47th of Frost, 4622
“Pfft, I don’t think I have the brains for that stuff if I am honest….”
Jared couldn’t help but let out a loose chuckle as his shoulders began to slump down a bit, Feeling a bit more relaxed about the situation in general, though it would be evident for those that are more in tune with social gatherings or covert operations that Jared was simply enjoying the long night’s worth of conversation.
“Indeed, Banks, merchants and all sorts of trading ships fear the name of Mistwalker!”
Jared couldn’t help but let out a louder chuckle, letting lose a soft snort that he quickly attempted to cover up with a cough. How long has it been since Jared could feel this relaxed with another person? Far too long, in his opinion, but then again, His gut was telling him that Arkash had a similar upbringing based on what he knew about the Lorien huntsman.
“If I were that ambitious, I would be amazed myself, but at last, it was not meant to be… So too might risk, especially with the kind of bullshit that Banks has a hold of; Merchants are easier targets, and even tight security over a home is easier break-in compared to a fucking bank.”
Briefly taking a moment to rummage through his cloak, the Alistian thief pulls out a simple bronze flask which sloshes about as he pulls it out of his cloak, briefly taking a swig out of it before putting it back into his cover once more. The fast burn from some stolen Armagnac that he acquired a few weeks back, followed by the alluring taste of dried raisins, hints of caramel and thick/heavy mouthfeel, brought a brief smile to the thief’s eye.
It was rare for the thief to drink in front of a stranger, but despite feeling shit, it was probably better to numb the pain, even though it was temporary. Despite all of this, his attention was brought back to his new friend, who merely seized the opportunity to reach for his meal, consuming in a frenzy; the amber-eyed scoundrel couldn’t help but feel some sense of awe and disgust at the same time, which could be seen easily on Jared’s face.
But that wasn’t the only thing that shocked the thief; the transformation currently being undertaken right before the thief was rather disturbing but exciting.
“Geez, it is still amazing to see where all that food goes… You could legitimately deprive a whole town of their foodstuffs like it was nothing… Rather concerning, but that is my opinion; nevertheless, there is still more cooking if you plan to devour everything in sight at this point.”
Jared simply shrugged at the current situation, and he was merely a pair of hands that was initially preparing rations for the upcoming trip into Bel, which felt rather nerve-wreaking, to the point his bones ached as they recalled many moments of his life, tittering on edge of life and death itself.
“Really? I have only been invited to cook... More like forced into it, if I am honest... I am surprised they found me, a simple commoner and my cooking isn’t special.”
The thief takes a moment to listen in to Arkash’s notes about the Daravinic Nobility, mentioning how terrible it is or, in his words, how fucked up all of it is. A brief explanation of it all brief causes Jared to furrow his brows as these so-called ‘Taboos’
“Well… I can say that is wack… I recall a chef being killed on the spot for making a brief mess in front of the guest… That was terrifying cause I mainly cook as a hobby, and cooking is very messy.”
The amber-eyed Nightfallen couldn’t help but recall how tense the situation was; Based on his memories, the majority of chefs presents were of above skill when it came to culinary practices, but his personal experience felt more traumatising as he recalls attracting more attention than he would like as many people started to gather around his workstation was he was live cooking in front of so many people and important ones in that.
“Fuck, man… It was a total nightmare… Almost put me off in cooking in general; even now, I am trying to figure out how some Entente managed to get my name, of all things… Of course, I worked in some simple eateries for a time, but it shouldn’t have grabbed their attention, right? Like what kind of noble wants peasant food???”
Jared takes a moment to look directly at Arkash’s gaze as if he is looking for some affirmation about his past situation of being essentially forced to cook or die. Still, his plea for an answer is cut short as Arkash demands more food before continuing this endeavour.
“Fine… Give me a second, and I will whip up another batch, don’t blame me if it is terrible….”
The thief had an idea of what to make but wasn’t sure if Arkash would enjoy it all. Nevertheless, the attempt was going to be made, and whether he liked it or not was his decision alone. Taking a moment to cover his mouth with a tattered black cloth, the thief begins to work his magic in the fine art of cooking.
Preparing all of his root vegetables, herbs, and spices took only a couple of minutes due to his experience working quickly in an eatery. Jared also noted that it was better to keep the skin of certain vegetables, such as potatoes & carrots, since it would retain additional nutrition & fibre for longer-lasting satiety.
Jared would add large chunks of salted lamb meat onto a pan, searing the surface of the flesh, which he was planning to use for another time, but it better to feed the man now before his hunger worsened. Dicing some brown onions, thinly sliced leeks & minced garlic to add an alliaceous & mildly green note that lingers through the initial taste and air.
Adding small quantities of herbs such as dried thyme & parsley gives the dish a slightly earthy, herbaceous & citrus note. Lastly, a bit of salt & cracked pepper enhances the overall experience of the flavour of the chowder itself.
But before he could add his raw materials into the broth, the thief would need to further the development of flavours & suppressing certain off-notes with a fair amount of cooking. So, taking the alliaceous components into a small pan, the amber-eyed thief adds a generous amount of olive oil before sauteing them to reduce the sulphurous notes & replacing them with fatty, rich notes.
The sauteing would be complete when the scallions, onions & garlic bits turn translucent, indicating that all the flavours have leaked out into the pan & infused themselves into the melted butter.
After sauteing the vegetables, Jared would add a few tablespoons of milled maslin flour to assist in thickening the chowder & add some toasted cereal notes into the lamb chowder. It was possible to concentrate the chowder with since of his hardtack, but making it again would take too much effort since it took a couple of days even to make some of his preserved rations.
“All that is left now is to wait for a couple of minutes or more… Need to make sure the chowder is cooked properly….”
The thief was sweating at this point as he was so focused on cooking that his muscles simply acted on their own, essentially a flurry of efficient movements running throughout the kitchen from his blade works with cutting his vegetables to multi-tasking on multiple items on his own. The thief in question demonstrated an affinity for cooking rather than thievery itself.
