Dinner for Dio - RPLOG
From Rusted Promises
Participants
Date
23/7/476
Log
A fine evening at the Artisan's School in Firmament. While dusk has not stopped the ringing of metal against metal and hiss of things being cooled, the hustle and bustle of the school's usual activity has died down to manageable levels as maestros and students alike prepare for a night's rest. What's not at rest is a small studio in the basement of the Artisan's School, one of many like it along the corridors.
There are signs that this room used to be in a considerable state of chaos, but the worst of the mess on both workbench and cabinet alike has been tucked away under clean linen sheets. The room is sparsely furnished, a folding cot leaning up against the wall, a lit hearth in another corner providing warm and light next to a large brass washbasin, and a small bookcase with a number of obscure-looking titles in another corner. A faint citrus scent permeates the air, perhaps to cover up more recent smells, like that of ash and machine oil.
What is immediately more appealing, though, is the scent of cooking that wafts forth from a small stove connected to the hearth. A wide hot plate has been set over the fire, precariously balanced in order to keep a goodly number of dishes warm. There appear to be a number of courses in waiting, and a table has been neatly set for two in a recently-cleared space, occupying a good portion of the room's remaining space.
The Artisan's School... Dio never believed he'd ever set foot in such a place in all his years. The thought even brought a small chuckle out of the lion as he entered the building and roamed about, awing occasionally at various things as he passed by. His journey towards the room he invited to was rather short, his interest of a tour much lesser than the thought of a cooked dinner personally for him! "This seems to be the place," he mumbles under his breath after picking up the various scents, knocking on the door in perhaps one of the more polite gestures in his life. "Hello lass," he shouts through the door. "May I come in? It smells... Wonderful in there."
"Coming! Please wait a moment!" There's a soft scratching behind the door, and Sveta appears shortly in the doorway. She's evidently made some effort to clean up, but some traces of scruffy unkemptness still linger in her feathers, refusing to leave. Having shed her usual work clothes, the goshawk is clad in a rather plain dress of autumn colours, although it's plainly borrowed, considering how loosely it hangs about her thin frame, although her gloves are still on. "Welcome, my dear Lion of Punctual Arrivals. I...well, I hope I'm doing this properly. Everyone says...well, nevermind. Please, come in and have a seat." She takes Dio by the arm, and if he will follow, gently tugs his impressive frame towards the table.
Dio patiently waits outside the door, hands tucked within his pockets as he imagines what sort of food lays in wait for the seemingly constantly ravenous lion. With the click of the door, he opens his mouth to say, "Hello la- Oh my..." He looks down at the smaller goshawk bird and gives her a good once over with his eyes, noticing various unkemtness despite attempts at grooming. Of course, he hadn't made much effort, considering how frizzled his mane was in several areas. "Ya didn't have to do all this, Bird of Surprising Fanciness," he laughs, letting himself get carried off towards the table with ease. His laughing however, pauses for a moment as he observes the impressive meal on the table, a small frown growing on his short muzzle. "I mean... I was mostly jokin' lass. No one's ever done somethin' like this for me..."
Dio patiently waits outside the door, hands tucked within his pockets as he imagines what sort of food lays in wait for the seemingly constantly ravenous lion. With the click of the door, he opens his mouth to say, "Hello la- Oh my..." He looks down at the smaller goshawk bird and gives her a good once over with his eyes, noticing various unkemtness despite attempts at grooming. Of course, he hadn't made much effort, considering how frizzled his mane was in several areas. "Ya didn't have to do all this, Bird of Surprising Fanciness," he laughs, letting himself get carried off towards the table with ease. His laughing however, pauses for a moment as he observes the hot plate and all the obvious attempts at cleaning up, causing a small frown to appear upon his muzzle. "I mean... I was mostly jokin' lass. No one's ever done somethin' like this for me..."
Sveta averts her gaze from Dio's, suddenly inspecting the ground near her feet as Dio is seated. "Well, you did save me at the beach, and I did promise you a meal. The value of one's words is in the actions that come after, as the First Text goes, and I'm not about to go back on my word." She clears her throat. "I hope there isn't anything you don't like, or if it's too fancy or not fancy enough...I did my best with what I could. I had to borrow a few things from my the other journeymen - well, a lot of things, but it doesn't matter. If I'm going to do this, it'll have to be done properly." With that, she's off to the hot plate and returns shortly with a tray, which she sets down on the table.
The first course is clear eel soup, made from eels caught in the Sweetwater and served in a couple of tureens, steaming softly, the aroma promising a slightly salty and fishy taste. Thin slices of filleted eel can easily be seen in the clear broth, and wisps of white and yellow suggest that an egg has been beaten in. Dio's serving is easily twice as large as Sveta's, and there's a basket of dry black bread, ready to be sopped if need be. "I anticipated your appetite and made a lot, so eat as much as you want," Sveta says. "Although knowing this Lion of Great and Varied Appetites, that shouldn't be that much of a worry."
The smile on Dio's face quickly returns as a bellowing laughter escapes from his belly, leaving him unable to speak or even breathe for several seconds. Desperately, he tries to recover and catch lost breath, a tear of amused joy brushed aside from his cheek. "Ahh... yer too much lass," he pants out, finally recovered from his laughing fit. "The dinner's certainly appreciated, but ya must know by now fancy business isn't needed around a dirty ol' lion like myself." The first course now in front of him, he wastes little time in placing his hands upon the bowl and bringing it to his lips, gulping down the soup at an impressive pace before setting it back down and nearly inhaling a piece of bread. "That was amazin' lass! I'm not sure I can go back to inn food anymore if this keeps up."
Sveta takes a little more time in finishing her soup, and although one might have expected her to at least scowl at the lion's antics considering her usual attitude towards things, she keeps a small smile on her beak. "I don't know, I haven't tried doing this for so long. It ought to be the same, really, but theory and practical are so different. And yes, I suppose I could've bought something from the inn to take back and serve to you, but it wouldn't be the same. There'd be no meaning behind it." Her soup half-finished, Sveta sighs a little and drums her fingers on the table. "But the inn's good, isn't it? No, not just the inn - how's the whole of Firmament been treating you so far? You've certainly had some adventures since you arrived, and that's just those which happened within sight of me."
