[open] come along for food

[isaz]

Who: Boreas and you!
Where: Kitchen
When: Lunchtime, early part of sick week 1
Rating: Nothing spicy here except food, maybe
What: Grumpy dragon dad cooks.

From: Wintersmith

I am roasting something I hunted.

Tell me something about your home and I will give you a piece.

[ True to his message, Boreas can be found inside the Temple's rudimentary kitchen. He's cleared out a decent amount of space next to the oven, the carcass of a deer-pigeon fusion animal on the counter with half of the meat sliced off. A rich smell emanates from the brick oven where several cuts of meat are currently cooking - not-quite buttery, carrying notes of spice and zest.

He'll be cooking slices of the deerpigeon as people come, plating them when the juices have completely soaked in. The meat is a bit tough, which he has tried to remedy by cutting slits in the meat in hopes that the residual fat would soften the muscle. What might stand out to others is the manner that it has been seasoned with - the meat is rubbed with butter and some oil to make up for the leanness of the meat, but there is also noticeable amounts of berry paste stuffed into the steak. The texture of the paste is much like pesto, along with how little it has been added, clearly evident that it is meant to serve as seasoning. If one licks a bit of the paste, they'll find that it's the source of the spiciness. It's a strange sort of flavour, but not entirely unpleasant - just unique. Mixed in with the paste are bits of something hard, possibly seeds. Biting them stings, like peppercorns.

Adults may be offered a glass of wine if they look like they need one. Otherwise, feel free to hang out in the kitchen while he cooks his kill. Ask questions, chat with each other, tell him stories while the temple flu isn't too intense.

Occasionally one might see him with his horns replaced by bunny ears. There's probably a reason to it but he's not telling you ]

[ ooc: feel free to tag each other as well! he'll just be around cooking until the meat runs out. if anyone has taste preferences he can try to accommodate them. if you'd like to do wildcards I'm game. hit me up on plurk or via pm ♥ ]

Comments

[p_mortem]

I'm not asking if you get sick easily. I'm asking if you're sick.

[ Give him a straight answer and don't make him work at figuring out implications, please...

Most people would say that they're pretty robust, but this disease is so widespread, maybe that doesn't matter, maybe it's just really virulent and everybody's susceptible. There's good in keeping fed and hydrated when you're sick, but so is rest. When you're sick, you let your body rest. Shut off all the unnecessary bodily functions and focus all your resources into the immune system, or something like that. The body is smart; it'll work things out. ]

[isaz]

I'm not.

[ Isn't it obvious?

Okay, maybe it isn't. ]

I wouldn't cook if I was.

[ Maybe his overconfidence in his own constitution will kick him in the ass one day, but that day is not today. ]

[p_mortem]

[ Mr. Curry Guy over there thought it was a good idea to cook while he's sitting there with a mountain of blankets draped over his shoulders, so Minato didn't know what to expect. But he's not here to lecture Boreas about how he'll catch the sickness if he hasn't already, standing around in a room full of other ill people, so he shrugs, leaning back in his seat so that it just starts to tip on the back two legs but doesn't quite topple. ]

That's good to hear... Were you hunting out in the forest? What's it like out there?

[isaz]

[ Clearly Boreas should go and give Mr. Curry Guy a lecture on the danger of animalcules and how he should not be spreading them around... maybe. ]

I was. The forest is dense in some parts, and the animals in it move swiftly. I came from a mountainous region, so it was difficult; but I managed.

[ He's not about to brag about a task that was indeed challenging to him. He was injured fighting the deerpigeon, but he took care of it before cooking. ]

[p_mortem]

[ He should, because Mr. Curry Guy isn't listening to Minato who thinks he should stay in bed— everybody should just stay in bed; a 72 hour nap is what always cured Minato's colds, not medicine or food.

Whether it's a forest or the mountains, though, it's hard for Minato imagine what it's like, hunting things because you need to, rather than because they're trying to kill you. He doubts he'll be able to do it, even if he had all the destructive power of his Personas back. ]

That's... also actually good to hear. That the animals can still run. It means they're not as sick as we are, or the plants around here.

[ Then again, the thought is that the illness is spreading, with them as the cause and at the center, and it'll only be a matter of time until the animals will die off too, or be too sick to be eaten. ]

[isaz]

[ Sleep is good. ]

I am worried. [ He admits this openly, because worrying about those things is a wise thing to do and not something about personal attachment. ] If I had my magic, I might be able to get more clues about the sickness.

[ But he doesn't. ]

Do you know anything about it?

[p_mortem]

[ Minato shakes his head. It looked like the sickness was already taking hold when he first arrived, and it's since only progressed while people concentrated on alleviating the symptoms with little to no luck in figuring out the cause. Sickness is just like that, isn't it? A bacteria or virus, and if you don't know how to cure it, you just throw all the medicine you have at it and hope something in the broad spectrum coverage works.

He might not know anything about the sickness itself, but as for the cure— ]

There was a boy— ...um... [ Minato realizes never got his name. ] White hair, long ears... if he's around, I'll point him out. But he was making a sort of medicine he thinks will work. The problem is making it palatable enough so people don't automatically throw it up again.

[isaz]

[ There's a moment as his eyes narrow a little, but that's just in thought. ]

I'll keep an eye out for him.

[ Palatability, though... ]

I don't suppose this place has enough sugar to go around, does it. [ Said as a statement, rather than a question. ] I'll give it some thought.

[p_mortem]

[ Minato wrinkles his nose at that, because sugar was the first thing the boy— Alphinaud, he might learn is his name later— had thought of, to try to cover up the bitterness, and Minato had agreed to taste test various concoctions for him.

Needless to say, none of them worked well enough that they're distributing cures already. ]

It's really bitter... Sugar doesn't mask it, and just gives it a sickly sweet aftertaste. It's probably even worse than the bitter, I think.

[isaz]

[ He can almost hear the gravelly voice of Bahamut in his head, in his usual slightly dry tone that passes for amusement, then cut out the boy's tongue. Of course, the elder wyrm isn't here. It would be a lie to say that he didn't miss Bahamut's counsel; but he is ultimately a dragon, and dragons have very different priorities from mortals.

The Krytheians had their theory about taste, but he's never really studied it. It wasn't important. ]

Goodness. Well, I suppose I can't contribute much unless I get a hold of himself.

[ He folds his arms. ]

What's your name?

[p_mortem]

[ Thanks for ignoring that potential inner voice, because if Minato had to die, he'd rather it be from this sickness than from getting rid of his tongue. How would he be able to taste Akira's curry again? No, it's impossible, they'll have to find a different solution. ]

Arisato. [ He throws his name out there as an aside, never really caring for introductions, and moves along with the conversation instead. ]

I've got an idea in reserve if he can't figure out how to mask the taste, so I want him to try first.

[ But if Boreas can make it work, all the power to him, and he hopes it works out. ]

[isaz]

[ It's a bit hard to tell when Bahamut is joking and when he is not. Dragons are really weird. The old ones are also kind of assholes. ]

You can call me the Wintersmith.

[ Maybe he should've given his actual name, but it seems... oddly hollow. ]

We'll see how it goes.

[ He can't possibly be everywhere, but it's something for him to do. Just not immediately. ]

[p_mortem]

[ A title seems a little more hollow than a name, to Minato. It tells him a lot— not that he understands exactly what, but he can infer something about winter, of ice and cold and quiet, and something about building.

A name, though, is more personal. It tells him nothing, but it's personal. ]

The Wintersmith. Is that a job?

[isaz]

[ Is it a job if you can't quit? ]

No. That's who I am.

[ He's not secure enough to give his name yet. It still lies in his memory, vivid yet faded, in the same way that one would remember a well-loved childhood toy. ]

[p_mortem]

[ It's a job if you do work, I don't know. Minato doesn't know either, although he looks somewhat confused that it's not a title like he thought, but just... who he is... ]

Oh. Okay. Do you prefer "the" in front of "Wintersmith" or no?

[ He'll just go with it ]

[isaz]

[ It's complicated. Maybe he'll come clean to Minato someday; but not today. ]

Either is fine. I've had people use both types.

[ Variants on grammar and all. ]

[p_mortem]

[ That makes it easy on Minato, who won't have to remember one way or another, so he's grateful for that. ]

Alright, that works.

[ There's a finality to that, but Minato looks around the kitchen, to where where the meat has been plated and enjoyed by so many of the people here. ]

Actually... Do you have any meat that hasn't been seasoned yet?

[isaz]

I do.

[ Is he going to try to cook? Boreas supposes he'll have to keep an eye on this Arisato boy if he does. ]

I'll cut some for you if you want to use it.

[ There's a chuck that he's left on the table just in case someone wants an unseasoned cut within the next fifteen minutes. But if not, there's other parts of the deerpigeon that they can use ]

[p_mortem]

That'd be great. It doesn't have to be a lot— Koromaru's not a very big dog.

[ Rather than trying to cook something himself, he was hoping to get something for Koromaru. Do dogs eat raw or cooked meat? He doesn't know, but he supposes he'll find some sort of happy medium— semi-rare, rather— and hope for the best.

So it doesn't have to be a very big piece, or even a good cut of meat. Just whatever's left over that's too hard to pick off the bones. ]

[isaz]

You have a dog?

[ — is what comes to mind first. Dogs... he's heard of them, animals as companions. Though they were mostly companions for people living in other regions. He knows a little but not much. ]

What sort of dog?

[p_mortem]

Mm. A shiba inu.

[ ...Although, if Boreas isn't familiar with dogs, maybe knowing the breed name doesn't help at all. ]

He's not really my dog. He's... a dog. Who's here with me.

[ He wishes he could explain it in better terms than the fact that calling Koromaru his "pet" feels wrong, because he's not a pet. He's so much more than one. ]

[isaz]

[ He doesn't quite see the difference, but perhaps Minato had taken pity on the dog and took care of it. It would be cruel to let an innocent animal starve, too. ]

In my world, the hunting dogs were usually fed parts of a hunter's kill as reward for their help. I don't know if that's what your dog likes, though...

[p_mortem]

He's not too picky, I think...

[ There's always a hard limit, of course, like burnt food nobody else would want to eat either, but Koromaru's been living on the streets for a while since he found a home in the dorms, so he must have had to live off whatever people could spare. ]

Senpai would cook him something like hamburger, when he was there. I fed him takoyaki sometimes.

[ Minato is an irresponsible pet owner, probably, but at least he can say that Koromaru liked takoyaki? ]

[isaz]

[ Maybe it's for the better that he doesn't know what takoyaki is or he might have scolded Minato for such things. ]

Well, cooked meat is a first. Then maybe some grains for nutrition. I wouldn't prepare him things with too many condiments, something light is easier to digest for their systems.

[ Cooking meat helps to make sure that whatever animalcules inside are killed, too. ]

I can help you make food for him if you need.

[p_mortem]

[ Somebody needs to scold him, because he never really thought about dog stomachs being something delicate, when Koromaru's been happily eating what he does and Minato used to live off nothing but ramen and burgers or wherever his friends wanted to eat out that day. ]

Thanks. I kind of want to learn how to cook for him myself, so I don't burden others so much. But it would be helpful if you ever have spare meat.

[ Cooking sounds feasible. Hunting is something he sort of wavers on— hacking apart Shadows is one thing, but Shadows don't bleed. ]