[SEASONAL EVENT] Pumpkin Spiced Moonshine

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He’d given Edy a list of spices to try and coax, cajole – or possibly outright steal – from her alchemist coworker. If and how she got them was not, Jigano decided, his concern. She was adult enough to make her own choices and deal with her own consequences. He just had to hope those consequences didn’t spill over onto him, he acknowledged with a wry grin as he minced the roasted pumpkin meat as fine as he could get it on the borrowed cutting board and then began the messy process of cutting and rocking the blade to make a paste-like puree. He was studiously at a table and not behind the bar, lest one of the official bartenders wander in and find him where he wasn’t supposed to be. He was gathering more than his share of odd looks from the handful of other patrons as he worked his way through the peeled and washed pumpkin flesh and, he had to admit, he wasn’t doing the best job of rendering it down to something that could be infused into a drink, but luckily the plan he was concocting didn’t require that much – at least, for the testing phase.

If they found something they liked, however, there might yet be a bounty on pumpkins before the day was through!

He glanced towards the kitchen and hummed thoughtfully, then sighed and went back to his task, not quite daring to brave trespass into that domain without Edy to back him up and give him a smidgen of official blessing to be there. He did not want to get kicked out of the only bar in town due to a misunderstanding and a little impatience!

Edy fuck you <3 Bursting in like a bull in a china shop, Edy's dark face was highlited obnoxiously with all sorts of strange colours. Turns out Remi kept his spices in big jars, which meant she couldn't just take what she needed as that would have been too obvious. Instead she needed to reach in and grab a pinch (aka a handful) and then find some sort of container to put them in. Not only did Edy learn that this was a terrible fucking plan, but she also learned that a lot of these spices made her sneezy as all fuck: hence the smattering of colour on her face. Eventually though she did manage to secure what was on Jigano's list (mostly), grab a few containers, and make her way back to the bar. Seeing Jigano sat at a table made her pause, frown, scowl, and then grin. Sidling over, Edy peered over her companion's shoulder with a wolfish smirk. "I don't know what kind of health codes you're used to dealing with, but here in civilization we have this thing called a kitchen..." Cackling, Edy stepped back with her hands on her hips, smiling happily down at him. Of course it made sense that Jigano hadn't just made himself at home, but that's exactly what Edy would have done and so seeing him out here so politely trying to make due with what he had was a happy juxtaposition with what she'd expected. "Care to relocate?" She purred, sweeping an arm out to direct him towards the kitchens

Edy wasn't so much a girl as a bipedal tornado, Jigano thought wryly, glancing up at his erstwhile companion for the day and her interestingly applied 'makeup'. "I'm not quite sure what a 'health code' is," he admitted cheerfully, "but it was just so lonely in there without you I decided to come out here for the company!" He winked and slid out of his chair, more than ready to start their alcoholic experimentation.

Letting Edy handle her packages, Jigano lifted the borrowed cutting board and knife and preceeded his pretty partner to their chosen dance floor. "Good timing! Or should I say "gourd timing?" I thought you'd managed to miss most of the messy work, but it looks like you had quite a battle with the spices. Love what you're doing with the orange highlights, by the way." He flashed a grin, spirits high after surviving the day of the living gourds.

As they made their way into the kitchen, the bard claimed a spot on the counter, hurrying to finish his puree. "I can't think of anyone better suited to getting the stove lit," he suggested with a nod towards it. "And if you can find some sugar, I'll get the water in a minute. Hmmm. Maybe some lemons, if you have them. Any experience making simple syrup?"

Edy fuck you <3 Not missing a beat, the teenager grinned. "Such a pity you decided to go into glorified record keeping with a tongue like that." She cooed happily as she led him into the back Jigano's pun coaxed an easy peal of laughter from the teenager who set down the various things she'd brought and also began pulling out an assortment of different vessels. She wasn't exactly sure what they'd need so she'd just offer him basically everything the Rathskeller had to offer. Sucking in her cheeks, Edy struck a pose. "Why thank you—" She mumbled through lips pushed into a fish-like pucker. "I was going for an avant-gourd look." Okay, Jigano's pun was better, but that didn't stop Edy from trying. Nodding happily, Edy moved behind the bard trailing a hand across his shoulders. "I'm not enough sugar for you?" She purred, before the sensual smile dissolved into a wicked smirk. Pointing a finger at the stove, the kindling left there burst into flames and quickly a happy blaze was roaring. Spinning around, Edy shook her head no in response to the question about syrup, simple or otherwise. Floundering in some cabinets she did indeed find a lemon or two as well as a sack of sugar. "So this is really all you need to make alcohol huh?" She asked with a curious smirk.

"All the more reason!" Jigano teased back. "I bet you'd enjoy reading those dry, stuffy records a lot more if they were written with a bit of humor and clever wordplay!" Not everyone enjoyed knowledge for knowledge's sake, after all. More was the pity.

He raised a brow when she made her odd little face at him, but her outrageous claim had him chuckling as he deftly selected the spices he had in mind - mostly by scent, since nothing was labeled. "I'm afraid you've lost me again. Whatever an 'avant-gourd' is, though, I have no doubt that you have pulled it off with stunning success!"

He bent to his task of sifting nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice into a small bowl. Edy's touch sent a reflexive shiver down his spine, but he managed not to flinch or jerk away from the unfamiliar contact, hiding his unease by reaching for a white powder that he hoped was ground vanilla bean and adding a pinch of that as well. "On the contrary, you're far too spicy for this little mix," he returned smoothly as she illustrated his point with a suitably dramatic gesture towards the stove.

While she searched, he finished his massacre of the pumpkin meat and separated a chunk of it into one of the saucepans she'd found, sprinkling the spice mixture on top. A ladleful of water was added and he set the mixture on the stove as he turned to measure a similar amount of sugar into a bowl and then add it to the pan as well. the ladle served to mix the brew and he slid a sly glance at her from the corner of his eye, grinning mischievously. "Not at all! I've no experience with brewing, but I had a... friend... who liked to cook. Loved sweet things, too, so I... picked up a few things, to keep her happy." Some of the humor fell away, a somber reminder of a past that he'd spent several years running from, and memories he both treasured and resented.

He took a steadying breath, bringing back his smile deliberately as he kept idly stirring his concoction, letting it rise to a boil. "If you'll get us some of that moonshine, however, we'll find out if I can make it a little sweeter - or at least, a little pumpkin-ier! Might as well try splashing it in a little whiskey, too. You never know what'll end up working out."

Edy fuck you <3 "I actually like having things read to me I'll have you know." She trilled back. It was true too: there were few things Edy loved more than pressing her ear against someone's chest as they read to her. Odd as it might be for someone as sexually explosive and physically feisty as the teenager was, but there you had it. Rolling her eyes as her pun missed its mark, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. "Spicy huh." She repeated cocking a brow and tilting her head slightly to the side. Edy couldn't quite tell if it was just a lame spice reference, some subtle jab, or something else entirely. That was something she was coming to associate with Jigano; a linguistic sort of mysteriousness that she wasn't sure that she liked. Then again, she wasn't sure that she didn't either. "Friend huh." Edy repeated once again, though the sassiness in her tone was unusually subdued. Though the teenager had never been in love or anything even similiar, she remembered vividly the way Koel's face had recently crumpled when she made a remark about his recently lost love, and Edy thought she heard a similarity in the bard's tone. She could be off the mark of course, but given that she couldn't finish this alcohol on her own she decided to let it drop with a small twitch of her lips. Moonshine and whiskey? Damn. The boy didn't fuck around. Taking an exaggerated and comical breath in and letting her eyes grow wide, the leggy-teenager offered a faux bow (though it wasn't really faux at all, since she did mostly bow), before going to fetch the two bottles that he'd asked for. Skipping back into the room Edy put the bottles down (perhaps a little bit too hard, but it had been a bit of a day), and leaned against the counter next to Jigano. Sniffing delicately, Edy crinkled her nose slightly and gave a side-ways smirk towards her pale-haired counterpart. "Hope you're ready for some extensive quality assurance testing." She trilled happily with a wink.

”I’ll keep that in mind,” the bard said lightly, not bothering to hide his grin. Some people just weren’t readers – okay, most people he’d met didn’t read unless they had to. He always hoped to be pleasantly surprised on that count, but he wasn’t disappointed when Edy didn’t share his interest. They were very different people, with very different preferences, but he respected the power she’d shown him.

And besides, keeping the local bartender on his side was always high on his list of priorities.

”The spiciest,” he reiterated serenely, grinning down at the girl when she seemed uncertain. ”And ‘friend,’ too. At least tentatively. You gave me booze and I gave you a gourd. That’s how people here make friends, right?” His teasing this time was far more gentle, almost more of an encouragement than a joke. He spared her one more smile before turning his attention to his concoction on the stove, watching it bubble with satisfaction, even if the memories it evoked were bittersweet.

Edy’s guess was indeed wide of its mark, Yohgel being as far from Jigano’s romantic interests as it was possible to be, but he’d had platonic affection for the little arsonist. Even if she did have a disconcerting habit of snacking on eyeballs. She had still saved his life, as he had hers, on so many occasions.

But that was the past now. The distant past – and that was for the best. Edy had some similarities to his old friend, but it was wiser – safer – not to dwell on those as he focused on their project. He chuckled at her bow and found himself humming softly to himself as he cooked in silence for a few moments before the young minx returned, booze in hand. ”That’s where you come in,” he agreed with her happy pronouncement. ”Just need to let this cool and then we can make the magic happen. We’re going to need shot glasses – think you can borrow us some from the bar?” He winked as he moved the happily-boiling and now-smooth brew off the fire to cool. ”I’ll see if I can’t find some cloth to strain this with. We want the flavor of the gourds, not their guts in our drinks!” He chuckled, wiping his hands on a nearby dishcloth as he glanced over his preparations. So far, so good. And soon, hopefully, better.

”What was your favorite drink back home?” he asked curiously, wondering at his unpredictable companion’s tastes and looking to find a pleasant way to spend the time until the syrup could be separated from the squash.

Edy fuck you <3 Perhaps surprisingly, Edy bristled slightly at the suggestion that they were friends. The Launceleyn girl didn't have friends. The only one she might have had was Loren.  He'd even promised her that they were bffs, but clearly that had been a lie. He'd tried to murder her the first time they'd met, come to collect her comatose body after one of their relatives lost their temper at her and put her in that condition, and then promised the teenager that things were alright between them. That's when the bff problem had been made. And then what did he do? He abandoned them as soon as they arrived in this place and all because Loren was apparently seeing someone. None of that had anything to do with Jigano of course, but for the Launceleyn girl friend was not a word with the warmest of connotations. Eyeing him like some sort of feral creature that was being lured into a trap by some meat, Edy smiled gently at the exchange of goods that had made them friends. "Right." She murmured tentatively. "I can do that." Edy trilled, halting in the door way. "Happy to provide my shirt if you can't find anything else." She added with a surprising lack of sexual undertone. If it was fabric they needed she could definitely do without. Prancing away, Edy promptly snagged two shot glasses from behind the bar before slinking back into the kitchen. She didn't see Bastien out front, but nor did she see anyone clamoring at the bar, so this little rendezvous was probably still fine. Putting the glasses down, Edy tilted her head considering. "Well...Okay so, originally I lived in a place called Northwind. But it was under attack and yadda yadda, which is when they sent some of us over to Northhaven, which ... was not entirely unlike this, honestly. We didn't have a ton there. So 'back home', it was definitely the wines from the Launceleyn vineyards. Some were nearly as dark as me, others light and crisp and sweet. Anything you could want the Launceleyns probably had a dusty bottle of it somewhere. But in Northaven after a hard days work, whiskey was just fine. Even if it was basically just acidic water." Shrugging, the teenager glanced back towards Jigano. "And you?"

He didn’t miss the tension in Edy’s slim body at the repetition of the word ‘friend,’ though his teasing seemed to calm it a little. He’d already picked up that she was at least half-feral, and this only seemed to confirm it. Part of him wanted to reach out to her, to reassure that angry, bitter, wary creature—

No. It was up to her to take or leave his offer, and if she left it then so be it. Friendship couldn’t be forced, and his own track record with it was far from stellar. Her wariness was probably earned… and certainly wise.

A little space for them both seemed in order, and since he needed a few more bits and bobs from the kitchen convenience melded nicely with courtesy to give them both a chance to breathe while being productive. ”Hopefully it won’t come to that,” he murmured, already beginning his own hunt. ”You wear it too well to waste it on this.” He wasn’t sure whether she heard his parting compliment or not, but she was back soon enough with the glasses in hand.

Jigano was still searching, and was glad to have something to talk about that didn’t involve swearing at the difficulty in finding something so specific as cheesecloth. It was too damn useful for the kitchen not to have it, but there were a dozen or more places it could be stored – and he didn’t know any of them. Going through methodically seemed the best way, and Edy’s voice provided a lovely background to his quest. ”…’and yadda yadda,’” he repeated softly, amused at how she glossed over something that was probably very important to the people who still lived there.

”Wines are welcome,” he agreed, opening yet another drawer – and giving a soft grunt of success as he pulled a length of loosely-woven, unbleached cloth from the neatly stacked pile hiding there. ”Dry or sweet, red or white… as long as it’s a decent vintage, I’ve no complaint. A good cider, though, is just the thing for a warm summer or crisp fall night.” He chuckled as he snagged a glass bottle that had been drying by the sink, stretching the cheesecloth over it and proceeding to pour the syrupy mixture into its new home as bits of less-than-perfectly-pureed squash were separated out from the liquid portion. ”Or even a cold winter one! Whiskey is more for drinking with a purpose – or vodka, if you have someone who knows what they’re doing with it.”

He turned to Edy with a triumphant grin, saluting her with the bottle of pumpkin spiced syrup. ”Now, shall we start with whiskey? Or your alchemist’s brew?”

Edy fuck you <3 Just as she was about to feign offense, Jigano promptly followed up his decline of her shirt with a smooth compliment that made her cheeks puff up happily. Her self-confidence wasn't necessarily wrapped up in what others thought of her, but Edy was also unashamedly fond of compliments and flattery. Edy eyed the cheesecloth as Jigano spoke, thinking that she very much liked the semi-transparent quality of the cloth. She was no seamstress like Sulis was (another of the Launceleyn's who'd disappeared), but vaguely she wondered how hard it could be. Edy had one of those lean body types that would look good draped in such about anything, and figured if she ever found a big enough piece of the fabric, she'd give it a go. Grumbling under her breath Edy crinkled her nose in soft disapproval. "Cider?" She said, making smacking noises to indicate just how displeased her taste-buds were at the thought. "Far too sweet." The teenager concluded with a slight hmmmph sound as she wandered over towards the sink to watch Jigano begin to strain their mixture. "When is drinking not done with a purpose." Edy mused, stifling a small yawn with the back of her hand. Raising a skeptical brow at the offering of gelatinous orangey-goop, Edy cracked a crooked smile. "Whiskey." She replied immediately with a plucky bob of her eyebrows.

"Sweet and dry, much like me and my humor," Jigano teased blithely back, hard at work finishing the syrup. Seeing how Edy had dealt with the biggest pumpkin in the patch, saving them both from bruises or worse, he didn't really mind being the one doing most of the work. He thought he remembered a similar enough recipe, even if it was his first time making it...

"Mmm. Perhaps that's not a saying here? There's drinking because it's what's available, or you enjoy the taste, or you're with a friend... and then there's drinking because you want to forget something." He shrugged wryly as they gathered 'round the central table where food preparation generally happened. It was unexpectedly clean, considering the disrepair of many buildings outside the Temple. "Today, though, we're here to honor the memory of those who died so we could have this drink--" he grinned devilishly, swirling the simple syrup for emphasis, "and the chance to make me look good to your boss in hopes they might hire me on as entertainment - and thereby ensure my meals and drinks!"

He tipped a drop of the syrup into one of the glasses, tasting it with his tongue and then wrinkling his nose a bit. "Phew, that's sweet. Let's see what the whiskey does to it..." He poured a bare finger's width of syrup in and followed it with twice that much whiskey. A brow went up, thoughtful but not excited. "Hmmm... close..." Plucking a lemon from where it had been dropped he deftly sliced it in half with his belt knife and gave it a light squeeze, trickling a few drops into the glass. Lacking a spoon, he used his finger to stir it all together, then licked it.

His eyes lit up, a chortle escaping as he quickly prepared a second glass, movements more sure now that he'd done it once, sliding it to Edy he raised his own in toast. "Cheers! To gourd friends, and squashed enemies!"

Edy fuck you <3 The teenager smirked. "Well, let's hope that's where the similarities end. If I find out under all that white hair and fabric you're actually just some rotting apples, Imma light your ass on fire, no matter how this drink turns out." The skin between Edy's eyes and down the bridge of her nose crinkled as she shook her head. "That's still with a purpose though isn't it? Drunking just 'cause it's available sounds like a cure for boredom, and drinking when you're with a friend sounds like you're trying to get laid, or 'cause you want to spice things up, or 'cause you wanna relax." Her logic and elocution might have been clumsy, but Edy thought the argument might have been sound anyways. As he said died, Edy made fiery-explosive noises under her breath and mimed an exploding sphere for dramatic effect. "Entertainment? I dunno...Our other bartender can do backflips and bottle tricks and whatnot. What d'you have other than vegetable puns?" She wondered, genuinely curious what else the self proclaimed bard might have up his sleeve. Watching with an animated expression and the delight of a young child, Edy more or less held her breath as the concoction was assembled. As his finger disappeared into his mouth, Edy's own tongue snaked against her own lip unconsciously as her eyes grew wide with expectation. Mirroring his own expression, Edy cheered happily as she accepted the glass. Fire blazed from beneath, snaking its way up the sides and into the liquid. The whiskey which wasn't entirely mixed immediately blazed but burned down quickly. With a sharp grin, the teenager raised the glass to her lips and downed the entire mixture—all three or so ounces of it—in one go. After all the work they'd put into it she probably was meant to savor it (or pretend to). But Edy wasn't one for pretenses most of the time, and despite her lack of culinary etiquette, she grinned as the mixture burned its way into her belly.

"Hardly rotting," he murmured, pretending to be aggrieved at the insult, but his grin was too near the surface for it to be convincing. "And you make an excellent point. I concede the semantic victory to you!" He managed a bow as he assembled the pieces of their alcoholic symphony, laughing softly at Edy's dramatics.

"Oh, I'd leave the bartending to the professionals," he grinned at his companion. "Though backflips I can do, and other tumbling. Singing, storytelling, even play a few instruments." He shrugged as he poured and measured and thoughtfully mixed. "Where I'm from a bard is a traveling entertainer. As a lorekeeper I collect stories, facts, histories both oral and written... as a bard, I share them."

He raised a brow at her antics as he sipped his own drink more slowly, his grin wry. "I'd say we achieved our goal. Now you know how to mix it and impress the locals! - and maybe even that alchemist lad of yours," he winked, finishing his own glass with satisfaction.

Edy fuck you <3 Edy was fairly certain that his concession was merely for her benefit, but she accepted anyways. "Lots of folks say they aren't rotting on the inside, but it usually turns out they are." The teenager informed her partner with an air of authority she certainly didn't seem like she'd earned. Flashing him a grin, the teenager hazarded a guess that if Jigano did learn to pour a drink (which clearly given the skill with which he was creating their current cocktail was probably a skill he already possessed) Bastien could be out of a job. Or she would, if it came to that. "Ahh I see." Nibbling her lip thoughtfully Edy wondered just how someone like Jigano would have fit into Northaven society. Would he have been a Veteris performing for the courts? Or a Novus trying to make a better way? Strangely as soon as the thought entered her mind, she immediately dismissed it. This wasn't Northaven anyways. "So that's what you'll try and do? Sing for your supper and all that? I'm sure Vai would have you here. Have you met her yet?" "Mmmm." Edy shrugged, rolling her bony shoulders in a slouchy teenager expression of indifference. "Pretty sure making drinks is all he does. Wouldn't want to take away his purpose in life or anything." Flashing a shockingly white smile, Edy helped herself to a bit more simple syrup and a lot more whiskey. This time though she swirled the concoction together and actually let it sit a moment before sipping it.