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.