Gratitude (D8, EA)

[Manny Donos]

"Oh, wow Raven." Manny grinned at her. "You auditioning for a part in my show with jokes like that? That's right up there with 'why is the droid mechanic so popular? Because he's always making new friends!'"

His eyebrows went up. "You made this stuff, huh? Wow. Smells great." He walked over to investigate, nose twitching.

[Raven Cadera]

She grinned to Jyrvess, happy that the woman laughed. "Yeah, I made this. It's a Mandalorian specialty, tiingilar."

Manny could probably feel the spices already itching his nose.

"Picked up some ale to go along with it. It's just impossible for find Mandalorian ale this far out..." she had hoped someone at the enclave would make it, but brewing was a lengthy process sometimes, and not always suitable for a group that might suddenly find themselves on the move.

"I know Manny doesn't seem to mind spicy food, so I hope it will be ok with you, Jyv."

Walking over to the fire, Raven opened her backpack to get out bowls and spoons, as well as the bottles of ale, cups... and kindly a bottle of water as well.

[Jyrvess Ertil]

Jryvess blinked and then clicked her tongue, "Huh..." She tries to imagine Raven in an apron fussing over a stove, "I honestly wouldn't have expected you to be a cook." She blushes a little, "Well to cook beyond ration packs. I sort of well assumed you were the cool warrior all the time."

Her eyes watered as she smelled the stew, "...this being Mandalorian cuisine does not surprise me though. It smells like something less one eats and more wages glorious combat against."

She chuckles and takes a bowl when offered.

[Raven Cadera]

Raven chuckled and scooped up a moderate portion in one bowl, passing it to Jyvress first. "Do you think Mandalorians order takeout all the time, or live on ration-packs?" she asked, even grinning. "We hunt for sport, sure, but it's also for survival. The food we make is meant to last a long time for periods of travelling, or for special occassions - and sharing food together is important to us."

There were a lot of nuances in her culture that she knew outsiders didn't understand, but Raven didn't mind trying to educate some. Jyvress as a smart person probably found it fascinating to learn new stuff, she figured, and Manny just... needed more education in general.

"Besides, I learned to cook a lot of stuff being on my own... I didn't exactly have the money to pay for meals all the time." Another scoop, and Manny was given a bowl too.

"... Don't worry, I didn't make it as spicy as it's supposed to be." Which was probably alarming in itself.

[Manny Donos]

"Glorious combat. We go to battle armed." Manny chuckled, flourishing his spoon.

He dug in enthusiastically. "Wow, that's really good, Raven. Like, really good." He ate another few spoonfuls, although his face was growing a bit flushed from the spice.

He paused, taking a few deep breaths. "Is cooking hard? I never really learned."

[Raven Cadera]

"And going into battle with friends," she added in to Manny's remark. Each person got a glass each of ale, and another glass of water.

She watched Manny's reaction to the food with an amused smile as she scooped up a bowl for herself. "Not particularly. Or rather, like with everything there's levels of difficulties. I'm not an expert cook, but I can make food like this - stuff that will last a while, cheap meals. I can't cook anything fancy. I'm surprised you don't cook, to be honest."

Raven took a spoonful and chewed the pieces of meat and vegetables with great focus.

[Jyrvess Ertil]

"I guess I just let an image form in my head," She shrugged and chuckled, "I guess I should have expected you would know how to cook. Its not so surprising the Mandolarian clans have a cuisine."

Jyrvess took a bite then closed her eyes and smiled. And kept smiling. A small trickle of sweat ran down her cheek. "Yes. The smell is adequate warning."

"It is quite good. But...rather warmer then I am used too." Her eyes were still closed and she was still smiling. "Very warm."

[Manny Donos]

Manny kept eating, although tears were running down his cheeks.

He shrugged. "I never learned. I think anyone who fed us at any of the homes I was in learned either." He smirked at that. "Out on the street, I stole stuff. And then with Munch, he was the cook. It really slowed down my eating, picking all the fur out of everything."

He cleared his throat. "Actually, I can cook a few things. Scrambled eggs. Omelettes. Pound cake. Stuff like that."

[Raven Cadera]

Jyrvess' reaction too brought a smile to her face, and while the others probably didn't understand the importance of the meal, Raven was quietly enjoying herself.

It had been a long time since she sat down for a meal like this.

"Hetikles. It means noseburn. It's how you know it's good, or that is how the saying goes. There's also a saying that any woman who can survive a plate of tiingilar is a keeper," Raven mused and readied the next spoon, mentally steeling herself for more heat.

"A lot of our cuisine is for food that can be eaten while on the move, so a sit-down meal is often a special thing. Harshuun-bread is a common one, and there's gihaal... though most outsiders complain a lot about the smell on that one, so I figured not. Uj cake might be more your thing if you like sweets - as in, it's really sweet. It just never taste the same outside of Mandalorian space... too much difference in the fruits and nuts found on other planets."

She resisted the urge to chuckle at Manny's current... condition. "Pound cake? What's that?" Having prepared herself for the next mouthful now, the spoon disappeared in her mouth.

[Jyrvess Ertil]

Jyrvess finally opened her...red eyes, now crying as well. She manages another bite though, "You said this is...cut down?"

"Cooking isn't so bad, well the basics aren't, but if you want to move beyond it takes more effort." She sipped some of the ale. It didn't help. "As with most things a few books and some creativity goes a long way."

She nodded slowly, idly wondering if this is what a blast furnace felt. "Stew makes sense as well. I assume several of the ingredients are variable and meant to conform to what one can find available?"

Another bite down, "I have done quite a bit of basic cooking, nothing fancy and often whatever can be made on a portable heater. When I had a home most days it was something quick and easy, though when I had days off I tended to get a bit more elaborate."

[Manny Donos]

Manny shrugged. "It's just a kind of heavy cake. With a lot of sugar, butter, and eggs in it." Especially eggs.

He nodded. "You're making this sound really good. I guess I've never had much food besides what you can find on Kamda. And they've got some galactic food, but everyone who travels says that it's better on the planets that it comes from. Maybe someday." He said, shrugging.

Taking another deep breath, he took a deep drink of the ale. "Elaborate, huh? Any specialties?"

[Raven Cadera]

"I wanna try this pound cake someday then. You should make some, Manny!" Thinking of something sweet at least helped a teeny tiny bit with the heat. Oh gosh, she must've gotten a spicier spoon this time around.

"But yeah... a lot of ingredients can be changed, depending on the surroundings and whats available. Sometimes it's the spices that are the most important part of a dish."

Like this one. Dried spices lasted basically forever.

She too was interested in hearing what these... elaborate dishes were. "Elaborate like they do in fancy eateries? Uh... steak, I assume?" she knew steak was supposed to be a pretty good meal, as she always heard that on various planets.

[Jyrvess Ertil]

"Well Corellian Ryshcate for one, its something of a pastry have to use Corellian Whiskey and nuts. The best being, of course, those native to my homeworld." She wiped her eyes and took another bite, her mouth had gone numb so it wasn't so bad anymore. "This...this hotter then dad's old spiceloafs. And I used to think he was trying to toughen me up by killing my tastebuds."

"Oh...well I guess Spiceloaf as well, though I never made it all that hot." She chuckled.

[Manny Donos]

"I've had Correlian whiskey. It's really good." Manny nodded. "I really like it mixed with Kamda Cola."

"Sounds like we should all bring something next time. I can do my pound cake, each of you can do something." Manny looked back and forth between the two. "Maybe the spiceloaf. That sounds interesting." He smiled at Jyrvess.

[Raven Cadera]

"Spiceloaf sounds interesting, I'd love to try that." She chuckled. "Spicy food makes you strong, you know!"

Raven tried not to shudder at the thought of mixing whiskey and Cola. "... Doesn't those two flavours rather... clash? Cola is pretty sugary and fizzy?"

[Jyrvess Ertil]

"Manny the galaxy may never know your hidden talent as a chef," She wipes some more tears, "And for that the galaxy is thankful."

"I suppose I could try to make some...it's all about the meat and spices. Good meat and spiced to taste and its wonderful...but a lot of street vendors would use the spice to hide the questionable meat quality." Jyrvess grimaces remembering a particularly bad loaf on a trip to her family home. She was pretty sure that particular cook had had his license revoked.

[Manny Donos]

"Nah, it's good." Manny said. "It's a contrast thing." He nodded as though he knew what he was talking about.

"Whew. Okay." He paused for another drink. "Geez, how spicy is this usually? Guess that's why you're strong, huh?"

He nodded to Jyrvess. "That happens around here, too although more with sauces. You learn what the good stuff is, you learn what the bad stuff is. It's not always what you think, either. Sometimes the nicer looking places have the worse stuff. Appearances, huh?" He shrugged.

[Raven Cadera]

Raven laughed. "Yeah, it's usually spicier than this - I know for some warriors it's like a contest sometimes to see who can eat the spiciest tiingilar without having to reach for a drink to douse the heat. It's always a festive time with tiingilar."

Speaking of which, Raven did sip the ale now herself to quench the fire. She on the other hand found it helped, though she knew it would've been better with the sweet Mandalorian ale.

"So... how'd you end up knowing so much about what the Imps are up to these days, Jyv? You said you worked for the smart spooks?"

[Jyrvess Ertil]

Jyrvess sighed and sat the bowl down, "Well....I was one." She frowned, "My department merged with the other Republic intelligence agencies and become Imperial Intelligence. Against my better judgement I remained."

She shook her head, "Then the truth of what I was in and becoming overcame my own cowardice. When I had the chance I escaped that life."

"As for the now, now...well you saw first hand what the Empire does when it wants to send a message. I don't intend to let them just have free reign anymore. Next time, and there will be a next time, I hope to have forewarning. Then maybe we can be the one who surprises them, or at the very least leave them stewing in failure."

[Manny Donos]

"Stewing." Manny chuckled, tapping his bowl with a spoon. "Heh heh."

He frowned then, looking down at his bowl. "What else do you think we can do? That thing with the tower seemed like a good thing. I guess if you had forewarning we could, uh, stop them somehow?"