Allye/Logs/20240803 Glaes Spatula 449 Cooking Competition Part 1

Event Name: Glaes Spatula 449

Event Instance: Prime

Real Date: 2024-08-03

Game Date of Event: 449-10-22

Point of View: Allye

[Tamsine's Rest, West Lawn] Along the western lawn, a topiary gryphon has been sculpted to lie sleepily curled up in the shade of an ancient flame maple tree. The artist who created her imparted a sense of wonder, from the horn beak, to her wings, outstretched protectively to shelter a tiny yew gryphonette. Each gentle breeze which flows across the lawn ruffles the yew feathers of her wing, giving life to the graceful sculpture.You also see a large white pavilion tent with high peaked domes. Also here: Gourmand Soovie, Gastronomist Judge Sestiva, Graimi Vayato Adalai, Elusive Asab, Shh'oiyvh-ur Ograth Elizzibiana who is shadowed by the spectral image of a grey-eyed viper formed of fire and smoke, Veteran Apprentice Anuril who is surrounded by a pale electrical sphere, Mavekaelaja who is harried by a flurry of devious seagulls, Sister Severei, Pilgrim Nawain who is engulfed in a kaleidoscope of butterflies, Elemental Aegis Tekhelet who is sheathed in an aura of crackling electricity, Light of the World Gwenddolyn who is surrounded by a corona of fiery light, Vaerek, Nogarsot del Akren Tystreith, Strawberry Nurse Illiya, Enelne's Daughter Azume, Gypsy Ysindre, Heart Tender Kethrai, Musical Enthusiast Kentara, Zekai, Wild Card Elore, Desert Dancer Zersha, Lord Knight Hebion and Cryle. Obvious paths: north, southeast. Mavekaelaja quietly asks, "Am not'bly not large, yeah?" Nawain leans back against Tekhelet with a loving smile. Soovie says to Mavekaelaja, "You are rather small." Soovie nods to Mavekaelaja. Tekhelet rummages about his person, looking for something. Sestiva says, "I hope that everyone is here to join in for some good food fun." Mavekaelaja chuckles. Kethrai praises Anuril. Sestiva asks Soovie, "Shall we open up the tent?" Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Soovie nods to Sestiva. Illiya beams! Soovie says, "Yes, lets let them inside to discuss the competition." Nawain nods to Tekhelet. Sestiva pulls open the tent flap, creating an entrance. Gastronomist Judge Sestiva's group went into a large white pavilion tent with high peaked domes. Nawain nods to Tekhelet. [Glaes Spatula Tour, Vestibule] The spacious entry is gaily decorated with colorful bunting composed of silk spatulas strung together. Elaborately engraved with "Glaes Spatula" across the top, a pure white glaes emblem crowns the swagged white tent flap that leads outside.You also see a Glaes Spatula sign-up list. Also here: Desert Dancer Zersha, Lord Knight Hebion, Vaerek, Light of the World Gwenddolyn who is surrounded by a corona of fiery light, Shh'oiyvh-ur Ograth Elizzibiana who is shadowed by the spectral image of a grey-eyed viper formed of fire and smoke, Gypsy Ysindre, Elusive Asab, Strawberry Nurse Illiya, Sister Severei, Enelne's Daughter Azume, Nogarsot del Akren Tystreith, Mavekaelaja who is harried by a flurry of devious seagulls, Cryle, Gourmand Soovie and Gastronomist Judge Sestiva. Obvious exits: none. Sestiva says to Soovie, "I fear the tent might get warm with this many people." Cryle says, "And smokey." You say, "It's beautiful." Kethrai asks, "Do you promise?" Kethrai shivers. Zersha grins at Kethrai, her dimples flashing into view. Soovie says to Sestiva, "No, remember we added ventilation after the pepper fiasco..." Anuril quietly says to Kethrai, "That could spell trouble for anyone trying to do sugarwork..." Sestiva grins at Soovie. Sestiva says to Soovie, "You're right, we did." Elizzibiana asks Soovie, "No rats this time?" Elizzibiana raises an eyebrow. You quietly say, "Ventilation is good." Nawain darkly says, "A roof is good." Soovie looks at Elizzibiana and shrugs. Soovie says, "I've been served worse things..." Soovie says, "A small request for those attending, can you please put your pets away." Soovie says, "They do not belong in the kitchen." Sestiva says, "This is our first year hosting Glaes Spatula outside of Guildfest and Soovie and I hope that everyone is still enthusiastic for all foods all the time." Soovie frowns. Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Sestiva says to Soovie, "Kitchen safety and sanitation." Kethrai gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Cryle says, "Unless they've outlived their time as a pet." You trill softly at Nawain. Zersha glances at Cryle. Elizzibiana asks Soovie, "Let me rephrase then, you had the rat catcher in so no rats running around near foodstuffs?" Soovie says to Cryle, "We do not cook someone's pet...." Nawain takes a sip of her tea. Elore nods. Cryle shrugs. Akeiro wraps his arms around Elore, giving Elore a great big bear hug! Kethrai quietly says to Cryle, "They have different ways." Soovie says, "Ah. I remember that." Akeiro wraps his arms around Illiya, giving Illiya a great big bear hug! Cryle nods to Kethrai. Elizzibiana nods to Soovie. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Soovie says, "While I cannot prevent someone from sneaking a rat in... we have ensured a clean space." Elizzibiana says to Soovie, "Thank you." Elore glances at a large black cricket. Tekhelet coughs. You grin at Soovie. Illiya hugs Akeiro, who wraps his arms around Illiya with a warm smile. Akeiro whispers something to Illiya. Akeiro angles his ears forward, gazing curiously at Illiya. Vaerek glances outside a moment. Tekhelet taps a Glaes Spatula sign-up list. Kethrai says, "Don't worry, Korya is still in Forfedhdar I believe." Cryle nods to Kethrai. You giggle at Elore. Soovie says, "How many of you are thinking of competing today? With a raise of hands...." Soovie grins. Tekhelet casually observes the area. Cryle raises her hand. Nawain raises her hand. Tystreith raises his hand. Illiya raises her hand. Mavekaelaja chuckles at Nawain. Mavekaelaja raises his hand. Soovie nods. Nawain grins at Mavekaelaja. Elore glances at you. Akeiro raises his hand. You raise your hand. You elbow Elore in the ribs in a playful sort of way. Elore raises her hand. Elore looks at you and blushes. Zersha giggles. You grin. Ysindre grins. Akeiro whispers something to Golameth. Nawain rubs her left eye. Akeiro whispers something to Golameth. Nawain takes a sip of her tea. Mavekaelaja pats the bushy-tailed packrat on the head, the rodent submitting to the condescending gesture with an irritated hiss. Cryle offers Kethrai a small finch. Nawain takes a sip of her tea. Sestiva says, "This Glaes Spatula is also when we will reveal the lovely folks who have taken time to highlight specific ingredients found in Elanthia." Cryle asks Kethrai, "Can you see that it is released outside?" You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Sestiva. Illiya smiles at Sestiva, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Sestiva says, "Thank you for your patience and enthusiasm, we'll open the list now for those who wish to compete." Sestiva just opened the sign-up list. Nawain takes a sip of her tea. Mavekaelaja adds his name to the sign-up list. Nawain adds her name to the sign-up list. Cryle adds her name to the sign-up list. Illiya adds her name to the sign-up list. Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Tystreith adds his name to the sign-up list. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You add your name to the sign-up list. You grin at Anuril. Elore adds her name to the sign-up list. Cryle says to Kethrai, "I released it. No animals should be escaping me this time." Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Zersha looks at Elore, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Elore covers her eyes with her hand. Akeiro's face lights up with joy for Elore. Cryle points at a Glaes Spatula sign-up list. Gwenddolyn says, "There were eight hands, only seven on the sign-up list." >read list The sign-up list contains the following names: (1) Mavekaelaja (2) Nawain (3) Cryle (4) Illiya (5) Tystreith (6) Allye (7) Elore Any number of people may sign up on the sign-up list while it's open. Players of any race and profession may join the list. You must be a subscriber to join the list. There is no charge to sign up on the sign-up list. The selection order is first-come, first-serve. The sign-up list is open. Leaving the game is allowed. You MUST be back by your turn. Leaving the room is allowed. You MUST be back by your turn. You may only be on ONE list at a time. Joining another will remove you from the first. Mavekaelaja asks, "S'a nice li'l comp'tition w'got brewin', yeah?" Sestiva says, "As a fun surprise for this year's Glaes Spatula, competitors will be working with one of the ingredients that have been highlighted." * Conqueror of the Wilds Unaka joins the adventure. Anuril says to Gwenddolyn, "Akeiro." Soovie asks Akeiro, "Did you change your mind on competing?" Conqueror of the Wilds Unaka came through a swagged white tent flap. Elore hums to herself. Anuril beams at Unaka! Zersha waves to Unaka. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Unaka. Tekhelet frowns at Nawain. Unaka casually observes the area. Illiya waves to Unaka. Unaka waves. Vaerek grins at Unaka. Elore snaps to attention and hails Unaka with a crisp hand salute. Gwenddolyn nods to Unaka. Akeiro whispers something to Elore. Nawain leans back against Tekhelet with a loving smile. Mavekaelaja ponders. Unaka says, "Sorry. I don't wanna distract. Just came because I heard there was great food." Elore breathes very slowly and looks much calmer. You nibble your lip thoughtfully. Anuril nods at Unaka, obviously agreeing with her views. Sestiva says, "A fellow food lover can never be a distraction." Akeiro nods at Elore, obviously agreeing with her views. Elore bursts out in a sudden snort of laughter. You grin at Sestiva. Zersha quietly says to Unaka, "That's why I'm here." Zersha nods to Unaka. Sestiva says, "The competitor's sign up list will remain open for the next five minutes." Elore holds her hand out towards Akeiro for a highfive. Illiya grins at Zersha, her dimples flashing into view. Vaerek says to Unaka, "After this you'll see why this is a world worth savin." Akeiro and Elore highfive each other and follow it up with simultaneous finger snaps. Sassy! Sestiva says, "I think that should give people enough time to consider if they feel prepared to take up a culinary challenge." Tystreith cocks his head. You angle your ears forward, gazing curiously at Sestiva. Cryle says to Zersha, "Do you know the person who called us birds, earlier? They've not yet returned." Unaka nods to Vaerek. Mavekaelaja says, "'opin th'some of th'gredients work wi'what I was goin' t'cook." Nawain gnaws on her lip. You nod at Mavekaelaja, in complete agreement with his views. Zersha says to Cryle, "I've met her a few times, I don't think she meant to call us birds, I think it's just an expression." Illiya says to Mavekaelaja, "I was just thinking the same thing." Anuril exclaims, "Whose cuisine will reign supreme!" Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Unaka says, "I think food is one of the best things about civilization." Zersha grins at Anuril, her dimples flashing into view. Gragnel grins at Anuril. You grin at Anuril. Cryle asks Zersha, "Will she make it in time to paricipate?" Cryle twitches an ear nervously. You nod in agreement. Nawain nods at Unaka, obviously agreeing with her views. Zersha exclaims to Cryle, "I'm not sure, I hope so!" Illiya taps something inside her lunchbox. Cryle nods in agreement. Illiya offers Unaka a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar. Soovie exclaims to Unaka, "Food IS the best thing about civilization!" Sestiva asks, "Is there someone running late, who wishes to cook?" Unaka says, "Seems like we were all put here to grow and learn and figure out ways to make everything more delicious." You nod at Soovie, in complete agreement with his views. Kethrai says to Unaka, "I'm glad you were able to make it here. I'm sure you'll appreciate it." Cryle says, "I didn't mean to make her leave, if she did because of me..." Unaka asks, "So how's this all work?" Zersha says to Cryle, "I don't think it was you." Illiya quietly says to Unaka, "To snack on while you're watching." Zersha dimples at Cryle. Unaka says to Illiya, "Whoops, didn't see you down there." Illiya offers Unaka a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar. Unaka accepts Illiya's strawberry cupcake. Elore beams at Akeiro! Unaka beams at Illiya! Tystreith leans to his left slightly. Cryle shifts uncomfortably for a moment. Zersha glances at Illiya. Tystreith leans to his right slightly. Unaka nods to Illiya. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Mavekaelaja taps a swept-hilt kelpzyte rapier featuring kraken tentacle guard rings that he is wearing. Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Zersha stands near Illiya. Nawain rubs her nose. Zersha gazes hopefully at Illiya. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Zersha looks at Illiya, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Illiya laughs! Illiya gets a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar from inside her lunchbox. Zersha giggles. Illiya offers Zersha a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar. Zersha beams at Illiya! Zersha accepts Illiya's strawberry cupcake. Cryle says, "I have... from an earlier competition, a nice rat, if someone is interested in trying it." Cryle gets a crispy ham-stuffed rat topped with barbecue sauce and chilled pats of bacon-butter from inside her metal lunchbox. Zersha softly says to Illiya, "Thank you." Illiya pats a strawberry-shaped lunchbox adorned with velvet leaves. Zersha stands near Hebion. Illiya grins at Zersha, her dimples flashing into view. Anuril grins at Cryle. Zersha takes a tiny bite of a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar and chews daintily on it. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Nawain gets a portable purpleheart and orangewood potbelly stove with an anlora-avtoma interior from inside her slender rugursora. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Cryle asks Anuril, "Eskila isn't coming, is she?" Zersha softly says to Illiya, "Watching will just make us all hungry." Illiya squints at Cryle. Golameth offers Akeiro a custard doughnut. Cryle twitches an ear nervously. Mavekaelaja exclaims, "Don look Furs'Mate!" Nawain opens her potbelly stove. Golameth waves the wooden spork through a simple series of gestures. Some crimson soup dumplings stuffed with spicy duck and carrot puree appears in his left hand! Kethrai says to Cryle, "I don't think so, no." Akeiro takes a bite of the doughnut. (Mavekaelaja shield his packrat's eyes from the cooked rat) Soovie asks, "Only 7 competitors today?" Soovie asks Unaka, "Care to make it an even number?" Unaka blinks. Nawain sadly says to Soovie, "Unfortunately, some of the best chefs are missing." Anuril grins at Unaka. You say, "The list is shorter than it ought to be, I'm afraid. With our friends missing." Unaka asks, "Me? What do I gotta do?" Zersha takes a tiny bite of a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar and chews daintily on it. Nawain shifts her weight. You nod at Nawain, in complete agreement with her views. Nawain nods to you. Soovie says to Nawain, "I noticed a few faces were missing..." Nawain nods in agreement. Illiya nods to Soovie. Gwenddolyn says, "Miskton and Navesi are gone." Gwenddolyn sighs sadly. Sestiva blinks at Gwenddolyn. Illiya says to Soovie, "Miskton and Navesi, who are both avid chefs, have been missing." Sestiva asks, "What has happened to them?" Soovie says to Unaka, "Cook us something you find delicious and think will appeal to us." Nawain says, "They were taken." Nawain shifts her weight. Unaka asks, "I just... cook stuff?" Soovie ponders. Mavekaelaja says to Unaka, "Gots t'like, cook stuff, an they judge't." Gwenddolyn says, "Abducted." Soovie asks, "Were they stolen to provide meals?" Unaka ponders. Anuril smirks. You say, "We're not sure why, or exactly by whome." Unaka says, "Well, I don't know how to make fancy things like this cupcake." Soovie says, "It wouldn't be the first time I've heard of a chef being kidnapped..." Sestiva says to Soovie, "I hear stories about indenturement of chefs." Soovie says to Sestiva, "The danger of being good at our craft." Unaka stares at her cupcake, looking undecided. You trill softly to yourself. Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Gwenddolyn says, "A few others were taken with them too." Soovie ponders. Tystreith taps something inside his canvas tote. Unaka says, "But, I'm hungry. Sure, I can try it for a while." Golameth takes a bite of the bread ring. Anuril applauds. Nawain praises Unaka. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Kethrai praises Unaka. Nawain rubs her head. You grin at Unaka. Zersha giggles at Unaka. Illiya exclaims to Unaka, "Whatever you make, if you make it with love, it will be delicious!" Zersha takes a tiny bite of a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar and chews daintily on it. Unaka says, "Plus, now I can eat the cupcake all up to free my hands." Sestiva says, "Someone should save those two fine chefs. I'm not sure about the others, but the culinary talents of Miskton and Navesi shouldn't be lost." Zersha whispers something to Illiya. Golameth asks Illiya, "Really?" Illiya nods to Golameth. Kethrai says to Sestiva, "We're working on it." Kethrai nods. Anuril nods at Sestiva, obviously agreeing with her views. You nod. Soovie chuckles. Golameth rubs some dirt. Soovie takes a sip of his sour. Golameth pats some dirt. Golameth offers Illiya some dirt. Illiya gazes at Golameth. Golameth exclaims, "Try my dirt ball!" You see Gourmand Soovie Hoolendoo, a Gor'Tog. Soovie has a square face with laugh lines, crinkled honey-hued eyes, a crooked nose and a cleft chin. He has pistachio-hued skin and a baker's build. He is very tall for a Gor'Tog. He appears to be ancient. He is in good shape. He is holding a chilled glass of whiskey sour garnished with a slice of grapefruit in his left hand. He is wearing a bright blue sling clasped with an engraved cambrinth disc, a crisply pleated white toque tilted back at an angle, a vibrant yellow neckerchief patterned with fiery red chili peppers, a double-breasted white chef's jacket with rolled up cuffs, a pristine white half-apron with a red checkered towel tucked in one side, some loose-fitting cotton pants with a grey-and-white houndstooth pattern and some sturdy black boots dusted with flour. You see Gastronomist Judge Sestiva Hunka, an Olvi Epicurean Entrepeneur. Sestiva has a round face, sparkling amber eyes and a straight nose. Her black hair is short and curly. She has copper skin and a plump figure. She is tall for an Olvi. She appears to be a young whippersnapper. She is in good shape. She is wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt, some sturdy canvas overalls feather-stitched with vermilion flames, some sturdy black leather boots with thick soles and a worn oilcloth workbag fastened with a miniature silversteel skillet. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Zersha asks Golameth, "Did you make it with love?" Elore asks Golameth, "Did you put love in it?" Gragnel says to Nawain, "May the light of the Immortals shine on you and may they favor you in this culinary challenge." Sestiva says, "Our list is set and our competitors are prepared I hope." Zersha takes a tiny bite of a brandied strawberry cupcake glazed in white chocolate icing topped with crystalline sugar and chews daintily on it. Elore grins at Zersha. Zersha looks at Elore, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Golameth nods to Zersha. Zersha holds her hand out towards Elore for a highfive. Illiya says to Golameth, "That's not the dirt of love and you know it." Nawain smiles at Gragnel. Elore and Zersha highfive each other. Cryle asks Kethrai, "Have you tried getting the Timekeeper people to go back in time and rescue them from the point of their disappearance?" Golameth gasps at Illiya! Akeiro offers Golameth a snifter of Rissan brandy. Golameth exclaims, "I am wounded!" Soovie says to Unaka, "Mm, it looks like we closed the list already. Perhaps our next contest." Anuril gasps! You rub your left arm. Mavekaelaja says, "Am kinda perpared." Unaka says, "Ah, too bad." Zersha pats Unaka on the back. Akeiro says to Golameth, "You know empaths, they go straight for the heart." Akeiro nods to Golameth. Akeiro offers Golameth a snifter of Rissan brandy. Sestiva exclaims, "So! It's time to make our way to the Kitchen Arena!" Kethrai says to Cryle, "Unfortunately, they seem more likely to incinerate themselves than succeed at that." Akeiro says, "Soothe your wounds with brandy." Unaka says, "I can show you how to spit roast a boar real quick next time." Sestiva gestures at herself. Soovie takes a sip of his sour. Cryle shudders. Sestiva points south. Mavekaelaja says, "Gots an idea an th'cookin 'tensils." Gastronomist Judge Sestiva goes south, leading her group. [Glaes Spatula Tour, Kitchen Arena] The windowed gallery for culinary arts is gaily decorated with colorful bunting composed of silk spatulas strung together. Arranged in separate rows with generously spaced intervals, well-appointed kitchen stations dominate the room.You also see a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Also here: Gourmand Soovie and Gastronomist Judge Sestiva. Obvious exits: north. Illiya says, "Ooh." Cryle gazes at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. You gaze at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. >look wheel You see a small wheel which lays on a wooden plaque and contains dozens of curious icons. The arrow on the diamondwood wheel points to the MABAFANIS PEPPER segment. Cryle says, "Oh no." You say, "Oh my." Tystreith says something in Rakash. Illiya says, "Oh my this might be difficult." Tystreith coughs. Tystreith says, "So nice here." Soovie stands in front of the diamondwood wheel, blocking everyone's view. Anuril gasps! Anuril casually observes the area. Vaerek sniffs the air around him. >look on table On the display table you see a bundle of tveiret leaves, a stack of rat roots, a bowl of motherfruit apples, a saucer of mabafanis peppers, a packet of blue-green icemint and a pile of baker's caps. Sestiva gestures at a long rectangular display table of shimmering white glaes. Nawain fidgets nervously. Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Elore glances at a long rectangular display table of shimmering white glaes. Anuril jabs an elbow into Kethrai's ribs. The honeymoon must be over. Kethrai gazes at a long rectangular display table of shimmering white glaes. Anuril points at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Sestiva says, "On the table, you will find six culinary plants that have been highlighted by fellow culinary enthusiasts." Gragnel says, "Ahh, rat root. I grew up on the stuff." Gragnel nods. Seer Eyuve strides north. Nawain beams! Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Sestiva says, "We give thanks and recognition go out to Allye, Gragnel, Grenhart, Miskton, Navesi, and Nawain for their dedication towards shining light upon the unique edible plants that can be found in Elanthia." You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Sestiva. Gragnel bows to Sestiva. Illiya beams at you! What a warm feeling! Anuril applauds. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Illiya praises Nawain. Nawain beams! Cryle twitches an ear nervously. Gragnel holds his hand out towards Nawain for a highfive. Tystreith grins at Nawain. Zersha applauds. Nawain and Gragnel highfive each other. Gragnel says to Nawain, "Go, Team Cleric." Nawain grins at Gragnel. Vaerek grins at Gragnel. Nawain whispers a prayer from her mouth into the wind, certain it will reach Enelne's ear. Cryle grins weakly at Kethrai. Gragnel gets a cup of holy water from inside his clerical cassock. Gragnel sprinkles some holy water on Nawain. Mavekaelaja exclaims, "Oh perfect! Mer'lew leaves!" Mavekaelaja drools. Gragnel puts his water in his clerical cassock. (Cryle's grin warbles into a sad grimace.) Unaka asks, "Wow, what is all this?" Akeiro sniffs at a ceramic saucer of mabafanis peppers. Unaka says, "Oh look, they've got little notes." Sestiva says, "We added helpful tags to explain and give some information on the different ingredients." Elore says, "Ooh." Tystreith says, "Neat." Sestiva says, "Which brings us to the wheel that Soovie is standing in front of." Elore rubs her hands together. Tystreith gazes at Soovie. Illiya gazes at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Soovie grins. Nawain gazes at Soovie. Nawain gazes at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Unaka gazes at Soovie. Cryle twitches an ear at a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief nervously. Akeiro whispers something to Elore. Soovie grins. Soovie says, "It's a lovely wheel." Soovie pats a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Akeiro whispers something to Elore. Elore nods to Akeiro. You quietly say, "Lovely, worrisome wheel." Zersha nods at you, obviously agreeing with your views. Illiya nods at you, obviously agreeing with your views. Unaka quietly says to herself, "Well look at that." Tystreith grins at you. Soovie says, "For this particular challenge, everyone will be showcasing one of the newly discovered ingredients." >look on table On the display table you see a bundle of tveiret leaves, a stack of rat roots, a bowl of motherfruit apples, a saucer of mabafanis peppers, a packet of blue-green icemint and a pile of baker's caps. >look lea on table Ranging from deep rusty red to dark green, the large blade-like leaves are tied together with some twine and a detailed tag. There seems to be something written on it. >read lea on table A bundle of roasted tveiret leaves reads: "Nominated by Allye: Named "octopus" in Asaran to honor its namesake's camouflaging versatility, the tveiret plant's colors are dependent on the mineral content of the clay it grows in. It grows in clumps along the muddy seabed of Segoltha Bay and is traditionally harvested by the Merelew. Used to wrap around raw fish in Merelew cuisine, tveiret leaves are now in use by land-dwellers. Crisp when roasted or dried, the leaves possess rich and savory notes that provide depth of flavor to broths." >look root on table Stacked neatly into a small pyramid with a detailed tag at the peak, the vegetables are covered by fine root hairs that look shockingly similar to a rat's scruffy fur. There seems to be something written on it. >read root on table A fuzzy stack of rat roots reads: "Nominated by Gragnel: Commonly found in Zoluren, rat root was long thought to be inedible due to its off-putting appearance. Rat root tastes bitter and sharp, similar to a spicy carrot crossed with a radish. Gaining popularity among the less wealthy communities, rat root can be used as a substitute for carrots and other root vegetables like potatoes." >look app on table Matching the color of the detailed tag that is affixed to the side of the bowl, the skins of the ripe motherfruit have a distinct lavender hue. There seems to be something written on it. >read app on table A wooden bowl of motherfruit apples reads: "Nominated by Nawain: Found in small groves along the Rakash migration path to Siksraja, the "mother" tree is grown from seeds that are fabled to trace their heritage back to the very first apple tree that Enelne gifted to the Rakash. The hybrid tree is planted within a ring of diverse apple trees for ideal cross-pollination. Motherfruit apples are sweet with a very slightly tart finish and have a semi-firm flesh. They are perfect for snacking and baking, but truly shine as a juice or fratvarit." >look pepp on table Similar in size to a blueberry, the small peppers fill up a round saucer that bears a detailed tag. There seems to be something written on it. >read pepp on table A ceramic saucer of mabafanis peppers reads: "Nominated by Grenhart: Named "most fiery" in Ilithic, the mabafanis pepper is found along the dry riverbeds of the Hidisharon Desert and prized by the Sand Elves for use in cooking. The brave of heart and tongue choose to eat mabafanis peppers right off of the bush to best savor their immediately sharp and overwhelming heat. Rumors are whispered that certain Sand Elves know the secret for brewing the mabafanis peppers into an ale that causes mild hallucinations." >look ice on table While bearing the general structure and shape of mint, the delicate icemint leaves possess shimmering, icy veins that highlight their blue-green color and jagged icicle-like edges. A detailed tag is attached to the length of twine that keeps the packet of icemint together. There seems to be something written on it. >read ice on table A small packet of blue-green icemint reads: "Nominated by Navesi: Found high in the mountains of the Himineldar Shel, icemint is a rare and hardy plant that not only survives, but requires the harshest wintry environment. Kaldaran immigrants who settled in Forfedhdar discovered icemint when exploring the highest peaks and quickly adapted it into their cuisine. When used in cooking or mixology, the icemint leaves often produce a shocking burst of coldness that is accompanied by a powerful minty freshness that typically wants taming." >look cap on table Large brown mushrooms are neatly stacked with large white mushrooms into a tall pyramid, both densely fleshed with wide caps. A detailed tag is placed at the front of the tidy pile. There seems to be something written on it. >read cap on table A tidy pile of baker's caps reads: "Nominated by Miskton: Found in fields around Forfedhdar, baker's caps were first discovered growing on dead plant matter in failed fields and later found to be worth cultivating on their own. The large mushroom starts off white and turns brown as it matures. With flavors that are reminiscent of bread, the earthy baker's caps are sweet when young, but mellow into savoriness with age. Fully grown, the unique mushrooms can replace bread in a sandwich, while the younger ones are often fried." Soovie says, "To find out which ingredient you must showcase, you will be spinning this lovely wheel. One spin and one spin only." Cryle says, "...Icemint might work..." Nawain fidgets nervously. Cryle's ears droop for a moment. You say, "Oh dear." Tekhelet says, "Oh my." Illiya says, "This might end up being really.. interesting." Tystreith says, "Well, that is a challenge." Elore flashes a quick grin. Tystreith nods. Illiya nods in agreement. Soovie says, "It's possible more than one of you will get the same ingredient." Soovie ponders. Sestiva says, "It will be a lovely surprise for us all." (Nawain eyes the apple on the wheel covetously.) Soovie nods to Sestiva. Tystreith grins at Nawain. Mavekaelaja quietly says, "C'mon not apples." Cryle says, "Or a horrible one." Sestiva says to Soovie, "We love a good challenge." Nawain pokes Mavekaelaja in the ribs. Tekhelet chuckles. Elore scratches her head. Unaka exclaims to Sestiva, "Now this is a good challenge for sure!" Elore just kissed a bronze gypsy luck charm! Sestiva nods at Unaka, obviously agreeing with her views. Mavekaelaja says to Nawain, "It b'ard to corp'rate apples." Gwenddolyn says, "Makes it more difficult." Gwenddolyn nods to Unaka. Nawain says to Mavekaelaja, "You take the mushrooms. I'll take the apples." Nawain grins. Nawain ducks her head. Tystreith bursts out in a sudden snort of laughter. Sestiva says, "So, let us start and go in order of the list for wheel spinning." Gragnel chuckles. Sestiva gestures at Mavekaelaja. Nawain polishes her luck charm. Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Sestiva says to Mavekaelaja, "Spin the wheel." Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You let out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Nawain gets an ornate brass astrolabe from inside her watersilk bag. Mavekaelaja gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** RAT ROOT, -6 points! ***** Nawain holds an ornate brass astrolabe high into the air for all to see. Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Zersha looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! Tystreith says, "Ooh, that might be good for him." Illiya looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! You exclaim, "Not apples!" Sestiva applauds. Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Zersha nods to you. Mavekaelaja says, "I can work w'that, yeah." Gragnel nods to Mavekaelaja. Soovie jots down some notes. Sestiva says to Nawain, "You're up next. Please spin the wheel." Nawain inhales a great swallow of air. Nawain gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** ICEMINT, 6 points! ***** Tekhelet smiles. Nawain ponders. Zersha looks at Nawain and applauds! Cryle pulls a wide-brimmed crimson cavalier hat sporting a floofy white feather down over her ears. Tystreith says, "Oh that's not bad." Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain says, "Interesting." Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain nods. You beam at Nawain! Cryle stands near a glittery diamondwood wheel with intricately carved ingredients in bas-relief. Mavekaelaja asks, "Can i grab em now t'marnade in th'sauce I brought?" Unaka casually observes the area. Tekhelet says to Nawain, "Suprise." Soovie says to Mavekaelaja, "Not yet. Everyone's prep time will begin at the same time." Sestiva exclaims to Cryle, "And you're up next! Spin that wheel!" Unaka says, "You all are not as loud as I am used to." Cryle says, "Fate, don't fail me now..." Cryle gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** MOTHERFRUIT, 8 points! ***** Mavekaelaja nods. Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Nawain lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Cryle gazes off into the distance. You let out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Zersha looks at Cryle and applauds! Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Cryle mutters something into the air about doable. Tystreith says, "The coveted apples." Cryle gives a slight nod. Illiya grins at Tystreith, her dimples flashing into view. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Cryle says, "This is going to affect the flavour so much." Sestiva exclaims to Illiya, "And now your turn to spin the wheel!" Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "CRY-LE! CRY-LE! CRY-LE!" Kentara says, "This is a fun way to decide things. I need one of those wheels for everyday use." Illiya gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** BAKER'S CAP, 1 points! ***** Elore rubs her neck. Cryle shifts uneasily, avoiding eye contact with Anuril. Kethrai exclaims to Cryle, "It better!" Zersha looks at Illiya and applauds! You let out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Cryle babbles something incoherent at Kethrai. Illiya says, "Oh goodness." Anuril nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Tekhelet says, "All different so far." Nawain asks Soovie, "Can we use more than one ingredient?" Nawain squints at a long rectangular display table of shimmering white glaes. Soovie nods to Tekhelet. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Sestiva exclaims to Tystreith, "It's your turn to spin the wheel!" Tekhelet asks Illiya, "Strawberries and mushrooms?" Tystreith gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** TVEIRET LEAVES, -5 points! ***** Soovie asks Nawain, "More than one of the new ingredients?" Tystreith says, "Oh my." Nawain nods to Soovie. Zersha looks at Tystreith and applauds! Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Tystreith says, "Okay, I can do this." Tystreith grins. Vaerek blinks at Tystreith. You let out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Illiya uncertainly says to Tekhelet, "I don't know.." Nawain praises Tystreith. Kethrai says, "Classic sweet and savory." Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Soovie says, "Yes, but the one chosen by the wheel needs to be the showcased item." Nawain nods. Sestiva exclaims to you, "Please step up to the wheel and give it a good spin!" You fret. Soovie says, "We will penalize for dishes that do not focus on the main ingredient." You give the diamondwood wheel a spin... It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** MOTHERFRUIT, 8 points! ***** Roundtime: 3 sec. Cryle looks at you and applauds! Unaka looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Nawain gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Zersha looks at you and applauds! You let out a long sigh of relief. Nawain exclaims, "All the apples!" You say, "I can work with that." Nawain cackles! Tystreith looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Illiya grins at you, her dimples flashing into view. Ysindre gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Sestiva exclaims to Elore, "Saving the best for last, please spin the wheel!" Elore says, "Is there only one left that hasn't been chosen? Maybe we should just let me have that one..." Cryle asks, "Are we allowed to use other special ingredients as well as the ones chosen?" You beam at Elore! Elore grins ear-to-ear. Elore gives the diamondwood wheel on the ground a spin. It whirls around wildly, clicking as each icon passes by the pointer. After awhile, the wheel stops on.... ***** BAKER'S CAP, 5 points! ***** Sestiva exclaims, "The wheel must decide!" Zersha looks at Elore and applauds! You let out a hearty cheer for Elore! Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Illiya looks at Elore and applauds! Elore slowly empties her lungs. Akeiro lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Unaka lets out a final, bellowing cheer for all the contestants. Whoa, is that loud! Elizzibiana says, "Peppers didnt get a chance." Elizzibiana chuckles. Soovie says, "You can use any combination of ingredients you want, the only rule is the ingredient chosen by the wheel MUST be showcased in your final dish." You say to Cryle, "I believe it was said that we can, but our chosen ingredient has to be showcased." Cryle says to Kethrai, "Lucky you." You nod to Soovie. Soovie says, "If we can't taste it or you just sprinkle it on as a last minute garnish, you'll be docked points." Kethrai nods at Cryle, obviously agreeing with her views. Gragnel idly picks at a fuzzy stack of rat roots. Azume rummages about her person, looking for something. Gragnel licks his lips. Elore says to Elizzibiana, "What a shame, they would have been perfect to showcase." Mavekaelaja nods. Zersha nods at Elore, obviously agreeing with her views. Elizzibiana nods to Elore. Sestiva says, "And now! As Soovie and I are very generous souls, we give you twenty minutes to take time familiarizing yourself with your main ingredient and make preparations for your dish." You perk up your ears happily. Cryle says to Kethrai, "Was almost hoping I'd get the pepper. Korya would call it brilliant..." Hondashi offers Tystreith a glass of dark fratvarit. Gragnel says, "Them apples look delicious." Sestiva says, "After the preparation stage, you will all have fifteen minutes to cook or bake and then we'll move to presentation." Cryle ponders. You nod to Sestiva. Tystreith ponders. Cryle asks, "What if cooking is part of the preperation?" Cryle quirks one ear sideways in confusion. Zersha nods at Hebion, obviously agreeing with his views. Unaka's stomach rumbles. Mavekaelaja asks, "Anyone know a good way t'quickly d'ydrate things?" Akeiro offers Elore a snifter of Rissan brandy. Unaka asks, "Oh, uh. When does the eating happen?" Zersha giggles at Unaka. Elore accepts Akeiro's Rissan brandy. Nawain says to Mavekaelaja, "Pyramid." Elore guzzles down some of her brandy and then smacks her lips and wipes them with her sleeve. Vaerek grins at Unaka. Nawain offers Mavekaelaja a forest-green moon coral Wayerd pyramid carved into the shape of a tree. Kethrai says to Mavekaelaja, "A Ranger could Beseech Elanthia to do it." Tekhelet nods to Nawain. (Anuril crouches down and then stands up, waving his arms and pennant in the air, then looks expectantly to Kethrai on his left in the crowd.) Mavekaelaja asks, "Or there 'appen t'be some o th'root 'ready in root flour form?" Sestiva says, "I find it best to thoughtfully first prepare your ideas for what dish you would like to make." Soovie nods to Sestiva. Anuril gazes at Kethrai. Anuril seems to be waiting for something. Hebion says to Unaka, "I'm not sure anyone here could stop you from eating anytime you wanted." Zersha nods at Hebion, obviously agreeing with his views. Unaka flashes a wide grin at Hebion. (Kethrai crouches and stands in a rhythmic timing after Anuril, waving his arms in the air.) Mavekaelaja nods. Gragnel exclaims, "Go, Team Cleric!" Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Tystreith gazes thoughtfully at a bundle of roasted tveiret leaves. Zersha glances at Anuril. Zersha glances at Kethrai. Zersha tilts her head, clearly curious about something. Vaerek chuckles at Gragnel. Unaka says, "Yeah, but part of being civilized is follwing the rules. Most of the time." Hebion grins at Unaka. Mavekaelaja asks, "Anybody got a pyr'mid I can use?" Sestiva says to Mavekaelaja, "Yes, in our kitchen pantries, you will find the ingredients in multiple formats, so there is ground up and dried rat root if that's what you wish to use." Kentara jumps back a few feet and lands on her rump, looking dazed! Nawain observes Mavekaelaja with fascination. Kentara rubs her head. Nawain offers Mavekaelaja a forest-green moon coral Wayerd pyramid carved into the shape of a tree. Nawain waves to Mavekaelaja. Kentara casually observes the area. Mavekaelaja nods to Sestiva. Kentara stands up. Unaka says, "It's okay, Allye sent over this nice big basket to me at my inn. I can snack." Kentara glances at a glass of Lethian ouisque. Mavekaelaja says, "Nev'mind th'got root flour." Vaerek opens his leather lootsack. Unaka gets some crusty sourdough bread from inside her haversack. You beam at Unaka! Unaka takes a bite of the bread. Kentara puts her ouisque in her liquor cabinet. Soovie chortles softly at some secret joke. Nawain gazes upward. Golameth says to Unaka, "Sometimes rules are meant to be broken." Nawain sniffles. Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Mavekaelaja ponders. Unaka nods to Golameth. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Vaerek closes his leather lootsack. Kethrai says, "If rules were meant to be broken, there'd be a rule about how to break them. Learned that from the Traders." Gwenddolyn chuckles. Anuril snorts, loudly. Vaerek chuckles at Kethrai. Zekai chuckles. Akeiro grins at Kethrai. Unaka furrows her brow. Mavekaelaja says, "I do want t'grab some o those merlew leaves though t'get them soakin in th'acid sauce with th'oil an parsley." Sestiva says to Soovie, "We should have indicator flags or something like that for the next Glaes Spatulas." Gragnel carefully places a rotund temple rat on his shoulder. Soovie nods to Sestiva. Cryle nods to you. Zersha gazes thoughtfully at Hebion. Gragnel says, "Now, now, Francis. You've had enough to eat. None of this is for you." (Nawain paces around the table, eyeing the icemint.) Gragnel slides a finger idly along the fur between his temple rat ears, the creature closing its eyes in satisfied response to the attention. Hebion nods to Zersha. [OOC: The preparation time will end at 4:00pm Pacific / 5:00pm Mountain / 6:00pm Central / 7:00pm Eastern.] Zersha gives Hebion a slight nod. (Kethrai gazes from one competitor to the next, trying to suss out a hint of their plans based on what they're preparing.) Kentara leans forward. Gwenddolyn says, "So they can use the peppers if they want too." Zersha nods to Gwenddolyn. Zersha says, "I hope someone gives them a try." Zersha grins at Gwenddolyn, her dimples flashing into view. Vaerek says to Gwenddolyn, "Their no friend of mine." Kethrai twitches an ear nervously. Soovie says, "To be thoughtful as to how you approach your surprise ingredient! We're really looking to see how you enhance their natural flavors." Gwenddolyn chuckles at Vaerek. Kethrai says, "As long as they're not too hot..." Soovie mutters to himself. Anuril grins at Kethrai. Vaerek sighs. Zersha grins at Kethrai, her dimples flashing into view. Vaerek says, "They're." Soovie says to Kethrai, "Oh those peppers are quite hot." (Mavekaelaja pulls out a jar of oil, wine vinegar, parsley, and garlic out. He then cuts up some of the leaves and puts them in the jar.) Kethrai twitches his ears in agitation. Mavekaelaja says, "There th'should let it soak in." Mavekaelaja asks, "Is dough makin' part o prep? or cook time?" (Tystreith gathers together pots and pans, as well as some knives and a mallet as he tries to decide what exactly to do) Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva says, "Cook time." Unaka takes a bite of the bread. Mavekaelaja nods. Cryle gets a plump copper-trimmed fishbowl from inside an effervescent eddy of honey-hued light captured by a sungold frame. Zekai says, "Wonder what it'd be like to try the icemint mixed with the peppers..." Zekai ponders. (Mavekaelaja begins to gather up a few pans and bowls) Zersha grins at Zekai, her dimples flashing into view. Sestiva says, "Like Soovie said, now is the time to be thoughtful on how you will showcase the ingredient that the wheel picked for you. That ingredient should be the star of your dish." Gragnel glances at Zekai. Gragnel ponders. Mavekaelaja says to Sestiva, "Am doin w'I can w'roots." Gwenddolyn says, "Your throat will be on fire but you will have good breath." Mavekaelaja laughs! Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "Cryle, Cryle, she's our cat! Look out competitors, she's got a bat!" Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Zersha giggles at Anuril. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Gragnel ducks his head. Unaka chuckles. Zersha glances at Cryle. Cryle exclaims, "I've... no I haven't!" Unaka says, "Now that's a good chant." Sestiva laughs with delight, her eyes full of merriment. Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Cryle mutters something into the air about not a cat either. (Nawain glances about casually and snags an apple from the table, eagerly taking a big bite.) Tystreith giggles at Nawain. Cryle gets a spicy beef & cheese sandwich from inside her metal lunchbox. Cryle offers Anuril a spicy beef & cheese sandwich. Zekai asks Anuril, "A weapon or an ingredient?" Anuril accepts Cryle's beef & cheese sandwich. Unaka asks Anuril, "You ever been to a Togball game?" Anuril exclaims to Zekai, "For tenderizing!" Anuril winks at Cryle. Tystreith gets a cast-iron skillet painted with dancing aubergine forks from inside his canvas tote. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Tystreith gets a glass of dark fratvarit from inside his canvas tote. Mavekaelaja says to Anuril, "Brough m'tend'riser too." Unaka takes a bite of the bread. Cryle says, "I have my own methods of tenderizing meat." Cryle smirks. Zersha nibbles her lip thoughtfully. Anuril chuckles at Unaka. Mavekaelaja deftly removes the belaying pin from his sash. Anuril says to Unaka, "Can't say as I have been." Mavekaelaja waves a ship's kelpzyte belaying pin with smoothed sections around the middle around. Anuril nods at Mavekaelaja, obviously agreeing with his views. Unaka says to Anuril, "You'd do a good job there. Just gotta figure out how to make you louder." Anuril grins at Unaka. Soovie chuckles. Mavekaelaja hangs his belaying pin from his sash. It rattles against the kelpzyte falchion hanging from his sash, and he adjusts them. Klausette just arrived. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Nawain rubs her left eye. Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Nawain gets a cast iron skillet from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain puts her skillet on her potbelly stove. Tystreith sweeps his cast-iron skillet in front of him with a flourish, then raises it before him, crouching slightly as he braces himself for action. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. (Nawain draws several tools from her rugursora and lays them out tidily on her workstation, fidgeting with impatience.) Mavekaelaja twiddles his thumbs. Mavekaelaja ponders. Zekai gazes intently into his sanowret crystal, and scintillating sparks of light dance across its surface. Kethrai says to Anuril, "I should've thought to get my pennant. Think it's in my vault." Anuril grins at Kethrai. Tystreith says, "Leaves seem more like a garnish, so I hope this goes okay trying to get the flavor to shine..." Tystreith ponders. Hebion nods to Zersha. Zersha grins at Hebion, her dimples flashing into view. Soovie nods to Unaka. Unaka says, "Okay, Soovie says it's okay if I ask you all a question." Sestiva says to Soovie, "Maybe we should also release a line of pennants for future events." Anuril quietly asks Kethrai, "Whereth all th' knife work?" Anuril casually observes the area. Zersha nods to Hebion. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Vaerek appears to be listening intently for something. Zersha nods at Sestiva, obviously agreeing with her views. Gragnel raises an eyebrow in Unaka's direction. Nawain glances at Unaka. Unaka says, "This is for everybody, unless you're too busy preparing of course, then you should stick with that if you want to." Kethrai says to Anuril, "They're just planning now. Cooking in five rois." (Mavekaelaja panics as he tries to find a good spoon to make dumplings) Anuril grunts at Kethrai. Soovie says to Sestiva, "Oh yes. Perhaps themed around herbs..." Kethrai mutters something into the air about speaking of knifework. (Nawain gets out several spoons, a few mixing bowls, a kitchen knife, a whisk, an unlochai bucket, and a very odd pan from her kit. A dozen indentations pockmark the otherwise solid cast iron surface, each about 2 and a half inches across.) Unaka says, "What is your favorite food? And if I don't know your name yet, I wanna learn it." Nawain says to Unaka, "Apples." Zersha gazes thoughtfully at Unaka. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Nawain says to Unaka, "Which is food, not my name." Mavekaelaja asks, "D'anyone see like'a large spoon? or like'a small ladle?" Nawain shakes Unaka's hand. Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Klausette exclaims, "Cake!" Tekhelet nods to Illiya. Kethrai says to Unaka, "Waffle-tsann! And, I'm Kethrai. We met, before, but maybe not officially." Nawain exclaims to Unaka, "I'm Nawain!" Vaerek says to Unaka, "Hello, I'm Vaerek. My favorite food is smoked ham glazed in honeybutter." Klausette rubs her abdomen. Gragnel says to Unaka, "Berries, of all kinds. I'm Gragnel, nice to meet ya." Unaka smiles at Nawain. Anuril says to Unaka, "This sandwich! I'm Anuril." Anuril shows Unaka his beef & cheese sandwich. Gragnel chuckles at Anuril. Zersha says to Unaka, "I'm Zersha, and I don't have a favorite but like that fellow, anything with berries is usually good." Zersha grins at Gragnel, her dimples flashing into view. Tystreith says to Unaka, "I'm Tystreith, my favorite food is barbecued meat." Gragnel holds his hand out towards Zersha for a highfive. Tystreith grins. Unaka says to Anuril, "Hi. Wow, favorite food right there, lucky you." Zersha and Gragnel highfive each other. Anuril beams! Ysindre says to Unaka, "Espresso bonbons, and I'm Ysindre.. mostly anything with coffee and or chocolate." Cryle nibbles her lip thoughtfully. Klausette hums happily to herself. Unaka asks Kethrai, "Nice to meet you. Dunno what that is. Waffle-fish-eggs?" Cryle says, "My name is Cryle, and I am partial to pineapples, mostly." Anuril exclaims to Unaka, "Cryle brought it!" Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Unaka says to Vaerek, "Hi. That sounds pretty good." Cryle gets a spicy beef & cheese sandwich from inside her metal lunchbox. Cryle offers Unaka a spicy beef & cheese sandwich. Kethrai gets a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze from inside his rose-colored haversack. Vaerek smiles at Unaka. Kethrai shows Unaka his fish-shaped pastry. Unaka exclaims to Klausette, "Hi there. Me too I think!" Klausette beams at Unaka! Unaka accepts Cryle's beef & cheese sandwich. Gwenddolyn says, "Bread or cupcakes, that is a hard decision." Hebion nods to Zersha. Klausette nods at Gwenddolyn, obviously agreeing with her views. Nawain fidgets nervously. Nawain sneezes. Kethrai says, "Waffle-tsann. It's a pastry with eel, fig, and tsann." Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Unaka says, "Okay, lotsa people..." Klausette reaches up to rub Nawain's nose. Kethrai says, "Savory and sweet. It's so good." Zersha nods at Hebion, obviously agreeing with his views. Tystreith grins at Unaka. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. Soovie nods. Zersha quietly asks Kethrai, "What's tsann?" Kentara says to Unaka, "I'm Kentara of the Bards Guild. I like cotton candy." Kentara nods. Kethrai quietly says to Zersha, "A kind of fish eggs." Zersha gives Kethrai a slight nod. Zersha smiles at Kethrai, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Kethrai quietly says to Zersha, "Merelew cuisine." Unaka says to Zersha, "Hello. Berries are pretty great, I eat those all the time." Zersha beams at Unaka! Zersha nods at Unaka, obviously agreeing with her views. Mavekaelaja ponders. Sestiva exclaims, "One minute left in prep!" Kethrai offers Unaka a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze. Mavekaelaja nods. Zersha says to Kethrai, "I'll have to look for it next time the island rises." Unaka says, "Tyst Hi. That's the other thing I eat all the time. Okay, I eat a lot of things." Gwenddolyn says, "Berries in cupcakes are really good." Vaerek rubs his hands together. Zersha nods at Gwenddolyn, obviously agreeing with her views. Vaerek exclaims, "We're gettin to the best part!" Nawain gets some peat from inside her jadeleaf cloth rucksack. Nawain puts her peat in her potbelly stove. Unaka says to Ysindre, "Hello. I don't know what that is but I'll try it." Zersha giggles at Unaka. Tystreith shivers. Ysindre grins. Unaka says to Cryle, "Hello. Pineapples sounds woodsy. I'll eat it." Kethrai offers Zersha a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze. Cryle asks, "With or without the skin?" Anuril begins chortling at Unaka. Zersha accepts Kethrai's fish-shaped pastry. Zersha beams at Kethrai! Zersha moves a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze to her left hand. Zersha exclaims to Kethrai, "Thank you!" Cryle rummages about her person, looking for something. Zersha takes a tiny bite of a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze and chews daintily on it. Nawain says to Unaka, "Pineapples are a great big lie. They are neither pine nor apples." Nawain makes a grunting noise. Unaka says to Kentara, "Hello. That sounds fluffy. I imagine it must be pretty good." Cryle gets a bright yellow chenille pineapple with a green-leaved top tied by a red ribbon from inside a bright yellow backpack crafted to resemble a pineapple. Zersha giggles at Nawain. Cryle shows Unaka her chenille pineapple. Kentara nods to Unaka. Unaka fixes Nawain with a heavy, ponderous stare. Vaerek chuckles at Nawain. Unaka slowly says, "Oh." Cryle puts her pineapple in her tinker's pack. Cryle says, "It's very spiky." Sestiva exclaims, "And it's Thyme!" Unaka nods to Cryle. Soovie chortles softly at some secret joke. Anuril gazes at Sestiva. Klausette studies the faces around her. Gwenddolyn chuckles at Sestiva. Kethrai looks at Sestiva and sighs. Tystreith bursts out in a sudden snort of laughter. Nawain gets a vardite World Dragon set with crystalline dragon tear eyes from inside her slender rugursora. Sestiva asks, "Competitors! Are you ready?" Kentara looks at Sestiva and applauds! Nawain gets some peat from inside her jadeleaf cloth rucksack. Nawain nods to Sestiva. You fret. You nod emphatically. Kentara applauds enthusiastically and flips a platinum Kronar in Sestiva's direction. She snatches it nimbly from the air! Tystreith says, "As we'll ever be." Illiya says, "Hopefully." Illiya clears her throat. Sestiva exclaims, "You have the next fifteen minutes to prepare your dishes! And we start now!" Illiya confidentially exclaims, "Hopefully!" Nawain points her World Dragon at some peat and a flame shoots from the creature's mouth, making the peat quickly catch fire. Nawain puts her peat in her potbelly stove. Elore grins. Nawain gets some peat from inside her jadeleaf cloth rucksack. Unaka takes a bite of the sandwich. Nawain puts some peat on some burning peat creating a small fire. Nawain puts her Dragon in her slender rugursora. Akeiro lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Zersha takes a tiny bite of a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze and chews daintily on it. Unaka gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. (Illiya gets large baskets of fresh strawberries and baker's caps and places them at her cooking station, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She selects young baker's caps that are known to be sweet in flavor.) The peat smolders in the small fire. Akeiro lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! You slowly and deliberately empty your filled lungs. Sestiva says, "Soovie and I will be watching you all closely." (Anuril crouches down low, glances at Kethrai next to him expectantly, and then stands up, throwing his arms into the air!) Soovie gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. (Nawain shovels as much peat as she can into her little stove and lights it, then adds a tiny dollop of butter to each divit in her odd skillet, and sets the pan on the edge of the stove to slowly heat up.) Anuril seems to be waiting for something. The peat in the small fire bursts into flames. (Illiya carefully washes the strawberries and baker's caps, removing all of the dirt.) Elore guzzles down some of her brandy and then smacks her lips and wipes them with her sleeve. (Allye takes a deep breath, attempting to steady herself. She moves to her workstation and immediately performs a quick assessment of the stove and oven to ensure their temperatures are suitable.) (Kethrai crouches in turn and then stands up and throws his arms in the air!) Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. (Cryle prepares her station by setting down several fishbowls on the counter, pulled from her effervescent eddy, along with several scalpels and an unlonchai bucket filled with deceased, but whole, cloud rats. Arranging them exactly to her liking, she then begins selecting her ingredients from the pantries after several moments of deliberation: several turkey legs, a bowl of freshwater shrimp, two slabs of peccary ribs, and, of course, a pineapple. These, too, are placed just-so along the counter - several requiring further adjustment to better align with their neighbours. Lastly, she approaches the display table and picks out four motherfruit apples.) (Mavekaelaja runs to the pantry and grabs some dried rat root, whole rat root, shark steaks, and eggs, and drops them off at his station.) (Elore nervously steps to her station and begins unpacking various bowls, jars, and cooking utensils onto the surface in front of her. She sets a few cast iron skillets and a waffle mold over a fire to let them begin preheating.) (Allye nods to herself, seemingly pleased. She efficiently produces a series of mixing bowls, a large unlonchai bucket, a saucepan, a mortar and pestle, and utensils from her carpetbag. She lays them down upon the counter, all arranged to be easily at reach.) (Illiya expertly hulls a strawberry with a small knife, creating a perfect circle around the stem. Her movements are fluid as she continues to hull the remaining strawberries, placing the hulled berries in a separate bowl, popping a few in her mouth too.) Gragnel says, "The rest of us will be watching closely, too. No pressure or anything." Mavekaelaja exclaims, "Oh yeah, butter!" Gragnel smirks. (Nawain begins carefully dicing her icemint with a very fine chop. She dumps the herb into a mixing bowl with a large dollop of tangy goat's cheese and adds cinnamon, cardamon, and a judicious handful of brown sugar, then sets it atop the stove to heat and soften.) Gragnel leans forward. (Mavekaelaja runs back and grabs some butter) (Allye carefully lifts four petite porcelain crocks from her bag, setting them gently within a deep baking dish.) Unaka hesitantly says, "Did I miss saying hi to anyone? You all are mostly very small." (Illiya turns her attention to the other ingredients, gathering flour, butter, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and milk, and arranging them around her cooking station.) (Elore walks back over to her prep station and grabs a few sizes of mushroom caps. After a moment of consideration she scoops up a mabafanis pepper as well.) (Allye transfers ingredients from a large burlap sack to her workspace, including some freshly picked Elothean jade tea leaves, vanilla beans, small sacks of white and brown sugar, a handful of lemons, a basket of eggs, and some large bars of white chocolate.) Golameth squints at Unaka. Hebion chortles softly at some secret joke. (Nawain sniffles loudly, and pulls out a small handkerchief, blowing her nose and rewashing her hands with patient resignation at the time lost.) Unaka shakes Golameth's hand. Illiya grins at Nawain, her dimples flashing into view. (Illiya rummages through her haversack with purpose, pulling out a few essential implements and utensils and arranging them around the cooking station.) (Cryle adjusts a knob on the side of her binocular glasses and selects two scalpels, sidling over to the line of turkey legs. She carves two of them swiftly and with terrifying precision, severing the meat and tissues from the bone. She deposits everything not bone into one of the fishbowls, and the other two legs she places on her workstation's grill along with one of the racks of peccary ribs.) Hebion quietly says to Zersha, "It's not often I'm called small." (Mavekaelaja haphazardly throws some butter in a pan, some rat root in a different pan with water, then turns on the stove.) (Allye gathers several motherfruit apples, marveling at their lovely lavender hue. She brings them back to her workspace and places them on a cutting board.) Zersha giggles at Hebion. Soovie blinks at Nawain. Soovie asks Sestiva, "Is she sick?" Zersha quietly says to Hebion, "I wouldn't." Sestiva gazes at Nawain. (Nawain pivots and pulls a jar of cream and a jar of kefir from a small box lined with ice and frost. She pours the dairy products into a second bowl and adds quite a bit of honey, stirring the thickening mixture with a determined expression. Several handfuls of diced icemint go in last.) (Tystreith gathers a bundle of the tveiret leaves to take to his station, pulls a small octopus from his ice box and starts chopping the tentacles off one by one and folding each into the leaves while he starts the fire burning) Sestiva says to Soovie, "It looks like it." (Illiya takes a deep breath, looking around her organized station.) Nawain says, "No! Not sick. Quite well, thank you." Unaka flashes a wide grin at Hebion. (Allye opens her unlonchai bucket and pulls out a jar of milk and a ceramic crock of cream, adding them to her collection of ingredients.) Unaka says to Hebion, "I said mostly." Golameth nods to Hebion. (Mavekaelaja grabs a bowl, and using the dried rat rood and some eggs, begins kneading out some root flour pasta dough.) (Allye spreads a broad sheet of waxed parchment across one side of the counter, and finally turns to survey her workspace. Satisfied but still clearly a little fidgety from nervousness, she quickly reties the straps at the waist of her apron, and exhales sharply.) (Cryle approaches the cloud rats next and works to dissect and bleed them into a bowl, their meat placed into a second fishbowl with a few fillets set onto the grill, and the other set of ribs is likewise de-boned with the meat placed in a third. Sidling over to the line of shrimps and still dual-wielding the scalpels, she removes the black lining from the backs of each. Several shrimp are placed on the grill, the rest dumped into the fourth fishbowl.) Golameth says to Hebion, "I know what you mean." Klausette hums happily to herself. Mavekaelaja asks, "Now w'is it?" You quietly say to yourself, "Okay. As ready as I'll ever be." Nawain gets a razaksel unlonchai bucket surrounded with thick bands of tel'athi from inside her slender rugursora. You get a pocket glass greenhouse framed by cambrinth vines from inside your tapestry carpetbag. Zersha grins at you, her dimples flashing into view. (Illiya murmurs, "First the strawberries!" She crushes a couple handfuls of the strawberries using a mortar and pestle, releasing a sweet aroma, then pours the resulting puree into the cauldron. To that she adds a bunch of sugar and a splash of lemon juice) (Mavekaelaja pats himself down) Klausette looks at you and applauds! Mavekaelaja exclaims, "Ah!" (Nawain tastes the mixture with a clean spoon, adds another pinch of icemint in at the last minute, and then sets the creamy mixture carefully in an unlochai bucket for a long count. When she takes it out, she tilts the bowl back and forth, and seems satisfied with the pudding-like consistancy of her dip.) (Allye lowers her miniature greenhouse to the ground. She places some handfuls of Elothean jade tea leaves into the greenhouse, closes its lid, and focuses intently upon its cambrinth before returning to the counter.) Mavekaelaja deftly removes the kelpzyte falchion from his sash. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Klausette. Unaka stands near Kethrai. (Zersha spends a few moments watching each person as they work.) Kethrai angles his ears forward, gazing curiously at Unaka. Hebion grins at Golameth. Nawain gets a ceramic mixing bowl with snowy white glazing from inside her jadeleaf cloth rucksack. (Cryle sets down her scalpels for a clean pair and proceeds to eviscerate the pineapple with, again, an extraordinary amount of precision - not a slice of the blade wasted. The core is sliced into rounds, then placed in the fifth fishbowl. Focusing now on the motherfruit apples, she cores them carefully and peels the skins with upsetting attention to detail. With precisely eighteen slices, she drops two slices in each meat-filled fishbowl, and a whole apple's worth in with the pineapple, leaving six left over - for now. The last apple she cuts into much, much thinner slices, and places a few on top of the grilling meat.) Kethrai gets a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze from inside his rose-colored haversack. (Elore begins by mixing the wet ingredients: buttermilk, butter, and a few fresh eggs with deep orange yolks, adding a few dashes of maple syrup. Combining the wet mixture with the pre-mixed dry ingredients, she stirs until just blended, making sure not to overmix.) Illiya quietly says to herself, "Just a splash of lemon juice, helps it firm up nicely.ACT melts the sugar crystals into the strawberry puree over low heat, coaxing out the fruit's essence. As the mixture simmers, she patiently reduces it, allowing the flavors to intensify and concentrate." Kethrai offers Unaka a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze. Illiya coughs. (Illiya melts the sugar crystals into the strawberry puree over low heat, coaxing out the fruit's essence. As the mixture simmers, she patiently reduces it, allowing the flavors to intensify and concentrate.) Klausette yells, "You guys are doing amazing!" Unaka quietly says to Kethrai, "In case you guys do that cheer thing again." (Allye place a saucepan on the stove, fills it with a little water, and turns to other tasks as she waits for it to come to boil.) (Nawain seperates 3 eggs into whites and yolks, passing the yolk back and forth from shell to shell and skillfully managing to break none. The yolks go into a small cup, and the whites end up in a mixing bowl.) Nawain gets a long steel whisk from inside her slender rugursora. Unaka puts her bread in her thick satchel. Soovie grins. Unaka accepts Kethrai's fish-shaped pastry. Unaka bites Kethrai! Soovie says, "They're all moving so fast." Anuril beams at Unaka! (Tystreith sets his skillet down on the fire, then gathers some onions and garlic and chops them up, then tosses them into the skillet. He lifts his glass of fratvarit and pours it into the skillet as he starts frying up the vegetables.) Unaka takes a bite of the pastry. (Mavekaelaja uses whatever the opposite of grace is to chop up the shark steaks and throws them into the pan with the butter) Cryle asks Kethrai, "Are you ready for your adventures to come to..." she glances at the apple slices on her work station, "...fruition?" Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Mavekaelaja hangs his kelpzyte falchion from his sash. It rattles against the belaying pin hanging from his sash, and he adjusts them. (Allye uses her paring knife to neatly peel her motherfruit apples, reserving the long strips of apple skin to one side. She then cuts the flesh of the fruit into tidy slices, careful to discard any of the core and seeds.) Zersha takes a tiny bite of a waffled fish-shaped pastry with a delicate honey glaze and chews daintily on it. Zersha finishes off her fish-shaped pastry. Anuril quietly says to Kethrai, "A couple competitors are using those bucket things..." Golameth lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Unaka takes a bite of the pastry. (Nawain begins whipping the eggs with a whisk, that same determined expression sharpening her gaze. She beats air into the eggs with a strength born of making a bajillion remedies, and as soon as the egg whites form very stiff white peaks, she sets them aside and tackles the yolks.) Kethrai quietly says to Anuril, "Frozen desserts are popular." (Illiya gazes thoughtfully at the cauldron while stirring. "How do you know when it's done?" she says, more to herself than the audience. She dips a spoon into the mixture, scooping a little bit out and blowing on it before tasting it carefully.) Soovie chortles softly at some secret joke. (Cryle quietly chants, raising her paws to harness the lunar mana streams. Several motes of light gather, briefly forming a minute version of the constellation of the Panther before collapsing into a glittering bluish-purple sphere. Another chant, and this time a shadow deeper than night oozes into existence into her grip and coalesces into a long narrow moonblade of dull black which seems to absorb light itself. She does a totally unnecessary spin, twirling the blade stylishly about before taking a stance reminiscent of a princess of a long-lost kingdom waging battle against an overwhelming-yet-affably-incompetent army, with the blade raised high above her head, where it shatters into dozens of black slivers that begin to float around her hat and occasionally ruffle it's floofy feather.) (Mavekaelaja flattens out the pasta dough onto a large tray and sets it aside.) (Allye places most of her apple slices into a second saucepan with some brown sugar and some lemon juice. As the fruit cooks down, she returns to her cutting board.) Tekhelet blinks in amazement at Nawain. Unaka says to Kethrai, "Wow, waffle and fish eggs..." (Illiya exclaims, "Perfect!" She beams while she removes the cauldron from the stove and pours the mixture into a bowl in the ulonchai bucket, giving it a couple of shakes. Retrieving the finished jam, she tastes it and smiles.) (Tystreith after the onions and garlic have browned for a minute, he dices the tveiret leaf-covered tentacles into small pieces and adds them to the frying pan to fry and stir for ten minutes) (Allye next slices a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrapes out the seeds with her knife. She sets these aside and gets to work cracking a small basket of eggs. She gently juggles each yolk between the halves of its shell, allowing the egg whites to slip into a small jar. She then deposits the yolks into a large spouted bowl.) (Nawain moves the egg yolks into a large bowl and beats them, as well, until they are a single yellow puddle. She measures out generous helpings of sugar and buttermilk and adds them to her yolks, along with a couple pinches of salt. She wields her whisk again, and beats the mixture thoroughly.) Gragnel glances at Nawain. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. (Elore works on carefully dicing up the new pepper, making sure to wash her hands thoroughly afterward to ensure she doesn t accidentally hallucinate mid-preparation. Once her waffle batter is thick and slightly lumpy, she dumps in finely chopped onions, garlic and the mabafanis pepper, folding the vegetables gently into the batter.) (Illiya says, "Next, the baby in the blanket." She pours a couple cups of flour and a pinch of salt into a big bowl, then whisks them together smoothly. "The flour will make the butter easier to handle," she says. "It's like giving candy to babies.") (Cryle quickly checks on the grilling meats, then focuses on her next task. She pours the bowl of cloud rat blood into a measuring cup and divides it equally between the fishbowls full of raw turkey, peccary, cloud rat, and shrimp meat. The pineapple and motherfruit apple bowl gets only a little drizzle of plain spring water. Raising a paw, she stops the black shards orbiting her and places a few into each fishbowl, then covers them with plates.) (Mavekaelaja checks the shark meat, and seeing it has gotten a slight sear, uses a spoon to scoop it out and sets it in a bowl) Kethrai says to Unaka, "And fig sauce! And eel. And it even looks like a fish." (Illiya pulls a giant slab of butter in front of her and begins cutting it into neat little cubes. "This might be too much butter," she says, humming cheerfully. "...said nobody ever, right?") Kentara exclaims, "I like candy!" Klausette nods at Illiya, obviously agreeing with her views. (Allye pulls the cooked apple slices off of the heat, noting that they have released much of their water and are soft and coated in brown sugar syrup. She takes a small taste of one slice and nods. Bringing the saucepan over to her deep baking pan, she carefully layers the slices along the bottom of each shallow porcelain crock held within.) (Nawain sifts quite a bit of flour into the wet mixture. Her groan is buried underneath the clack-clack of the whisk as she once against sets to beating the ever-thickening batter.) Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Klausette exclaims, "Yay butter!" Illiya winks at Klausette. (Illiya takes most of the freshly cut cubes of butter and adds them into a big bowl with the flour, working them together with her fingers.) Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "Taste! Taste! Taste!" Vaerek laughs at Illiya. (Elore smiles eagerly when she hears a light sizzle fill the air, as the first ladle of batter hits the hot surface of the cast iron. Closing the mold, she waits patiently, fidgeting with her apron as the savory aroma of cooking waffles wafts around her. After a few moments, the waffles are golden brown and crisp. She carefully lifts the waffles from the mold, placing them on a cooling rack to maintain their crispness. She can't resist sampling a small piece, nodding in satisfaction.) Unaka says to Kethrai, "Wow. It's like someone took food and made it art." (Mavekaelaja pulls ou the jar of sauce he had been soaking leaves in from earlier and sets it on the cooking station) Gragnel chuckles at Anuril. Anuril praises you. (Cryle's whiskers twitch with an expression of deep focus, paws raised over the five fishbowls. Inside, the black slivers raise slightly and begin to twist end-over-end, some pinging against the glass bowls. Faster and faster they swirl, until the meat, blood, and apple slices in each bowl begins to churn. Within moments, the clatter of hardened moonshadow is muffled y the shredded organic matter, until the shards dissolve into nothingness, leaving behind unsettlingly-coloured slurry.) (Illiya continues kneading for a few moments before lifting her hand up with a bit of the mixture sticking to her fingers to show its coarse crumb-like consistency, smiling with satisfaction.) (Allye next gives her attention to her bars of white chocolate, chopping them roughly with her knife. She transfers about two-thirds of the pale shards to a waiting glass bowl.) Tekhelet says, "I can't believe the work involved." (Tystreith moves the skillet off the fire once the tveiret covered tentacles have cooked a bit, then pulls out a large pot and dumps everything from the skillet into the pot and lights the fire underneath it) Tystreith gets a slender glass bottle labeled "Apple BBQ" from inside his zala rugursora. (Nawain pauses to cough surreptitiously into her elbow and wipes her nose with her handkerchief again. She washes her hands yet again, taking a moment to pull the cast iron pan over the hottest part of the stove.) Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. (Illiya says, "So that's our butter baby. Now you want to chill it for a bit." She then dumps the crumbly mess into an ulonchai bucket and shakes it a couple of times.) Kethrai says to Unaka, "That's Aislynn. She's very good." Elore grins at Illiya. Elore giggles. Unaka nods to Kethrai. (Allye turns back to the now boiling water and nestles the bowl atop the saucepan, allowing the steam to gently warm the glass. She stirs the melting chocolate, carefully watching to ensure it doesn't burn. After some time, she removes the bowl to the counter and mixes the rest of the chocolate into the batch.) Anuril quietly exclaims to Kethrai, "Moonshard blending technique!" (Mavekaelaja drains the water out of the rat root pot and sets the pot on his station) (Allye dips her knife into the smooth chocolate, watching it intently as it hardens in the cooler temperature of the room. She notes that it bears a lovely sheen, and seems pleased at its snap when she breaks it away from the knife into pieces.) Mavekaelaja exclaims, "Mashing time!" Kethrai nods to Anuril. (Illiya reaches for a bigger bowl and sets it triumphantly in the center of the table. "While the baby's chilling we make a blanket for it!" She adds a bunch of flour into the bowl, then adds a cup of cool water, a couple spoonfuls of sugar and lemon juice and a spoonful of salt.) Cryle's ears straighten up smartly, a look of pride on her face. (Nawain folds her egg whites into the mix with exquisite care, gently adding the delicate white fluff into her batter in tiny bits. She passes the spoon through the mixture precisely enough times to incorporate all of the fluff without overworking it.) Mavekaelaja deftly removes the belaying pin from his sash. (Allye works quickly, spreading spoonfuls of the tempered white chocolate onto her prepared waxed parchment in the shape of thin, fragile petals. As she finishes the final row, the initial petals appear to already be well set.) Anuril casually observes the area. (Tystreith pours some of his family apple barbecue sauce into the pot and stirs it as it heats up, adding some beans into the mix while stirring) (Kethrai looks with some distress at the meat-colored slurry in Cryle's bowl, though.) Tystreith puts his bottle in his canvas tote. You perk your ears up in delight. (Illiya pushes back the sleeves of her dress with a look of determination and sinks her hands into the bowl. Flour goes everywhere, but it looks like she's making progress, probably.) (Mavekaelaja begins to furiously mash the rat root, creating quite the localized mess) (Allye carefully arranges the delicate chocolate petals, using dabs of warm chocolate to fuse them at the base. As she layers each of the dainty pieces together, a pale chocolate lotus in full bloom eventually forms. She repeats the process until she has a handful of confectionary blossoms resting upon the counter.) Zersha gazes thoughtfully at Illiya. (Nawain takes a moment to reset her workstation, stacking the various dirty bowls to one side and moving the bowl of batter, the now-hot iron pan, and the single out-of-place knitting needle within easy reach. She sets out a simple plate with a little condiment bowl in preparation of the final product.) Tekhelet asks, "Where do they learn to do this?" (Cryle removes the plates from the fishbowls and daintily picks up one of the leftover bones from the turkey legs. She dips half of it into the first fishbowl, then with a gesture, directs her starlight sphere to hover just abover the bowl. She not-quite touches the slurry-soaked leg to the sphere, freezing the meat-and-blood mixture instantly around the bone. She does this several times, until the coating is thick enough to her liking, and moves to the next fishbowl to repeat the process, layering the different flavours atop one another - turkey, peccary, shrimp, cloud rat. Finally, the frozen creation is brought to the fishbowl filled with fruit slurry and carefully dipped. With one final twisting against the starlight sphere's glacial field, she holds aloft her creation, the fur on her paw covered with tiny ice crystals. The popsicle sparkles like brilliant starlight with the golden hues of pineapple and motherfruit apples.) (Anuril crouches down low and glances at Kethrai, and next to him Unaka, before standing up quickly and throwing his arms into the air with a cheer!) Nawain puts her whisk in her slender rugursora. (Elore turns her attention to the bacon mushroom compote. She slices the large baker's caps into thin strips and adds them to a skillet with sizzling bacon. The mushrooms and bacon cook together, creating a rich, earthy compote. She occasionally stirs and samples the mixture to ensure the flavors meld perfectly.) Golameth offers Unaka a rum-infused cupcake topped with sugar-coated tentacles hugging a marzipan ship. Nawain gets a long pewter spoon engraved with a floral design from inside her slender rugursora. (Illiya grabs a handful of butter cubes, throwing them into the bigger bowl, and continues kneading in earnest. "This part is kinda tough, but it's a good arm workout," she says cheerfully.) Nawain puts her spoon in her slender rugursora. (Allye's glass greenhouse resonates with a high-pitched hum! She opens the lid and carefully inspects the leaves inside. Nodding in satisfaction, she notes that they are evenly and thoroughly dried. She moves a handful of the dried leaves to her mortar and utilizes her pestle to crush them into a fine powder.) Nawain gets some polished darkstone knitting needles with a tempered finish from inside her jadeleaf cloth rucksack. (Kethrai crouches down, then stands up quickly and waves his arms, and looks over at Unaka.) (Mavekaelaja pulls out a third pan and fills it with oil, he sets it on the stove to heat up) (Tystreith grabs some tomatoes and mashes them to a pulp before dumping the pulpy mess into the pot with everything else as he continues to stir) Anuril gazes at Unaka. Golameth exclaims to Unaka, "Try this!" Golameth offers Unaka a rum-infused cupcake topped with sugar-coated tentacles hugging a marzipan ship. (Illiya smiles while patting the dough into a compact shape. "Next we make the blanket into a square, around the size of a sheet of writing paper, and chill it!") (Cryle waves her finished meat popsicle at Kethrai.) (Elore glances around nervously, counting on her fingers to make sure that all of the ingredients are accounted for.) (Allye sets another saucepan upon the stove. She combines some milk, the crushed tea powder from her mortar, the reserved purple apple peels, and the vanilla bean scrapings and pod in the pot. She watches it intently as it warms, and she removes it from the heat once it begins to simmer in order to prevent scorching the milk. She sets the saucepan aside to allow it ample time to steep.) Unaka blinks at Golameth. Unaka puts her sandwich in her thick satchel. Unaka accepts Golameth's rum-infused cupcake. Unaka beams at Golameth! Anuril seems to be waiting for something. Unaka takes a bite of the cupcake. Unaka takes a bite of the cupcake. (Zersha watches Cryle for a moment with a confused and slightly concerned look on her face.) Unaka takes a bite of the cupcake. (Illiya takes her self-dubbed "baby mixture" out of the bucket and puts in the "blanket mixture" and shakes it a few times. "And now that everybody is properly chilled, you..." She pauses, frowning and looking at her two doughs.) Cryle says to Kethrai, "I think the apples may actually taste good with the pineapple finish... not sure about adding them to the meat layers, but we'll see how that tastes." Unaka says, "Whoa." (Allye pours sugar into her bowl of egg yolks, stirring them together just until smooth.) (Nawain thoroughly cleans her knitting needle, then stirs the batter with the tool, holding the batter-covered needle over the hissing and spitting cast-iron pan. A drop of batter falls to the surface of the pan and immediately begins to bubble and hop, much to Nawain's evident delight.) Cryle asks Kethrai, "Can you guess the name of this?" (Illiya says, "Well, I guess I named them backwards, so what we do now is.. " She takes the butter dough and places it in front of her. "We take the baby and smush it flat with this rolling pin here..") Unaka says to Golameth, "I think this person wanted to put together all the good things in the world. Maybe a few too many." Unaka nods to a rum-infused cupcake topped with sugar-coated tentacles hugging a marzipan ship. (Mavekaelaja takes the mashed rat root and scoops some into the bowl with the shark meat. He starts mixing them together with his belaying pin, and once he is sure it is a good texture, finds some blue-veined cheese to crumble in.) Anuril gawks at Illiya. (Allye, after some time, checks the saucepan. The milk is tinted with a pale lavender hue from the steeped tea leaves, not too light and not too dark. She gives it a quick taste, and seems to be happy with the result. She uses a cheesecloth to strain out what remains of the leaves, apple, and vanilla bean from the infused milk.) (Tystreith grabs a handful of sugar and sprinkles it into the pot as he stirs slowly and carefully, adding some fresh tveiret leaves after the cooked ingredients heat up) (Nawain proceeds to fill each depression 2/3 of the way full of batter with quick, practiced movements. She begins muttering under her breath, keeping count even as she gazes at her cooking.) (Cryle sets the meaty popsicle into the unlonchai bucket, turns the cooking meat over on the grill, and prepares another popsicle with the leftover turkey bone as a stick. With the second one done, she empties the fishbowls and cleans them out to prepare them for what's next. Removing the meats from the grill, she debones the turkey legs and peccary ribs. Again she chants, forming a moonblade, and again she pirouettes - a tiny hint of glee showing as she does her pose. Slivers in fishbowls, the leftover apple slices, water instead of cloud rat blood, plates atop, focus - blend! And two more meat popsicles are made, this time with the meat thoroughly charred through from its time on the grill.) Mavekaelaja ponders. Unaka says to Golameth, "But I've gotta admire the try." (Illiya winces slightly at the self-created image she concocted with her inappropriately named doughs. "We, um, flatten the butter baby until it's nice and flat, and about three times the original size..") Golameth says, "Never too many good things." Unaka messily gobbles down a rum-infused cupcake topped with sugar-coated tentacles hugging a marzipan ship. Kethrai ponders. (Allye, after some time, checks the saucepan. The milk is tinted with a pale lavender hue from the apple peels and steeped tea leaves, not too light and not too dark. She gives it a quick taste, and seems to be happy with the result. She uses a cheesecloth to strain out what remains of the leaves, apple, and vanilla bean from the infused milk.) (Illiya says, "Now we take the blanket dough and put it on top of the flattened butter baby and use the baby to wrap up the blanket." She chuckles to herself.) (Nawain inserts her knitting needle into the still-glistening dough on one side of each indentation and lifts, pulling the cup-shaped baked shell up and halfway over the puddle of batter that remains in the pan. The batter spills from the now-tilted cup to the bottom of the indentation and begins to sizzle and cook.) Kethrai says to Cryle, "Is it a... Meatsicle? An... Icy-pop? Um..." (Allye brings forth her spouted bowl, adding the infused milk, cream, and a scant pinch of salt to the egg yolks and sugar.) Sestiva leans on Soovie. Cryle taps her nose. Sestiva asks Soovie, "What's up with the knitting needle?" (Illiya takes up the rolling pin once again with determination. "And now we flatten this.. baby-wrapped blanket we've created." She begins banging the rolling pin into the dough with great force, causing semi-cylindrical dents to appear on its surface. You get the feeling she may be working out some frustration that is not part of the recipe. "You might need to.. put some power into it..") (Allye adds the last of her apple slices to her cleaned mortar and pestle, crushing them steadily until they release their juice. Leaving the pulp behind, she adds some of the juice to the mixture in the spouted bowl and gently stirs until it is all smoothly combined.) Soovie asks Sestiva, "I am...unsure. I'm a little more concerned with the...meat...stick?" (Nawain watches the batter closely. As soon as the liquid batter in the center of the indentation begins to bubble in earnest, she inserts her knitting needle into the notch between the half-dome and the "floor" of the cakey ball, and pulls up again in a confident manner, creating a nearly-enclosed parcel of dough.) (Illiya wipes an invisible bead of sweat from her forehead and appears to regain her composure as she sweeps the rolling pin smoothly across the dough. "You're aiming for about three times the size of the original, again.") (Elore begins plating. Starting with a waffle, she adds a generous spoonful of the compote, then drizzles some hot honey over the top and pops a pickled cherry pepper on to garnish. She pops a spare piece of bacon into her mouth.) Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Anuril takes a bite of the sandwich. (Allye is careful not to disturb the apple slices layered at their bottoms as she pours the concoction into her prepared shallow porcelain crocks, settled in their arrangement within a deep baking pan. She fills the pan with boiling water, allowing it to rise about halfway up the sides of the porcelain.) Cryle says to Kethrai, "We call it... Iron Constitution-Perseverance of Peri'el. Due to the frozen vitality encased within a honey-coloured shell." (Illiya exclaims, "So you can do this!" Setting the rolling pin aside, she grabs each long end of the dough and folds it into thirds. "Just like you're folding a letter to your best friend! And we do this two or three times.") Anuril looks at Cryle and sighs. Elore laughs at Illiya. (Tystreith continues to stir his pot slowly and turns the heat down to simmer) (Allye very carefully slides the pan into the oven, and she remains to hover nearby as the contents within bake.) (Nawain spoons a portion of her minty cheese filling into each ball, counts again under her breath, and turns the ball one final time, closing any gaps and sealing the filling inside. A few seconds later she tilts the pan and carefully extracts the golden-brown balls of deliciousness onto the plate.) (Mavekaelaja grabs a rather large spoon and starts making lines of dollups of the filing across the pasta dough, making sure to only go halfway across the pan. He then folds the dough back over itself and uses a fork to press the dough together, creating pockets of filled dough.) Cryle grins smugly. (Illiya continues rolling out the dough and re-folding it lovingly, dusting the excess flour off each time. She pauses after completing this a few times. "You can't do it more than two or three times in one go, or your pastry will end up not great." She begins wrapping up the dough square with parchment paper. "Just like a baby! It's exercised a lot, so now it needs to go chill.") You twitch an ear nervously. Tystreith asks, "How much time do we have left?" Sestiva exclaims, "Three minutes left for cooking!" Kethrai praises Cryle. Tystreith says, "Oh that was fast." Tystreith nods to Sestiva. (Illiya ceremonially places the parchment-wrapped dough into the ulonchai bucket. "Umm ideally you should chill it for a few anlas. And no, Empaths, Adaptive Curing will not help with curing dough.") Vaerek chuckles at Tystreith. (Allye glances at the oven expectantly, but seems to be willing herself to not open it to check just yet.) Anuril quietly asks Kethrai, "Is that mint and...cheese?" Anuril raises an eyebrow. (Illiya says, "But since we don't have that kind of time now, I have to do some magic." She sets the ulonchai bucket behind the counter and straightens back up with what is obviously a second ulonchai bucket. "See, I did time magic! Before you ask I, uh, can't use it for anything other than making this pastry.") (Mavekaelaja uses a knife to separate all of the filled pasta pockets and starts setting them in the now hot oil) Tekhelet nods to Anuril. Kethrai looks at Anuril and shrugs. Anuril ponders. Anuril glances at Unaka. Anuril glances at Kethrai. (Illiya unwraps the pastry, which is visibly firmer than the one you saw go into the bucket, and places it in the center of the table. "Now we want to work those arms and roll it flat again." She begins to roll the dough out again with the rolling pin. "I should mention this is a good recipe for when you have some frustrations to work out.") Vaerek grins at Illiya. You shift your weight. (Illiya picks up a knife and begins slicing the rolled pastry into relatively square pieces. Some of them look a little squidgy around the edges, but she seems pleased with them anyway.) (Cryle putters around her workstation, cleaning up the fishbowls, chopping blocks, and scalpels with fastidious attention to detail.) Akeiro grins at Illiya. (Anuril crouches down for a moment, watching those to his left, and then leaps up, waving his arms wildly in the air!) Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. (Allye stares at the oven, as if willing it to bake faster.) Klausette rubs her hands together. (Nawain nestles her small bowl of honeyed cream and kefir dip amongst the little cake balls, steps back to eye the arrangement critically, and sprinkles a tiny bit of sea salt atop the cake balls, then nods in satisfaction.) Zersha grins at you, her dimples flashing into view. (Kethrai crouches down, then stands back up quickly and waves his arms in the air wildly! He looks expectantly at Unaka.) Illiya says to herself, "Now for the star of our show.." (Illiya lowers a wire basket filled with baker's cap chunks into a pot filled with sizzling hot oil, watching it carefully. As they crisp up to a golden brown, she removes the basket and shakes it gently to remove excess oil.) (Allye chances a peek inside the oven. She gives the baking pan a few gentle taps, noting that the custards appear to be well-baked, with only a slight jiggle at their centers.) (Tystreith grabs a ladle and starts dishing out bowls of his concoction, adding one last tveiret leaf on top of each bowl.) Tekhelet beams in loving admiration at Nawain! (Illiya deftly tosses the freshly fried baker's caps with a blend of dried rosemary, thyme, and freshly cracked black pepper. Sampling a bite, she beams with satisfaction.) (Mavekaelaja pours the sauce he brought into the pan the shark meat was cooked inusing the jus from the shark meat as a base to create a sauce. He lets it cook down and then finds some ramakins to pour it into) (Illiya smiles cheerfully as she says, "Now for the fun part!" She grabs the bowl of strawberry jam and begins scooping a small amount of jam onto the center of each square of dough. On top of that the jam, she layers the sweet-and-savory baker's cap mushroom chunks.) (Allye removes the baking pan from the oven and carefully lifts the petite porcelain crocks from their water bath. After allowing them to cool for a period of time, she moves them into her large unlonchai bucket to allow the custard to chill prior to serving.) Anuril says to Kethrai, "Quietly Paladins are too used to being the leader." (Illiya frowns, concentrating, as she positions each square in a diamond orientation one at a time, and then carefully folds in the left and right corners on each square as if she were folding an origami masterpiece.) Anuril winks at Kethrai with a playful sparkle in his eyes. Anuril coughs. (Nawain begins tidying and cleaning up her bowls while she awaits the judges, keeping the plate on the edge of the stove so her little dough balls stay warm.) Nawain puts her needles in her slender rugursora. (Illiya folds up the bottom corner on each square, leaving a bit of strawberry jam and a few baker's cap chunks oozing out from the corners. She smiles to herself as she sees the shape of an envelope come together, leaving the top flap open to allow the filling to be visible.) Nawain puts her bowl in her slender rugursora. Nawain puts her bucket in her slender rugursora. Unaka blinks. Sestiva exclaims, "Time!" (Illiya arranges the pastries evenly in rows on a baking sheet. Then, mixing an egg with milk to create an egg wash, she brushes the liquid over each pastry before finally putting them into the oven.) You pant. Unaka exclaims, "Oh!" Kethrai quietly says to Anuril, "Well, she's got a lot more distance to travel than we do, too." Anuril grins at Unaka. Anuril nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Sestiva exclaims, "It's time!" You wipe your forehead. (Mavekaelaja uses a spoon to pull the now fried pasta pockets out of the hot oil and gets them on the plate) Zersha says, "That was so fast." Sestiva says, "Soovie and I.." Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva says, "We're going to go over our notes." Unaka crouches down like Anuril and Kethrai, then leaps up with a cheer! Tystreith says, "Phew..." Anuril beams at Unaka! Sestiva says, "You can take some time to think of how you best want to present." Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Unaka! Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Cryle asks, "Can I present while see-around?" Unaka takes a bite of the pastry. Unaka is oblivious to a trail of crumbs forming on her shirt. Kethrai quietly says to Cryle, "A big part of public speaking is body language..." Hebion stands near Zersha. Zersha smiles at Hebion, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Nawain beams in loving admiration at Tekhelet! Hebion whispers something to Zersha. Cryle says to Kethrai, "Whenever you remind me how people work, I find myself just a little bit more miserable." Kethrai giggles at Cryle. Zersha whispers something to Hebion. (Illiya sneaks the baking sheet out of the oven, and you can see the perfectly golden-brown, buttery pastries appear like little envelopes full of baker's caps and strawberry jam. She sets them aside to cool smiling innocently.) Illiya coughs. Illiya hums to herself. Zersha giggles at Illiya. Klausette hums to herself. (Zersha pretends like she didn't see anything.) Vaerek whistles a merry tune. Unaka takes a bite of the pastry. Unaka gets a spicy beef & cheese sandwich from inside her thick satchel. Soovie jots down some notes. Unaka takes a bite of the sandwich. Soovie says to Sestiva, "I'm still concerned by the nose blowing..." Golameth offers Illiya a glass of iced strawberry lemonade decorated with sugared fruit. Klausette exclaims, "She was very clean about it!" Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Vaerek ponders. Illiya beams at Golameth! Illiya accepts Golameth's iced strawberry lemonade. Klausette quickly clasps both hands over her mouth. Nawain fidgets nervously. Illiya takes a sip of her lemonade. Kethrai says, "So much hand washing." Soovie says, "That's true, but.... blowing your nose by your bowl is..." Klausette nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Nawain nods to Kethrai. Soovie says, "Not hygenic..." Kentara says, "It is winter afterall. People come down with the sniffles." Elizzibiana raises an eyebrow. Tystreith asks, "What was going on behind my back?" Tystreith blinks. Tystreith blinks. Cryle studies the faces around her. Tekhelet tickles Nawain, grinning mischievously. Anuril grins. Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "ICY-POP! ICY-POP! ICY-POP!" Nawain leans back against Tekhelet with a loving smile. Cryle looks at Anuril and sighs. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Gragnel exclaims, "Go, Team Cleric, Go! It'll just add to the flavor!" Gragnel lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain blinks at Gragnel. Klausette hums happily to herself. Cryle says to Anuril, "I suppose I should come up with a snappier name..." Cryle chews on her lip, looking deep in concentration. Kethrai chants in a baritone voice: "Iron Constitution-Perseverance of Peri'el! Iron Constitution-Perseverance of Peri'el! Iron Constitution-Perseverance of Peri'el!" Anuril nods in agreement. Anuril laughs at Kethrai. Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Mavekaelaja hangs his belaying pin from his sash. It rattles against the kelpzyte falchion hanging from his sash, and he adjusts them. Kethrai says to Cryle, "Yeah... It doesn't really roll of the tongue." Gragnel laughs at Kethrai. Unaka furrows her brow. Cryle asks, "Layered Meat Frozen by Starlight and Blended by Moonlight-or-Shadow On A Perfectly Edible Bone?" Cryle says, "That doesn't mention the pineapple-apple coating though..." Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Anuril gazes upward. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Elore grins at Cryle. Nawain rubs her left eye. Cryle puts her fishbowl in an effervescent eddy of honey-hued light captured by a sungold frame. Gragnel nods to Kentara. Mavekaelaja says, "I think i did alright, gots lots o cleanin' up t'do though, cant leave a mess." Cryle nods to Mavekaelaja. Kentara holds up her hand and tilts it side to side in a so-so gesture. Gragnel grins at Kentara. Cryle gets a wedge of fresh pineapple from inside her metal lunchbox. Elore hitches her bartender's apron up around her waist. Cryle offers Unaka a wedge of fresh pineapple. Unaka accepts Cryle's fresh pineapple. Unaka beams at Cryle! Cryle says to Unaka, "Real, plain pineapple, no skin." Unaka sniffs at a wedge of fresh pineapple. Cryle gets a wedge of fresh pineapple from inside her metal lunchbox. Unaka says, "Yep. Doesn't smell like pine at all." Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Unaka takes a bite of the pineapple. Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Nawain shakes her head at Unaka. Unaka says, "Oh! Wow, that's pretty good." Nawain says, "Liar fruit." Tekhelet frowns at Nawain. Vaerek taps a striking moonsilk hamper covered with star-stone flowers that he is wearing. Cryle says, "It's because it's spiky like a pine cone." Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Cryle says, "And like me." Unaka nods to Cryle. Unaka takes a bite of the pineapple. Nawain stands near a portable purpleheart and orangewood potbelly stove with an anlora-avtoma interior. Gragnel says to Kentara, "Thankya." Cryle says, "Covered in a hard, disapproving shell, prickly. But inside... sweet, and a little sour, some might say. Tangy." Mavekaelaja says, "Anyone s'any live edge planks f'platin an presnt'n." Zersha furrows her brow. Hebion rests his hand on Zersha's arm with a soft smile. Nawain ponders. Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Anuril glances outside a moment. Nawain rummages about her person, looking for something. Anuril glances outside a moment. Nawain shakes her head at Mavekaelaja. Zersha gives Hebion a slight nod. Mavekaelaja snaps his fingers. Vaerek sniffs the air around him. Mavekaelaja says, "Guess a reg'lar plates fine." Nawain says to Mavekaelaja, "I've heards that the fanciest chefs plate things on the backs of bowls. For some reason." Cryle says to Mavekaelaja, "Do an Eskila, plate it on plate mail..." Soovie nods. Gwenddolyn chuckles. Sestiva says, "Let's see, Soovie." Mavekaelaja asks Nawain, "I look'n fancy?" Nawain observes Mavekaelaja with fascination. Sestiva asks, "Should we have them present in order of the list or shall we go in reverse?" Nawain says to Mavekaelaja, "You look.. nautical." Cryle taps something inside an effervescent eddy. You slowly and deliberately empty your filled lungs. Mavekaelaja strikes a heroic pose. Soovie ponders. Zersha smiles at you, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Soovie exclaims, "Reverse!" Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Illiya hugs you, and you give her a smile in return. Vaerek asks, "Present dishes by height of the chef?" You hug Illiya who gives you a smile in return. A faint scent of strawberries clings to her skin. Zersha leans over and whispers, "From what I could see, yours looks tasty!" You beam at Zersha! Tystreith bursts out in a sudden snort of laughter. Elore breathes very slowly and looks much calmer. Sestiva exclaims, "Sounds great!" Mavekaelaja asks, "R'verse height o chef?" Elore casually observes the area. Soovie grins at Elore. Sestiva exclaims, "Elore!" Zersha nods at you, obviously agreeing with your views. You let out a hearty cheer for Elore! Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Sestiva says, "Please step up and present your dish." Klausette applauds. Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! (Nawain sips on her tea and sniffles under her breath.) Tystreith pats Nawain on the back. Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Illiya takes a sip of her lemonade. Soovie says to Sestiva, "I've been very impressed with the techniques we've seen today." Zersha whispers something to Nawain. Zersha grins at Nawain, her dimples flashing into view. Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Nawain nods to Zersha. (Elore steps forward with a nervous smile. Holding up the platter of Savory Waffle Bites topped with Bacon Mushroom Compote, she addresses the judges.) Elore inhales a great swallow of air. Elore slowly empties her lungs. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Elore. Zersha gazes at Elore. Elore exclaims, "Good afternoon, esteemed judges! I present to you my Savory Waffle Bites topped with Bacon Mushroom Compote. These bites are a perfect blend of savory and sweet, earthy and spicy, so you can enjoy them any time of the day. Not just at breakfast!" Elore says, "The waffles themselves are infused with savory herbs and a bit of psychedelic spice from the mabafanis peppers." Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Elore breaks out in a silly grin. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Elore shrugs. Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Klausette looks at Elore and applauds! Sestiva gets a clean ceramic tasting spoon from inside her oilcloth workbag. You let out a hearty cheer for Elore! Elore says, "But the compote is the star of the show. I've saut ed baker's caps mushrooms with crispy bacon to create a rich, earthy compote. With a few dashes of maple to balance out the spice and give it extra depth. Then for a little extra tang, they re each topped with a pickled cherry pepper fresh from the Ratha market." Elore exclaims, "And, um.. That s all! Enjoy!" Anuril applauds. Raising her iced strawberry lemonade to Elore, Illiya gives her a toast. Vaerek applauds. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You gaze into Elore's eyes and applaud her heartily. Kethrai applauds. Zersha looks at Elore and applauds! Sestiva exclaims, "Thank you for your dish!" Gragnel looks at Elore and applauds! Ysindre looks at Elore and applauds! (Elore takes a deep breath, wiping her hands on her apron, and runs back to where she was initially standing, out of the spotlight.) Nawain looks at Elore and applauds! Tekhelet applauds. Elore forces a grin and laughs nervously. Elore beams at Zersha! Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Soovie asks, "What ratio of bacon to mushrooms did you use for your compote?" Sestiva scoops up a savory waffle bite with compote and chews on it thoughtfully. Elore asks, "The bacon is more of a flavor component, so probably like 90% mushrooms?" Soovie takes a bite of the savory waffle, making sure to get an ample amount of the compote. Vaerek blinks. Anuril observes Soovie with fascination. Sestiva nods to Elore. Gragnel ponders. Soovie says, "Mmm, I can taste the heat. But not too much heat. Very well balanced." Soovie praises Elore. You perk up your ears happily. Elore grins at Soovie. Tekhelet smiles. Vaerek grins at Elore. Zersha beams at Elore! Soovie exclaims, "An excellent offering!" Tekhelet applauds. Ysindre lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Elore curtsies. Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Elore blushes furiously! Gwenddolyn applauds. Nawain praises Elore. Anuril applauds. Klausette applauds. Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Gragnel says, "No, Francis. Not those kind of offerings." Gragnel glares at a rotund temple rat. Zersha grins at Gragnel, her dimples flashing into view. Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Klausette giggles at Gragnel. You let out a hearty cheer for Elore! Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "Ba-con Mush-room! Ba-con! Mush-room!" Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva says, "I always enjoy that it's neatly packaged into one bite as well." You giggle at Anuril. Mavekaelaja frets. Elore laughs at Anuril. Tekhelet says, "And we have a rat." Soovie nods to Sestiva. Zersha says to Tekhelet, "Franscis looks clean to me." Sestiva says, "Where you're guaranteed to have the ingredient ratios eaten the way you plan it to taste like." Illiya grins at Anuril, her dimples flashing into view. Soovie exclaims, "And my fingers don't have to get messy!" Tekhelet says to Zersha, "I mean I approve of course." Elore grins ear-to-ear. Zersha grins at Tekhelet, her dimples flashing into view. Gragnel says to Tekhelet, "He's pretty harmless, just a little... heavy. Got him out and about for some exercise." Gragnel slides a finger idly along the fur between his temple rat ears, the creature closing its eyes in satisfied response to the attention. Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Tekhelet nods to Gragnel. Gragnel traces an outline around a rotund temple rat. Gragnel sighs. Sestiva asks, "Allye! Are you prepared to present?" Zersha looks at Gragnel, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Kethrai looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Zersha looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Elore stands near Akeiro. Tekhelet glances at you. Tystreith looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Illiya looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! You quirk both ears outward in surprise. Elore puts her whiskey in her backpack. Kentara observes you with fascination. Elore gets a glass of Katamba-black whiskey from inside her backpack. You nod emphatically. Akeiro leans over and scratches Elore's back. Elore guzzles down some of her whiskey and then smacks her lips and wipes them with her sleeve. You say, "Hello, Judges! Today I've prepared for you a petite dish of tea and lavender motherfruit apple custard creme, topped with caramelized sugar and a blossoming white chocolate lotus." Unaka looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Sestiva exclaims, "A dessert!" Nawain beams at you! What a warm feeling! (Allye presents her small, shallow porcelain crocks of silky chilled custard, the desserts remaining as yet unadorned.) Zersha quietly says, "Fancy." You say, "The custard is a rich base of cream, sugar, egg yolks, the juice of motherfruit apple, and milk suffused with the delicate flavors of tea and vanilla and tinted the lovely lavender shade of motherfruit apples. Beneath the custard you will find a layer of sliced and baked motherfruit apple, in a brown sugar caramel." Tekhelet says, "That sounds...amazing." Elore whistles at you. Nawain nods at Tekhelet, obviously agreeing with his views. Hebion nods to Zersha. Kethrai emits a rumbling noise of contentment. You say, "The motherfruit apple is therefore showcased in the bottom apple layer, the sweet and slightly tart juice that helps to flavor the custard, and in the beautiful lavender hue of the custard." Anuril ponders. You ask, "How many times can I say "motherfruit apple"?" You grin. Nawain giggles. Nawain exclaims, "More!" Ysindre grins. You ask, "But before you taste, may I demonstrate the final presentation...?" Illiya grins at you, her dimples flashing into view. Elore giggles. Tystreith grins at you. Tekhelet says, "I'm so hungry." Illiya nods at Nawain, obviously agreeing with her views. Elore bounces around happily. Sestiva says, "Surely." Nawain leans back against Tekhelet with a loving smile. Soovie says, "I am intrigued." You perk up your ears happily. Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. (Allye leans forward to sprinkle a generous spoon of sugar on the surface of each custard creme. She rushes back to her oven and pulls from it a cast-iron disk attached to a long wooden handle. The metal glows red-hot!) Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. You say, "You may wish to lean back." Nawain says, "Ooo." You reassuringly say, "I have no intention of singing any gourmands or gastronomists here today, I promise." Nawain observes you with fascination. Soovie leans back. You flash a quick grin. Tekhelet ducks his head. Zersha giggles. You say, "This device is a salamander, and it will heat the sugar that covers each dish to form a crisp, caramelized crust over the creamy custard." (Allye draws the heated metal disk over each of the dishes as she speaks. She holds it steady upon the surface where it steams and smokes, appearing almost like a brand. As she lifts the iron away, the sugar beneath is perfectly brown and crisp. When each dessert has a torched topping, she returns the salamander to the oven.) Zersha's jaw drops. Klausette gasps! (Allye, as she once again leaves her workstation, brings a tray with her. Back at the presentation table, she uses a small pair of silver tongs to capture one of her white chocolate lotus flowers from the tray with a gentle touch, placing it at the center of the caramelized top of her custard creme.) Elore gets a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread from inside her shoulder bag. Nawain smiles. Elore waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Elore winks at Anuril. (Allye smiles as the residual heat of the melted sugar softens the base of the flower, causing the petals to open a bit wider in the semblance of blooming.) Tekhelet says, "I'm so not impressed." Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Elore! Soovie glances at Tekhelet. Nawain giggles at Tekhelet. (Allye holds the blossom in place until the heat dissipates, the chocolate lotus now affixed atop the custard creme. She repeats the process for the remaining dishes.) Nawain says to Soovie, "He's joking." Unaka is staring at Allye in fascination. You say, "The sugar crust should offer a satisfying snap as you break through with your spoon, revealing the delectable, chilled custard creme and the apple layer beneath." Tekhelet smiles. You say, "The broken shards of sugar and the petals of the white chocolate lotus should provide richness and crunch, to complement the creamy, sweet and tart flavor of the custard." Nawain grins at Tekhelet. Zersha gazes at you in awe. You say, "I hope you will enjoy." You perk up your ears happily. Elore gets a festive multi-colored streamer attached to a short thin dowel from inside her shoulder bag. Elore waves her multi-colored streamer about herself, creating mesmorizing swirls and waves of vibrant color. Nawain mumbles a word of general praise. Gwenddolyn looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Nawain praises you. Tekhelet applauds. Sestiva says, "Beautifully made." Gwenddolyn applauds. Ysindre looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Sestiva. Soovie says to Sestiva, "A daring risk to take, I was afraid the petals would fall off..." Sestiva nods to Soovie. You say, "Thank you." You beam! Raising her iced strawberry lemonade to you, Illiya gives you a toast. Cheers! Sestiva asks you, "What type of tea did you use to infuse your custard with?" Tekhelet glances at you. You say, "Elothean jade. I thought it would provide a subtle flavor while not being too overwhelming." Sestiva nods to you. You say, "I worried the shade would muddle the lavender of the apple, but I was happy it didn't have too much of an effect." Unaka takes a bite of the pineapple. Soovie says, "I appreciate how you made the motherfruit the star of this dessert." You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Soovie. Tystreith nods at Nawain, obviously agreeing with her views. Sestiva says, "And your attention to detail was superb." Sestiva says, "A fine eye to dish presentation." You say, "Thank you." Kentara nods in agreement. Sestiva says, "The tea also balances out the sweetness of the apple, giving it some restraint." Soovie nods. You beam! Sestiva says, "Especially with the sugar crust." You say, "That's my favorite part." You grin sheepishly. Sestiva says, "The fear is always that the sweetness might overwhelm." You nod to Sestiva. Nawain rubs her right eye. Soovie says, "A lovely presentation." Sestiva says, "Thank you for your dish, chef." You perk up your ears happily. Nawain praises you. You exclaim, "Thank you!" Zersha looks at you and applauds! Anuril looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Ysindre looks at you and applauds! Tekhelet applauds. Illiya looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Unaka looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Golameth mutters something into the air about why you add squid to the cupcakes. Elore looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Tystreith looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Tystreith, please present your dish!" Kalinandra gives Golameth a gentle poke in the ribs. Nawain lets out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Anuril applauds. Kethrai looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Kethrai looks at Tystreith and applauds! Zersha looks at Tystreith and applauds! Tekhelet glances at Tystreith. Tystreith says, "Oh, goodness. I decided on a nice warm dish for the winter, a concoction I call tentacle-tveiret fratvarit stew topped with fresh tveiret leaves. I chose octopus to pair with the leaves since they are named after the cephalopod and showcase their Merelewan...Merelewian...whatever their nomenclature is, origins." Tystreith says, "First, I sliced the octopus tentacles free of their mantle and wrapped them in tveiret leaves while I fried up some onions and garlic with my fratvarit base. Next, I chopped the leaf-covered tentacles into small bite-sized pieces and added them to the frying pan to cook. Once this was done, I transferred everything over into my pot and added my family recipe apple barbecue, some beans, and crushed tomatoes. I added some raw sugar to cut back on the acid of the tomatoes and counter the pepper of the fratvarit, added some fresh tveiret leaves, and began heating everything at a simmer until the stew was fully cooked. I dished them out and added one last leaf on top." Nawain giggles. Sestiva gazes at Tystreith. Tystreith nods. Elore leans on you. You beam at Tystreith! Tystreith says, "Merelew-Rakash fusion food." Tystreith grins. Zersha giggles at Tystreith. Nawain praises Tystreith. Unaka observes Tystreith with fascination. Tekhelet says, "Yeah, neat." Anuril quietly says to Kethrai, "Fusion is super risky..." Illiya grins at Anuril, her dimples flashing into view. Tekhelet says, "I don't think I've had octopus." Soovie asks, "Were the octopus tentacles still wrapped in tveiret leaves when you fried them?" Tystreith says, "They were." Unaka gazes thoughtfully at the pineapple she holds in one hand and the sandwich in the other. She brings them close to one another for a moment, then shakes her head. Elore grins at Unaka. Unaka takes a bite of the pineapple. Vaerek chuckles. Ysindre grins. Zersha giggles at Unaka. Anuril grins at Unaka. Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Soovie asks, "And what kind of beans did you use?" Tystreith says, "Kidney beans." Sestiva asks, "What style of tveiret leaves did you use to wrap the octopus tentacles with?" Sestiva asks, "Dried, roasted, fresh?" Vaerek says to Unaka, "Those aren't really beans from ones kidney." Unaka flashes a wide grin at Vaerek. Ysindre grins at Vaerek. You grin. Tekhelet asks Vaerek, "Or are they?" Cryle quietly says to Unaka, "They really do pair amazingly well, though..." Tystreith says, "Fresh. I wanted to have a combination of fried and fresh leaves in the dish, so the ones wrapping the tentacles got fried, but started fresh." Vaerek says to Tekhelet, "They're just shaped like one." Unaka asks Cryle, "Oh?" Cryle nods emphatically at Unaka. Kentara rubs her abdomen. Cryle quietly says, "Pineapple goes with everything and everything..." Unaka shrugs, then wedges a piece of pineapple into her sandwich. Vaerek laughs at Unaka. Cryle's ears stand up proudly for a moment. Kethrai praises Unaka. Illiya grins at Unaka, her dimples flashing into view. Ysindre grins. Unaka takes a bite of the sandwich. Zersha leans on Hebion. Unaka exclaims to Cryle, "Pretty good!" Cryle nods emphatically. Zersha looks at Hebion, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Cryle observes Tystreith with fascination. Tekhelet says to Vaerek, "Makes one wonder." Sestiva asks, "How do you feel that the sweetness from the fratvarit plays into the tastes of the tveiret leaves?" Vaerek says to Tekhelet, "Oh my." Soovie takes a bite of the octopus stew. Vaerek says, "I sure hope not." Hebion nods to Zersha. Unaka takes a bite of the sandwich. Hebion grins at Zersha. Kalinandra grins, revealing her dimples. Zersha giggles at Hebion. Zersha shakes her head at Hebion. Tystreith says, "I feel the stew has a balance of sweet and savory." Akeiro wraps his arms around Kalinandra, giving Kalinandra a great big bear hug! Kalinandra hugs Akeiro, who wraps his arms around Kalinandra with a warm smile. (Nawain shivers next to her stove and pulls her cloak tighter, drinking deeply of her tea.) Soovie ponders. Akeiro kisses his flower spider. It wriggles its palps happily. Tystreith says, "Everything in balance." Tystreith grins. Tystreith says, "I wanted to add some gaisroka but I felt adding something citrusy would upset the balance." Tystreith ponders. Sestiva says, "The wrapping of the octopus in fresh tveiret leaves helped keep the octopus nice and tender." Tystreith nods to Sestiva. Soovie says, "There's a lot of apple in this dish, between the fratvarit and the apple bbq sauce. I was hoping for more of the tveiret leaves." Tystreith nods to Soovie. Unaka takes a bite of the pineapple. Tystreith says, "Leaves are tricky." Sestiva says to Tystreith, "I do feel that citrus would have perhaps gone better than the slightly heavier hand of apple flavoring." Tystreith snaps his fingers. Gwenddolyn winces. Sestiva says, "However, your dish is wildly creative." Tystreith grins at Sestiva. Tystreith says, "Second guessing yourself is always a bad idea." Unaka takes a bite of the sandwich. Tystreith nods. Sestiva says, "And a great effort for being confronted with a brand new ingredient." Soovie says, "Very unique." Gwenddolyn applauds. Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Sestiva exclaims, "Thank you, Chef Tystreith!" Anuril applauds. Unaka lets out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Elore adds to Tystreith's praises. Zersha looks at Tystreith and applauds! Pulling his cast-iron skillet tightly to his chest, Tystreith drops to one knee, bowing his head in silent reverence. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You let out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Kentara applauds. Nawain lets out a hearty cheer for Tystreith! Kethrai looks at Tystreith and applauds! Tekhelet applauds. Mavekaelaja looks at Tystreith and applauds! Mavekaelaja frets. Unaka says, "Well everyone, I've gotta go. I wish I could stay and taste all the foods." Vaerek looks at Tystreith and applauds! Zersha grins at Unaka, her dimples flashing into view. Mavekaelaja fidgets nervously. Vaerek waves to Unaka. Nawain waves to Unaka. Zersha waves to Unaka. You grin at Unaka. You wave to Unaka. Anuril nods to Unaka. Mavekaelaja waves to Unaka. Illiya exclaims to Unaka, "It was great to see you again!" Tystreith waves to Unaka. Gragnel waves. Kentara waves to Unaka. Unaka exclaims, "You all are really something. I can't believe you manage to put so many things together and it all comes out looking so tasty!" You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Unaka. Gwenddolyn waves to Unaka. Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Unaka waves. Sestiva says, "Thank you for appreciating the culinary efforts from our wonderful competitors." Langen Esturi Nilme just arrived. Kentara says to Unaka, "I know, I'm getting so hungry." Illiya waves to Unaka. Illiya hugs Nilme, who wraps her arms around Illiya with a warm smile. Kentara rubs her abdomen. Ysindre hugs Nilme, who wraps her arms around Ysindre with a warm smile. Zersha nods at Kentara, obviously agreeing with her views. Zersha hugs Nilme, who wraps her arms around Zersha with a warm smile. Hebion nods politely to Unaka. Nilme smiles warmly. Unaka says to Sestiva, "Oh yeah, and thanks to you for hosting! You two really seem to know a lot." Hebion waves to Nilme. Sestiva exclaims, "Truly, thanks for all those who are cheering our competitors on!" Tekhelet says to Kethrai, "Tell me about it." Nawain praises Anuril. Soovie nods politely to Unaka. Unaka waves. Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Illiya, please present your dish!" Nawain praises Kethrai. Ysindre waves to Unaka. Unaka says, "Okay, bye now." Conqueror of the Wilds Unaka strides north. Nawain gently kisses Tekhelet on the cheek. Illiya smiles, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. (Illiya sets out little porcelain dessert plates for the judges, artistically drizzling a bit of balsamic vinegar on each plate, before the pastries on top, surrounding each with a few fresh strawberry slices and a sprig of fresh mint. She carefully sets the plates on an elegant silver tea trey with forks and little cups of tea as accompaniment. At the center of each plate is a flaky envelope-shaped strawberry and baker's cap pastry. Strawberry slices and sprigs of mint are arrayed appealingly around each pastry.) Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Elore lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Tekhelet applauds. Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Vaerek lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Illiya says, "So it may have been a bit ambitious to create an entire puff pastry during a competition.." Illiya chuckles. Nawain grins at Illiya. Illiya says, "Good afternoon judges, today I have prepared for you a dish that I call 'Love Letters.' These delicate envelope-shaped pastries are designed to be as visually appealing as they are delicious, perfect for gracing an afternoon tea platter or adding a touch of elegance to any gathering." You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Illiya. Illiya says, "I was intrigued by the unexpected harmony of sweet and savory flavors, particularly when I discovered the subtle sweetness of young baker s caps. This inspired me to create a dish that celebrates this unique combination." Kentara leans forward. Illiya says, "Within each pastry, you ll find a delicious contrast of textures and tastes. The flaky puff pastry provides a buttery base, while the deep-fried baker's caps adds an interesting layer of crunch and texture." Illiya says, "The heart of this dish lies in the deep-fried baker's caps. The young baker's caps in particular have a bit of earthy sweetness to them, enhanced by a subtle blend of rosemary, thyme, and black pepper, creating a complex and satisfying umami flavor profile. At the same time, the strawberry jam's bright acidity cuts through the richness of the baker's caps and pastry, creating a delightful contrast." Sestiva says, "That's a lovely name." Tart Snob Ivoiry just arrived. Nawain glances at Tekhelet. Nawain frets. Illiya says, "But of course the most important ingredient of course is love. It's the secret ingredient that elevates this dish from ordinary to extraordinary." Illiya beams! Illiya says, "Thank you for your consideration." Zersha grins at Illiya, her dimples flashing into view. Illiya bows. Kentara looks at Illiya and applauds! Nawain frets. Ysindre looks at Illiya and applauds! Gragnel applauds. Zersha looks at Illiya and applauds! Nawain puts her teacup on her potbelly stove. Nilme looks at Illiya and applauds! Nawain gnaws on her lip. Tekhelet frowns at Nawain. Vaerek grins at Illiya. Anuril ponders. Gwenddolyn applauds. Nawain frets. Nawain rubs her left eye. Kethrai praises Illiya. Nawain puts her stove in her slender rugursora. Soovie takes piece of the puff pastry and holds it up to his eye, inspecting its texture and filling. Gragnel gets a cup of holy water from inside his clerical cassock. Anuril blinks at Nawain. Gragnel sprinkles some holy water on himself. Gragnel kneels down and begins to pray. Illiya gazes hopefully at Soovie. Kethrai blinks at Gragnel. Gragnel stands up. Anuril whispers something to Kethrai. Gragnel puts his water in his clerical cassock. Nawain paces back and forth. Mavekaelaja nods to Nawain. Kethrai blinks in amazement at Anuril. Soovie says, "It has an interesting aroma, both earthy and yet bright from the strawberry jam." Kethrai whispers something to Anuril. Sestiva says, "The wonderful quality of baker's caps are that they change in flavor as they mature." Anuril quietly says to Kethrai, "Go." Kalinandra grins at Illiya, her dimples flashing into view. Anuril nods to Kethrai. Kethrai nods. Cryle angles her ears forward, gazing curiously at Kethrai. Illiya grins at Kalinandra, her dimples flashing into view. Heart Tender Kethrai glides north. Sestiva asks, "What type of baker's caps did you select for your love letters?" Nawain gnaws on her lip. Cryle twitches an ear at Anuril nervously. Illiya says, "I selected younger baker's caps, to take advantage of their sweeter flavor." Nawain rubs her head. Nawain blanches. Anuril pats Nawain on the back. Elore ponders. (Nawain hugs her middle and stares at the judges, rocking back and forth on her heels impatiently.) Sestiva asks, "How strong do the strawberries play a role in this dish?" Vaerek peers quizzically at Illiya. Illiya says, "The baker's caps are really the star of the dish, with just enough strawberry jam to enhance their innate sweetness." Nawain paces back and forth. Sestiva asks, "How does the dense fleshy texture of the baker's cap go with the Love Letter?" Tystreith pats Nawain on the back. Kethrai whispers something to Anuril. Anuril nods to Kethrai. Nawain nods to Tekhelet. Nawain gnaws on her lip. Illiya says, "I chose to dice and deep-fry the baker's caps, giving them more of a crunchy texture with a bit of chew given their density." Cryle gets an unlonchai bucket labeled "Pineapples" from inside an effervescent eddy of honey-hued light captured by a sungold frame. Cryle takes a bite of the pineapple. Sestiva nods. Elore whispers something to Cryle. Elore ponders. Elore nods. Mavekaelaja frets. Cryle twitches an ear at Mavekaelaja nervously. Xionara blinks. Xionara scratches one ear, looking bemused. Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Elore leans on Xionara. Xionara smiles at Elore. Sestiva says, "Chef Illiya, your Love Letters are beautifully presented and a beautiful dessert." Gwenddolyn applauds. You beam at Illiya! Illiya beams at Sestiva! Zersha looks at Illiya and applauds! You let out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Vaerek looks at Illiya and applauds! Sestiva says, "Thank you for sharing your dish with us." Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Elore praises Illiya. Ysindre looks at Illiya and applauds! Illiya curtsies. Elore giggles. Nilme looks at Illiya and applauds! Kalinandra lets out a hearty cheer for Illiya! Cryle sweeps a wide-brimmed crimson cavalier hat sporting a floofy white feather off her head and in front of her in a large arc, fluidly stepping backward and bowing to Mavekaelaja at the same time. Kentara applauds. Soovie nods. Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Cryle! Please present your dish!" Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Anuril screams! You let out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Cryle asks, "If I may buck tradition a little, I believe another chef may need to go ahead of me, as they may not have time to wait to be last?" Cryle glances at Mavekaelaja. Mavekaelaja smiles. Anuril yells, "Sportsmanship!" Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva says, "Yes, absolutely." Zersha nods to Anuril. Ysindre grins. Kethrai applauds. Cryle nods to Anuril. Soovie says, "Kind of you." Sestiva says, "Chef Mavekaelaja please present." Ysindre lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Zersha applauds. Soovie nods to Cryle. Mavekaelaja says to Cryle, "Thank you." Cryle nods and tips her hat slightly. Mavekaelaja says, "Judges! T day I made ya some shark an rat root stuffed pasta pockets served with a sauce made with pars ly, tveiret leaves, oil, red vin gar, garlic, pep r flakes ,and citrus juices. Th pasta s also made o rat root flour, and was prepared pan fried to p vide a nice crunch layer t it. Its filled w shark meat, s mashed rat root, an some blue cheese s wells as s more salt, an garlic." Gragnel raises an eyebrow. Cryle says, "Pasta... pockets." Mavekaelaja says, "S'a take on some dock fare, but elevated, yeah." (Cryle's face glazes over as she relives some nightmare or other.) You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Mavekaelaja. Sestiva exclaims, "A fine use of the rat roots!" Soovie says, "Elevating a simple dish is harder than folks expect." Mavekaelaja says, "Both th'dough for th'pasta pockets, and the fillin showcase rat root." Illiya nods in agreement. Gragnel nods in agreement. Nawain nods in agreement. Soovie says, "A good demonstration of skill." Sestiva says, "Both as your pasta wrapper and mashed." Sestiva asks, "How do you feel that your blue cheese plays into the flavors?" Gragnel leans forward. Gragnel sniffs the air around him. Kethrai quietly says to Anuril, "They used to send us kids out to forage for rat root all the time. Think it was mostly to get us outta their hair..." Anuril grins at Kethrai. Illiya flashes a quick grin at Kethrai. Gragnel chuckles at Kethrai. Mavekaelaja asks, "I needed'a strong flavor to help be able to be seen w'the rat root, yeah?" Gragnel asks Kethrai, "So, yours did that too?" Mavekaelaja asks, "So some o the funkiness should play through, b'not too much, yeah?" Kethrai nods to Gragnel. Gragnel says to Kethrai, "Finding them was fun, it was the peeling of them that got tiresome." Sestiva says, "I appreciate that you've added acid notes with the red vinegar and citrus juices." Cryle quietly says to Kethrai, "Easy to hunt immobile prey, at least... lucky..." Mavekaelaja smiles. Sestiva says, "It helps balance out the bitterness of the rat roots." Sestiva says, "And elevate the funk of the blue cheese." Soovie chortles softly at some secret joke. Mavekaelaja asks, "M'ma always said "when a dishes missin' somethin' s'probably acid", yeah?" Tystreith says, "Blue cheese..." Tystreith drools. Tystreith licks his lips. You grin at Mavekaelaja. Sestiva says, "Thank you Chef Mavekaelaja for a creative pasta dish that made rat root the star." Zersha looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! You let out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Nilme looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! Gwenddolyn applauds. Gragnel looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! Mavekaelaja strikes a heroic pose. Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Mavekaelaja! Soovie nods. Soovie says, "An excellent take on pasta." Soovie nods. Mavekaelaja smiles at you. Mavekaelaja smiles at Gragnel. Zersha looks at Hebion, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Soovie says, "And the first time I've had rat root flour." Soovie chortles softly at some secret joke. Ysindre looks at Mavekaelaja and applauds! Cryle mutters something into the air about many noodles in her pockets. You grin at Soovie. Illiya flashes a quick grin at Soovie. Hebion nods to Zersha. You giggle at Cryle. Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Cryle, thank you for your kindness to your fellow chef. Please present your dish!" Cryle sweeps a wide-brimmed crimson cavalier hat sporting a floofy white feather off her head and in front of her in a large arc, fluidly stepping backward and bowing at the same time. Cryle says, "This popsicle was originally invented by my friend Korya, who you may both remember. She sent me in her stead, because she knows how much you two enjoy a show. I ventured far and wide to learn the spells necessary to create this tonight in my own style, utilizing both the starlight sphere to freeze, and the slivers of a shattered moonblade paired with telekinetic precision to blend the meat into a thick paste so that it could be re-shaped easily. It is, I believe, the only treat which is prepared by both types of celestial light. Rest assured, the hardened light or shadow of a moonblade completely evaporates during the blending process." (Cryle holds out her unlonchai bucket, presenting the four popsicles arranged in a semi-circle within, turkey bones up, facing towards the two judges.) Cryle says, "The treat consists of four main, distinct flavours: fowl, seafood, pork, and red meat, layered over an edible stick of bird-bone for an..." she sighs uncomfortably, "'Amazingly crunchy finish.' Lastly, it is dipped in a shell of pineapple - or in this case, pineapple and motherfruit apple - which sweetens and, dare I say, compliments the flavours of the meat. While we've usually simply gone with pineapple for my own tastes, I think the motherfruit apple will make a fine addition, and has some interesting cultural connotations as well..." Soovie starts to look a little nervous. Cryle says, "As you may have overheard, we named it Iron Constitution-Perseverance of Peri'el, after the two life mana spells, due to the frozen vitality encased within a golden shell. Or looking at it another way, the fruit of Enelne's mothertree protects the lifeblood, as the Rakash packs did protect the rather more scattered and disarrayed Prydaen refugees during the migration." Zersha gazes thoughtfully at Cryle. Nawain observes Cryle with fascination. Soovie asks Sestiva, "This isn't going to explode at us this time, right?" You grin at Cryle. Sestiva says, "That's a lot of flavors." Cryle shifts uncomfortably for a moment. Sestiva says, "On one stick." Cryle says, "Well." Cryle nods in agreement. Nawain smiles at Cryle. Cryle says, "That's a dessert." Illiya grins at Cryle, her dimples flashing into view. Cryle says, "I have made two of each, for your consideration. Two in the traditional Prydaen style, which is to say, uncooked meat was used. Not knowing if this would cause intestinal distress, I made another two using grilled meat, which I have done before to make sure that it is... possible. The cooked meat version also substitutes blood for water, as I find a liquid is needed to keep the frozen shape adhering to the bone longer. I do not particularly care for this version, myself, but it is there if you wish to try it, or haven't the stomach for the proper version. I also incorporated the motherfruit apple into the meat layers, to make sure that the flavour remains even after one might lick off all the outer shell before getting into the... the meat of it..." Cryle stares blankly into the distance. Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Tystreith says, "Ooh, Prydaen food. My wife would love that." Mavekaelaja quietly says, "I have to go, thank you judges for your time and consideration." Mavekaelaja bows. Nawain just hugged Mavekaelaja. Illiya bobs a quick curtsy to Mavekaelaja. Cryle tips her hat to Mavekaelaja with a courteous nod. Tystreith waves to Mavekaelaja. You wave to Mavekaelaja. Soovie says, "I will sample the grilled one... please." Mavekaelaja waves. Mavekaelaja just left. (Cryle steps forward with the bucket outstretched.) Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva gazes at the bucket with slight trepidation. Cryle twitches an ear nervously. Sestiva says, "As I am not Prydaen, I shall try the grilled meat." Sestiva nods. Soovie says to Sestiva, "Less chance of parasites." Cryle sighs. Xionara gets a thin cookbook bound in sanguine leather from inside her hitman's backpack. Cryle nods. Xionara jots down some notes. Sestiva asks Soovie, "Keeps Empaths busy?" Cryle says, "Just know that it's not a true experience..." Sestiva nods to Cryle. Sestiva says, "Understood." Soovie asks, "And I eat this cold?" Cryle exclaims to Kethrai, "At least that saves one for you!" Cryle nods to Soovie. Sestiva says to Soovie, "It's meat layered with apples. Chilled. On a Stick." Soovie takes one of the cooked, but now frozen, meat sticks... Cryle says, "It is frozen. An... I-see Pee-oh-pee. ICY-POP." (Kethrai gives Cryle a thumbs-up, face unreadable.) Gragnel turns the clerical collar about his neck for a moment. Zersha glances at Kethrai. Zersha glances at Cryle. Elore grins. Illiya takes a sip of her lemonade. Cryle quietly asks, "That really doesn't sound right when spelled out, does it?" Nawain gets a soft satin handkerchief banded with mossy green embroidery from inside her slender rugursora. Nawain rubs her nose. Nawain puts her handkerchief in her slender rugursora. Cryle firmly says, "Do not acronym the popsicle." Soovie says to Sestiva, "You eat it first..." Zersha giggles at Cryle. You giggle at Cryle. Elore grins at Soovie. Elore grins at Sestiva. Ysindre grins. Sestiva asks Soovie, "Aren't you older than I? Shouldn't the elderly go first?" Gwenddolyn chuckles. Nawain laughs! Nawain coughs. Illiya chuckles at Sestiva. Tystreith laughs softly, trying to hide his amusement. You giggle at Sestiva. Nawain ducks her head. Zersha covers her mouth with her hand. Anuril appears to be trying hard not to grin. Elore flashes a quick grin. Vaerek grins. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Cryle gazes upward. Soovie says, "My stomach is more sensitive, yours has the power of youth behind it..." Elore bursts out in a sudden snort of laughter. Sestiva frowns at Soovie. Elore exclaims to Cryle, "They're so excited!" Elore beams at Cryle! Gragnel asks himself, "Power of youth?" Cryle asks, "I suppose this means I win by default?" Gragnel ponders. Gwenddolyn ponders age before beauty or youth before stomach pain Soovie says, "Well, the recovery of youth at least..." Gragnel grins at Soovie. Soovie asks, "How thick is this apple-pineapple coating?" Soovie asks, "Am I going to break a tooth trying to bite through?" Soovie peers quizzically at Cryle. Xionara gazes at Cryle. Illiya chortles softly at some secret joke. Xionara jots down some notes. Xionara taps a thin cookbook bound in sanguine leather that she is holding. Zersha furrows her brow. Cryle says, "Not particularly thick, as I find the fruit tastes can overwhelm the meat, personally." Elore exclaims to Soovie, "You got this!" Sestiva takes a frozen meat-and-apple-layered stick and takes a careful nibble off of it. Elore nods emphatically. Cryle says, "Enough to dazzle and sparkle pleasantly, I should think..." You applaud. Zersha gazes at Sestiva. Nawain adds to Cryle's praises. Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Sestiva! Elore leans forward. Nawain praises Sestiva. Soovie inhales a great swallow of air. Cryle casually runs the tip of her tongue over the point of one of her yellowed fangs, somehow managing to appear both threatening and seductive at the same time. Sestiva says, "It's quite.. um.. cold." Elore watches the surroundings in breathless anticipation. Illiya grins at Sestiva, her dimples flashing into view. Cryle nods emphatically. Cryle says, "The stars are cold." Sestiva says, "The fats are a big congealed." Zersha looks at Sestiva, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Elore gags. Anuril coughs. Anuril appears to be trying hard not to grin. Cryle asks, "That's part of the appeal, isn't it?" Cryle tilts her head, clearly curious about something. Xionara begins chortling at Anuril. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Sestiva clears her throat. Sestiva says, "It's a very unique perspective of cuisine." Xionara gazes at her cookbook. Sestiva says, "And all perspectives should be cherished." Cryle nods emphatically. Xionara jots down some notes. Soovie takes a bite of his frozen apple-pineapple-meat stick and triees to smile as he chews, but doesn't do a good job of it. Kethrai quietly says to Cryle, "One of these years they'll have a Prydaen judge." Nawain nods in agreement. Xionara sniffs at Soovie. Xionara jots down some notes. Elore laughs with delight, her eyes full of merriment. Soovie says, "I think I might like this more warm, the frozen texture makes it feel a bit grainy." Xionara jots down some notes. Elizzibiana gnaws lightly on her lower lip, as if lost in thought. The razor-sharp tip of one of her fangs breaks the skin and causes a tiny bead of blood to appear. Almost absent-mindedly, she catches it with the tip of her tongue. Cryle says, "I should maybe say as well... Shrimp was chosen, as it is Korya's favourite, and cloud rat was chosen, as it is rather more rare and offers a rather different flavour from the common house, forest, or meadow rat. The turkey and peccary can be substituted for almost any other fowl or pork when preparing at home. As long as the bone is crunchable." Kentara gazes intently into her sanowret crystal, and scintillating sparks of light dance across its surface. Zersha gags. Sestiva says to Soovie, "Grainy meat with grainy congealed fat." Nilme winces. Zersha covers her mouth with her hand. Sestiva exclaims, "But!" Anuril gazes at Cryle. Sestiva says, "With a pleasant apple layering." Sestiva says, "And sauce." Elore bounces around happily. Gwenddolyn chortles softly at some secret joke. Elore lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Hebion rests his hand on Zersha's arm with a soft smile. Zersha looks at Hebion, obviously trying not to grin, but the dimples in her cheeks give her away. Elore says to Cryle, "They love it." Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Soovie says, "The apple-pineapple coating was delicious, yes." Raising her iced strawberry lemonade to Cryle, Illiya gives her a toast. Adalai makes a strained sound, and you briefly notice her mouth twitch before Adalai gulps reflexively. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! You perk up your ears happily. Anuril applauds. Cryle says, "I am not much of a cook... I prefer the arrangement of sandwiches, over the heating of things..." Cryle shifts uncomfortably for a moment. Cryle grins weakly. Cryle pulls a wide-brimmed crimson cavalier hat sporting a floofy white feather down over her ears. Zersha smiles at Cryle, revealing the dimples in her cheeks. Sestiva says, "Also, I do appreciate the presentation of it being layered onto the stick." (Cryle pulls one of the un-cooked version from her bucket and hands it to Kethrai expectantly.) Illiya gazes at Kethrai. Zersha glances at Kethrai. Anuril gazes at Kethrai. Cryle trills softly at Sestiva. (Kethrai accepts the stick, looking around at everyone looking at him, and chews at it happily.) Zersha gazes thoughtfully at Kethrai. Cryle perks her ears up happily as she gazes at Kethrai. Soovie says, "Another item that is easily held, which can be nice when on the go." Sestiva nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Nawain nods to Tekhelet. Gwenddolyn applauds. Illiya nods at Soovie, obviously agreeing with his views. Nawain gnaws on her lip. Sestiva says, "Thank you Chef Cryle for your very creative use of motherfruit apples that were very much the highlight and enjoyable part of your frozen meat and fruit popsicles." Cryle meditatively rocks back and forth on the soles of her cavalier boots. Zersha looks at Cryle and applauds! Gwenddolyn applauds. Cryle nods and tips her hat slightly. You let out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Ysindre applauds. Illiya chuckles at Sestiva. Gragnel applauds. Cryle quietly says, "Y'w'cm." Raising her iced strawberry lemonade to Cryle, Illiya gives her a toast. You beam at Cryle! Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Cryle! Nilme looks at Cryle and applauds! Roughneck Rileos just arrived. A pained expression crosses Nawain's face. Elore beams at Rileos! Zersha grins at Rileos, her dimples flashing into view. Nawain nods to Rileos. Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Nawain! Thank you for your patience. Please present your dish!" Rileos raises two fingers to his brow in a quick hand salute. Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Zersha brings her fist to her shoulder. Elore gives Rileos a slight nod. Nawain inhales a great swallow of air. Kethrai frowns as some of the apple-pineapple juice starts melting and dripping down his hand, and carefully licks that side of the meat popsicle clean. Gragnel exclaims, "Go, Team Cleric!" (Nawain carefully wipes her hands on a clean towel and gathers her offering, placeing it before the judges with a nervous expression.) Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Elore gazes at Nawain. Anuril applauds. (Nawain presents a plate with a pile of small balls of golden-brown cake. Each ball is filled with a molten-hot mixture of soft tangy goat cheese with minty notes, the sharpness of the icemint mellowing and sweetening as it disperses throughout the cheese. A chilled bowl of creamy kefir sweetened with honey and spiced with more tiny flecks of icemint is provided for dipping.) (Cryle pulls the last of her meat popsicles from her bucket and starts to offer it to Rileos, takes one look at his face, and backs away to the opposite corner of the tent.) Nawain exclaims, "These are my mother's favorite snack to treat my father with. She called them her waltzing cakes, because all the little turns you make to bake the dough just right reminded her of their favorite dance from Odcoru. I've had them with all sorts of fillings and dips. Never goat cheese and mint, but I think it will work!" Kethrai nods to Nawain. Nawain shifts her weight. Tekhelet frets. Gwenddolyn just nudged Tekhelet. Gragnel nods to a rotund temple rat. Gragnel sniffs the air around him. Sestiva says, "We love a good story." Tystreith leans forward. Nawain grins. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Nawain. Soovie says, "Yes, we do. I also appreciate honoring your family recipes." Nawain nods. Veteran Apprentice Anuril goes north, leading his group. Heart Tender Kethrai just arrived. Veteran Apprentice Anuril just arrived. Anuril takes his rightful place beside Kethrai. Nawain fidgets nervously. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Sestiva says, "The burst of coldness is a delightful temperature surprise with the warm cakey part." Nawain rubs her left eye. Nawain beams! Nawain nods. Kentara adjusts her ruffled silk blouse into place. Elizzibiana grasps her lower back and twists roughly from side to side. You hear a loud pop and see her visibly relax. Kentara dusts herself off. Soovie takes a cake ball and dips it into the creamy kefir sauce, giving it a nice coating. Elizzibiana grasps her chin roughly and jerks it to the side. You hear a loud pop and see her visibly relax. Soovie says, "I do enjoy finger foods." Sestiva nods to Soovie. Soovie takes a bite of his cake ball, then holds it up to inspect the inside. Sestiva says, "Again, the chase for the perfect bite." You grin. Nawain chuckles. Soovie asks, "You used a fine chop on the icemint, did you add other spices?" Elizzibiana opens her inferno eddy. Nawain says, "Some cinnamon and cardimon, to give a little bit of heat and help mellow the mint towards sweet, not just... minty." Soovie nods. Nawain exclaims, "That's a powerful mint!" Nawain grins. Soovie says, "It's quite delicious. I applaud your flavor choices." You beam at Nawain! Tekhelet smiles. Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Gwenddolyn applauds. Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain beams at Soovie! Rileos lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Cryle looks at Nawain and applauds! Sestiva says, "It's a great combination of savory with a touch of sweetness." Nilme looks at Nawain and applauds! Soovie nods. Sestiva exclaims, "Thank you Chef Nawain for your dish!" Tekhelet beams in loving admiration at Nawain! Nawain beams! Gragnel looks at Nawain and applauds! Nawain spreads out the edges of her tutu with both hands and does a little dance step. Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain stands near Tekhelet. Anuril applauds. Tekhelet begins to listen to Nawain teach the Alchemy skill. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. You let out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Cryle says, "Almost went with some icemint, but wasn't sure how strong the mint part would be, compared to the cold shock..." Gragnel exclaims, "Go, Team Cleric!" Zersha looks at Nawain and applauds! Raising her iced strawberry lemonade to Nawain, Illiya gives her a toast. Ysindre looks at Nawain and applauds! Cryle says, "Mint and fruit don't really go well together..." You angle your ears forward, gazing curiously at Cryle. Kethrai says to Cryle, "I do think icemint would go well with pineapple. But it would've taken away from the apple, which was your secret ingredient." Cryle asks, "Do they?" Kethrai nods. Elore grins at Cryle. Cryle mutters something into the air about Prydaen tastebuds. Kethrai says, "Mint and fruit are great! I gotta take you to Aesry and have you try some of their cocktails. ... Can probably figure out a recipe without alcohol..." Kethrai says, "Or next time you're in Ratha for a pineapple pickup." Elizzibiana gnaws lightly on her lower lip, as if lost in thought. The razor-sharp tip of one of her fangs breaks the skin and causes a tiny bead of blood to appear. Almost absent-mindedly, she catches it with the tip of her tongue. Soovie jots down some notes. Cryle nods to Kethrai. Sestiva jots down some notes. Vaerek says to Kethrai, "That's a nice delivery service company name." Illiya grins at Vaerek, her dimples flashing into view. Zersha giggles at Vaerek. Kethrai points at Anuril. Kethrai says to Anuril, "Note it down." Anuril grins. Soovie and Sestiva huddle together, whispering and trading notes. Cryle asks Anuril, "Wasn't Captain going to start a delivery service, or was that some other familiar?" Golameth grins at Kalinandra. Nawain rubs her right eye. Elore asks, "Aw, he can pull a little wagon around?" Anuril chortles softly at some secret joke. Illiya rubs Nawain in a friendly manner. Kethrai says, "That was the Captain, but he's too big for his britches now." Nawain smiles at Illiya. Anuril quietly says to Cryle, "He'd never suffer the indignity." You giggle at Kethrai. Anuril nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Illiya asks Kethrai, "Wasn't he promoted?" Kalinandra grins, revealing her dimples. Cryle says to Anuril, "It's a wonder he lets you summon him at all anymore, isn't it." Kethrai asks, "Lord Commander of the Northern Watch, I think. Head of their spy division?" Anuril nods to Cryle. Anuril sighs. Illiya nods to Nawain. Anuril holds a single finger up to his closed lips and gives his head a slight shake while leveling a firm stare at Kethrai. Kethrai says to Anuril, "Oh, right. Um. His position's just honorary, come to think of it." Cryle says, "There is no spy division." Illiya chuckles at Kethrai. Anuril gives a slight nod. Nilme says, "Is exactly what a spy would say." Kentara says, "There is no spies." Illiya grins at Nilme, her dimples flashing into view. Zersha grins at Nilme, her dimples flashing into view. Nilme grins. Cryle says, "Actually." You giggle at Nilme. Cryle pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Cryle says, "As a spy, I tell people I'm a spy ALL the time." Vaerek nods to Cryle. Soovie whispers something to Sestiva. Golameth shudders. Kethrai says, "True, she does..." Nilme grins. Zersha chortles softly at some secret joke. Elore adjusts the fit of her black cricket. You laugh! Cryle quietly says, "Someday someone will believe me." Nilme grins at Cryle. Illiya adjusts her cotton apron. Gwenddolyn grins at Tekhelet, her dimples flashing into view. Kethrai says, "So, I'm torn. Pineapple Pickup does sound like a great delivery service. But it also sounds like a great cocktail." Anuril laughs! You nod at Kethrai, in complete agreement with his views. Anuril nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Rileos chuckles. Gwenddolyn chuckles at Kethrai. Illiya asks Kethrai, "Why not both?" Xionara turns the page of her thin cookbook. Cryle grumbles. Kethrai says to Illiya, "Free cocktail with every delivery." Xionara reads her thin cookbook. Illiya nods at Kethrai, obviously agreeing with his views. Tystreith gnaws on his lip. Cryle asks Kethrai, "Must you ruin good things with alcohol or caffeine?" Tystreith guzzles down some of his fratvarit and then smacks his lips and wipes them with his sleeve. Kethrai nods to Cryle. Cryle gets a bright yellow chenille pineapple with a green-leaved top tied by a red ribbon from inside her tinker's pack. Rileos runs his fingers through his hair. Brandishing a bright yellow chenille pineapple with a green-leaved top tied by a red ribbon, Cryle winds up and whaps Kethrai upside the head! Illiya takes a sip of her lemonade. Cryle puts her pineapple in a crimson seabag with leather straps. Sestiva says, "Before we announce the winners of Glaes Spatula 449, I would like to share that the presentation of awards will be done tomorrow as to give us time to properly prepare everything. A table with all the competitor's dishes will also be accessible at that time as well." Nilme grins at you. Zersha beams at Sestiva! Cryle meditatively rocks back and forth on the soles of her cavalier boots. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Sestiva. Gragnel nods. Illiya beams! Vaerek exclaims, "Pineapple Pickup to get all your island needs!" You nod to Sestiva. Cryle asks, "The uncooked version, I hope?" Anuril lets out a hearty cheer for Sestiva! Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Tystreith takes a sip of his fratvarit. Cryle says, "It's less congeal-y..." Soovie says to Cryle, "We, will consider that request." Tystreith takes a sip of his fratvarit. Zersha giggles a little oddly. You grin. The tips of Tystreith's ears take on a slightly rosy hue. Cryle nods. (Kethrai finishes off his Prydaen-style IC-POP with a *crunch*.) You giggle at Kethrai. Sestiva says, "This will happen tomorrow [OOC: Sunday, August 4th at 4:00pm Central Time]. If a winner isn't available at that time, we will deliver their award to them instead." Cryle says, "No littering required." Cryle nods to Kethrai. Sestiva says, "Without further ado.." Nawain shifts her weight. Gwenddolyn leans forward. Sestiva exclaims, "In third place!" Kalinandra grins at Golameth, her dimples flashing into view. Nawain gazes at Sestiva. You angle your ears forward in curiosity. Sestiva exclaims, "Chef Nawain highlighted icemint with their goat cheese and icemint golden-brown cake balls!" Tystreith lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! You beam at Nawain! Zersha lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain beams! Illiya lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! You let out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Zekai looks at Nawain and applauds! Ysindre lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Cryle applauds. Elore praises Nawain. Nilme lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Vaerek applauds. Gragnel exclaims, "Go, Team Cleric!" Gragnel lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Sestiva exclaims, "Congratulations to Chef Nawain on placing Third at this year's Glaes Spatula!" You exclaim, "Congratulations!" Nawain giggles at Gragnel. Tekhelet lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Nawain beams! Golameth lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Gwenddolyn applauds. Kalinandra gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Raising her Firulf's moonshine to Nawain, Elore gives her a toast. Soovie lets out a hearty cheer for Nawain! Elore takes a sip of her moonshine. Vaerek says, "Cookin clerics." Anuril gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Illiya beams at Nawain! Sestiva exclaims, "In Second Place!" Sestiva exclaims, "Congratulations go to Chef Mavekaelaja who showed deep creativity and effort to highlight rat root in their rat root pasta pockets filled with shark and bleu cheese!" Gwenddolyn applauds. Nawain gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Nilme applauds. Ysindre applauds. Illiya applauds. You applaud. Tystreith gets an impish expression on his face, and lets out a hearty cheer. You beam! Vaerek applauds. Kethrai lets out a hearty cheer for Sestiva! Cryle is hugging herself. Elore gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Anuril applauds. Zekai applauds. Kalinandra gets an impish expression on her face, and lets out a hearty cheer. Elore takes a sip of her moonshine. Kethrai looks at Gragnel and applauds! Soovie grins. Kethrai applauds. Tekhelet applauds. Soovie says, "And it's my pleasure to announce the winner of today's competition." Tystreith takes a sip of his fratvarit. Kethrai applauds. (Cryle rocks back and forth, muttering something about mice balls and noodles and pockets.) Anuril observes Soovie with fascination. Gragnel raises an eyebrow. The tips of Tystreith's ears take on a slightly rosy hue. Vaerek rubs his hands together. Cryle breathes very slowly and looks much calmer. Kalinandra grins at Golameth, her dimples flashing into view. Soovie says, "Chef Allye, who prepared for us a delicious dessert: a jade tea and motherfruit apple custard topped with burnt sugar." Illiya beams at you! What a warm feeling! Ysindre looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Tystreith looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Zersha looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Kethrai looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Nawain looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Elore praises you. Zekai looks at you and applauds! Anuril looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Nilme looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! You perk up your ears happily. Cryle looks at you and applauds! Tekhelet applauds. Nilme beams! Illiya looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Gwenddolyn looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Gragnel looks at you and applauds! Gwenddolyn applauds. Vaerek looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Anuril applauds. Anuril waves a felt pennant embroidered with the slogan "Taffelberry True!" in bright purple thread around. Anuril screams! Kentara looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! Illiya exclaims to you, "A new dish for your menu!" Soovie exclaims, "Your presentation was outstanding!" Shh'oiyvh-ur Ograth Elizzibiana jogs north. Sestiva says, "A wonderful showcase of the deliciousness of motherfruit apples." You beam at Soovie! Desert Dancer Zersha goes north. You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Illiya. Gwenddolyn praises you. Anuril chants in a baritone voice: "All-ye! All-ye! All-ye!" Kethrai gives Anuril a friendly nudge as he brushes his tail against his waist. Vaerek chuckles at Anuril. Hebion looks at you and applauds! Anuril coughs. Anuril blushes, the tips of his ears turning a deep shade of red. Xionara looks at you and lets out a hearty cheer on your behalf! You beam! Soovie chuckles. Nilme beams at you! What a warm feeling! Sestiva says, "With a nod to Nawain for their highlighting of the motherfruit ingredient." Sestiva smiles. Kethrai chants in a baritone voice: "All-ye! All-ye! All-ye!" Soovie says, "A marvelous showing by all today, thank you much chefs." Tystreith stands up. Nawain beams! Kethrai nods to Anuril. Vaerek says to Anuril, "Togball cheer." Elore sings in a mezzo-soprano voice: "For she's a jolly good fellow! which nobody can deny" Anuril grins at Kethrai. You giggle. Tystreith bounces around happily. Tekhelet beams in loving admiration at Nawain! Sestiva says, "You're all truly a group of deeply talented chefs." Anuril nods to Vaerek. Cryle applauds. Sestiva says, "And culinary enthusiasts." Gwenddolyn says, "Congrats to all." You perk up your ears happily as you gaze at Nawain. Nawain exclaims, "It's Enelne's apple. We should thank her!" Nawain nods. Soovie exclaims, "Thank you for sharing your culinary talents with us today!" Nawain whispers a prayer from her mouth into the wind, certain it will reach Enelne's ear. Illiya beams at Soovie! Nawain leans back against Tekhelet with a loving smile. You exclaim, "Thank you for hosting this for us, Soovie and Sestiva!" Illiya exclaims, "Thank you both for holding this contest to discover new foods and flavors!" Elore says, "Thanks for hosting! This was a nice distraction." Nawain praises Sestiva. Illiya rubs Elore in a friendly manner. Sestiva exclaims, "Hopefully we'll all get to see you tomorrow for the presentation of awards and sampling of the competitor dishes!" Gwenddolyn waves. Nilme smiles. Light of the World Gwenddolyn goes north. Soovie nods to Sestiva. Elore raises her hand in a quick salute. Golameth applauds.