce, we go back to your graduation day from Chef school. do you recall what your teacher's name was? I know I had it written down somewhere.

Caden/Bruce: Oh, you did have it written down and I do not have it on me

Avery/GM: right now. That's okay. I'll look it up real quick. Viage

Caden/Bruce: Viage! I was gonna say I knew it started with a V.

Avery/GM: Yeah. So what does Viage’s graduation ceremony look like for, for, for her school.

Caden/Bruce: it's a large affair. Being a chef school, I imagine there's a big buffet on one of the side halls, and then in classic graduation style, there's like rows of chairs where those who are graduating will sit. And then behind them there's rows for if they have family member and such like that.

And then on the main stage itself is like a few, like more thinner, longer like metal cooking tables for people to like, walk alongside to get their diplomas and such.

Avery/GM: Very good. So this ceremony kind of goes off without a hitch. There's, you know, everyone's name is read. They are also accompanied with like a slideshow up on like a display of like some of their best dishes that they've made.

So some people, you know, have these, you know, very elaborate cakes that they've made, or some very fancy steak and vegetable plates that they've put together. When Bruce's name gets called, what dish is showcased?

Caden/Bruce: So the dish that showcased is what it looks like… It looks like a cake, but it's not. It looks like it has it, it's circular and it has many different layers.

But each layer is like, the bottom layer is some rice. The next layer is some shrimp. The layer on top of that is like some avocado sauce layer on top of that is, is something that looks crispy, but we don't know really what it is, But Bruce Wood, and then like it, it's just a stack of what looks absolutely delicious, but savory.

Avery/GM: Oh excellent! Yeah. You know, one of the things that Bruce notices, it's kind of hard not to notice, is that when everyone else got their name called, there were cheers from certain sections of the crowd, you know, family members, you know, rooting and, and hollering for people. Bruce being a loner didn't really have anyone in the crowd for him.

How does that, kind of reflecting on that, how does, how does that make Bruce feel?

Caden/Bruce: I think it was something that Bruce expected. It was something that, it's the kind of thing where it's just. He knew no one was gonna really come to this. So he was kind of expecting that. I don't know if he was expecting such loud applauses for other people, and that might have caught him by surprise, but he's proud of what he did, so.

Avery/GM: Good. Good. So yeah, so after the initial ceremony, the, the families and the people who, the, the classmates of yours all kind of go off to do their own thing with their own groups of people and deciding to spend one last evening in the kitchen of your school, Bruce decides to make himself just a nice comfort food before saying goodbye to this space for the last time.

What, what does Bruce make?

Caden/Bruce: I think Bruce is going to make a sort of mac and cheese, but instead of bacon, it has dried flies in it and it's just, it smells really good. He's like putting in cheddar cheese and another type of cheese, like he's, he's going all out.

Avery/GM: Oh, very good. Very. As you are preparing this dish, you are g grating some of this cheese. When you hear footsteps entering the kitchen and you hear Viage's voice and she calls from behind you and just like you, you know when, when people graduate, you don't, you don't have to cook here anymore if you don't want to.

Caden/Bruce: I realized I just figured one more meal before I hit the road so to say. Would you like a bowl?

Avery/GM: She sees the flies on the counter, like next to, to where you're gonna, you know, put them in towards the end. And she's like sure. Just hold, hold the flies on mine.

Caden/Bruce: Bruce will nod and smile and be like, you really don't know what you're missing out on. It does add a crunch.

Avery/GM: She smiles and says, ah, what the heck? Okay, I'll, I'll try, I'll try it one time in honor of your graduation.

Caden/Bruce: Bruce is beaming and he like adds in the flies with his tail.

Avery/GM: Yeah. And you finish making this mac and cheese doesn't take too long. And the two of you sit down at this table in here and she's like, you know, I'm, I'm really glad you stuck around despite Chef Jamie's behavior towards you. I know that probably wasn't easy to, to deal with.

Caden/Bruce: No, but you know. There's gonna be chefs like Jamie out there in the real world. So it's good practice dealing with them here as well

Avery/GM: Hmm. Yeah. I, I suppose so. By the way, this is really good with flies. Actually, I, I think I might try this again sometime. Did you use Brie in this?

Caden/Bruce: I did. Yes. And once you try it with flies, you never go back. It's it's a good crunch.

Avery/GM: Hmm. Yeah. You're, you're telling me. Bruce, you are a very talented chef. You know, I know that you're probably gonna spend a lot more of your time traveling like you, you did before you got here. So I, I got you a present and she lifts this box that is beautifully wrapped in like this silver wrapping paper and has a nice, bright red bow on it. She says, I, I, I don't know where your travels will, will take you, but I have a feeling that you're gonna need this. And she pushes it across the table.

Caden/Bruce: Bruce's eyes, if possible, go even bigger and he takes the box and he looks at her and goes, are you sure? I didn't get anything for you.

Avery/GM: Oh well first of all, you, you prepared this lovely meal and let me share it with you. But also no, it's customary that people graduating. You know, a a, a trade school like this or a college receive a gift from family members or,

or loved ones of some kind and Well, I, I know no one really showed up for you today, so I figured I could, I could be your gift giver. You know?

Caden/Bruce: I thank, thank you. Thank you. And Bruce will go ahead and start unwrapping the box.

Avery/GM: Yeah. You unwrap it and it is this beautiful. Top of the line model blender that you've probably seen in stores or in like a, a hollow catalog of different kitchen gear and, and appliances and whatnot for, you know, I I, if you ever intended on settling down to start a restaurant or something, you know, you were looking at different things to buy.

Avery/GM: And she says, now this blender is actually very special. It. Just a blender and she kind of motions for you to hand it over to her. And she, she takes it and she twists off the bottom of the blender and pulls out this little radio looking device. She says, I want you to keep this blender with, with you all the time, wherever, whatever ship you're on, whatever you know, hotel you're staying in, keep it there and keep this radio with you.

Avery/GM: If you're ever in any trouble, just hopefully you'll have someone around. Some people nearby that you can call and they'll be able to hear it from this, this blender. And she speaks into the walk to the radio device and you hear her voice come out of the blender and she says, also it makes a really good smoothie. Like I, I don't know. It, it blends the, the berries like so perfectly. So it's, it's kind of a twofer really.

Caden/Bruce: I mean, you can never go wrong with a good blender.

Avery/GM: Yeah. Well, I just, I, I, I just really wanted you to have this you're, I'm not supposed to say this, but you're one of my favorite students.

Caden/Bruce: Well, thank you. You are one of my favorite teachers.

Avery/GM: Well, I'm gonna take this bowl and head back to my room, but just make, make, make sure you clean up the, the dishes when you're done. I, you know that, that'd be kind of rude if you left a mess of dishes on your last day.

Caden/Bruce: Bruce laughs and smiles and it's just like, have I ever left a mess?

Avery/GM: Nah, I know better than that. Take care of yourself, Bruce. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Okay?

Caden/Bruce: Thank you. I will try not to.

Avery/GM: And she walks out of the room, and that was the last time you saw your teacher Viage. And the first day that you had your emergency escape blender… your emergency communications blender,

Caden/Bruce: the Comet Crusher 2.0.

Avery/GM: Yeah.