PM to join A Boiled Potato Sir (Noven)

[Koruma]

OOC: Season of Fall, Day 80, 514. The Orphanage. "Ow." His hand withdrew sharply, a hiss sliding past his lips as the teen shoved his hand into his mouth. Not even a chime later, he withdrew his hand, shaking the injured appendage as he let loose another low his. "Wish I had gloves." Koruma bobbed his head back and forth as his ashen eyes scanned through the thorny branches. Bunches of berries rose from the dense foliage like beacons, calling out to him with the promise of a reward. Yet jealous thorns guarded the delights and Koruma's hands were covered with miniature scratches. His newest scar itched slightly as the healing wound pulled against the skin of his palm. He absentmindedly scratched at the injury while he pondered his next move. Lips pursed together, Koruma carefully angled his hand before he plunged into the fold. It was another bell before Koruma finally gave up on his endeavor. Pulling back from the rose bush, he wiped his brow and let loose a content sigh. One of his baskets rested at his feet and cradled a pile of rose hips to show for his troubles. Beneath them were a handful of nuts and a single crab apple that the mob of hungry hands had managed to miss during the food shortage. Bending down, Koruma hoisted the half full basket into the air and turned back towards the city. He had gone out in search of some food to act as a piece offering to Noven, but the most recent food shortage had left the nearby forest as bare as old bones. Koruma had been forced to walk for over two bells before he had found something edible, and even then it was sparse. What had started as a morning gathering session had turned into an all day excursion. The fall sun offered little in the way of heat and the only relief from the biting chill was the fact that the patchy forest blocked most of the wind. Even so, Koruma pulled up the hood of his dark cloak and rolled his shoulders as he began the long walk back home. The sun had begun its final descent when Koruma finally pushed his way into the orphanage door. He mumbled a hello to Jillene as he passed her, not looking at her as she scolded two of the younger children. The normal high pitched screams and shouts filled the orphanage and a mob of kids ran through the tight hall. Koruma flattened himself against the wall, raising his basket high above his head as the storm rushed by. As Koruma turned, Jillene's voiced cracked like thunder as she yelled at them to cease. Koruma picked up his pace as he made his way down the corridors, hoping to escape her ire. As he pushed his way into the kitchen, a wave of hot air kissed the teen's cheeks and enveloped his entire body. His ashen gaze slid close as he enjoyed the warmth for the briefest of moments. Inhaling, his mouth nearly watered as the smell of food filled his nostrils. Koruma's eyes snapped open and he strode into the kitchen, depositing his basket onto the counter. "Hey Noven. What's for dinner? Or did I miss it?"

[Noven]

Noven hated cold weather.

He shoved the pan off the griddle to dump its contents onto a heaping plate before adding the next batch of raw ingredients. Now that the streets were colder and more dangerous, most people opted to stay in doors. Which also applied to the children. Which also made his head want to explode.

Noise. So much gods forsaken noise. The cook almost preferred it when they were all starving and weakened and mute with dread.

There were screams, shouts, and stampedes flying from one end of the building to another. Honestly, he was amazed that Jillene hadn't murdered them all in sheer frustration by now. Nov certainly would have. Instead, the Isurian proprietress was accosting them two or three at a time, her voice blasting over their's as she struggled to maintain order.

Nov stirred the mound of potatoes, onions, and carrots around before giving the skillet a good shake to even it all out. This season had been a hard one. Harder than hard, actually. More like a straight, petching nightmare. He'd lost count of how many times people he knew had been robbed, murdered, kidnapped, and almost raped or sold off to slavery. And the hunger. Gods, he hadn't felt that hungry in ages, not since that fateful day he'd first turned up at Sunset with naught but the clothes on his skinny back.

The food shortage had hit the city bad. They'd lost a fair share at the orphanage, but things were much, much worse out on the streets. Nov tried not to think about what this Winter would look like; he knew more than a few households had been set back in their preparations. He and the other Scars had tried to get some of the food back from the bandits, but it was not enough to save everyone.

The cook found himself jarred from his morbid thoughts at the sound of someone entering the kitchens. Twisting around, he saw that it was Koruma and relaxed his grip on the wooden spatula in his right hand. The kid had brought a basket, which explained his pleased-as-pie saunter.

"Hey Noven. What's for dinner? Or did I miss it?"

"Potatoes," the cook answered, "and more potatoes."

He set down the pan for a moment so he could check on the soup. There was no cheese this time to mix into his concoction, but it would have to do. Beggars couldn't be choosers and all that shyke.

Having given the enormous, metal soup pot a few good stirs, Nov returned to his spot before the griddle and continued pushing around the frying vegetables. It'd been a while since he last spoke to Koruma and he was curious to know what the boy had been up to. The merc had known this particular orphan since day one and didn't need too extravagant of an imagination to guess where Kor had gotten all those scratches.

"So, kid. Wutcha bring this time?"

[Koruma]

The season had been a harsh one. While the riots and gang wars that went on during the summer had managed to pass Koruma by for the most part, the fall events were not as easily missed. The sudden appearance and subsequent hunt for Dhani had been bad enough, but the famine had left the city in a desperate plunge. Many had starved to death and that included some within the orphanage. Even Koruma had lost weight, despite the fact that he had been able to use his foraging skills to his advantage. The teen had even managed to make some extra coin on the side by delivering handfuls of roots and nuts. Even so, he was glad the markets were open again. Peace had temporarily returned to Sunberth and it made his life just a little easier. Noven's sudden tension as Koruma entered the kitchen went without comment. Koruma was used to the man's brash ways and besides, he came bearing gifts. A smile that could almost be described as cocky stretched across the boy's lips as his fingers ran across the rim of the basket. Noven's answer to his question wasn't surprising, but it was somewhat disappointing. Koruma let out a soft "Hmm" in acknowledgement. "Sound's riveting." His voice was flat, practically monotone as his eyes followed the cook. He couldn't really complain, but potatoes were not high on his list of preferred foods. At least Noven's cooking was edible. Ashen eyes watched as the muscular cook worked, once again wondering why such a well built and clearly trained man would even bother to take a job as a good for a bunch of orphans. It wasn't exactly the most glamorous job in the world and he couldn't imagine that it paid well. Someone had to do it, of course, but Noven was not exactly Koruma thought of when he imagined a chef. His thoughts were interrupted as the conversation turned towards Koruma's presents. He puffed out his chest slightly and he eagerly began to dig into the basket. "It took me a lot longer to find these than I thought, but I managed to find a few nuts, a single crab apple, and... some rose hips." As he announced each item, he lifted a sample into the air and placed it on the counter before the basket. Licking his lips, he continued. "I'm not sure what you can do with them, but whatever it is, I call a bite." He hadn't collected nearly enough to feed the entire orphanage, but Koruma knew he couldn't eat the rose hips raw. Besides, if he was lucky, Noven might give him an extra helping or a bite of whatever he made. Or at least, that was what Koruma hoped. "Please," he added for good measure.

[Noven]

Nov knew the kid's tone well enough. Potatoes were delicious, and there were about a dozen ways to mash, boil, fry, bake, and stuff them. But after countless years and so many of the same mouths to feed, even the incredible versatility of nature's single most reliable tuber had its limits.

To Kor's credit though, the runt rarely if ever complained. Which Noven counted as a blessing all on its own. He'd heard enough whining to last him five lifetimes during his culinary career at Sunset.

When asked what he had brought, Koruma puffed up bigger than a young robin warding off unwanted guests. It seemed he'd managed to gather nuts, a single apple, and some rose hips, of all things. Noven paused mid-stir, wracking his brains for some way to make use of all those ingredients. He wasn't exactly a master of the trade, but back in the day when she was still alive, Calyn used to bake all kinds of things and had shown him a thing or two. Not much, but it just might serve.

Besides, the kid had said 'please.' Who could resist such rare manners?

"Well," the cook drawled, feigning indecision. "I dunno...this is a pretty odd assortment of shyke."

Then he glanced back at the orphan and added with a quirk of the brow, "but seeing as how you went through all the effort, Kor, I guess I'll give it a shot. Don't be spittin' it out if it doesn't taste good though. You're going to be eating every bite."

Nov chuckled to himself darkly as he finished the last batch of vegetables. "Well, dinner is almost done. Guess I'll get started on this...whatever you call it."

He thought for a moment, then motioned for the kid to fetch something from the pantry. "Go grab me some flour, sugar, and some yeast. Think I'm on to somethin'." Meanwhile, Nov busied himself with fishing out a rather beat up but small, serviceable pie tin, along with a few bowls and utensils for stirring.

Once Koruma returned, the cook would have a large cutting board and two well-honed knives laid out. That the orphan was expected to help went without saying. "First thing's first, we gotta get the seeds out of these buggers. Don't want to be giving ourselves itchy arseholes for the rest of the season. And we'll need to get rid of bad bits, like stems or rotten parts."

This task alone would be quite time consuming, but with the small quantity and two pairs of hands at work, it turned out to be only a matter of chimes. When they'd finished prepping all of the rosehips, as well as washing and slicing the single apple, Nov pushed the bowl of little red bulbs toward Koruma and started mixing the yeast and sugar with a cup of water. He let those sit for about ten chimes, showing the orphan what to do with his collection of de-seeded rosehips while they waited.

"We gotta boil them first, then mash them into a jam. Here, dump them all in." Noven held open a small pot of water that he'd just set on top of the griddle. As soon as Koruma dumped the rosehips in, the cook would close the lid and double check to make sure their oven fire was still going strong and steady.

[Koruma]

Mashed, boiled, baked, steamed, or stewed; it didn't matter. Koruma simply didn't like the way potatoes tasted or felt in his mouth. They had a strange earthy texture and the flavor to match. Plus there was that horrendous aftertaste that lingered in the back of his mouth long after he had swallowed. Not that he'd actually complain. Food was food and Koruma made it his habit to eat whatever was placed in front of him. In light of the recent food shortage, his personal rule had become even more importunate. Kourma waited nervously as he waited for Noven's response to his request. His pride deflated, the teen chewed on the inside of his lips as he hung on Noven's every word. His eyes grew wider as Noven seemed close to saying no, stating that the foraged goods were an 'odd assortment.' Koruma couldn't fault him for that. His expression fell for a moment before Noven finally caved. He gave a quick punch in the air, practically jumping as Novem agreed to tackle the project. He let loose a boyish laugh and replied, "I promise. Thanks Noven." Noven chuckled to himself before he turned back to dinner preparations, but not without making a comment. Koruma shrugged his shoulders and offered, "Wilderness surprise?" Unsurprisingly, the cook set Koruma to work and he nodded obediently. "Alright." Turning on his heels, the teen headed for the pantry to collect the materials Noven requested. He piled everything into his arms, teetering slightly as his feet threatened to undo him. With clumsy steps, the boy manged to release the entire pile onto the counter without making a horrific mess. "Now what?" Noven was already busy collecting utensils, bowls, and cutting board. Koruma blinked at the second knife as it dawned on him what he was supposed to do. Koruma moved to take his place even as Noven began to go through the directions. He grabbed hold of the handle with his scraped left hand, wincing a little bit as the cuts protested. Ashen eyes stared up at the older man as he described the process. Nodding again, Koruma set to work. He grabbed hold of the first rose hip, holding it carefully on the cutting board as he diligently removed the stem before cutting the in half. The inside looked almost like a heart, bright red and filled with seeds. Using the tip of the knife, he pulled the clump of seeds free from the fruit before he tossed the first half into a bowl. Koruma repeated the same process for the other half before he moved onto the next hip. Together, the two of them prepped and cleaned all of the hips. Although the time was passed mostly in silence, Koruma felt exceedingly comfortable around the cook. A small, but content smile graced his lips as worked, nodding at each new direction before he obediently did as he was told. "Jam?" Excitement filled his voice as his eyes practically sparkled with anticipation. The final direction was given and Koruma held the bowl aloft as he let the hips tumble into the boiling water. While Noven moved to check the stove, the teen moved to a place where he was out of the way. His eyes wandered for a chime as he chewed the inside of his lips while his thoughts tumbled. His hands played with one another as he gingerly avoided the scrapes. Another chime passed before he spoke up. "Hey Noven... do you thinks Jillene would let me get a dog?"

[Noven]

This was one of the reasons he'd never minded Kor's antics, frequent as they were. The kid was easy to work with. Good attitude, clever hands, and had no inclination to talk a million miles per tick at any given opportunity. That, and his eyes always seemed to light up at the mention of good food.

Well, whether this new concoction was to be any good was still to be seen. But, Nov figured, one couldn't really go wrong with apples, sugar, and jam.

Once he finished sticking another log gingerly into the merry flames, nudging it a few times with a metal poker, the cook straightened and turned to hear what Koruma was trying to say. He saw the kid was fidgeting with his hands, both of which were covered in innumerable scrapes.

"A dog?" Noven echoed, brows raised in surprise. He folded his arms across his chest and stood there thinking for a moment.

"A dog, eh? Well...you know how the boss lady is. She doesn't like messes, and these days we've all got enough trouble to deal with on our hands." The cook snuck a glance at Kor's expression and found himself wishing he hadn't. The boy would be nearly a man grown in a handful of years, but his growth was late in coming and left him still looking like a youngin'. Rounded cheeks, big, grey eyes, and covered in gods knew how many injuries. Plus, it didn't help that he was rather quiet and shy to begin with, though he seemed comfortable enough around Noven. It was just petching hard to say no to the kid.

"But, seeing as how you're almost old enough to be on your own anyhow, and ya don't cause all that much trouble..." Nov sighed and scratched at the back of his head. "I suppose, maybe, if I went to ask Jillene with you, and we both promised to look after the thing...you know, train it and all that shyke...and give it leftovers after meals so we don't waste food..."

The cook coughed loudly, reverting back to a more familiar gruffness. "But, uh, before we can do that we'd best get this 'wilderness suprrise" over with. Here kid, start mixing the dough."

He handed Koruma a wooden spoon and pointed to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Much of the sugar had already been consumed, creating a puffy, beige layer over the water. Noven directed his helper as he poured in the flour a cup at a time, gesturing for Kor to start mixing vigorously after each serving. It wasn't an exact science by any measure, as he was doing mostly everything from vague, hazy memory, but things looked close enough.

After all the flour had been dumped in, Nov took over and began kneading the lumpy dough. This was one of the few things he actually enjoyed doing in the kitchen, talentless as he was with baking itself. For once, the violence-enhanced strength of his arms could be put to good use, and because of his greater ease with the task, his dough almost always came out surprisingly consistent.

Within a few chimes, the dough was pretty much ready to be rolled out. He had thought to ask Kor to help with the kneading but there were far too many cuts and scrapes across his hands. As an alternative, Noven had the kid use a rolling pin to even out the top part of the pie while he handled the larger bottom half.

"Keep the weight even," he suggested as they sprinkled some flour over their freshly rinsed cutting boards. Nov brought out a second rolling pin and demonstrated what he meant. "And stick to one direction at a time. A few times up and down, a few more times left and right. Easy as pie."

[Koruma]

Getting along with Noven was easier than the others. Koruma wasn't the most social of boys and his scrawny body combined with his fidgety nature always meant that the larger kids were picking on him. Even some of the girls had their go at Koruma when they thought Jillene wasn't looking. Noven never seemed to try and take advantage of the young orphan, nor did he try to force Koruma into idle chatter. The quiet that passed between them was relaxed and extraordinarily comfortable. It allowed Koruma to focus on his work and kept him from removing a finger tip. He had done that once during training, it wasn't pleasant. After the preparation was complete, all that was left was for Koruma to sit back and watch Noven work. Ashen eyes followed the older man for a moment before his thoughts got the better of him. Finally, after some fidgeting he asked the question and was met with a rather surprised response. Koruma glanced up from his tumbling hands and his brows furrowed worryingly at the sight of Noven's folded arms. What if Noven said no? Was that the same as Jillene saying no? Thankfully, Koruma wasn't left to stew in his own worry for long and Noven continued with his response. Koruma's expression sunk further as his shoulders dropped. "Oh..." He scratched at the back of his hand while he tried to suppress the desire to rub the scar on his forehead. It didn't work and the teen's left hand was soon caressing the thin line that marred his temple. Koruma had been thinking about getting a dog for a while, all thanks to his meeting with Red Wolf. He loved how strong she was and she had even offered to help him train any animal he managed to get his hands on. Despite their rocky start, Koruma felt rather endeared to the rough lady and wanted the excuse to go see her again. Perhaps, under her guidance, he might learn to finally stand up for himself. Koruma was just about to give up when Noven amended his earlier statement. The change in Koruma was instantaneous. His head shot up and his grey eyes glimmered with anticipation. "Can you? Would you? Please Noven! Please, please. I will work really hard to train it and it won't get it the way at all, I promise. I know this lady who agreed to help me learn how to train a dog. So, it won't be a big burden. And I'll be leaving in the spring too so..." Explaining all this to Noven was fairly useless but Koruma couldn't help but go on a mini ramble. He bit his tongue slightly in all of his excitement. Running the injured muscle over his teeth, Koruma ignored the small pain and nodded as he was set to the next task. The teen grabbed hold of his spoon and attempted to follow all of the directions he was given. He was fine until flower was added into the equation. The front of Koruma's tunic quickly turned into a flowered mess as a white cloud flew into the air with each vigorous stroke. Groaning, he tried to go a little slower so as to keep the flower in the bowl. Somehow, the dough was made in only a few chimes and a rolling pin was quickly shoved into Koruma's hands. He eyed the wooden instrument dubiously before setting to his new task, nodding quietly with each direction. Placing the unflowered pin down on the piece of dough, Koruma pushed into the mess. The pin stuck slightly before he found himself launched forward as the pin toppled off the edge of the dough, taking a large chunk with it as it landed on the table with a loud thunk. Part of the dough had firmly stuck to the pin and Koruma lifted it to show Noven. "Is it supposed to do that?"

[Noven]

Kor may not have looked like much, but Krysus the kid was convincing when he wanted to be. He was all earnest energy as he swore absolute responsibility, going so far as to claim he'd found some lady who would help him train the dog. Nov was pretty sure the boy would have promised the moon itself if such a thing were possible. Though how happy Leth would be with that arrangement the cook couldn't say.

Even if nothing else he'd said was true, the tail end of Koruma's words undoubtedly were. Noven frowned a bit at the thought. In truth, he worried a bit about the kid...not because Kor lacked any cunning or grit or resourcefulness, but because times had been extra hard in the Berth. Things might pick up a little come Spring, one could dare to hope, but there were no guarantees. There never were in the City of Slums, except maybe the certainties of danger, hunger, and death.

Smack! Plop! The sound of Kor's rolling pin and dough hitting the table in quick succession brought the cook out of his dark reverie.

Nov looked over at the debacle in the boy's hands and shook his head, unable to stop a grin from cracking across his formerly grim features. "Good grief, kid. How'd you even manage that? Here." He pushed over the bowl of pure flour and grabbed a haphazard handful. "Put some of this on your dough and pin. Should keep them from sticking. Don't hold back, pile that shyke on."

He layered some on his own pin and dough as well before resuming rolling. It was repetitive but demanding work, and the likes of Nov had little patience for things like attention detail. So long as they got the general shapes of something round that could fit in a handleless saucepan--he wasn't sure he'd ever even laid eyes on a proper pie tin--they would be good to go.

"A dog will be good when you're out there on your own," Nov noted out of the blue. It was his way of saying he was concerned for the boy's well being, though the cook would never admit to it. "Train it well and it could be like having a body guard."

Setting his rolling pin aside to check on their progress, Noven deemed both halves of the pie adequately flattened and went to check on the rosehips. He used a ladle to poke and prod at the dark red fruit. When he pushed one against the side of the pot, it flattened easily into a pulpy mush. "Looks like the rosehips are ready. Pass me a sieve, time to turn these things into jam. "

Once Koruma was able to locate the right cooking tool and place it in his hands, Nov scooped up all of the soggy berries and mashed them inside the sieve. First, he switched over to a smaller, empty pot. Next, he used the ladle to crush the rosehips against the metal wires until everything was nice and pulpy.

Nov dumped the reddish pulp into the pot, banging the sieve against the pot's edge vigorously to get as much of the mush off as possible. "Alright, pass me the sugar. It's next to the flour on the table."

Sooner than he'd expected, they had a globby but promising looking batch of sugared jam boiling in the pot. It wasn't much, as he didn't dare use too much of the precious sugar, and there hadn't been that many rosehips to begin with. But it was something, and the cook found himself actually looking forward to tasting the fruits of their labor.

"It's lookin' good, Kor. Well, while we wait for that, might as well cut up your share of the dough. Get them into strips about an inch wide. Think you can manage that?"

[Koruma]

A dog! He might really be able to get one if Noven was his advocate. Noven worked with Jillene and if she was going to listen to anyone, the cook would be it. Or at least, so Koruma hoped. Still, he finally had a glimmer of hope and Koruma clung to fiercely to the idea.

His boyish smile dissipated as the rolling pin crashed against the table. Yet, he couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Noven's reaction. A toothy grin flashed and Koruma tried to stifle it with the back of his hand. "Messing up is what I do." Koruma's chuckling was only made worse as Noven took over and showed Koruma what to do. "Haha, alright," he laughed as he pried the dough off the pin. The dough wasn't quite finished with Koruma as it practically folded around his skin and clung fast to his hands. Smirking, he rolled the dough off of his fingers, letting a chunk land on the table. Still entwined in the ooze, he pulled at his digits until he was mostly free.

With a shake of his head, Koruma plunged his hand into the bowl and a fine mist of powder launched into the air. Grabbing as much as his scrawny finger could handle, Koruma proceeded to lather the pin with as much of the flour as he could. Koruma even threw some onto the dough for good measure. Squaring himself off to his new opponent, Koruma plunged the pin forward and pushed with all his might. The mush easily gave way and folded beneath his pin, stretching as it did so. Again and again Koruma repeated the process, watching with glee as his hunk of dough gradually flattened into an oblong shape. Koruma blinked and glanced over at Noven, watching him as he worked and turned the dough. Shrugging, Koruma turned his own piece and did his best to make it more circular.

Noven continued up the conversation as they worked and Koruma happily followed. "I'd like to get something big so it can be a guard dog. Really though, Red Wolf said she would help me train anything but I think a dog might be best."

In the end, he managed to get it into something that might resemble a circle if he squinted hard enough. Parts of the dough were too thick while others thin enough to blend into the table. But he did it. Noven checked his half and deemed it suitable enough for use. Koruma stepped back to give Noven the room he need to work and nodded enthusiastically when Noven gave him an order. Turning he shuffled through the various cooking supplies in the kitchen until he managed to find the sieve. It took a few chimes, but Koruma was able to do it without too much trouble.

Once handed over, Koruma followed his instructions while he waited and watched. The longer they worked, the better the kitchen began smelled as the sweet scent of rose took over. Grabbing hold of the knife when prompted Koruma jokingly added, "I think so. And if I mess up, the jam is red anyways so no one will notice." Koruma tapped the scar on his head for extra effect before setting to his task.

[Noven]

The boy's seemingly undeflatable spirit was more contagious than Nov cared to admit. Side by side, they threw themselves into their task, attacking the dough with all the grace and finesse of a couple hounds ploughing up dirt. Flour flew everywhere and left both cook and orphan covered in fine patches of snowy dust.

He had to give it to the kid, though. Kor showed no signs of retreat despite his initial failures. If anything, his clumsiness sparked even more curiosity and tenacity. Noven once heard a saying...something about judging a book by its cover. And though he wasn't known to be seen amongst the company of books too often, if ever, the cook imagined this was a pretty good case in point.

The boy may not have looked like much, but he had will. A hunger for life. And that was more than most could boast in a city like theirs. There was a reason Lady Winter always brought with her a litter of dead that lined the walls and streets while others remained safe and warm. A reason why even the most ruthless of gangs maintained chains of command, and why thugs of pure brawn tended to have a much shorter life expectancy than their smaller, more cunning counterparts.

Luck only took you so far.

At Kor's mention of Red Wolf, the merc train of thought came to an abrupt halt as he froze mid roll. What on Mizahar was the kid doing getting involved with the likes of Bitzer?

Or, better question, what was Wolf Girl doing getting involved with the likes of a Sunset orphan?

He supposed that Bitzer was at least qualified. That wolf of hers followed her everywhere and obeyed her every command. If she could help Koruma train something similar in terms of a guard, Nov had no complaints. The kid was clever and all but he could do with a bit of brawn by his side.

But still...she was the leader of the Scars. They weren't some small time gang rising just to fall under the next wave of violence that rushed through the city. They were big and bad in the most subtly frightening of ways, and Nov was smack dab in the thick of it all. For godsakes, they were targeting one of Sunberth's toughest gangs, had already freed an entire ship of their slaves and slit more Daggerhand throats than he could count. There might have been some measure of comfort knowing he would still be able to keep an eye out for Kor if the kid joined their ranks, but...

...Krysus. That just wasn't a possibility Noven wanted to think about.

Tapping the scar on his head, Koruma made a rather macabre joke about red jam. The cook grunted in response but found himself without humor for the first time during their time together. He couldn't stop thinking about scars, Scars, and the kid's broken, bloody body left somewhere once the Daggerhands realized who was attacking them...

Nov watched diligently as he stirred the contents of the pot now and then and watched Koruma cut his portion of the dough. "About the Red Wolf..." he began after a couple chimes of silence, "...you be careful, Kor. She's a good woman, to be sure, but she's neck deep in shyke you'd best hope you're miles away from by the time you catch wind of it." Just sayin'.

The cook knew better than most that none of the orphans enjoyed being chided. He also had no idea just how much Kor knew about the Scars and their bloody business. But the compulsion to throw in a warning or two came anyway, against all reluctance and better judgment.

Once Koruma was done cutting his strips of dough, Nov had the jam ready and bottom portion of the pie ready. He'd managed to strain most of the pulp, beat it with some precious butter and whatever spices he could find, and lay his own half of the flattened dough along the bottom of the tin. With a bit of difficulty, the cook tore off any excess dough around the edges as best he could. He was clearly not meant for such delicate tasks and wondered for a tick if he ought to have let Kor do this, but the thing was done and there was no going back.

Nov poured the beaten jam into the dough covered tin and scraped all the remains from the pot before setting it back down.

"Alright, kid. We're almost done. Just gotta lay those strips you've made into something of a crosshatch, like this." He gestured with his hand across the pie tin, making diagonal lines one way and then the other, doing his best to mimic what little he saw of more professionally crafted pies.