(Midnight Gem) Kelvics and baking anything can happen

by **Rene Rafar** on August 27th, 2018, 2:41 am

56th Day of Summer 7th Bell

Ren woke where she had fallen a sleep on the couch fully dressed while reading a recipe book she found in Kelski's book shelf. The book had caught her attention in so she started looking through the book the night before. Now she wanted to bake something really nice for everyone at the Gem as a dessert for after dinner.

Ren took her time in finding just the right recipe she would like to try. It wasn't till she came across something that sounded really good and hope the rest would like it. She carefully read over the recipe smiling at how good it had sounded. Though she has done a little cooking like making breakfast or helping with dinner but she had yet to try her hand at baking.

Looking at the recipe she had chosen thinking to herself. How hard can this be? I mean if I just follow what is written... Pausing for a tick, What could go wrong? Smiling she went over to the writing desk taking out a small sheet of parchment and a quill she carefully copied down the list of ingredients she would need to buy at the Commons market before she could even think about baking. Ren thought to just to be safe and check if the Gem had any mixing bowls or baking pans. Seeing that there wasn't any she added that to her list as well soon as she had what she needed written down Ren made her way to the market.

***

Down at the Commons Ren slowly made her way down the rows of merchant stalls buying what ever was needed from mixing bowls and baking pans to the list of ingredients before she had everything that she would need to make her dessert.

***

Back at the Gem Ren carefully laid out her perches out on the counter. When all that was done she went back over to the book read each line with extreme care before she started measuring everything out. Ren was focusing on what she was doing and not paying attention to anything else.

Ledger Changes :

by **Kelski** on August 30th, 2018, 6:25 am

Kelski heard Ren return, her feet padding up the steps as she brought groceries in. The Kelvic was curious because it wasn’t often Ren made trips to the market. The Jeweler was in her workshop, having been bent over her jewelers bench all day filling orders she’d gotten as a blow back from the Night Eyes. She’d made a morning of cutting gemstones she wanted to have ready for mounts she was making the next day. However, she was ahead of schedule, so when she heard Ren return, she rose, stretched, pulled off her heavy leather work apron and hung it up.

She glanced out the door to see if Ren brought back a hired wagon, seeing none and nothing else that needed to be carried up the stairs, Kelski trotted up the stairs and out into the main living area of The Gem. She approached Ren and the array of ingredients and pans stretched out. They littered the big work table, making Kelski smile.

“What’s going on? You look like you have something planned for this afternoon? You cooking a meal today?” Kelski asked, reaching up and beginning to braid her hair out of the way. “You look like you could use some help. Whatcha cooking and I’ll take a break downstairs and give you a hand.” The Kelvic offered, not sure what Rene had planned or if she actually needed any help.

“I thought it was Aer’wyn’s turn to cook? I know he went out and got some groceries earlier today. I sent him on an errand to pick up a shipment and he brought them back on his way home. Kelski said with a friendly smile as she helped Ren unpack the bags and put a few things away. “You bought pans too? What are these for?” Kelski looked confused a moment. Then she thought of the converstation she had with Tarn.

“Do you know I didn’t know a thing about measuring ingredients when I first got a cook book? I didn’t even know how to measure out oil or salt or flour. I didn’t even know about measuring cups or teaspoons. Crazy… it was like a whole world opened up when someone … a Sun’s Birth named Tarn.. told me about them at the library when I was copying the cooking book I have here.” Kelski commented with a smile.

“I liked him, Rene. He was a nice guy. He wanted to change the world for the better… but he joined the Sun’s Birth. I don’t know what in the world came over him thinking that.” She said softly, thoughtfully, shaking her head and looking over the table.

“So what can I do?” Kelski said finally.

by **Rene Rafar** on August 31st, 2018, 1:32 am

Ren jumped a little at Kelski's for she was focusing her whole attention reading the recipe Shaking her head a bit to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry I didn't hear you coming." Smiling at her friend and house mate.

"I thought I'd make a treat for dinner. I came across this cookbook in the bookshelf and started looking through it and found this on a Cinnamon Cake and thought I'd try and make it. You are more then welcome to help me if you want. Please tell me what you think of this. It looks simple enough to try." Handing Kelski the recipe so she could look at it.

"I bought everything that was needed but the eggs seeing as we already had that. I have to admit some of the words I don't fully understand the difference between tsp or Tbsp do you know what it means? I've been trying to understand it for a few chimes now." Ren let out a sighing breath and waited to see if Kelski knew what the two meant.

"I've met Tarn, he was assigned to guard me while I was working one day. Mr Goldfinger had a special run for me that required the extra security.” Nodding as she thought of her guard for the day. “What ever you'd like to do. I mean we could take turns mixing the ingredients, is that the right word, together. I'd love to have the company.” She smiled before worrying her lip. “Do you think the boys will like it? I think it sounded really to me good.”

Ren went over to the ingredients and carefully spread them out, in order of the recipe, on the counter so they would be in easy reach for the step by step posses. With that done she cut a small slice of lard to help her grease the baking pan.

by **Kynier** on August 31st, 2018, 9:37 pm

The wizard had said he didn’t need anything today. Unlike the early part of summer, there hadn’t been many days like that. So Kynier eagerly made his way back to the Midnight Gem during the early hours of the day. Back home. During his walk he thought on what it was that he would spend his day on. It was Aer’wyn’s turn to cook. Which made Kynier’s stomach turn just thinking about it. The mage was human, not an akalak. So he didn’t have the same constitution to be able to put anything in his mouth and find it edible. Thusly, Aer’wyn didn’t understand that just because two things tasted good on their own didn’t mean that they would taste good together. Regardless, the Akalak would most likely be too busy.

Ebon would be running the shop. There were very few moments that the mage had been able to spend with the healer. It wasn’t completely due to a lack of synchronization. It was due to Ebon always seeming to be busy, or trying to occupy himself. When the Midnight Gem closed and locked up, the night lion would often seek companionship with the other kelvics, or even Aer’wyn. Not so much Kynier. The mage wondered why that was.

Kelski had recently received another custom order. Kynier had sat and listened to her when she talked about what she would do. Though most of it he didn’t understand, he enjoyed the sound of her voice when she was excited about something. So today, and probably for several days after, she would be deeply engrossed in the stones to transform them into something that made a person’s eyes sparkle. Though he would love to spend the day with her, talking, walking, or even doing nothing but sitting in silence together, he would not interrupt her work

As for Rene, she spent most of her time at the Midnight Gem in her ocelot form. The girl of tawny golden hair struck him as very shy. When they had met in Tent city she was pleasant enough, and even cooked him a meal for something that she didn’t really need his help with. If she wasn’t making deliveries for her employer then Rene was probably napping or prowling the Gem’s grounds. So he’d probably only have himself to entertain.

At the eleventh bell he arrived at the Midnight Gem. Kynier took the stairs on the exterior to the balcony and entered the common area. With a sigh he started to unfasten the weapons on his belt and looked around. No one home except for whoever was downstairs. Going into the master suite he unloaded all his equipment and set them in their proper places. Kynier decided that he was going to fulfill some of his expected duties. At least duties that only Kelski expected of him because she was aware of his magic. As for the rest of them… Kynier tried not to be too obvious with the use of his abilities. Though one never knew when something slipped.

The mage brought out a new candle from the desk and set it on a stand. Setting the tip of his finger against the pad of the same thumb, he flicked the finger out in a sort of reverse snapping motion. A droplet of res had almost instantly formed and ignited into a small flame at the tip of his finger. Kynier lit the candle and allowed the small flame to burn out from the tip of his finger. Kynier took the burning candle back out into the common area. Pausing to stand in the middle, he sighed while looking around at all the surfaces. “This is going to take quite some time,” he muttered to himself.

The candle was set to rest on the large table as Kynier went back into the master suite for his magic quill and ink. He dipped the tip then looked at his left palm. Fingers extended to their full length to stretch the skin. Kynier pressed the tip of the blue and white feathered quill against his skin and began to draw a glyph. Daltsulta, “Alter Dimensions”. The runic combination was a bit of a challenge to draw. Both were full of curves and spirals that he somehow needed to connect seamlessly and still fit on the palm of his hand. With the quill’s unique properties, the ink didn’t blot on his skin the way a normal quill’s would’ve. It required several chimes to place the patterns on his flesh. When it was done, Kynier set the quill down on the table and picked up the candle with his free hand.

Holding it out at arm’s length, the mage focused on the middle of the stick. Rather than looking at the flame and irritating his eyes. Kynier drew several deep breaths as he meditated to still his mind and heart. The small dance of the flame with its orange light helped to relax him. When that inner peace was found, Kynier reached for his djed and brought the energy forth to his left hand. Before he allowed it to flow through the glyph, his will began to manipulate it into a weave. As its form and purpose began to solidify he held his hand over the candle flame, palm down, and willed the weave another task. To fulfill it the magic drank the flame from the wick. Then, the weave spun through Daltsulta. The ink on his hand turned violet and partially luminescent.

Kynier raised the palm of his left hand towards the ceiling and willed the weave to rest against the structure’s surface. A faint glimmer rose as djed woven into a fabric spread from his hand to coat the surface of the ceiling. It took a chime for the energies to settle. Once they did, the flame resistant shield faded from view. Next was the floor. But before he started on that, Kynier heard the front door open and close. When the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs was apparent, Kynier glanced at the unlit candle. He groaned at the sight.

Before Rene got upstairs, Kynier had reentered the master suite. The mage started going through Kelski’s drawers and cabinets. She had flint and steel somewhere. Kynier never carried it because he could just use a tiny bit of res and a flick of his finger. Where did she keep it? After seeming to go through everything twice, Kynier finally found it after several chimes. He closed everything back up and walked into the common area again. Rene and Kelski were both upstairs. “Hello,” he said to announce his presence, though somehow Kelski always seemed to just know when he was around. How did she do that?

At the sight of Rene spreading all the pots, pans, and ingredients out the mage sighed in relief and tilted his head back towards the newly shielded ceiling. “Thank you,” he mouthed as a prayer to the gods. He wouldn’t have to suffer Aer’wyn’s cooking tonight at least. Lowering his head back to a normal position he walked over to the candle he had set down. “What’re you planning on making tonight, Ren?” he asked curiously. Hunger hadn’t settled in his gut yet, but when there was the fresh scent of cooking in the air that tended to change.

Kynier stood by the table and started striking the flint and steel to relight the candle. Due to not having to rely on the method to light a candle since he was a small child, the mage was struggling, and failing, to get it to work.

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

by **Kelski** on September 6th, 2018, 3:42 am

Ebon wandered into the room, his bare feet slapping on the wood floor. Kelski offered Ebon a smile. “Do you know how to cook?” She asked the night lion and he laughed, hard, shaking his head. “Why would someone who loves everything raw love to cook?” The Kelvic nodded, laughed, and took the recipe Ren offered her. She read it and then really paid attention to what Ren was saying and then she smiled.

“I do know about measurements! Tarn and I talked about measurements and I found a spot in a cook book in the library that I copied down.” Ebon sat down, folded his legs under him, and looked curiously onward as the girls discussed the recipe. Kelski handed the recipe back to Ren and turned on her heel to head to the bookshelf and picked up a hand written page. “I made notes.” She said proudly as she thumbed back and forth in the book until she could find the required page.

Measuring Spoons

A basic set of measuring spoons come with 5 spoons:

• 1/8 teaspoon
• ¼ teaspoon
• ½ teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon (tsp)
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp)

Recipes are always written with a small t representing a teaspoon and the capital T representing the tablespoon. Sometimes they are abbreviated as tsp and tbsp.

Kelski pointed out the section to Ren, hoping it helped. “I do have a cooking kit with them in there.. the measuring spoons. I think if you got one too they are in there as well. I know you use Measuring Spoons, Dry Measuring Cups, and Liquid Measuring Cups.” Kelski said, running her hand down the page in the book she’d copied while talking to Tarn and showed it to Ren again.

“I know you must be exact. Like you fill the spoon then scrape off the extra with a knife until its EXACT. That’s the same with dry spoons or dry cups…” Kelski said, flipping a few pages of her notes to point out more things. “Spices are extremely potent too. If you aren’t careful, according to these notes, you an ruin a recipe by adding just a pinch too much.” Kelski said, confident in the notes, if not in her own cooking which was nominal at best.

“There’s a special trick to measuring liquids too. In a jar it can make a slope down.. so you measure at the bottom or lowest part, not at the top edges… the liquid cups are glass so you can see the concave way right?” She said, happily digging out the measuring spoons and other devices designed to measure. “You can’t use regular spoons. They don’t hold the same amount.” Kelski said, sniffing at the ingredients, unsure what half of what the recipe actually tasted like. She’d never had cinnamon and not much sugar at all before.

“The measuring spoons and cups for the dry ingredients have markings on the handles that say what they are. The glass liquid measuring cups have lines pressed into them with notations on them. I think they blow them at the glassblowers in molds like that.” Kelski said, gesturing to Ren’s cooking kit.

When Kynier walked in, Kelski gave him a smile and turned back to Ren. “I’ll help however you want me too. Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it!” She said, happy to help make something that interested Ren and promised to be yummy. “I haven’t baked much, but I sure do love bread. I’d love to learn how to do that someday soon.” She added, leaning a thin hip against the kitchen table, curious how they were all going to proceed.

by **Rene Rafar** on September 7th, 2018, 4:47 am

"That makes more sense thanks. Hi Ebon." Ren smiled when Kelski pointed out the section on how to measure ingredients. "If you would like to make the cinnamon topping I'll start on the cake mix itself."

She glanced over her shoulder to where Kynier was struggling to light a candle with flint and stone. She smiled.

"Hi Kynier. If its not working do what you are good at. Its not the first time I have seen you light a candle without flint and stone. Also I have nothing against mages if fact I came across Farris one day doing something with what he called a void or other-side I'm not sure which." Ren was watching him struggle lighting the candle for a bit and shrugged before going back to what she was working on.

Ren looked at the measuring cups and selected the 1 cup and walked over to the flour sack to carefully scooping and leveling off 3 separate cups with the flat side of a knife before adding it into the mixing bowl. Following the flour she carefully selected a 1/2 tsp of salt and just as like the flour she made sure it was just right and that went into the bowl. She then added 1 cup of sugar as well as 4 tsp baking powder. With all the dry ingredients she began whisk them together.

Her next step was to add in the milk, eggs, vanilla and butter. For this Ren used a glass measuring cup that was meant for liquids. She slowly poured milk into the glass till it was level with a 1 cup mark before she added it to the dry ingredients. She then repeated the step but this time only filing the glass half full before adding it to the mix. Now was the time for the 2 eggs she added these in one at a time.

Ren picked up a small vile of vanilla uncorked it to smell its exotic sweet sent. "Oh this smells so good! Kelski, Kynier, Ebon smell this." Ren smiled as she carefully passed the vile close enough to the other so they could smell its contents before measuring out 2 tsp of the dark amber liquid with the rest of the mix.

Ren had a puzzled look on her face. "Ok I need to melt a half cup of butter the question is how do I get the the right amount without wasting anything." She was thinking out loud as she was trying to work through his little puzzle. "I wonder if this could work..." She took the full liquid measuring cup filling it half full of water then added the solid butter into the cup slowly until the water was at the full mark. "Ok now that I have the half cup I'll just put the butter in the small pot to melt before adding it to the batter."

Ren, when the butter was melted, slowly stir it in until the mix was well incorporated. She then went over and picked up the pan she had already greased with lard and poured the mix into the pan.

“Its ready for the cinnamon topping when you're done mixing it up. I think while its baking we could mix up the glaze.” Worrying on her lip before continuing “I hope it turns out and also that everyone will like it.”

by **Kynier** on September 7th, 2018, 5:44 pm

There certainly was a knack for this that he must have forgotten about. The wick refused to catch the spark and create the small flame that he needed. Ren’s voice distracted him from his efforts. Kynier looked at the ocelot with mild surprise. She knew, and she held no contempt for him? Kynier stood up straight as Ren’s attention went back to the organized chaos she and Kelski were up to. He glanced at Ebon who just gave him a shrug. They all knew already?

The mage suddenly felt embarrassed with his actions. That he could hide that secret from those he was living with. So he set the flint and steel down and set the tip of his finger against the side of his thumb. With a breath he formed a fleck of res on the tip of his finger. Flicking his finger out from his thumb, a small flame appeared, which he used to light the candle. The sensation of doing that around a couple of people was unusual. Kynier expected some sort of judgment, ridicule, or scorn. Yet none of them gave that.

The absence of those gave him reason to smile to himself. He blew out the candle, not feeling the desire to set the shields at this time anymore. Kynier wandered over to stand near the already crowded assortment in their make-shift kitchen. When Ren offered the small vial for him to smell, Kynier leaned in and took a sniff. It was a sweet aroma. Not pleasant sweet, like smelling a flower, but sweet like he could try to taste it in the air. “That has a very strong smell to it,” he commented before stepping back for others to smell.

Watching and listening to their effort was strangely comforting to watch. The extent of his own cooking consisted of putting food over a fire. The concept of herbs and spices was something he could grasp, but didn’t understand anything about how to properly utilize those with food in an edible way. “Is there anything that I can do to help?” he offered to the two females. Kynier didn’t want to be in the way. There was very little space available. At the sound of Ren’s concern for how well… whatever this was… would be received, he offered her a smile.

“I wouldn’t worry about that Ren. The way Aer’wyn eats, I sometimes wonder if he can even taste the food.”

Boxcode credit goes to Gossamer!

by **Kelski** on September 12th, 2018, 2:19 am

So when Ren gave her the task of making the topping, Kelski wanted to say no. A recipe wasn’t something she was used to reading let alone following. When she cooked, it was a matter of putting a bunch of stuff that tasted good together all in one pot or sliding it on a spit or in kabobs. Her meals were simple: stew, chowder, or spitted fish. Following recipes were alien to Kelski. She didn’t even know what most of the ingredients were. Kelski studied the recipe where it was laying open and noted the part that looked like it was the topping. The eagle had good eyesight, even as a human and actually knew what butter was, but the other ingredients were a mystery to her. Flour? Brown Sugar? Was that brown? Cinnamon? Kelski nibbled on her bottom lip and looked around. Checking the various bags and jars, luckily most were labeled.

Mix topping ingredients together with a large spoon (3/4 cup butter softened, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon)

¾ cup unsalted butter, very soft (almost melted)
1 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon

When Kynier joined them she moved over, taking a small bowl and dipping ingredients from each bag after reading its labels. She guessed at the amounts, not wanting to reach over Kynier or bump ren to take the spoons or cups. After all, she knew what a tablespoon looked like? Didn’t she eat with one almost daily? Kelski watched how Ren melted her butter and then copied it until hers was ‘soft’ and partially melted. Then she mixed it into the mixture and set the resulting bowl next to Ren’s arm where she could reach it.

She did sniff the substance Ren held out for everyone to sample. To her it smelled really good, but it wasn’t something she could describe, having never smelled it before. “I wonder if that would taste good on fish?” Kelski asked, not able to see the label where the little jar was firmly held in Ren’s hand. She wiggled her nose, smiled, and then decided… “I like it.”

In case Kynier was given a task, Kelski made sure she moved back to give him room if he needed it. Then she looked to Ren to see what was next. This sort of organized meal making was completely new to her. Kelski wasn’t even honestly sure this was how things were actually done.

by **Kelski** on October 7th, 2018, 4:05 pm

Kelski picked up the recipe, read further, and then glanced around until she saw the baking dish that looked roughly 9x13. She took a tiny corner of one of the hand towels for the kitchen and dipped it into the lard bucket and swirled the greasy towel around the pan until all the sides of the pan were well greased like the recipe said. Then she dipped a small bit of flower out of the bag with a spoon and sprinkled it in the pan, tapping the pan and rotating it around until the greasy lard was coated with flour.

It seemed easy enough as she watched Ren take a break and Kynier watch bemused. She figured the mage and the ocelot figured this was the only edible thing they were going to get for dinner if Aer’wyn was cooking so she didn’t mind the scrutiny. Next she sat the pan down, picked up Ren’s mixture, and scooped it into the pan. Spreading it around, she then took up her crumble topping and sprinkled it all over the top. She tapped the pan to get the air out of the mixture… and turned to put it in the oven they’d already got hot.

It would have to bake for thirty or thirty-five chimes. The recipe said it would be done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. But not to worry if it took thirty-five chimes or longer since different wood in different hearths heated at different rates.

Kelski kept watch on the hearth oven and looked to the topping. The recipe called for….

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, 5 tbsp milk, 2 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar? Kelski got out her mortar and pestle and dumped some sugar in it. She began to grind it using the pestle in order to powder it to a fine consistency. She spooned out the powder, finding that it took a LOT of sugar to make two cups of powdered sugar. Her arms got quite a workout and she changed hands frequently, allowing the constant grinding motion to work her arms. Laughing she handed the task over to Ebon after about thirty minutes of grinding, so she could check the cake with sore arms.

It wasn’t ready. Batter clung to the knife so back into the oven it went.

So she took the grinding back from Ebon with a laugh, since his arms were now sore, and kept grinding at the sugar doing ten reps of on each arm before she switched. Kelski was sweating by the time she had two cups of powdered sugar. She measured out the milk and the vanilla, mixed them together and whisked them to a nice thick glaze.

She tasted it, nodded at the sweetness, and set it aside.

Next she checked the cake again. This time when she took it out and tested it with the knife, it felt done. No batter clung to the clean blade. So she set it aside, let it cool slightly, and then when it had cooled thoroughly, she upended the cake, slipped it out of the pan, and then dumped the glaze over it.

The result looked pretty… not perfect, but it smelled delicious and they would indeed enjoy it after whatever dinner Aer’wyn was going to make for them.

by **Kelski** on October 7th, 2018, 4:12 pm

Grading

Rene

Planning +2, Cooking +2, Investigation +1, Leadership +2, Socialization +3

Lores: Tarn helped Kelski learn about measurements, Recipe: Cinnamon Cake, Cooking: What Vanilla Smells Like

Kelski

Investigation +1, Cooking +3

Lores: Recipe: Cinnamon Cake, Cooking: How to measure liquids and dry ingredients, Cooking: What Vanilla Smells Like, Cooking: What A Cake Looks Like When Its Done

Kynier

Drawing +1, Glyphing +1, Shielding +1, Investigation +1, Socialization +2, Meditation +1

Lore: Cooking: What Vanilla Smells Like, Rene: Doesn't Care Kynier Is A Mage, Shielding: Setting Fire Resistant Sheilds via Glyphing

Note: Fun thread. It's too bad we coudln't finish it completely. Kynier, I didn't give you reimancy since your actions were far below your skill level.

Open (Midnight Gem) Kelvics and baking anything can happen