[The Communal Kitchens] Recipes of Disaster (Sayre)

[Risa Moontide]

(12th of Summer, 511AV)
The corridors leading to the many small kitchens were hot this part of the day. The master chef seemed busy, cooking the main dinner soup, and a great clatter echoed throughout the main kitchen. Risa, however, was feeling strangely meek. She had spent the last week avoiding the kitchen, eating raw the extra fish she caught and living off her own supplies. But she just wasn't a strong enough fisher to do so, fishing was hard. At least Fala was well-fed, he always seemed to know were to catch a fish when Risa had her net come up empty over and over. He sat watchfully on her shoulder now, just silent for now.

Still, with one hand rubbing her shoulder Risa just didn't feel comfortable asking for food. She had a small fish in her bag, and wanted to cook it, eat something warm for the first time in months. She missed home, her pod would be cooking around a big bonfire, a spiced batch of fish that would taste so good in the summer sun on a warm beach. Risa could almost feel sand beneath her toes, but only the rigid stone remained when she shifted her weight.

Risa sighed, looking back towards the eating area behind her. People were starting to come, the ones early for dinner. A steady trickle of red-haired Inarta. Their caste system was the last thing on Risa's mind, considering she still didn't understand it completely. She was working really hard to be a good guest to the city. Every day she spent so many hours either hiking up to Wind Reach or hiking back down, so many days of the past week were spent just trying to help catch fish for winter months. The Inarta either didn't speak her language or asked stories from her. And Risa was awful at telling storied.

Risa felt her stomach growl, and she waked into one of the side rooms, looking at the cooking potentials and various equipment strewn about. It might as well be a foreign landscape though, each tool looked like a mysterious torture device in some sick stone dungeon. Fired pots and cooking urns and giant spoons and strange shaped cups and thin mixing sticks and SO MUCH STUFF. Risa didn't even know what these things would be used for, she rarely ever watched the cooking as much as she watched the prepared food.

Fala shrilled loudly, egging Risa on. Risa smiled, her eyes focusing on the instruments around her like they were about some kind of symphony. She didn't know what they did, but she was going to try and find out. Risa pulled the fish from her bag, setting it on a nearby counter. She stared confused at the fire pit for a moment, trying to figure out how the fire was supposed to get started. Risa didn't have any kindling or anything but she did have her flint and steel in her bag.

Risa reached forward towards a large pot, pushing it aside while she stared at fire pit. Unfortunately, she didn't notice the precipice at which she allowed it to linger, which caused it to crash down to the ground, pulling the handle of a pile of other cooking dishes with it! The stack hit the ground with a large clang, smashing through the air. Risa looked down with wide eyes.

[Sarye]

Sarye was ready for her shift to be over today. It had been a long grueling day of "fetch me this Sarye, do that for me Sarye, you're not keeping up pace Sarye" and she had grown tired of the commands and demands earlier in the day. She loved cooking but when the day was filled with being a servant to the chefs instead of actually cooking she had the tendency to get tired of being in the kitchen quickly. It didn't help that her mind was always filled with her sister and the drama that was her father.

Making quick work of what the last chef had asked her to do she took some time to sit down in a chair near what she had just finished organizing. The chef was too particular about how he liked his vegetables to be lain out for a dish but you have to do what's asked of you without complaining. Sarye didn't want to start any strife between her and the chefs in the kitchen. After sitting there for a few minutes Sarye got back on her feet and was just about to head off the see if any other chef needed help when she heard the loud clang of pots and pans hitting the ground. Looking around she noticed a woman who didn't look Inarta staring at the mess she had just made.

Sarye walked over to the woman and asked while trying not to laugh, "Do you need some help? You look a little lost."

[Risa Moontide]

Risa blushed as the red-haired woman walked over, the mess of dishes telling more than she had hoped. Risa bent down and began picking up the dishes, attempting to pile as many of them on to each other as she could. The clanks and clings of dishes hitting each other filled the air. Risa was more than a little distracted, she wasn't paying attention to the different sizes of dishes as she stacked them, leading to a very imbalanced stack that threatened to fall from her hand back to the stone below. "A little lost, yes. I've never really cooked much before."

As she rose to her feet Risa took another look at Sarye. This Inarta, assuming by the hair, was a little shorter than her, no surprise, and wore a lovely scarf. Risa liked the flashy colors she wore, though the red-head looked a little worn down, her apron ruffled. Risa balanced the few dishes she had managed to stack, trying not to drop them yet again. "You look like a chef here!" Risa's tone started off firm, but dropped to something more self-conscious. "Are- Are you busy right now?"

Fala was silent, thank the gods. He'd normally have landed on the plates or done something equally mischievous, practically laughing at Risa's mistakes. He kept her from taking things too seriously, usually, but instead he just flitted his wings out in a quick stretch and looked onward.

Risa set the dishes she had scooped up on the counter again, still hanging dangerously over the edge for gravity to claim again and stood taller. Her own yellow dress didn't look nearly as ready to cook in as the newcomer's apron, nor her sandals or loose beaded hair. She smiled at the Inarta, hoping she spoke more than just a few words in common.

[Sarye]

After taking a better look at this woman she realized that she was not Inartan and hoped that she knew enough common to help this woman. She watched her trying to stack all of the pots and pans but in a way that was sure to have them spilling back down to the ground once again. She could tell this woman didn't know her way around the kitchen at all.

"I'm not busy," Sarye said hoping to be understood by the woman, "Here take this." Sarye reached into her emerald green bag and pulled out an extra apron that she had in the bag. A few spices came out of the bag with it so Sarye bent down to pick them up and stuffed them back into the bag. She placed her bag back on her back and handed the apron to the woman.

"I'm Sarye. Your name?" she was hoping this woman wouldn't think she was rude by the short sentences but she liked practicing her common. She had gotten more practice with it in the kitchens than she thought she would have.

Sarye picked up a piece of flint and struck it against the stone in front of the the fire-pit and sparks flew to burn the dry sticks that were sitting there. The warmth of the fire hit Sarye's face and made her take a step back. Sarye looked for some more kindling and found some thicker twigs laying on the ground next to the fire-pit. She threw this onto the little flame that had started and watched it burn up and then burn back down. Sarye loved starting a fire.

"What are you cooking? Sarye asked with a smile.

[Risa Moontide]

Risa bowed to the gracious offering of the apron. "Oh, thank you!" The few examples of cooking Risa knew weren't too complex nor messy, but she figured borrowing the apron would at least help against that. She didn't know how necessary the apron would be to save her clothing from the stains that would have otherwise blotted it.

Risa beamed when the woman spoke further. Sarye's accent and short words were obvious signs of the Inartan language barrier Risa had learned to work around, which was definitely better than the norm of not speaking any common at all. She didn't mind. If the Inarta were good at anything, it was getting their point across. That and surviving, but still.

"Risa Moontide, Avora. And Fala." Her greeting was more cordial and professional than she meant, but often Inarta approved. Often, but not always. This girl looked confidant and helpful, so perhaps she wouldn't mind. Risa didn't give any more thought to the title than usual, it was more of a nuisance of living in Wind Reach. She WAS honored to granted as high a title, but it was still merely a title. Risa didn't FEEL any more important.

As the fire roared and crackled to life Risa marveled at the flame. Part of her was happy just watching the fire... It threatened to take her consciousness and focus it without leaving its hold, but her grumbling stomach kept her focus on the present and not some silly pattern the fire made. Risa pulled the sea trout from her bag, unwrapping it from the thick cloth that kept the moisture in. The green skin was still moist in her hand. "This. And maybe some hard tack, if I borrow some flour. But I'm no cook. I'd gladly take any advice, if you're willing to give it?"

'Dammit!' Risa cursed herself silently. Her questions and words were always so cautious, nothing like the Inarta. It was upsetting, more proof off how the Inartan culture had eluded her. 'And I'm about to leave here, having learned nothing.' Before thoughts of her journey took her Risa glanced back at the fire. 'Better that distraction than the one swimming in my head.'

[Sarye]

Sarye watched the woman gazing at the fire and heard her stomach growl with hunger pains. Why did this Avora wait so long to come get something to eat or to find help for fixing something? Sarye shook her head at the woman. Watching Risa pull out the fish from her bag she knew just what to do. "I'll help," Sarye said to the woman, "I'm here for your help."

Gently grabbing the fish out of Risa hand she went to work on the fish gutting it and dressing it with herbs and spices she had on the counter. She made quick work of it and handed it back to Risa. "Please hold so I can set up the...." Sarye stopped searching for the word she needed, ".... rack. Yes, rack."

Sarye moved back to the fire pit that was starting to die down now and pulled up two racks on either side of the fire careful not to burn herself. She picked up a stick from the bundle on the ground and found a bucket of water. She dunked the stick in the water and kept it in her hand. "Fish please," Sarye said reaching for the fish. Once Risa had given in to her Sarye placed the stick in between the sides of the fish and placed the wet stick and fish on the rack. "Fish be ready in ten chimes, Risa. Where you live before here?" Sarye asked her hoping that her common was understood.