Food for the Soul

Farro busied himself with the usual food preparations for the crew, recently augmented by the presence of Chief Mate Ael...no, Captain Aelindar's friends. Having crewed with him before the Highwind, sometimes it was easy for the cook to forget the boy was as competent as he seemed. Even now, occasionally it was difficult to remember the air of affable indolence was an affectation which usually served the young noble well. For a certainty, the ship's pantry was better stocked that any he'd been in, and his own coffers were fuller than he could remember as well. Clearly entering Lord Aelindar's service had been the correct choice.

As he mixed ingredients by hand in a large bowl, the Thantopolitan heard footsteps making their way towards the galley.

Delona's steps were louder and quicker then she would have liked, but she really couldn't bring herself to care at that particular moment. She was feeling edgy, which annoyed her, and couldn't pin down the cause, which annoyed her even more. And since she didn't feel like putting on a show in the freezing cold or drawing a crowd with her little harp, that meant she needed to eat or cook something Right That Minute.

Immediately upon darting inside and giving the room a quick once-over, the halforc leaned against the wall and sighed in relief. "Sweet sweet sanctuary. Hi, Mister Farro. Can I help with anything?"

"Delona," Farro exclaimed, happy to see one of the captain's most appreciative friends. "By all means, we can find you something to do."

He pulled his hands out of the mash, scraping the mixture off his hands as best he could while he looked around. He nudged open a few shelves with practiced ease.

"Well, it looks like we're running short of those shortbread cookies I made this morning; everyone's hungry in this cold. Care to indulge your culinary sweet tooth?"

"In the words of the almighty Roscoe, 'Woohoo'." Del's wide grin happily contradicted her deadpan tone. She unfastened her shirt and tied it around her waist by the sleeves before getting out one of the larger mixing bowls, leaving her in slacks and boots and the undershirt she'd taken to wearing for extra warmth.

"Can't say I'm surprised they're almost gone, you do make a mean shortbread. How big of a batch were you thinking, five cups flour or seven and a half?"

Farro didn't even stop to think before saying, "Better make it the seven and a half. Best to take advantage of the good sugar while we have it, and Yondalla knows this crew eats enough. Ispley alone can put back four bowls of this stuff," he added, gesturing to the large pot simmering beside him as he worked.

"So, you said 'sanctuary' earlier. Something I should be worried about?" His tone made it clear he wasn't expecting anything.

"Seven and a half it is." Delona immediately measured out the butter, setting it near the oven to soften just a tad while she measured out the appropriate amount of sugar for a triple-sized batch of Farro's delectable shortbread. Knowing the empty legs of this crew, it would probably be polished off within two days.

"Nah, it's nothing. I'm just feeling way too edgy for no discernible reason and it's too damn cold for katas so being here is the best way for me to settle down. Probably just picking up on T's annoyance with us. Wouldn't be surprised if Kal's feeling it to, I haven't seen her at all today."

"Well, you didn't get this from me, but on the subject of Kallista, I'm fairly certain the captain is entertaining a visitor." He waggled his eyebrows comically. "I know how much the captain eats, and that last request was an order for two."

"But, if you're feeling antsy, and not that I'm not thrilled for the company, is busy work in my kitchen really the answer? I'd imagine its not exactly thrilling to you adventurer types."

He indicated a container with his chin.

"Pass the bread crumbs there."

"ReEEally?" Delona raised her eyebrows and snickered while creaming the butter and sugar together. "Well there's a big surprise. I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from Not Surprised."

Farro's question, while perfectly valid, made his sometimes-assistant chuckle. Ah well, she didn't mind sharing. "What, you think I was born an adventurer?" The kanji of Halatir's dojo inked into a ring around her bare upper right arm would say otherwise to those who understood elduar culture well enough to understand the significance of Tattoos. "Kitchens are soothing. They're the real center of the household, not to mention being warm and full of food. Besides, I'm used to it; Master didn't allow servants in the dojo so we all learned to cook."

She stopped stirring before reaching over for the canister, knowing better then to continue without bracing the bowl, and slid it across the counter to him. "Bread crumbs, check." Judging the wet goods to be mixed well enough, Delona poured in the first cup of flour and began to fold it in. "So what's been going on since our last visit? Has Ispley nerved up enough to start courting that girl of his yet?"

"The boy is sixteen and as much afraid of that girl as he is in love with her. Goes on and on about how besotted he is, how she's the perfect woman, but I'd bet marks to muffins he's said maybe ten words to her. I guess visiting her in a library may contribute, but still."

Farro wiped his hands, scraping mash off on the side of the bowl. He rinsed his hands off in a wash basin, secured the bread crumb container, and began to make his way further into the galley as he continued.

"Ioli, on the other hand, has her eye-oli on her fellow apprentice, but I doubt the boy realizes it. She's a cute little thing, but the lad has eyes only for his librarian."

He returned with two bowls and several eggs. Setting the bowls on the counter with one full of eggs, he began to crack the eggs into the second bowl.

"Speaking of such, any interesting news for me? Your older friend has been spending a lot of time with Valandra aboard. Or what about that dapper young gnome you travel with? Perhaps you have some new beau you're dying to talk about?"

Farro smiled, giving Delona a good-natured wink.

"No bet, you'd win that one easily." Delona shook her head and chuckled over the kid's nervousness. "Honestly, I'd be impressed if he'd even introduced himself."

She groaned at Farro's pun on the other apprentice's name and shook her head at the teenaged drama. "Gods, such drama. That's one thing I do not miss."

"Oh, I doubt there's anything brewing between them. Dheni's still mourning his wife, poor guy. It's probably just shop-talk. Warryn doesn't talk about his personal life, mostly keeps to himself. Pity, he'd be a fun drinking buddy." Delona bursts out laughing at the last insinuation, having to pause in her measure-and-mix routine and push the bowl away as she tears up. "Oh wow. Thanks, Farro, I needed that."

"I don't doubt its funny. Level three in a few months; its a wonder you have any social life at all. Tell me the lot of you gets out more than these trips with us."

Farro poured bread crumbs into the waiting bowl and began to shape the mash into patties, which were dipped in egg and then breaded.

"Though, admittedly, some of your group is making more use of this social time than others."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Romance just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me right now. I'll not deny there are a few fellows who have caught my eye, but neither of them seem interested so there's no point in making any moves." Delona pulled the mixing bowl back over and poured in the last half cup of flour.

"And yeah, we make sure that no one stays shut up. Roscoe makes a point of dragging the whole team out to dinner at least once a week and those of us who are of the inclination to do so go bar-hopping. Most of us do volunteer work of one stripe or another between jobs."

She smirks in the direction of the Captain's cabin. "Well, you're gonna have some people more outgoing then others in any group. That's natural."