#baronyofthesilverwolf

"Depends on if you want to go to France to learn from a master. The old school chefs won't teach you a lick if you don't show you're willing to learn their language first." A chuckle. "But if you intend on learning on your own, or from books, or even from one of them computer sites? Well, you don't strictly have to speak a word. It does help though, if you want to read the original recipes, and not just TRUST that nothing got confused in the translation. Why, I heard a story about a recipe for a feast, but the amount of salt was accidentally written as 3 cups and not 3 spoons..." She spins quite a fine gossip. "And THAT'S why you should trust your instinct even over a recipe, if you think something is off."

A gasp, "Oh that's like the time Clem , she wasn't chef then, found out she couldn't cook ... see, she confused salt for sugar, and used Cajun pepper ..."

a tragic story

A laugh! "That's the thing about our chiefs, or our lords as they might be... they're still just a tetch human under it all after all."

"Hearth Agnes says they're all a bit tetched, but we're there for em" A smile

A smile. "You know, I'm glad you stopped in, Apprentice Hearth Kourtney. I'm sure you know what they say about Ailil holds, and what some might well say about your own Farmhold as well. They're not all right nor wrong neither, but I think that we could find a middle ground to shake hands on."

"good food crosses all the way across the table" Clearly a quote "I admit, Ma'am, we had a few Ailil lords come after our place. But then we had a few Gwydions try too, and now Chief Brekke, she's a gwydion baroness, now we consider her a friend. you never know. I hear Buck made a good impression on behalf of us, and your baron ain't hostile to us"

"Buck, now there was a nice fellow, and golly, could he eat. Did real justice to a meal, he did. Did that young man ever find what he was hunting after?"

A look left, then right and a whisper "he was wooinng the Chief, our Chief that is. She put him on a quest because she was skittish I think"

"Well, I'll be. She must be a right good woman, that Buck didn't turn his head no matter who strutted past."

"Oh, she's a good woman, but, well ma'am, we trolls can be pig headed...even meaning our best. Someitmes specially so. I don't know your daughter, but on the farm sometimes we have contests on who should feel the worst when something goes wrong, with each of us wantingg the spotlight of blame. Backwards Vanity, the Hearth calls it"

And the meal keeps a bubbling

The time flies by for Hearth Junior and Hearth Adjacent, and soon the finishing touches are ready to put on both pots of stew. Somehow Marigold manages to whip up side dishes as well - a fresh green salad, fragrant buttery rolls, and beans that are piping inside of a custom, colorful pot.

"Okay, the smells are killing me they're so good" another voice. Gwen as she comes in with Thistle and Art

(chime!)

Gwen and the fledges are accompanied by around a half-dozen nevers.

"Oh, no. Thistle, you keep your hoard out of the kitchen, unless they want to see the inside of a stew pot!"

"They aren't..." Nockerish grumble. "C'mon guys, I have candy in the studio..."

"Wow. you have a lot of Nevers! " the new troll says

Marigold smiles. "Gwen dear, Thistle, Art-"

The young sidhe pipes up, "Who's this?!"

A chuckle. "I'd tell you if you'd give me half a moment. This is Hearth-in-Training Kourtney DeBuke, and she's come to challenge me in cooking." Marigold seems rather pleased and amused by this.

"Pleasure to meet you all" She says even as she keeps working

Gwen blinks "challenge you?" a borderline scoff ALMOSt escapes her "Doesn't she know you're the best?"

"Shoo, shoo..." (Chime!)

"Not at everything, though you make me blush, daughter of mine." Marigold smiles proudly. "Marseillus may have the sliiightest edge over me in some seafood dishes." Ah, she does seldom cook fish... "But the young Hearth is also here to learn, and I'd be a right churlish sort if I wasn't willing to help out."

Thistle returns. One Never is clinging to a pigtail, of which the nocker seems unaware.

The rest, however, have been bribed by skittles.

"Rigght nice of your mom" Kourtney says

"Well, if I'm goinn to be in a taste test... smells good" Gwen admits

"Yeah, it doesn't smell bad at all in here."

"Marigold?" The voice of the Baron comes through - rather than charging in imperiously as one might expect, the lord of the manor actually knocks on the frame of the open door, and then pauses on the threshold of Marigold's domain.

"I- Oh, you have a guest." Aiden straightens up. "I heard voices." Though his nose is practically twitching as much as Nibbler's was earlier today.

"I reckon we must have been 'loud' to tempt you over all the way from your study." Says Marigold, not fooled.

"Baron Aiden, my liege, this is Kourtney DeBuke, Hearth in training," Gwen says "Come to... challenge mom in a cook off in some sort of... rite of passage? Kourtey, this is Baron Aiden ap Ailil, ruler of Silverwolf" A beat "Well, a co ruler now, but he is my liege"

A look of mild surprise, and he nods to Kourtney.

"Any guest of our Steward is a guest of mine. My lady and I will gladly join you for dinner." He nods, and departs.

Thistle's nose twitches. "We get to try a bowl of each?"

"Oh sure, or where's the test?" Kourtney says "Lessen the stewad says oherrwise. I like your boss" she adds

"I think there's easily enough for all of that. Art!" Marigold suddenly snaps - well, it's not harsh, but definitely short of tone.

He drops the spoon he was trying to dip into Kourtney's pot with a clatter that draws eyes to him.

A soft snerk.

Kourtney blushes as the cute guy getss caugh "I don't mind"

"When my hostmother makes stew, it doesn't smell like this. Which packet did you use?"

"Well, wait, PACKET?"

"Lipton's? Like the tea guys?"

"Oh, we don't do packets" Kourtney says "no we do not. That's Loki's deciet, that is"

"This smells more Janice..." At Kourtney's.

Star anise, clearly, being a "Janice" spice.

"She showed me the recipe. You put the stew beef in the pot with potatoes and carrots, then add the powder and enough water to make it... wet. When it's soft enough to eat, it's dinner."

"You just have to chew it a lot." He is sniffing the air. "But I don't think this is beef stew, then. This smells way more fragrant."

"I pity you" Slips out of Kourtnney's moutth

"His mom.. uh... tries." By nocker standards, that's polite.