ic contact.

[arcanepower]

[What is this strange goblin technology? Why is it not blowing up in his face?

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[arcanepower]

I've been studying magic since I could read, but I didn't master the higher levels of arcane magic until I was ten. [Belthazar makes it sound like that was too long to wait.] And I didn't have the reagents for it until a few years ago...

[He sets the pork chops aside. Only now does he hesitate.]

The only thing I cannot do is chop onions without tears. There isn't a spell for that, and if I fly it too far away I lose control of the spell.

[He sucks in a breath and begins dicing up the onions anyway.]

[monolike]

[oh man when you were ten, you practically wasted your life away]

Oh- Belthazar, if you hate it so much, I don't mind doing it. [He's kind of an expert at crying at this rate!!]

[arcanepower]

[Belth looks up, a bit surprised.]

Oh, would you? [He can already feel the stinging settling in, but he's happy to set the knife down and move away.]

If there are still potatoes, I will do them.

[monolike]

[there are all the potatoes] ...s-sorry. I got kind of distracted. Your magic is seriously cool. [dutifully chops those onions and cries tho]

[arcanepower]

[Belthazar blushes florescent pink.]

I-i-i-i-it's nothing, really! I'm sure you have plenty of skills that are way cooler than mine.

[He dices the potatoes with far more speed than is probably necessary, then dumps them into the casserole dish.]

[monolike]

I don't, really. [Sorey sniffs and scrapes the diced onions from the board into the dish.] I'm actually...really, really average.

[But that's enough of that.] A-anyway, does this dish have a name? Is it something you came up with yourself, or a recipe you got somewhere?

[arcanepower]

It's okay to be average. I can't run half a mile, so...

[He smiles a little, and sprinkles the bowl of cheese over everything.]

It's a pork chop casserole. I learned some simpler recipes before the gourmet ones.

[He spreads the seared pork chops atop the casserole, then buries them a little beneath potatoes and cheese and onions. He pauses, though, and just stares at the dish.]

To be honest, I... I spent a lot of time starving. Years, really. I didn't get to eat like a normal person until I came here.

[He isn't sure why he just said that. He's never told anyone that, but Sorey seems trustworthy. He seems like a nice guy and-- and maybe Belth just needs to tell him something, to share a little bit of himself. He's compelled.]

-- Sorry, that's not very good conversation, is it?

[monolike]

[Sorey shakes his head.] You don't have to apologize.

[He'd heard a lot of stories like that, especially in Pendrago. Farmers whose families would starve because they were barely producing enough grain to sell, let alone eat. Orphans and older children braving the dangers of the wilderness to try and forage wild plants, or struggling to kill a rabbit or bird or even rats just to have something to fill their bellies.

Even people who hadn't known he was the Shepherd would tell him these things, in markets and alleys and dark corners at the inn. He'd overhear merchants whispering 'did you hear, the Dulles' boy, always was a sickly thing' around the fountain.

So there are stories like that here, too. Sorey feels a little shamefaced for complaining about the food months ago.]

Could I ask you to tell me more about it?

[arcanepower]

[Belth slips the casserole into the oven and shuts the door. He doesn't say anything for a long moment, just looks down at their mess. How could Sorey hear that and want to know more?

But his heart will feel better for the telling, he knows.]

Ah... [He isn't sure where to begin, so he just starts stacking bowls into the sink.] My home was taken by the Scourge before I saw my seventh summer. Most people died or went missing. The few of us that survived were left to fend for ourselves. I was used to living on a little, but not on nothing. Even rats are scarce when the undead have poisoned everything...

[The sound of the faucet is calming in comparison to his memories, so he lets it run for a while to wash off bits of vegetables and flour.]

After the city was rebuilt-- the hierarchy didn't change. I stole books until I learned enough to get a job in the kitchen, but the pay wasn't enough to live on. I just read whenever I was hungry. Eventually I stopped noticing.

[monolike]

[Sorey comes over to lean against the counter as Belthazar talks, pulling utensils and dirty dishes closer to the sink.] And that was so even all the way up to showing up here? You just taught yourself not to eat?

1/2

[arcanepower]

Mm-hmm. I ended up in Exsilium, which was -- [shitty] -- a little like the Fleet. Food was a little easier to come by but still rationed, so I tried not to be too much of a burden on the people I lived with.

[He scrubs at a pan.]

[arcanepower]

Then I came here, and I could finally cook like I wanted. [Even he can't help the way his expression lifts.] I used to dream about making twenty different kinds of food and-- and sharing it with the people I liked. Or just having friends in the kitchen while I made things, like this.

It doesn't get old, not really.

[monolike]

[Another reminder that while the Fleet might be a horrible place for him, a lot of people are coming from worse situations. Not everyone resents the free food and lodgings.] ...you know what you really might enjoy? A potluck. [Sorey's actually never done one before either, but he's read about them and he's always been excited to try.]

[arcanepower]

[The little elf gasps, delighted.]

A potluck! Have you ever been to one, Sorey? My father had one at home, once, and--

[His eyes are practically sparkling, but before long his excitement begins to wane.]

Ah, but... there would be so many people... I-I'd be so nervous...

[monolike]

You could invite just a few people to start. Why not just do a handful of friends first? Then as you get more comfortable with it, you can try asking more people to join in.

[arcanepower]

[His ears pin against his hair as he considers. A handful of friends, Sorey says, like Belthazar has the luxury.]

Would--

[He clears his throat.]

Would you like to come?

[monolike]

[Sorey leans a little closer so he can knock Belthazar's arm gently with his knuckles.] Of course.

I can't promise anything I make to be any good, but I'd love to come.

[arcanepower]

[He's not used to physical contact, so the little bop to his arm earns a squeak.]

R-really? You'll come? You don't have to make anything! Unless you... want to?

[oh my god, tsun overload. look at him, he's about to melt.]

I, um, I don't have a lot of friends, so...

[monolike]

[Well he's got one less now, too. Doesn't he?

Sorey's smile fades for just a second before he pulls it back up, folding his arms.] Not a problem. You let me know when you're ready, I'll ask around and see if anyone can attend. I'm sure we'll find plenty of interested parties.

[arcanepower]

[Belth's bottom lip quivers in a telling way until he bites down on it and nods.]

You-- you are very kind, Sorey.

[He turns back to their mess, ostensibly to pull more mixing bowls down from the cupboard. The truth is that he doesn't want his new friend to see just how embarrassed he is.]

Right! So, while that bakes, I thought we would spend the next half hour making dessert. No-bake recipes are quick and easy with a mage around. Do you like chocolate?

[monolike]

Sure, who doesn't like chocolate? [deviants, tbh] What're you gonna make?

[arcanepower]

I was thinking a four or five layer cheesecake. [Without raw eggs in it, obviously.] All right. Here's a bowl of cookie crumbs. Do you think you could melt a little butter in the microwave and stir it all together? That will form the crust.

[monolike]

In the... [uhhhhhhh] Um, sure. [this is getting into complicated territory tho, especially with the introduction of the microwave] Let's see, melting butter... [should probably use something metal since metal conducts heat]

[arcanepower]

[... Sorey, you've been here how long--

Thankfully, Belth glances over and sees him grabbing a metal bowl.]

Wait, no! The glass one! The glass one!

[monolike]

[why would he touch that black magic device if he doesn't have to]

Aaah! What'd I do?! Why glass?!