[PRP-PLOT] Just a little taste...? (Fresco & Mentha)

[Seruta]

Mentha sighed and flicked his tail softly in the slowly drifting current. Just another day in the lake... In the waters... outside of the palace...

It'd been a while since he'd seen his self-declared mother about. She kept mostly inside the palace these days. And the big tough guys always followed her around and made sure no one got too close... It was silly, really. Mentha never understood just why she needed to be protected like that...

Looking to his lap, he peered in to the small bowl he had been holding for nearly two years now. At the bottom was two pieces of candy, preserved as a memory of that wonderful night when he saw her for the first time. Those two small pieces of candy were gifted to him from her and that was the moment he had decided that she'd be his new mommy! Of course... he'd seen little to none of her since, just on the rare few occasions when she'd leave with her tough looking escorts, then always come back hours - or even days - later looking tired and weary from her travels.

He had attempted to follow her last time... but they went out to the Big-Water.... That place was too big and scary for him, so he came back to the outskirts of the palace to wait.

His little fish friend reminded him he wasn't alone again. She swam up to meet his gaze and booped her lips against his nose. He smiled and bubbled softly to her, holding a finger to gently rub along her belly before she darted into his bowl. She was a good little guardian for his candies. However, his stomach growled to remind him just how little he had. A fish friend... and two candies. Not exactly enough to live off of. Not that he would eat his fish friend! She was his own "big, tough" fish guardian. He bubbled softly at the thought, thinking the title suited her. But her own worry surfaced at the sound. She drifted up to his face again, bubbling her concern to the sounds emitting from his stomach and he simply sighed in response.

Indulging in his need to eat to survive required this particular naiad to venture into dangerous waters. For months now, he had taken to sneaking into the palace kitchens, picking off the leftovers and only eating enough to survive another day or so... Something to simply sustain him...

He'd been shoo'd out of the kitchens before. Usually by a guard in there to pick up a meal or snack. Since then he'd gotten wiser, waiting until just after the bigger meals of the day to sneak in and collect the scraps of the meals as whoever was cleaning was between trips to the dining hall. Mentha was always fast in gathering things and getting out again before being spotted. He didn't feel like today would be any different...

Setting the bowl down by his little home rock, he pointed to the bowl for his fish friend to stay there. He bubbled some small command and she hunkered down to protect those candies as if she understood him. She likely didn't, but found that this pleased him more and by routine, had begun doing it regardless.

Satisfied, he turned, heading towards the Palace kitchen's back door - the best and easiest way to sneak in for a quick bite. He kept to the shadows, only stopping to pause and listen within before opening the door. One couldn't be too careful... right?  

[Teigra]

The kitchen was quiet, clearly no meal rush going on at the moment. In the off hours, the activity decreased significantly, sometimes leaving the facility deserted until it grew closer to proper mealtimes. Then, the chef staff all flooded back in to prepare and the area became a cacophony of barked orders and swiftly moving dishes until everyone had been fed, the remainder cleaned up, then quiet reigned once more.

The kitchen wasn't completely deserted at the moment, however. One chef drifted around the grill area of the kitchen space. The grill was set over a volcanic vent, allowing the Naiad kitchen staff to make use of the natural volcanic heat to warm or cook a few specialty dishes. Not all meals were cooked, as plenty of traditional dishes were served cold or raw, however, a few had developed a taste for cooked dishes over the seasons, now that the option was available.

Having taken a break from attempting to develop any sort of successful underwater variant of the delicious desserts he had had on land, Fresco had tried to turn his research to a more savory end for today. Several fish fillets had been laid out on the grill. Each one had been paired with different herbs from the land above, then wrapped in seaweed in an attempt to cook the flavors into the fish without simply washing away. Now he had a new dilemma.

Two of the seaweed packages had been set aside to cool and now he'd unwrapped them for the taste test. 'Hmm...the lighter, more subtle flavor is nice...but...this one...stronger, more dramatic...but does that make it better?'

Seruta

 

[Seruta]

Mentha waited a moment until he was sure there wasn't any sound coming from the kitchens. He pushed open the door and slipped in, looking into the closer corners first to make sure there wasn't a straggler.

Not seeing anyone right away, he quickly went to the shelves by the door and snatched up a few small snacks. In his overly eager attempts to grab and go, he popped a few bites and turned. He slipped further into the room and looked at the counter where the food usually rested....

That's when he froze.... Someone WAS in there.

His eyes immediately went wide and he mentally swallowed hard, slowly lifting his gaze to meet the gentleman's in the kitchen. His cheeks were still somewhat stuffed and puffed to prove it.

Well............................... Crap!  

[Teigra]

Fresco had been wrapped up in his own thoughts and hadn't heard a thing. However, when he turned to reach for a utensil on the center table, he froze, staring wide-eyed at the guilty-looking teenager. They seemed equally startled by each other's presence, but Fresco seemed to recover first. He took in the guilty-look, the puffed out cheeks, and the armful of assorted food items with a frown. "Oy! Hold it right there, you."

He'd been ready with a reprimand about sneaking snacks between meals, but hesitated at a second glance. The teen didn't appear to be as well-fed as he'd have expected to see from most of the palace dwellers. He wasn't starving exactly, but...he wasn't exactly overfed either. Still frowning, but making sure the boy hadn't moved first, he turned and picked up the two pieces of fish from beside the grill where they had cooled sufficiently. He set them on the center work space and beckoned the boy over.

"Come here. Try both of these; tell me which one you like better."

Seruta

 

[Seruta]

Mentha remained frozen in place. He managed to finish his mouthful... sloooowly... and swallowed hard. It was audible... and his fin trembled slightly... He was in trouble now...

In a slow attempt, he began to inch his arms towards the counter to put the items he had on it. He bubbled apologetically and then--... what?!

Ok... wait...

So... He was being told to eat something? But he thought he was caught! He thought he was in trouble!!

Having set all the items down, he looked at the plates offered and blinked at them. And then he blinked at the man offering them. Was this guy mad? Or just confused?! And what about the food...? Was it good? Bad?

His stomach gave a protesting growl and he seemed to coil slightly. He rubbed his arm in thought and bubbled slightly, weighing his options a moment before eyeing the plates again. Was it ok? I mean, obviously, it was or he wasn't being offered such delicious looking food.

With a flick of his tail he propelled himself forward and peered closer at the two offered dishes. He reached forward with one hand, nearly picking up a piece before he withdrew his hand, eyes looking up at the male for further permission.

Teigra

 

[Teigra]

Fresco stared at the youth, taking in his nervous gestures and hesitant movements. He still had yet to speak a word, yet his actions told a story on their own. He wondered briefly how long the youth had been on his own. Had he been raised here in the lake bed, somewhere away from the castle? He'd found the kitchen easily enough, from what he could tell. Had he done this before then? Not that Fresco recalled seeing him around before, but...he wasn't always the most attentive towards anything outside of the food when he was cooking.

It would explain some of the missing supplies.

He'd just figured the guards had been sneaking snacks between shifts again. The Captain had been driving them extra hard lately in training exercises. Or maybe the Queen...though no one would dare say that out loud. Just think it. Sometimes.

Fresco lifted a brow at the boy's renewed hesitation. Clearly, he was hungry. And he was being invited to eat. Some past experience must have made him hesitate again now. The chef nodded again towards the food, insisting, "Go on. I'm working on some new recipes and I need an outside opinion. Try them both, then tell me which one you liked best. Or heck...if you didn't like either one. That's still constructive feedback," he shrugged, still mulling over his own thoughts on the two. If nothing else, maybe he could get some feedback while subtly letting the kid grab a bite to eat unmolested.

Seruta