Eat the Bug
Log Info
- Title: Eat the Bug
- Emitter: Cryosanthia
- Characters: Seyardu, Jinks, Verna, Cryosanthia, Aryia, Mikilos
- Place: A03: The TarRaCe
- Time: Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 9:08 PM
- Summary: The Tarrace is full of worshippers and diners. Cryo is performing her last set with <Band Name Here> on stage. Jinks decides to cause problems for Rupi by buying free drinks for everyone that manages to order one within the next fifteen minutes. The crush is spectacular, drawing people from as far away as the Colosseum. Cryo waves for everyone to get in the kitchen, Verna, Seyardu and Aryia join her. They are briefly involved in washing dishes to clear a space that they can sit. Lily has been learning to cook, or to prepare a lucht siuil-kobold fusion dish of stuffed, fried bug. Apparently it's a traditional thing from her nest. Cryo is suspicious but willing to indulge. Introductions are made, Verna's involvements with the Demon Duke and the Green-Eye'd Vampire the previous year are summarized. Aryia is angry, wishing her sister was back. Seyardu has a secret, which isn't revealed. Mikilos arrives and congratulates Cryo, and they catch up. He's working on a dungeon, which is more work that he imagined.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* The TarRaCe *>--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
Inside, this two-story structure has been almost completely opened up. Generous windows on both stories allow daytime sunlight and cooling night breezes to flow in as needed, while the brick walls have been whitewashed - contrasting with the dark-stained beams and supports, and the rich polish on the wooden floor. A broad strip of stone runs from the entrance to a framed doorway set into the opposite wall, with a sign above the lintel declaring that the baths are to be found that way.
The ground floor is sprinkled with tables and chairs of assorted sizes, offering welcome to guests both large and small. One whole corner of the building - into which guests are not permitted entry - has been given over to the kitchen, which serves as the domain of the famed monster chef Ligum Serforus. Mundane meals are available, but the chef delights in offering up obscure dishes made from the freshest of monster ingredients.
Opposite the kitchen a small bar runs in front of an array of shelves, displaying a broad selection of beverages (most of them alcoholic). The bar-top has been fashioned from what looks to have been old pieces of armor, fused and welded together before being polished to provide a near-smooth finish. Set above it, three human-sized statues have been built into an alcove in the wall: Tarien, Rada and Ceinara jointly keep benevolent watch over the room and its occupants.
To the right of the entrance, a small stage offers a platform for a handful of performers at a time. To the left of the door, a spiral staircase of wrought iron winds its way up to a balcony dining area, that is chiefly reserved for special events and parties.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Appearing, in Order -=-=-=-=-=-=-= Seyardu 5'6" 150 Lb Sith-Makar Female A friendly silver sith-makar with a perpetual squint. Jinks 3'4" 39 Lb Gnome Male A gnomish fellow in fancy garb and jewelry. Verna 4'5" 98 Lb Half-Elf Female Petite humanoid in bulky gray robes and cloak. Cryosanthia 6'9" 291 Lb Sith-Makar Female A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman. Aryia 4'8" 110 Lb Shadow Elf Female A heavily scarred mul with a resolved look about her. Mikilos 6'8" 180 Lb Dawn Elf Male Tall male dawn elf, rosey blonde and handsome. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= NPCs of Note -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Rupi Human Female A harried and worried Tarrace employee, Sabina's partner. Little Fang, 'Lily' Kobold Female A pinkscale youngling in a chef's outfit, Cryo's daughter. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=
The world is dark and foggy. Everything is half-hidden, nothing clearly seen. It's chilly and the air feels damp. No wind blows.
It's cosy inside the Tarrace. Very cosy. Whenever the patrons for the restaurant start to thin, the ropes are moved over and more worshipers are let in. If people are lining up for a table, the ropes shift back. It's like a tide, back and forth.
The irony of being in charge of this is not lost on Rupi, erstwhile partner of Sabina and door greeter. She's got her hands full, and seems constantly distracted.
The cold air was something that Seyardu did not mind, but the warm atmosphere of the Tarrace was perhaps more inviting than the physical warmth. And when the temple district was shut down, it was nice to get to speak to worshippers that were not needing care at the defence.
Seyardu also had other business while she was there, looking to find the two she knew resided there, for various reasons.
"Peace on your nest, Rupi." The silverscale greets. "Is Sabina around? I had something I wished to ask her about, if she is free."
To the greeter, it was more likely than not she could tell the presence of someone who had been nearby to the makari, fairly recently. Jinks is happy to help Rupi by throwing a weresquirrel into the metaphorical wargolem of her chores. The gnome meets with the 'tender and a serving boy at the end of the bar, conspiring as a trio as a not-insignificant amount of money changes hands.
The barman looks unimpressed and shakes his head, waving his empty hand. Jinks gives him more coins. A look. Jinks squints and offers a few more coins. Another wave of the hand. Jinks narrows his eyes to slits. The wave. Squints. One last coin offered. They both nod and the money is placed in the locking till as the gnome walks away.
Jinks walks to the door, pushes it open, and stands half-in, half-out as he clears his throat. "Coyote laughs! Drinks at the Tarrace are free for the next quarter-hour! Top-shelf excluded, no shov-ACK!" And here they come, an overeager 'Nar clearing the gnome from the door with a calloused hand to the face.
Verna enters the establishment seeking sustenance; she is also a worshipper. This could conceivably create a columnar conundrum, yet she did not arrive to worship -here-. She proceeds to the patron portion of the partition and waits to be waited upon or directed to her designated dining decor.
Until there is a possible rush for complimentary cupfulls.
On stage, the wargolem band, <Band Name Here> is performing. Their instrument layout is a little different than usual. The 'singer', 733 Vocalizer Unit, is in the back. Panflute and Stringbox are in their usual places, but the drummer, the Sith'Machine is centre stage with its drum-kit exploded. It is maintaining the beat with a dance routine that has it gamboling all over the stage. The unit even has full wings it is using to strike with, although the tail is handling the heavy percussion.
It is also singing, a fast song that seems directed at Rupi. Several times it looks her way.
- You better get ready to die
- You better get ready to kill
- You better get ready to run
- 'Cause here we come, oh, oh
- You better get ready to die
The three golems repeat as a chorus between the lines, Get ready to die/ /Get ready to kill/ /Get ready to die
"Ah... hi Silver." Rupi looks between sith, "She's not here, she's not been here for days. She went to the Temple and hasn't come back." The woman stares without asking an obvious question.
The song and dance and light show continues on stage:
- Your life is over now
- Your life is running out
- When your time is at an end
- Then it's time to kill again!
Rupi simply grins. A wide, forced grin and stares as the Tarrace floods with people seeking free drinks. Her head bobs slowly. This is fine. yes.
This is fine.
"Ah, I understand, Rupi." Seyardu sighs, looking to the door. "Would you like me to look into it when I have a chance? I can stop by the temple district still due to the token I was given, but I have had little reason to."
She looks over to the stage, and thumps her tail a few times as she catches the music. Whether or not the drummer was looking at her or Rupi, she offers a wave, a pause, and then a thumbs up. Though the lyrics are a bit strange, and she looks over to Rupi. "Do you need anything? From what I have heard, this place relies much on her continued presence for running. So if there is any work that need picking up, let me know, especially since I am not doing my usual volunteering at the temples."
The hobber is a sailor of some stripe, here to offer tribute and pray for clear skies and safe sailing-- however unlikely that may seem given current conditions. Praying can come after drinking when there's free grog on tap, though.
The Ceinarans come next, spinning, twisting, sliding, and leaping to navigate the sudden press. Tsura if the sashes with coins and bells, dark hair, and traveling clothes are any indication. An extended family of at least three generations. Five total, maybe six; it's hard to tell with the way the move through the throng.
"That's the bloody joke!" And here must be the Tarienites. A Khazad stops to block the door, impervious to the swears and shoves at his back as he puts his fists on his hips. He's all orange-red hair, his bear in dozens of immaculate ringlets spilling down his chest. "You expect the damn punchline but it dunnae come. Subversion of expectations! It's advance guard and revolutionary." He resumes walking, a Lucht squeezes through first and dashes past the dwarf.
"You can't tell half a joke-- that ISN'T FUNNY-- and say it's a joke because it's UNEXPECTED!" The other Tarienite is an aging oruch with a shiny pate with a grey ring of hair like low, unfinished crown. What little hair the orc sports has been teased out chaotically when he grabs and tucks at it, frustrated by his comrade's idiotic argument.
Jinks sits up and spits to one side, wiping his lips and the taste of Arvek out of his mouth with a ready handkerchief. He pulls back his legs and presses up to stand against the wall, grinning wide as the people come flooding inside.
Verna makes an abrupt shift to the side and against the wall as there is a rush from behind. She may not be massive enough of stature to be readily seen, yet too much so to be stepped over, thus moving aside is preferable to being bowled over or trod upon. Sustenance can wait until the tide passes.
"Yes Silver. Thanks. If you could." Rupi keeps smiling, not looking at the stage. Do not acknowledge, "We've... ah... got it covered. New job applicants. I can manage a bit but I really want Sabina back."
Onstage, a wave is returned, and the song continues at a fast pace to it's sudden, abrupt end. Silence, followed by scattered clapping. Most people want to eat or pray.
733 VU steps up and intones, "Thank you audio recipients. This is our last set with the Sith'Machine. It has activated the factory module of its chassis and has informed us the next stage in batch production will occupy all activity cycles."
This is followed by the golem sith turning on the vocalizing golem, and hissing something.
"Error correction." 733 says, "Excess information was provided. Please delete the last seventeen seconds and three hundred milliseconds from your memory units for privacy and security reasons. >krrch< Band Name Here >krrcch< is now seeking replacement drummer units. Biologicals are welcome to apply but must meet the timing precision with nine-nine over one hundred and nine tenths accuracy."
Jinks puts on sunglasses, "Those drummer specifications are hard to... beat."
The press is worst at the bar. The serving boy works to support the barman. Clearly, some thought went into this before the little minstrel threw the door open and invited the whole city in.
The 'Nar sailor is putting back drinks as fast as the glass is refilled. He may drown before ever getting out of dock.
The Tsura have two bottles and slide back from the bar, pressing in about Rupi and Seyardu looking for a table. They smell of musky perfumes and burnt incense. The whole group seems to have no grasp of personal space-- but they're friendly enough and offer to share.
Oruch and Khazad continue through their debate over mugs of ale. It's heated. It might come to blows. Or at least a slap. Beer sloshes and splashes to the floor between them as they gesticulate.
And now more! The brawlers have arrived from some practice outside of the Colosseum. Most are half-dressed (if that), sweaty, bloodied and bruised. Some are pulling rope wraps from their hands as they cross the threshold. The worst of the group is a gobber with a swollen eye and a wobbly leg; he's half-carried by a wargolem towards the bar so he can get a drink before they find a healer.
Jinks has disappeared into the press.
GAME: Jinks rolls Sleight of Hand: (16)+11: 27
Seyardu blinks when she hears the declaration of the reason for the sith'machine not joining the band again, and the silver makari can not help but frown. And it is not helped by the deluge of people that were suddenly making their way into the bar.
"I will look into it, Rupi. As long as things are managing fine here, that's good. Talk to you later, sounds like things are busy enough for the moment."
She squeezes past the throng of people, and somehow manages to find a table close to the stage, perhaps due to most seeking food or prayer farther away. Even a stool, which she pulls to sit down in with a sigh.
Rupi bites her lip, one small incisor showing and pressing into the full red flesh. It's difficult to tell with her, what is an affectation, what is honest body language. She's got that grin still, and a wide-eyed stare. Watching all the people... come in.
A drop of blood appears on that lip, under the tooth.
She shakes her head, wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "Silver... could you put a ..." The silverscale is gone, swept on by the tide. She waves, "C'mon in."
On stage, there are bows, the curtain closes. A few minutes later Cryosanthia slips out. She looks normal, no wings, her full swashbuckling gear. She stares at the crowd notices Seyardu nearby. She hasn't noticed Jinks. Someone catches her eye, "Verna?"
"Peace on your Nests, both of you. This one needs to go to the kitchen." More surveying of the crowd. She does agree with the khazadi, subverting expectations is a good goal. Although it can require an extensive knowledge of trope, and does have a tendency to upset long term fans of genre, and... wait...
She snaps back to the present, the milling crowds, the chaos, "Maybe we all should."
Once the bulk of the press passes, Verna steps forward. She hears her name called, though waits until she clears the danger zone and nears the counter before she pauses to turn. "Yes?" Her hood pans to and fro as she seeks the source of the call.
"And I suppose you'll tell me damned puns're the height of comedy, then!" The Khazad bellows, slamming down the tankard and waving the boy over to refill it.
"You. Know. I. Hate. Puns!" The oruch jabs two fingers into the Khazad's beard/chest area with each word. "The farcical comedies of fallen Dragonier are the pinnacle--" He stops, the tusks on his lower jaw sticking forward when he frowns, bends, and scoops up a belt off the floor. "Did someone lose a belt?" He shouts, lifting it high.
Jinks is next to Rupi now, stepping out of an illusion like a fox from a bush. His nose shortens, hair turns back to white, and clothes go from black to grey to green. He nudges he thigh and cants his chin at the oruch with a wide smile and a twinkle in his eyes.
The sailor has fallen in with the toughs. They start singing some sort of hobber fighting song and become a single group. The wargolem holds the gobber with the broken leg high as he skrees, off-pitch and carefree.
The Tsura have ascended to the second floor and find their own corner, clapping and cheering the toughs what sing.
"NO MORE FREE DRINKS!" The barman calls, somehow piercing the din and carrying over all the chaos. Some of the charge goes out of the air.
From the back of the room an inquisitor sighs. Maybe now he can get a drink without dealing with all of the nonsense. He stands, goes to take a step, and fals. His sheathed sword, pouches, and trousers drop around his legs. He gives a confused "Th' shite?" as he crashes down to the ground in a heap.
"Peace on your nest, Cryosanthia, it is good to see you.So this was the last playing of you for now? I must admit, that this is unfortunate to hear." Seyardu offers, turning her head over. She tilts her head just a touch. "You are saying we should join you in the kitchen, or something else? It is, well, more than a bit over crowded here, even for myself."
Rupi looks down at the chroma-shifting gnome, then over towards the oruch. She watches in confusion, not getting the joke, how the belt is a pun. Until, that is not the joke. The inquisitor that she is very aware of takes a tumble. "Ha!" That laugh, that smile, that might be genuine, "Thanks Drinksy, I needed that."
Cryo remains pressed to the wall, calls to Seyardu, "Yes. There's a table in the kitchen. I tried to explain to Seven Three Three it wouldn't be for a couple months, a month at least, but I suspect he's not happy with me."
The whitescale tries again, calling into the crowd, "Verna if that's you, head for the kitchen!" She still has a server's skills and server instincts, even if it's been a long time since her Fernwood days. Pointing her tail, Cryo parts the crowd and slips through the gap to end up beside the kitchen door.
A sharply dressed scarred mul'neissa briskly strides in, having heard the news from the outside. She's got a stylish verdant green jacket on with softly clanging, unfastened buckles jingling with black slacks and a white button up on, her sliding into the establishment. Then she hears the barkeep's announcement
Aryia's visage falls, ears drooping some, as one could read her lips from across the room, 'awwww maaaaaan....!'
Such ears to perk up, glowing eyes catching the tall whitescale's words and features.
The crowd shifts and moves. And before long, and before others would notice, Aryia appears beside the group, waves, and invites herself into the kitchen too.
Verna may be somewhat hindered in her perceptions or faculties at the moment, though some or all of this could be attributed to the unexpected throng. Still, she can follow direction well enough; it is no small help that the kitchen appears, or is likely, to be less ... occupied. She makes her way kitchen-wards thusly, only then clearly perceiving the white sith. "Peace on your nest," is offered in greeting from her hood before others in the vicinity (not amidst the crowd) are noted.
Seyardu blinks when she sees the inquisitor fumbling with their pants, and she looks to where Cryosanthia was as she spoke and nods, pressing through the crowds that were possibly leaving disappointedly. She did not know who Verna was, but she was curious at the invitation to them as well. Finally she manages to get by, and slips into the door to the kitchen, finally able to sate her curiosity about how the place was run behind the scenes.
Jinks is having a good laugh at the fallen inquisitor's expense. squinting eyes at they tear up. He folds his arms over his stomach and shakes his head, reeling back and just having a go.
The inquisitor isn't amused. He blusters and hikes up his pants with one hand, crouching to try and collect his fallen sword and other belongings. His underclothes could use a patch job and a good washing.
The Tsura all howl, stomping their feet on the balcony floor and pounding their hands on the table. They had a fantastic view for the whole thing.
The thugs and sailor are still singing, clueless.
The oruch and Khazad walk through the bar to hand over the belt, biting their lips. "((Now tha's bloody hilarious.))" The Khazad mutters.
A few folk are in Aryia's position, too late and crestfallen for it. They quit the Tarrace and head back into the fog. Some of the surge thins as people return to whatever they'd interrupted to snag free booze.
The inquisitor snatches his belt and stumbles out into the street, needing at least a moment to gather himself and get re-dressed.
"Have a good night!" Rupi calls after the inquisitor, the set of her shoulders looser now. The stage still gets a few glances even though the song is done, as does the crowd of faithful. Her eyes even linger on Tarien for a moment.
Whatever thoughts occur to her right now, aren't shared.
The kitchen is a chaotic mess. The three master chefs of the Tarrace are Luchts, as are their sous chefs and many of the line cooks. A few might be goblins or gnomes. Largely, they are small. Yet the kitchen has to function for the human, and other, staff. It's not quite inverted, nor are the stoves right-sized. Instead, they are somewhere in between with small walkways in front of them.
There's a lot of jumping the gap, from stove to plating. The dishes are on a platform that raises up and down, down for the luchts, up for the servers. The dish-washer, larder, ice box, all make for confusing spaces as well.
Crammed in there is a table that can be used by elite VIPs, or the staff for breaks. It currently has some boxes and plates queued up to be washed. The bussing staff isn't holding up their end.
There's also a carnation-scaled kobold. She's in a cooks uniform, and standing beside one of the luchts on the line.
"Give me a moment, this one will clear this." Cryo says, getting to work.
Seyardu takes a moment to look around, but she quickly steps to the side to avoid the busy staff in the packed kitchen. Passing by, she stops to pat the carnation chef on the head, and reaches into her bag to pull out a strawberry candy which she offers to Lily before continuing on. "Keep up the good work, alright?" The silverscale advises, before she reaches the table. "This one cannot leave you to do it all by yourself. Just let me know what you need me to move."
There is a soft pat on the carnation scale's head that breezes by. And the corner where the table is gains another. Unnoticed until now, grey hands join Cryosanthia in clearing the table. A glowing eye winks at her, along with a smirk. One thing that Aryia is good at is picking up things and moving them.
"Crazy night, right?" the mul gestures quickly. <Handspeech>
"Is the establishment always so populated?" Verna inquires once in the comparative seclusion and security of the kitchen. Her question is perhaps asked of all as her hood shifts from Cryosanthia to Aryia to Seyardu.
"Thanks for letting me rest here the other night. They wouldn't let me in Coyote's house. So we're even." Jinks smiles up at Rupi as he wipes the last tear from his eye as he follows her look up to Tarien, too. "Enjoy the break. Don't work so hard tonight. It'll make you boring."
The gnome starts to button up his coat and makes for the door.
"Yaaas... Peassce." Lily says, taking the candy and slipping it into a pocket. She has pockets. On her horn is an earring, a dancing skeleton, on the chest of her uniform, a skeletonized lily. She bobs in place, then returns to watching the lucht fry things in a skillet.
"This... ah... this." Cryo says, pointing at some piles of plates, "Do you have prestidigitation or gloves?" She moves over the dishwashing stand. Her hands loop through a couple arcane motions, and start to glow. Very efficiently, as if she's practiced it for years, she 'wipes' the air at the plates and magically cleans them one by one. It's a little slower than a whole stack at a time, but she gets through them quickly and they're very clean.
Cryo nods at Aryia, catching the sign and guessing the sentiment. She smiles brightly at the Vardaman, "Verna! It's been... a year? This one hasn't seen you in so long. It's not this busy, no. The temples closing, someone shouting the whole street. Have a seat, have a seat, this one will be done soon."
Out at the front of the house, the dangerously attractive woman nods to Jinks, "You know, that might be what put the dark circles under 'Bina-bean's eyes. Take care Drinksy." She gives him a stare, an ominous one, "in that fog. There are dangerous things in that fog."
There are.
Dangerous, frightening things.
"Ah! Aryia, peace on your nest!" Seyardu greets quickly, caught off guard by the mul'niessa's sudden appearance. She can't use any magic cleaning, but she can move things, and sets the dishes down with the rest at the dish washing stand. She pulls on her arms a moment, and now is wearing a pair of gloves, and she begins helping to wipe down some of it.
She turns and nods to Verna, offering them a wave when she sees them. "Peace on your nest. My name is Seyardu, and it is good to meet you."
"Sage Mourner Verna," she introduces in response to Seryard before addressing Cryosanthia. "Some time has passed, indeed. My combined duties oft consume the majority of my working hours." Aryia receives a nod of acknowledgement and greeting.
Aryia doesn't wait to receive instruction, her instead helping get to doing everything else that wasn't clean. She nods in greeting to Verna as well.
The table is cleared. The dishes are clean, enough of them, the rest can wait for someone whose job it is to take care of them. Cryosanthia flicks her hands dry then glides between the kitchen staff to sit at the table. She spends a moment fussing with her distance from it.
"That is understandable and the implications sad. It is good to see you." The whitescale smiles brightly, keeping her nose dipped to hide her maw. "This one has been lurching from one disaster to the next. I don't know where to start."
Almost as soon as she is seated, the carnation-scaled Kobold appears with a plate and sets it in front of her. It's a very large centipede, carefully cut open, stuffed, battered and fried.
"Oh! I have a foundling! Little Fang, this is Sage Mourner Verna." She lifts the little kobold-chef up, "Now I have to eat this?"
"Yaass.." Little Fang says, waving also at Verna, "Peassssce on your Kneesssta."
"They had fried bugs in your nest?" Cryo asks.
The pinkscale shakes her head, "frying sspecialsss."
Seyardu continues to wash the dishes that were left, unperturbed. It is close enough to listen and speak, after all. "Ah! That looks good, Lily. What did you stuff it with?" She asks when she sees the plate.
"You are a mourner? Good to meet you, I have been to the temple a few times, but not seen you there."
Verna lifts a gloved hand to wiggle fingers at the carnation cook. "Greetings, Master Chef." Her hood then pans to Seyardu and dips. "I am, yet also a sage at The Society. When my duties to The Grey Harpist are complete, I instruct students in the arcane, and vice versa." An exhalation exits the opening.
"It is good to see you again, as well, Cryosanthia. I regret your disasters. There are a number of troubling occurrences as of late. Worse, still, they are uncomfortably... familiar."
Aryia dusts her hands off as the last box is showed away, her sliding into a chair at that the table. "Alright, that's done. Peace on your nest," she properly greets the two sith-makar, finally. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and there's a somewhat relaxed look about her.
She does eye that centipede though... <Handspeech>
"Well. Okay." Cryo cuts the head off the bug with a knife, raises it to her mouth on a fork, with Lily watching intently. She tastes, chews, swallows and nods her head, "It is good."
"It is stuffed with chives, hot peppers, sunflower seeds and shells, black rice." The pinkscale hisses at Seyardu, using her tribe's names, then returns to watching her Ssassa eat it. <draconic>
The whitescale has another piece, she looks at Verna, "They... are. Seyardu, Aryia, last year Verna tried to deal with the Demon Duke, a vampire named Kol, the ice demon, the Fey Queen. Verna... we went to the village, the one I warned you about. We found a statue, and... well do you wish to tell it Verna? He is back for sure."
Another piece of bug, chewed a little more firmly this time, "please Ceinara, in praise of all that is properly paced, do not bring Kol back. Some plays, some books, do not need sequels."
Cryo shakes her head, "This one, believe it or not, has had bigger fish to fry. Seyardu and Aryia would benefit from your wisdom on the matter."
There is some sniffing in Seyardu's direction, and a head tilt, but nothing is said.
Mikilos yawns as he wanders in the front, covering his mouth with an hand which then pulls back his hood. The elf peers around a few moments before wandering further inside.
The greeter at the door tells the mage, "Your friends are in the kitchen. Go right in."
The kitchen might just be less crowded. The TarRaCe is packed with worshippers.
Mikilos arches a brow at the news, but accepts it with a nod, and makes his way to the kitchen, pausing at the door a moment to look inside and confirm before entering. "Greetings and salutations. Busy night?"
"There is, a lot of things going on here, and in the past, yes." Seyardu sighs, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn bit of grime on one of the plates.
Seyardu looks at Cryosanthia, squints, and returns to her washing after offering Mikilos a wave. "Peace on your nest, Mikilos, it is good to see you well. It seems things have been busy here all of the time, what with the temple district locked up as it is."
"I would not bore others with the details of my past follies," Verna expounds only minimally, "and, instead, simply and strongly suggest prudence. Not fear, but caution." Her hood turns and dips to "Mikilos" before she continues. "I do not believe that Kol Demontry shall ever return... yet there are signs that suggest a vampire, or another collecting blood, now stalks Alexandria's nights. One that seeks to disguise its acts and remain hidden."
Aryia's relaxed demeanor drops at the topic, her pursing her lips and looking off to the side. She notes the elf mage entering, her blinking a few times before raising a hand in greeting. It had been some times since they last talked, and Aryia looked more put together and sure of herself. She regards Verna, hands flicking neutral gestures. "/That's/ the demon shit I was telling you about that I'm not sticking my face in anymore."
She rises and slides over to Seyardu, rolling up her sleeves and fetching some gloves to help finishing up the cleaning Her appetite for the exotic tainted a bit.<Handspeech>
"Miksssoss!" Clamp. There is a pink-scaled kobold youngling hugging the dawn elf's leg and staring up at him. She seems to be contemplating the durability of his clothes and whether 'climb the parent' is possible.
"Mikilos!" Cryo is up again, swooping in to give him an embrace as well. She arrives before she gets there, an odd contact before she leans in for the hug. "She's back! I got her back! Aya... Aya saved her at great cost. We went to see Brae, heard you speaking and did not drop in."
"Run from Tia Ay-ayss." Lily tells the dawn elf.
Cryo simply exhales and holds onto him, "So much happens so fast. I changed back, my wing and tail are fine. I'd show you my wings, but the kitchen is tight."
A look over her shoulder, back at Verna, "Well... it could be the Silverguard's. I don't know what happened to his nest-mother. He never told and this one never asked."
Perhaps she's fine. She might have been given a trio otherwise.
Mikilos chuckles quietly, following about half that as he hugs Cryo back, before kneeling down to give Lilly a nice sturdy arm to cling upon as he stands again. The robes would probably have held up fine, but no need to risk it. "Glad some things have worked out. It's been a hectic few weeks, and hardly over yet. You look well." A polite nod given to each of the others as he looks for the best place to take a seat.
"A vampire is stalking the streets now as well?" Seyardu notes, and then she sighs, tapping a claw against a plate as she moved for another from the now dwindling stack. "That must be what was in the paper the other day. That is, worrying, it seems there is no end of troubles to this place, and they keep mounting for the time being. I am prudent in my actions, as much prudence as can be spared without being passive."
She looks to Cryosanthia, and thumps her tail once against the floor. "Yes, it is wonderful that Cryosanthia is doing so much better. This one is happy to see the improvements."
"I did not intend upset," Verna notes, first to Aryia, followed, to Seyardu,"nor any suggestion of insult. My apologies; I am weary, and overdue a meal. It may be best that I take such elsewhere. It was a pleasure to see you again, Cryosanthia, Aryia, Mikilos, and to make your acquaintance, Seyardu. I expect that our paths will cross again." Never having sat, she steps back and then turns to move past Mikilos and any clinging carnation cobolds to exit the kitchen."
Aryia is focused on the task of cleaning plates, her pursing her lips as Cryosanthia and Lily swoop in to hug Mikilos. She mouths something to herself, something that might have been caught were it quieter in the room, but it's lost to the noise.
She pauses her scrubbing, watching the three old friends talk, gaze settling on Verna. Bluntly, a dripping wet gloved hand says with a tired expression behind it, "I'm not upset. I just want to move the fuck on already. And I want my sister back."
Ker-plunk. Back to the dishes. Then off handedly, like her brain took a moment to catch up, "Yes, Cryosanthia's doing great." <Handspeech>
Cryosanthia returns Seyardu's tailthump with a nod, not enough room for her to tailthump where she is, not without getting someone. "This one thinks you have news also?" She hints. "And peace on your nest, Verna."
Lily attaches to Mikilos' arm and climbs all the way to his shoulders. "There! Sitss there!" She points at the seat beside Cryo, and the bug.
Cryo rubs down her front, invisibly adjusting something, then slides into her seat. "She... well, I'll tell you later." She glances at Aryia, not really catching the signs but getting some of the anger in their motions.
"I don't know what to do Aryia, and I don't know why I'm here." The whitescale admits.
Mikilos its where directed, eyeing the insect dish with mild curiosity before returning his focus to Cryo. "Far too many unknowns all around. Think I finally have a grasp on things, and some new bizarre event happens. Bit maddening, really."
"You are here to sample Lily's cooking, and be there for her, and speak with us right now. To make the best of what is in front of us, as I believe someone told me before." Seyardu responds, freezing up just a moment at mention of something to share, but her tail flicks behind her a few times happily.
"Another time, Cryosanthia, but yes. And peace on your nest Verna, it was good to meet you, and I am sure we will cross again."
Then she sighs, and nods to Mikilos. "This is on top of not knowing what is going on with the temples, they have not even spoken to us clerics much, and the order, I do not know how or why it was put in place."
Aryia drops the last cleaned plate onto the stack with a bit of a clatter. Closes her eyes, inhales deeply, then slowly breathes out. Forcing herself to relax. Gloves removed and tossed onto a counter haphazardly, she glides over to Cryosanthia. In response to the whitescale's admittance, she points a firm finger at her, raises both hands vertically, as if putting blinders on, then points another finger at the speaker's trunk. Then she gestures out, like something was 'finished'.
To the knowledgeable, "You focus on that, that's it."
The mute snaps a finger at Seyardu. She had the right of it. Aryia plops back down in the chair next to Cryo. <Handspeech>
"This one knows why she is here." Cryosanthia gestures at the kitchen with both hands, takes up her knife and fork again, and cuts another piece of the exotic dish. She readily chews and swallows, in as much as she usually chews, and seems to enjoy it. A quick sip of water to make sure her mouth is clean before she speaks again. "Sabina is missing at the Temples and this one can't go see her, and this place needs someone besides..." a glance in the direction of the front door, "... her keeping it going."
The Mul'niessa's signs are watched. She nods, "This one is." She exhales, a long sigh, staring into space. "This one is trying to be nest-mother to you all, and this one means Alexandria. I don't know why I'm here, why I stay. I've been in a bed for the last month and out of touch, and things weren't great before we all went down to the Sea. I can't help, because I have to focus. Yes, on the one real piece of future I can protect."
"Yet there are things I can't get out of."
Mikilos grunts softly and frowns. "I know, logically, it has nothing to do with me. But having just gone ot speak with each of the temples a few days before, well, the timing is awkward." A slightly arched brown as he follows Aryia's frustrated gestures. A look to Cryo, and a frown. "Trying to be mother to everyone will just wear you out."
With the dishes finished, Seyardu tugs on the gloves, the gray hand coverings vanishing. And then she sighs. "That is not what I meant, Cryosanthia. It sounds like you are speaking of yourself like this one has been warned."
"You can not be a nest mother to an entire city, but you can pick what you can handle, when. And it is alright to take a step back and do less, especially if you need to focus on your own future, and that of your family, both current and to come."
The silverscale allows herself to smile some. "When I said that, I meant focusing on the good, what you desire to protect and develop, whatever that might be."
Aryia's point kind of just went over Cryo's head, around Mikilos, and right back into splayed hands. At least Seyardu was picking up what she was putting down. She blinks. Both hands clasp together in a prayer fashion. She inhales, then slowly exhales, hands tipping over to point them at Cryo once more.
She opens her jacket, pulls out a little notepad and pen, clicks it, then scribbles something down. The page is torn free, and both pen and pad vanish into an inner pocket.
She hands it to Cryosanthia. It reads:
"I meant focus on yourself, you big ice cube."
She puts her hands on her hips, akimbo.
Yes, she's calling her a square. A square'd square. Cubed.
Cryo stares at the note, "Oh. That's what you meant." She stares down at the table.
"Eatss the bug." Lily says, from Mikilos' shoulders.
"Yes, eat the bug." Cryo repeats, taking another piece of it, concentrating on just the food and flavour. Another forkfull, she's nearly at the end of it. "It is really good, like a crunch sausage."
"I can't explain." She says, sighing, "I'd love to explain and I can't explain because I'm scry'd every day all day in full spectrum colour and sound at high fidelity so even the tiniest whisper is heard. I'm more mic'd up than Seven Three Three."
A condition a few others might suspect they endure as well. Mikilos, Jinks, Aryia, to name a few. She shakes her head. "Sorry."
"Lily tells me this is what the expecting nest-mothers in her nest would eat." The whitescale adds. "She has... some interesting suggestions."
Mikilos waves vaguely. "They want to watch, let them watch. Do whatever you feel like. They don't like it, too bad, can stop watching. Read bad poety. Watch cheesy plays. Take long naps. Build dungeons. Solve number puzzles..." The elf blinks, frowning mildly as he looks to Lilly, to the bug dish, To Cryo and back.
"I do not think it is as bad as you think, Cryosanthia." Seyardu offers, putting a hand on one of the whitescale's shoulders. "It is not all the time, I can not see why that would be the case. But I understand the concern still."
Seyardu looks down at Cryosanthia, and then turns to Lily, and nods. "Is that so? It is a good idea, and it is kind of you to offer to cook for her like this. What other foods were suggesting? Perhaps we could come up with a plan for some meals together, coupled with what Shaman Un'eth told this one."
Once Cryosanthia figures out what Aryia meant, the note is taken back and she reaches up high, patting the whitescale atop the head as a bit of her relaxed visage comes back. The smile reaches her glowing gaze.
She cants her head a bit towards Mikilos. He had a point. If you were being watched magically, then it's just best to waste their time. An idle thought enters her mind: was anyone doing to the same to her?
The thought gives her a tinge of paranoia, but there's no way the people back home were expending such measures to track her down. Hopefully. Maybe they just think she's still not as valuable...
Then another thought comes into her mind of what they've seen, and that one gets thrown out the window faster than a live alchemist's bomb.
She coughs into a hand and lightly kicks her feet.
Cryo leans into Seyardu's touch, notes Mikilos' glance making the rounds. "Ah, this one should tell you... show you... those are fun things. A long nap and building a dungeon lair would be nice. As it is, this one feels she wastes a surprising amount of time. Still." She hesitates for a moment, then reaches up and touches beside her eyes.
A wooden mask appears as she lifts it off her face. There's the briefest sort of shimmer but no real change to her appearance. Almost none. She's rounder in her mid-section, her corset bulged and let out. There's a second shimmer and her clothes adjust, an optical illusion with ovals of different sizes covers the corset, a slight disguise. She tugs on the clothes, smoothing the curves.
"You recall what Braelnoir said a few months back? This one jumped through the window. It likely is playing havoc with my instincts. Some things are bothering me a lot more than they used to."
She nods again to Seyardu, "Lily has been, and she has some ideas, and Shaman Un'eth has been very helpful. I think Mictlan would be better... I don't..."
"Eatss the bug." Lily tries again to get her Ssassa to finish the meal. She worked so hard on it! It must be devoured!
Mikilos blinks, and nods. "Congratulations." Not much else can say. "Takes longer to build a dungeon than I thought, or there's some trick I'm missing. Still not sure how to install a stable ecosystem of monsters, but the maze of stone walls alone took over a week. Yet seems some new dungeon springs up every few days."
Seyardu squints when the disguise wears off, and she looks down again. There is a low rumble from the silverscale, as she moves to hug Cryosanthia gently from behind. It was the first time she had properly seen her friend this close since. "This one knew, but not how far along you were, Cryosanthia." She states, seeming overwhelmingly happy. "Those all sound fun, and this one would be happy to be shown some time. If your instincts are changed, share them with kin and family, so they may be understood with the lens of others."
The shimmer and shift makes Aryia glance down once more, still unused to the sight. She remembers what she promised a bit ago, and she reaches over to Cryosanthia to pat an arm reassuringly. Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I'll still help you, she says with nothing more than careful, moonlit stare and a faint nod.
Little Fang's desire for her Ssassa to finish the meal doesn't go unnoticed, and with her mood back, she purses her lips. Looking between white scales and pinkscales, she slowly gestures to Lily, "... if your mother doesn't want more, can I have the rest of it?" <Handspeech>
"An actual dungeon?" Cryo says with some surprise, wiggling on her seat, her tail swishing back and forth. She leans in, "I thought you mean drawing one on paper."
"A proper ecosystem? Self supporting, they all forage outside somehow, not a bunch of monsters that will kill each other one door away that they never open, with food that must magically appear for their never ending card game?" Clearly this is some hidden interest of hers, "is there a room for a dragon it couldn't possibly get in or out of? A dragon's lair? A white dragon's lair?"
A girl can dream. She also gets the last piece of fried centipede, and a hug from Seyardu. Cryo embraces her back, a cold and firm presence, "Irshya says she hears heartbeats."
"Yes." Lily signs back to Aryia, followed by "All gone now. I cook another bug?"" <handspeech>
The pinkscale claps, "Yaaasss."
Cryo chuffs at Lily, making an amused trill. "Mostly Seyardu, this one is very noticing scents, dirt and drafts, places that would not be good for a nest. Also, this one will need clutch-mothers and Egg-watchers. I've asked Aryia, and Brae, and Faran and Serendine."
She dips her nose, "This one would be grateful for your assistance also."
Unless... the silverscale had other plans...
Mikilos grins and nods. "A core food source would go a long way, but plants are the only sustainable crop without some magics involved. Which is an option, but trying to stay low budget. Stone walls are easy enough and last forever. Few walls here, few there, couple turned sideways for a roof. More effort than I really planned to invest, but took my mind off things for a couple days." He frowns mildly, serious. "Of course if you need anything, you've only to ask."
"You would like to try it? I have to admit, I would not mind having some myself. If you are willing to cook up two, that is." Seyardu notes, turning from Aryia to Lily with a grin. Her tail was not ceasing in movements at this point, and she was still hugging her friend a while longer.
"Perhaps mushrooms or other fungi could work? Or other similar things." She suggests to Mikilos with a chuckle. Then she catches the last comment, and Seyardu rumbles something happily, giving the whitescale a gentle squeeze before she steps back.
"This one would be honored and pleased in equal measure Cryosanthia, to help you however you need. That makes sense, and if you need a place, Mictlan has magics which regulate the environment, which may work well." They state, before they look away, and grow somewhat embarrassed. "This one, ah, could ask Sjach, they are a good hunter. Perhaps for the down from birds caught, or to gather mosses from the forest in preparation."
Despite the oddity of the dish, Aryia actually grins and nods, her hand using simple signs. "Yes, I want one bug please, chef."
The mute elf of the group looks between Mikilos and Cryosanthia, not really understanding the point of a dungeon. Don't those like, turn into death traps? Or... dancing... traps? Some memory or another colors her face a tinge of rubor before she shakes her head. Yes, Seyardu would be a good pick for that. "I'm on watch duty," she clarifies her role to the silverscale. The sharp dressed mul'neissa does jab a thumb over to Mikilos, the simple gesture serving to just reiterate his point: if you need anything, ask.
She does, however, look at Seyardu with that glowing, unsettling gaze. And the faintest, little crack of a smirk threatens to lift one corner of her lips.<Handspeech>
"Okaysss." Lily peeps, then switches into draconic, "Mushrooms, and the small birds, and other eggs.." Following this, she slides down off Mikilos and under the table. She holds up two fingers and scurries back to the cooking line. <draconic>
"Another for this one, please Lily." Cryo adds. It was good. She smiles at Seyardu, "Thank you, this one wasn't sure if you had other plans. Down feathers would be lovely. Mosses... yes, this one would like mosses too."
"I will likely have a list, Mikilos, and will ask. Thank you, you have been exceptionally kind and I appreciate it a lot. I'll have to return a big favour somehow."
"Aryia is an Egg-Watcher, she is likely better at it than I am." Cryo smiles.
Sjach just might get confused if Sey starts asking him for a bunch of nest supplies...
Mikilos nods, watching Lilly with mild interest. The elf seldom cooks anyway, and the young kobolds techniques are bound to be.... unusual.
Seyardu looks over to Aryia, squints when she seems to watch, and then she smirks just a bit, and that was all that was needed to make her look away, even more embarrassed than before. It may have just been another one of Aryia's lucky guesses, but it did not change the response.
"This one, will ask him when they see them again. And this one was meaning to ask if you could, show how the scale polish is applied, so this one does not mess it up." She states to the floor, and Lily by chance of her scurrying by.
The cleric lets out a puff of air. "You will do just fine, Cryosanthia. That is not to say that the others will not help, but you will, this one believes, with your own strength, and the help of your friends, and Lily."
Aryia's smirk becomes a toothy smile, her snickering to herself as she leans back in her chair and props her feet up on the table. Once more, she snaps a finger towards Seyardu to reiterate her point. Though it was difficult to keep a silly little grin off her face of whatever subtext was going between the two friends.
Lily is wearing a little chef's uniform. She even has the hat. It's large on her but was originally made for a lucht or a gnome, so it's in the ballpark of fitting her. It even has 'Lily' embroidered on the front.
Kobold nests are interesting places, and the little lizards are ingenious with traps and artifice creations. A full, modern restaurant kitchen with all the features is unlikely. She cooks like a lucht, standing, leaning much like the other cooks, even adding a dash of spice the way they do. She's helped a lot by one of them, who largely lets her prepare the ingredients, but sets them all out for her and shows her what to do. Still, she handles the stuffed bug enough it's her creation.
"Of course, this one will help with the scale polish." Cryo says happily, "I'm very curious to see how shiny you might get. And thank you, for the confidence." She nods, several times, her attention divided and drawn to watch her youngling at work.
"She is very enthusiastic. I think she enjoys knowing more about something than I do. I guess she was involved with her nest. This one knows so little about kobold society, and does not want to ask her. I know she has bad memories. I am glad the preparations are helping her." Cryo admits. Her tailtip twitches. A down filled dragon's lair. That could be very nice.
Mikilos smiles mildly. "You'll make mistakes. It's part of parenting. Good parents fret and try to fix the mistakes they make. Bad parents blame someone else."
"This one has, never tried using it, aside from a tiny bit on my arm, but I am not the best with understanding what things look like, myself." Seyardu notes with a weak chuckle as she steps away, looking to see Aryia smiling and snickering.
That floor was looking really interesting right this moment.
"It is like with the engineering toys you have gotten for her, and the like. She certainly likes understanding things on a functional level." Seyardu notes. "Perhaps this one should show her the techniques this one knows for binding books, so she might make her own to note her findings and learnings in. Just a thought this one had."
Aryia leans out some to watch the little 'bold do some of the cooking, as she had no real input on parent. Honestly? The mute woman looks a bit impressed. She's done kitchen work before in the decades past, and it looked as if the little one was doing just fine with it.
Eating a bug sounded quite appealing, actually.
The shadow elf nudges Seyardu. "We could ask Loci for her if next time we're on the road again with," she suggests, abating teasing her friend. "That's a good idea." <Handspeech>
Cryosanthia laughs, "Oh, a proper polish can take hours. We may have to use one of the massage tables in the bathhouse. A warm bath before would make it even better. I will certainly help, maybe we can train the masseuses to do it too."
Lily seems adept at her task, it helps that all the tools are the right size for her, and she's got someone minding and making sure she doesn't burn herself on the stove.
The whitescale nods to Mikilos, "this one usually blames herself, so I will expect to make mistakes. I will try to avoid the fretting." Although, she seems inclined to do so. It will be a challenge. "She might be interested in that. Usually she gets a book from the bookstore to write in."
There's some more frying, the crackle and pop of the oil, and then the lucht cook and Lily are plating the dishes. They are carried over, passed up to the table. "Waitsss, too hot. To cool." Lily says, then hugs her Ssassa's tail. Cryo curls it around her, hugging and holding protectively.
"It's delicious, you'll see. Just a little while longer." She says proudly.
songref
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0TzUNti3rY
Consent
Long distance to Mikilos: Cryosanthia hugs, "Quick Q. You're ok with Cryo carrying eggs, being pregnant? I'm trying to do it well, not weird, but want to ask since it can be a touchy subject."
You paged Mikilos with 'I don't think I've been in a scene with you since it was obvious'
Mikilos pages: Congratulations? Is fine by me
You paged Mikilos with 'Cool! Thanks'