04 - Mulled Cider and Wine; Eel and Root Vegetable Hand Pies; Creamy Cod Chowder

[tisfinished]

1: The Milk Run, docked at Flotsam

Senshi seems unusually focused and far less chatty than usual as he serves up hearty winter fare; in addition to the headline items from this post's title, he has hot tea, coffee and cocoa available as well as pork pies and (as a vegetarian option) mushroom pies and an array of pickled vegetables.

He tries to be friendly as ever, but it's clear something weighs heavily on his mind.

2: The Vault's Practice Halls

Senshi is in need of a sparring partner. He's practicing with axe and shield - curiously, practicing with a cage strapped to his chest - and the poor wooden practice dummies he's been whaling on have been taking a serious beating.

"Think maybe I need an actual opponent," he says, his voice unusually clipped.

3: Solstice Gift-Giving

Beware: if you've done any kindnesses to the weird dwarf that loves to cook with monster meat (even more so than most Flotsam pirates, at any rate) then you're liable to find a box outside your home or apartment door wrapped in a ribbon.

While there is no name identifying who could have left them, the fact that they are exquisite, frosted gingerbread monsters narrows down the possible culprits significantly.

Comments

[tisfinished]

"Senshi, once of Izaganda." His shake is firm; his hand calloused, and not just from holding a chef's cleaver.

"You've come at a delicate time. New Years, and the fireworks that come with it."

Re: 3

[tisfinished]

"Hmn?"

Senshi looks up from his table, and resigns himself to a friendly visitor.

"Yeah, I'm in here, Nephenee. Come in, let me make you a hot drink."

[upupatomway]

Atom nods his head at the little history lesson. "I guess if you're a friendly wizard and you don't take prisoners, the basement is a good place to use magic, huh? A dungeon or the ether mines sound like the kind of place my sister would like to visit so she can meet the wildlife and try talking to them. If she was here, she'd have all kinds of questions for you too." If it weren't for the Empire, he'd wish she was there with him so she could see the world with magic.

"What kind of things have you used monsters for besides food? I know fur, fat, and bones from animals have all been used in a lot of things by humans back home."

[relentless_sentinel]

...Well, that's not what she expected to see. Usually he's much more lively...

Coming over as requested, she smiles slightly, if a bit worriedly. "Ah, thanks. Ah wanted to come an' thank ya for the tasty cookies, an' bring ya somethin', but..."

Gently, she lays a hand on his shoulder. "Are ya alright? Ya don't seem yourself..."

[tisfinished]

He’d laugh if he had the energy. Many, many people care about the toll this is taking, it seems.

“Mission’s an important one, is all,” he says. “Appreciate the gift - it’s a bit of a solstice tradition for the fleet, and any excuse to bake for friends is a good one. Coffee, tea or cocoa?”

[thunderwarden]

The old soldier raised an eyebrow at that.

"Fireworks? I'm guessing you don't mean the celebratory sort."

[relentless_sentinel]

Nephenee nods when he mentions the mission being important. She definitely understands that, but isn't sure if something else is there bugging the dwarf or not...

The mention of tradition (and cocoa) gets her off that thought for the moment, though. "Cocoa, please." She does love tea, but...well, she'd learned of the existence of chocolate (especially dark), and now would not be denied. "It's a tradition, huh...Ah didn't know that...when ya say 'solstice', ya mean the height o'summer or winter, right?"

Nephenee's picked up on a lot of the local language, for sure, but there's still a good deal of words she doesn't hear often enough to translate as quickly.