Ohβof course, sorry. Gela! I just never want to assume, um.
[ knots, she's been thrown off her game. what was she calling for?? ]
Ah, well, I'mβthat is, Messere Orlov has been teaching me Nevarran, and any time I ask him what I can do for him in return he refuses. You know, in that very polite way of his. I've decided to cook for him, since I don't have any better ideas, but I don't know much about Nevarran cuisine, so... I wondered if you might have ideas of what he'd like, or what he might be missing.
I asked Cedric as well, he pointed me in the direction of, um. Flatbread, fish, and spice?
You want to cook for him though! That's so nice. Yes, Cedric is very correct about the flatbread and fish with spices. My mother used to make us hand pies with whatever was cheapest at the fishmonger β though you don't have to do that, of course. Kirkwall must have a nice selection.
And you should make him candied sage leaves, or dates. Or apples, at a pinch, if you can't find either of those.
[ she should have known gela would be more helpful in this endeavor than cedric—there's the scritch scritch sound of quill on paper as ness takes notes. ]
Hand pies with fish and spices, perfect—any particular spices off the top of your head? Or, and I feel like this is probably a stretch, a recipe, maybe? I'm wonderful at following directions, less so at improvisation...
I don't think I've heard of candied sage leaves before, that's fascinating!
Anise, for the fish, and lemon and oil β egg for the sage, you'll want a sugar and egg wash to brush onto them, then you leave them out to dry for a day or two. They're good, you'll have to try them before you give them away to Vanya.
And yes, I can write you some recipes. They aren't complicated dishes.
They may not be complicated, but it's one thing to know how to make them yourself, another entirely to set down to try to teach someone else. I appreciate whatever effort you go to on my part.
[ note to self: make a batch of candied sage, just for gela. ]
Thank you, Gela, really. Between you and Cedric I should stand a good shot of not mucking this up horribly!
[ opens mouth to tell truth. realizes "because i stole a possessed skull from the necropolis and i wanted to speak her language" will sound Very Bad, Probably. closes mouth. ]
Well... It seemed useful?
[ she mentioned being bad at improvisation, right? ]
Oh. (Gela is having the same feeling an eight year old might have about wanting to go for a sleepover at a friend's house, never their own house (why would you want to come to my house when it's so boring there??).) Yes, I suppose it will in time.
[ and, mumblemumble weeks later, gela will find a bag of candied sage and a fresh, napkin-wrapped hand pie on her desk. it's not quite like mother used to make, but it's a very good attempt! ]
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[ knots, she's been thrown off her game. what was she calling for?? ]
Ah, well, I'mβthat is, Messere Orlov has been teaching me Nevarran, and any time I ask him what I can do for him in return he refuses. You know, in that very polite way of his. I've decided to cook for him, since I don't have any better ideas, but I don't know much about Nevarran cuisine, so... I wondered if you might have ideas of what he'd like, or what he might be missing.
I asked Cedric as well, he pointed me in the direction of, um. Flatbread, fish, and spice?
no subject
You want to cook for him though! That's so nice. Yes, Cedric is very correct about the flatbread and fish with spices. My mother used to make us hand pies with whatever was cheapest at the fishmonger β though you don't have to do that, of course. Kirkwall must have a nice selection.
And you should make him candied sage leaves, or dates. Or apples, at a pinch, if you can't find either of those.
no subject
Hand pies with fish and spices, perfect—any particular spices off the top of your head? Or, and I feel like this is probably a stretch, a recipe, maybe? I'm wonderful at following directions, less so at improvisation...
I don't think I've heard of candied sage leaves before, that's fascinating!
[ scritch scritch, scritch scritch. ]
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And yes, I can write you some recipes. They aren't complicated dishes.
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[ note to self: make a batch of candied sage, just for gela. ]
Thank you, Gela, really. Between you and Cedric I should stand a good shot of not mucking this up horribly!
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Can I ask you one thing before you go? I'm interested in why you wanted to learn to speak Nevarran.
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Well... It seemed useful?
[ she mentioned being bad at improvisation, right? ]
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It's going well?
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I think so! It's challenging to learn, but in a way I enjoy, and Messere Orlov is very patient with me.
[ swoon, sigh, isn't he dreamy? ]
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You'll have to let me know how it goes. The cooking and baking, I mean.
π!
[ and, mumblemumble weeks later, gela will find a bag of candied sage and a fresh, napkin-wrapped hand pie on her desk. it's not quite like mother used to make, but it's a very good attempt! ]