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 Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2020 2:37 pm
prompt You need to eat. There are archaic cooking utensils and a well in the middle of town. There is an array of fruits, mostly apples, hanging from some trees, and there are several different types of berries that grow around the forest. There are unkempt gardens in a few of the houses, and a larger one with an array of crops that seem to be free for the taking, just by what seems to be an abandoned--locked--church. In some houses, and in a strange storage room in town, there seems to be unidentifiable dried meat. There are no packed or processed foods--only what nature permits. There are no animals to hunt. You can choose to eat any of such food, but at what cost? Are you fortunate enough to feel no effects? Are you struck with some toxic poisoning that fades after a bit? Do you feel rejuvenated, but at the cost of feeling incredibly paranoid and off? Food and effects are player choice, however should not grant any boosts in battle or extreme advantages into gameplay; if you have questions about what you can find or what effects it can have, please post in the MQ&A
Boy, did he sure enjoy the planning.
The typical routine didn't usually involve anything fancy: a quick breakfast of oatmeal or cereal after his jog, a salad that he picked up from the gas station on the corner, and takeout from the Thai place across from the campus for dinner, with sprinklings of snacks throughout the day if he was feeling peckish. If he was very lucky, one of his roommates would prepare malai kofta or chole. They seemed to be a little more into cooking than Nataniel was, and were open to learning how to prepare some of the traditional cuisines Nat had been accustomed to before he'd left home.
On the weekend, he rarely ate actual meals. The weekends were for getting smashed off of daiquiris, and he didn't need anything soaking up the alcohol, preventing him from getting drunk off of as few calories as possible.
But there was no 'typical' in this place. Rakovanite wanted to beat his skull in with how much it made his skin itch to not be doing what he normally did. There was no oatmeal or salads here. No Thai place or Chipotle or even a McDonalds for if he was feeling frisky. There was nothing he wanted any part of, and the temptation to stubbornly starve to death was certainly there... It just felt like that might take an egregiously long time, and he didn't want to piddle around in this place longer than necessary.
If he was going to off himself, it was at least going to be quick.
So he supposed he should try and acclimate to the idea of eating dirty, foreign garden vegetables. Rakovanite grimaced over the dilapidated fence that walled off the vegetable patch from the rest of the village. He had been elected to harvest the night's greens, while Cervantite went to fetch berries from the forest and Narcissus collected meat from the storage building (which Rakovanite had also protested, reminding the senshi that he didn't eat that). The garden at least looked like it grew things he recognized. Just nothing he wanted.
But he had to be considerate. Cervantite and Narcissus probably weren't as thrilled at the idea of starvation as Rakovanite was, and they'd already depleted the resources the Dark Mirror Senshi had brought along with him. With a muted grumbled, Rakovanite hopped the fence and started looking for something that might go good with 'unidentified meat and random berries.'
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:13 pm
Nothing was more important than keeping everyone together and finding a routine. They needed to figure out how to get settled, and then the rest would come. Narcissus hoped. Well- maybe that wasn’t most important. Ideally, they’d start looking for ways out, but until they could, it was enough to make sure everyone was well cared for. He was trying to be optimistic. And useful.
They could forage for dinner. That was- fun? It was at least an activity, something for them to do together, which seemed like reason enough to go for it to Narcissus. Nevermind that they didn’t really know how any of this food existed or where the dried meats had come from- And they didn’t have any medicines to heal any sicknesses that arose.
He just had to trust since he hadn’t caught word of anyone dying yet, it was probably fine. They needed to eat, and they needed their strength. It was fine.
So Narcissus had asked Rakovanite to collect some veggies while he took on the chore of gathering meat from the bizarre storage room in the village’s center. That seemed the best solution, since he knew Rakovanite likely wouldn’t be partaking in the non-vegan portion of the meal. Though Narcissus wasn’t super comfortable being in the meat-locker storage area, with strips of unidentified creature hanging from racks and the ceiling.
He collected what he needed to (and only what he thought he needed) by stashing a few strips in a small woven basket, on a bed of corn husks. This was indeed a strange place, given what he was doing.
But he scurried out quickly, and made it nearer to their own shelter in time to see Rakovanite rummaging around in the garden patch of one of the neighboring houses. And looking suitably offended by all of it, Narcissus thought. The tiniest smile crept onto his face as he watched, and it was several moments before he prompted, “Find anything?”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:14 pm
There were carrots. Rakovanite liked carrots. They weren’t green. He’d been asked to harvest ‘greens.’ But surely Narcissus meant that he just wanted a miscellaneous vegetable to go with whatever meat dish he’d be preparing. Rakovanite wondered if there was enough here that he could make an actual salad. There was no dressing, croutons, or cheese, so it wouldn’t be a very good salad, but it might have enough flavors and textures to be passable.
He wondered if anything here even tasted right. It looked relatively normal, but everything just felt so off… His skin crawled.
But he kept focused on the task. It wouldn’t be him that couldn’t pull his weight amongst the group. It wouldn’t be him holding them back. Rakovanite collected a few carrots, a few scattered pea pods, a randomly placed potato, a handful of spinach leaves, one yellow pepper, one small onion and one of the bushes had two pretty red strawberries on it. He’d take those too, for something sweet later.
When he heard Narcissus’ voice from a few feet away, Rakovanite paused in his collection and glanced toward the other man. “Some things,” he replied, holding up the shallow metal pan he was using to carry things. “The other gardens may have a different selection. I have not looked.” He rose from his crouch and tipped his pan for Narcissus to see. “I do not really cook for people. Do you think this is enough?”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:15 pm
There probably shouldn’t be aaaaanything that made Narcissus feel relaxed in a place like this, but he did think it was nice, cute even, to see cold agent Rakovanite harvesting vegetables from an overgrown garden. His smile was soft as he gazed at the other man. Yeah, yeah, they didn’t have their computers, phones, electricity, cable, decent medical supplies- They didn’t really have much of anything, but at least they could still work together and take comfort in cooperation.
Narcissus stepped nearer to the fence as Rakovanite stood, and he craned his body over the topmost rung to peer into the pot of collected goods. It was an assortment, at least, so maybe variety wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Carrots, beans, spinach leaves, and strawberries, though it did seem like an extremely modest amount of each…
Probably not really enough for three people, though Narcissus wondered if Rakovanite was intentionally keeping the portions low, out of fear for need of conservation or perhaps concern of what it would do to them.
Narcissus glanced up nervously. It wasn’t exactly his favorite practice to instruct Rakovanite on anything, but he’d asked, so, “P-probably a bit more of each? It won’t really help us, uh, survive if we’re undernourished… The spinach especially!” He added hastily. “That stuff shrivels up real bad while cooking. Um. Is there… is there anything else you like? Tomatoes, lettuce? I know there’s corn somewhere… The g-good news is: you’ll probably get a chance to look tomor-”
Only once the words were almost fully out of his mouth did Narcissus realize that that probably wasn’t a helpful statement. Rakovanite almost definitely wasn’t looking forward to being here tomorrow. But it was already said.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:16 pm
“More?” Rakovanite prompted, following Narcissus’ gaze down into the pan, before he looked back out to the overgrown garden around him. He could probably scavenge for a bit more, but their resources weren’t limitless. The garden wasn’t lucious with ripe fruits and vegetables. And they weren’t the only ones in this wretched village. “Maybe tomorrow I should make an activity of picking through whatever I can to make sure we can collect whatever we need for at least a few days.” Produce would stay good for that long, if kept inside.
For now, he had to settle on what he could find: another few mangled pea pods, some dirty and half-grown carrots, a small potato. There were three of them, but Narcissus and Cervantite could at least indulge in the meat Narcissus had found. And maybe Cervantite had had more luck with the “wild” fruits and veggies.
“I will try harder tomorrow,” Rakovanite promised softly, but he wasn’t currently enthused about the task or the meal and would appreciate a few extra hours of mentally steeling himself.
He took his pan and its contents and passed them to Narcissus before hopping the fence and taking them back. “I try not to be very picky,” he replied. “Since I have already limited myself so much by cutting meats and fishes from my diet. I am more concerned about trying to provide my body with what it needs, rather than worrying about flavor too much. I like tomatoes and lettuce,” he added, since Narcissus had brought them up specifically. “I am indifferent to corn.”
He cleared his throat. “Is there anything you have a preference toward?”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:18 pm
Narcissus only had to use his eyes to see that the selection wasn’t ideal, and that there wasn’t exactly a surplus of what they did have, but since they were putting so much effort into it at the moment, it might be pleasant for them to have a “real” dinner, or as close as they could make it. He tried to give Rakovanite a reassuring smile, as the man moved back to harvest a few more things before returning to him-
And he immediately felt bad. “N-no, I don’t think you’re not trying hard enough. I just- I mean, you asked, so I-I thought there might be more to collect? You are doing good. Really. And this is fine! I don’t r-really know what we’ll make out of it, but roasted things always taste good, don’t you think? They have those n-nice… grill marks on them. It’ll be good! I think. I hope.” They had fire and water, which seemed like the most basic things required for cooking, just no seasonings or oils…
Food probably wasn’t going to be a pleasure activity in this village. Maybe Rakovanite had the right idea about only taking what was “necessary.”
“Um, I-I’ll help you tomorrow, if you want…” He had to at least offer, even if Rakovanite didn’t want a companion hanging around him all day, which Narcissus was almost sure was true. Still, he wouldn’t mind doing something either…
He shifted his basket on his arm, glanced down to the dirt and stone beneath his feet, twisted a long and tangled lock of hair around his finger. Just cool it. Rakovanite was always agitated, so it was really a matter of trying not to insult him and make things worse. If he was calm, he’d be better at that, probably. So just relax. And have a normal conversation that isn’t awkward or insulting.
Narcissus could do that.
“I don’t really like carrots,” he replied with a nervous shrug. “I mean, I’ll eat them! I don’t get s-sick over it, or anything, but I probably wouldn’t choose to eat a carrot over anything else. You know, if I had choices.” Which he didn’t right now, so Rakovanite probably thought he was a picky baby. “Um, if I could have anything right now, though, I’d really want Pizza Hut.” His cheeks flushed at the admission because he was sure they all wanted better and couldn’t have it. “B-but maybe we can use what we have to try and make things we remember? Do you have anything you think we could make out of…” He pointed a bony finger toward Rakovanite’s pan of ingredients. “Th-that stuff?”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:19 pm
Was anyone really doing ‘good’ here? Regardless of what Narcissus said, Rakovanite wasn’t sure. He wasn’t confident in his ability to push forward as some others might, and despite not wanting to be the weakest link among his peers… He gave a very slight shake of his head to dismiss the topic.
“I would be appreciative if you joined me,” he murmured softly, almost so quiet as to be unheard. Regardless of who he wanted hanging around, Rakovanite did not think it wise to leave himself with his own thoughts under these conditions.
It would just be wiser to have someone join him.
They were approaching their own shelter now, which meant Cervantite should be showing up soon with his find. Rakovanite and Narcissus should probably start coming up with a plan for what to do with the items they’d collected and how they planned on cooking. The pan Rakovanite had used for harvesting seemed like it would be a necessary implement. Though he just wished he’d taken more time to practice his cooking skill at home… It would be unwise to let much go to waste here.
If he could have anything he wanted… Irrelevant, since he couldn’t, but Narcissus had brought it up, so he may as well engage. “Panera Bread has this seasonal soup I like. ‘Squash harvest’ or ‘Autumn harvest’ or something similar. I almost never order it because I almost never think of it. It is not my favorite food, and I have not had it in a long while. But I have been thinking about it nonstop since we arrived. I have no idea why that is what is on my mind.” And that seemed like an incredibly foolish, totally unhelpful thing to say to anyone.
“I think there was heavy cream in it. Nothing we could make would even be comparable, but we do have a lot of vegetables, and that must be a good start to some kind of soup. We could make vegetable stock. That is in some things.”
Not that Rakovanite knew how.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:21 pm
He shot a quick smile toward the man walking with him. Narcissus would be more than happy to go on any adventure Rakovanite wanted accompaniment on- Okay, wait, no, that was for sure not the case. He definitely didn’t want to go hunt the monster or steal energy from any of the other residents, but any normal, humane adventure would be perfectly fine.
And knowing that there were specific, small things Rakovanite missed (such as a soup he liked) gave Narcissus hope. They could conceivably replicate some things. Making a nice, enjoyable soup wouldn’t be as hard as something like bringing Internet here. Soup he could do. They could do it together, and maybe that would be worth something. Maybe it would be worth continued effort to try and survive here.
“I don’t eat Panera Bread very often, so I h-haven’t heard of it, but it sounds nice! I never spent a lot of time cooking, too busy studying and working on school, but I know a few tricks! My mom was- w-well, I mean, she is- she’s still alive- Uh, a good cook, that is. I know a couple things from her. So I can probably try and whip something up!”
“If… you wanted to be my taste-tester?” He tried a nervous but hopeful half-smile, shoulders sloped upward in a sheepish sort of shrug.
“I’ve never made a stock, but it can’t be hard. I th-think it’s just boiling water flavored with vegetables, so…? We’ve got all the pieces for it.” And much of the necessities were already prepared and waiting for them. Cervantite’s magic started fires. There was one roaring in the firepit. They’d collected jugs of water from the well. So now it was just… a matter of getting the pieces to work together.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:21 pm
It sounded distressingly like Narcissus was expecting Rakovanite to be the guinea pig for whatever they concocted for dinner that night. His “taste-tester,” indeed. Not that there was any reason not to be, he supposed. They all had to eat, whether it came out edible, or not. Rakovanite gave a tight, crisp nod in response as they made it inside, and he moved without preamble toward the kitchen to set his pan of ingredients on the table for better inspection.
And to be honest, it absolutely looked like a dirty pan full of dirty vegetables, and he didn’t know how to make it better than that. Being in the kitchen was no great joy for him. It sounded like neither of them had the cooking and preparation skills that others in the village might. But Narcissus was at least willing to try, and perhaps even interested in learning how to do things here.
Rakovanite was not.
He took a slow inhale and straightened, turning to face Narcissus with a flat and unimpressed expression on his face. “I have minimal skills to proceed with,” he admitted, “But if you think it will be of any convenience, you can instruct me on which tasks to perform, and I will carry them out to the best of my ability.”
Vegetables probably needed to be washed and chopped. Pans needed to be rinsed of their grime before food went in them. He could fetch more water to boil or more wood if needed… He would try to be of use where he could, even if only minimally.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:22 pm
Narcissus stared at Rakovanite’s face, and the quietest, most delicate butterfly fluttered in his heart. Not that there was any reason for it to! But there was just something about the firmness of his tone, murmuring in quiet agreement to follow Narcissus’ lead that just piqued his own resolve. They could work as a team. Rakovanite was trusting him with that much.
So he swallowed and nodded. They would figure something out, so that the experience wasn’t awful.
“Right. L-let’s get to it.” He stepped to the counter himself, setting his basket on the table. “In the cupboards, get out a large knife for chopping, and a large spoon for stirring.” Whatever he found would have to do, though Narcissus already knew their available utensils weren’t the most sophisticated. He collected up the pan of ingredients and brought it to the sink. The plumbing here was crude, but functional enough to drain away dirty water after he roughly scrubbed off the vegetables with the palm of his hand and the scrape of his nails.
Not as great as if he’d had a brush, but this would do (probably). It wouldn’t be great to have little dirt granules floating around, but they probably wouldn’t hurt anyone?
“We’ll have to go use the firepit out back to cook anything, I think?” It was more of a question than he intended, but since there wasn’t a fire going in the kitchen, and the one in the living room didn’t look set up for cookware, he had to assume that’s what outside was for. “Can you make sure it’s lit? J-just, whenever you’re done with the first thing…”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:23 pm
He could do these things. Rakovanite didn’t feel confident that he could do much, but he could at least do what Narcissus asked of him.
And it was… a very small bit of relief to let the other man take point on this. Rakovanite didn’t usually have a preference between following or deciding, but since his skills were so minimal, it was just pleasant that someone else could manage this one small episode for them. He would only have to take orders, and do small chores while Narcissus worked.
His exhale was shaky.
He dug through the cupboards. Their tools weren’t many, and they weren’t well-crafted. But there were large stone spoons, and smaller warped metal ones. There were carved wooden ones, which Rakovanite thought seemed best for the task of stirring and laddling. The knives were all dull, and some covered in rust, so he was less certain of those, but he selected one that had a small chip in it and figured that was good enough. Any rust transferred from knife to vegetable could probably be washed off, anyway.
Next, the firepit outside. Since Cervantite hadn’t returned, yet, he would take some small kindling out and use a flame-caught twig from the inside fire to light the outside one. It was all he could think to do, even if it seemed extremely inefficient.
He’d definitely snap at Cervantite later, for taking so long and not being there to do the one thing he was good at.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:24 pm
Narcissus couldn’t help but smile as Rakovanite set to his tasks.
They were together in the kitchen, silently working, until the other man moved to take care of the fire outside, leaving Narcissus with a selection of utensils left on the counter. Once he finished scrubbing the vegetables to the best of his ability, he selected the knife (and only barely noticed the c***k in the edge) and set to chopping everything he could.
He was pretty sure everything was supposed to be pretty similar in size if it was all going to cook around the same time. Though as he regarded the ingredients, he had to admit that none of them looked like the main flavor-bringers in a stew or stock… They didn’t have the squash Rakovanite’s dish was named after or tomatoes for an acidic burst. And Rakovanite wouldn’t eat the same thing Narcissus and Cervantite would. The meat would have the highest flavor impact in their dish.
So maybe he should come up with something special that Rakovanite could enjoy. Something just for him. Unique to his needs.
Narcissus tried to very inconspicuously crane his head toward the door so he could see how far along in the process Rakovanite was… But he couldn’t see much of anything, and it didn’t sound like Rakovanite would walk in anytime soon. Okay. Something spontaneous and tasty and enjoyable. He could do this, no pressure. He just wished he had seasonings. Rosemary. Or basic salt and pepper. Anything. Vegetables weren’t really that good on their own, or everyone would be vegetarian!
He let out a sound that was almost a strained whimper. He had no idea what he was doing or how to accomplish what he wanted.
But ******** it, he’d at least try.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:25 pm
It was more complicated than he’d initially expected.
Rakovanite had assumed that placing a lit stick beneath some thin kindling would get the job done, but that ultimately seemed to be incorrect. The air was murky and humid. The clouds were unrelenting. Everything outside was too wet to catch very easily. But he persisted because he had to. Narcissus had asked him to do one two things, so he should at least be able to manage two simple tasks.
And eventually, he did, though Rakovanite was rather embarrassed at how long it took him to figure out dried grasses caught more easily than full twigs. He was truly not built for this outdoorsy camping bullshit.
With an agitated puff of sound directed toward his handiwork, he moved to return to the kitchen and whatever else Narcissus required of him. He arrived to see the senshi hunched over the countertop, knife in hand and slicing through the things Rakovanite had harvested.
“Is there anything else I can do?”
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:26 pm
Even though he was mentally ready for Rakovanite’s return, Narcissus still couldn’t help but flinch a little in surprise as the door to the kitchen swung open and Rakovanite stepped inside. An odd burble of laughter slipped out of him immediately, to fill whatever silence would be between them. He wasn’t trying to be discreet about what he’d been doing or anything! Totally normal! Everything fine.
“Uhm, yeah! Let’s take some of this out,” he said, gesturing to a decently-sized pot filled with water and the now-washed pan and vegetables. “I think… I think we should roast these in the pan, and then move them to the pot to soup up with the meat. I don’t really know what we’re going for here, if I’m being honest…”
“Uhm…”
His gaze darted down to the pan, filled with veggies cut into cute shapes: small stars and little flowers. None of them were very delicate or well-executed, but they did say visuals had an effect on taste, so… He swallowed, blood rushing to his cheeks as he thought of how stupid Rakovanite would think it was.
But what was he supposed to do if he didn’t have any “flavorful” vegetables or seasonings? This was sort of the extent of what he could come up with…
Narcissus snatched up the pan before Rakovanite could even begin to see its contents, and he strode outside briskly to see the fire the agent had dutifully started. A stand for the pot and a spit for meat were already situated, so, there probably wasn’t anything left to do but actually cook? Narcissus swallowed and glanced over his shoulder to Rakovanite for some kind of-?
He wasn’t sure. He should probably just get on with it.
So he set up his station, with pan on the stand and his large wooden spoon handy for scraping. Butter. The thought came to him so abruptly and sounded so wonderful, and yet, so out of reach.
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Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 5:27 pm
Narcissus always acted strangely. It almost wasn’t even surprising anymore, to hear strange sounds tumbling from his throat, or to see jerky movements take over any time eye contact was threatened. Rakovanite expected that it was just his way, and there was nothing of significance behind it.
The senshi swiped up the pan and headed for the door, so Rakovanite stepped to the side to let him pass, and instead moved to take the pot of water and follow after him. The thought that it would’ve been cumbersome to carry a large pot of water as a civilian was just a whispered reminder of what it would have been like if they were doing this in the comforts of home. But he stepped out without worrying about it too much. It wasn’t like he and Narcissus would’ve been cooking together under any other circumstances.
He set the water on the ground between them and peered down into the pan Narcissus had over the fire. Even though it hadn’t been there long, smoke was already starting to rise from the ingredients, and he thought he could already smell peppers and onions, even though they were a rather small part of the dish.
If the random scattering of things could even be called a dish.
And when he looked closer… “You cut the potato into a flower.” And closer still. “And the carrots into stars.” He canted his head, peering curiously down at the assortment. “Why have you done this? For greater surface area? It will help them cook faster?”
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