What's Cooking If You're Looking - OTA

[sell_tickets]

Who: Khary and anyone who comes by while he's cooking
What: This month is a chore he can actually DO!!
Where: The kitchen and dining area in the dining coach.
When: on and off throughout the month
Warnings: He's from an Anne Bishop series, so potentially CW: all, though I don't think much will actually come up in this log.




Cooking was not only a chore he could do, but one he genuinely enjoyed. Like the rest of the boyos in the First Circle, he learned how to cook as a matter of self defense. No one who wanted to survive let Jaenelle anywhere near the kitchen, and it generally wasn't a good idea to be honest with Karla about how something tastes when she is near to so many knives. Besides, as one of the Boyos who wound up married, he found he enjoyed cooking for his wife. It was one of the few ways he was allowed to pamper her sometimes. Three nights a month, at least, he was allowed to fuss. The cook got a long weekend, whenever it fell out, and he cooked and plumped pillows and tucked her in and smiled when she snarled at him.

But the rest of the time he didn't get to cook much. His food was good, but they hired a cook for a reason. Well, more than to keep his lovely wife from realizing just how many ways there were to blow them all up. It was because frankly neither of them had time to cook all that often. He grew up with servants because he was born Aristo. But he had them now because he had too many other duties. Really, he was impressed how long Cassidy had gone on being Queen and doing chores at the same time before her First Circle put their collective foot down. Impressed and horrified. But then, they were all new to serving, so he cut them some slack.

But here he had no Steward and Queen to review papers with. He had no men to command, he had no youngsters to train. He had, and this nearly killed him, no horses to train. He had, even worse, no wife and daughter to fuss over. No females to fuss over at all so far. None that he'd formed a bond with, anyway. He didn't have finances for the Court to help the Queen juggle. He didn't have tactics to hash out with the Master Of The Guard. Most of what filled his days and nights was just... gone here. He couldn't swing by and train with Lucivar, or pester the High Lord at the Keep. He couldn't laugh with his friends when one of Karla's spells went awry or help Ladvarian with the puppies.

So he was cooking. And grateful to have something he could do, and do well, to serve. He made different dishes from one night to the next, but nearly half the dishes were wildwood stew. Or rather, a version made with whatever he could find in the stores here. He also made mixed drinks and laced coffees for anyone old enough who wanted to imbibe. And when he chose, he could have the seeming of one used to tending bar and listening to people's stories while he fiddled with new creations. He was always willing to listen or joke around. But he had zero tolerance for anyone harassing or badmouthing any female for any reason. It was one of his very few buttons. Thankfully, he didn't have reason to think anyone would do any such thing here. But if they did.... Well it was a right to defend. And the first law isn't obedience. The first law is to protect....

Comments

Setting this on the 19th of Domino! Aka before Dream Shenanigans.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Cooking may not be Nita's chore, but it's as much a matter of comfort as it is of pragmatism for Nita when it comes to getting used to getting around the kitchen.

That said, she's also trying to multitask, often bringing along a book or two to study, though with those she'll at least be careful and keep her actual reading to the dining car.

"Why chestnuts?" she found herself remarking one morning, looking over the food stocks and the recipes. "Or maybe these are just chosen at random."

Not that 'random' was often a true condition, in her experience...

Re: Setting this on the 19th of Domino! Aka before Dream Shenanigans.

[sell_tickets]

Hearing a female voice eased a tension he hadn't fully realized he was carrying. He grinned and looked over. "Well, of you want to give them to me I can get them out of the way for you. I could make a filled bread to go with the stew I'm working on."

Like so many others here, her psychic scent was... odd. But he was almost getting used to that by now. He made sure that the Sapphire Jewel dangling from a chain to rest over his shirts was visible, and he made sore that the and he held out for them was held in such a way that his wedding band was unmistakeable.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Huh? Oh, no problem," she said, fishing out a packet of them to hand over.

Odd traces were the order of the day, it seemed; Nita suspected a lot of people here had magic of some sort, and even those who didn't had some level of fortitude about them, an air of mystery.

The Sapphire's purpose wasn't clear to her, but the ring was, and Nita didn't consider herself in any state of mind to flirt even if he didn't have them.

Still, food prep was a useful neutral ground.

"I've heard of raisins in bread, but how does it work for chestnuts?"

[sell_tickets]

Oh, he was fine with friendly gentle flirting so long as no one had any illusions. Came from growing up in the Dark Court. They all indulged in harmless friendly flirting from time to time. He knew his wife would have no issue with that, so long as it was with a friend and so long as that was as far as it went. And she'd understand his need to be near a female he could be friends with.

"As a filled bread, mostly. I can make some for you if you want. In fact, I can show you if you want to take a seat at the counter and watch me cook."

In his experiences, it was generally safer to distract a female than to actually cook alongside one. But then again, the females he knew tended to be a little on the volatile side....

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Well it's not something I've made before," Nita admitted, heading back over to the counter after giving him the pack. "So I think I'll take you up on that."

Nita was fairly non-volatile as a cook, as things went. But if it wasn't her turn to cook, she wasn't going to rush in for a turn at the pot...

[sell_tickets]

Yeah, something about women and kitchens in his world, either they blew up the kitchen or they blew up at you for being in their kitchen. Well now he was thinking of Mrs. Beale and her cleaver. And wishing for nutcakes.

He grinned and gave a small bow. "Happy to serve," he said. And he was. He missed this. He set aside the prep he had been doing for stew to start making a dough.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita grinned in return, bemused yet pleased.

She settled in to watch him, taking careful note of how much of each ingredient he put in when.

"Is this one of those recipes where you have to put the dough in the fridge to settle or anything, before heating it up?"

Some recipes could get weird.

[sell_tickets]

"If you don't use Craft to speed the process," please don't use Craft to speed the process that is how one winds up with dough on the ceiling, "yes. But that is time that can be used for working on the filling and glaze." He grinned. "Breads are generally slow things."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Filling, huh?"

And that sounded like a good time.

"What kind? And- I don't think I ever got your name?"

She sounded apologetic, mostly because she was.

[sell_tickets]

"Chestnut, since that is where all this started," he said with a warm friendly laugh. "I'm Khardeen, Warlord of Magrhe. I serve in the First Circle of the Dark Court. And I am my Wife's Consort, of course. My fiends call me Khary. And you are...?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita nodded, taking it all in.

"Of course, of course. And I'm Nita Callahan, wizard of Earth. I'd ask to shake your hand, but..."

She gestured at the dough again and grinned.

"And here I thought the chestnuts could be made into dough!"

[sell_tickets]

"Oh they could be, but they're better as a filling," he assured her. "A pleasure to meet you, Lady Callahan."

Day 19, evening!

[yilingdaddy]

Lots and lots of stew lately, but after taking a day and night to readjust to sleeping alone again, Wuxian returns to the kitchen. This time to cook, so what if Sizhui fusses! He can make good food too!

Maybe not as good as Lan Zhan's, but he's decent! Enough!

...Ish.

So have a Chinese intruder, Khardeen! Poking around at the spices while water boils before setting to chopping vegetables as he thinks about what exactly to make.

"Congee or...maybe..." He muses to himself.

The sheer number of the hotter spices being left out might alarm pretty much anyone though. So maybe someone should supervise!

Re: Day 19, evening!

[sell_tickets]

"Congee?" he asked, moving closer to look at what was being cut up. Well this was going to be.... interesting. Could be fun to watch people's reaction if that all did go into one dish. But surely not. Now, of course, he was wishing he had some pickleberries. Those were always good for a laugh or two, especially since Jaenelle had shown him the PROPER way to eat one. Khary was always up for a harmless laugh.

[myblueskies]

"Hello mister Khardeen!" Romeo grinned at his teammate. Romeo was a regular in the kitchen, he took chores very seriously. He had to do his best to help everyone on the train!

Even though he was already a pretty decent cook, having being the one who cooked in the temple before he had come to the train, he still enjoyed learning from everyone else. With everyone coming from different worlds all the food was slightly different!

"What are you making today?"

[sell_tickets]

"Hey, kid," he said with a smile. "Wildwood stew. It might not be the best thing I know how to make, but nothing could cut through Jaenelle's temper and focus like the smell of a good wildwood stew. So on the off chance the smell somehow reaches her, she'd know where to find me. Though getting her help to get out of this mess would have to wait until she's had at least three good bowls of it." That said, he did seem to be making a LOT of stew at once. "Want to help out? The dish used to only be known to the Dea Al Mon, so of course I have fun teaching it to others."

[myblueskies]

That was a good idea, making yummy food so his friend could find him! He nodded, he did indeed want to help, he really liked helping!

"I can help mister Khardeen! What do you want me to do! I'll listen really good!"

Because if it was a special stew for Khardeen then they needed to make sure to make it right!

[sell_tickets]

Okay, he really really liked this kid. He chuckled and called in a knife. It appeared in his hand. He flipped it in the air, and using craft to guide it, caught it neatly by the blade with two fingers, holding it hilt out towards Romeo. "Chop the mushrooms?"

[myblueskies]

His eyes widen at the suddenly appearing knife! He took it very carefully and nodded. "Yes sir!"

He brought the mushrooms to him and carefully began chopping them up. "How small do you want them? Do you want slices or cubes?"

[sell_tickets]

"Cubes, please. Wildwood stew does best with cubes and chunks." He started scrubbing other vegetables.

[myblueskies]

Cubes it was then! Romeo laid out the mushrooms to make it easier and then bchanged his chopping into cubes, being extra careful of his fingers! He hadn't cut himself in a very long time, not since he had first began cooking in the temple, but he knows he has to concentrate!

"Did you cook a lot at home, mister Khardeen?"

[sell_tickets]

He chuckled. "When I'm not visiting, yes. We have a cook, but a few days a month my wife lets me fuss and cooking is a great way to fuss over a woman when she is being *****y," he said cheerfully. "Because it is hard for her to hate you when you come bearing food. Except when she's pregnant. Then expect the food to be dumped over your head," he said with a laugh.

[myblueskies]

He listened as he chopped. He knew that Khardeen's world was different than the heavens, though he wasn't sure how different it was to other worlds. But giving people food to keep their spirits up was something that was universal!

"Dumping food over your head isn't very nice, sir!"

[sell_tickets]

He laughed. "I didn't know that the healer had just told her that she couldn't have spices anymore. So when I offered her a spiced nutcake..."

[myblueskies]

"She could have just told you." Romeo pointed out with a frown. "It's not nice to throw things at people."

Not even when they gave you food you weren't allowed. Especially if it was a mistake!