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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 3:54 pm
  Stigtyr sighed, scuffing the ground with unsheathed claws. "I just don't see what he gets out of it. Or what any of them get out of it!" The young male complained, shaking strands of his growing mane out of his face. He wished the darn thing would just grow in already. He was getting really tired of constantly getting it re-braided. And the itching! Thunder and lightning, the itching! He swore he was going to scratch his neck raw, which wasn't helping the grumpy mood he'd been in lately. "Tollak's all, 'reaver this,' and 'reaver that.' I mean who cares? So what, you're gonna go out and fight some random strangers who never did anything wrong? Yeah, real nice." Stigtyr rolled his eyes dramatically, caught up in his rant. "Sometimes I feel like this whole pride is just a bunch of dudes trying to prove how manly they are. What about the common good? And being nice to each other? And treating each other like the living creatures we all are?" It was a viewpoint that had gotten him beat up on more than one occasion. Apparently thinking about things beyond who was going to get the most thralls and have the most wives didn't always fly too well with other males his age. Stigtyr had long learned to keep his mouth shut about such matters. At least he could still vent to Dagny. She would always listen, no matter what she was doing.
Actually, what was she doing?
"You're not paying attention are you?" The male asked, eyebrow raised. The smell of mint wafted across his nose, and Stigtyr couldn't help but let out a groan. "Aw, sis, you're not gonna make me taste stuff again, are you?" Dagny had some sort of obsession with making concoctions of the mint plant that grew in the area. Sometimes the mixtures were good. Other times...and Stigtyr could never tell how it was going to taste by the smell either. Bad meat smelled bad, so you didn't eat it. But all of this just smelled like mint. Which made him smell like mint. People were going to start thinking he was an addict.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 4:17 pm
 Stig's words fell completely on deaf ears as Dagny went about her business, her brother nearby. Their paths were very different, and different even from her mother's and their other brother's. Tollak and their mother both aspired to reaverdom, and Dagny had a sneaking suspicion that while mom would be proud… There would be some jealousy there too. Stig, she knew, was partial to the more studious things in life. And Dagny? She was destined to produce things like this, to gain all of the spoils of vikings. She would trade her mixes and minty munchies for pelts, more supplies, jewels, bangles of gold, shiny necklaces… And new beads for her own braids. Maybe if she was feeling generous, she would share those new-found resources with her brothers, and certainly her mother.
Dagny had finished crushing the mint leaves onto her smoothed piece of wood which she had procured from the forested regions of the pride's lands. Well, ok. Maybe she had tricked a thrall into fetching it for her, but it was her own paws that had treated the surface! It needed to be slick, to minimize the leaves' oils sticking to it, and it had needed to be treated properly. No thrall could do it right, so Dagny had done it herself. She now mixed in a small amount of pre-cut-up plant; it was not mint or grass, but something from the swamp, cut into such small pieces that nobody could find it just by looking at the ingredient. She dumped all of these into a curved rock that she had filled with rainwater. She took a stick and swirled the mix in the rock, "listening" to Stig. She had done all of this with her back turned to her, after she had pretended to hear something interesting away from him in order to finish her work.
"Oh, yes, of course I am, Stig! Thralls, reaverdom, beating each other up, got it." She turned to him with a grin tugging on the corners of her lips. "You sound… stressed, like you could use to unwind a little, huh?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2014 7:06 pm
Stigtyr rolled his eyes fondly. Dagny was right, of course, as she usually was, but it was also nice to vent with the rage of a furious thunderstorm. Not to mention he could just imagine what other members of the pride would say, the traditionalists, judging him for taking suggestions and being bossed around by a female, which lead him to another point, thank you very much, about the inefficient logistical strategy that was involved with the current ban on female reavers, because a pride that counted on raiding for prosperity that put limits on who got to fill that job....okay yeah, he needed to unwind.
"If you had it your way, I'd be doing more than unwinding. I'd be completely plastered like young males back from their first viking." Stig countered teasingly, stepping over to sniff the concoction he was about to be tasting. As usual, it smelled like mint. To Dagny, it must have a thousand different aromas and scents, but Stigtyr's nose, it was mint. Just mint. And of course, anything else he was planning on smelling today would smell like mint as well. Which was not exactly an unwelcome thing around some of the reavers...
"How do you come up with all this stuff anyways?" He asked, moving back so Dagny could finish. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't killed me by mixing in something toxic on accident. Not that you didn't almost kill me with some of those first mixes." Stigtyr grinned toothily. In all seriousness though, the first few mint things he'd taste-tested for Dagny had been truly awful. Thank goodness she'd was improved so much since then.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 6:25 pm
"Well, no, maybe not that much…" Dagny said in response to the plastered comment. "Not plastered per se, just… Well, loose! Yeah, that's the word." She said as she nudged it towards him. "I'm so eager to hear what you think of this one! For starts, the rainwater is completely fresh, from just last night- remember how it rained some? So- fresh water. The mint I picked earlier this morning. And the secret ingredient… Well, it's a secret." She beamed at him. Dagny wasn't sure Tollak would ever be this patient with her. Not even Aaja, she thought, would be comfortable testing all of these for her. The young lioness appreciated that at least someone was willing to stick it out with her. Especially grateful that someone was her brother.
She too was kind of surprised she hadn't come up with something toxic. But everything she used was something she tried a n** of herself first. Unfortunately, a n** was a bit less than what she tended to use… But she had yet to create something poisonous. She wondered if she could convince reavers to give her stuff for it if she managed to come up with a poison… Could reavers use poison on vikings?
"Oh, I mostly just… Try stuff I guess. I've got a pretty wicked idea for what to do next- should I tell you or just let it be a surprise?" she asked quickly and excitedly. Dagny was most in her element trying to create something that lions would want- need- give nearly anything to get. That was her goal, and she'd reach if it was the last thing she did!
"Now I thought you had said some of those first mixes were just a bit sharp- I didn't think they were that bad, were they?" She asked, a tone of mock-hurt in her voice. "I'm sure this one'll be better."Kaliforneum I'M SO SORRY FOR LATENESS D8!!! Do you want to keep going on this one? I'd also like one after we finish this one, I think, for the two to keep in touch. :3 THEY'RE SO CUTE.
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Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 8:17 pm
Stigtyr laughed out loud. Ah yes. He had sugar-coated his review on some of those first mixes. But he couldn't have bared to break his dear sister's heart. And look where it had gotten her. Sure, some of her recipes where still hit-or-miss, but she was becoming quite the renown mixologist for her concoctions. And she never would have gotten there if Stigtyr hadn't put up with all of the early attempts. But, he definitely couldn't blame Aaja or even Tollak for avoiding lab-rat duty. Stigtyr was happy to take the blow. Of course, the fact that he didn't really have too many friends was definitely a factor....
"Um...they were a little bit more than sharp." He admitted, making a face. "But they are much better now, huh? Genius in the family! Let's try this one, yeah? Mmm, smells yummy." The young male changed the subject quickly, taking a generous sip of the drink to avoid saying anything else.
He let the mixture roll around on his tongue a bit before swallowing. "Hm, you're right. The rainwater makes it very fresh. Probably one of the best so far." Stigtyr nodded his approval. He didn't want to drink too much though. As much as his sister liked to try and loosen him up, the grey male hated the way he felt after drinking too much of Dagny's mixes. He cherished his sharp mind and wit and didn't like it when it got all muddled. Even if it meant he was a stick in the mud all of the time.
"Alright then, I'll indulge, you mad scientist you. What's this wicked idea?" In truth, Stigtyr actually loathed surprises. He hated begin blindsided. He also liked the chance to chat with his sister, so in reality this was a tactical win-win for him.
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2015 5:51 pm
Dagny's attention went from being razor-sharp on her creation to being sharp on her brother. She stared at him, eyes darting from her creation to his eyes, his muzzle, his ears- each of them could give her a quick instant reaction to what he was tasting. She sometimes wondered if Stig was entirely honest with her or if he was ever dulling the blow for the sake of her feelings- something she would find unnecessary. However, it was rarely the case and she knew it- the ones she had thought might be a little edgy were usually met with poor reviews from Stig. His face from this go-around did not seem bad- Dagny's posture softened as her brother nodded.
"So you like it- do you think this is the best way to deliver it? Would it be better in a leaf? I'm glad for the freshness- can you still detect it after a single sip- just one more, I've gotta know if the flavor holds true even after the first taste." Dagny said to her brother, words rushing out quickly and her mind racing to come up with everything she wanted to know to critique this one.
"Oooohhh, you'll like the next one! I might," she said her expression becoming only slightly maniacal at the thought, "even be able to get you a little more drunk than ever on it, I'd wager!" Dagny looked around for any other inquiring ears- this was her idea and she was going to be the first to premier it! "I'm going to take some freshly killed meat, and try to get the mint flavor in that! Not a drink, but a meal. Everyone will want some, I'm sure of it! Nothing's better after a hard training than a meal and some mint, why do they have to be separate? It's going to really get my name out there." She paused. "Well. If it works."
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