Open Mingle for Post Dragon Invasion Clean Up

[queenofminiskirts]

WHO: Everyone in Town
WHERE: All over
WHEN: After the dragons leave
WHAT: Repairing buildings, dealing with dragon corpses, freaking out about the encroaching forest, dealing with injuries, etc.
WARNINGS: Dead dragons, maybe.

The dragons sure did a number on the town, didn't they?

Buildings have been burned down (or crushed), the forest has apparently decided to play at territory invasion (again) and there are dragon cadavers around the town.

And, unfortunately, these things don't magically take care of themselves.

Thankfully, as long as everyone pitches in, clean up shouldn't be too hard!

Maybe. Assuming at least a few people know what they're doing. Except, you know, apparently the trees on the edge of town grow back the next day if destroyed.

((OOC: Just a mingle post for post event stuff! Go ahead and make your own top levels!)

Comments

[witchual]

[ Yeah, it's definitely charred. It takes a few seconds, but she does manage to tamp down the flames with a frantic breath... And the chunk of meat is basically black now. Frowning, she brings it closer to her face. She can probably pull the burnt top layer of dragon scales off, but the last thing she wants to do is get her hands burnt by dragon scales. So for the time being, she just puts it back against the fire, letting the other parts of the meat get some cooking action. ]

So dragons here leave behind corporeal meat, and it's flammable. Spooky. I don't know whether that's a sign to eat it or a sign to leave it alone.

[ She turns her kebab back around in turn. Might as well. ]

But yes! I am a witch! A fantastic fabricator of fables! The most magnificent of magicians! If you're unfamiliar, is that because magic doesn't exist? Or are there simply none brave enough to use the term "witch"?

[holycurse]

Better to eat it than to let it go to waste, I always say!

[But then again he's been homeless for the past 800 years or so, so his standards are maaaaaybe just a bit lower than most.

He takes a small bite out of the burnt side of his kebab before putting it back in the fire again.]

Oh, we certainly have magic where we live--though most mortal practitioners of mystical arts are called cultivators or priests. Such powers require cultivation of the spirit, after all. [A short pause.] Wouldn't a fabricator of fables simply be a storyteller? I've seen quite a few of those in my travels.

[witchual]

[ The mention of priests gets her to raise an eyebrow--it's a different term than she's used to hearing from the members of the abbey that use spirit artes, but it's very similar. Still, she brushes the momentary curiosity off with a wave of her free hand. ]

Yes, a storyteller! I'm both by trade, you could say. A witch, a storyteller, a comedienne all in one. That's the majesty of the mirth manufactory I manage, Magilou's Menagerie! Or... used to. My troupe is currently missing-in-action. I'll have to find others to recruit in the meantime, to spread our good name!

[ Ahem, it's a big boast to bring out while simply cooking meat over a fire. She pulls the kebab out to stare at it curiously. She's pretty sure it's done by now, but it's not like she's a dragon meat expert. Hesitantly, she takes a bite.

...It's a bit overdone. She makes a face somewhere between a grimace and annoyance. ]

There's gotta be a better way to cook this stuff.

[holycurse]

Ah, so you're a performer! I've done street performances myself before, but it sounds like you're a real professional, is that right? [With a whole troupe and everything!

He pulls his own kebab out, blowing out the flames to take another bite. Burnt to a crisp! Just how he's used to.]

There should still be a working kitchen available to find, if you'd like to try your hand at something a little less casual--ah, now that I think of it, I wonder how dragon stir-fry would taste?

[witchual]

As professional as a professional can get! My Menagerie is known across the land where I'm from. To the point where amateurs believe they can profit from our name. [ K-Kind of... ] It's a difficult life to lead.

Dragon stir-fry, though. It's not the weirdest food I've ever heard of, I guess. Gruesome, perhaps, but no less surprising when you consider the cruel ways humans have devised to devour the less fortunate.

[ And yet, she still has that same smile on her face. She picks at her kebab, then stands up to her full height. ]

Show this fair maiden where the kitchen might be, and tell me about your street performances on the way!

[holycurse]

Is it gruesome? It seems no crueler than stir-fried pork, in my opinion.

[He gets up rather more slowly than his companion, casually eating his burnt and blackened kebab as he considers what to do about this fire. Throw some dirt over it, maybe?]

Well, I think my own house may be out of the question at the moment, but we could probably find a usable kitchen in one of these other houses, if we look. Let me just put away all this uncooked meat first... [He's got a basket!]

[witchual]

Is your house one of the ones that the dragons used as a shooting gallery? I've seen lots of those around. No idea if my place survived or not.

[ All she does is shrug. She's only been there a couple times--she's mostly on the move, after all.

At any rate, she might as well do something if it'll get them to cookin' up a storm, so she starts to pile up the meat that's already been hacked into smaller pieces and put them in his basket. She's actually helping more!! Incredible. ]

[holycurse]

Sadly, yes... [Their poor roof...mostly he's worried about how his roommates are gonna manage, but.

It's a tall basket! With straps on it! And with the help of his new friend (and his handy-dandy axe) he manages to get (almost) this entire dragon stuffed in there!

Okay maybe not the whole dragon but the basket sure is stuffed.]

By the way, your name is....Magilou? Is that right? [Since she mentioned a Magilou's Menagerie.] I almost forgot to introduce myself - my name is Xie Lian, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[He cups a fist in one hand, a traditional polite greeting--though with the basket strapped to his back he can't bring himself to bow very far.]

[witchual]

[ Well, at least they're not leaving a whole lot of the dragon behind. Magilou gives it one long look before turning back to the basket. Kind of incredible that it fits so much in there...

Magilou isn't one for polite greetings herself, so instead she points to herself with her index finger and a flick of her wrist. ]

Indeed! This fair maiden is indubitably, positively, and without a doubt the great mistress Magilou! Xie Lian, perhaps it's destiny that brought us here, for an as-of-yet-unknown purpose. Who knows with the whims of the fates? But for the time being, let's use this fortuitous meeting to make some real tasty dragon foods and survey the remaining kitchens of the town.

[ Maybe he could take one for his housemates. The whole house, with a working roof! She doesn't really know how housing works around here, but surely there's not a problem with that. ]

[holycurse]

[He's got years of practice from junk-collecting, you can fit A Lot in a basket if you try hard enough.]

The whims of the fates are certainly quite mysterious! You never know when they might decide to destroy your house, for example. [As if it happens often--it does.

It does happen often.]

But yes, let's find those kitchens! I'm sure everyone will love a good meal after all that excitement.

[witchual]

Exactly! After all, a house destroyed is a house enjoyed.

[ He sounds awfully blasé about the house being destroyed--but then again, so does she! She knows Ruga best, even if she's only been to her place a few times, so she automatically starts that way, motioning for him to follow. A lot of the houses are dilapidated and falling apart, but there has to be at least one working kitchen among them--and if they do manage to find her place, it probably hasn't been destroyed?

Probably. ]

Your house going kablooey doesn't bother you?

[holycurse]

[He's not sure he understands that line...but she seems cheerful enough about it, so it was probably a positive thing? He follows her regardless, not really caring where they end up.]

I can't say it's the first time I've lost a home--though admittedly it's the first time I've lost one to dragon attacks. [Yeah.] Anyway, if we can't fix it back up again, we can always find somewhere new to stay.

[witchual]

Can't say I've lost one to dragons before, either, but there's never a dull moment around here.

[ Hah, well, maybe they're not so different; homes seem pretty easy to lose for them both. Magilou gives a curious quirk of her eyebrows, but doesn't comment further out of fear of incriminating herself. Instead, she keeps walking toward Ruga, silent otherwise. The first house in view doesn't look like it's been lived in, nor does it look like it's been maintained well. At the very least, there's no chance of someone happening upon them while they're cooking and forcing them out or something. She walks to it, pulls the creaking door open with some force, and steps back. ]

Well... [ Her movements have kicked up some dust, making it even harder to see through the darkness, but there has to be something there. ] I wouldn't give it five stars or anything, but if the kitchen works, we can still have ourselves a cookout.

[holycurse]

[It's true, this is a surprisingly exciting town despite how rural it appears to be. He looks around as they walk - at the destruction, at what remains, at which buildings look potentially intact enough to have a working kitchen.

After Magilou opens that door, Xie Lian steps forward to poke his head in without a single thought. Dusty sitting room here, darkened hallway there...]

The building looks fine enough, so the kitchen should be alright. [Wandering inside as he speaks.] Though I wonder if the pots and pans will still be usable?

[witchual]

Only one way to find out.

[ She follows him right in! Now that she's stepped inside, the main room doesn't look as dark as it first appeared, though it's difficult to say whether that's because of her eyes adjusting to the darkness or the small slivers of natural light peeking through the cracks in the wood.

The kitchen, which takes her a few moments to spot in the darkness, seems to be off to their right, so she heads that way. No sign of any pots and pans on the counter, but... ]

...Even if they are usable, how're all those huge chunks of meat gonna fit in a pot?

[holycurse]

[Maybe it's a little of both! Xie Lian follows her into the kitchen, notes the lack of pots, and starts rummaging through cupboards instead.]

Well, there's no way for us to eat all of it in one sitting; the best plan would be to cook what we can eat, and try preserving the rest.

[Is there a carving knife in here at least?--oh there's a pot, that's good.]

[witchual]

Ooh, dragon meat for future late night snacks. That's the stuff of dreams and nightmares!

[ She sounds so excited about it, so don't even worry. Magilou starts to follow him and rifle through the drawers, and--yup, there's a knife. Phew, it was either that or they'd have to use his axe again, and she's not exactly jazzed about the idea of getting all bloody...

She hands the knife out to him. ]

So, the scales get shucked off first, or does that leave a nice crunch?

[holycurse]

[He's probably got blood on his nice clean clothes right now, huh. Oh well! Xie Lian takes the knife and happily gets to work.]

I don't think the scales are edible, so we'll definitely have to scrape them off. Maybe we could use them for something else? They seem quite sturdy.

[witchual]

They might be good for armor... If they're different from the scales that were littered all around when I arrived.

[ It's kind of funny to think on now, but phew, being poisoned wasn't her idea of a good time. If they throw the scales in the pot, maybe they'd have poisoned dragon scale stew... ]

Of course, that might be interesting too. But a town of people cursed to be poisoned or cursed to think they can fly is too much, even for me.

[holycurse]

.....That's a very good point. [He got poisoned himself, from those scales.

But then again--] At the very least, this particular dragon doesn't seem to have any adverse effects. I've been handling it all this time, after all, and it's rather difficult to avoid touching the scales entirely.

[witchual]

True! There is no greater moniker for knowledge than experience and experimentation!

[ If he were to get poisoned, she could heal him, if she felt like it. (Which she would because it's been a nice conversation but!! GOSH she won't admit it.) But the fact that they avoided it makes it a lot easier, since she does love not lifting a finger. ]

Well, ol' scaly could always have a trick up his sleeve--trust is never something to give lightly, right? But if this guy wasn't crafty enough to get away from the town, it's probably fine. Just cook it up real good.

[holycurse]

[Even if she didn't heal him, he'd get better eventually! Luckily he's fine for now, so there's nothing to worry about.]

I'll certainly cook it as well as I can! [he says with a smile, descaling and chopping the meat into nice, even pieces.

If she keeps watching though, she might notice that aside from having good knife skills, his cooking skills are....kinda lacking. Incredibly lacking? Mixing salt with sugar lacking.]

[witchual]

[ ...Oh boy, this could be trouble. Not that she's an expert in cooking anything normally--AKA, not adding a whole bunch of unfitting ingredients into a cauldron and stirring--but this is something else.

She peers over the pot, watching all this go down. His chopping skills are great, but as she watches the dragon meat cook, she's suddenly less and less sure that she'll make it out of here alive if she eats it. ]

You, uh, do you cook much at all?

[holycurse]

[Xie Lian keeps stirring the pot, considering maybe adding a little more of that nice-smelling spice he doesn't quite recognize--]

Hm? Ah, I've been trying it occasionally since I arrived here, though our new roommate was quite happy to take over the kitchen when he moved in. How about you?

[witchual]

I mostly stick to cauldron stirring, the occasional potion brewing--you know, witch stuff. But you can make some surprisingly good strawberry soup in a cauldron.

[ Well, it wasn't meant to be strawberry soup, necessarily. And the recipe for strawberry soup doesn't call for a cauldron... ]

...So I'm not all that versed in the more boring cooking methods, but-- [ And here she takes a look at the spice in front of him, and it definitely looks way too dried up and spent to be added to whatever he's trying to make-- ] Maybe aim your curse away from the pot?