Festive Spectacle (Private/Shard)

By the gods it’d been ages – or felt like it – since she’d last been in Crocus. Trying to recall the last time, Mao came to the conclusion it’d been at least since the Café job where she’d ironically met her friend Aiyana. ’What a strange request that one was too,’ she thought on a sigh, still unsure what the allure of such places was. She figured it must have something to do with cute girls at this point, but the fact remained that they’d catered to what felt like a classroom of children rather than adults.

This time was purely for pleasure with a spot of shopping, the day a little sunnier than she might’ve liked, but the large and white fluffy clouds sometimes ghosted past the sun so the girl wouldn’t complain too much. What she hadn’t expected however was for what appeared to be a festival in the works. Banners of various colors lined many of the main streets ensuring one couldn’t walk a few feet without there being some colorful blocks of fabric dangling high above. Booths also cropped up, some promoting items from the shops right behind them with some wares laid out for the public eye, others people who traveled through the circuit of various festivities across the country – and some from beyond the borders – making their money from the overall good moods and atmospheres. Wandering minstrels and stationary bands provided entertainment for people to stop and admire or hum along as they eyed the other stations.

But oh, the smells! How they assaulted her nose, tantalizing the poor woman into confusion. Such festivities always lured out the restaurants and food carts to station themselves in their little strategic spots, people calling out to gain the attention of people who might need an energy pick-me-up from all the fun and heightened excitement. Having gotten a little tired of being bumped in the spontaneous swarms of people Mao took a break at the opening of an alleyway, shielding her tail away from some of the overly rambunctious children lest they try to pet and hug it as they’d been doing quite a bit today. She pulled down the hood from her jacket, sighing in a little relief as a cool breeze swept over the now free set of long ears and ruffled her wavy locks all too pleasantly. The satchel weighed on her shoulders a bit, a couple books now filling the once free space as she eyed some of the nearby carts and stalls. With so many confusing scents she really couldn’t decide though, everything a bit too mouth-watering with her empty stomach demanding everything and anything.

”And not a pork bun one in sight,” she bemoaned beneath her breath.

"No Pork buns you say? Well we can't be having that now can we?" said a voice from behind her. The voice belonged to a young red haired boy with a headband bound about his brow. He was pulling a small wooden stall with a clay oven on it. "I was planning to make hujiao bing, but if thats too spicy for your taste I can always just make some normal pork buns." Without waiting for an answer the young boy pulled his stall to the side of the street and moved behind it. With a gesture of his hand various ingredients appeared out of nowhere as well as some utensils and other necessities. "So spicy or none spicy. Customer's choice." He smiled broadly.

This young man was Magna Victus. A chef by trade, but also a mage hence the summoning of various ingredients and other bits. He had come to Crocus today to sell one of his favourite recipes. His customised Hujiao Bing and Faux Dan Zai noodles. He also had his custom Yacaibo. He'd done a lot of cooking recently. He'd even be named Iron Chef at Shuffle which gave him a bit of fame as a chef. "Or if you fancy something sweeter i've got an entire assortment of dishes made with the rainbow fruit from salads to roasts." He had quite a range of dishes. Fortunately, as part of the completion of the banquet at Shuffle he'd been awarded a substantial budget to get new ingredients for his research for next year's banquet. "So what do you fancy?"

The voice startled her, the girl ducking to the side as the young man passed her with a cart. It was…it was as if he’d simply ninja’d up behind her, though to be fair she’d been more focused on things in front of her than behind so perhaps her imagination ran away a little at the thought. Even more amazing was the sudden appearance of food, this boy possibly some sort of chefly magician, or at least held a few tricks up his sleeves as the latecomer immediately set into business. Things happened so fast that Mao blinked a few times as her brain sought to catch up to all that’d happened in such a short span of time, moving towards the other side of the cart. ”Um…either’s fine,” she stumbled out before her body jerked, ’Gah! That was stupid!’

Her mind was a bit muddled with all the options laid out before her, tongue curious for some new tastes even though she continued to crave the favorite above the rest. ”Sorry, I mean I’ll have five of both the spicy and non-spicy please. I’m curious to try the…’hujiao bing’ if it’s all right.” Hopefully that wasn’t too bad as she’d held back a bit, normally ready to order a couple people’s worth of food when it came to the delectable buns. Besides, the rainbow fruit sounded intriguing, and a touch of sweet might be a nice contrast to the spicy. Either way curiosity got the better of her, having never tried such fruit let alone heard of it, ”I know it might be an annoying request since it’s vague, but if you could make something sweet with the rainbow fruit I’d like to try that too. Whatever your favorite style of preparing it or dish might be please.” She tacked on a smile at the end, eyes starting to zero in on his hands as they began their work. One could almost see some sparkle of wonder at the potential show she might be treated too. Heavens knows if he could summon food at his whims, what else could he do?

Magna smiled and without a word began to prepare the hujiao bing and non-spicy pork buns. The hujiao bing used minced pork ribs, five spice, sliced onions and black pepper with a slight amount of mild sesame oil which they were fried in. Those together were put within an all-purpose flour bun and gently cooked in his clay oven. The non-spicy pork buns were essentially the same, but wihtout the five spice and a reduced amount of black pepper. The ribs had been minced and fried with the onions and other spices to give them a lot of flavour.  However, rather than frying them on anything on his cart he conjured up a flame in midair and placed his frying pan on that and heated them perfectly his ears and nose focused so he knew when they were ready. Whilst frying them he'd been rolling out and preparing the dough so that when the ribs and other ingredients were done he flipped them out with precision so they landed on the dough. This was then quickly wrapped up to form the buns which were then placed into the clay oven. With a snap of his fingers the oven ignited with a flame and the flame he'd been using for frying vanished.


Eventually, when the buns were done, he conjured up a small platter and placed the cooked buns onto it. "Careful they are still quite hot, but don't let get too cold now." he said and again the thought of having access to Jin's heat manipulation magic intrigued him. Using that he could remove just enough heat to make these perfect.

In terms of the rainbow fruit he knew exactly what to make and today he had access to much easier methods of making it then at Shuffle. With the glistening rainbow fruit that shone like an actual rainbow he seperated it using a special device reducing it into its seven component colours. These were then thickened various amounts and served in a glass. Due to the different specific gravities of the dishes the drink was red at the top and then slowly moved through the colours of the rainbow till it reached violet. It was a gradual transition like a true rainbow. There was also a glow about it. He smiled as he placed in the straw. "One Virgin Rainbow cocktail for the pretty young lady. I hope you like it"

Whilst he had been cooking more people had begun to gather around to see the live cooking spectacle. Seeing the chef cook was one that often whetted people's appetites particularly if it was done in a theatrical way. And what was more theatrical than cooking with magic? The smell of the spices and cooking meat was also a draw for people. However, what seemed to be catching most people's eyes was the rainbow cocktail due to its complexity and beauty and the clay oven itself because it wasn't something that was often seen.

"We've got hujiao bing, faux dan zai noodles, pork buns and for drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic rainbow cocktails as well as numerous other rainbow fruit based dishes." he said as he began to cook once more as people began to put in their orders.

It really did turn into a show, and the woman wasn’t the least bit disappointed as the man’s movements became edible poetry in motion. Mao could cook and it tasted fine – even though the best thing she could make were pork buns simply because she practiced that recipe the most – but to watch this fellow go at it left the woman who believed herself sufficient to feel as like nothing more than a novice. ’Then again…he does do this professionally, and a lot more often. I’m just as happy to let the cooks back at the guild do this for me more often than naught.’ She took solace in that fact, merely taking enjoyment at watching delectable delights crafted before her eyes rather than hidden away in a kitchen where the performance might be missed.

Gods, just smelling it she might’ve devoured the food right off the pan given a chance.

Nodding, Mao pulled the platter closer to the edge of the cart, carefully balancing it and yet letting the cycling air help cool it as she awaited the final part of the meal. The fruit lived up to its name as she watched the mysterious chef separate and then recombine the colors into the beautiful drink. It might as well have been a crime to drink it though, the drink alluring to the eye. She smiled as he put on a bit of the salesman charm, ready to inquire about the price when the growing crowd more or less pushed her aside as they formed a line, though somewhat disorganized as they all wanted to take a gander as the man prepared more food with a flare.

Unwilling to just up and leave not only with the platter, but without paying Mao sat down on a nearby crate that’d probably been there for some time anyhow. The food sat there on the plate, steaming in all its taunting glory as she lightly poked and prodded one of the buns periodically. Burning her mouth would merely ruin some of the deliciousness and pleasure of the meal, so dutifully she waited while occasionally blowing on one of the ones she’d seen crafted with the spices until finally the exotic eared mage felt it safe enough. A wave of oral pleasure spread across her taste buds unlike anything she’d had before, and the girl found a few vendors and restaurant chefs who could cook some decent buns! There was indeed a kick to it compared to the usual ones she devoured, but they didn’t coat her mouth in a fine layer of hotness that left everything else incapable of savoring.

Rather than scarfing it down in one go as instincts demanded she savored it, watching from her perfect little seat as the man went through each order with similar precision yet different movements with the differing orders. When things died down enough that she wouldn’t feel as disruptive to his work, Mao swallowed the bite, ”How much do I owe you by the way? Also…how long have you been cooking for? Your skill is amazing.”

"For you? Pay whatever you think they were worth" Magna said with a wink looking at her. "Without your help I would'nt of attracted so many customers. Besides I don't do this for the money. I'm just Happy to serve." The people he had cooked for today had paid substantially well for his food. As such he was pretty much happy with her paying nothing. She had helped him significantly. Sure his live cooking would of worked without her, but having a customer to serve helped him cook much better and thus his show was more impressive and thus more customers were attracted. It wasn't long after this that Magna snapped his fingers and all of the leftovers and utensils dissapeared leaving him with his cart.

"Sorry people. Out of ingredients for today. I should be back soon. Or if you really want some more of my cooking then feel free to come see me at the Black Rose guildhall." he said with a sigh and looked over at Mao. It seemed that she had enjoyed his food and the drink.

"So any complaints about the food? Too spicy?" he asked her curiously. She had been interested in pork buns and that was what he provided, but he also provided the hujiao bing and other food. As she had been so interested in pork buns she likely had knowledge of them so it was good to get her opinion.

The food was too delicious to go without giving something in return, even if her request brought in some of the initial patrons. It didn’t feel right, especially since Silabus taught her about tipping and how one should do so for especially for good service and more for exceptional. While the last few people were getting their orders she stuffed some jewels into the jar, a couple thousand since she still wasn’t sure on prices, but he’d provided something of a show alongside the meal and with a smile so it felt right. Besides the drink had been an exotic delight alone.

With the people dispersing after his announcement she placed the platter and glass gently onto the cart and watched it disappear with the same magic he’d summoned them in the first place. ’He must be one of their chefs,’ though she wondered if he was also looking to branch out of the guild’s mess hall, ’or maybe he just likes to cook for others?’ He did mention being “happy to serve.”

”Nothing worth complaining about. At worst one of the regular pork buns might’ve had a little more sauce content and even then it soaked into the bread nicely. The amount of sauce could be worth looking into I think,” she murmured the last part more to herself. The balance of both had been pleasant and she’d taken to switching off which type she ate until the inevitable issue of “which to eat last” came up. It’d been a struggle that’d resulted in coming down to the final halves, but ultimately she’d finished with the spicier one leaving its final impression. A small smile spread as she recalled it, ”I don’t mind spicy foods, but I’ve been to places that drown their dishes in so much spice that it feels more like they’re trying to burn a layer out of your mouth. I prefer being able to taste my food though so it was lovely how you achieved a perfect balance between kick in taste without it completely overpowering the senses. It also blended nicely with the refreshing taste of the drink.”

Recalling the odd fruit wiped the smile away, placed with avid curiosity and a hint of fascination as her agate green eyes met his golden ones, ”Where did you find the fruit though? I’ve never heard of rainbow fruit before…is it common someplace? What else can you do with it?” She could already imagine some people using it in baked goods not only for taste, but presentation as well.

"Aye. I've been to a few places like that though if the chef's know what they are doing then its a bit like this." he paused for dramatic effect perhaps, but also in that moment the money that was in his jar vanished. A magic trick? Or was it true sleight of hand? That wasn't clear, but if there was one thing that was clear it was that Magna was incredibly gifted when it came to speed and precision. "They begin sweating a lot, and their faces get red. It looks pretty bad, but somehow they become almost addicted to that spiciness and keep eating until their plates are empty. For some chefs seeing them pant after eating the dishes and begging for more is what drives them. Its something they can't get enough of. Their flavour is like a lightning bolt of spiciness quick and sudden and then all other flavour is lost" Suddenly he slammed his hand down on the cart with a big grin on his face.

"But in my kitchen that's not the way we do things. I don't want to see people addicted to spiciness. No, I want them addicted to the flavour. To have each and every bite be delicious, not just one big bite. To have each and every bite making them want more" he paused again this time summoning up a glass of what appeared to be ordinary milk, but it had a faint sparkle or glitter that often intrigued. This was a hint that it was no ordinary milk. "Food should be enjoyed and benefit the diners. That was why I created this Chateau Victoria. It not only satisfies your thirst, but fills you with energy to keep you going. Its perfect for workers after a long day and its quite popular at Black Rose." He paused and thought about that for a moment. Perhaps the Chateau Victoria helped mages more than others? Could it be restoring magic power or something like that?

"As for the rainbow fruit its a pretty expensive ingredient and quite rare. I got a few from a restaurant I entered a competition in.  Kind of a side effect of winning though I was more there to test out some new recipes." he shrugged and thought about the Rainbow Fruit. It was a beautiful fruit and full of sweetness. Its juice was so potent a single drop could turn a swimming pool into juice. "Though I have seen them growing naturally when I was travelling in Seven and Joya, though they are pretty rare even there. I've been considering trying to cultivate a tree to grow my own, but they are pretty big and I don't yet have the space"

"As for what you can cook with them. Well I tend to focus on using it for drinks and sauces, but i've used it in a vinagerette for salad dressing, a gelatin for a terrine and as a flavour additive for a soup. My friend Rei used it in a custard as well. Its most commonly used to make rainbow wine though." he shrugged again. It was a favourite gesture of his and probably the most common one he did excepting binding his brow with the headband or grinning with his usual 'Happy to serve' motto. "Its pretty versatile and one fruit is enough for a lot of dishes if prepared correctly. You've just gotta be careful that its sweetness doesn't overpower everything else. Otherwise I might as well just be a spice cook except i'd be using sweetness instead of spiciness."

Mao managed to avoid over analyzing whether or not the boy was quick or spirited the money away, mostly because she honestly couldn’t tell and to go down that rabbit hole might get a little maddening. It’d been her experience – much to her displeasure – that magicians didn’t reveal their secrets. The explanation towards spice cooks cleared up a few things even as it created another avenue of questions she probably wouldn’t pursue at this time. ’Maybe when their mouths become so scorched it requires a stronger stimuli in order to feel or taste anything, thereby increasing the need and desire for spicier foods. Everything else would begin to taste bland by comparison, though it still seems like a sad snowball effect.’ Granted some people became readily hooked so some people likely chose spicy foods merely for pleasure rather than from “tragic” events. She’d merely have to agree to disagree their philosophies.

’He certainly has a way with food,’ she started, jumping a little when he revealed a glass of glittery milk from seemingly nowhere. Now surely he didn’t hide such things on his person, but the how’s and why’s might go unrevealed all the same. Was it a personal edible invention of his? Why that name? And what did he do to create such an effect in it? The fellow was fascinating to say the least, some part of Mao itching to gleam as much as she could from him and yet she reigned in those instincts to fire questions a mile a minute, especially when he seemed to be on a relatively informative train of thought already.

Gods it was hard though. Most chefs didn’t cause her to produce this many questions, as fun as those little chats had been.

’He certainly cares about the final product though,’ she internally admired as he explained about the unique and apparently rare fruit, ’Does he envision a purpose behind the food? A sort of wish of what it might accomplish or do for the person who orders it?’ A curious notion when she’d considered cooking nothing more than one of life’s necessities and a regular job. Sure there already existed a lot of extras since only so much preparation was truly necessary, but he definitely considered taste on a higher level than she ever had before.

The mention of a dessert peeked her interest, already envisioning a little pudding type bowl of custard with various rainbow swirl designs stretching into infinity. So many ways it could be presented, though the idea of it decorating even a salad intrigued since it hadn’t crossed her mind to do such. Sometimes the oddity of adding “sweet” to other foods held little appeal or struck her as strange when she’d been so used to it cropping up in other categories. ’I suppose with the right balance a sweet salad could even be good…the one with little apple chunks didn’t look half bad.’ “I know what you mean,” she admitted, cringing a little and then hastened to add with a hint of panic, ”I mean the drink was delicious! Just the right amount! I’ve had smoothies however who’s sweetness was poorly balanced with the flavor of the fruits, and orange chicken dishes that clashed with the meat’s flavor, as if they’d tried to create a candy apple with it. Then again some of it’s also probably my taste buds since I’ve never been partial to the idea of overly sweet meat dishes.”

The closest she mostly came were certain pork buns, but even those held a hint of saltiness to it that helped prevent the sweetness from purely taking over either in the sauce or the bun. The idea though that one could do the same with sweet as spicy amused her, having never considered it an option. ’I suppose things that are too sweet tend to throw me off it…or I have to cut it with water or milk…but mayhap it’s an issue those with strong sweet tooth’s suffer?’

But her burgeoning curiosity couldn’t hide behind the dam of self-control forever: a few leaks were bound to happen. Or would it be leeks? Again her gaze zeroed in on him as she came down from her thoughts, a few piling out, ”If you don’t mind my asking, what is it that inspires you so? You create beautiful drinks, dishes that can help people, and do it with such vigor and enthusiastic actions it’s hard not to watch.” She couldn’t help it, also wondering how his answer might match up or differ from others who’d decided to resign themselves to her whims or simply go along with the trail of questions.

What inspired him? What made him want to cook dishes for his customers to make them happy and help them through life? To him it was a strange question. It was almost like asking a fish why they swam or a human why they breathed air. It was to him as natural as that. "I've cooked as long as I can remember." Magna replied as the beginning of his answer. "Helping mum in the kitchen or dad on the barbecue. Though I suppose the first time I saw my self as a chef was when I was in a gang." He paused wondering if she would think him some kind of hooligan for cooking with a gang. "Wasn't really much choice. Gang feud back on Silver Moon killed both my parents, collateral damage, one of the gang leaders responsible wasn't happy with innocent deaths and took me in saying all I had to do was be useful. So I honoured my parents and cooked."

In a way it was weird that he had cooked for someone who had been indirectly responsible for his parent's death, but his mother always used to say that it was a chef's responsibility to cook no matter the circumstances. "Mostly though it was to pay off my father's debt I think. I stayed longer than needed because they could get me any ingredients, but eventually I left to travel the world and hone my skills." He did not mention that he tried to find a rather rare ingredient that was said to be able to allow one to speak to the dead and another that allowed one to bring back the dead. That was information he had shared with no-one and everyone deserved their secrets.

"But to be honest I cook because in my heart I know it was what I was made to do. I cook beautiful and helpful things because in my mind a cook, nay a chef, should do their best to make everyone's lives a little better with each meal." he smiled and then said one more thing.

"But mostly I cook to see the smile's on people's faces. To make people happy is my greatest goal"

The answer boiled down to the most common one she received: he was “born” to do it. A lot of people who answered the question to such an extent held similar answers that could be translated into it being something they more or less inherited and found as natural as breathing. To suddenly stop would probably result in such people losing a large part of who they were. The fact that he’d lost the two most inspirational figures for this was very saddening, her ears drooping a little before they regained their usual standing with his last few statements.

A part of Mao envied these people however. They truly lived for their passions, and even if they sometimes ran into road blocks or hiccups that desire to persevere and love for the craft kept them going through it all. ’What would it be like to live with such passion?’ she pondered. The closest she likely got was in questioning these people, or any person really because people fascinated her immensely. For someone who severely lacked experiences she liked getting a glimpse into what comprised them and their natures, though sometimes it caused the girl to feel a bit like a leech. The basis of her knowledge on life came from primarily other people, her memories barely extending past a few months so even grasping emotions took some time. ’There’s a certain element I can’t resist though,’ she’d figured out during that first month especially, ’because a fictional character can only do as they’re told, but people truly live.’

His answer however made her smile, ”I know my opinion truly doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but that sounds like a wonderful goal.” The people today undoubtedly enjoyed his performance alongside the food, and heavens knows she’d enjoyed every last bite and every last wave of his frying pan. The smells offered one an idea of the treat they’d soon be enjoying, and even though she’d loved her meal Mao would probably find him at some point to try a few of the other delightful dishes she’d sniffed.

”You mentioned Black Rose’s guild hall,” the thought struck her, a more minor curiosity cropping up, ”Does that mean you now work for them when you’re not popping up at festivals?” He’d mentioned breaking off from that gang after all, but Mao shouldn’t have been too surprised for the mysterious fellow to have a sort of base of operations to return too. She’d only briefly imagined him as a wandering cart owner, she swore.

"My goal would be kind of pointless if I ignored people's opinions now wouldn't it?" he said with a smile. He was glad she had enjoyed his food and thought his goal worthy. He didn't really need anyone's approval on that. What he needed approval on was that he was acheiving his goal and her words confirmed this. "To a chef every opinion, like every life, matters from the youngest child to the eldest senior citizen, from the smallest insects to the largest giants. If only it was the same for others" It was a truth he lived by. He didn't kill people unless he had to for some reason. He never used poisoned food. He only fought if necessary and only killed an animal if he intended to use it for food. He rarely even tried to harm them unless he had to or they would be used for food. He knew how an injury could become bad and kill the creature anyway. It was best to not harm. Life was sacred, but life fed other lives. Hunters hunted, prey was preyed upon and ate plants or other smaller prey. It was a great circular chain of food.

"Black Rose is my home. Its guild hall was the former base of operations of my old gang. When I returned I honestly didn't even notice the change to the building or the island." he said with an embarrassed chuckle and the rub of the back of his head. "I tried to unlock the door, but my key didn't work. As it was about breakfast time I began cooking breakfast and thats when the guildmaster arrived." He raised the side of his top slightly revealing the white tatoo just above his waist. A white tatoo for a black rose. It was a rather odd choice. "And soon after I was part of the guild and soon after that part of team Kvasir united by the power of friendship and... red velvet cake." The last bit was said with a humoured tone to his voice so perhaps might be taken as a joke, but it was true. The cake is what had brought the four together.

Well…that was fair. Without critique he might not be a very good chef then because even if he liked it, if the person the food was meant for didn’t then it’d still be a failure. As far as his goal to merely make people smile, that certainly didn’t require anyone’s approval yet she liked it all the same. It was kind of like happy endings in fictional stories: heartwarming.

A shock to be sure, she managed to hold back a snort of amusement when the chef admitted he hadn’t noticed any changes. ’Well if they didn’t do any outlandish remodeling it wouldn’t be surprising.’ Besides in returning to one’s homeland they might be more eager about getting back to their dwellings than concentrating on the things around them. It was amusing how one could fall prey to auto-pilot like tendencies. However the key antics granted him a giggle, more tumbling out when he’d merely set about cooking and still failing to realize things weren’t quite right.

Never mind a possibly surprised guild master finding some stranger cooking everyone breakfast like it was normal.

For one of those rare instances Mao barked with laughter at the mental image. Even more giggles escaped in the wake of the unusually loud laugh, but it was probably one of the best stories she’d ever heard. As she calmed down the girl noted the tattoo, a little curious at opting for white, but maybe he liked the contrast and hint of irony. ”Red velvet cake?” she quirked an eyebrow, ”I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” Her mind drifted for a few minutes, imagining some of the possible scenarios and giggling at a few of them quietly, ”Sounds like good times to be sure.” Her voice held a wistful note to it, the girl still a little unsure how to approach some of her guild mates. Being thrown up in the air by a random person probably hadn’t helped things; and a certain someone else constantly tugging her sensitive ears, but for the most part they seemed like a well-meaning bunch. She’d managed to make at least a few friends outside of the guild however, the thoughts of the two bringing a smile to her face.

A silly thought struck her though, the girl jumping visibly as if someone jabbed her or sent an electric jolt through her body, ”Oh my gods I’ve been so rude!” She immediately stood up and bowed her head deeply, ”I’m Mao, Mao Nakiri. I’m so sorry to forget something as basic as introducing myself!”

He was glad his story made her laugh. It was nice to hear a laugh. Some of the people in his guild were quite serious and so laughter wasn't something he heard so often. It also made him a smile a bit as he thought about the situation. It probably was truly funny to an outsider. Embarassing to him, but he could still see the hjumour in it.

"Its not really rude for a customer to not give their name ya know?" Magna said with a grin and a slight chuckle at the silliness and the literal jump that she did as she realised. "I mean if every customer introduced themselves i'd hear so many names I'd probably forget how to cook." He chuckled again. That was an impossibility. His eidetic memory would prevent that unless he received brain damage of some kind. "Though its nice to hear yours and to see some good manners nowadays. The name's Magna Victus." It truly was nice to have an honest conversation with someone. Sure she was a stranger, but she was a customer and now they had eachother's names so they were stranger's no longer. She also knew about his past, more than some of his own team did, so perhaps that made them more than just acquaintances who knew each other's names.

"So did you come for the food festival or did something else bring you to Crocus?" he asked curiously flipping a frying pan up and catching it behind him. It wasn't that he was bored he just didn't like to have his hands idle for too long and besides it was fun.

’I suppose…’ But their chit chat went on long enough that not providing proper introductions felt rude regardless. She’d forgive herself if only because the talk had been enjoyable enough to forget her manners, lost in the flow of questions and entertaining tales. He put her further at ease, Mao relaxing as she lightly laughed at his jokes. Though she did momentarily imagine the fellow staring at a pan with a question mark above his head with the only thing floating through his head a wall of names and nothing more. ”It’s a pleasure to properly meet you,” she smiled back at him, glad to receive a name in return.

Returning to a relaxed state, rather than sit back down on the crate natural instinct took over as the long tail curled beneath her and allowing the mage to sit on the extra limb. The three tips branched out, providing enough stability as she blinked and then shrugged with a small smile, ”The festival simply turned into an added bonus. There was a bookstore I visited last time I came here…for…a job…”

Mao’s voice trailed off, eyes darting to the side as she recalled that very, very strange job. A shiver coursed through her, but the woman shook it off as the smile returned, ”Anyway, the owner and I talked for a bit and he said if I came back to Crocus in a few months, he might have an interesting book or two for me. Unfortunately books are a lot like snacks, so even if one or two were interesting I couldn’t resist a third, and maybe a small fourth book as well.” As she spoke, Mao started digging through her satchel before extracting one of them, a compilation book whose title was The Fountain of Youth. ”It’s a mix of legends, stories, and people’s supposed experiences as well as theories about the Fountain of Youth. It should be an entertaining read either way. I’m just surprised he remembered since we’d had fun swapping a few stories about various legends and myths. I spend a lot of my free time reading admittedly. Not quite as interesting as your cooking skills, but it’ allows me to taste a variety of adventures and lifestyles I’d never otherwise experience.”

Maybe next time she’d look into books about exotic food such as the rainbow fruit. ’I’m sure there must be various stories involving some, like ambrosia.’ It’d been one of the things that lead to talk of the fountain and the shop’s owner telling her to come back at a later date.

”There’s probably some interesting food ones out there, legendary ingredients and the like…I wonder what they taste like.” It was an innocent enough remark, her mind wandering to what some of them might be or even taste like.

"Reading is always something I enjoy though admitedly its normally a cook book." he said with a chuckle again. This Mao seemed to be bringing out chuckles and laughs from him all the while. It was strange, but not exactly worrying. "Your tale of books is similar to how I became the Iron Chef." he added as an after thought and then decided to tell her a bit of the story though he was also tempted to ask about the tail. He hadn't noticed it before and now she was just using it as a seat. How did that work? What exactly was Mao? The questions however he decided to come back to later.For now he had a story to tell. One he hoped would interest his new friend for that was what he felt she was. "It must of been a few years back now, but I was dining at the restaurant Shuffle as I wanted to try their new menu items. New recipes always excite me. However, one of their chefs fell ill and strangely they decided to ask amongst the clientele if anyone could cook. A few raised their hands, but none as fast as me so I headed into the kitchen." he paused to let these details sink into Mao's head. There was no sense in rushing a good narrative now was there? "I cooked as a sous chef for one of the men there. We did well, but we didn't win. A few weeks ago I received a letter from the restaurant, how they found my new address I have no idea considering I was just a horoshefu. However, they had obviously enjoyed my cooking and invited me to enter a contest to be named Iron Chef. I took one of my team with me and we cooked up a Rainbow Fruit banquet. It was close, the other chefs were excellent and I certainly learned from them, but we won."

He considered her question about legendary ingredients. He knew of a group of them that were said to belong to a gourmet god. Some of which he was after himself. "If you are looking for tales of ingredients and cooking I recommend the Chronicles of the Three Disciples by Malisman. It tells of the men who apparently served and learned under the Gourmet God and Chef Goddess to become some of the world's most famous cooks. Its how I learned of some of the ingredients I went hunting for."

The comparison made sense, as reading and the desire to get lost in the pages of each cover probably came as naturally to her as picking up the chopping knife did for Magna. Each one called out, and curiosity demanded she quench the thirst to know. A small giggle slipped out: she could definitely imagine his hand shooting into the air like an eager student who might even become antsy about saying the answer aloud if the teacher hesitated too long. The fact that they’d gone and asked their patrons piqued her curiosity, sure that a business might want to hide such a fact from their patrons for fear of chasing them off. ’Then again, I suppose it’s not entirely unlike asking for a doctor: they wanted to fix the situation in whatever way they could.’ Add in that he hadn’t been the only one to raise his hand – even if the boy before her turned out to be the fastest in the west…or at the time – and she couldn’t help wondering about this restaurant even more. ’Maybe they’re well-known amongst chefs?’

One of these days she’d have to travel there and check the place out.

Not every story could be a victory as even the hero of any story had to suffer a failure to learn the merits of hard work and training, and strive for victory rather than expect it. Besides he must’ve had some skills even back then since they’d spotted the potential and invited him back. ”Ah whole banquet of it…I’d love to see that sometime,” she murmured more to herself. It must’ve been something akin to a culinary masterpiece, a mixture of art almost in a traditional sense comingling with one’s mealtime would be a splendid sight indeed.

’Well, that’s not quite fair,’ she amended, ’any dish can become something of an artistic marvel, but to have it look as if it’d been glossed over in paint would be intriguing.’

Mao grinned, glad for the mage she’d just met in his victory. ’Probably more a stepping stone among many.’ “Malisman…” Mao muttered, committing the name to both forms of memory. It’d be worth a read to say the least, though her mind returned to the story. ”How many titles do you have then?” she quirked an eyebrow, the curiosity bug biting again. Surely he’d been in other contests? ”Though I suppose not all contests carry titles…how many have you entered?” He seemed like an eager type, so she somewhat expected an exorbitant amount. And…well it might be a bit rude, but not everything could be a winner either…so she looked away and scratched behind one of her long ears, ”And it’s probably not the best thing to ask a chef…but…what would you say is the worst thing you’ve ever cooked? Err...by which I mean maybe the weirdest? A...combination that didn't quite work out as you'd hoped? A friend of mine keeps insisting this sour candy combined with nacho cheese works but...I can't seem to make it work, so was curious...” She trailed off, a little nervous that she might've insulted him as a hand nervously rubbed the back of her head. It was true though: she still couldn't make heads or tails of that combination no matter how often Silabus insisted it tasted great.

"That was the only contest I entered. I didn't really enter for the prize." he said with a shrug and a smile. He probably seemed the type "I entered to test out some new recipes and to help out some people again. So in this case I just have the one title." He said and then considered her next point and a dark grin came to his face. He had many failed recipes some far worse than the last. However, a weird combination that supposedly worked well? He would have to think on that one. "Probably my worst combinations are squid tentacles in peanut butter, or sardines and strawberry jam. The former was like being groped by an octopus. The latter...well...can't really describe that. It was just bad."

"Sour candy and nacho cheese...hmmm sourness of the candy mixed with the lactic acid of the cheese perhaps bringing out a higher level of acidity? Suppose if you used a good enough nacho cheese and the right candy it might work" he thought about it in his head. It would have to be something to try in the future. It would be interesting to see if he could make a delicious recipe from it. "Probably my weirdest recipe that works is my cheese and chicken curry karaage." Magna said. Cheese and curry in his mind should not of worked, but for some reason it did. It had to be the right kinds of cheese though. He'd experimented quite a bit with it to make sure. If he changed the meat then other cheeses worked. Same for the curry. It was quite a variable dish, but it was still weird that cheese and curry worked. Particular with a deep fried dish.

’Hmm…he seemed like the type who might be competitive,’ she considered, ’but maybe he simply has a lot of skill from pushing himself rather than trying to meet others’ levels?’

The change of appearances alarmed her ever so slightly, just a mild jump as a dark aura took over him. Mao gulped, her long ears lying flat against her head and falling back like an animal receiving a scolding or scare. ’I know food can be an experience…but…’ A shiver wiggled its way down the girl’s spine at the thought of a dish able to make one feel as though a tentacle wielding illusion might fondle one’s person. The other just…sounded all kinds of wrong. ”Jam…and…sardines…” ’I know one never knows what wonders might come about but…I’m not sure…I can comprehend that one…’

Truly it mystified her to the point that nacho cheese sauce and sour candy sounded plausible if not downright normal.

” ‘Karaage?’ “ she hesitated on the foreign word. It sounded very vaguely familiar, perhaps reading it on a menu somewhere in her travels, but it hadn’t been something she’d tried to date. It would’ve been tempting to request some if he wasn’t more or less out of ingredients because as the girl sometimes joked with a few friends: she had another stomach for pork buns. A familiar phenomenon in those who loved desserts, but people rolled their eyes or laughed more at her’s. She internally shrugged off the notion, accepting that it might be something she’d have to seek out later and try to get a better idea. ’Curry and cheese could possibly work, just depends on the recipes and kinds I suppose…I bet there are multiple combinations that could work with other meats.’ It’d been a little mystifying the first time the girl had a cheeseburger, absolutely loving it, but the goat cheese steak had been another kind of wonderful on a different level as well as the steak gorgonzola. Sometimes Mao imagined cheese could go with anything until she recalled trying to put it on her cheeriors, shuddering at the memory of the soggy bits of cheddar mushing about with the sweet little O’s.

"Karaage is meat or fish marinated in a mix of soy sauce, garlic and ginger, coated with a seasoned wheat flour or potato starch mix and then deep fried in a light oil." he said explaining what karaage was. It was quite a popular dish in some regions of the world. Generally those with a more oriental culture. "Its similar to tempura, but just a bit of a different marination. When we meet again i'll make you some." He promised. It was odd that he wasn't hesitant that they would meet again. No, instead he seemed he was almost certain of the fact that they would. He smiled at her. "Unless there is something else you would prefer?" He didn't mind cooking whatever people liked. He liked to give people what they wanted and make them as happy as possible. He would of course prepare in such a way that it would not only be delicious, but would benefit them in the best way.

He was still curious about the nacho cheese and sour candy combo. It wasn't something he had ever considered, but now he was determined to try it even if it was just so he could strike it off of his list. "Cheese goes well with a lot of things, but...the candy...its gonna be tricky." he murmured half to himself. There had to be a way to deal with it. Or perhaps it was just something that could never be cooked in a way that most people would enjoy. Perhaps this friend of Mao's just had a really odd sense of taste.

Yes, something the girl definitely had to try next time alongside maybe a recommendation or two. It’d be something akin to a journey for her palate. ’Just so long as there are a lack of tentacles…’ She’d make sure to request something perhaps more land-based to be on the safe side and definitely steer clear of certain foods around him in case of their fishy quality. ’Maybe he’s got a good scallop dish though.’ Okay so maybe she’d rescind the thought, at least a little. If it was close to tempura though it was likely the girl would enjoy it.

The fact he offered to make it though had Mao positively beaming, ”I would love to try some next time then!” Sure the odd girl would’ve visited at some point or another, but it was also a comfort knowing she was welcomed. So many people lost patience with her string of questions that Mao became accustomed to letting them have their space afterward, especially for a long spell – and that was assuming she might see them again later. It’d even taken a while before the tailed mage felt okay calling upon Aiyana for a job without feeling as if she might be a nuisance since Mao didn’t want to assume they were friends.

Other questions started forming, but Magna popped the bubble with his spoken thoughts. Oh gods, what had she done? ’It’s not as bad as jammy sardines…but…’ Well fair was fair, and wish a sigh and small shrug – and a barely hidden chuckle, Mao offered, ”Perhaps when I stop by I’ll grab a bag of the candy and some of the simple nacho cheese he eats, and you can try it for yourself? Who knows, maybe you can make it edible, or at least more so…cause it’s not bad just…strange. I really can’t describe it I’m afraid.’[/i]

”I’m sorry, I’ve taken up so much of your time,” Mao looked off to the side, sheepishly smiling as she pressed her fingers into a sort of shyly based pyramid before returning her gaze to the red-haired mage, ”But…I’m also a bit curious about your home and guild…if you don’t mind indulging me a little further? Sorry if it’s a bit much, and I don’t need any deep, dark secrets of course I’m just…curious what life in other guilds might be like. I don't believe I've even been to its home city yet, though admittedly there are plenty I've yet to see.” It was hard to exactly phrase her curiosity at times, the girl hesitating as if seeking the answer from the fluffy clouds listing lazily overhead to properly explain it.

"I suppose I'm curious about the overall atmosphere...I'm from Sabertooth and things can get a little...loud at times." Even if it sounded possibly troublesome the girl laughed a little, smiling fondly, "Admittedly I don't spend a lot of time with them, but I can often hear them from my room and they're certainly lively. It's...oddly reassuring in a way. Some day I'd even like to call them 'family' if allowed." The girl didn't want to assume it, but it was something of a wish even if she couldn't quite figure out how to go about the request right now. Crowds were something of a crux currently, one that overwhelmed her with their intensity. Speaking with Magna was easy enough one she'd started going, but if the woman had to suddenly address the crowd milling about it would be another matter entirely.

"That sounds like a good plan to me." Magna said in response to the sour candy and nacho cheese. It would be good to have the base to work from and then improve upon it. He doubted if Nacho cheese and sour candy would ever truly work, but perhaps with the right candy and the right cheese he could make it...less strange. Perhaps not delicious though he'd hate to admit failure, but at least...somewhat tasty.

"No need to apologise. I'm happy to serve whether its food, information or information about food...its nice to have someone genuinely interested. Most customers appreciate the food...and perhaps the chef...but not the process." he said and then was surprised when she asked for more details about the guild. Few seemed truly interested in the guild except as mages for hire. They weren't ultra famous like the legal guilds or feared like the dark guilds. They were just there to get the job done and dusted.

"Well...we're for the most part...bounty hunters, but what we do is for Silver Moon Island....we earn money and other things to make the island more prosperous and self sustaining." he said with a shrug. "Because we aren't bound by magic council ruling we can pretty much do what we like, but we try not to...cause too much chaos. Don't want to draw too much attention. Though in all honesty i've not been at the guild THAT long really. Not even a year yet, heck probably not even more than a couple of months. Hard to judge it really." He shrugged again. "You'll just have to see it when you come visit."

’Silver Moon Island?’ She quite liked the name, the place almost sounding ethereal or otherworldly, but the girl would refrain from any further questions about it. Why not let her imagination soar for a bit on that one? It’d be hard to not get somewhat excited though, and Mao hoped the climate might be fair as well being near the water. To visit him and try some more food however it’d be worth it even if the place turned out horribly sunny and terribly warm.

They sounded interesting to say the least, though again any further questions remained under lock and key mentally. Too many and she might appear far too nosy, especially over such matters that didn’t really concern her and it’d be a shame for mere curiosity to be misinterpreted. ’Still he’s relatively new, not unlike me,’ a comforting thought since Mao could still only describe Sabertooth so much if strangers ever inquired.

”I already look forward to it,” she assured him before a thought struck the woman. Standing up she lightly dusted off her tail, the strong limb capable of acting as a chair, but only for so long before it suffered the issues of falling asleep. Once she was sure the annoying ‘pins and needles’ sensation wouldn’t strike, she turned back to Magna, ”It’d be rude of me to ask so much and not permit a chance in kind…if there was anything you wanted to know.” Mao managed to avoid any self-deprecating comments, coming close to tacking on “though I’m probably not as interesting.” Things had sparked cause of his exotic cooking and abilities catching lighting up her curiosity. 'Then again, he might have somewhere to be...at least this will make for a fun memory for later.'

"Well as you asked i'm kind of curious about the tail" he said though tried to keep his tone polite. He didn't want to offend her. He was actually quite surprised that her lines of questioning had stopped. He had thought she might keep on asking questions forever, but he didn't mind really. He was quite enjoying the conversation. "You from Joya or something?" Other than Kakuma he had only really seen people with animal like qualities in the nation of Joya. They were all cat people. It was a hard nation to get to and it was also the location of his favourite ingredient at the moment, the rainbow fruit. The people were really quite friendly. Well the females were overly frisky and the males overly flirtatious, but still a nice group of people overall. He didn't THINk she was from Joya, but it was the only place he could think of. He'd travelled a lot and seen a lot of races and people, but most of the more animalistic ones seemed to be Joya's cat people and the people of Seven, but she didn't seem to be a satyr or anything like that. Perhaps there were more places he hadn't visited. Or perhaps it was a result of her magic? His curiosity was definitely peaked in this regard. However, it was at that point he noticed the sun and realised the time. He let out a slight gasp.

"I've gotta get going soon to get a cart back to Hargeon before the cart hiring place shuts and i'm stuck here overnight" he said grabbing onto his cart's handles and lifting them up preparing to move his cart. He could summon up utensils and ingredients, but something as big as the cart was beyond his power for now. "Got a bit of time though so why don't we walk and talk as I head over that way." He said moving the cart onto the middle of the road. "Its a bit of a walk so plenty of time to do so."

Enraptured as she was with their chat, when the woman’s gaze caught the discoloration of the sky she jumped a little. Surprised, she peered around and noticed that the crowds had thinned greatly and by this point various other people were starting to close up shop as well. There’d be some things going on into the night, but a lot of the stalls on this street were closing as things moved into some secondary phase. Rather than shoo her away Magna invited her along, and she smiled, ”Would you like some help?” Mao would either move to help push the cart along or merely walk alongside depending on his answer.

It’d taken her a few minutes though to recall what little she read about Joya, frowning slightly, ”No….I don’t think I’m from there…but I suppose it’s a possibility?” Feeling one of her ears with a hand, she pulled the thing down in front of her face. If she was from there then only half her bloodline likely hailed from there, or she might’ve been some strange little science experiment. ”I don’t actually know where I’m from,” she casually supplied, shrugging as the hand let go of the soft limb and it bounced right back up, ”but there are probably strange people there because my tail and ears feel normal enough to me…they feel right even, like I must have been born with them.”

Things came naturally at any rate, from curling the over-sized tail beneath her as a quick chair to the rhythmic way it swayed slightly as the pair walked. ”I like it though, even if sometimes the staring can get a little intense, but I can’t fault people either. The only thing that really bothers me is when people try to pet it without asking first…kids I can forgive, but I really wish the adults would pause to think.” Despite it being an annoyance Mao laughed, accepting that sometimes even the “grown-ups” could act child-like when they least expected it. ”Besides it’s not all cosmetic either as some people tend to think. As long as an object’s big enough I can grab onto it or pick it up, I’ve smacked an enemy or few with it….it also doubles as an emergency pillow or chair,” Mao grinned, having done one of them earlier, ”It’s got its moments in water too, but it can be a bit of a pain to dry the thing out.”