Open Bruka for Beginners

[Poison]

Winter 70, 513 AV

To distract the people of Kalinor from all the bad things that had happened recently the Aconite Web that was responsible for the most of the trade the Symenestra did had planned a very special event. After the avalanche, the djed storm and the near assassination of one of the Moth Queens the Symenestra needed to be reminded of the fun things in life, of all the things that made them unique among the races of Mizahar, of their culture.

Laudavyn Aconite and his niece Sonara had rearranged the entire interior of the Meadows Public House, one of the few buildings in Kalinor that surface dwellers could enter without problems. The tables had been placed against each other so that it looked like there was one gigantic table in the main room of the inn. The chairs had been arranged around it.

Bowls with herbs, with vegetables and fruit stood on the tables, together with pitchers full of different drinks. There was chocolate, there was fresh meat and dried meat and bowls of salt and ground pepper, butter, oil, vinegar and dozens of other things. There were also several large bowls that were filled with blood, fresh from the source, the main ingredient of Bruka, one of the Symenestra’s favourite dishes.

Knives, spoons, cutting boards and all the kitchen tools that one could ever need were lying there. The door to the kitchen that was normally closed was wide open, and the human cook stood in the doorway watching the proceedings. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with so many strangers in his domain, but if Laudavyn thought it was a good idea, he didn’t have a choice.

Next to him stood a pretty Symenestra woman with a flower in her hair. Rowina Arctium was the teacher at Mene Madras, Kalinor’s public school. Some of her older students would take part today.

Today the people of Kalinor, Symenestra as well as Zith and other races, would learn how to make a number of traditional dishes, and the surface dwellers would learn a lot of things about how Symenestra ate that they probably hadn’t known before. After the cooking lesson there would be a feast for everybody with plenty of alcohol and people would dance and have fun.

Everything was ready. Laudavyn, Sonara, Rowina and the human cook whose name no Symenestra could pronounce were just waiting for people to arrive.

[Synntina Novul]

The cooking class news had been spread out across Kalinor for a few days, and Synntina found herself curious on what would take place there. It had been arranged to teach symenestra and non symenestra alike how to make the meal known as Bruka. Synntina was fond of the meal but never knew how to make it. Now was a time better then any, with everything that has been going on, it would help get her and everyone elses mind off of the things that have been happening.

Synntina awoke, dressing in her usual silken clothes. She pulled her silver hair around and over her right shoulder to lay there as she ran the bone comb through her hair, sitting on her bed, humming to herself softly. She stood again after her hair was combed through and after putting the comb away the symenestra woman acceded through her door and out onto the corded highways of the city.

The event was being held at the Meadows Public House. A place where non symenestras often stayed while visiting the city. She arrived, walking in and looking around. People were bustling about and looking rather busy. The tables were pushed together and an assortment of different food things were scattered across it. There didn't seem to be many other people here, so she figured she was early.

Well this was a bit awkward.

The golden eyed girl stood off next to a wall, not really sure on what she was to do as of yet. She was never a very social creature, her mother and father always did that for her. She recognized faces, but never introduced herself to them.

[Sayani]

Sayani had to fight the urge to sigh in annoyance, as she and her sister reached the Meadows Public House. This season, she was doing things that she normally wouldn't do, and this wasn't something she considered nice. She had accepted to adopt two of Rovas' kittens (no, she didn't regret that. In fact, the kittens had proven to be very nice companions), she had gone on a fishing trip with other hunters, helped on the Avalanche event and even had gone to talk with Lephora. This had been the most socialization the Symenestra had done in a single season, but most of it had been worth it, if only for what she had managed to get out of it.

And now, because of Nissa again, she was going to a cooking lesson. Sayani couldn't say it wasn't useful, after all, cooking could come in hand in numerous situations. But she would have preferred to learn by herself. Of course, Nissa had a very different opinion.

Which was why she was standing in the Meadows' entrance with her sister by her side.

"Hello!" Nissa waved to a silver haired Symenestra that was standing against a wall, and would probably have gone to talk with her if Sayani didn't stop the younger one. Nissa pouted, but followed her sister inside, looking at the table in awe.

Sayani was a little impressed, too, with all the variety that they had managed to get for this cooking lesson. Maybe it would be a great opportunity, after all. The Symenestra decided to wait near the entrance, before further instruction was given, but Nissa was restless moving around, looking at everything but, thankfully, not touching.

[Viridae Kabre]

Viridae strolled the thin silken cords of Kalinor at a leisurely pace, hands in the pockets of his hunting jacket, humming lightly a tune his father had taught him in his youth.

His high spirits were owed to the fact that for this day, Seivis Kabre, his charming and slightly irritating younger sibling, had opted to remain at the cobweb to perfect some sort of areal twirl. Whatever.

His shoulders shrugged, unaccustomed to the absence of his bow's weight, and he was thoroughly enjoying not having his quiver slam against his thigh with each step he took. Today was to be a good day. He'd meet a few new people, and learn to cook something other than simple stew from traveler's stock. It would make hunting thoroughly more enjoyable.

As he approached the Meadow's Public house, Viridae paused just a moment to fight down social anxiety before pushing open the....door. He was not used to these doors.

"Hello Everyone," He said without looking around, but simply sensing the presence of others in the room. He drew his hunting knife and jammed it heavily into the table, before looking to the purple eyed Symenestra, always quick to pick up with those with slight resemblance to his web.

"So I understand this is where I'm supposed to be if I'm tired of eating horrible food in the woods?" He said with an awkward smile, in an attempt to be outgoing.

[Poison]

As she noticed Synntina standing there, looking a little unsure, Sonara immediately went over to her. She was glad to have another woman here besides Rowina who just couldn’t stop acting like a teacher even when she was outside of Meine Madras. She smiled at Synntina – they were about the same age – and asked, „Do you know anything about cooking? I know a little bit since I’m helping Uncle Laudavyn with the Meadows Public House – but I’ve never attempted to cook a Bruka before. I don’t even know where he has gotten all that food from in the middle of winter. This will definitely be interesting!“

„Ah … here are two more eager students!“ She pointed at Nissa and Sayani who had just entered the room. „It already looks delicious, doesn’t it?“ she asked Nissa. She had noticed how the girl was looking at everything. Fortunately Sonara was a friendly woman and didn’t mind. „And it’s not even been cooked yet.“

Laudavyn who had been quietly watching the proceedings so far approached his niece.

The middle aged cousin with his golden eyes and black hair was one of the most powerful people in Kalinor besides the ruling couple. Unlike most Symenestra that were desperate to save their race from extinction, no matter what, he had never been married and fathered a child. He claimed that his work for the Aconitum had kept him too busy and that he didn’t want to use a surrogate that somebody else had harvested, but there were quite a few people in the city that didn’t believe him.

Kalinor was afloat with rumours.

„Sonara, my dear, you should get these women a few aprons so that they don’t get their clothes dirty. And get everybody a pot, a pan, a knife and a spoon as well. I want this event to be well organized and not end in chaos.“ Once Sonara had left to retrieve the requested items, Laudavyn turned to Nissa and Sayani and also gestured for Synntina to come closer. „I hope that my niece wasn’t impolite. She is still learning. We will wait a few more chimes, and then we will start if that’s alright with everybody.“

Just as he said that, Viridae entered the Meadows Public House. Since both Laudavyn and Sonara were currently busy with other things, Rowina answered him. „This is it, indeed.“ The teacher smiled. „You are one of the hunters, aren’t you? My students admire people like you, almost as much as the harvesters. Where are they anyway?“ She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief as half a dozen teenaged Symenestra boys and girls walked through the door.

This was a sign that the event was about to begin. Sonara returned with her arms full of aprons and handed everybody one. Once the cooking utensils had also been distributed, she went to her uncle. The human cook had also joined them. He looked less than happy to have all those people there.

“Welcome to the Meadows Public House!“ Laudavyn spoke, loudly so that everybody could hear him. “I’m glad to see you all. I was already having second thoughts about arranging an event about Symenestra cuisine. Now then, let’s begin. I assume you have all eaten Bruka at least once in your life? Does anybody know what the ingredients are – apart from blood?“

While Laudavyn, Sonara and Rowina seemed to be in a good mood and were really looking forward to the cooking lesson, the human cook crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everybody as if he’d rather cook them than all the delicious ingredients that were lying on the tables.

[Vyvian]

x

In the slight darkness of the doorway, two pinpricks of light glinted. They disappeared for a split second.

As Vyvian blinked, he entered through the doorway, stooping slightly to avoid knocking his head. Pulling his hood a bit deeper over his head, he frowned, then changed his mind, and took his hood off out of politeness, bowing his head in reverence, his messy white hair hiding his face above his mouth.

Yet still the eyes glinted through the veil.

A quiet mewp sounded and a kitten, looking a little tired and worse for wear, followed in after Vyvian. A curious softness crossed Vyvian's face. Real emotion, finally.

In his typical manner, he interrupted any conversation that may have previously occurred, either with his entrance or his total inability to realise he was being inappropriate.

"I'm not here to cook... Per se..." his voice trailed off as his eyes darted across the assembled objects there, completely skipping any people that might be in the way or close, curiosity made him forget he was lonely.

"but... I'm here to learn about our poison, and.." he jerked an unceremonious thumb of his shoulder.

"How to feed my feline companion."

He smirked. He didn't know why he just found it funny. Companion. Hah.

He blinked and only just then realised there were actually people in the room other than the teacher, and looked at the floor in fear, muttering. "Oh.. uhm.. hi"

Through his fringe he quickly scanned the people assembled. All complete strangers with the exception of the well dressed man he didn't know anyway. He kept his mouth shut. After Sosicly and Lauralyn had all but put a bounty on his head, he had resigned himself to solitary confinement again.

That dream of companionship was more than over..

x

[Viridae Kabre]

"That I am. Virida-" His words were cut short as one of the harvesters bumped into him. He locked eyes with the boy for a moment, and the Harvester's face sunk in fear. He returned the look with a smirk and patted the boy's shoulder gently. He smiled back and returned to his companions.

"Erm," He began, placing a delicate claw beneath his chin and looking up at the rather plain ceiling. He had never given thought to the ingredients of Bruka, only ordered it at the hunters gather, usually trading a rabbit for the meal. He knew it was hardy, flavorful, satisfying, thick..... But he was not sure of what the dish was actually made from. Flavors were hard to distinguish once liquefied.

He shrugged. "Onion perhaps?"

In that moment, another young Symenestra had walked in, and stated he was not here to learn to cook. How silly. This was a cooking class. Then a smaller version of a mountain lion followed him through the open doorway. That must have been one of the kittens his sister had been talking about a while back. Viridae had never seen one before. Confusion washed over his face. Although Viridae had been many places above ground and seen many things, this was a completely new experience.

For a moment he considered reaching down and touching the little feline, before thinking better of it. He was so easily distracted in social situations. Best to focus on the class.

[Synntina Novul]

Synntina looked over at the girl as she walked over to her with a smile. She nodded her head in greeting and let her golden eyes fixate on her as she began to speak. She showed no expression on her face but a neutral look. The girl didn't look to be much older or younger then she was, but she was rather talkative. The girl, who's name she did not know, asked if she knew anything about cooking and before she could reply, she was already talking about something else. She looked up and saw Sayani and her younger sister enter the building. She gave a nod to Sayani out of greeting before looking back at the talkative one. Luckily for them, an older man walked over, one she actually did recognize. Laudavyn. He was a pretty important man, with powerful golden eyes much like her own. She gave him too, a nod of greeting as he walked over to them.

He spoke to the girl, who's name she quickly picked up to be Sonara, and told her to go get them tools. He then motioned for her to come closer, and she did, walking over carefully toward Sayani and Nissa and standing near them. He apologizes for his niece and Synntina gave only but a soft smile in response before it faded away. He said they would start soon and she nodded. She reached up and ran a hand through her silver silky hair for a moment, and turned as she heard someone else enter. Viridae. Yet another hunter like herself and Sayani. She offered him a smile as he came in the door and began speaking. She knew Viridae as more of a quiet guy, from all their interactions anyway. So it was a bit amusing to see him try and be social.

Synntina looked over as a group of harvesters returned and walked through the door, one of them making a slight mistake of bumping into Viridae, and recieving a death stare. She smirked, but it washed away as Sonora returned, handing them everything they would need. She took the things and walked over to an empty seat next to Viridae.

"Horrible food in the woods hmm?"

She asked quietly, a small smile apparent on her face although she did not turn to look at him directly, instead she fiddled with the tools, laying them all out on the table before her. Over near the side of the table, Laudavyn spoke about the event and started the lesson with a question. She thought it over in her mind, but at the risk of sounding dumb, she didn't say anything. Next to her Viridae mentioned something about Onion, but she wasn't sure if that was right or not.

Synntina heard a noise behind them and turned, seeing a white haired man with a kitten appear. The creature was adorable, but she made no motion to indicate that she thought so. He mentioned that he wasn't really there to cook, and she raised an eyebrow at him. He did know where he was right? He mentioned something about their poison, and then about feeding the cat. He then completely changed, as if he had realized he was drawing most of the attention of the room. Synntina frowned, how strange.

[Sayani]

"Yes! I love Bruka!" Nissa answered the woman, excited. Sayani decided to just let her talk. Sometimes, the Symenestra worried that her over-talkative and over-excited sister would became an annoyance to others, specially since most didn't like half-bloods. However, sometimes they would find a nice person who was willing to engage in conversation with Nissa, without aggression or prejudice, and Sayani was happy when that happened.

Laudavyn then approached them, dismissing the woman who apparently was his niece. Sayani knew the man, as probably everyone in Kalinor did, but she tried to stay away from the rumors about him.

"She wasn't impolite, just excited." Sayani told him, after returning Syynntina's greeting with a nod.

The talk was interrupted when Sonara returned. Sayani took one apron, and handed another to Nissa, before guiding her sister to the table. She placed herself near Synntina, the most familiar face. She then looked around, taking in some familiar faces and others that were completely strange. The teenagers made her frown a little, not at all comfortable with them, but she remained quiet in her place. The human cook seemed to be the only one annoyed by everything, and Sayani couldn't blame him.

When Laudavyn spoke, Sayani instantly turned her head to his direction, listening. She was already there, so she would make the most of the lesson. There was a single answer to his question, and Sayani looked at Nissa. Her sister couldn't cook, but she knew very well the taste of multiple plants, and she had eaten more bruka than anything Sayani knew, so the Symenestra was sure that her sister could tell at least some of the ingredients.

"There is garlic!" Nissa added, excited. She was going to add something else when suddenly another Symenestra entered the room. Sayani turned to look at him, surprised at the fact that he wasn't there to cook. Well, what was he doing there, then? A kitten followed, and Sayani wondered if this was the brother or sister of her own kittens.

He seemed to notice he had interrupted something, because he suddenly grew shy. Sayani sighed, turning her head once again to Laudavyn. She knew the man wouldn't simply continue the lesson, probably, but she cared very little for what was going on. Better to focus on him, then.