PM to join [World End Grotto] Peeking In The Kitchen

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow 25th Day of Summer 514 AV T he common room of the World End's Grotto was sparely occupied when Saraphina poked her nose through the door after a 2 chime nap in her room. Now feeling far more refreshed and rejuvenated, her stomach had grumbled unhappily. Separated from the wilds and having no clue which way to go through the city to get to the mountains, she'd reluctantly tiptoed down to the lounge area. Glancing around, Saraphina could only see two other people in the meeting area. One was sipping a hot drink and his body language suggested that he would be leaving soon, the other patron nibbled on a chunk of bread and flipped through a dog eared leather bound book. Seeing little threat from either of the men, Saraphina entered the room. Bearing an over cautious aura and darting her eyes around, she was the living image of a startled animal. Still too new to the area, still skittish after her lockup by Nicholi's hand. Saraphina took a few moments to steady herself and remember to breath, 'I am free now....no force in the world will ever bind me again.' Calmer now, Saraphina sat down on one of the wooden chairs, slipping her legs under the table. A plate with a flat portion of bread and a warm slice of meat garnished with some green topping. S araphina looked at the meal with a curious, feline tilt to her head. It wasn't an elaborate make up of food, but it was still fancier than anything her Mother could have made. Saraphina had made efforts to keep her food intact down to a low volume when she'd lived with her Mother, often going on hunts and eating her fill of her kills to keep her appetite down. Picking up the metal utensils, she sliced into the tender meat. The first bite almost melted in her mouth and Saraphina closed her eyes in brief bliss. Days of dried jerky and stale biscuits on the ship that brought her in faded away. Diving into the rest of the simple meal with relief, her earlier uncomfortableness forgotten, Saraphina cleared the plate. Looking around to find herself alone save for the one man reading his book. Glancing around and spotting the server disappearing through a door in the back, Saraphina let her natural curiosity get the better of her. S tanding up and moving silently, Saraphina walked into the back room. A large kitchen complete with a clay oven, large table currently occupied with raw loafs of bread dough and a series of pans and cooking gadgets. The room was much warmer than the outside and a tantalizing smell was coming from the rounded oven. A metal door with hinges sealed the device and she couldn't help but move a little closer to it. Heat radiated from the oven, but the mouth-watering scent of fresh baking bread drew her closer. Reaching out, she wrapped a hand lightly around the handle to the oven. Almost at lighting speed, Saraphina jerked her hand back with a small screech. Shaking her hand and struggling not to cry out again, she glared at the oven hatefully. Cradling her slightly burned hand, Saraphina studied the oven and wondered how to open the piping hot door.

[Theodore Miles]

Theodore Miles

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In the kitchen of the ever popular inn of Zeltiva, a single staff member of the kitchen was preparing dishes for the patrons. The day wasn't busy as other days, so the staff members decided to draw straws to see who would be working in the kitchen for the day – a very unprofessional thing to do. As it turned out, Miles drew the short one. As the patrons came in and ordered, Miles would begin cooking the dish while he followed a recipe. He boiled water here, chopped vegetables there and called out when it was done. Miles was no master chef, but he could satisfy the palate of a commoner. “Soups done!” Miles called, leaving the bowl on the table for the waitress to collect. “Now, what's next...” he mumbled to himself, “Steak, eh? Simple enough.” Miles threw some wood under the stove top, an appliance Miles wishes to have of his own one day, and placed a flat pan on top. A good steak was easy to cook, but it's a great steak is what makes people come back for more. Following a recipe, Miles produced a nice slice of beef steak then began rubbing salts and various kinds of spices into it. Miles didn't quite understand what some of the spices did or how it affected the taste, but he was slowly figuring them out. When the meat was done, it went straight on to the pan. Miles let the meat cook on one side, flipping it when it was done. “Okay, now for the other bits” Miles mumbled to himself as he placed the cooked steak on the plate. The aroma of cooked meat with a hint of spices brought a satisfied smile. After Miles placed a bit of chopped up green onions on top of the dish, Miles placed a small loaf of bread next to the steak and brought it over to the table for the waitress to collect. “Steaks done!”

Miles had no orders coming in for a while. With nothing to do, Miles cleaned the cooking utensils and checked around for anything that needed to be restocked. “Ah...” Miles exclaimed, “We are out of bread...” Heaving a slightly irritated sigh, Miles pulled out the equipment he had just cleaned and began making dough for bread. Once again, he followed a recipe written by the head chef. The dough he made was passable, but a bit too moist – Miles gave him self a little scolding for it. After spreading a nice layer of flour on a table top, he began kneading the dough with his hands and when it was ready he sliced the dough into portions. “In you go!” Miles said, placing the bread one-by-one in the oven with a bread paddle. As it cooked, Miles left the room because the call of nature grew strong.

“Ah, that's better.” Miles said in relief as he finished his business. Walking over to a bucket full of water, he dipped his hands in and swished them a round for a bit. The bread had almost been cooked so he returned to tend to them. Entering through the door, he saw a woman by the stone oven where the bread was cooking. Standing at the door silently, he stared at the woman's attempt grab the bread, it took a moment to register that a woman that Miles had not seen before was in the kitchen. When he realised he began to apprehend the woman. “May I help you?” Miles said in a stern voice as he entered the room. If this woman was a thief, he wanted her to know that he'll give her trouble. “Only staff members can come behind here.” He continued, standing opposite to her from the table. The woman didn't look like the common run-of-the-mill thief, she had decent clothing, washed hair and skin that wasn't covered in dirt. After this small assessment, his toned softened slightly. “Are you a patron?” he asked, “What are you doing here?” Miles crossed his arms and waited for the woman's response.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he entrance of the young man hadn't pasted by Saraphina's notice. Even as interested in the round oven as she was, her senses were still alert to the area around her. As Theodore entered, Saraphina straightened and looked over at him with more curiosity than fear. He didn't strike her as a threatening person. Thin, fair haired and bearing dark circles under his eyes, Saraphina tilted her head at his comment that only staff were permitted to come into the kitchen, "Only staff? Why only staff? There's so many new things back here I've never seen, why won't you want to show it to people?" Saraphina's young mind logically could see no reason why it was forbidden for her to look around, she didn't intend to take anything. It was more that she'd never seen a kitchen quite so big. The round clay oven was fascinating. Her Mother's simple house had only had an open front heath with a flat stone on top for cooking. The structure of the devices in the Grotto's cooking area were far more advanced than anything she'd seen. H er response didn't seem to statisfy the young man and Saraphina shifted a bit uncomfortably. She had no intention of apologising, she'd done nothing wrong. Perhaps she'd been a little over curious, but no one in Avanthal had ever had a problem with her poking her nose into things. Than again, she'd usually had her Mother with her, gently explaining to people that she was Kelvic and still a child despite her appearance. Theodore's next question helped to break some of the tension forming in the air and she gave a smile, her fanged canines showing as her lips pulled back from her teeth, "I am staying here. Do you make the food back here? The meal I had was really good.....best I've ever tasted actually. I was just wondering how it got made.....there was some strange flavors I've never tasted and the smells coming from her were really new. I just wanted to look around. How do you open this? I can smell bread baking....I think its bread....is there something else cooking inside?" S araphina pointed to the round oven as she spoke. If her speech and actions seemed blunt and overly forward, she gave no indication of it. Saraphina was not someone who treaded by the normal social conduct, she just wasn't experienced enough at it to care. Still, she kept the doorway back to the common room in her sights....just in case she needed to leave quickly. She wouldn't back down from a fight if Theodore insisted on one, but she wasn't going to start one with the slender man.

[Theodore Miles]

Theodore Miles

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Miles looked at the woman with a brow raised. Her comment made it seemed she lacked common sense or manners. Mile could see the curiosity in her eyes, but he didn't reward her for it. He continued to assess the woman, eyes scrutinising every detail of her. He disregarded her questions with a shake of his head. He could see that she began uncomfortable. Miles wasn't too sure if he was over reacting to the woman, he was the type of man who followed protocol and instructions. After all, without them, Mile would have created a city full of haywire golems. The woman smile, revealing long canines that he had only seen on animals, it was somewhat unsettling. If this was her way of breaking tension, she had a funny way of doing it. As the woman spoke, he now knew that the woman was accommodated in the inn, still not a reason to poke around the kitchen however. The woman continued to speak and miles simply thanked her for the compliment and said, “Yes, we make food back here. It is a kitchen after all. By the sounds of it, you've never eaten decent food.”

Once again, the woman began displaying some rather animal-like traits. She sniffed the air and asked if he was baking bread. “My my, how 'ever' did you know?” Miles said, with a hint of playful sarcasm, “I hope all of this dough and cooking equipment didn't give that away.” Mile eased himself slightly, knowing that the woman was a patron of the inn and wasn't just someone thief off the streets here to steal his precious baked goods. Miles waved his hand as a gesture for the woman to move away from the oven as he walked towards it. “You know, you shouldn't touch hot things,” Miles said as he examined the loafs of bread, “Were you burnt?” Miles offered his hand with his palm turned up, so he could look at the woman's hand. “You know, you can get in a lot of trouble if you keep poking your nose in places you shouldn't,” Miles lectured, reminiscing on the countless things he had done in the past. “My name is Miles” he introduced as he inspected the young woman's hand. Her hand didn't looked red so Miles assumed she was okay, he then return her hand. “May I ask your name, Young lady?”

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he young man didn't give any indication that he was becoming hostile towards Saraphina. A bit confused and perhaps slightly nervous but her comment on his cooking seemed to help settle him a bit. At his comment of never having good food, Saraphina shrugged lightly, "Mother wasn't a wealthy person and I enjoyed hunting so what meals I did have with her were very simple." Saraphina looked around the large kitchen again, still very curious about the makeup and design. This young man was a worker for the Grotto.....she wondered briefly if she asked nicely if he would teach her a few things about how he prepared his meals. True, she could always go hunting and simply eat her fill of her prey....but it had been a rare pleasure to partake in a cooked meal. She'd like to be able to prepare her own food in the future. Her Mother hadn't really taught her much on the subject....granted she wasn't always the most diligent study. W hen Miles commented in a sarcastic voice about the baking bread, Saraphina's pride and back immediately went up. Pulling her lips back in a nasty snarl, she lifted her nose into the air and replied in a hard voice, "There's no need to get snide...I was only curious. If you want me to leave I will, but don't make fun of me....I don't appreciate it." Saraphina was usually fairly easy going. But like any Kelvic, she was unpredictable to a fault. Even she couldn't always predict how she would react to certain comments or situations. She just went on instincts and let things get settled after that. When Miles approached, questioning her burned hand, Saraphina's earlier irritation dulled and she shifted a bit but held out her hand for him to inspect. She guessed that was his way of apologising, something she could understand. The red head didn't like say 'Sorry' either and generally tried to find other ways to express her remorse if she could, "It's nothing...I've been injured far worst by prey fighting back. I didn't realize the door would be hot." S araphina quirked a brow at Miles's comment about her getting into trouble and she couldn't help but laugh lightly, "You sound like my Mother...she was always saying the same things. I didn't intended to get into trouble...I was just....interested. I've never cooked anything before, all my meals were either prepared by my Mother or eaten after I hunted them. Would you be willing to show me how you made that nice meal? I'd pay for another one if you want." Saraphina took back her hand and dug into the bag on her hip, pulling out a gold miza to offer to Miles. Blinking a bit and ducking her head in a bit of embarrassment she cleared her throat slightly, "Oh...my name is Saraphina Skyglow.....what's you name?"

[Theodore Miles]

Theodore Miles

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A shiny gold miza glinted before Miles's eyes. Was she after a paid lesson? Miles's was no teacher, nor was he the most skilled cook. To spend that much mizas on a lesson would be a waste. Looking at the the tmid looking young woman, named Saraphina, Mile placed his over the gold miza and clutched it; then he pushed it back to her. “If you want to learn cook, pay with your hands.” Miles said with a smirk. The young girl seemed willing to learn, so he wouldn't turn her down. However, he was worried if she could be safe in the kitchen, she did just try to grab bread from the oven without a paddle. As the bread continued to cook, Miles explained to Saraphina about the basics of keeping safe. Miles knew that explaining the bare basics of safety was extremely boring and wasn't very engaging, but it's knowledge one must have.
“Did you get all that?” Mile said, completing his lecture. The smell in the air told Miles that the bread was read to be taken out and for cooling. Miles grabbed the paddle and slipped it in the oven and under the bread, pulling it out. After he had placed the steaming hot bread on the kitchen table, he handed the paddled to Saraphina. “Here, pull out the rest.” Miles instructed, “I'll see if there are any spare ingredients to make something. Oh, can please don't drop any other them.” Miles walked out of the room for the moment and allowed Saraphina to pull out the rest of the bread. In a small closet, Miles looked around for any cheap ingredients that he could use for the lesson. Looking about, Miles pondered what recipe he could use, it had to be simple and easy. He took a moment to think and a moment moment to gather the ingredients.
“This recipe should be okay.” Miles said to himself. Returning back to the kitchen with a hand full of food, He entered through the door to see all of the bread placed on the counter to cool. Miles glared at the bread. “You didn't drop any did you?” Mile asked, raising a brow.

“Okay, we are going to cook vegetable and meat stew.” Mile said, dropping all of the ingredients on the table. He them pulled out a crude looking chopping board and a few knives. Miles slapped the meat on the board and gestured for Saraphina to come to him. “Now, slice the meat into nice small even portions, like this” He explained as he demonstrated. Miles handed over the task to Saraphina and watched her, correcting her when his slips up. After the meat had been cut, Miles repeated his method of teaching with the vegetables.
“Looking good... so far...” Miles said, looking at the prepared ingredients. Some bits were cut well, and some others weren't up to par.
“Okay, Phina” Miles said, creating an odd nickname, “time to cook the meat”

ooc :

Sorry about the short post

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he cook pushed her coin back towards her with a teasing response. Saraphina found herself smirking back at him, "A human who doesn't grab for shiny metal like a starving animal on a carcass. You are a strange one Miles....but I think I'm starting to like you." Saraphina grinned widely when Miles said he'd teach her about the kitchen. His words about what to touch and what to avoid helped Saraphina a lot. Really, she had next to zero experience in domestic keeping, so knowing how to prevent injures was a good lecture. She paid close attention and nodded when prompted. The large wooden paddle was an odd device, but it became very clear what its purpose was when the oven door was opened. Saraphina had wrongly assumed that there would be a cover or glove for your hands to help you get out the bread. The paddle looked a bit awkward, but the longer distance from the burning fire would make it safer to use. Miles handed the paddle to Saraphina, instructing her to remove the rest of the bread before he stepped out the kitchen. S he gripped the long handle of the paddle in both hands. It was heavier than she first thought and remembering that Miles had asked her not to drop any of the loaves, Saraphina took a few moments to swing the wooden paddle around. Adjusting to the weight, she started to try and slide the flat surface under the baked bread. It was trickier than Miles had made it look. The paddle was thicker on the end and didn't slip under the loaves easily. Maneuvering the flat surface, Saraphina managed to get one of the bread loaves on the paddle. Walking in tiny, shuffling steps and keeping her eyes locked on the steaming bread, she set the flat of the paddle on the table. Using the tips of her fingers, Saraphina slide the piping hot item onto the table. Pleased with the result, she moved the other loaves onto the table. Through careful movement, the Kelvic didn't drop any of the loaves, but when she inspected the bread, she noticed that she'd pushed some of the loaves against the side of the oven when she'd been trying to get them out. Most of the ones she'd taken out had small portions of ash and charcoal on the brown edges. When Miles returned, asking if she'd dropped any, Saraphina shook her head, "I didn't drop any, but some of them have some ash from the oven on the edges. It was harder than I though to get them on the paddle. Is that alright? The breads not ruined now is it?" She didn't really want Theodore to get into trouble because she was clumsy, especially since he was trying to help her learn how to make such yummy food. S eeing Miles with an armful of food on his return, Saraphina moved forward and helped to lessen his load, grabbing some of the items and setting them on the table. Standing beside the sandy haired cook and watched closely as he sliced the meat. When he handed her the knife, Saraphina eagerly stepped into position. The meat was a bit tough and stringy, so she found that she had to run the blade back and forth over the portions she was cutting to slice through it fully. Some of the piece she cut were too large and Miles would move her hands and explain that she needed to move the knife in a smooth, even motion to get a good cut. The vegetables were much harder to cut. Some had a extremely hard core and Sarphina found herself having to rise up on her tiptoes so she could put her free hand on the dull side of the blade to add extra weight to push through the roots. Her cuts on the vegetables were much blockier than the meat and Theodore would take the larger chucks and cut them a bit smaller, winking at the red head cheekily and telling her that she was doing a great job. After everything was sliced up to a fairly good standard....according to Miles anyway.....he chirped up happily, "Okay Phina, time to cook the meat." Saraphina tilted her head at the odd shortening of her name, mulling it over in her mind. She'd never been given a nickname. In Avanthal, or at least in her area, it had been considered rude to not address someone by their full name. But.....she wasn't in Avanthal anymore....and really, the shorting of her name did flow off the tounge rather nicely, "Phina?.....That.....actually sounds kind of nice. Do you shorten you name at all Miles. Do the ingredients you use come from outside the city or do you had a garden you grow these in?"

[Theodore Miles]

- - - Miles listened to the feline-like Saraphina. She confirmed that not a single loaf of bread had dropped. However, due to the awkwardness of handling the paddle, some of the ash from the oven smeared the side of the bread. Miles understood how hard it was to handle the wooden paddle, he had been at that stage in the past. Walking over to the table, Miles picked up a steaming loaf of bread and inspected it. The bread was hot and the crust had began to harden. On the side was the black and grey matter that made the bread somewhat unappealing to the eyes. Using tips of his fingers, miles brushed off the ash the best he could. "A lil' bit of soot won't kill anyone," Miles said as he dusted the bread, "it shouldn't affect the taste" The bread looked okay, only a little bit dark on one side. Miles was only going to serve that loaf to a distasteful patron. Miles filled a small iron kettle with water and placed it over a fire. As they waited for the water to heat up, Miles and Saraphina occupied themselves with a bit of idle conversation. "Phina... That... Actually sounds kind of nice." Saraphina said, "Do you shorten you name at all, Miles?" "I usually go by my last name, but sometimes people call me Theo." Miles replied. "Do the igredients you use come from outside the city, or do you have a garden you grow them in?" Miles pondered the answer to her question. Miles had not given much thoughts out where the ingredients for the dishes he made come from. "I assume we get our ingredients from the local market," Miles said, unsure of the answer, "and I don't think we have a garden, though the idea would be nice." The water in the kettle began to bubble, telling miles t was time to throw in the meat and the other ingredients. Miles told Saraphina to place then ingredients in the kettle and miles raised the kettle slightly higher to lower the amount of heat on the kettle. "Stew takes some time to cook," Miles said, "would you mind to help me with cleaning up?" As the two cleaned, Miles pondered something about Saraphina. From the way she spoke of food, using the word "prey", it made seem like some sort of hunter. Miles was oblivious about the fact that the fiery red hair woman was a Kelvic. Miles had not met many of them, at least ones who told them that they were one. The idea of her being a hunter sparked an idea in his head, fresh meat. "Phina?" Miles said to grab her attention, "are you a hunter? If you are, perhaps we could swap roles in the future. You'll be the teacher and I'll be the student." Miles hoped that if she took him up on the idea that he would be able to harvest meat from a fresh game.

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow S araphina was quite happy when Miles said that the bread would still be alright. She followed the sandy haired man around the kitchen in a somewhat similar manner to a puppy following an adult dog. Watching him fill the kettle and set it on the fire to boil, Saraphina helped Miles to add the ingredients to the water once it was warm enough. She listen and observed in curiosity as he explained that stew took a while to cook and lifted the now full pot higher off the fire. She figured that would make sense. Keeping the water and added parts further from the heat would prevent it from burning or boiling over. The knowledge that a garden wasn't used for the ingredients was a bit surprising. She didn't think that farms would do well around this area and importing any fresh produce would be expensive. But then again, she really didn't know the area or the Grotto that well. Maybe it ha more money than she thought. M iles request to help him tidy up the kitchen was met with a nod and a smile. She grabbed some of the trays, bowls and knives that were laying on the table. Following Miles towards a tub already filled with water, she grabbed a nearby cloth and started to wash the dishes. A large dry cloth was laid out on the counter and she placed the wet items on it to air dry. Miles had brought out a worn broom and was sweeping up the floor. As the two clean, Miles asked her about her hunting talents, suggesting she could perhaps become his teacher in the method. Grinning over his shoulder which showed off her long canine fangs, the Kelvic answered, "I'd be happy to teach you a bit about hunting Miles. But I've never used a bow or snares before, I always hunt in my animal form. Bringing you fresh game would be easy though...but I might be wanting a bit of a payment for the delivery. I need to earn some coin here and there as well."

[Saraphina Skyglow]

Saraphina Skyglow T he smell of the bubbling stew was filling the kitten even as Saraphina grabbed a nearby broom to sweep up some of the flour that had slipped onto the floor. She found the presence of Theodore to be somewhat comforting and the warm, fragrant filled cooking area was rather peaceful. She could hear the sounds of other patrons and people moving back a forth through the small opening that lead to the common room of the Grotto. As she swept the floor and few more orders came into the kitchen that the sandy hair cook had to fill. Saraphina made sure to stay out of Miles's way as he worked on a simple double layered sandwich. She had to chuckle when he used some of the bread she'd gotten ash on to fill the order. That was a good use for it she supposed, not like the soot would ruin the flavor much. Once things quieted down again and the majority of the kitchen was swept, Miles waved her back over to the simmering soup. S araphina was rather stunned by the change the mixture had taken. Where once was a hodge podge of vegetables, meat and water was now a thick, chucky display of very tastly looking stew. The flour Miles had added had made the water into a brownish gravy and the cooked meat was now tender and soft. Saraphina took an offered spoon and stirred the stew. The spicy smell made her mouth water and she blew gently on the spoonful she'd scooped up. Taking a taste, she noted the differences from the soup she'd had before. The vegetables were still a bit crunchy and the gravy mix was somewhat runny, but all in all the result was rather pleasant. She smiled at Miles as she finished the spoonful of stew, "That turned out rather well, don't you think? I think I might be able to make my own stew now, though I will probably struggle a lot at first. Thank you for showing me this Miles, I appreciate the time you spent on it. I think I'll head back to my room now, but I look forward to talking with you again. Goodbye." She nodded to the sandy haired cook and walked back out of the kitchen. Heading through the common room, she pulled out her key from her pouch and unlocked the door before stepping inside.