faderift | The secrets in the snow

That shriek is always why Korrin has to do it, that and the laughter. She grins, savoring a moment of silliness while they have it and aren't forced to dwell on the grim realities that the Inquisition is facing. "Have some mercy, kadan. I couldn't help myself, not after you rewarded me so. Besides, I think it well worth the risk."

No stampede so far, that she can tell. Korrin will take the lack of panicked noises as a good sign.

And that broad smile lingers as she's definitely in the mood for a kitchen takeover. "Definitely cooking. I'm grateful for Burly and his friends, but half the fun is creating something with you. Something that can put us in mind of warmer places far away from all this snow." Which is to say that those Castilean dishes are definitely welcome, of course. They may not be able to visit Araceli's homeland in the flesh, but at least they can manage it through cuisine.

"There is no mercy in duels, only blood." First blood but you gave a dragon's tooth to someone with a talent for being dramatic who can be selective with the truth so this is the life you chose Korrin. What if a nuggalope fell over and crushed everything? Or those dracolisks, perhaps they're the assassins of the mounts, able to silently devour everything in panic as a survival mechanism, who knows.

Seriously, can you fully trust people that ride dracolisks or are they hiding some sort of secret deep down? So far applications would suggest you cannot.

Commandeering the kitchens sounds like just the thing she'd like to do to though so she gestures for Korrin to lead on. "What are you in the mood for? Savoury? Sweet? Small things or an actual meal? I need to know how much shooing out of the kitchen is about to be required of me and if I need to set the rapiers down on the table to make a point." Only joking, the Tal-Vachefs always seem relieved to have people that know and love spices around, and she helps out when she's got some free time to pick up some kitchen gossip anyway so she isn't just freeloading. "I don't know if they'll have much fish left so that might change when we get in there unless you've scouted ahead."

"So melodramatic, it makes me swoon." She moves as though to do just that, but stops herself in time, having no desire to crush Araceli. That would almost certainly ruin kitchen time, and they can't have that.

Straightening, she offers an arm as they approach the kitchen side entrance. Araceli's questions have her tilting her head in thought, savoring all the options. It's enough to rouse her appetite just thinking about it. "How about a big, spicy meal? As much spices as we can get away with, and then we can leave some as compensation for taking over for a while. And I haven't done any scouting. Probably should have, but I just had to find you first."

After all, if Araceli wasn't in the mood for cooking, there wouldn't be any point.

"Remember I won't catch you if that happens." Since she absolutely can't do more than help support Korrin if she's sick or wounded, there's no point even making the attempt to do it.

Taking the offered arm, it gives her time to consider what they're about to get up to in there. "I can give them some of my stash to make up for what I use, then put in enough to get them to order and set some aside with the merchants for next month. Hopefully when things are more settled in Orlais supplies might be easier to come by for a few things." Ordinarily, spices to give meals actual flavour aren't something Araceli would ever have called a luxury item but in this part of the world, apparently so. "If they don't have fish I can use chicken for what I'm going to make, and you don't need to know what it is to help make it."

Again, watch her dodge eating dark meat as much as possible because sorry there is very little about it that she will ever enjoy unless she's trying to make rations more exciting.

"Tsk, so unfair. You can swoon on me anytime." Which Korrin loves and would never discourage, she just likes poking fun at the occasional ridiculousness of that their height and build differences present. It's nothing she would ever want to change for either of them, of course. They're perfect as is.

"Orlais is probably going to take its sweet time in getting settled, so I'll try to see what we can get from up north, too. Even if it's an expensive hassle, it's still worth it to have decent cuisine at least sometimes." Thank the Maker that they both come from lands where spices are celebrated and essential. Korrin's not sure she could ever truly bond with someone who was set on Ferelden levels of blandness. It hurts the soul to think about it. "Knowing your skill and excellent taste, I'm happy to go in relatively blind. Tama's always saying I should learn to do more, so no wonder she thinks you're a good influence."

Never shack up with someone who can't cook, as Tama tends to say. Korrin luckily has remembered some recipes to perfection, it's just a matter of getting her to branch out.

"We each have our challenges in life. Store your blessings in your holster for when you need them." That's some Felix Bonaventura wisdom right there for free, you're welcome. The old man is twirling his moustache with pride whenever she parrots that particular one back since it numbered among her least favourite in her teens.

At some point, Araceli hopes there might be a need to go north again even if she's maybe been spoiled compared to most what with two trips to Antiva and one to Rivain all with the Inquisition. She even got to see Tevinter too though not even Korrin knows that one. "How did you grow up as you did without always being asked to do this and that around something like a kitchen or a fire? We were always having to do something when I was little in my mother's brothel, even on my father's ship they would find me a box." She was a very small child Korrin, as you can probably imagine. "So much is making do, substituting and adding and playing around with it. Not difficult."

Says the girl who cooked regularly for a building full of people from her mid-teens but moving swiftly on as she lets the smell and heat of the kitchens hit her, squeezing past one tall grey chef to start poking about. "Can you see about spices for me? Pick your favourites but only one really hot one, I need to see what I actually have to work with for meat before I can start."

That saying prompts a smile from Korrin, who will commit that to memory for later. At least she has plenty of blessings to choose from, Araceli's presence being responsible for a good portion of them.

Nodding to the request about spices, she begins scanning the higher shelves for her usual favorites. There will be at least one strong addition, guaranteed, but Araceli's cooking is such that Korrin tends not to need more than that, anyway. "Oh, I was asked to do things around camp. That was as much of a kitchen as we had without visiting Tama. She put down roots, so she built herself up a huge one, as you've seen. But my parents were always on a job or on the road, so there wasn't a lot of time to teach me more than the simplest, most efficient things. Whatever I know that isn't 'roast it over a fire' is almost certainly because of Tama. She's the one that insisted I know how to make banana bread, and that spiced wine."

Memories of bonding with her grandmother over food bring out a fond smile, as she gathers what's needed to set on the worktable. "You on a box is an adorable image, I gotta say. If I'd known you back then, I would have let you cook atop my shoulders. The ceilings a bit too low to try that now, though."

Ducking under Kalla's arm, Araceli hums to make sure Korrin knows she can hear her as she gets to work hunting through where they keep the meat. Hearing about Korrin's childhood on the road is always interesting, trying to picture it in her mind from what she does know about Thedas from the places she's seen herself or the illustrations in the books she reads in the library. The hardest part is trying to imagine Korrin's height since the best she has to work with is Kas who already tops Araceli by a good half a foot as it is but some of the rest she can fill in. "Cooking is a big thing for us, we're on a port, we can get almost everything if we have the coin for it. Speaking of, Kalla you know I'm good for it, mark it agains me and we'll settle up tomorrow?"

Please excuse her for some intense haggling over the price of fish but dammit Kalla she was the one who went to Adelaide about mages freezing fish in the first place, has she not earned these fish? Damn right she has earned the fish.

"Some day you should make banana bread when we're going to a terrible place so we can be very smug." You know, the way Araceli sits and puts spices on her food in front of the scouts or soldiers, or sits and eats whole chili peppers in front of them to prove her dominance. "You didn't know the cook in the brothel though, we had to behave in there. Cooking was practically sacred. Knew just where to get you with her towel if you weren't doing as she told you."

But here she is, triumphant with her fish, so hopefully Korrin has the spices so she can begin.

Korrin smiles at the haggling, knowing Araceli will always get the best deal she can manage. It's always entertaining to just listen to her at work, getting the upper hand with that silver tongue of hers. Granted, it's for a good cause, so the Vashoth woman doesn't feel at all guilty. They'll share whatever they don't eat, anyway.

"She sounds a lot like Tama, making sure that everything has to be just so. I'm not sure she'd call it sacred, not in words, but it's always been obvious that preparing and serving food right is an important part of life. It can be easy to forget, when we're busy trying to keep the word from falling apart, but moments like this are a good reminder of what it should be like."

Taking the time to make their meal and taking the time to enjoy it is good for the soul. Tama might have said that but even if she didn't, Korrin would have felt it. "I'll bring the banana bread, if you bring the chili peppers. Their faces when you eat those in front of them are always priceless."

One day come watch her when the stores are low. Less pretty, more mercenary, slipping in and out of her own language depending on her mood and how intense it gets. If she had her own way and her own kitchen instead of having to share this communal Inquisition bullshit then things would run smoother but no, she must share, and that means she has to deal with such things.

"A lot of things are sacred to my people," Araceli shrugs as she slaps the fish down on a chopping board to get to work, clearly comfortable with this part. "We would never eat whale unless the whole of Castileos were starving, we only use the bones and teeth when we find them washed up on the shores after other things have picked them clean." That's just one example of many but there are other little things she could mention that they do or don't do, expressions of love, of giving a part of yourself that maybe she doens't need to.

Korrin ate her food before she went away and then she came back for First Day and the rest is history as they say.

"Of course. Speaking of - can you start mixing the spices? If anything needs ground or cut too then we should have that done so it's ready to go when the fish are good."

"Good point. I'll get on that pronto." Korrin gets a bowl and a chopping block after a quick moment's search, snagging a knife as well. Anything more than that can wait, if it's needed. Quickly sorting out what can just be dumped into the bowl for mixing from what needs attention, she gets to work with a quick hand. Tama taught her well how to prep ingredients, and muscle memory kicks in without a hitch.

"Would that we had our own kitchen, eh? Imagine what we could do if we didn't have to share or kick people out just to make good use of this. I know, we're lucky just to have a room in Skyhold at all instead of cramped into the barracks or one of those tents. Allow me this moment of greed."

To be fair, their room was little more than a hole in the wall when first claimed. It took energizing debris and some significant handiwork to make it more livable. In its present condition, it would have been snagged for some visiting dignitary or noble instead. As it is, mysteriously no one has asked them to move. She's not sure if it's her presence, Araceli's or Lux's. Maybe all three.

It takes a little while for Araceli to reply since she has to go grab a bucket for the guts and the scales, and the fish heads. Not that anyone is going to throw them out since something in Skyhold is going to eat them, be that some of the strays, some of the rats that inevitably end up in all places where people are if they can spare the poison, or perhaps the dracolisks. You could probably feed anything to a dracolisk and it wouldn't grumble or bat an eyelid.

"My place is small. Artist district so not much money unless you have a patron and of course, I am not an artist in a way that invites any sort of patron so I have a small home. A bedroom that has a curtain, a bathroom that has a door. Everything else is a big room but that is my kitchen and not all places have that since some just have a tiny space for a kitchen so you can have more space for whatever else. I picked my place just for the kitchen." Obviously she's talking about her own home, not the palace quarters she has but the place she moved to when she moved out on her own, the one she still keeps because it's handy to have it, because she'd miss it.

Because again, as much as she gets free run of the palace kitchens far more than Skyhold's, she misses having her own where she gets to dictate everything.

"Once the spices are all done, if you add a few drops of oil? A few. We can add more if we need to but we can't take it back out if there's too much." There's a little bit more authority in her voice, the same way there is when she gives a climbing lesson but she's not yelling the way she does if people just try to do things alongside her unannounced. Delegation is key. That dealt with, she looks up for a moment and laughs. "I sleep in tents when I must, I would break into rooms if I had to stay in tents here, or the barracks. I am used to a certain level of comfort."

"Will do, kadan. Don't worry, it won't be swimming in oil." Korrin's an efficient chopper/grinder, so it shouldn't be too long before she's ready for more. Still, she doesn't rush herself. Tama always impressed on her the fact that if something's worth doing, it's worth doing right. No sloppiness or cutting corners, even if it takes longer.

That laugh is always music to Korrin's ears and she flashes a grin back at her love. "The barracks aren't much better, Araceli. Have you seen the single rooms? They're practically jail cells, only difference being actual doors instead of bars. Not even windows. That would eat at me. No matter how cramped the room is, there has to be a nice view. Besides, I can't imagine you with a room you couldn't climb into whenever you please." Just one entrance/exit, where's the fun in that.

When she notices one of the elven workers watching her, she beckons the man over with the knife to demonstrate slowly with the second fish, cutting off the conversation for a while, more gesturing at Korrin's work, then at a pan. All in a low enough voice not to ruin it yet but enough so he knows what she's doing and how he might do it himself if he wants to. Cooking is meant to be shared after all and she can write this one down for him later on anyway but he seems satisfied enough to thank her and slip away again.

"Why would I go to the barracks?" Does anyone they know live in the barracks? Probably they do but Araceli thrives on being busy as well as being damn good at pretending she doesn't know the schedules of as many people as she might need to so there. "I still need to get time to paint more of the door. It's handy enough so people know exactly where to find us but it's very boring. Almost done with the spices? The fish is good to go, I need to let the marinade sit while I do the next bit."

Araceli's instruction provokes a warm smile from Korrin, unsurprised that her kadan as giving in knowledge as she is in meals. Such knowledge can be passed on, increasing the chances that southern Thedas won't have to suffer under their typical cuisine. It's an uphill battle in the south, but still. When Araceli gestures at her own work, Korrin makes sure not to block their audience's view, even slowing her chopping down a bit so it can be seen better.

"...chasing after Lux, maybe? Don't tell me he doesn't get his nose into everything around here." To be fair, Korrin readily encourages this when she isn't wearing him around like a stole. Without a Red Jenny to keep people distracted from doom and gloom, a mischief-making fox is definitely helpful there. "Hm...I think we need an aban-ataashi on the door, to go with the sea theme. The merchant just came in with some new paints, too; on the expensive side, but high-quality stuff."

Dumping the rest of her chopped ingredients into the bowl, she mixes them thoroughly and then reaches for the oil to add a few drops before mixing it further. Once she's satisfied with her work, Korrin nods and begins putting the jars back in their place. "It's all set, kadan. Just the scent is starting to get me hungry; I'm going to be starving by the time we're finished."

"He'd only go if girls live there, girls that would feed him." Better for him to prowl around the library, the kitchens, the gardens or the healing tents since there's usually someone there that'll take pity on him or fall for his 'oh I am so sad and Araceli never feeds me' act. Frowning, she looks up from setting the fish in the bowl with the spices, rubbing the mixture in carefully since she doesn't want to wait as long as she usually would if she was back home doing this. "What's aban? I don't-- I don't think I know that word."

At least it only takes a few minutes to cook, she knows that well and it does give her ideas for if her and Korrin go away somewhere. She'll just need to know how hot magical fire burns first but that's for another time. Washing her hands once she's done, she starts sorting the vegetables to pad out the rest of the meal, halving them neatly between her and Korrin. "The peppers need to be cut into strips, I'll quarter the tomatoes. Once that's done I heat the pan until the oil is near smoking and then I throw everything in, sear on both sides until it flakes easily and we're done. If you have a little oil and spices by a river or the sea? Something you can make without a proper kitchen."

"Aban means 'sea'; aban-ataashi is a sea dragon, attracted to the surface during lightning storms and shooting bursts of it at their prey. I've seen one before, at a distance. It took down a large ship with no problem, snapped it in half just like that." Korrin snaps her fingers, repressing a shudder at the memory. Thank the Maker she was on land at the time, instead. "They're also called 'cetus' by humans, but that just doesn't have the same ring to it."

Okay, so it's not anything that she would ever recommend seeking out, but Korrin can't help but feel an affinity for a creature that uses her favored element. They're majestic in their own way, certainly worthy of an illustration on a sea-themed door. "...we should have a whale, too, shouldn't we? The Outsider would like that."

Nodding at the instructions, she wipes off her knife before starting in on the peppers. There's the temptation to just pop a piece into her mouth as she's cutting, but she decides to restrain her appetite, only wanting to savor it all when they've earned the right. "I can almost taste it already, kadan. And I usually try to keep some spices on me when we head out, but remind me about the oil, too. It's infinitely better than making do with field rations, that's for damn sure."

Edited 2017-02-11 15:52 (UTC)

"So many of your words have 'a' sounds, more than the other vowels." Which...okay she doesn't really know why she feels the need to point that out but she's noticed it, trying to pick up bits and pieces of the language without embarrassing herself. (Thanks Taas.) "We have tales of things like that. Swallowing seven ships whole, or storm hags who ride the lightning but I would give many things to see it for myself. If you haven't told The Outsider, you absolutely must. This is why people need to look beyond the edges of their countries - how many other things out there are there? Where were you when you saw it?" Totally casual Korrin, nothing at all to worry about here she isn't going to suggest that maybe actively looking for one would be a really hot date activity.

But she would also be down for hunting and exploring a ghost ship so you get to pick the nightmare fuel. "I know what it looks like in my head when it's all done. All manner of things dear to the sea on our door with the moon and stars up at the top, and if I can find people willing I'm replacing the handles with something shaped more appropriately. I have seen some places in Orlais with more elegant door knockers and handles so I should be able to find a craftsmen when the rest of the work is done." That's a surprise so guess what you don't get to know what it is.

"I always have oil for my hair. Not the expensive scented kind should we be attacked or forced to leave in a hurry but the same oil can work in a pinch if I'm forced to. Mix it with some salt or sugar too if you can and you scrub your skin with it to clean up without drying yourself out." This is Araceli's mother talking, all the wisdom from the trips she made as a bride before and after Araceli came into her life as she makes short work of the vegetables then retrieves a large heavy frying pan then the fish, carefully pouring in the oil not soaking into the fish into it. "If you can bring all the vegetables over when you're done then grab some plates? We'll be ready. Well that and something to drink unless you've stashed that too."

She raises an eyebrow, smirking. "'Something shaped more appropriately'? I can't wait to see it now. And no, I didn't stash anything ahead of time, but the cellar's just across from the kitchen. Tell me what you're in the mood for and I'll fetch it in a moment." Korrin isn't in a strong mood for any particular vintage, and she naturally trusts her kadan's good taste about wine pairings. Or if it's something other than wine, she can live with that, too. At any rate, those peppers are efficiently chopped after she forces herself to shut up for a few moments, upon which she promptly brings them over before reaching for plates.

"Hm, I might have to try that out while we're here, to see how good a temporary substitute that would be for horn balm. Anything non-drying is worth a try. I never seem to have enough balm left by the time we make it back to the cold mountain air." And then the itching is driving her crazy and she has to be told to stop scratching, like a child. Having horns isn't always glamorous.

"I told him on the way to meet you in Rivain, I think? I'm pretty sure. Anyway, it happened off the coast of the Free Marches, on the island of Estwatch. There are no major landmasses east of it, just open ocean. If the aban-ataashi are plentiful there, then no wonder most people haven't bothered seeing what's beyond. A shame, that. I've always been curious about what's past Thedas." The farthest she's gone has been to the edge of the Sea of Ash, for a job. None of the rest of her company were as interested, so that curiosity didn't have a chance to blossom...and then the explosion sidetracked all thoughts of traveling beyond, for now. Maybe one day.

Unlike almost everyone else, she can never show Korrin her home. Only approximations. Only what things she can fashion that are close enough or that remind her in some way that usually come with an explanation that she wouldn't require and she gets it. Because she's from another world but sometimes she's envious of people who can just see a thing and know it and belong. But if it passes then…No. The thought is pushed aside with a wrinkled nose. "No wine, I only drink it if I have to." Pel knows that better since more of their outings have involved talking about it but if given the choice, she'll pass on the wine. "Watered rum is fine for me, it won't overpower the food."

The pan hisses away, forcing Araceli to raise her voice to be heard above it once she adds everything in. "You know that one day I'll make good on the threats sirena and find someone to stitch mittens to your clothes to stop you doing that. It makes it worse. Oil might be too thin for it but one or two are thicker, especially if you kept them colder." The chefs might know, she'll pester them about it the next time she uses this shortcut, she decides as she prods the vegetables around then carefully flips the fish to sear the other side.

"Then that is where I want to go one day. All the way out there with enough supplies, someone who might draw up a map, those who are unafraid of open water or nothing but the horizon." She has made plans you see, her and Christine, it would be a shame not to follow through on them at some point. It's a good thought to see her through to finishing the meal up and plating it with a grin, holding it out for Korrin. "Do you have somewhere in mind?"

"Hey, I can't be a badass with mittens! That's just unfair. And watered rum, it is." Korrin disappears briefly to fetch it, though leaves the door open because if there's anything she loves as much as Araceli's cooking, it's her voice and stories. She strides back in with a bottle, fetching glasses and a carafe of water. Once everything's set up, she grins back and takes that plate. What a heavenly scent.

"There isn't a lot of information about what's beyond, but I'd like to find out more about my heritage. I've love to see if my race has any members that aren't up their own asses about the Qun. It could be that they're all awesome and got sick of Qunari shit and exiled them. Or maybe they're gone, but at least there might be something left of them." It's a gamble, and she knows it might not end with anything worth being proud about, but the thought of tracking down a heritage that might just have more to it than blind conformity is appealing.

For a few moments, she's actually silent, pure contentment on her face as she samples the fish. Now this is well worth the wait, not that it even took that long. "You spoil me, kadan. I love it."

Korrin, allow Araceli to present to you the blankest of stares as she stands here with a plate in either hand as someone comes to fetch the pan to wipe it out since near every pan in Skyhold is improved with each meal cooked in it, and whatever flavour is left in it won't hurt what gets cooked in it next. Perhaps the mind of a Fereldan will be expanded slightly.

"That's right, there is so little about Qunari in anything written. Likely by design on the part of the Qunari, and much of it is from the Chantry but even so...I would expect--" She sighs quietly, the usual sort of frustration from sessions in the library that go nowhere very far. "I would expect something at least. I would be glad to help if I can be of use. Even if it's getting a better price out of sailors since I know all their tricks and I know they'll always try to overcharge you for some reason or another."

Now that they're elsewhere (and because he can smell food better than a shark does blood in the water) Araceli doesn't get a chance to answer before Lux appears, flopping over at her feet. "Ladrón you will wait your turn. Gracias sirena, I'm glad you're enjoying it." Guess what Lux she's going to enjoy her first bite extra, just for you.

As Lux arrives on cue, Korrin laughs gently. "I can't blame him for the impatience, it'd make anyone with taste have a sudden appetite. C'mere, I've a piece for you." Seeing as how she got in a first bite, Korrin doesn't mind taking a little from hers to distract him from Araceli, holding it open in her palm for him to take before returning to her meal. She has better manners than to eat with her mouth full, but it's a war between large satisfying bites and smaller ones that allow her to talk more.

"Thanks, kadan. There's no 'if'; I'm sure you support would make or break a mission like that. I've sailed, but I'm not of the sea as you are. Just imagine the bragging rights we'd have when we return, eh? To go so far and live to tell about it...it would make us legends." But mostly she's thinking about her family, and what it would mean to tell them about what they experienced. Tama, Mom, Dad...they would have that connection they've been lacking ever since leaving the Qunari.

Making a noise in her throat, Araceli gestures at him with an aggrieved sigh. "You are as bad as Leandra and Rajani. Not so bad as Brunilda." Lux wags his tail so hard his whole body wiggles, taking it carefully since the only person he snatches from is Araceli. She points at him with her fork, narrowing her eyes. He yawns hugely and rolls over on his back, paws in the air.

Guess what, she's still going to let him sleep in the bed tucked up against her.

"Provisioning it would be the most difficult part, and then more for what we would drink than anything else since we might not be able to rely on finding islands to refresh ourselves, to trade with and take on new supplies. There is always something in the sea to eat if you have the patience. And becalmed would be more dangerous than the storms." Her voice drops to a low murmur, making her sound more like her father when he's been planning something and peering out over the map and into the horizon with the compass in his hand but she can live with that.

Aw, Lux. Korrin grins, unrepentant. "How can I deny him when he's all wiggly? It's impossible." As a child, she was never really denied much of anything, so for better or worse it's not in her encourage discipline. Araceli's welcome to that part. Any future that involves children will most likely have Korrin following in her parents' footsteps.

"Hm...I've heard of a spell to create a spring, but we'd need land for that. Plus, I'm absolute shit at Creation magic. We could always bring along someone who has a knack for it, though." It won't help them at sea, but should they find an island, it could be a lifesaver. "There is a good Primal spell, though; Wind-Weaving. It can make the winds stronger or calm them, if they're too strong. I can work on learning that, see how far it can take us. No idea if it'll affect something like a hurricane, but still...."

The secrets in the snow

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moving them outta the kitchen for reasons

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