Mysteries of Daraku II

But, Warrior of Darkness! That's the most important arc of all!! XD))

(But ofc this isn't mysteries of daraku, it's mysteries of the plushies!)

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(I could totally see that xD)

Kathrynne smiled, devilishly.
"Well, you two, alone, together, in the kitchen. Don't do anything I'd do." Kathrynne winked. Victus chuckled.

Ferro held off on jokingly asking her what she would do in the kitchen, of all places, and simply offered her a humored smirk. He turned away and made his way towards the kitchen that just now exists because Adrianna can fucking do that, after all!

(Only just noticed this entire page xD
Everyone who's ever met Maybelle has a Maybelle plus his, for sure.
Also, a Jane plushie? Jane is one of my favourites to play :p
And yes. The plushie arc must appear on the index. Honestly, I should probably make an index for my own benefit, let alone anyone else's.)

Jane followed on after Ferro, also deciding not to humour Kathrynne. She had a habit of twisting words, and getting people flustered, if they engaged. She took to the kitchen like it was home to her, clearly an expert when it came to culinary matters, as would be expected of the assistant to a noble. She began by inspecting what ingredients they had to work with.

"So what did you have in mind?" Jane asked, as she checked, what appeared to be, different gradings of flour.

"Hmmm...I was thinking of making Shepherd's Pie," he suggested. "But sides...I was never really good at deciding those. Suggestions?" He wasn't going to simply have her play second fiddle and curiously inquired her opinion.

(Btw I'll be off at least 5 or 6 hours but I left Dixi sleeping so you two can continue on your own, go FerroXJane! XD)

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Pfft! Okay, Warrior of Darkness! Have a good time doing whatever it is you're doing!))

"Sounds perfectly reasonable. Lamb or beef? Or would you be interested in perhaps a small experiment? We could attempt it with venison?" Jane considered. "Though I suppose the richness if the meat may detract from the rest of the dish. Perhaps we could add some additional tomato puree to counteract the richness? Ah, but that would overpower the dish. Though if we used a more starchy potato, it is possible we could have those flavours absorbed, and using a chicken stock to soften the dish? This may end up making the dish slightly drier, but it guarantees that Victus will need to take a drink during the meal." Jane suggested, pulling out various pans and ingredients as she went, clearly getting ahead of herself. Her tone remained neutral and contemplative, but her actions betrayed her excitement.

(I've watched too much Shokugeki no Soma xD and I'm terrible at cooking)

(Ahaha! I love it! Taking food lessons from Food Porn! The Anime)
Ferro got more than he expected when he asked Jane for suggestions. "Wow," he replied. "Maybe I'll leave main course decisions up to you. Well, if it ensures he'll have a drink during dinner than we should go with that. But aren't drinks a given at dinners anyways?"

"Well, of course. But I'm uncertain as to whether Victus is a big drinker or not, as he previously ate and drank only out of necessity. Speaking of which, with a venison dish I would normal recommend a red wine, however given that the dish will probably be on the dry side, a light rosè will probably go down better." Jane surmised. She began to peel potatoes, and set some water to boil. She then placed some butter in a bowl with the potatoes, as she peeled, and handed the bowl to Ferro.
"Mash this, please."

"So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?" Jane suggested, trying to make casual conversation.

He nodded and took the bowl and began to mash the taters. He gazed up from the bowl to Jane for a moment. "What would you like to know? Anything in particular?"

(I totally ship these two! Keep going! xD)

Jane considered the question.
"Something that you would consider to not be obvious to a casual observer." She responded after a moment, before nodding, satisfied by her clarification.

(Poor Victus, Adri and Xana. They still need ships)

He tried to consider for a moment just what might be worthy of interest or conversation. Aside from the cause he was fighting for, he didn't really consider himself all that interesting. "Well, I've already revealed that I'm a noble... I'm half Midara, but considering I'm a man, I'm not really sure how that happened....sorry, I'm not really all that grand."

Jane raised an eyebrow at the second comment.
"A half Midara male? That is interesting." She commented. "What sort of effect does that have on you?" She asked, clearly interested.

"I'm not sure. I was given this to push back anything I might've gotten from it," he said, taking a moment from mashing the tates to show her his feather necklace. "I think Adrianna was worried that I might be turned away while offering help if that side of me were to show."

"I have to wonder what would happen were your midara nature to show itself." Jane considered, adding the last of the potatoes, and a little more butter, to the bowl, and began to prepare the stock and meat. "If you don't mind me asking, what was your mother's nature?" She asked, her eyes bright. It was unclear as to whether it was the curious line of questioning, the act of cooking, or something else entirely that was having her engage so much. Most likely some combination.

"The funny thing is, I don't remember. I remember her being there up until I was eight. But for some reason, I can't remember her face or what clothes she wore, or even her voice." He seemed somewhat tense in his recollection, but he didn't let it become overt. "All I remember is that for as long as she was there, she never ignored me. She always gave me her full attention and listened to what I had to say, even if it was make believe jargon."

Jane smiled a little at Ferro's story.
"It must have been nice." She commented, her smile bittersweet. "Even if you can't remember her, at least you can know you were happy."

"I guess. I don't blame her for leaving, it must not have been all that grand, having to be dubbed a monster," he noted. After a moment of silence, he shook things off and decided to return the favor. "What about you? Tell me about yourself. I know so little about you aside from your connections to Kathrynne."

"You wish to know about me?" Jane asked, looking a tiny bit surprised. "Well, what do you want to know?" Jane asked. "My life is an open book, figuratively speaking. My book is very much a closed book."

"Well, what did you do before all this? Any interests or hobbies? You said your life is a book, so I think I'd like to take a read." He awaited her answer as he assisted in cooking.

Jane shrugged.
"Well, I used to do something not to different to yourself. I would hunt down dangerous midara who had been causing trouble for the nearby residents, and offer them a choice. Stop, leave, or be hunted. I was trying to create a world where we could all live peacefully." Jane began, an ironic smile on her face. "I soon learned my dream was hopeless, the hard way. I encountered a midara who was out of my league. She captured me, and intended to enslave me. That was the moment I learned that the world doesn't care for intent, and that only the powerful can affect real change." Jane added, looking a little sad.