Placeholder Ocean Bounty

[Izuyanai]

77th of Summer, 516AV Izuyanai stood at Sharktooth Point, gazing out to the glittering sea and the fishing boats dotting the cove at low tide. She was waiting for one of them to sail back to shore with their catch so that she could test out a recipe. Hopping onto the stones, Izuyanai resolved to scale the highest rock where she would have a lofty seat and an enviable vantage point. Steadying her hand against the rough stone surface, Izuyanai pushed off from her current shelf and cleverly hooked a foot on a small nook, etched in the side of the rock. The raven balanced herself carefully before puling her body up with her arms and crawling the rest of the way to the top. From here she could see the boats more clearly. The Kelvic’s keen eyes picked up mysterious shadows sweeping back and forth among the ships, moving about in a haphazard manner. It certainly was pleasant up here. The wind blew steadily from across the waters and tangled in her hair before moving to weave through the jungle thicket not far off. While it would be tempting to stay here and bask in the sun, one of the fishing boats seemed to be making their way back to the shore, and Izuyanai had business to conduct. Clambering down from her previous seat, Izuyanai made it down halfway before she decided to take a short cut and leap the rest of the drop. She abandoned her handhold and pushed away from the formation slightly. Thankfully, the sand she landed on absorbed most of the shock. However, Izuyanai slipped into a careful tumble just in case it was not enough to break her fall. Quickly picking herself up from the beach, Izuyanai dusted off her clothes and started running in the direction of the previously land bound fishing boat. Obviously, the raven had miscalculated the distance and they had already reached the shore and were now busying themselves with taking stock. While running on soft sand did not turn out to be the most rewarding experience, Izuyanai eventually reached the small group of fishermen only slightly out of breath.

[Izuyanai]

“Care to sell?” she chirped amiably at the closest figure. “Sure thing. Got anything to carry the fish?” he said eyeing the raven doubtfully. Dropping the pack from her shoulders, Izuyanai detached the pail secured to the back and nodded to the fisherman. The man mumbled something unintelligible in approval and waved her over to the boat where their catch was being kept. The first thing that leapt to Izuyanai’s eyes was not the general fish thrown roughly in a makeshift crate, but a much larger creature with a sleek body and aggressive looking saucer eyes, Something, perhaps her instincts screamed ‘predator’ at her, but Izuyanai peered closely, curiosity getting the better of her. It looked to be harmless at the moment and several wounds pierced its otherwise streamline figure. The raven’s first guess was that this was an overgrown fish. However, something was not quite fitting. Perhaps it was the lack of scales or the strangely shaped snout. One of the men still rummaging around in the boat let out a low chuckle at their customer’s fascination. “Never seen a shark?” “Shark?” Izuyanai raised her eyes looking questioningly at the fisherman. “Yeah. They’re a type of fish that could bite your hand off, see?” He said, reaching over, and hooking a hand around the shark’s jaw and to reveal its many rows of razor point teeth. “This one’s on the small side, though. We caught it stuck when the tide went out. Bigger ones toward the outer sea’ll eat you whole.” Raising her brow at the tale and eyeing the sharp teeth of the newly identified shark, Izuyanai absently accepted the fish placed in her container. “That’ll be two gold miza, miss,” the fisherman said expectantly. Dropping the appropriate amount of coin into the fisherman’s hand, Izuyanai made her way back toward the Commons where she could prepare the acquired ingredients. As soon as Izuyanai reached her supplies by the Commons, she went about preparing a cooking fire. Arranging the fuel in the appropriate manner, the raven produced her flint and striker, setting a small smouldering blaze that eventually erupted into proper tongues of flame. Tying on her pristine apron, Izuyanai now faced the matter of preparing the food. The first thing to do should be cleaning the fish. The climate of Syka would spoil raw fish quickly enough and the last thing Izuyanai needed to be making was toxic food. Placing the fish on the board, Izuyanai produced a cooking knife, trying to follow the procedures her recipe book described to her. After propping a pan over the fire to heat, she went on to scale the marine creature she had purchased. The appropriate pressure took a few attempts to grasp, but quickly, filmy scales began to flutter off of the silvery fish.

[Izuyanai]

The next thing the book had described was the process of gutting the fish. Though she as a raven would not mind consuming the fish whole, if her patrons paid to have them prepared to their liking, then Izuyanai would be pleased to do so. Inserting the sharp knife into the fish’s stomach, Izuyanai created a neat slit from which she removed the entrails. Cleaning out the fish and deftly removing its head, Izuyanai placed it to the side before moving onto the next ingredient to do the same. A cooking knife was different from a dagger, however, since they both trailed along a similar concept, it was relatively easy for the raven to get an idea of how to handle the ingredients. Completing the following fish with more success than the first one, Izuyanai rinsed her hands before turning to the seasoning. The various spices procured from the kit were kindly labeled with their respective names. There was salt which Izuyanai could recognition well enough and also a jar of strongly scented dried garlic. The rest of the containers were labeled thyme, parsley, and basil. Pouring out amounts from what she remembered during her time working at the Scholar’s Demise. Izuyanai mixed the seasonings together in a bowl and pressed the fish fillets into the mixture, coating them in a generous amount. Placing a dash of olive oil in the pan produced an appetising smell, and the aroma increased more so as the prepared fish were placed inside. For a good while, Izuyanai let the fish cook as she stoked the flames underneath the pan. Occasionally, she added another piece of kindling, watching as the flames consumed the fuel bit by bit. Soon enough, the fish took on a soft color and started flaking as the raven gently moved it around the pan. Taking the aroma as a hint that the dish was done, Izuyanai took the pan off the fire to let the creation cool down. The fish seemed to have been cooked as they were supposed to, as there was no blaring mistake in the outer appearance. To Izuyanai they seemed rather appetising and when the steam curling off of them lessened, she took a bite to appraise her efforts. While the fish itself was well cooked, the Kelvic thought that she may have used too much seasoning in the process. The strong accent of the spices overrode the flavour of the fish, causing some surprise at the first bite. She supposed it was acceptable with some water or drink and made a mental note to adjust her measuring next time.

[Izuyanai]

Thinking that another less seasoned food might be a good combination to go with the strong flavour, Izuyanai cleared her materials for another dish. Pairing drinks with food had been one of the job requirements at the Demise, and so the raven hoped this would apply to actual dishes as well. She had spent much time going over the various qualities of the wines offered in the establishment and had them memorised by heart now. Cabernet, the simple but strong red wine paired well with meats and mushrooms while the white Chardonnay went well with their complementary onions. Now that she had given it some thought, Izuyanai supposed that the current dish she was putting together would go together well with either Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Well, would have anyway. The current fish might be too strong for that. However, with this new addition, she hoped to rectify her mistake. Izuyanai placed the seafood to the side and organised her workplace with two eggs, a dash of milk and some salt, preparing herself once more. Taking the fresh eggs, she cracked them over the bowl, careful not to crush them and allow shards of the shell to mingle with the yolk. It was a surprisingly delicate task. Too much strength caused the fragile thing to shatter, while a weak strike simply left sorry cracks running halfheartedly across the smooth shell. As it was, Izuyanai managed to get the ingredients into the bowl without major incident. Adding the small amount of milk, she proceeded to mix the contents of the bowl, rapidly. The bright yolk broke and streamed out, mingling with the lighter materials in the container. It was a simple thing to stir, however, the Kelvic needed to keep in mind that air had to be beaten into the mix. Otherwise, the end product would be dense and flat. Eventually, the mixture was a light and soft color, signalling that any seasoning should be added before the eggs were cooked. As the fish had already turned out with too much flavour, the raven merely added a pinch of salt. It would ruin the point of her going through the trouble of making a side dish if she added too much character to the eggs. Izuyanai took up the case olive oil again and tipped it slightly, lining the heated pan with another layer of glistening oil. With this, much like the fish, there would be less danger that the food would charr into the precious pan. In addition, olive oil had a pleasant underlying aroma that would benefit most dishes. The whisked eggs poured into the heated pan formed a river and then a large lake of soft yellow. Seeing that they were quickly starting to condense into frothy lumps, Izuyanai hurriedly stirred them around, ensuring that the heat from the pan was applied equally to the top and lower half. The eggs gradually settled into their random, curiously form. At last, the scrambled eggs were finished and Izuyanai quickly took the pan off of the fire before the intense heat ruined the soft eggs. As with onions, Izuyanai assumed that too much time on the fire resulted in dry, unsavoury food and after that, a charcoal black mess. Wincing at the heat, Izuyanai hurriedly moved a small piece to her mouth for a quick taste. While she cooled her fingers, the raven contemplated the taste and was rather pleased with her decision. The eggs were certainly not bland. They had a perceivable flavour about them. However, Izuyanai concluded that with the fish, the flavours would balance themselves out well. Sliding the fluffy eggs over to the platter with her previous creation on it, Izuyanai added a few small touches to make the dish look presentable. She packed away her materials and cleared her area, kicking out the fire to be used another time. The raven then climbed the stairs to the Commons and placed the platter down on a rough wooden table where a few other free items were gathered. Most of the time, the Commons had a few pieces of fruit that the knowledgeable had gathered. Sometimes there would be extra meat the a lucky hunter had left behind. In any case, now what she had to do was gauge the reactions of any potential recipient. Many had a hard time being honest when they knew from whom they had received a gift, however, Izuyanai had the perfect way to observe from afar. Retreating slightly and seating herself at one of the benches, she enjoyed a the pleasant weather until someone came across her efforts. The raven hoped it would be sooner rather than later. After all, this dish would only taste better while it was still fresh from the fire.

[Izuyanai]

Luckily, not long after the Kelvic had posted herself, a young settler came along and happened along the community tables. She took a look at the plate as well as the eating utensils and scooped it up, bringing it to a table to Izuyanai’s right. Snatching up the opportunity, Izuyanai kept the woman’s face in the corner of her eye and observed while also focusing on her aura. The aura before the woman started on the meal was a haphazard swirl of colours and emotions. From what the raven could tell, she was tired and worried. However, a closer look told her that the harried orange spikes weren’t that of worry. It didn’t necessarily feel right when she interpreted them that way. Instead of anxiousness Izuyanai received symbols of emptiness and desire. So was this hunger? As the settler scooped up portions of the food, Izuyanai noticed that their eyes relax slightly and that a certain light returned to them. In her aura as well, the obnoxious spikes decreased their assertiveness over other emotions and gradually started to fade away, being washed away by something new. This time, there was a scent rather than color. The raven was intrigued to find that it was reminiscent to the aromas wafting around the Scholar’s Demise as well as something else. Something she couldn’t quite place. It was difficult to decipher what the aura meant, however, she concluded that it was a positive thing. Did it point toward contentment or the actual opinion of her dish? The Kelvic couldn’t tell but took heart in the fact that even to someone elses’ tastes, her cooking had not been a catastrophe, at least. For a while, Izuyanai flitted her focus about in the woman's aura while the other was occupied in finishing the plate. Just when she had been contemplating speaking up or not, the woman put down her fork and seemed to be getting ready to leave. The plate was completely cleaned off, and again, Izuyanai took that to be a compliment. "What did you think of it?" The raven suddenly mentioned, causing the stranger to start and turn about toward her. Apparently, they weren't expecting to be sharing their opinion with the cook. But why should they have been. "Oh, it was fine. I mean, did you make that? Thank you. I didn't think that, well, I though that it was just set out here." Taking a moment to collect herself, the settler heaved a tired sigh and started again. "It was good, especially after working most of the day," she trailed off. "It's very generous of you." Perhaps it was, but this would help Izuyanai later on as well. "Come by later. I'm sure by then I'll have something more organized." Curious, the woman gave a quizzical look but nodded and headed off after a harried wave. Clever advertisement and practice in one move, Izuyanai thought as she got up to clear the remainder away. Soon there would hopefully be such a place to call her own.

[Gossamer]

The Fates Have Spoken
Here is your thread grade!

Character: Izuyanai
Experience Awarded: Climbing +1, Observation +2, Planning +1, Acrobatics +1, Cooking +4, Auristics +1
Lores Awarded: Lore: What a Shark looks like, Cooking: Scaling a Fish, Cooking: Cleaning a fish, Cooking: Filleting a fish, Cooking: Seasoning Fish Fillets, Cooking: Knowing when Fish Fillets are done, Cooking: Which meats go well with which wines, Cooking: Breaking Eggs, Cooking: Scrambling Eggs,

Notes: Cool thread. Easy on the random settlers though. Feel free to utilize the NPCs of the city. So long as you don’t get crazy, you can use any of them you like to taste test creations for you. :}

As always PM me if you have issues.