[Open] Creating works of art one dish at a time

[forbothofus]

Who: Emil and open!
When: Week before the festival | Evening of the 7th
Where: Town Plaza - First Bloom Festival
What: Cooking, shopping, and watching the Oubliette
Rating: None


a. Festival Preparations – Backdated to last week

A slender, blond-haired young man shows up at the plaza daily, warmly greeting fellow Heroes, locals, and foreigners alike. He’s eager to help – but not with the heavy lifting! The booth he assists at boasts delightful scents from warm ovens and stovetops. And soon the counters are adorned with vegetables cut into flower patterns and little cakes in animal shapes. Emil wields a knife with an expert hand, trimming dough and neatly peeling oranges into creative shapes. The fun is contagious, and he’ll happily join other cooks in the preparation.

b. First Evening of the Festival

A selection of scarves, silky and light as air or woven in soft materials, lay in neat rows on display in a shop stall. While Emil browses, the shopkeeper shows off his wares. Wouldn’t a red scarf be the perfect accompaniment to his uniform? Or how about a cream muffler made in the finest wool!

“Ah, no... how much for this one?” The shopkeeper looks at Emil’s choice, a dark blue scarf, with immediate approval and quotes an inflated number.

Do I look that much like a tourist? “Would you take 250 for it? 280?”

It would appear he’s new to haggling...

c. Later that night

There’s the gleam of a white uniform high in the branches of an old oak tree on the outskirts of the festival. Seems someone found a good seat for fireworks! Or, perhaps not? Should anyone climb after him, they’ll find Emil ignoring the festivities and staring towards the giant tree in the heart of Caissa. With the abundance of mana in the air, the Oubliette seems lit from within. The glow is mesmerizing even amid the fireworks.

It’s ten thirty and curfew fast approaches. Emil may spend the night here if someone doesn’t call him back.

-
((Will match prose or brackets! Fellow chefs are welcome to tag in with cooking prompts!))

Comments

[forbothofus]

[Of course you have to get close! Art should be admired in detail. And this chef doesn’t mind.]

Really? Thank you! [Emil grins and gestures with a flour-covered hand to the other workstations.] You should see the others' work, too. Oh, this one, [he pushes forward a delicate, spongy cake with flower petals trimmed and arranged into a design around the edges.] This is a specialty from Ma Jiang. The texture is amazing! Have you seen anything like it?

[It’s hard to tell if that's a rhetorical question or not.]

[liberal_arts]

Flower arrangement is nothing new to me, but doing so through food like this is definitely new artistic territory. I wonder if I should try it...

[forbothofus]

If you want to, we’d love to have help. There are more cakes to finish decorating; do you want to give it a try?

[He doesn’t mention getting paid for the work because hey this is art! Who cares if we get paid or not?]

[liberal_arts]

I would be honored. Please, show me the basics.

[forbothofus]

[He enthusiastically shows him to a clear counter. A tray of fresh cakes awaits, cooling from the oven. Emil points out the various supplies, repeating the instructions the Ma Jiang cooks gave him.]

The goal is to make a flower shape using the icing and petals. It may take a few tries, but keep at it and you’ll get it!

[liberal_arts]

I see... so I just squeeze the icing bag gently like so... -it was a little crude at first, but he was at least getting the basic shapes down correctly.-

Fascinating...

[forbothofus]

Yes! You’re picking it up quickly! [Emil doesn’t give specific instructions, preferring rather to stand back and watch as Kasen learns on his own and the design forms. Letting each artist do it in their own way is part of the fun. It makes him curious about the fellow’s past experiences.]

What kind of flower arranging did you do?

[liberal_arts]

The traditional kado style, mostly. Though I've tried experimenting a bit with form.

[forbothofus]

[Kado… he hunts through his memory for that word. It must be something unique to the other’s world if it’s not translating. Perhaps arranging in wreaths or some other form of the craft?]

I haven’t heard of it. Could you describe it?

[liberal_arts]

It is also known as Ikebana. It is difficult to describe, but there are various styles and schools of thought regarding the artform. I try to practice all of them.

[forbothofus]

[Judging by the way Emil tilts his head, he doesn't quite understand that. Creativity is spontaneous and personal for him; he’s never bothered to learn about art from an intellectual standpoint.]

So you base your designs off someone else's ideas?

[liberal_arts]

-Kasen gently shook his head.- The form and technique may have come from someone else, but the final image, the ideas it expresses, are always unique to the artist.