Moment of Respite (Ford)

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

Despite the very long travel that took place, the thief must travel for a few days. However, the amber-eyed thief was happy to finally place his gear down once the Keepers of the Light escorted him to his room, whom he would share with Arkash and Moop.

Out of all the faces that the Alistian rogue has seen so far, Taelian was the only familiar face due to his experience being a cook that was forced to entertain a large crowd of nobility due to being scouted out by a Valran, which the thief didn’t know how this could have happened as his lack of understanding how the nobility work or how skilled they were merely eluding the thief’s commoner background.

Nevertheless, the thief took a moment to take a deep breath as he finally could relax, even if it was for just a moment and with a few remaining hours of the day's presence. What better way to relax than head to the kitchen and prepare a meal for himself and possibly the other members?

“What should I cook for lunch… It is always a tough decision to pick a meal… There so much to choose from….”

The thief mutters as he makes his way over to the unoccupied kitchen since it is too early or possibly too late for meals to be churning or perhaps a spare kitchen. In any case, Jared took the opportunity to start setting up the kitchen, for it would probably be a long cooking session. But, based on the available ingredients, something hearty would be nice to the heart and soul.

He took a moment to move to his workstation, where Jared usually prepares all his raw ingredients. Jared's habit was that he would often designate a particular spot he liked and make it his workstation, constantly getting irritated if someone was using his so-called favourite place.

Of course, many of his associates would call him weird for having a favourite spot, but the Alistian thief couldn’t care less after all; he was already an oddball by his standards, but it could be his perception of himself. However, it would have been nice to talk with someone while he was preparing his workstation.

Nevertheless, Jared had a lot of things that needed to be done—making up the Pilota, which was pretty much a giant meatball that is spiced with garlic and parsley which is stuffed with vegetables such as celery, cabbage, carrots & depending on the season, botifarra (a type of sausage that is used in Catalan cuisine) or other kinds of meat from such as rabbit, beef or pork to name a few kinds of meats available in the season.

But throughout his movements, Jared was pretty distracted that anyone could stumble inside the kitchen. He would likely not notice as he was planning what meal to make that would be considered delicious to many people other than himself.

[Ford Edevane]

The entirety of the trip and the introduction had been something that was weighing heavily on his mind. Questions had been raised, and concerns had been noted, many of which Ford had with the necessity for him to go. He understood why he was there, and he understood, above all else, why he needed to be there. But there was the smallest portion of self-doubt, questioning the universe’s decision for him to be in the situation he was in. Regardless of it all, he remained himself, not allowing the thoughts or distractions to take him away from the present. Since arriving, Taelian had chosen to close his eyes for a few moments, which gave Ford a moment to sneak out. Not necessarily to do anything unorthodox, but the thought of sneaking a snack for his husband and himself had crossed his mind.

Nobody questioned his presence in the halls, and instead, as he found himself near the kitchen door, the large, muscled blonde turned the corner to enter the kitchen and found someone else. Ford could call him a familiar face, but he’d briefly come face to face with him for mere moments before things had begun to take shape, and now, they were taking a rest before embarking on their next steps in their journeys. Pausing in the doorframe, making a much better door than anything else, deep blues slid to the side, looking down the hall, deciding if it was worth still trying to sneak a snack or not.

A slightly quirked movement of his lips made the Griscian take a deep breath as he stepped into the kitchen. Not quite intending to scare, surprise or ambush the other, perhaps he’d heard him or something else before he came into the other’s view range, and he paused, watching him get things ready. Ford was not an amazing cook. He could cook, no problem, but anything remotely gourmet or fancy was out of the question.

Remaining behind the other, the blonde head tilted as blue orbs looked over what he was preparing or how the space was being made perfectly fit for the other. Like a creep, Ford silently watched the man going about his business. And perhaps it was odd, but Ford’s choice of profession and a guilty pastime of his was to watch and study people with others and their place in society. Only when his curiosity was piqued did he lean forward and take a step closer to look more closely at what the other was doing.

“…What are you preparing?” Came the deeper baritone, Griscian accented voice. Curiosity was plain on his face as now, with his presence announced by his question, he took a step closer until he was nearly standing beside the other. Glancing up from the other’s station up to the other, offering a polite smile, keeping the same curious lift of blonde brows as he looked back to the counter. Was it wrong to be nosy and curious, especially if it could possibly result in food being eaten? Ford didn’t think so. He enjoyed food, which was obvious when you were nearly seven feet tall and nearly immovable by an average man.

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

The Alistian cook/thief was hustling away at making his meal for the afternoon, possibly creating an excess amount that he could have for later if he so chose. It was evident to Jared that his movements had become more inefficient due to his deteriorating health based on his internal assessment of how much effort was required to maintain a steady grip on his chef’s knife.

“Dammit… If it weren’t for that night, I would be better off….”

The amber-eyed Nightfallen mutters to himself, not realising sooner that a familiar Griscian face was currently observing him; It would be noted that Jared had a habit of talking to himself when no one was present, mostly mentioning things that could be improved upon and refining his skills to the best it could be.

Lost in his thoughts, the thief takes a moment to twirl a pairing knife as he ponders what he needs to do next. Recounting the many steps required to make a simple dish on paper but requires a bit more elbow grease.

“Alright, let's get to peeling some of the vegetable skins; I can have it simmer into a broth and turned into a soup for later tonight. Nice to have something comforting and warm….”

The amber-eyed thief briefly smiled as he reaches out for a couple of root vegetables, peeling the skin away with relative ease as ribbons of plantskin starts to slowly dangle out of their main body before being severed, neatly coiled into a bundle that Jared would set off to the side for later usage.

His ears quickly pick up Ford’s question, which immediately causes the thief to flinch for a moment as he quickly turns his gaze over towards the Grisican male. Just by near-jerk reaction alone, it would seem that the Alistian thief was a rather anxious person or very reactive towards his environment.

“Ahhh… Ummmm… Just cooking some Pilota; Something to eat after a long journey. Besides, it is freezing for me; that is just making a hot meal rather soothing.”

The thief couldn’t help but avert his gaze at Ford as he wasn’t used to striking up a conversation with someone he didn’t know as seen by his defensive nature of turning his body away, directing it towards his workstation as he starts to dice up some potatoes, carrots, celery stalks and more to make up a nutritious filling for the daravinic meatball dish.

“What brings you to the kitchen of all places? I thought you would be resting after experiencing a long trip… I assume it was a long bit of travel.”

Jared’s voice was leaning more on the lower end of a Tenor. Bits of his accent came out as more Gentevarese with certain vowels and specific words but surprisingly came off as light thought; the accent could be heavier if he were very stressed at the moment. The thief pondered for just a moment why Ford was in a kitchen in the first place, as he was making an assumption that Ford was noble of sorts based on having the same last name as Taelian but the Daravinic rogue was keeping that string of thoughts off to the side for the time being as he was more focused at the task at hand and attempting to entertain a possible friend or enemy?

[Ford Edevane]

It was actually kind of endearing to watch someone else work. Not only was the other talking to himself, but he had a methodology of how he wanted certain things done. It was evident with how his little workstation had been set up and how he had methodically gone through talking out the details of his next steps. The whole scene had actually earned a smirk from the taller, muscular man. Even when he seemed startled, the only reaction from Ford had been a raised brow in curiosity.

The anxiety had been seen and noted, but there was no reason to dwell on it. “A hot meal does sound like it would do both the mind and body some good.” Turning, now that he had practically announced himself to the other, he rested his hip against the counter and an elbow to the top of the counter and watched as Jared turned slightly away from him. He was guarded. It was a defense mechanism. As a result of what, Ford did not know not yet.

What brought him to the kitchen? That was a loaded question for the man as he was thinking about the best way to answer him. “Well… My husband finally let his eyes close for a minute, so I am letting him get some rest before I bother him with some details and questions.” That did not answer what Ford was doing in the kitchen, however. “Truth be told, I was looking for a snack, something I could steal away back to our room so we could have something to hold us over.”

Even though that was the truth, it was not true. The truth was, he was happy Taelian could close his eyes, even if it would be just for a few moments. And… Ford had a lot on his mind. Even on an existential level, he had been thinking about things. “I will rest later, I think, when my mind has fewer things bouncing around so chaotically in it. You know there is staff here who I am sure would enjoy cooking up a meal.” The smile returned to his bearded features, and he let out a short chuckle as his gaze wandered from the food that was being prepared up to Jared’s face. There, Ford’s blue-eyed gaze remained on the other. There was something uniquely interesting about the other. He could not quite put his finger on it, but it did not matter. To avoid making the other feel too awkward, he averted his gaze down to the food.

“Would you mind telling me how to make the Pilota or showing me, at least? I do not believe I’ve ever made it.” Again, he could cook, but anything that had a specific name to it that wasn’t stew, roast, or baked, followed by the food that was being cooked in that fashion, normally did not get made by the Griscian. He was quite plain like that, which was a life he had left behind back in the CommonWealth. But with that question asked, there was another question he was going to ask to either distract or refocus the apparent chef/cook.

“Where did you learn to cook?”

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

“More than happy to teach you a thing or two; I assume you know how to work a knife at least. Although, to be honest, I am terrible at teaching, so that you might get a few cuts here and there. Think of Pilota as a massive spiced meatball you can pair with any staple food like corn, rice, or bread; It is quite a feeling treat and is a common meal prepared by lowborn such as myself.

While I can teach you a few things, I can make you some snacks. Are you looking for something sweet or savoury?”

The amber-eyed chef couldn’t help but let out a slightly nervous chuckle as his tense muscles relaxed. It is still a foreign concept for the Alistian thief to take to random strangers, and yet it was soothing in a sense to be able to talk to anyone in general. But, unfortunately, the life of being a criminal is isolating, and the world that Jared currently inhabits is not a kind one either.

Taking a moment to mince up some fresh cuts of meat that the Keepers of the Light provided, it was nice to finally work with some fresh ingredients after a few days of travelling. While the journey was a bit lonesome, it was by fate’s fortune that Jared had the assistance of other merchants and travellers moving along a similar route. So, in exchange for company and supplies, the thief offered to cook and possibly take a few trinkets when people were unaware of his shady dealings.

When Ford asked how the Alistian chef learnt to cook, the thief stopped immediately in his tracks, gripping the handle of his knife and clenching his left hand into a fist which quickly turned a ghastly white as the daravinic magus spoke in a rather heavy and saddened tone.

“I would be lying if I learnt how to cook from being an apprentice, but that isn’t true; To be honest, most of the recipes I know were stolen from experienced chefs when I was a wee urchin…. People like me don’t get many opportunities to eat and drink well, what we managed to gather was what sustained us, and if you didn’t have any form of arcane prowess, you are meant to rot for the sake of those above….”

Subconsciously, Jared moved his left arm over his stomach; holding onto his side as his body recalled the constant sensation of starving and for a moment, the thief felt beads of tears starting to well up from the corner of his eyes which he immediately turned away from Ford, swiftly removing the watery dew drops and attempts to recompose himself.

“Even if the recipes were stolen, I looked after many other folks of similar age…. I remember my sister attempting to cook some rats and charring them to hell; It was awful, I tell you, and I did not want to experience eating essentially charcoal. I took the time to learn and cook; it soon became a hobby that I enjoy very much though I would have enjoyed it more if the street urchins and associates didn’t constantly barge into my home when I was cooking…. I feel like they are stalking me despite being far from home…. Waiting to pounce and demolish all the hard work I put into, but the company isn’t bad….”

Jared’s voice wavers as he continues to focus on his cooking. As he started to melt the minced meat and freshly diced vegetables and add some pinch of seasonings, he kept them in a side pouch, ensuring enough to make the flavour last and fragrance linger during and after the cooking was done.

“Oh, before that, I forgot to introduce myself, Jared; If I recall, your name is Ford, from what one of the Keepers of the Light has mentioned during our initial gathering. Anyways, enough about me? I want to know more about yourself and how you came to meet your husband?”

[Ford Edevane]

The mention of getting a few cuts here and there had Ford laughing, and his blue eyes lingered on the knife skills of the other, watching him for a moment as he introduced to Ford what Pilota was. It sounded fairly decent and something he could try making. He was sure anything he made paled in comparison, especially when it seemed the thief had an idea that was four steps ahead of where Ford’s current knowledge of the recipe and ingredients were.

“Probably a little bit of both if I am being completely honest.”

The question, which the blonde had figured was innocent enough, very clearly was not. His gaze fell to lingering over the movement of the other’s left hand and fist, which moved over his stomach, followed by the attempt to turn away so Ford wouldn’t see anything going on with his face. The Griscian’s lips quirked to the side and pressed together as his eyes seemed to roam over the side of the thief’s face as he told some tidbits of his past. The details reminded him of somewhere that he kept quiet about. It was not something he felt needed to be brought up. But he did notice back and forth in the thief’s story. Something interesting had caught Ford’s attention with it, and as he finished talking and introduced himself properly, a bright smile pulled from those quirked lips, and there was a polite dip of his head in Jared’s direction.

“It is my pleasure to make the acquaintance of someone so skilled as you. And yes, my name is Ford.”

Laughing quietly, he turned to search the area nearby for a knife suitable for cutting and gripped it in his hand. Lifting it, he inspected the knife’s blade and spoke without looking at the other.

“It does not really matter where you come from. How you treat people shows the depths of a person’s heart. Someone with money and status can have the darkest, cruelest heart and ambitions. Someone who has nothing and achieves something that they can hold onto, and treats others well, is the person I would rather have a conversation with.”

His smile had not faltered; if Jared allowed him to, he would grab something to start chopping. He could chop and cut things up perfectly well. It just depended on how fine things needed to be cut, as Ford was definitely more of a rustic fellow when it came to cooking food.

“…And cooking for others, providing for them, and helping take care of them is not something a bad person would do. And it is always when you achieve something and has something others covet that you start to feel the eyes on you. But.”

Lifting the knife, he pointed it in front of him in a random direction as if accenting his point.

“You learn to find the confidence in yourself and move forward. It takes some longer than others to find that confidence, and I even have difficulty accepting some things.”

His smile widened, if possible, as he looked over to Jared, able to answer his question truthfully now.

“At a job interview, if I am being honest. I was looking for work that was steadier, and I heard of an opportunity with the Covenant. They were looking for someone to help reach out to people and spread support for some things, and studying people and figuring things out is kind of what I do. So… Taelian is the one who interviewed me for the position.”

Giving a single breath out of his nose as he smiled and looked down to whatever he had been chopping, a blonde brow rose as he looked over to Jared.

“Life just happened after that. You would not think you would find the person you were meant to spend the rest of your life in an interview, hm?"

Falling silent for a moment in reflection, he continued on.

"But as for myself, I am from Grisic. Grew up in the Common Wealth, and when I finished University, I left shortly after and have not returned since then. What about you, Mister Jared? Where are you from?”

Ford had an idea, but he wanted to hear more about Jared from the man himself rather than taking clues from his words or accent.

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

The amber-eyed chef couldn’t help but take a moment to breathe deeply; the sensation of being vulnerable made Jared feel relaxed but anxious, yet seeing how Ford had taken all of this information instead calmingly made it easier for the thief to trust a total stranger or maybe it was just making an attachment for the sake of quelling his lonesome nature.

“I guess you are right on that part; Life does what life does. But, unfortunately, you can’t move forward without breaking a couple of eggs along the way; It reminds me of seeing an artisan creating masterpieces by deliberately breaking pottery and mending it together through silver and gold.

In some ways, we are all broken into our little routines and trying to find our missing pieces in some shape or form. Hell, I am still trying to figure out what I am even here for, What fate had installed for me and as much as I want to know what I will become later down the path. I know it isn’t right to seek the future actively, but taking it one step at a time is weird, isn’t it?”

As the newly formed Pilotas are being shaped into essentially large meatballs, Jared couldn’t help but smile as Ford’s presence was rather soothing in some odd sense. Of course, having someone assisting him in cooking was also a big help; there were a few details that Jared had picked up as Ford was slicing some vegetables and tap roots, but in the end, it was a meal to eat, not some sort of presentation that needed to be all fancy.

“You know, it is nice to talk to someone like yourself, Ford. Sometimes I wonder where everyone would be and who they would become if certain things happened or didn’t happen; the possibilities are endless but also confined to our limits of imagination.”

For a moment, the thief couldn’t help but chuckle to himself before blurting out something he thought was funny.

“You know, I remember someone was trying to describe another common dish we eat back at home and we used hound on them for say tap arse instead of tapas. I thought it was rather funny but at the expense of someone's pride I guess.

For a moment, Jared took a moment of silence, listening carefully to how Ford and Taelian came to meet each other. There were a couple of questions that Jared wanted to ask but was trying to figure out how to word his sentence correctly.

“If you don’t mind asking, what is the Covenant?; Also, what is Grisic? I know Daravin and the mass, but I am curious to know why there is so much tension across multiple countries.

I come from Alistian in the Northern Marches of Daravin. Beautiful place but beseeched by strife. I missed sitting on the beach with a lantern by my side and looking up into the starry veil. Sometimes I wonder if I tried harder, but it could be something else.”

At this point, Jared finished chopping some additional onions, scallions and garlic, tossing them into a pot and began sauteeing them, releasing a sweet, alliaceous aroma as he started to create the vegetable base as cooking the spiced meatballs would be done when the base was ready.

[Ford Edevane]

“Hm…”

It was really the only thing that Ford had to offer while Jared was talking about trying to figure out life and place one foot in front of the other. “Figuring things out and breaking a couple of eggs along the way is important. But what is even more important is ensuring you salvage the eggs and scramble them or find something to make with them.” The comment made a half-smirk come to the blonde’s face as he looked at the food. He was not discounting Jared’s feelings or anything he had said. In fact, he offered the option of being resourceful and not just openly discounting anything the other had been through. And regarding his knife work, he would own up to not being a master in the kitchen, but he could learn. That was the important part!

The Griscian’s blonde brow rose up in curiosity as he was paid a compliment and tilted his head to allow his blue orbs to linger on Jared’s face’s side profile as he was disclosing the idea of having someone to talk to. The smirk he had before had turned into a full smile as his gaze turned back down to the food he was still helping prepare. Or rather, if Jared was moving ahead, he was merely imitating and trying to offer what he could to help the thief. The smile was evident in the tone of Ford’s voice as he spoke next, “Thank you for that, Jared. I can appreciate a good conversation. And I am always polite and enjoy speaking with others. It is something I enjoy a lot.” Ford was also one to enjoy helping people feel better and helping them find a smile or something to smile about. “…Though sometimes some people make carrying on a conversation rather difficult. But to those people, I would rather leave to their own devices while focusing on what is important.

Chuckling alongside Jared with the remark about tap arse versus tapas, the conversation actually pulled Ford’s attention enough that he turned his head to regard the other as he let out another chuckle. “I can see why that would be funny. Hopefully, the person eventually learned the difference between tapas and tap arse.” The Griscian’s lips pulled back into a tooth-baring grin. The grin showed his amusement at the idea of having friends or acquaintances who joked or spent time together. The following question, though slowly pressed at his features, and what had been a smile turned into more of a stoic gaze.

“I do not know everything about it, but what I do know… The Covenant is made up of mages, some really powerful ones.” He said this, glancing over to Jared and then back to the food. From what I know of it, it’s basically a group of magic users who come together, but only certain people are allowed to join the ranks. And these people supposedly keep an eye out for limitations and freedoms being taken from mages and keep and supposedly protect against magic-related bigotry.” Ford’s voice tapered off at the end as he had nothing else to chop, but instead was looking to the tip of the knife he had been using as he raised it to look to the knifepoint as if it held answers. “That is what they say, anyway. Everyone has their own personality, and you must consider that, especially the more powerful ones.”

Figuring that was enough about the Covenant for the time being unless Jared asked other questions concerning it. He moved on to answer the other’s second question. “Grisic has a few names. The Grisic Empire or the Griscian Commonwealth by its people.” Taking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly through his nose as he placed the knife down and spoke, looking down to the counter and then to what Jared was doing in terms of cooking. “The goal of living in the Empire is to become the best form of yourself you can be. Always aspire to be better, do more, and accomplish more than your parents did. You would think the essence of that would be inspiring, and to most of the Commonwealth, it is. But… There are some Old Stereotypes and a die-hard faith in the ways of the Empire that a majority cling to. It makes growing up and living there difficult for those who do not follow those tenants.”

It was almost a depressing turn of talking, but he found a reason to smile after answering Jared’s question. “Tensions rise when people have differences of opinions. One people believe the land should be allowed to be one way, while another group chooses to believe something else. Both groups disagree, so both try to assert their dominance over the other so their beliefs will be supreme. It kind of goes back to what you were saying, that you wondered where people would be or whom they would become if things happened or didn’t happen. If people did not disagree, have tension and war with one another, there is a good chance that most of us would not be standing here to breathe the air we breathe or cook the food that we cook.” A somewhat cheesy grin was flashed to the thief as Ford turned and leaned his hip against the counter, resting a hand on the countertop.

“But there is that part of me that believes… Dreams even… That some of us were meant to be, regardless of the wars, the strife, and the hardships people have faced. That there are a fixed number of people meant to walk these lands, for their presence to be known… Whether their presence is to bring smiles to the faces of people who did not, or do not get to smile often, or cook delicious food to feed the bellies of those unable to or do not know how to cook for themselves.”

For a moment, his gaze slid from Jared down to the Pilota he was making, and seemed to be seeing a bigger picture or a thought that Jared could not see. “Some people are meant to intersect in this world of chaos and darkness. Those meetings and unions bring happiness and beauty to these lands. Anyone can force a smile and burn a piece of meat. Anyone can call themselves a warrior. But there are a few… A very select few touch those they come in contact with and leave something behind. Something that pushes them to become something else, keep the world growing, and evolve….”

As his voice trailed off, the blonde went silent and stayed that way longer than he had meant to. Once he had realized he had both trailed off, stopped talking, and stopped looking at Jared, Ford took a breath in and looked at Jared with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Have had a lot on my mind since I was asked to come here. Did not mean to get philosophical or bore you to death.”

A tilt of his head was given, and his nostrils flared at the scent of the onions and other items Jared was cooking, and for a moment, he felt his mouth salivate a bit at the smell. He was quite glad he had bumped into Jared. What could have been a hunk of stolen cheese and some bread turned into a meaningful conversation so far, and he was very thankful for that.

[Gloomcrest]

47th of Frost, 4622

The thief had to ponder for a moment as he set the chunky meatballs into the pot of stew, which was already slow-cooking the root vegetable pieces. The lingering scent of cooked garlic and onions scattered into the ambient air whilst the cracking noise of firewood caving into itself brings fond moments of the past.

“Agreed, you can always salvage something even if it looks beyond repair. It is all a matter of perspective; We could be looking at a cup of water and interpreting them differently. No answer is right or wrong, pretty much a scale if that makes any sense.”

Jared took a moment to look at Ford’s handiwork, noting that some improvements could be made, such as the potential knifework, but he would chalk it up to the knives not being sharp enough, which could be dangerous for anyone.

“Thanks for your help~ I appreciate the service since I usually do all the work on my own. It can be very exhausting to cook a meal every day without any assistance if I am honest. Just be careful with that knife, it looks like it hasn’t been sharpened in ages, and a blunt knife is dangerous. Plus, having company that isn’t nagging for food is a nice change… I feel like a mother at times when I cook.

Hey, for your help, I want to try the Pilota and stew first. There is a generous amount, so don’t be afraid to take seconds or even thirds since I assume you must be hungry from travel. The cold can knock the wind out of you after all!”

It was after seeing Ford shows off a bear-tooth grin due to his joke, which the thief thought was relatively dry, quickly made the Alistian rogue flustered for a moment.

“Hope so; Well… at the very least, I can try practising on working on my humour… Cuz, it is quite terrible… But, the kind that makes people groan causes much joy.”

Ford takes a moment to describe what he knows about the Covenant; some of the information raises some interest from the thief, such as an organisation comprised of skilled mages and its focus on safeguarding magic? That was Jared’s interpretation of the story so far.

Scoping a relatively large portion of the vegetable stew containing cooked pieces of potatoes, onions, and carrots with scallions, garlic, dried sage leaves and rosemary. The thief takes a moment to bring a loaf of freshly baked maslin bread that was cooling down off to the side; the scent of toasted cereals and caramelised crust pairs well with the stew.

Just before Jared was about to give Ford’s portion to him, the thief carefully added the Pilota, which was the size of about 8 inches in diameter, a rather large piece of cooked minced rabbit with bits of garlic and parsley pieces scattered across the surface.

“Huh, it seems like Grisic is a bit stuck up, in my opinion, but then again, it seems like it has many things going for it compared to Daravin… But I like my freedom to be who I want to be without too many constraints; sometimes I wish I could fly freely without a care in the world, to touch the sky and stars above potentially….”

Letting his gaze shift over to the bubbling stew, Jared took a moment to picture the vast starry sky, which covered the world in all its gleam and colours but quickly, his daydreaming would be cut short as Ford’s voice pierced through his idle thoughts.

“Well… Everyone has an opinion; sadly, we can’t learn to agree and disagree without needing to backstab one another and….”

Jared took a moment to look at Ford; his simple yet cheeky grin halted his thoughts as the thief couldn’t help but be enamoured for a moment. Then, quickly catching himself from letting his thoughts drift off to another tangent, the thief would let out a few coughs into his elbow as he attempted to recompose himself, albeit terribly.

“I get you on that. Although, to be honest, I would instead blend into a crowd of ordinary people, it seems like it would be too much of a hassle to make a statement in the world, but sometimes, destiny has other plans. Being here, of all places, was a bit of a surprise, if I am honest…. Like how did they find a nobody like myself, and what possible uses do I have for going into an expedition to another realm??? It is a lot to digest….

Also, don’t apologise; We all have a lot to bear, and sometimes, just having someone listen can be an excellent way to make the weight a little bit easier to handle. That is my issue, I tend to keep to myself a lot, and my thoughts tend to go quite dark sometimes.”

The pale and sickly-looking thief smiles as he hands over Ford’s portion; despite his hands feeling rather weak and shaky from his mageblight, Jared was putting a lot of effort into simply passing a meal and cooking for a significant portion for many when he should be resting.

It was obvious that the thief was attempting to hide his condition by keeping a distance, anyone that has seen arcane practitioners or is a user of raw magic themselves would note that if the thief were to push himself any more, it would have lethal consequences.

“Here ya go; take a bite and see if you like. I can make adjustments if it is not to your liking, and if you want more refined bread, I have some pristine white bread that is also cooling off to the side. Sorry. If I couldn’t do anything fancier than some peasant dishes, not a lot of resources to work with. By the way, how much does Taelian eat? Do you think he would need to eat an entire wagon's worth of food... I don't know how a Draedan's body processes food....”

[Ford Edevane]

The blonde was nodding to what Jared was saying about perspectives and interpretations. Everybody looking at one thing could have an individual thought train that did not match anyone else’s, even though they all started with the same exact starting point. Smiling, he realized then that Jared was looking at his knifework and was slightly self-conscious about it. He was not worried that Jared would think less of him, it was more along the lines of, without someone watching, things went okay, but once someone of authority or someone with more know-how was watching you, that was when you began to make mistakes.

The gratitude from the thief earned a wider smile from the Griscian, and he lifted the knife as it was spoken about and turned it this way and that, looking at it. In truth, he could have just gone with it and blamed the knife for any shoddy work on anything he had been cutting, but Ford took a moment to shrug his shoulders and tilt the blonde head in Jared’s direction.

“I wish I could blame it all on the knife being dull. But I’m kind of rustic with my cooking. Not usually cutting things into tiny, uniform pieces that all look precise.”

The larger of the pair did quiet down as Jared was offering him to try the Pilota and stew first. Ford would not say no to food; if it tasted good, he would probably sneak some off to Taelian as things wound down.

“I appreciate the opportunity to try your cooking. Thank you.”

Amused with their conversation, Ford smirked as he looked at Jared from the corner of his eye, noticing the flustered speech as he talked about working on his humor. Sliding the bright blue eyes back to the knife he had been holding, he made a couple of chopping motions into some vegetables and nodded to Jared improving his humor. It was not that Ford thought it was bad, he thought it was cute, and Jared seemed like someone who did not want to only stop part way up the scale of what something could be, potentially.

Letting out a breathy chuckle at the mention of Grisic being stuck up, Ford’s gaze lowered to the counter and then a bit more out in front of him but still angled down. He was silent as Jared spoke of Daravin and Grisic and admired the thief for wanting to be so free that he could fly without a care in the world, among the sky and the stars. Jared’s image was a freeing thought that made the man think for a moment longer.

“It is very… Stuck up.” Ford began, “I thought it had many merits, but the more I see of the world that is so very different, the more I begin to see the flaws, and the flaws pretending to merit.”

While speaking about Grisic, the knife had been laid down, and Ford held his own hands, his thumb caressing over one of his palms, where a silvery, scarred pattern spanned inside of his hand. His own thoughts began to travel down a path to something he had been keeping to himself, so the thought of keeping to oneself did not seem so far off as Jared was talking about how he traditionally would behave.

It wasn’t Jared’s words, Ford’s thoughts, or even the smell of the food that pulled him from his moment of fading out of reality and into his own thoughts. It was the attempt of a sickly-looking hand, a hand Ford had not given too much attention to until that moment, trying to pass the food. Almost snapping him from the reverie, he instantly reached for the helping and set it down. The blue-eyed gaze lingered on the hand for a moment and lifted it to follow up to look on Jared’s face as he offered the food and spoke of it not being up to par. Instantly a genuine smile spread across his features, pulling at dimples and even reaching his eyes as Jared finished by asking about Taelian.

Taking a piece of the maslin bread, he first sampled the stew itself with the cut-up vegetables. Allowing the flavors to mingle on his tongue, he gave a couple of nods before next digging into the Pilota. Taking a more-than-needed mouthful of the minced rabbit mixed with herbs and spices, he savored it and slid his eyes over to Jared while eating it, tasting it, and eventually swallowing it. And just when it seemed Ford was ready to discuss the food, the bread was dipped into the stew and then brought to the blonde’s mouth and shoveled into it, fingers wiping away any crumbs or stray stew droplets from the facial hair around his mouth and enjoyed the bread as well.

Swallowing down the last morsel of bread he had popped into his mouth, Ford smiled at the thief.

“I enjoy the simpler things life has to offer now. I grew up with nice things and even became an adult with some of the nice things following me around after I left Grisic. I do not have a well-known surname, but enough that it is recognized in some areas from my father’s work. But I’ve also been living in tents and taverns for a while and have lost the need for everything to be so… Clean and proper. The bread, the stew, and the meat are all perfect. I do not think anything needs to change with it. You did an amazing job, made something I could never have thought to make.”

And at that moment, Ford gestured in a way that could potentially lead him to get shanked or receive a splash of piping hot stew all over him. Reaching up with his hand, abandoning the food to the counter, he placed a hand atop of Jared’s head, if the thief did not shy away or pull away, and let it rest there for a moment.

“Thank you.”

If Jared did move away, rather than getting a head pat, Jared would simply get the thank you, and Ford would just awkwardly drop his hand back to his side with a laugh.

“How about you tell me what to do? I can cook or plate things with your guidance, I think. You also were traveling and have enough on your own plate. You can take a load off and enjoy your own cooking.”

Ford had not been ignoring Jared when he was talking of Taelian; he had just wanted to compliment Jared for a job well done before moving on.

“…And Taelian and I both eat a lot. He eats similarly to me… Or I eat similarly to him. I am not sure which way that comparison should go anymore. But no… Taelian would not require a wagon’s worth of food to eat to be satisfied. Between both of us, maybe. But Taelian would only need half of a wagon. The other half would be his snack in the middle of the night.”

The toothy grin was flashed to Jared. Ford was joking, for the most part. Taelian was a large man. He needed a large amount of food and then some if he was going all out. The mention of Taelian being a Draedan and how things were processed had Ford thinking for a moment. “He will be happy with anything someone makes him. Within reason.” Ford could only imagine how Taelian would react if someone offered him something he did not like. The thought was amusing to Ford, though, and unless Jared had anything to say or tried to stop him, Ford would begin at least trying to help more with the food preparation so he could at least try to take it easy.

Ford was not going to scold Jared. He did not know him well enough. But he damned well could offer more help, so the thief wasn’t running himself ragged.