Best Of

Iesid raises an Iron Ivy bottle full of an attempt at whiskey to his nose after uncorking it, his button nose wriggling slightly as he takes a whiff.

Seraphina turns her gaze towards her raised foot as if she could see it, content with wiggling the toes back and forth before her blue-eyes turn back up to Iesid, "Oh okay, so long as they are the cutest" she mumbles before tilting her head towards you.

"Smells... raw," Iesid notes to you. He raises the bottle to his lips and takes a tiny sip.

Iesid sips from an Iron Ivy bottle full of an attempt at whiskey.

You have emoted: Kjell simply smiles at Iesid as he has no idea what that means when it comes to drinks.

You have emoted: Kjell very quickly begins to explain, "I asked some of the satyrs what they like to drink and they said whiskey and they told me about how you have to mash up some corn and you let it sit for a long time and it's warm and then you have to push it through some charcoal and it makes whiskey."

"Th-that.... that's..." Iesid sputters around his syrupy mouthful of would-be whiskey.

Iesid Mulariad, the Imago's Seer says, "Not... not wrong."

Your mouth turns up as your face breaks into a smile.

Iesid drinks from an Iron Ivy bottle of an attempt at whiskey.

You have emoted: Kjell definitely followed each of those steps.

"Ungh," Iesid groans around the next mouthful from the bottle. "Yes, um... think it needs some age."

Sekeres barrels forward, and scoops her arms about Iesid just as the mouthful of the bottle almost makes it to him.

Seraphina's hand reaches to pull her closer to Iesid, taking comfort in the closeness.

Ranger Sekeres Dark-Wing exclaims, "'Sid!"

You have emoted: Kjell takes a little step back as Sekeres runs in and nods to Iesid. He definitely takes the groan as a compliment! "Okay! Some age. I will do that. um. The age piece. Yes."

(Duiran): Sibatti says, "It is my birthday, and I am accepting free drinks and donations of fresh fish to eat."

Kjell FINDS A GLASS and is ON THE JOB.

Lin doesn't give up his power play for some time, saying very little, merely pushing - mostly symbolically - against Sibatti, given to rash competitiveness. When Sibatti weigh a shoulder upon him, he gives up, setting a hand to the small of her back and taking on a posture more appropriate for the ballroom. "As you wish," he states humbly, a smile haunting the corners of his mouth.

You have emoted: Kjell jogs onto the landbridge and has to stop and catch his breath. He trips a little as he walks up to Sibatti and smiles. "Happy Birthday!" The boy announces and shoves some folded paper and a glass into her hands.

You give a thick-bottomed lowball glass to Sibatti.

You give an intricately folded berry-smudged raven to Sibatti.

"Hah," Lin voices quietly, fascinated from afar by the paper raven.

"What is...." Sibatti clutches the folded paper raven like it was precious treasure. She marvels at the craftsmanship, quirking an eyebrow at the berry smudge, and smiles at you - a fang-filled grin that nearly stretches from ear to ear.

Sibatti sips from a thick-bottomed lowball glass full of an attempt at whiskey.

You have emoted: Kjell wipes his hands off on his pants and nods. There is some yellow paste of some kind smudged here and there between the flour and berry stains.

Coughing harshly, Esrytesh Sibatti dur Naya says, "Oh... Kjell. Are you brewing, now?"

So as to spare anyone a modicum of embarrassment, Lin averts his eyes as Sibatti tries the whiskey - he saw nothing.

You have emoted: Kjell very proudly smiles and nods. "Yes I am learning to! I asked some of the satyrs about the things they like and I am trying to do what they say."

You have emoted: Kjell pride is matched by how oblivious he is to Sibatti reaction to the whiskey. There are some details he has not yet grasped but he is as enthusiastic as ever.

"Thank you very much for thinking of me," Sibatti says to you, a gracious smile overtaking her rough cough. "You are, as ever, too sweet for your own good."

You have emoted: Kjell ears and neck become a little pink but he smiles. "You are very welcome okay have a good week!" He says very quickly and he just misses almost falling into the lake as he wanders away with a wave.

Saidenn arrives from the east.

Saidenn pads into the shop, giving it a quick look around, his expression neutral at the received look from the shopkeeper. Finding you, he dips forward in a respectful nod, "Hello." He purrs, straightening his posture.

Your mouth turns up as your face breaks into a smile.

You have emoted: Kjell leans out of the kitchen he had been organizing and waves. "Hello!" He exlaims quite loudly and drops a sack of potatoes in place. Kjell wipes off his hands and walks into the main shop floor.

You say, "I hope my parcel made it to you some times I wonder at the coordination of bees! They are very fascinating."

Saidenn's tail sways behind him in a sinuous motion, the tip twitching back and forth. Ears tilt toward the sound of the potatoes and the projection of the greeting. His jaw drops in a smile, his large, stormy eyes settling upon you at the wonderment. "They did find me." He purrs, holding up a thick-bottomed lowball glass of a blue 'Hand of Edamil' cocktail, "I had thought to deliver my thanks and opinion in person."

You have emoted: Kjell smiles quite cheerfully and dusts off his hands on his trousers. "That is great!" He exclaims at the arrival of the bees. The tips of the youth's ears turn a little pink at seeing the glass and an apology forms on his lips. Instead he swallows and says, "I hope you do not regret participating in our auction!" For all of his sunny nature the boy is a bit of a creative mess with flour and berry stains peppering his being.

Saidenn lifts a thick-bottomed lowball glass of a blue 'Hand of Edamil' cocktail to his lips after letting it be seen, downing some of the sweet concoction with a swallow. For his own, the few clothing items that the Rajamala wears are clean in the moment, but they do little to compare to the jewelry that has accrued upon his furred form. "No, I have no regrets." he rumbles, "Some questioned the spending of my gold, but I was curious to see what would come of it nonetheless." His ears flicks with a peal of silver from the earring through it, his feet-paws carrying him closer toward you in a gentle pad. "I did enjoy your selection for me." He says finally, "Especially the steak. It was my preference in terms of being cooked." His bifurcated eyes do a quick study of you and the stains, "I think I may have to borrow some of your techniques in the next recipe I make."

Saidenn says, "Although with the cocktail, you may have considered less of a sweet syrup. Perhaps a pomegranate one?"

You have emoted: Kjell immediately relaxes and breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh good." He murmurs, as he would hate to disappoit the Council. He seems very pleased that the food hit the mark. "I have not eaten much raw meat so I wanted to do some thing I knew I could do properly. Most of my life was in the north and so most of our food was fish or we salt dried it to keep in our travels." The boy explains.

You have emoted: Kjell turns a little more pink about the drink and clears his throat. "Um. I can do that I think? I asked my father for advice and he suggested triple berry and brandy. To make brandy you need a wine and you reduce it until it is...right." It is a very vague explanation. "And to make wine you need good grapes and wine yeast which is not bread yeast and it has to clump well, and to let it age." It is likely obvious in the way he describes the process that there was both a failed earlier experiment and he knows nothing about alcohol. "I thought it was better if I use things he already made and tried to do three flavours." He quickly mumbles.

"While not always a given, my youth in the Itzatl did provide fresh prey." Saidenn explains, his tail continuing its pleased sway behind him. "I do appreciate you stayed away from fish, even if it was a directive." He purrs, "Raw fish is an entirely different palette than what you created." He listens, then to the process of how the cocktail was made. The mention of two sweet additives earns a huff in the form of a laugh, "That explains it." he rumbles, lifting a claw to tap onto the side of a thick-bottomed lowball glass of a blue 'Hand of Edamil' cocktail before he continues.

Saidenn says, "You'd need to balance the sweet and the tart, and triple berry and brandy would produce a flavor almost like a liqueur. If you were to use a wine, you'd want to ensure it was drier, more tart, perhaps using blackberry, plum, or another fruit as a base rather than a grape."

Saidenn says, "To match the profile, what you may have done is started with a rum, which will already be a hint sweet due to its origin. Then citrus such as orange, perhaps anise, then a twist of lemon. You may have added pomegranate, too, as mentioned, to add in additional flavor without too much sweet."

You have emoted: Kjell continues to nod, his head a little like a loose hinge but it keeps his hands still. "I do not know what any of that means but I am trying to learn." He admits while continuing to blush. "But the meat I can do! But the fish is very different yes. We were fishers and fur trappers so it was a lot of that or tusker jerky." He seems to understand it is an acquired tasted. "I um." He pauses and disappears into the back of the shop with a gesture of his hand to wait.

You have emoted: Kjell carefully comes out of the kitchen with a pot which he sets down. "I tried to make whiskey once." He says as he stares nervously at the fermented gruel. "The satyrs said you have to mash up corn and you let it rot a little kind of, and then you have to push it through charcoal and then you get whiskey...my father says it needs more age but I do not know how much."

You drop a cast-iron cooking pot.

You have emoted: Kjell smiles a little; he is really very earnest and enthusiastic in his efforts but as he has not really had alcohol his comprehension is...limited.

Saidenn looks down at the pot as he listens, nodding his head. His nose wrinkles at the acrid odor wafting off the pot, but he does move forward with a bit of a taste, running his tongue along the roof of his mouth after. "This definitely needs more time." He says with a sniff and a shake of his head, his ears folding back, "And you need to distill it after it ferments to remove the mash." He holds up a paw, "Hold here a moment so I can give you an idea of a proper whiskey."

Saidenn leaves to the east.

Kjell stands with his hand on a lid on a pot to keep it closed.

Saidenn arrives from the east.

Saidenn returns just as he left, his pads soft with the lack of shoes and his fur blending in with the low light where it is able. He smiles toward you, looking at the pot, before offering a thick- bottomed lowball glass full of Satisfaction toward you. "A scotch, so rye instead of corn, but the same principle."

You have emoted: Kjell frowns a little at the cup and pretends he knows what he is doing for a minute. He sniffs it and looks at it like he has seen others do. And then he takes a normal sip as if it were milk or tea and immediately flushes a deep red and begins to cough. "Okay." The boy croaks.

Saidenn's ears fold back, watching you, the deeper sip earning a huffed laugh. "Small tastes, sips, not swallows unless you spend your time getting to know the bartender." He rumbles, amusement letting itself known in a lilt to his purr. "It is meant to be savored, not guzzled."

You have emoted: Kjell is still recovering from the first mouthful as he nods. His expressions would be very amusing as they get over the bite and smoke and bitterness. The boy takes a long breath and tries again, this time a very little sip. He has no idea what it means to savour it but he kind of pretends. "Okay so this is it aged." He finally says, recognizing the difference in viscosity from his attempt.

Saidenn watches the sip with curiosity, his ears still against his head and his tail swaying more rapidly than it was a moment before. "Aged, and also properly distilled." He says, pointing to the pot that he is assuming has the mash. "With wines, you ferment the fruit juice directly in a cask, and that liquid becomes your wine." He points out, "With liquors, such as whiskey, bourbon, tequila, the mash that is fermented produces both alcohol and water, and you need to distill them - meaning separate the liquid from the mash and the alcohol from the water - to create your drink." He then indicates the glass, "After the distillation process, then you age it to allow the alcohol to consume more of the liquid and become stronger and take on different flavors."

Saidenn says, "Your whiskey that you showed me has barely left the first stage of making liquor."

You have emoted: Kjell eyes widen a little at the explanation. That is a very important distinction he clearly missed. Kjell face may be permanently pink for a while, but he nods and begins to wander around while he listens. It takes him a few minutes to find his charcoal and his paper before he leans over the end of the table by the pot to begin writing all of this down. "Okay I am very glad I just use what my father already made for you," the boy admits with an embarrassed laugh. Who knows what he would have tried to create from scratch otherwise?

Saidenn's smile widens at the way that the boy moves about and takes note, although he does tilt his head to take in the pink flush that clings to your youthful features, his jaw dropping wider in a twist of a grin. "Typically you do some mixing with a cocktail, but..." he waves his paw, "Now you have a few more options." He approaches the counter and sets down another cup, this one filled with something clear and distinctly smelling of peppermint. "A tequila, so you can taste the differences in different distillations." He rumbles. "Cooking and brewing are my artistic outlets, so I spend much time trying to know them." He murmurs, "And being what I am as an Archivist, research, study, and such are second nature when I dig my muzzle deep into a subject." He exhales, his tail continuing its sinuous motion. "Still, overall, I enjoyed your meal, enough I had to come tell you in person."

You have emoted: Kjell is not a person of much tact or guile so what he feels reads easily on his face. He is like the plants that he has placed around the shop and the flowers that are stuck in his hair and clothes, full of bloom and sunlight and obvious when wilted. But he does try very hard so the note taking is long and with a lot of doodles he seems to know how to interpret. His eyes are watering a little from the whiskey, not the smell of his pot, so he nods at the cup but does not reach for it yet. He needs a little time. "Tequila is made from a leaf." He says, which again highlights his limited brewing grasp. "But not like tea." Another important distinction.

You say, "Thank you. I will practice these and when I have some thing that is more right I will send you some! And I am very happy you liked the meal. I am much better with food."

You have emoted: Kjell waves a little to the sideboard which is heavily burdened with a wide variety of offerings.

Saidenn allows for the note taking and, in a way, hovers somewhat close as a tutor with a favored student. His claws drag over the wood of the counter in a light touch, but nods at the distinction between tequila and tea, "Agave leaf, to be precise, which is very different from tea." His jaw drops in another smile at the gratitude, nodding at the offering, "I will look forward to it." He purrs, then looks toward the food. "I might take something with me, even if your prices do seem a bit higher for me and mine." He teases gently, a glimmer entering through his storm-laden eyes.

"But I can rarely say no to persimmon." Saidenn purrs with a persimmon bowl stuffed with lamb and pomegranate in his possession, turning toward the door. "I look forward to your next creation, Kjell."

You have emoted: Kjell frowns a little and nods, "Yes I inherited some things when I bought the shop and I do not yet understand all of the policies. It is a work in progress I am sorry."

Saidenn says, "No need to apologize. Your food will be worth it."

Saidenn says, "I'll send you some of my own in return."

Your mouth turns up as your face breaks into a smile.

You say, "I would like that very much!"

Saidenn says, "A pleasure to spend some time with you. I look forward to hearing from you soon."

You say, "And you mister Saidenn sir, have a good week!"

With those last words, Saidenn would slip out the door with but a wave of his paw, his fur adding to the illusion of him melting away.

Saidenn leaves to the east.