• Closed • The Wings of Etzos

[Nightshade Eld]

Vhalar 4th, 716

Nightshade groaned, her movements slightly burdened by a heavy creature haphazardly slung over her shoulder. Night never liked carrying heavy things. Her clothing, weapons, and everything she found essentially to be on her person tended to stay on the side of weightlessness. It had a lot to do with the fact it hindered her ability to fly, considering her wings were never that strong being a half breed and all. Because flying was one of her most valued skills she tried to make it as easy on herself as possibly to preform that act. An ideal she was quickly learned to regret.

Night had been making an attempt to get some work done early that morning. Drawing was still a skill that needed some practice, and if she wanted to avoid working with complete jerks in the future she was gonna have to start getting better with her cartography. While out in the forest she had stumbled upon a wounded deer that seemed to have been injured by a predator. The lack of a predator around made her think it spent a long time running. The thing was tired and at the end of its time on this world. So as much as Night felt guilty about it she helped it on its way a little quicker. Realizing the dispatched creature might make for good food she had hauled it over her shoulder and spent hours dragging it back.

So here she was now, at The Kettle Black. Night was well aware of the fact she couldn't cook. If she tried to cook something outside of a rabbit or fish it would end up a charred mess that barely bordered edible. What she said she could cook wasn't much better. So in the end she decided instead of wasting the potential meal she could take it to The Kettle Black and trade it for a meal. She didn't need all of it and she wasn't really short on money so she had no problems giving away whatever was left over of the deer. She swung open the door with a groan coming in with the deer slung across her shoulder. "Excuse me?" She asked struggling under the weight deer. It almost looked like the poor half breed with be crushed under its weight.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

With everyone else being so worked up by the upcoming conflict, it seems like their appetite has grown even more. F'mos doubted that all these people were in the military, and that those in the military would not even have their own food prepared as the Mead had once suggested to him he could try cooking at the barracks. A suggestion which did not appeal to the Aukari deserter which was why he settled on the Blacks instead. As the Blacks catered to the civilians, the ones which did not belong to the better eateries within the walls, he doubted they would even be taking part in the conflict at all.

Or be able to contribute to the efforts in a meaningful sense, other than being meat shields against those venomous Lisirra worshipping morons in Rhakros.

But if all these people thought they had better things to do with their time and energy to prepare their own food, who was to complain? Business at the Black's was better than ever! Well, F'mos would complain. The rush was becoming too much and he could barely get one dish over the counter before another was demanding for their food. A few times already he had split something on the ground. Food wasted. With no time to mull over the condition of his working environment, F'mos continued bringing out the food to the customers. Waiting for the rush to be over so he may rest.

Rest however seemed to be a long way to go as more work just came in through the door. He had no issue with the Avriel, at least no issue like the rest of the racist Etzori had, the Aukari barely having any interaction with the race and knowledge of being those of the usual teachings of the military in Sirothelle. Which is the best way to go against the winged humanoids. No, his issue was with the deer she had brought in with her.

Although he would have to admit it looked a lot better than those messy carcasses those hunters would bring in with them, not that F'mos had any interest other than maybe how he could cook the meat. Venison was not exactly the type of meat which comes into the Kettle Black unless Rowan himself brought it in. Motioning for her to come forward, despite the line, he used the usual practiced greeting for those like her. Not Avriels, but hunters as he had assumed. "Hello. That is a nice deer you have. Are you throwing it into the pot or do you want something else?"

Knowing ingredients was running low for the trial and not looking forward to having to get out for more, F'mos knew he had to get that deer. If such an option was available. Not knowing what exactly is it that the Avriel would have wanted he suggested "we can make a delicious deer for you and your friends here to enjoy. But it will take a break." Maybe. But his suggestion was obvious, given the Kettle Black's usual practice for those ingredients brought in. If that was not enough, "Maylan can also make good..." what was the word? Unable to think of one F'mos simply said "...work of deer. But that will take longer" although he could not specify what work and how much longer he had meant.

Quite familiar with Maylan's talents other than cooking after so many seasons with the Kettle, the Aukari tried to give a smile as he said "Maylan makes good work. I assure you" in hopes that would be enough to satisfy the Avriel. Fully prepared to grab and dump the deer at the back once she agreed to it. If she did not? Well, there was always the back of the line until he had to deal with her again.

[Nightshade Eld]

"I was actually wondering if I could just give you the deer and get a simple meal out of it. I found it dying in the woods and I'm not the best chef. Most of the food would have been ruined anyway by the time I got around to eating. I was hoping that I could hand over the deer and what ever is left you could sell?" She said with a small tilt of her head. A single meal was all she asked for, and nothing for anyone else.

People in the line had a mixed reaction to the half breed. Some gave her small nods as her name had found its way into certain circles in a positive light. Others gave her dirty looks for being a half avriel, not even giving her the benefit of the doubt. Some were just glaring because the line was getting longer and they were hungry. She shuffled uncomfortably as the looks bored into her heavily. The deer was heavy against her body and she splayed out her feet to try and help her stand better. They poked out from under her long cloak making her even less comfortable with the situation.

She set down the deer on the counter eventually the size and weight of the beast getting to be a little much for her. she breathed out a heavy sigh once it was off her shoulder taking glance at the man across the counter to gauge his response. Her wings had suffered the worst in off of this and she stretched them out a little trying to shake the dull ache that carrying the deer had instilled into them. Her cloaked flared slightly as the wings tried to get themselves out of the cloth, but she was careful in the way she moved as to not reveal the bird like legs under her cloak.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

The Aukari was quite pleased with the Avriel's request of the deer. A meal? Just one? In return for everything else? It was too good to be true. Could this have been the altruism he had been told to expect from the community outside the walls? Maybe. But that was not he saw the Avriel's request to be like. He was a little familiar with the reputation of the race, or at least better acquainted with the opinion the Etzoris had of them thanks to the slurs like airheads and insults like "head up in the clouds."

Which did not help much when added to the Aukaris' opinion of their own race being superior to the others that Nauta grew up with. While he may have had no trouble working with the other races back home, or more accurately he had no trouble of making use of them but in a much nicer way than his peers, his opinion was not so much different from the others. Nevertheless he kept his outward appearance far different from his inner thoughts while he was with the Avriel although he found it quite hard, her wings not even being hidden might as well be flapping into his face.

Still he tried to maintain his smile, now broader with the prospect of being able to work with a whole deer. His fingers twitching to get themselves into its flesh. He did not try to rush the process in case he ended up scaring her off, leaving it at a "I'm happy you've come to the Kettle for your meal, friend." Waiting for her to hand it off to him. She was a lot more stronger than she looked, when he heard the plop of the deer reaching the table. That must have been a reason to why Avriels had become one of the races the Sirothelle guards were told to look out for. Or maybe just because of their troublesome wings.

"Just wait one bit" as F'mos took the deer with him to the back. It was not so easy for him to lift it up compared how she had set the deer down. In his struggles F'mos could hear the laughing of some of the regulars. Even after a few seasons, he had not let them forget about his great accomplishment during the Grand Hunt and Roast, especially when he may have...forgotten to mention he had help from his trusty black cat and some poor schmuck he ran into being run through by that monstrous boar. He was so tempted to give a few a punch or two, when they asked if the boar had been smaller than F'mos claimed, if he could not even handle this deer brought in by this Avriel.

He had no choice but to ignore them. While the worse would be them bringing in the Black Guard for an assault, F'mos could not even afford to lose out on this job. At least for now. The irritation started to build the fire in him but he tried to keep it under control, as he imagined through a vision in his head, a fire upon these same regulars along a silent chant of "onudäh. Onudäh. Onudäh..." A method he had learned throughout his seasons in Etzos. As if he was able to transfer that curse of his on to them for this slight.

It may seem like he was taking a lot of time but "I'll have you know I didn't have to rush the boar into an already busy kitchen!" The Aukari did not like being made fun of and considered adding some poisons in the next trial's soup but amidst the teasing he finally got the deer over his shoulder and "I'll only be a bit" as he took it with him into the kitchen. He found Maylan still at work and told her about the deer which was brought in, and of the new customer which had brought it with her.

Quickly reappearing he relayed to the Avriel what he was told. "The deer might take a break before its ready. If you have something better to do, now would be a good time. Or if you want to wait here, I can give you something while you wait?" he offered, a hand already reaching for a bowl once he had known "what sounds good for ya?" He looked behind her, the line growing impatient, and assured her in a loud voice so those in the line could also hear him saying "don't mind them, they are going to have some of that deer later..." if they were still waiting that is, "so they shouldn't expect the kind person giving it to not get to eat now." Whether or not she was one of those damned birds.

[Nightshade Eld]

Nightshade was a bit more of an oddity among her kind. Being a half breed made her strange. There were a couple things that stood out to those without an ignorant eye. For one her face wasn't eternally twisted into some kind of all mighty sneer. Instead her face was open with large bright eyes and a neutral expression, the mix of the two almost coming off as kind. She was most certainly a ray of happiness and kindness compared to the social grace of the rest of her kind. Not to mention twice as smart as most for the simple fact she could form a singular thought without getting sidetracked or worse. There was an obvious unease to her about the fact her wings were so exposed and the second the deer was on the table she pulled her cloak around herself tightly shielding her form from the prying eyes of others. She wasn't sure if she was stronger than other Avriel or not, but there was a kind of defined strength that came with mercenary work and hunting your own meals.

"It's fine, I wouldn't want to hold up the line any longer than I already am. I'll just go find a corner to sit in and wait for the deer to be done," she said with a nervous laugh. She could feel the judgment prickling at her skin from all corners of the room. She hated that feeling, the feeling of someone looking at you like you're so different, almost like your own life means less for the birth you couldn't control. She tried to slink away from the counter trying to keep her head down. It was strange being here, in an area she wasn't usually around in. There was a certain way of life she tended to keep, certain places in town she would go and certain places in town she would not. Those places that she went to often had started to learn her name and even though nicknames like Feathers and Shady were still common grounds they weren't as cold and before. She was an ally or at the very least a resource. And to some she might even be considered a friend for the things she'd done. There wasn't a day in Etzos she didn't work her hardest.

But here was a completely different scenario. The people here didn't know her, didn't know what she'd done for others. They saw her as an Avriel, half human or not. She was just a stupid disgusting bird that acted high and mighty, never having the actual strength to reap the boasts she sowed. Those beliefs couldn't be farther from the truth. The kindness she'd shown in giving away the entire deer was by no means an uncommon thing to Night. Her charity was hard to understate and her capacity for forgiveness was hard to press. That didn't change the fact that when people looked at her like she was some kind of monster, it hurt.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

"You sure?" he asked. Which was all he bothered to. Other than to push a bowl into her hands before she exiled herself. That should at least keep her occupied for a while.

There was nothing else which F'mos could, or would want to do for the Avriel. Like she had pointed out she was going to hold up the line, and the line was what the Aukari should be paying attention to. At least for him, the line was preferable to the Avriel. While she may have hid her wings beneath her cloak, F'mos would not be able to unsee that she was winged and the image disturbed him. He may not be a racist like those in Etzos, at least not in the same way they normally expressed their disdain towards nonhumans, but F'mos knew people were not meant to have wings.

Or be able to ignite themselves on fire, live underwater like foul born fish, slither around in the ground as their fod sack creator... Pretty much all the races resulting from the depravity of the Immortals are not natural, as F'mos had always viewed his own curse.

Watching the Avriel head towards where the borders of the Kettle's set-up was, or at least the furthest she could be without losing sight of the counter, F'mos considered if she had not hid away her wings. Whether it would have affected the line somewhat. He did know from experience that the people outside the walls had better things to get worked up about, or at least those people at the Kettle had more important things to consider. Which he believed is probably the reason why he was able to handle all their food without much complaints. Even if he was not an Aukari, red hair would be cause enough for trouble.

For the bits which followed, the presence of the Avriel became the rare item he would take a peek at if he had the chance. Just to make sure she was still around for her deer and that no trouble found the Kettle because of her. Otherwise, F'mos was busy enough trying to work the line in a timely manner. Grabbing a new bowl and filling it up for the next person as soon as their turn came. Maybe adding in some spices to cater to their tastes if they voiced out, although the regulars of the Kettle were not normally too picky. The benefits of working at the local soup tent, but causing F'mos to never need to improve his craft.

The line gradually dwindled, but not enough for him to hear the calls for him. The crowds of people busying themselves within the outer perimeter, if not the Kettle itself, was normally enough to do that especially when the Aukari is so absorbed by the demanding, hungry folk. He eventually rushed to the back, once one of the regulars had decided to point it out to him after getting her meal, a smug smile on her face which hinted to the Aukari that it was done on purpose but F'mos could not fault the woman. He would have done the same. Still, there might a surprise spiciness to her next meal at the Kettle.

It did not take longer than a few bits until F'mos came out again, a large slab of meat butchered from some poor, unfortunate beast. "Hey!" he called out, trying to get the Avriel's attention much to the alarm of those near him, as he waved a knife around. While the knife was still dangerous, F'mos did not intend to be threatening to anyone despite his tone when he told the Avriel, "don't go anywhere." It was just him being tired, as one might see on his face, of almost everyone which believed their time so important to prepare for the inevitable.

Especially when he had heard enough of that every other day.

Without taking too long, F'mos was done with cutting up the meat. Splitting one part which went into the pot and the other which went into a pan. There were some complaints about how long he was taking but they were quickly pacified when he asked if "you want not cooked meat?" The pan sizzled, as the Aukari added more and more of the ingredients scattered around the workspace. The Kettle may do its cooking and preparations out of sight from the customers, or maybe even before anyone came for food, but F'mos did not really follow that practice.

How was he going to unseat one of the cooks inside the city if he could not establish a name for himself as a cook first? And what better way to make a name, than to make a show of his culinary ability in one of the more visible stages. Right in front of the Kettle's regulars. Venison may be one of the more troublesome meats to obtain, but fortunately the Kettle had Rowan, which had allowed F'mos the chance to practice it on occasion. And it was the same recipe he had decided to follow, for the Avriel's meal.

Sizzling hot, the Aukari garnished the dish with a little of some wild herbs obtained from the woods during one of Rowan's hunts and finished with a large helping of soup. Combined with some other thing in another pot which had been in the Kettle as some faux sauce. He handed it off to the Avriel, "here. After this you maybe come to the Kettle more" or F'mos would not be able to call his work a success. Then he watched to see her reaction after her first bite.

[Nightshade Eld]

Night tried to keep to her own and avoid all eye contact. She didn't want to cause any trouble, but trouble seemed to follow her like some kind of wretched stench. As her luck would have it though nothing really seemed like it was going to be ruining today besides the sharp looks of some of the other customers. Even if her wings were for the most part hidden it was difficult to hide the bulge of such large back wings.

Night looked up to see F'mos waving around the knife with a yell. She nearly jumped out her skin at the sight. But she quickly calmed down when she reminded herself that no, she wasn't under attack. F'mos was just cutting up a piece of meat. It still put her on an obvious edge. Though it seemed to blend in with how on edge she already was due to the looks she was getting. She watched the Aukari cooking with a sense of curiosity. This would certainly be interesting. Night usually ate most foods burnt or raw. The later was something she had picked up from her father and luckily had the stomach to withstand, while the prior came from her old teacher who was a great survivalist but has little culinary skill. It was no wonder that anything she tried to cook would either be too raw or too burn for anyone but her to eat.

Night looked at the food curiously for a couple of moment. She took a small bite of the venison and her eyes lit up. It honestly tasted amazing! But Night's sense of taste was obviously skewed by years of ashes and bloody messes for dinner that she tried to make at least slightly edible with the company of plants, most of which ended up making her sick. Over the years she'd built up a tolerance to the ill effects of her own cooking, but it still wasn't the most pleasant experience. This however was delicious and it felt good to actually be eating it. She wanted to eat it, instead of just scarf it down for the sake of survival.

The food distracted her from any further scornful looks. She was able to forget about the other people and just focus on enjoying her meal. Which she did very much.

[Nauta F'mos Geey]

F'mos considered his work a success since the Avriel did not stop eating after the first bite. He remembered the first time when he tasted his own food, being forced to toss them out as he himself could not even stomach it. It was only through the many failures which he, and quite a few other people which were forced to persevere that he was able to learn. Instead of quitting partway for something else more efficient to his ill motives.

And at least the Avriel proved that her kind's tastes are not too different from the Aukari's own. Just like he recently knew on coming to Etzos that he shared similar tastes with the Bijaq he worked under. That was one more race to add to his list of those he could easily cook for.

He left the Avriel to eat while he distributed the deer, along with the rest of the food the Kettle had prepared to those which still remained unfed. Their patience which paid off as they would be able to get a taste of the venison. Unfortunately not all of them were so grateful for it. It was one thing or another, which may or may not have to do with the upcoming hostilities that they grumbled about. While he was not getting paid to listen to those, F'mos did his best to ignore it but those complaints about him still got under his skin.

Those people, he made sure to charge a little bit more. There was no price to refer to, as everyone already knew the price, but F'mos believed he needed a little bit more after being forced to provide the extra service of his ears. And the Kettle was not seen as the best place to have a meal to the uninitiated, it being located outside the walls in the open air. He reasoned it could use all the money it could get. Especially from those who made it a point to tell him they are paying to get their food, because they did not have the time to prepare it on their own. The time was needed for the things which mattered to them.

And how did he get them to pay more than the standard price? It was quite simple. Already complaining all he had to do was to put less in their bowls than usual. Enough to seem proper but not enough to leave them satisfied. He knew this was the power he held in serving them their food, other than deliberately getting them sick which was something he would not do. If they were not satisfied, he would just tell them to buy another bowl until they were, and then proceed to ignore all further complaints from them.

As the coins changed hands, and from the glances F'mos took at the Avriel, he rushed back to Maylan when it looked like the Avriel was close to emptying her plate. The deer of course was already cooked but there were so many other uses for it. Which will unfortunately not be on this trial because it still needed some work, as F'mos had confirmed. He reached the Avriel before she left, and before the subject of payment could be brought up, reminded her "Black's don't charge if you contribute to the pot, so bring more deer next time."

Yes. The next time. What sort of a person would not want free food? Especially when it was something the Aukari prepared, as he believed himself to be a great addition to the Kettle. And if that was not enough, "if you come back in a few trials, or tell me where we can find you, Maylan has something else for your contribution."

[Nightshade Eld]

Night was a bit of an oddity among her kind. Most Avriel enjoyed eating meat raw and despised the very idea of vegetation on their dinner plate if it wasn't garnish. Though she wasn't above the idea of raw meat her tastes were more refined than actually enjoying it. Her entire life at times seemed to sum up to the idea of do what you have to do in order to stay alive. Of course that meant she just had to enjoy moments like these.

Night cleaned her bowl rather thoroughly. It wasn't often she got to eat good food, food that was flavorful and seasoned and wasn't burnt. The Aukari was a fine cook. If she ever managed to stumble across more meat she'd have to show. Of course that was under the assumption she had the free time. There was no guessing what could possibly happen to her in the near let alone distant future. She glanced up as the man returned nodding quietly upon learning her meal was free. "Thank you," she said in a quiet voice.

"The easiest place you can find me is where I work. If you go to the Smarter Charts and just ask for me then someone will point you towards me. With complete disgust," she muttered the last part quietly. "Just ask for Nightshade and they'll get me." And with that the half breed left.

[Rei]

Name: Nightshade

Knowledge:
Strength: Carrying heavy things
Hunting: Mercy kill
Location: The Kettle Black
Nauta: Cook at the Kettle Black
Cartography: Practicing maps
Etzori: Can be racist
Avriel: Unkind
Avriel: Unintelligent
Detection: Sensing judgment
Cooking: Using herbs to make food more edible
Nauta: A good cook
Good food is good distraction
The Kettle Black: Doesn’t charge if you contribute
Malayan: Has something extra for your contribution

Loot: A good meal
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 for providing deer

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 4/5

Name: Nauta

Knowledge:
Location: The Kettle Black
Rhakrosians: Worship Lisirra
Endurance: Cooking for a full house
Etzori: Racist
Maylan: Makes good trophies
Nightshade: Avriel
Aukaris: Feel superior
Nightshade: Stronger than she looks
Meditation: Keeping your cool
Meditation: Using Mantras
Meditation: Using visualization
Strength: Carrying heavy objects
Avriel: People not meant to have wings
Other races: Abominations of the Immortals
Cooking: Adding spices
Cooking: Carving meat
Biqaj: Similar tastes
Deception: Tricking people into paying more
Avriel: Can be kind
Persuasion: Getting customers to return
Business Management: Being polite to customers

Loot: Deer meat for the Black
Injuries: N/A
Fame: None

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 4/5

Comment:
It was interesting to see how the Kettle Black interacted with two races that are sort of a pariah to them, especially with one working there.
Nigthshade, you were missing commas, had a few sentence fragments, and had misused words- words that didn’t exactly belong and you probably meant them to be other words. That’s why I deducted from structure. Your flow was pretty good, though.
Nauta, you had several sentence fragments and sentences that were hard to read. I also noticed a few mistakes like not cooked instead of uncooked. This was why I deducted from structure. I think with a little work on your structure your posts will flow a lot better.