#rivervale_lodge

Chewing from the kitchen

If Kerri can hear that from the main room, that's some loud chewing. She heads into the kitchen, expecting to see Dirk or Prissy.

Prissy is raiding the kitchen, been awhile since she's been in

"Hello, Prissy. Need help?" A grin, but also an expert glance around the kitchen to see what's already been raided.

"Just grabbing some food for Goldfinch... " She says "And testing it. See, Sylvi doesn't want to mooch off you too much, that's why we need redcaps. We can do the 'shameful' stuff for others"

A brow. "Well, I don't mind the mooching, to an extent, but let's use the cauldron, hm?"

"Oh that... it's not working" She says it causually

"It's...what?"

"I'm sure it's...." Kerri trails off and goes to the cauldron, giving it a look over.

It appears to be... dim, oh there is faint glamoru there, but it's a strain to sense it, and that's in a hold

"Yeah, I Put some stuff in it, normal food right? but it didn't work so I got the stuff out and ate it."

Kerri's only half listening. No no no no no.... She doesn't want to admit how much she's come to rely on the cauldron, but when you're feeding a LOT of people, some of them redcaps, quantity matters. "Ah...Prissy...I think I'm going to ask you to take what you've already gotten and head on over to Goldfinch, okay? I need to get to work on, ah, reviving this."

"Oh sure" she grabs the alarming large bag she has collected and heads out, none the wiser to Kerri's distress

"EnjoyandtellSylvithatIloveher," Kerri says quickly, ushering Prissy out.

And out Prissy goes

This is a bad time for the Cauldron to kick out. Samhain is soon, later Thanksgiving..

Pennons, shit

She gets a couple of apples and a paring knife, then pulls up a stool near the cauldron. She starts peeling and slicing the apples, dropping the thin slices into the cauldron, but not activating it. She's casting WillowWhisper.

Bit by bit she works the bunk, treasures are not easy to affect. She may need dross

Dross she has. She fetches an old yellowed recipe card, found forgotten in a box in an antique store. She's long since memorized the recipe. Now, she tears the card into tiny pieces, which follow the apple slices into the cauldron.

Now the glamour has reach... and the cantrip takes root

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Cauldron, great provider, I note your power is dim. What has happened to cause this?"

"Three times I have been used, three times without thanks. "

Magic is fickle, but Kerri has, to the best of her knowledge, thanked it before, even if only in the form of a gentle pat.

Or has she? This is when self doubt might kick in

A blink. "That is an oversight, and it must not continue. I do not know if I did this or if it was somebody else, but it doesn't matter. It is my responsibility that others know to thank you, and I seem to have failed in this. I offer you my apologies, and thank you for all you have done. What can I do to fix this problem?"

Prissy is the likely suspect for the last failure to thank, that maybe small comfort. Redcaps aren't big on manners, but if she hears the food stops if she doesn't thank it, she'll come around. Howling pits those redcaps

The Cauldron answers "From five places must come a food of thanks, not to be duplicated but consumed by me. One from each cardinal direction, and one from home. At least a hundred miles for all but the one from home. Foods that respresent gratitude"

"Oh." That's a bit more than she'd expected, but on reflection it's completely reasonable for such a powerful treasure. Okay, so...here is home...Fenix...the Farm would do for west...SilverWolf, I'm sure I can get something sent from them if I have Gerd bring something up there...but...East....

New Jersey's on the eastern shore. You can't get much more east, and certainly not 100 miles worth. Not unless you want to get out into the ocean, or over it....

Could she possibly impose upon a certain master chef?

Perhaps!

"I will see that it's done. I have no other questions than this: is there anything else you would wish me to know?"

"Yes," it pauses as if about to reveal a secret "The ingratitude of some few aside... your food is is a joy to make plenty of. Every morsel a delight"

and then it dims

Kerri smiles. "Thank you," she says to it, even though it's gone dim. "That means a great deal."

She takes another deep breath, then gets to work. The first task: A sign to place upon the cauldron: Do Not Use The Cauldron At This Time, By Order Of The Hearth.

Then begins the planning.

(Fade to planning!)