PSL with apestalmenos

[beshackled]

The way into Abyssos barred by warding sigil, there is yet no present way forward for them to continue into the depths of Pandæmonium, to find that which is the source of the facility's troubles, and by extension their own. Yet, as surely as they had encouraged their ally to take a reprieve and attend to the matters of reporting to others, so, too, do similar thoughts come to mind as he turns his thoughts to his present company.

Quiet though he can be, Erichthonios makes the effort to broach the subject himself, hand stretching out in gesture as he seeks to offer his other new acquaintance reassurance that all will be well, that the world will not fall to ruin if Themis takes a moment to pursue his own desires.

"You... wished to pass a message to your friend, did you not? I know you are concerned about the protective wards, but all seems... calm, for the moment. If you would like to try, I do not think a short amount of time away will invite much trouble."

Comments

[apestalmenos]

"My arms truly appreciate the faith you have placed in them." Despite having clearly been exaggerating about the toll the activity might take, Themis can nonetheless feel the acute results of his exertion within the muscles. It is, in fact, quite the workout, especially in the way he's apparently erroneously going about the task, as he's soon offered a different utensil.

"Ah, I hadn't realized just how many tools were necessary for this," he remarks as he takes the whisk and swaps it in to begin stirring as recommended. It is definitely easier. "Are you quite certain I'm not slowing down the process?"

[beshackled]

"Aye, I am. Even though learning something for the first time makes for slower individual tasks, you've already saved us time."

Peeling and mashing the popotoes separately would have taken Erichthonios a while longer, even with his experience. Still, in the spirit of saving them time, he draws away, moving on to the next of his tasks. He trusts that Themis will not take long.

"I shall see to warming the stove."

[apestalmenos]

Themis does appreciate the confirmation that he has, indeed, been helpful, despite stumbling through the steps so clumsily. At least with his new whisk, the stirring goes much easier, and even his arms feel a little better, though they'd still be much happier once allowed rest.

"I am, of course, grateful for your guidance. I'm very much looking forward to the finished product. It won't take long, yes?"

The stirring doesn't, at least, thanks to the head-start he'd gotten with the other utensil. There is but a bit more time before he feels he's finished with the popotoes and carries the bowl over to Erichthonios for his assessment.

[beshackled]

Short though the time is, the stove is properly warmed when Themis ventures over. He takes the bowl in hand, taking a quick look at the consistency of the batter mix. All seems well.

"Aye, it will take even less time than the preparations."

Their batch is small enough that the entire cooking process will take a handful of minutes at the most. Taking up a large spoon, he dips it into the thick batter, doling the mixture out into a pan atop the stove three small circles at a time, shaping each neatly.

"How hungry are you?"

[apestalmenos]

"Oh, not very. I shouldn't expect I'll need much at this moment."

Now that his part in the preparation is over, Themis simply stands nearby, watching. Even the cooking promises to be fascinating and he hasn't been able to pull his eyes away since Erichthonios started adding to the pan. With yet another utensil! But of course.

[beshackled]

And there shall even be another utensil when it comes time to flip the pancakes, which he does just a couple of minutes after.

"Usually, one makes fewer pancakes of larger size, but I thought the smaller size would work better for now."

He repeats the process until the mix is used up, ending up with half a dozen pancakes, which he then dishes onto separate plates, drizzling each set with a bit of honey and a small sprinkling of nutmeg.

He's quite pleased with the result.

"'Tis done."

[apestalmenos]

Another utensil! But it does seem necessary. Themis can't see how any of the others used so far could be used in such a way. Yet again, fascinating.

"Is that so? How large would they usually get when you prepare them in this way?" Of course, if one were to just conjure the dish up, one could theoretically choose any size one could imagine, so there's no question regarding that situation.

Once the dishes are set, he smiles brightly with a light nod.

"They do look amazing. You truly have a gift for this."

[beshackled]

Erichthonios cannot help but smile bashfully in response. The compliments are nice... Truthfully, he does not think he has ever heard them in such profusion before. But Themis has yet to even taste the results!

"'Tis not a difficult recipe... and you did as much of the work as I did."

All the matters of texture and proper moisture are firmly a result of Themis' mixing, as far as he is concerned.

"But... to answer your question, typically one makes a single large and thick pancake that takes up much of the surface of the plate... but being larger and thicker they tend to take a little longer to cook... and risk making a bit of a mess if one is fond of drenching their pancakes in honey."

The larger the pancake, the less room left on the plate for the excess honey to pool.

[apestalmenos]

When people display their impressive talents, Themis can't help but be excited about seeing them. He finds it especially easy to express his admiration for the things Erichthonios can accomplish, and he barely even notices just how much he's gushed so far, which means he's likely to continue. That particular smile goes quite far in encouraging him as well; he'd never stop if the things he said always resulted in that smile.

But it is true that he hasn't even yet had a taste, and he is very much looking forward to that.

"I could only perform as I had due to your instruction and direction, of course. I would have been quite lost otherwise," he points out with a small smile of his own. In thinking over the answer to his question, he nods, left with only one more set of questions:

"Is that how you would typically dress this dish? Drenched with honey? I can't say I've ever tried them that way."

[beshackled]

"Aye. Though I imagine other things of a syrup-like consistency would work just as well."

...Hmn. He feels like he is forgetting something. But what could it be? Erichthonios fixes the plates with a perplexed look, hoping that by focusing on them directly that the answer will spring to mind. The dishes look as they should, except...

There is nothing for them to eat the pancakes with.

"Oh!"

Flustering, he rushes to retrieve a pair of forks.

"I almost forgot. 'Twould be troublesome indeed to eat them without these!"

Setting a fork upon each plate, Erichthonios at last hands one of the pair over to his new friend, the meek smile from before returning to his face as he reflects upon the mild embarrassment. To think he nearly handed over the dish without utensil to eat with...!

[apestalmenos]

"Oh, of course, but drenched?" Themis is clearly amused at the image conjured by that particular wording, and especially so at the idea of Erichthonios indulging in the activity. There's just something endearing about the picture.

In focusing on that, he doesn't even notice the lack of eating utensils, expression shifting into one of slight curiosity as Erichthonios suddenly exclaims and rushes off. The confusion is cleared up quickly, though, and he takes the dish with a smile, not at all embarrassed about having contributed to the oversight.

"I almost forgot about that myself. Could you imagine settling down to eat and only noticing it then?" He laughs, though at that point he'd likely simply create the necessary utensils and anything else that's missing. The preparation of the dish was incredibly interesting, and even fun, but taking care of any leftover little side bits with magic should be alright now, right? He doesn't see anything else amiss, however, so it doesn't matter either way.

[beshackled]

Creating the utensils would certainly be a wise course of action were the oversight to occur again. Yet Erichthonios cannot help but fluster a little more at the idea of sitting down with nothing to eat with. Themis was as close to a guest as one could be! To think he was almost inadequately prepared...

Still, the laughter is.... nice, drawing away some of the discomfort he feels at his own imagination.

"'Tis likely I would be apologizing until the morrow. Though, to answer your question... I have, on occasion, used... amounts of honey that could be deemed excessive."

Though he is not fond of torturing himself with intensely spicy ingredients, flavor and fragrance are things he happens to enjoy. They offer stimulation, however small.

[apestalmenos]

Themis doesn't really think of himself as a guest. At least, not one for whom any special effort should be put forth. Even this particular meal was mostly just supposed to ensure they kept up their energy levels for the tasks ahead, despite actually being carried out in a way Themis feels is much more of a social activity than usually necessary. If he truly stopped to think about it, he would absolutely have a moment of wondering whether he should be having as good a time as he is, but he just can't help enjoying Erichthonios' company and doesn't see a reason to pretend not to.

The very serious issues at hand will be dealt with. And for now he can just laugh, letting it fade into an amused smile at Erichthonios' reply to the hypothetical situation and the following question.

"Excessive, you say?" That gives him pause, and he raises a curled hand to his lips as he thinks on that. "I will have to try it that way one day. Perhaps when I am feeling more adventurous," he decides with a warm smile.

[beshackled]

Erichthonios cannot help but take notice. It is as though the smile pulls him in, leaving him all the more self-conscious when he realizes just how long he has been looking. Lightly abashed, he shuffles his weight nervously, avoiding eye contact as he gathers once more his wits.

Yet, somehow, he cannot stop smiling.

"A-ah. Mayhap when less troublesome matters weigh upon us."

That said, mayhap it would be best to finish up quickly. Making use of the nearest suitable surface, Erichthonios takes up the fork, using the side to cut a wedge out of the small pancakes.

"...This... was enjoyable. I would be glad to do it again."