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Chaeng Zumeng peeked her head over the bubbling pot. Thick wafts of steam tickled her nose and cheeks, making her flush a heady jade. Taking a spoon, she swiped it through the liquid and pulled back. It was much too hot to shove directly in mouth, and so she puffed a few blows across it, wafting the scent of the stew in the air. There, no more steam, she thought, and popped it happily into her mouth. Nnngggh... Chaeng's face screwed up as she spat onto the grass below.Too Salty! Wiping her tongue roughly with her sleeve, she peered at the table of ingredients directly in front of her. She stood and dropped the spoon carelessly into the grass, a look of single minded determination warping her face as she perused each one potential stew ingredient carefully. They were picked up, tossed from hand to hand, sniffed, and even nibbled slightly. This one wasn't ripe all the way. This one wasn't quite the right texture or flavor. And this one... Was this even a fruit? No, it seemed more a rock. Each reject was dropped hastily as her eyes and hand darted to the next. Every sense played a vital role in the discovery of the perfect ingredient. Eventually her hand found the right tarnip, while her looking stalks confirmed the choice and her sniff node finalized the decision. This particular tarnip had just the perfect note of bitterness and crunch. From her sash, she pulled out a pocket knife and steadied the tarnip on the table. A few quick cuts and it was chopped nicely. Chaeng tugged out part of her sash into a bowl into it scooped the leaking tarnip bits. With wobbling steps, she picked her way back to the large pot, and climbed the stool she had been sitting and using the whole night through. Carefully, she tossed the chunks in, and when it was done, stirred it a few times before tasting it again. Yes, that was just right.

"You're quite good at this," The older troll who had been in charge of the station that night watched Chaeng with open curiosity. Most kids just scuttled in and out, but not Chaeng. It seemed like she was drawn to this particular activity. Didn't she want to go and play in the hay or wrestle the snoutbeast? Surely there were more interesting things than watching some community pot get soiled by rotten crops and then tenderly fixed by the grumbling standkeep?

"This is my favorite part," Chaeng spoke softly as she tucked a loose strand of hair from her buns behind an ear, "I like to cook like this... Eventually everyone will take some and eat it. I want it to be the best." The older troll shrugged, as if to say 'suit yourself' and went back to watching with mild horror as another child picked up a nasty toetatoe and dropped it in without a second glance. The standkeep scuttled to work and Chaeng took to sitting on the stool, passively watching the female troll’s quick movements and deft hands. She chopped and peeled with little hesitation. Chaeng found it mystifying, and it wasn't until the loud squeal of the nearby snoutbeast broke her reverie that Chaeng recalled she had meant to say more on the subject of her favorite part.

"I make remedies all the time," She had been quiet for some time, so the words struck the other troll by surprise. Chaeng stood and climbed the stool. Taking the wooden spoon in hand, she carefully swirled the slurry of food. Her words marched forward, unperturbed by the troll's shock or the time between her two sentences, "With wild ingredients. Medicine for the soul and body. This is similar. Herbs and food go in, and then, with time and care, something shared and something good is given. It reminds me of the story of this festival. Would you care to hear it?"

The older troll hesitated and shrugged. It might be for the best. Even if no was given, chances were at some weird interval the younger troll would start weaving the story out of thin air, for an audience only she could see. Delighted by the others enthusiasm, Chaeng hopped down and scuttled to the ingredients. Back on the hunt. Her fingers trailed the dirty, rough bodies of the crops, her looking stalks glancing this way and that as her voice carried on, unhurried and seemingly disembodied from the frantic touch and look of her search.

"Once upon a time, there were ten suns in the alternian sky, and their heat bore down upon the trolls like a plague. The radiation was so bad, nothing could grow and all trolls were forced to live deep below the ground. The Goddess of the Green Moon was sad, for when the green moons would come out, she would find that no one was around! She sent to the trolls of the underground a simple message, ‘If you can remove 9 of the suns, then I will reward you. After the suns are removed, you may flourish in my and my twins light, and live in the twilight of the surface’. All the trolls laughed, for there was no possible way to destroy suns. Finally, one troll named Houyee, decided that enough was enough. He climbed out during the most tame part of the sun cycle and shot down the extra suns with the help of his lusus and his magical bow and arrow." Chaeng giggled and looked at the matron while sniffing a toetatoe. No good... the spud was discarded to the table with a loud thunk while Chaeng continued to watch the other troll with laughter in her eyes, "Isn't that silly? Shooting out the suns? I guess that's why it is just a Legend..."

The other troll grunted, and Chaeng took this as affirmation. It was indeed a silly thing, "By shooting down the extra suns, the moons were able to glow. The Green Moon Goddess had her Jadeblood Rabbit Lusus make a very special potion. She sent to Houyee a bottle of liquor that, when imbibed, would make him float to heaven and become one of the Gods." Chaeng looked up at the dual moons - green and purple, always smiling and waiting for the trolls of Alternia to awaken and bask in their rays, "The Goddess said that there were three mouthfuls in the container - one for himself, to become a God; one for his matesprit, to become pitied by all; and a final one for his kismesis, to be all powerful."

Noticing that the listener of her tale was busy attending to a literally snot-nosed redblood, Chaeng returned to gazing at the ingredients. A bounty of mushrooms glowed on one portion of the table. Picking one up, Chaeng gave it a hearty whiff. Promptly, coughs and spasms overtook her as she dropped the fungus. Yuck! "Some of these are super bad! Why are these things here?" Wiping at her eyes, she returned to the creaky wooden stool and climbed up. The standkeep sighed and collected the bad 'shroom, lest some other child decide to use it, and tossed it into the wastebin.

"You were saying?" Chaeng blinked up from the bubbling mixture, having temporarily forgotten her story. "Sorry," She smiled and smoothed out the folds of her dress, "Where was I? Oh, right, the potion.

"Well, Houyee wasn’t sure if he should drink it, and decided to keep it inside his hive. Only his loyal matesprit would know where it was. One day when Houyee was gone, his Kismesis came. His Kismesis Peeung Meeung rushed into his hive and demanded that his Matesprit, Change, give him the potion. Change was a weaker troll, and not skilled at combat. If she fought Peeung, she would die, but she knew that if Peeung took the potion, he would take it all! He was greedy like that, and wanted to be A god, pitied by all, and rich beyond his wildest dreams" Chaeng shook her head and tutted before continuing forward, "Change swallowed down a drink and dropped the bottle. Her body rose and rose, but the goddess of the moon was unhappy! The first drink should make Change a God, but Change was not meant to be so. In a fit of anger, she struck down Change. Change would live on Alternia as a ghostly spirit.

"Hearing the sound of a struggle, Houyee ran in to see his matesprit's ghostly form floating away. Devastated, he grabbed the potion and swallowed a drink. The Green Moon Goddess was still unhappy, but used her magic to allow him to become a God after all. He did so, while carrying the spirit of Change in his arms. He became the The God of the Purple Moon. Peeung Meeung was devastated. He had lost his Kismesis and his chance at being an all powerful being. Cursing the moons, he remembered there was a final drink left."

Chaeng's eyes twinkled maliciously. She peeked over the pot and waved the spoon at the matron, "The Green Moon Goddess, calmer now, learned what had happened from Change. She was ashamed at herself and furious at Peeung Meeung. She did not want him to be rewarded for being so naughty! Just then, the sun began to rise. The Goddess of the Sun said, 'I am lonely, for no creature but the dead walk upon the land during the day. Your time is so populated with children and life. Surely, you can spare me some?'

"The Green Moon Goddess smiled and said 'Of course, my sister. Of course!' and she cursed the potion in Peeung Meeung's stomach. He groaned and twisted, and slowly he grew into what we now call a Day Walker. This way, The Green Moon Goddess thought, he would be as far from them as he could be, and they could be happy together.

"Because of the Green Moon Goddess, Alternian Jadebloods were given the power to become Daywalkers. For years, Trolls have seen the dual moons and have prayed that their Matesprite would be so loyal and well pitied, and that they would be protected from those that stalk the day hours." Chaeng looked at the standkeep, who was currently advising a small troll with curly horns that he could NOT put a frog in the broth. Looking up at the moons, Chaeng reached out and brushed her index finger against their image.

"I want to be like Change and The Green Moon Goddess when I grow up. Beautiful and loyal, and smart too. I want to give lots of people yummy potions to help them get stronger... I think that's the best thing really," The standkeep sighed in annoyance. The child continued to talk and talk, never stopping. In her frustration, of trying to mend both the pot and keep an eye on the odd girl, the standkeep spat out, “What does that story have to do with you liking the community pot?”

Giggling softly, Chaeng hopped off the stool and fixed her clothing, “Simple, really. I’m going to make this big pot into a magic potion to change all the trolls at this gathering into daywalkers, just like The Green Moon Goddess did,” Her impish grin was a surprise to the standkeep. Both stared at one another before bursting into laughter.

“I see… Well, then, I hope your Jadeblood powers are strong, because that’s one big pot.” The standkeep turned her attention elsewhere, leaving Chaeng to smile at the back of her head. She turned back to the table, mind wandering far and wide, over stories and possibilities. Maybe one day, she’d know enough about potions to do something like change a whole crowd into daywalkers. For now, she’d settle on making really delicious soup.


proxy GM note from sypon: this troll is a regular greenblood

As soon as Etsali was clear of whatever spores those awful plants had been giving off, she paused to clean off her hands in the river's water. She was only just pulling her gloves back on when something caught her attention up ahead, bobbing along in the water. She waded in closer to poke at it, and gave a quiet hmm as it spun in the water to reveal a Faygo tag. She kept moving, and with every few steps there seemed to be more and more until finally, well-

Once again it was the smell that hit home first. Etsali had been in a lot of less than pleasant places throughout her life, up to and including most if not all of the major trash heaps of New Hemisect City. This was just a step above that, but she was prepared to mostly deal with it, at least. She frowned anyway as she scanned the bog, taking in the sights of muck and pollution. There was a stream going out she could follow, packed with even more bottles, it seemed. Some tall trees in the distance, a few nearer that looked climbable. She considered all these options, then with a shrug began to trudge through to the stream.

She kept the potato sack handy, because it had been pretty useful the last time and who knew when she might find a mushroom to throw in. Or maybe some trash with a bit of shine to it. She wasn't picky.

also btw i'm at 9/10 stamina

"Uh - sure?" Alifax said, eyeing the snacks dubiously. "I don't even know what those are," he confessed. Honestly, Alifax didn't eat very much packaged food at all. It was cheaper to hunt.

There was a short walk upstream, at which they found, conveniently, a stream. Alifax settled in with the rod, picking up a couple mushrooms as he waited and fished (although he wasn't really sure what that entailed). Surprisingly it wasn't actually that hard - or maybe it was beginner's luck. Not that Alifax really believed in beginner's luck, but, well. He certainly didn't know how to fish, and neither did Sarcel. He'd been about to neatly (or, well, as neatly as he could, with his meteor chain as a tool) slice the fish in half when some of the fauna they'd been warned about came stumbling out of the woods, and Alifax narrowed his eyes at it before making a - uh - a bit of a stupid decision. He tossed the fish into Sarcel's arms, figuring she was athletic enough to catch it, and promptly ran his way into the nearby trees.

Fortunately it did chase after him rather than her, but it still took a while before he emerged back where Sarcel was waiting. He flashed her a thumbs up. "Sorry," he panted. "Didn't expect that." It'd looked a little more vicious than he liked his meals - although now that he was back here he realized there was a little snoutbeast over there. That looked more promising, although it could still be dangerous.

Well. He had brought explosives, and he didn't even need fuel to light them. He pulled a stick of dynamite out of his pocket. "Want to pack up and then go after that?" he asked Sarcel, nodding toward it. It'd probably taste great with the fish - and he had a little more experience cooking, well, snoutbeast flesh. They could see where it led them, and then toss the dynamite at it and light it when it hit. It always seemed easier to focus his flame when he had something to light, especially if the thing wasn't living.