Tristana listened to Delanac as he spoke about the dogs. Poor things, they must have had a terrible life. Her eyes glanced to Bran and could only wonder if that sort of thing had happened to the poor animal and that Delanac was able to save the dog. Perhaps.

“It’s terrible.” She commented not really knowing what else to say. 

Tristana listened to Delanac as he went on about the birds. He had pointed some things that she hadn't noticed before. Especially about the birds. She had never known why the birds made the nests but now with this new information, it made so much more sense. She had wide eyes as she listened about how birds went on through the year. It made sense but also had a wonder about it. Tristana couldn't help but smile. She then listened as he began to speak about his own journey. It was clear that he had traveled a far lot longer than she had. Which meant he probably had a lot more experience than her too. Which was good since he had, or so she assumed, been out more than she had. It would be strange for them to be on the same level. Then he mentioned his dream and her eyes lit up with pure curiosity. 

"Your dream?" Tristana asked, "If you don't mind my asking, what is your dream? I would really like to know." 

She herself had a dream that she was traveling to follow. It seemed that he also travelled for a little bit. Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could travel together. The orc seemed very nice and friendly. Not to mention a great cook and he had an adorable dog. Besides, she was actually genuinely interested about his dream. Tristana then spotted the dog as it ran around and played. She was glad that the dog was so sweet. Tristana was also glad that not all dogs were just waiting to kill her. She was discovering that most animals and things that existed in the world was not out to kill her. Which was rather odd considering that was what she had been told her entire life. Tristana could only wonder what the rest of the world was really like. Perhaps after she achieved her goal she could explore more of the world and learn more about it. Even if there was danger, death, and despair. It still seemed worth knowing to her. 

Tristana then finally realized that her hood had fallen down. Moments of panic flashed through her as she tried to keep a straight face. Was he going to kill her now that he saw how ugly she was? He wasn't moving. Of course he wouldn't do that. He was so nice. But then again that also might be a trick. Tristana then felt guilty for questioning his kindness just because of her mistake. Tristana did her best to keep her emotions hidden and tried to subtly pull the hood back over her head. She managed to do so as subtly as she could and felt a little less panicked. However Tristana did not want to mention her face. After all there was a chance he hadn't noticed. If that was the case then she had no reason to worry. And even if he did notice, then why didn't he do something about it as soon as he saw what she really looked like. Nevine had been proved so far to be a liar about many things. This had to be another of his lies. The best thing she could possibly do was to ignore it and move on. Focus on listening to Delanac was much easier then mentioning or thinking about what just happened. 

When she asked him about his dream, he rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. "Ah it's not much. Nothing grand, I tell you. Even if I've been going on about it, it still makes me red in the face saying it." This was the first time he'd told somebody about it, and the first time anybody had asked. There wasn't anything wrong about it, so might as well get it off his chest. "Back before I found Bran, I used to work the family smithy in Yovaesh. My pa wanted me to keep the business going, and I'd been firing metal and working with it since I can remember. One day I wanted to head out on my own, become a chef. My pa and I didn't see eye to eye, so I told him I'd prove myself an artisan in my own right." He sighed, looking up. "Been years since I've went back home. After that spat between us, it's not like I could just come on back without expecting to deliver, you see. In other words, I'll need to learn everything there is to know about cooking to show my old man that it's a craft just as much as being a blacksmith."

Crossing his arms, he let the words sink in. That was the long and short of it, really. Carric Ironbrow was a man of his word, and there was no way he'd be convinced with a half-baked effort. Delanac knew that he wasn't quite ready to show what he had learned, and had been gradually compiling methods and recipes for all sorts of foods. His pa might not be a food critic, but he had a keen eye for quality. The most important thing was to know the processes inside-out, and to make something that'd knock the knickers off of him on the first go. "Bet you weren't expecting something like that, were you?" Giving a grin, he wasn't sure how would Tristana would react. When people looked at him they had a laugh when he asked them about how to cook things. He'd gotten used to it by now. 

The way the girl carefully put back on her hood told him he'd made the right choice in keeping mum about her eye. If she wanted to talk about it, best let her speak up for herself. The sound of scuttling paws came over as the jet-black jackal returned with a mouthful of roots. He'd found a big knobby one, with the stems and leaves still attached. "What've you got there, boy? It's a big one, that it is." Carefully scratching the skin, he took a whiff. Examining the remainder of the leaves and stems, he broke one and inspected the liquid it produced. No milky sap, the smell wasn't like almond, the leaves weren't in threes or resembled dill. Smelling the leaves, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. The scent…wasn't this like celery? "Hmm. Looks like we'll have something to go with the onions for supper." Setting it down to wash and peel later, he scratched the dog's ears. "You've done it this time, Bran! If you find any more of these, bring 'em back and I'll give you another helping of rarebit." 

The dog's ears perked up and he barked in joy, tail wagging quickly like grass in a storm. He ran off again, and Delanac stood up to watch which direction he went. "Mind waiting here a minute, Miss Tristana? Bran's found himself a prize." Pausing, he then added: "–Or you can even come along and see, if you'd like."

Tristana was grateful that Delanac didn't mention her face or even ask about it. She tucked a strand of her hair back underneath her hood then began to listen to him as he spoke. Delanac seemed slightly uncomfortable at answering her question which caused Tristana to wonder if she should have asked at all. To her surprise he began to answer her question. She listened intently as she leaned forwards a bit to hear him better. As if he was telling her some sort of secret. He mentioned his father was a blacksmith. So logically that must have meant he had a dream in blacksmithing. But then he went on to tell her that he wanted to be a chef. And the fact that his father just didn't see eye to eye. As he spoke Tristana nodded politely and clearly showed sympathy when he spoke about the argument with his father. She could see how much his father meant to Delanac. Tristana had an excited smile on her face. 

"I think your dream is amazing! I didn't see it coming but then again i've never met you before." She said encouragingly , "But I'll bet that you'll become an amazing chef. I mean more than you already are. Your food is incredible. I've never taste anything like it. Once you return back home I'm certain that you're father will be so impressed that he'll make you a cooking pot himself. So do you plan on traveling to figure out different recipes?" 

She then was interrupted by the beautiful black dog running back with some sort of plant in it's mouth. Tristana watched as Delanac stood up and walked over to the dog. After taking it he seemed to be examining the plant which was utterly fascinating to Tristana. Especially since grass and trees and some herbs were the only plants she knew about. When it came to cooking plants she knew utterly nothing. As usual. Apparently whatever the plant was, it seemed edible. Judging by Delanac's reaction it seemed it was also delicious too. She then stood up and picked up the plant after the orc had placed it down. Tristana looked at it's leafs and stem herself before putting it back down. She then turned to Delanac as he spoke to her. He was asking her to come along. 

"Of course I want to come." Tristana declared enthusiastically, "I want to see them too. And you can tell me all about them. I mean if you don't mind that is." 

She then stood next to the dog ready to go see these strange plants with them. Tristana certainly had enough enthusiasm for everything it seemed. 

"Already been doing that, mun. And it's not just recipes I'm looking for–there's a whole other art of making some ingredients straight from scratch. Like curing hams, sausages, baking bread, and smoking fish. I'm looking to learn how to make my own ale soon, but that'll be a bigger hurdle to cross than most." He had been thinking about it for a while now, but the process for fermenting alcohol was a bit more personal to brewers than hanging sausages at a butcher's. There were things he wasn't familiar with, and Delanac wagered an alchemist might have better success picking things up than him. He only had his background as a smith to go on, and that gave him a head start with roasting food. But brewing was a very detailed thing, and wasn't as easy to keep controlled right. He didn't worry himself over it though, he figured he'd learn in time.

Following the dog, they stumbled upon a patch with overturned soil. This was where Bran found the celery root, a lucky find that it was. This spot was in the shade of a scraggly tree, and the dirt was more moist than the rest. Kneeling close to the ground, he inspected what else was here. A pall of thin, long tap roots with reddish green stems were partially unearthed from the jackal's previous search. Taking one, he carefully sniffed the leaves and root–turning his head to cough a bit when the pungency took him by surprise. "Whew! Little root here packs a punch, it does! Though we found ourselves some parsnips when they were just horseradish. Might as well take them along." No wonder these were left alone. Horseradish had a bite to it that would make any grazer give it a second thought. But this was another treat after going off garlic and onions for so long.

He handed one of the young horseradish roots to Tristana. "Here, take a good look. Try scraping a bit of skin off and smelling it too. Not many roots out here can be eaten, and there's no harm in knowing which ones are edible for certain. Oh, but careful–this one's got a bit of a sting. Some folks don't like it much, but it's an acquired taste." With the rest of the edibles gathered up, he brushed as much soil out of them as he could. "Bran brought back a nice big celery root when he came running. The bottom looks like a knob of roots and hefts like a rock, but it tastes better than it looks. The flavor's a mix of celery and parsley." Today's supper would be one of the best he and Bran'd have in a long while. And they had company, too. Soon they'd have to find themselves a town to restock and rest before heading back to the Highlands.

Tristana listened to Delanac as he spoke about recipes. She could clearly hear his passion about cooking and could feel a twinge of jealousy in her heart. To be able to find his passion and for it to seem so clear. He had a clear future and a clear goal. It seemed that he certain about cooking. As sure as the sky was blue or the dirt brown. Yet Tristana herself could only dream of that kind of clarity. It was as if he was seeing a clear sky it seemed and she was looking at nothing but clouds. Tristana knew that she would love to have that kind of future. Her future felt, unsure. She didn't have a certain thing she adored doing. Heck, she had barely even explored any of this world and knew barely anything about it. But here was a person who knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it. How did he even get like this? Did he know what he was meant to do since a child or was this something to be learned? She had no idea.

Tristana walked with Delanac as these thoughts swirled around in her mind. Eventually they came across the patch where the little black dog had retrieved the root from. She reached down and touched the dirt. As if she was inspecting it and exploring every aspect of it. She even sniffed it to see what it would smell like. Of course she had the sense to not eat it. Then she realised the dirt back to the ground from where it came. Tristana had seen dirt of course before but she wanted to see this dirt properly. It was damper than the dirt she had mostly traveled on. So therefore it was unique. Then she looked up at the scraggly tree. It was one she had not seen or at least noticed before. So she grabbed her notebook out of her backpack. Then she grabbed her pen and drew a picture of the tree. That way she wouldn't forget it. While she was at it she decided to make a quick sketch of Delanac as he inspected a root he had pulled out of the ground. Then she stopped and received the horseradish that Delanac had given her. 

The horseradish root was long and pale but the leaves were red and green. It looked amazing to Tristana and quickly she drew the horseradish, named it, and listened to Delanac as he spoke about it's taste. She also wrote this down in her journal along with the other stuff. Then she put down her journal and inspected the horseradish herself with great curiosity. Then she reached into her backpack and took out a whetstone. Then she used the whetstone to scrap off a small chunk of the horse radish. It was about the size of a pebble. Then she opened her mouth and threw the small chunk of horseradish into her mouth. After chewing it for a few seconds Tristana realized how strange it tasted. It was bitter but also almost spicy. Although she couldn't describe it in those words since she had never really had spice before. She made some funny faces as she finished eating it. 

"I've… never tasted anything like it!" Tristana said, "Although I bet it'll taste better not all by itself. But I'll let you be the expert of that. Oh, and what does celery taste like? For that matter what does parsley taste like?" 

Growing up her daily intake of food was boring oatmeal with no flavor or anything added. It was the cheapest and the most common oats in addition to that. So tasting something like this horseradish was different. Tristana was excited to taste something else that was different. Since many different things were interesting. But she wished that she had waited on eating that horseradish until Delanac had added it with something. 

"Hold your horses there! We'll get to that in a bit. I have a bit of dried parsley flakes somewhere, so I'll let you try that once we get this meal started!" Now was what he enjoyed the most–showing someone the fruits of his endeavors. Taking the horseradish back, he began washing it along with the bulbous celery root. Once it was clean, he took out a small knife and started to prepare the root vegetables. Peeling the celery root with care, he had learned how to avoid taking off more than the skin. Slicing the root, he then turned to julienne and then dice it. Peeling the horseradish, he instead chose to cut it into very thin slivers. It was still strong, even if it wasn't as much as the celery root. There was leftover rarebit, so he poured a bit of water into the pot to give some moisture. Pouring in the vegetables, he sprinkled a pinch of parsley flakes and stirred. 

"There we are, give it a bubble or two and we'll have ourselves something more than just cheese. Oh, almost forgot. Here, try smelling them first before tasting." Putting a few leaves of dried parsley in his hand, they were dark green with rounded edges. Delanac would put these pieces into Tristana's hand to let her learn more about the flavors and scents of dried herbs. "Parsley's proper common for an herb. Much cheaper to get than say pepper or them fancy spices. Just raw peppercorns themselves cost a pretty penny. At least a bag of silver just for less than a handful." That was one of the struggles of being a chef–expensive ingredients, or ones that just were rare to find. Salt wasn't cheap either, and he had found that there were places that mined salt where it was worth it's weight in gold. Some places had salt dried out from evaporated seawater, and in those places it cost less. He'd learned to be more grateful for food in general, especially when it tasted wonderful.

Things like parsley, sage, thyme, garlic, and rosemary were what you could grow almost anywhere. Different places in the world had even more variety, like the thin spicy peppers in Karith or the green stubby ones from Nisshoki that packed a punch. Abed was the capital of exotic spice, and their famous dish–curry–used it liberally. There were so many variations of the same cuisine in their native lands of origin, and those little differences made each recipe special. No two brewmasters made the same ale, just as no two chefs had the same cooking style. Delanac wasn't quite at the point where he could call himself one proper, but he was working on it. He liked almost everything, and thinking of what he was best at was difficult to pin down. 

Tristana handed the horseradish back then made sure everything she had was in her backpack. After a quick check she followed Delanac over to the camp area and sat down at the log she had been at earlier. Then Tristana listened to every word that the orc had said. She silently admired the way he seemed to know all about cooking and food. His movements were direct and full of purpose. It was obvious that he had a huge talent in cooking and it seemed to Tristana that he was already an expert cook. Of course Tristana hadn't really watched anybody prepare a meal so she was hardly an expert about such things. Still how Delanac was able to know so much about something he was so passionate about was truly admirable. Tristana had decided. She didn't know how much she could do, but as much as she could, she wanted to help Delanac achieve his dream. Perhaps she would need to see the temple of luck and find some way to get him some luck on helping him to get his dream. That was actually a good idea. She would have to figure out where the temple was and what was required for the journey. However Tristana could figure stuff like that out later. For now she took the parsley and sniffed it. Tristana quickly got out her journal and began drawing it. Then she labeled it and wrote down all the things that Delanac mentioned about the fascinating herb. Once she was done she put away her journal and returned the parsley. 

"Where do you plan on going now?" Tristana asked curiously. 

She secretly hoped that he would be headed to Adeluna so that they could travel together. Yet something made her feel as if that wouldn't happen. He seemed pretty attached to his home so it was likely that he would stick around to the areas he knew best. But Tristana couldn't be certain. He had mentioned earlier that he did travel a lot so there was a good chance but it was too…improbable. Which was really a shame since Tristana enjoyed his company and his cooking. But she had no intention on begging him to come with her. After all he had his own life and his own goals to work with. Tristana would offer to go with Delanac wherever he was planning on going but she had to continue her own search. Her eyes glanced down the road and she couldn't help but wonder where it would end up taking her. This was something that had been on her mind recently. Because inevitable she would end up changing. But, she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Only a god would be able to predict what would come to her in the future and even then most gods do not. Would she end up a completely different person? Tristana feared that there might come a time where she would be unrecognizable to even herself. What would it have been like if she had decided to stay in the cabin? Would it have been better? Safer? Tristana decided to push those thoughts aside. It was too late to wonder about what might have been. She was here now and she was determined to move forwards, no matter what. She made herself refocus back on Delanac. The road ahead would be dangerous for the both of them it seemed. However Tristana was here in the present and it seemed wiser to focus on the here and now instead of worrying about the future. Tristana could smell the delicious food that Delanac was creating and couldn't help but smile. 

The food was ready, and he could smell the cheese was warm. Taking out fresh bowls, he started scooping up the vegetable rarebit. Bran was asleep now, all tuckered out from his running. The warm afternoon sun was cooling down and soon dusk would be approaching. While he was setting the table–so to speak–Tristana asked him what plans he had after he was done out here. "Well, I guess I could swing by Adeluna. Been a while since I had a hot meal made by someone than myself. Vilpamolan's too much of a bother for my tastes, pity they have such good seafood there. But that's no excuse to go where you'd get robbed right off the boat. Take it from me Tristana, ye don't want any business with the southeast side of Canelux. Vilpamolan's full of pirates and all the kind of folk your family tells ye not to stand next to. Lots of bad eggs in a single leaky basket."

Delanac wasn't one to speak badly of people, but he felt he had to at least let the girl know. Nothing good came from going there, as his old friend Rufus said. If even salty seadogs weren't keen on staying, then it was best to take it as a fair warning. He handed her the new dish they had thanks to Bran's sharp nose and digging, and sat down to take a bite. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. The horseradish gave it a kick, bringing up a flavor over the cheese's initial savoriness. The parsley and celery root made it taste a bit lighter but not in a bad way. Here he thought the vegetables would water the rarebit down, but he was glad he was wrong. It reminded him almost of a soup he had back in Komiteia where they melted cheese into it. 

"This brings back memories, just like when I was working at the Broederbunds. Best hard cheese and sausage I'd ever eaten. The halflings know how to make anything taste good, I'll be ye that." Now he thought of it, maybe he should stop by to say hello. It had been a while since he left the delicatessen to continue his culinary studies. There were so many other places he still needed to see and learn from, so many different techniques and flavors he 'd yet to know. He'd gotten a taste of most of Canelux so far save for Egjora and beyond, and he had a few places on his list. Counting on his fingers he looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "…Three years. Time flies, it does. And I've still just scratched the surface of it all."

Tristana then crawled over to where Bran was and began to pet the cute dog. She then listened to Delanac as he began to speak about where he was headed. When he said Adeluna, a smile crossed her face. That's where she was headed. Perhaps the orc wouldn't mind if Tristana tagged along. He then started speaking about Vilpamolan and how terrible it was. So Tristana quickly decided that she wouldn't go there unless she had to. Why would she need to go there anyway? She didn't know anybody who was a criminal. There was no reason for her to go there. 

"I don't have any plans on going to Vilpamolan." Tristana said, "It doesn't sound like a nice place." 

She was curious about how that place had gotten so bad. Tristana probably wouldn't go there but she was curious about it's history. Of course she was naturally curious about Adeluna too and some of the other countries in Canelux. She then was handed a new dish and took it. The dish smelled delicious and quickly Tristana began eating. Her manners were very poor. To say the least. She took the bowl and ate directly from it. Basically she poured parts of it's contents into her mouth and began chewing. The vegetables gave the rarebit a kick and she loved it. Eventually all the food in her bowl was gone and she finished it by licking the bowl clean. She then opened her canteen and drank some water. Then she held out her hand above her canteen and began using some magic. Suddenly a small stream of water flew out of the canteen and was being directed by Tristana's hand. Then Tristana made a hand motion directed at her face and the water hit her face. She stopped using magic and cleaned off her face with her sleeve. Now she wouldn't have to worry about her face being dirty. Tristana then continued listening to Delanac as he spoke about food. She had never heard of a halfling or Broederbunds. 

"You've been traveling for three years. That's amazing!" Tristana said, "You've been working at being a chef for three whole years! I've never seen anybody so dedicated to anything. Why haven't you opened up a bakery or a food selling place?" 

Tristana didn't understand why Delanac hadn't opened up a place to sell his food. Was it because he didn't feel comfortable with his cooking ability yet? Or was it because he didn't have the resources? Did he even want that? She assumed he would since that way he would be able to share his talent in cooking. 

Delanac watched as Tristana ate, and noted her table manners. He wondered how she'd grown up, and what kind of place it was. Must've been a small town. It was just a hunch of his. But aside from that, he was glad to see she liked the food so much. What really made him raise a brow was how that water floated out of the canteen, as if something invisible was holding it. Letting out a whistle, he couldn't help but be amazed. Then Tristana asked something he'd heard many times over, from the Broederbunds and others. "Why haven't you opened up a bakery or a food selling place?" Swallowing his last bit of food, he scraped the pot clean and set some water in to soak the dried bits off.

Sitting back down, he crossed his arms with a sigh. "I could, I know that well I do. But y'see, when I left home I didn't take my pa's challenge just to be another butcher or baker. I want to go back to Yovaesh, back home–and open up a place that'll make people think about food in a new light. If I want to prove to my pa I'm just as much an artisan with food as he is with metal, I need to learn all I can until I've mastered it." Leaning back, he looked up as the clouds were almost gone. "After I stop by Adeluna, I'm thinking of taken a ship to Parvpora again. Maybe this time I'll try someplace different, like Baltil or Nisshoki. I can't just rest on my laurels because I know how to do a few things well. That'd give my old man an easy win."

With a grin, he continued. "Even if I haven't seen him in years, I'm still not letting myself lose! I said I'd show him, and I intend to follow through. That's how things are in my family. We're more of a 'show, don't just tell' kind of folk. He's a man of his word, and so am I. I'll be packing up to head down south come tomorrow morning. Better start the fire before it gets dark." With a whistle, Bran's ears perked up and he got up with his tail wagging. "Come on Bran, let's find some kindling to keep things warm. Come evening the air'll cool down a spell. It'll keep away the beasties too, it will." Before he left, he motioned to the pitched tent. "You can sleep inside tonight, Tristana. Bran and I'll take turns keeping watch." With a wave, he and his dog went to gather more firewood before the last hours of twilight descended on the plains.