PM to join Got Meat? (Kreig)

[Cosette Merryweather]

Timestamp: 16th of the Day, Winter of 513 A.V.

When she was still a pulser Cosette never really had much strength to flaunt, but as a nuit, that problem hounded her at every turn of her life. Sure, it had ceased to interfere with her cooking - which did not take tremendous feats of strength in the first place - but it did cause her trouble doing her chores. One such chore involved transporting supplies from the bazaar back to the Herald's Arm.

Even with a borrowed cart, planks of wood and a makeshift lever she struggled to load the fresh batch of potatoes in one heave. Because she simply lacked the strength to haul the entire sack from the floor to the cart, she opted instead to transfer each potato - one piece at a time - from the old sack to the new, empty one that occupied the cart.

It was time consuming business, but patience was a virtue Cosette had in spades. After what seemed like half an hour the girl finally finished, secured the sack with ropes about the cart and then she pushed... slowly. Even as she strained, she was afraid to exert more effort than she had to in moving the cart. Thus, its movement was slow, laborious to gaze at. That the one pushing was a small girl of seventeen who seemed to be straining based on the expression of her face only made the effort pitiful.

But this was a dog eat dog world, she wasn't counting on charity to bail her out on this one. She could hope, but her time was best spent pushing than praying to the gods. That was a hard lesson to learn, but one she took to heart when it finally sank in.

[Kreig Messer]

Kreig was famished.... F. A. M. I.S.H.E.D. famished 'Bah...and dinner isn't till four more bells' He could always go to one of the taverns and buy himself a meal 'Problem with that plan is that I have no miza to my name to pay them' He grumbled as he dug through his pockets ' can't even afford a rotting rat....then again, maybe that's a good thing'.

The brawler was about to make his way out of the Bazaar when he saw a sight he couldn't quite ignore...A young woman was pushing a heavy cart filled with a heavy sack of potatoes. The hungry brawler looked on for a bit, his mind going '...Oh by the gods.." He sighed in frustration, he knew it was best not to do this on an empty stomach but what else could he do? Feel guilty about for the rest of the day.

He moved himself to the young lass and the carriage, placing a hand on his head as he began to ruffle his own hair "...Excuse me miss, but if that Carriage is heavy, I've no qualms about helping you move it" He would do it free of charge even, or maybe for a potato....mostly free of charge though, cause he's a nice guy 'A very hungry nice guy'

x

[Cosette Merryweather]

"Oh! The cart isn't so heavy, its just... I'm that weak. I would appreciate your assistance sir!" so it seemed that there were still nice people who had time to spare in Syliras. Well now, Cosette was independent as any girl of her age, but who could deny the chivalry of a charming young man who was willing to give her some reprieve from her burden. Still, she was touched, it had been awhile since someone actually volunteered to help her out. "But...it wouldn't be fair if I made you work for nothing," paying him would have been proper, but it would have undermined the nobility of his deed. "I know, I have an idea."

"Perhaps there's some dish you rarely enjoy that you miss having... like, well... spicy garlic shrimp in baked cheese." admittedly that was a seasonal dish, but because they were close to the sea it was still an option. "If the ingredients aren't rare or expensive I can make you something as soon as we get back to where I have to deliver these."

"Oh, I'm Cosette by the way." she held out a gloved hand for him to shake. "I'm a chef at the Herald's Arms." she finished the introduction with a bright, sincere smile.

"I'm not that good at navigating the bazaar, but I can get use to the Herald's Arm easy once we're out on the streets." if Kreig had no issues with her plan she would lead the way, or at least giving him instructions, careful to make the journey to the Herald's Arm as short as possible. Of course she would suggest that he take breaks along the way if he seemed tired, they were in no real hurry after all, she wasn't on working shift for the day.

[Kreig Messer]

What luck! In offering this good deed Kreig standed to gain a free meal! "Ah...thank you young miss, I'm up for anything really, back home you couldn't afford to be choosy" Kreig Said as he approached behind the wagon, bent his knees and grabbed the handles of the rickety makeshift wagon. Slowly he raised himself up, slightly surpirsed that the bag of potatoes was actually heavier then it looked The wagon is certainly not making that easier Indeed, its construction was rather inadeqaue, the grips old and could perhaps break off at any moment. Meaning that Kreig had to be very gentle while also being sure not to suddenly drop the wagon due to its heavy load This promises to be straining..oh well, no road is without its perils

"I've been here a few times meself, young miss. I believe I can help navigate out if here if need be" Kreig tried to assure her, now only realizing that there was another element he had to be wary of Darn it, the crowds That meant going through a horde of people, perhaps all tightly packed together as they went about their business. He sighed internally but put up a gentle smile as he struggled slightly with the wagon.

"Name's Kreig, Miss Cosette. Pleasure to meet you" Kreig said as he awaited "Just give the mark and I'll start following, yeah?"

x

[Cosette Merryweather]

"Oh? Where do you hail from? I apologize... I hope the question does not offend, but if you would humor me I would still hear your answer." if there was a murmur of assent she would quickly add. "If you don't have the luxury of choosing it must've been harsh." convinced that the world outside the Sylira Region was a desolate place with weather in the extremes on both ends of the spectrum and lawlessness, she couldn't very well narrow down where Kreig had been born, but it was nice to see a pleasant soul make it here to the heart of civilization.

"I suppose we should go now, yes?" with a nod of affirmation she walked - carefully tracing her steps out of the bazaar while she carved a path in front of the cart of the generous squire. She meant not only to navigate, but to shield him from crude people who weren't attentive enough to watch where they were walking. "Our pace will be relaxed, feel free to stop and rest along the way too."

While they began to inch their way out Cosette saw it fit to do something to at least improve her pace so she wouldn't test her newfound companion's patience. Concentrating, she tapped into a fragment, the tiniest sliver of djed she could and willed it into motion. Flux was a branch of personal magic she wasn't that confident in so she exercised it sparingly and when she did, she never tested its limits - just like she was doing now. Cosette used it without pushing its boundaries, refraining from turning it into a means to override the body, instead it merely acted as a medium by which she made her body only slightly more responsive than a normal nuit's would be - this leading into an approximation of mobility one might expect of a normal - if physically diminished individual.

After a quarter of an hour of leading Kreig through the bazaar they did finally find the exit and was greeted by a cold breeze. The winter air was chilly, but not yet that frigid so early into the season. "Do you wish to rest for a moment? I imagine that might have been a tiring ordeal for you." she asked the squire with a notable degree of concern touching her voice.

[Kreig Messer]

"Ah, I come from Sunberth, ma'am... Born and raised till I came here last year. Enjoying it so far I must say" Kreig answered politely, now Sunberth wasn't quite desolate... it did have farms but with Sunberth being what it was focused on the more unsavory sides of business... the one where lives were bought and sold freely. As much as Kreig loved his hometown, he couldn't deny its unsavoriness... I suppose him being who he was is and Fate's hand is what led him to Syliras.

"Ay ma'am, right behind ye" Kreig nodded as he began to follow Cossette, thankfully she was extremely helpful, navigating him through the Bazaar and keeping the way clear. It would have been pain to navigate this rackety wagon if inconsiderate people were to bump into him, not to mention the sack made the thing more difficult ' At least with crates I had no issues of direction" He mumbled silently, still it offered him food and more importantly it was a good deed.

After quarter of a bell, they finally reached outside the building. Gently he set the carriage down and stretched his back, the air was cool and chill..quite refreshing really. He smiled at the miss' concern and simply shook his head "Ah, thanks Ma'am. Its more that it pains me back then tire me out, otherwise a few chimes of rest and I can readily continue" He told her "So do you hail from here , Ma'am?" Might as well make conversation as they rested.

x

[Cosette Merryweather]

It was all well and good that Kreig was spent for Cosette herself took the time to calm the condensation of djed that was coursing around her body earlier. Even though she was using only a meager amount of djed for her flux exercise, she was not very competent in it's use and she could only maintain her concentration for so long. It was safer to cease her experiments here and now for a time, having such strict guidelines were important in avoiding overgiving.

"Oh, please! You need not call me ma'am... I am likely to be younger than you and it would be disrespectful of me to make you call me thus..." she replied, waving a dismissive hand in tiny gestures across her face to dissuade him from the very notion that she was older. "Not here, but I have been here many times before in my youth though. I actually hail from Zeltiva, I moved here because of all the cities I know of, this one might be the place I could perfect my craft in." it was a melting pot of culture, she could learn not only about the different cuisine there was across the realm but also of magic.

"Uhm Kreig, I've been giving it some thought but is there perhaps something you really want to have? A particular kind of meat?" she leaned forward, delving a little bit into the man's eyes - trying to read the truth behind his words if he did speak. "You're being so kind to me by helping me out with my chores and I want to make this worthwhile for you... at the very least, I wish to make something for you specifically. Not something I simply make for the regular customers."

"Perhaps you have a Sunberthian dish which you miss? Something sweet, or spicy or both?" she probed, hoping to get something out of him that wasn't vague. If one didn't know what dish they truly wanted, a general flavor would actually be great help in pointing her in the correct direction as far as making him food went.

[Kreig Messer]

"Sunberthian dish, eh?" Kreig chuckled slightly at the thought, there wasn't quite such a thing as a unique dish in Sunbrth, it was the same as anywhere else in the regio . Oh, there might be though, but it was likely ony the twits part of the Syndicates that one what those were ' They did have the money after all....must have someone making their foods' And he meant the bosses, not those henchmen of theirs.

He had to think about it really though, just because a diah wasn't Sunberthian didn't mean it wouldn't remind him of home if it was something he was especially keen on. He scratche at his as he raises his head and looked at the sky, they were outside the building so it was a change of pace from looking at a roof a good percentage of the time.

"Viel" He said suddenly as he looked t Cossette, a look of nostalgia twinkling in his eyes " My mum used to make it best, make no mistake about that. She only made it on special occasions and when she did she would buy the best meat, vegetables and spices she could find" Indeed, what best to remind him of home then a meal his own mother used to prepare for him on birthdays or on particular death days? He runner at the memories that just seemed to flash before him like a row of paintings "Yeah.... I'd kill, not literally of course, to eat something like me mum used to prepare" Not that he recalled how she used to prepare it exactly, still it just had to taste good in the end.

He then looked at her again, a soft smile on his face "Of course, that is if you think its possible for you to make, don't think I can bring back mum to ask her how she made it" Actually if he could do that then he wouldn't be talking to tombstones all the time....then again Dira might as well kill him, and he did believe the dead should say dead
x

[Cosette Merryweather]

"Viel... you mean Veal?" things could be pronounced differently in different parts of the continent, no one pronunciation was universal in her experience with dealing with folks from different corners of the world. Veal... the meat was pricy to be sure, but Cosette did not have to be so concerned about her living expenses when she needn't the need to sleep or eat. It was keeping herself occupied which was the problem, fortunately she saw Kreig's request as a suitable distraction. He'd offered her his kindness, surely a good deed deserved another in turn. "Sure, I suppose we have some to spare, not much but I can probably prepare some other dish to accompany the Veal, maybe fowl, it's far cheaper." she decided loudly before the pressed on.

Minutes would pass in silence as they trudged through the streets and finally arrived at their destination where Cosette excused herself for a moment to ask permission for her visitor's presence. He was allowed to take the supplies into the back door then they settled outside at the dirty kitchen which was rarely used during winter. Fortunately, Cosette had long since overcome her natural vulnerability to the cold - though that was at the cost of being warm-blooded in more ways than one.

"You can sit there while I prepare the dish." she told him, setting a plate, fork, knife and a pitcher of water accompanied by a wooden cup upon the table. "Make yourself comfortable."

She hope it wouldn't get too breezy today, it was winter after all, even if Syliran winter was milder than in many other places of the continent.

With her gloves slipping into place Cosette began the preparation of the meat she's procured, a veal cutlet, the breast and legs of corned chicken and an assortment of spices, potatoes, corn and lemon. The first thing she did was clean the meat, having already been cut before she took it out - since there was no way she would be allowed to take more than she did in the storeroom and thus had to be monitored - she spread out the meat, poured a steady, trickle of water from a height to wash away impurities to be found and she set the meat upon the cutting board.

Then she poured a wee bit of alcohol upon the coal on the open stove and with a flick of flint against metal ignited it. With a prodding bar she adjusted the coals in proper order to allow the fire to breathe but not blaze. The pan went atop that, and so did a thin layer of oil.

The onions, cloves of garlic and pepper fell under her knife, she didn't chop it with impunity but used a see-saw like motion as she carved her way from one end of the lump to the other until there was a fine mound of freshly diced spices that she could scoop up and bathe the meat with before she sliced them further into thinner strips. These she covered with a combination of crushed bread which was glued together by whisked egg to give it more volume.

Wine followed next, a steady hand allowing it to slip from the mouth of the bottle into the pan as soon as the oil started to simmer. Then she introduced the meat, both the veal and the fowl into the pan while she watched them was their color changed to a rich golden brown - that was the time she would flip them on to their other side. It was critical that she didn't burn either end and the thing was properly cooked.

"This won't take much longer." she washed her hands again and poured a mug containing previously scathing pumpkin soup that had gone warm into a bread bowl, allowing it to fill half-way and the pieces of torn bread within to rise up in the liquid. "I hope you're hungry."