Big Meals, Big Dreams [Open: Micah, Sin, Nex, Malon, Ciel, Ariadne]

[El]

Well, this was irritating.

Fighting the urge to click her tongue in displeasure, Ciel instead bit down upon it, the subtle grind of her jaw pursing her lips. Worse than scoffing at her intrusion, the decrepit Zora didn't even acknowledge it - acknowledge her!  A quiet rage bubbled up within her as she watched the insolent stranger continue his examination, relinquishing the feathered fool only when he was satisfied with his own conclusion. Ha! It wasn't often she was snubbed so callously, nor so openly! What had her slap even been to him - a mere fleeting breeze?!

...But his statement was a mildly-curious one: 'like someone he knew'? CiCi's brow puckered, the delicate pinch above her nose only deepening when Malon raised the very valid argument that some people were just genuinely poor-sighted. The Lyre shot her a cocky, assuring wink then, but the Beaumont merely glowered in response. Her displeasure twitched to a greater height when Serana interjected her own quip on the matter.

Enough.

She was bored of this.

If her companionship and extended aid were so unnecessary, she would make no further fool of herself. This tightly-knitted circle of friends - with its excited bustle and familiar exchange of food and teases - was making her stomach churn with something nasty and green. She didn't like it. Not one bit. Even that bumbling teddybear of a Goron had gravitated towards the returning duo, prompt in offering his assistance there also.

Well, whatever. Wasn't like she actually NEEDED his help or anything.

Promptly spinning on her heel, Ciel popped open her blouse's top button and pulled loose her cravat as she sighed away the last of her regard. A spare blasé finger haphazardly spun her departure message, its neat cursive persistently elegant despite her careless neglect. Its font was large enough for anyone to read it if they wished, and angled towards no-one in particular:

I'm going shopping.

The punctuating full-stop was especially-... large. One hard, snappy jab of her finger closing the sentence before she strode right on through it before the illusive glitter and shine could even begin to settle. Yet as she brushed aside a trailing flick of ringlets on her way away from here, her apathetic glare abruptly landed on that scaly sand-puppy.

He was observing her - waiting - as if she'd blown a whistle and failed to follow-up with a command. The sight of it softened her somewhat, the bristling prickles of her heart stilling for a beat. In a split-second impulsive decision she smiled and beckoned Sinnie to follow her with the motion of a hand.

-----

Ciel had headed immediately towards High Spirits Produce.

As expected the remaining contents of the store were... rather dismal in their quantity, but at the very least she felt assured about their quality: proud as the Sheikah were about their agricultural achievements. Predictably a lot of what she assumed were local cuisine staples (such as rice and carrots), had nothing upon their shelves but barren spaces where they once sat and a lone pricing sign to mark the void and its errant crumb of grain or shrivelling leaf. It was of no matter though: it wasn't as if Ciel was aiming to feed the entire village.

With thoughtful, silent steps the Beaumont stalked the aisles, a glitter to her golden gaze and a contemplative curl of a hand about her chin. The elderly lady at the counter - with her amiable dimples and drooping doe eyes - had offered her assistance, but Ciel had brushed her off with a sweet smile. While the gesture was appreciated it'd be too much work to explain her ideas.

Eventually - curiously - she found herself at a standstill before a corner collection of alchemical ingredients. Chuchu Jelly. Yes. Yes, that'd do nicely! Mischief and budding excitement made her teeth gleam.

If Sin had indeed followed her, Ciel would then quickly proceed to pile his arms high with all manner of ingredients: goat butter, ample amounts of cane sugar, the last bag of rice flour, a variety of small jarred spices and dried flowers, and copious quantities of chuchu jelly. Oh, and one massive chunk of paper-wrapped prime meat, which she grabbed as a last second thought when she spied what she suspected was a trickle of hungry salivation from his toothy maws.

[Rex Draco]

Nex paid no heed to Ciel's attempt to defend the bird. It wasn't as if he was going to eat the boy. He wasn't carnivorous. He took pleasure in the odd fish and occasional bit of chicken, but he much preferred his sweet treats and bony bites. His hand slipped from the bird's feathery face, slipping back onto his lap as he settled back in his seat. The edge of the table served as a backrest while his nearby pack of books and supplies provided him with a footrest. New faces soon approached the group, but Nex was not directly spoken to, so the Zora did not bother to offer his name in between the scattered introductions.

"Spice is good for the body." The old oscar murmured. "It purges poisons from the flesh and makes the dullest foods edible." Though he wasn't so sure about how put together the ruddy remora was, that he was unable to stoke the flames of such a tame treat.

He shifted his cerulean gaze towards the mute woman. Her silent fuming was much louder than she would have thought. The Zora needed few words to get his misgivings across to watching how she flailed, pouted her cheeks, even the way she seemed to adjust her stance were all true and clear signs of her irritation. He was rather amused. Did she think the boy hers? He tucked his forefinger to his chin, the webbed digits splaying slightly. Perhaps he should tease her?

He dared not allow the winding smirk curl against his lips, maintaining his stoic expression for however long he could take it. "Has she not noticed?" he pressed the tip of his left claw beneath his right cheek bone and pulled down against the supple coat of scales. There was a visible set of markings over that eye, tattooed in red ink, quite similarly to the red ink dabbed beneath Sin's scales. "I'm blind in this eye." Though, at first glance, the eye looked no different from his left: were one to carefully examine his gaze it would be a simple matter to notice that the right iris had a faded hue.

He smirked as she departed.

Sin bristled at the old fish's commentary. He would eat all the spice if it made his body stronger! He had been staring at Ciel, but the words made him puff up like an angry hedgehog. He pulled his arms to his sides and flexed.


"Hey, hey!" He barked, like some dumb horse. He followed Ciel, wanting to know exactly what her job entailed, but she was some sort of person that spoke with magic. He couldn't use magic like the rest of his kin were able to. He had heard many times growing up that he was cursed and could only learn the physical sets of his family's martial art. He followed and packed and piled like a pack mule, but far be it for him to know the reason. All he could wonder was when they would get to eat all these snacks.

[Chaosome]

Malon gave a chipper grin, though also made sure to stick his tongue out at Serana. She couldn't see it, he knew, but she could feel the cheekiness radiating off him he was sure. Honestly, he was always glad to pull that little trick out around new people. Most everyone that lived in Kakariko had already gotten used to it, even if it bemused them, but for newcomers it was quite the oddity. "Just a talent I learned I had when I was little. It's gotten me into and out of trouble on more than one occasion." he snickered, mirroring both Micha and Nex's voices in turn.

The Rito looked over to Ciel once more, he really was grateful for her attempt at interference. "Thanks for worrying about... me?..." he said, but the young woman had been mid turn on her heel, waving a hand to sign her departure. It didn't take a genius to gather that she was upset. About what, well, Malon wasn't sure. But it would hardly be the first time he'd done something to bumble his interaction with the Lady. Or others for that matter. Then again maybe he just had that effect on people and she wasn't afraid to show it. He was a bit flighty, got carried away with his own thoughts sometimes, too loud, too energetic. It was probably why he felt like he was just an acquaintance to those that knew him. He was too much and not enough all in one package. "See you after while! I hope!" Malon swallowed the thoughts, packed them back away, and gave a little wave as Ciel and Sin left. Damn it.

For a moment Malon stared into the middle distance before chuckling and shrugging lightly. Nothing for it, he supposed. Malon looked over towards Ariadne and gave a pat to the hefty bag that currently rested by his side. "If you two are in need of ingredients, I just returned from a trip before I stopped over. Plenty to share and I was designated the one to ask if more need fetched!" at least that was tricky to screw up!

[LuckyBlackCat]

As Serana and Ariadne spoke of their preferred seasoning levels, Micah took mental notes. "Ehh, well it seems low spice in Goron food is high spice for Sheikah, so this may take some trial and error." With a slight grimace, he glanced Koko's way. Still, the further confirmation that people throughout the kingdom had wildly different tastes reassured him.

He wasn't the only one worried about making faux pas; Ariadne's shock at the reminder that she'd apparently been meant to cook something was palpable. Koko, looking over from the dumplings she wrapped, giggled. "Oh you don't have to! But if you want to cook, Malon brought plenty of ingredients!" The Rito in question kept the mood light, gleefully continuing his mimicry. Micah found it somewhat bewildering to hear his own deep growl of a voice from Malon's beak, followed by Nex's softer grumble, both at odds with the Rito's delicate appearance, but that was one impressive trick.

Not that Lady Ciel deemed it - or anything else about her assistants' distractions - amusing, her scowl deepening by the moment until she turned her back, her terse announcement marking the end of her patience. "I'm going shopping." The gesture, coupled with her brisk stride right through the words still hanging in the air, appeared to say that if she wanted something done, she'd have to do it herself.

Micah's stomach sank. He really had gone and spread his offers to help too thin, failing everyone involved in the process. "Y-Your Grace! I'm sorry!" He clambered from the platform, heading after Ciel and the hungry Zora, bracing himself for a reprimand in sparkly calligraphy. Would she even still want his help?

"I'll, uh, wait out here until you're ready to pass things over!" With a sigh and a droop of his shoulders as he watched the two disappear into High Spirits Produce, he lingered by the foot of the stairs, unwilling to risk either them or the narrow wooden doorway. There was a reason why Trissa or shop assistants always brought in everything he hauled over from the farms. He wasn't about to go and make an even worse mess of an already soured scenario.

[Emily]

"Just a talent I learned I had when I was little. It's gotten me into and out of trouble on more than one occasion." Malon had stuck his tongue out at Serana, but if she noticed it, she didn't react too strongly. Just a bemused grin. Ariadne, on the other hand, was very interested in what was going on. A bit of crosstalk between the two began as Serana began chatting with Micah while Ariadne leaned in Malon's direction.

"That's so cool," she mused, looking more directly at him. She had lived in Kakariko for a few months now, but hadn't hung around Malon enough to see this happen until today. Or maybe he had been holding it back for just the perfect time. "Do you think it's easier for you because of your biology, or was it something you had to really work at to learn? If it's the latter, I'd certainly be interested in practising it myself."

"Ehh, well it seems low spice in Goron food is high spice for Sheikah, so this may take some trial and error."

Perhaps spurred into action by the clear defeat in the Goron's words, Serana stood up and took a step in his direction. Ariadne let her go- the Sheikah had grown up in this village, and she had seen her instinctual navigation skills in the less-changed areas. It was only around stairs and the parts that had been rebuilt in different ways post-Upheaval that Serana showed any hesitation. The communal cooking space hadn't been affected, and there were plenty of people around to help if she ended up needing it.

Serana touched Micah's arm and smiled at him. "I believe the trial and error might be easier if you understand our concept of different types of spice. Goron Spice is something we're familiar with in Kakariko, but it's not as widely used as it is where Ariadne's from, and especially not as much as Goron City. That kind of heat is what we call gekikara, a much more violent feeling that makes you sweat and cough. It's more present in the back of the throat. While there are some dishes that incorporate that, there's a much more popular type of spice called karashibi. It's a numbing, tingling spice you feel more in your- you know what?"

Ariadne stood up, grinning. She had caught the note in Serana's voice. "You've got an idea?"

"If it's okay," Serana continued, "we'll make something that might demonstrate this difference. Would you be interested in that?"

At this point, Ariadne approached Malon. "I imagine we're going to need some peppercorns and veggies, at least. Maybe some rice?"

As Micah, finding a new thing to be extremely anxious about, followed Lady CiCi off to one of the shops, Serana grinned and knelt next to Koko. "What would you like? Tofu, chicken, or just veggies? I think we have some options here."

[El]

Was she finished? Well, she had to be! Lady CiCi had successfully pillaged every remaining jewel of interest from the ransacked shelves of High Spirits Produce, leaving naught but the most savoury mundane of ingredients in the wake of her whirlwind shopping spree. If there was nothing else she wanted...? Then she must be done! It was as simple as that.

With a delighted, punctuating clap, Ciel beamed a most pleased smile up at her towering river puppy - how wonderfully secure he held her treasure tower! So steady! So sure! What a capable fellow. She would've complimented him on his mighty biceps, if it wouldn't have been such a dastardly obstacle to communicate so. Alas, a generous tip in exchange for her bounty was left upon the giggling shopkeep's counter and away the Beaumont whirled, departing as quickly as she'd arrived.

Bewilderment soon struck her however, for the Goron was awaiting them at the foot of the entranceway's stairs. There was a tragically despairing look upon his face. His giant bumbling paws for hands had tangled themselves up in knots - poor thing.

Oh. Had that earlier, bellowed statement been directed towards her?

A hum of thought tickled the lady's throat, the perked eyebrows slowly descending upon a narrowing gaze. Well, she was never one to turn aside such an ardently insisted offer of aid - what sort of brute would that make her! Her eyes curled into a sweet smile and her lips soon followed suit.

Could you perhaps fetch me some more tools?
A mortar and pestle specifically, please sweetie ♥

And that, would've been that!

...Only her resumed stride halted most abruptly, scarcely one step conquered since her last when the gloved fingertip arose again. The illuminated script was more impatiently twirled this time, the effort of her afterthought clearly proving a hassle:

And an extra pan too.
With oil.

If there was anything else she'd missed, then it simply wasn't important. There was a flutter in her chest - a buzz of building excitement - and Ciel was eager to ride its wave before it crashed into sad, fading seafoam. With one last glance back to make sure the Zora was still obediently in tow, the lady bounced past the Goron: popping a spritely, brief kiss upon his coarse cheek as she did so. It took quite the leap, but she was nothing if not agile. An agility which ceaselessly persisted as she literally skipped away.

And away.

And further away.

East, up the hill and then further still. Past bridges and streams, weaving through huts and houses, by crops and clusters of trees, through lawns of green and yet away she continued. Away she still pranced with a soundless bounce and glitter in her trailing curls of cyan. She spared no speed and in truth perhaps had forgotten all about her scaled companion, so ceaseless was her skipping sprint. Honestly, it'd be a realistic assumption to think Ciel was on her way out of the village.

Yet, just as that thought could truly take root in reality, the Beaumont swerved a sharp right and meandered her way behind a large home the locals would know as Olkin's. Not far past his backyard with its towering lush bushes, rested an open-air hut. A cooking hut. It didn't just have a fireplace either, but a whole pot securely roosted above it and a slew of utensils hung beside a wooden countertop. Clearly this had been Ciel's destination all along.

The lady settled in quickly, plucking off her remaining glove (where in Hylia's name had she left the other?), before then proceeding to strip a few other layers. Her coat. Then the waistcoat. Then the cravat. All were cast aside, strewn over the enclosing fence just beside. She impatiently folded up her voluminous sleeves of layered lace and frills, loosened her collar with a few popped buttons, and then proceeding to bundle her hair into a bun using a few chopsticks she had snatched from nearby.

That should do, right?

Ciel took a few moments to scout her own nimble form, examining the fine tailoring and more delicate details for anything else which could pose a hazard - or worse yet, an annoyance. However... there was a far greater issue at hand. One which caught the edge of her eye and glued her attention with a quite panic of dread.

No, it was not that she could not had never cooked. It was a much more immediate problem than that.

...The fireplace wasn't lit.

...

How did one start a fire?

Pursing her glossed lips, as if eyes of fierce determination could force the logs to incinerate right there and then... Ciel eventually crouched before the cold embers and frowned. Clearly it had been lit before - was INTENDED to be lit. In truth, the lady had never bothered to learn as to how such things ever came to be lit to begin with. Did it require special tools? A specific magic? Was there a switch nearby? A potion of lamp-oil she needed to acquire? A ritual that had to be performed? A special chant? An unnamed flourish of spice? Or-...

Ciel's eyes flashed upwards at the lantern hung directly overhead. There was a tiny little flame, flickering in its prison. 

[Rex Draco]

The older Zora closed his eyes and listened to the group as they spoke. Some splintered off to get shopping done so they could participate in the culinary event, while others got started with what they had brought. Nex had not expected so many people to show up. He thought it would start to feel crowded if too many nosy tourists showed up, but the ones that had were, generally, respectful to the natural peace and serenity exuded by the village. It reminded him of a place he visited long ago. It too was a quaint little settlement by a river. He used to play in the waters as a child and had befriended someone from there. It was too long to remember the details anymore, but he did recall a little metal bucket with a hole in it.

He opened the journal in his lap. Being surrounded by tasty food made it difficult to focus on the boring interim discussions of old ruins and dusty relics on the researcher's collective literature. He was fond of history and was drawn by its mystery, but he also loved food. That young Goron needed to calcify his spine a bit. For a lad so big he seemed easily flustered by the tiny, mute girl. By now he had gathered she had some sort of authority among the rabble, seeing as she dragged that nitwit of a fish around like a carp on a string. He could care less about the pomp and circumstance. Honestly the girl needed a good thump on the head to help readjust her attitude some.

More and more of them meandered off to the shops to prepare. that left him to idle away in his thoughts. He closed the tome he had been reading and turned his head off to the distance. His eyes found something on the horizon to focus on as he listened to the quiet.

Sin wasn't what you called the sharpest kettle in the oven. He had been promised food and seeing that everyone was up and about cooking, he believed he was in for the opportunity to get himself loads of snacks without having to spend a single rupee, seeing as his satchel was currently bereft of any sort of monetary wealth. His claws easily gripped against the grassy knoll, pulling him along, behind her, with little effort. His body was built for this sort of thing and certainly not lacking in terms of height.

"What?" They had come to a stop in front of a fireplace.

He followed her gaze to the lantern and back to the cold hearth. Did she want to light it? It was a simple matter, though he had just as much experience, if not less, in lighting a blaze as the Zora simply never needed a fire until he left the desert and in times like those he just bundled up in his robes. The brute reached up to the flickering lantern and did what only the most brick-ladened bubble brain beast could and slammed the lantern into the fireplace.

KERCHA

[Chaosome]

"A little of column A and a little of column B I'd say! I learned I can do it when I was little, but it's just a matter of vocal control. I can't say for sure if you'd be able to make yourself sound like say, Gao, but with enough practice you could probably pull off Purah for example!" Malon said with a nod and a little thumbs up. Truth be told he really wasn't sure if it was the fact he was a Rito or not. He didn't really grow up around others, so it did make him wonder.

Regardless, when Micha scurried off after Ciel, he gave a little wave as well from his now knelt positions. Once he had heard Serana start talking about the difference in spices, he wagered that she'd hit on a good idea, so when Ariadne stepped over, it only took the Rito a second to pull forth a satchel full of peppercorns and a bag of rice, and just a moment longer for a few different kinds of veggies. "Happy to provide! Oh, and if you two want..." Malon glanced left and right before putting on a stage whisper, not really trying to hide what he was saying. "I always have a spare jar of spicy chili crisp in my room. Good in basically every dish."

[LuckyBlackCat]

"Any of those sound good!" Koko replied, tone bright with enthusiasm. "Although if you're highlighting the difference, tofu would absorb the flavours nicely." Setting the dumplings over the pot to steam, she giggled at Malon's easily overheard whisper about chili crisp. "Would you have enough for three, by any chance?" she asked, doing her best puppy dog eyes.

Meanwhile, waiting outside the store, Micah thought over Serana's words. Karashibi - a more subtle kind of spice than the intense heat in the throat favoured among Gorons. What was that like? He'd have the opportunity to learn about it soon enough from Ariadne and Serana's contributions. If only he could be sure to contribute something of value in turn. He wasn't exactly doing a great job of that right now, having offered to help only to stand there empty-handed.

As soon as the two shoppers emerged, he held out his arms, ready to share the load Sin carried, but Lady Ciel set him a different task in that sparkling script. A request for tools, namely a mortar and pestle, and an oiled pan. Before he could dig through a pack for the mortar and pestle he carried around to grind up salt, the exuberant noblewoman planted a quick kiss on his cheek and skipped up the pathway, out of sight, without so much as a hint as to where she was heading.

"Your Grace?" he called, but she didn't return, and it wasn't as if she could answer him even if she'd heard. Head drooping, he shuffled back to the communal cooking area. "Does anyone have a pan to spare? And some oil? Just got to run another errand, but I'll be right back." If his search for Lady Ciel didn't take too long, that was. He gave Koko a lopsided, apologetic smile.

"Feel free to borrow what you need!" Looking up from her newest dumpling batch, Koko bounced over, handing him a large frying pan and a bottle of oil.

"Thanks... For this, and for bearing with me." With another shudder of guilt at letting his fellow aspiring chef down, Micah wasted no time in hauling his not-so-agile frame up the hill. He wandered this way and that, along streets and bridges, the knot of anxiety in his stomach tightening the longer he took without so much as a glimpse of Ciel.

Just as he began to wonder if she'd straight-up left the village, he startled at the sound of glass shattering, flames crackling. He hurried towards the source of the noise, stilling in shock at the sight that met his eyes. In a nearby open hut, by Ciel's side, the coppery Zora gripped the remnants of a lantern in his clawed hands, shards strewn across the ground as fire erupted over a hearth.

"Ah! Be careful with that!" Micah rushed inside. It could be that the Zora had little to no experience of lighting fires - from what he'd heard, many of them liked their food raw - but that method didn't look safe in the slightest for beings vulnerable to flames and sharp fragments. Especially in a hut that could go up easily from stray embers. "Are you ok?"

[Emily]

"A little of column A and a little of column B I'd say! I learned I can do it when I was little, but it's just a matter of vocal control. I can't say for sure if you'd be able to make yourself sound like say, Gao, but with enough practice you could probably pull off Purah for example!"

"Oh my," Ariadne's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You're right, I could totally sound like Gao." She had, of course, never met Purah, and didn't have the wherewithal to know that she would also get a lot of enjoyment out of mimicking her voice and authority (surely that had never happened in the history of Hyrule). But Gao being a shared touchstone of reference between the two of them delighted her. That guy must truly go everywhere.

"Any of those sound good!" Koko responded. "Although if you're highlighting the difference, tofu would absorb the flavours nicely."

Serana smiled, nodding. "I agree, great choice. Maybe we'll make some Goponga Tofu and rice. I'll make sure it's a big batch, Paya and some of the elders usually take all of it before we get any."

As Malon handed her the supplies and offered some extra special opportunities, Ariadne took a breath. When she spoke, her voice was lower, but she hadn't put any effort into mannerisms or the actual technique. Her accent was similar to Gao's, at least. "Thanks, I-" and that was as far as she got before the utter embarrassment overtook her and she dropped the attempt entirely. "Nope, okay, shouldn't have gone all in on it. Uh, I think we're good without the spicy crisp for this one, since Koko seems interested and we shouldn't use it in all the meals. Thanks so much!"

She looked up in time to see several things happening. Lady CiCi emerged from the shop, using Sin as a mule to haul all of her goods not just away, but really away. With both of them gone, she wondered how Micah would cope. Poor guy, he was already walking back. "Does anyone have a pan to spare? And some oil? Just got to run another errand, but I'll be right back."

Koko had immediately set about gathering the goods, but Ariadne stepped over, hauling her own bag of goods. "Hey mate, I get going out of your way for a pretty woman-"

Serana smirked.

"-but make sure you take time to do the things you want to do, too."

As the Goron left, Ariadne hoped her words would at least stick with him. Lady CiCi seemed to be in a bad mood, though Ariadne couldn't imagine why (the people here were top notch and extremely supportive). She had made it a bit flippant, but she truly did understand the instinct of wanting to make sure everyone was having a good time, but that meant she also understood the burnout it could cause.

A hand on her arm caught her attention as she looked over to see Serana standing there, holding some bagged tofu. "Ready, Ari? We should probably get some water boiling for the rice if we want it ready in time."

Ariadne smiled, hefting a pot with the rice, peppercorns and various veggies in it. She leaned into Serana's touch so the Sheikah could more easily take her arm. "I was born ready, let's set up shop over here. Once the rice is cooking, I'll start cutting up the veggies-"

"And I will attend to the sauce. I think that's quite the plan."

"Quite the team."

[El]

As the Zora seized the lantern overhead, many thoughts entered Ciel's mind. She was a betting lady, but even if there'd been time to lay down a spread of rupees... she would've lost them all. To her wide-eyed shock, her assistant - without hesitation! - flung the WHOLE THING onto the dry fireplace!

She screamed of course.

With a blast of rainbow sparkles she flashed behind Sin, squeezing her far more diminutive form up behind his surely very sturdy one. Even if not, it was certainly wide enough to provide her ample cover! Her gasp had caught in her throat, and there she held her breath-... though she need not really... eyes squeezed tight shut until...

A crackle. A pop and smoulder. The heavy scent of woody smoke.

Clutching a scaled bicep with one hand, Ciel peeped around the sandshark, delight flooding her face as the fire roared into life. Then came the laughter. Half of it was from delayed shock, the other just pure joy. It was not her normal chiming giggle - dainty and lyrical - but a wailing guffaw. Entirely unbecoming but all the more raw. Her sides ached. Her stomach throbbed. Tears budded in the corner of her eyes.

When Ciel managed to collect herself enough, she clapped her hands together with eager glee and pecked her signature kiss of gratitude upon Sin's cheek. Her grin was wide and radiant, but she wasted no more time, grasping then some iron tool she prodded the logs with. She didn't know why. But she'd seen folks do it before.

Then in burst the Goron, paled with panic.

Ciel looked back at him in confusion. (No doubt Sin probably did too - what a bizarre pair!) It took far too long for the cogs to turn, a soft little 'ah' of acknowledgement sounding when it all clicked together. Was he worried about the glass? Now that she looked - her gaze casting across the floor - she supposed it would be rather dangerous to walk around barefoot.

Hmn. Well, easily solved! There was a broom nearby which she quickly thrust into Sin's hands.

Are you OK, sweet?

The Beaumont then penned, eyeing Micah with sincere concern. She looked him over once. Then twice. Before with a soft, disapproving shake of her head she quickly added,

Sit down!
It's time you take a breather, no?
And thank you ♥

She made a move to pull out a little wooden stool from under the nearby countertop but-... well, that wasn't going to work, was it? So instead Ciel patted some especially plush grass directly outside and claimed the successful bounty of loot from his grasp with an adoring, sweet grin of appreciation.

It was HEAVY! Eugh. Heavier than it looked at least! But no matter, she need not swing it that far. UP onto the heating stovetop she slammed the pot, popping open the oil to drown its base in a slosh and splatter.

How much...?

Now that was the question.

At first it was just a tiny bit. Then Ciel paused. It didn't seem quite enough for some reason, so she added some more. And then a little more. And then she thought, well, if you're adding in that much already, then why not some more? Moderation was for the weak and timid anyway.

Very quickly the roaring fire below began to heat the fryer into bursting bubbles, a fizzy, almost hissing sound delighting the noblewoman's ears. Her nose twitched at the unique scent, confused as to whether she hated or loved it. Something told her she should be concerned - scared even - something deep and instinctive prickling with alarm, but it all looked OK...? Only the fire was on fire.

After a lyrical hum of thought, Ciel seized the huge chunk of prime meat her darling assistant had hefted (with admirable ease!) from the shop. She could never personally relate to folks' desires to eat anything that bled, but she was also not one to yuck anothers yum! And given how incredibly benevolent she was, and how well Sin had performed thus far, she decided to pay her worker's wages first. He would have his treat meat!

Her nimble fingers made quick of the bindings and wrapping, so within seconds she had hefted it up and launched it into the boiling pan with a-

Another scream.

More cowering hiding, behind Sin.

...And then another fit of giggles. The eruption of scalding oil had settled, but now the pan smoked, plumes of grey thickening as the meat at the core of it all crackled with sizzling fat. Ciel had that iron tool from before in her hand again, and was giving the chunk of meat a cautious - very, very distant and stretched - poke. Admittedly it was a little difficult to rotate the meat properly, but it kind of worked, bob as it did, its own weight alleviated by the molten pool it swam in. It worked well enough anyway.

Goodness, cooking was a dangerous business, wasn't it! She should inquire about giving her family's chefs a raise when she got back home.

The infectious giggle was still tickling her throat, punctuating every other breath that left her.

Salt pleeease~

-she penned, with a shaky, distracted hand. It took her very best efforts not to wheeze at the chaos of this whole process. Why hadn't she tried cooking sooner!

[Rex Draco]

The Zora had never lit a fire, and why would he need to? He was an amphibious being with a tendency to muddy water like a sand seal to the silky sands. He didn't think it would work, but it did! The male pushed his fists against his hips, puffing out his chest in pride as darkness became a crimson light when the flames whorled and lashed about the hearth before lighting.

Suddenly he had a broom. It was like he was back in the monastery and stared down at the mess of glass and dust. Growling softly the brute did what he knew how to do and — swept. Why did he always get stuck with the dumb chores? If he could he would have just pushed everything underneath a rug, but there were none to be found in the small and simple hut.

After sweeping up the glass it was as if the girl was possessed by a Poe. She started to scream and cackle, running around as if her body had been taken. Tilting his head he'd observe the act of cooking. The Zora had never cooked before, he never had a need, but the deeper he had gone into the wider world the more he took notice of how others roasted their food before eating it. Even in the desert the sun did more to roast fish and fat than the Zora cult themselves. 

Back at the open fires the old Zora had taken to leaning back in his seat, his legs crossed together at the ankles while his hands rested on his clothed stomach. He closed his eyes and proceeded to nap while the others prepared their meals. He was already quite confident his sweets would win many of the locals over, but it was not a competition. No it was a gathering and one he looked forward to because he didn't have to handle the preparation of any of the food!

[Chaosome]

Between Koko's enthusiasm and Ariadne's valiant attempt at Gao, Most of Malon's nagging thoughts skittered back away into the back of his mind where they belonged. He chuckled into his hand and nodded. "Hey, that wasn't a bad attempt at all! You got the accent pretty close. Just drop down a bit more into the diaphragm is all and you'll get it in no time." Standing up fully once more, Malon dusted himself off and gave another little nod to Koko. "Always have plenty to share with a friend Koko dear. Be back in two shakes."

Malon took a moment to glance around thoughtfully, his eyes trailing across the ground from one end of the village to another. For those who weren't aware of what the bird was capable of, it might have seemed odd as he took count of the shadows as he steepled his digits together. Taking a nice deep breath, the Rito planted a claw into a shadow and tipped forward like someone falling into a pond... Complete with sinking and all. If one followed where he had been looking, knew where he stayed, or just happened to have a good eye, they could see Malon pop out of a tree across the way and glide into the open upstairs window of a building.

Once in his room, the Rito took a few moments to sit on the edge of his bed and catch his breath. Not that he was winded from his little jaunt by any means, he had done far worse. No, more so that the bird was still wracking their brain over just what they might have done to upset someone yet again. He was good at that part apparently, the figuring out what part though? Not so much. But! There wasn't time to sit and think, never was really. Hopefully he'd figure out how to smooth things over later at the very least, even if he didn't know what he was smoothing over!

With a couple firm claps to the sides of his face, Malon hopped back up and opened his miniature icebox and moved aside the couple of wrapped sandwiches he had to fetch instead a pair of jars, one still sealed and the other partly full, of the crisp he so coveted. Placing them in a pouch he would once again take a deep breath and sink into the shadow sea...

Not but a few seconds later he leapt back up from the darkness and landed with a little twirl and flourish, pulling the jars free in each hand as he bowed and held them over to Koko. "As requested!~

[LuckyBlackCat]

A peal of uncontrollable laughter followed Ciel's scream, giving Micah his answer and easing his fears. As much of a mess as her companion had made with his unorthodox fire-lighting method, nobody was hurt.

Eyeing the broom, Micah stepped forward to clean up the debris, but Ciel promptly delegated that task to the Zora who'd scattered it in the first place, ignoring his growl of displeasure. She turned her golden gaze back to Micah, her delicate eyebrows creasing as she asked in turn if he was ok and suggested he take a rest.

"I'm fine, thanks..." Handing over the pan and oil, he glanced at the grass with a slight frown. As tempting as a quick break sounded, Ariadne's advice playing through his mind, he couldn't keep people waiting too long. "And I'd love to, but I've got to get back to Koko soon."

He took the mortar and pestle from a pouch and set them down on the stool, watching with a deepening grimace as Ciel practically filled the pan to the brim with oil. Was it his place to say anything? He couldn't exactly call himself experienced either, not with this kind of cuisine, but safety mattered. "Uh, just a heads up, simmering oil tends to..."

An almighty hiss filled the air as the chunk of meat Ciel flung in sent hot fat spitting every which way, along with clouds of smoke. She screamed again, ducking behind her assistant. "Tends to do that," Micah finished, looking both of them over to make sure they hadn't received any scalds. "And it's prone to catching fire. I, uh, learned that the hard way." Thankfully a stablehand had extinguished the pan's blaze with a lid before it could worsen, but that was one lesson he wouldn't forget in a hurry.

Along with the chunk of rock salt he placed next to the mortar and pestle, he set down a small bowl and a ladle. "Here, for excess oil. You see... The thing about meat is it doesn't need all that much, it mostly cooks in its own fat."

The last thing he'd expected was to be the one giving instructions as opposed to following them, but here he was.


Koko had just begun arranging her newest batch of dumplings when Malon popped up out of the nearby shadows, as quickly and fluidly as he'd left. Chuckling at his theatrics, she gave a few playful claps and accepted the jars. "Thanks!" She set the full one on the table for the others to use, looking over her shoulder at Ariadne. "Hey, if you decide you need some for anything else, there's more than enough!"

[Emily]

By the time Malon returned, Ariadne had measured out the rice and water into a small pot over a fire. The water was beginning to simmer, but it would still be a few minutes before it required any stirring. In the meantime, she had gathered the vegetables- some carrots, leeks, various mushrooms, and broccoli- and rinsed them in the river. Carrying them to a cutting station on a nearby table, Ariadne arranged the various vegetables in a way that was pleasing to her brain.

She procured a proper cutting instrument, not a precision tool like a scalpel but something much more suited to the task. She set to work with a practised hand, not the slightest hint of a tremor or lack of confidence in her movements. After a moment, she stepped away to stir the rice, now at a low boil. Donning gloves, she moved the pot slightly off the heat to avoid it getting too hot, before returning to her work. Eventually, she swept the diced vegetables and broccoli stalks into a bowl to await their final fate.

Meanwhile, Serana was grinding the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. She was much more experienced at the fine tuning aspects of cooking this dish than Ariadne, and quickly assembled the needed ingredients for a sauce, placing it in another pot and moving it slightly over the fire, next to the still-boiling rice. As the requirements liquefied and began to thicken, she remained vigilantly stirring.

The final step, once they had an open spot over the fire, would be frying the vegetables in a wok with sesame oil. Until then, Ariadne grinned over toward Koko. The young Sheikah had exclaimed "Hey, if you decide you need some for anything else, there's more than enough!"

"I will probably be snacking on them later, no worries."

Serana pulled the saucepan away, clearing the path for Ariadne to place the wok and begin heating the oil.