Arcanum 187 Lunch with the Carvell's

"Careful there Helen, I think you're going green." I joked, making her shot a glare at me.

"Don't!" Helen warned us gritting our teeth making us instantly go silent.

"Yeah who is she Jay?" Daisy questioned as he came back.

"That is Jennifer Vancliff, a childhood friend and fellow apprentice just as good as I was." He answered.

"Wait.. did you say, fellow apprentice? So she's also a sorcerer." Daisy questioned.

"You got nothing to worry about." I smiled trying to cheer up Helen finding our teasing a little too much. "Besides his mum like's ya." I smiled at her, "Oh I have a great idea! Follow my instructions." I smiled at Helen and the others, looking around for basic ingredients.

The amount of fresh fruit and veg and basic ingredients was refreshing to see. "So this is a simple sauce you can put on salads, to give it more flavour." I taught Helen how to make a simple tossed salad drizzled with a lemon vinaigrette, oven roasted cheese and tomatoes on rustic bread slices and simple garlic bread.

"Now that smells fantastic!" Daisy stared, drooling over the food like Scarlet.

"Sorry girls.. some customers were wondering what you were cooking there." Jay's mum came to us whispering.

"Oh, you guy seemed busy, so Helen and the rest of us made lunch." I smiled.

"Do you mind?" She questioned asking Helen for permission to taste it.

"Not at all!" Helen pushed the dishes towards her with a giant smile. Jay's mum's eye lit up in shock, looking at Helen with pure admiration. "Is it good?.." She hesitantly questioned.

"It's wonderful, maybe the best thing's I've ever tasted!" Jay's mum smiled with genuine admiration. "You must tell me your secret!" She smiled. "Do you mind if we let our customers try?" She questioned.

"No no.. please do." Helen insisted.

"I'll help cut them into smaller pieces," I said making them into small mouthful sized.

"Thank you, darling." She smiled, walking back to the customers with a plate full of bite-size portions.

"Thank you." Helen mouthed to me with a genuine, grateful smile.

"No problems, come let's make some more." I smiled, making some more for lunch.

"Once we've finish with the last few customers, we'll shut the bakery for a lunch break." Jay's mum smiled, giving Helen one more approving smile before walking back to the shop counter.

"So how did you know what to make?" Helen questioned me, slightly curious.

"The stuff they have here are like the things I have at home." I smiled, taking a seat.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Helen said, sitting beside me with a straightened posture.

"Apparently beating a Demon and Calista is something I can't do." I sighed.

"Chin up.. we still have another week of training," Daisy replied taking a seat.

"So what was stigma thing?" Jay mentioned Grace asked.

"No Idea." I lied to them.

"By the way do you get um.. Half-Elves?" I questioned curiously.

"Yes, Elf and Human offsprings are possible but generally Half-Elves are also generally chastised being seen as impure or a stain on Elven blood," Helen answered.

"Wow.. I'm starting to hate Elven culture." I said in shock.

"Because we live so long, Elves see themselves as superior or more intellectual then younger races," Helen answered.

As soon as the last customer left, Miss Carvell went to the shop front flipping the sign. "Sorry sorry.. we don't normally have big rush like that but everyone wanted to see who the new visitors were." She smiled, taking a seat with us.

"So Jay what did your friend want?" Morgana asked.

"Ahh nothing.. just catching up." He answered her.

"I tell you what though, you kids are the talk of the town everyone just had to come to see you for themselves." Miss Cavell answered.

"Are we that special?" I questioned.

"Absolutely! it's very rare to have adventures come this way." Miss Carvell answered and Mr Carvell began taking out some ready-cooked meats for us and we began to eat.

"Wow, this food is amazing!! and they were popular with the customers, any chance we can steal your recipe?" Mr Carvell asked Helen.

"Won't be a problem!" Helen smiled with pride, making Jay look at her in shock.

"You never mentioned you can cook," Jay asked.

"I have! Maybe you just forgot." Helen quickly answered him, dismissing his question. Making Jay stare upwards, recounting his conversations with her and us.

"So Helen.. do you have a nice Elf boy waiting for you back home?" Miss Carvell questioned.

"No sadly," Helen answered her making Miss Carvell smile.

"And the rest of you young girls?" Miss Carvell asked.

"I do! His name is Paul!" Daisy replied with a giant smile.

"Oh, that's nice, what's he like?" Miss Carvell asked with a smile while the rest of us almost spat our food out in shock and Daisy's forwardness.

"Paul the Black Dragon Slayer!" Daisy answered in excitement.

"No way!!" Miss Carvell questioned, making Daisy nod erratically.

"She's joking.. she just has a big crush on him," Grace said ending Daisy's lie as swiftly as she made it up.

"Young love." Mr and Miss Carvell chuckled.

"Have you kids met the Paul the Black Dragon Slayer?. I remember Jay was always a big fan of his.. and this girl.. Scarlet something, he'd never stop going on about how great Scarlet was." She mentioned.

"They are actually good friends of Emilia's... Emilia and Paul used to be-" Jay tried to explain to his parents before I kicked him in the shin making him yelp in pain.

"Yeah, we're just friends." I quickly corrected him.

"Your son is also quite amazing as well, he's a Blue Flame caster," Daisy added.

"Really?" She replied looking at him utterly proud of her son's achievements.

"So Morgana is it? How comes you're so quiet." Mr Carvell questioned.

"Me?.. I just have little to say." She answered, making Mr Carvell give her a weird look.

"So tell me about yourself." He smiled, giving her some more meats to share.

"My adoptive mother is a Granny Hag, I grew up in a swamp till the age of 18, then I went to Atlantis and now I'm here." She quickly and briefly summarised her life until now.

"Oh, interesting." Mr Carvell answered.

"She didn't grow up around people." Grace explained to them.

"Oh, no.. I'm so sorry, darling." Miss Carvell instinctively apologised.

"It was okay.. I had a Toll for a best friend and many other creatures of the swamp." Morgana smiled making Mr and Miss Carvell look at each other weirdly.

"Yeah.. Her upbringing is kinda unique." I chuckled.

"And Daisy your tattoos is that a tribe choice thing?" Miss Carvell inquired.

"Oh, these are special! At first they were a curse, an Evil God 'gifted' it to me as a means to eventually take over my body. Till Serra cleansed them, purging them of the curse." She smiled showing them her arms and channelled her divine energy making her tattoos and her eyes glow radiant yellow.

"Oh, wow.. that, is amazing.." They answered but leaned back looking into her eyes clearly a little scared.

"And Grace, you're a hunter I assume since you arrived with a bow and quiver." Mr Carvell asked. still feeling a little unnerved at Daisy and Morgana.

"Yes, I've trained as a Ranger from a young age." She smiled.

"Oh, interesting, maybe one weekend you can come with me hunting someday." He smiled.

"OH YES! that would be great!" She smiled in pure excitement.

"and you Helen?" He asked.

"I'm a Druid in training." Helen smiled answering her question.

"A druid being?..." He politely questioned.

"Oh, so druid's focus on nature and stuff... Like this!" She said walking up to some potted garlic shoots, forming a cup in her hands she whispered something and started to sprinkle bright green particles all over them making them magically grow to maturity in front of us in an instant.

"WOW!" Miss Carvell looked in complete astonishment.

"And you can do that to all plant?" Mr Carvell asked.

"Well most, the smaller and faster the easier." She smiled retaking a seat at the table.

"And you, Emilia?" Miss Carvell questioned.

"Like your son, just more all-round on what I can do," I answered them holding my wand.

"So how long will you all be staying with us?" Miss Carvell asked.

"Um only today and tomorrow sadly.. then we need to back for classes," I answered.

"Oh, what a shame.." She answered with a smile.

"If there is anything you need.. please let us know." Helen asked them.

"It's great that you care darling.. but there just isn't a way for us to contact you sadly." Miss Carvell answered.

"Yup the Mail Guild only comes once a week here, so sending and receiving messages is quite a pain." Mr Carvell answered making me suddenly wonder how the mailing system works here.

"So honey what did that Vancliff girl want from you earlier?" Miss Carvell asked Jay while taking a bite of toast and marvelling at the layers of flavour.

"Oh, nothing special.. Just catch up on old times." He answered.

"Whatever you do, don't get mixed up with her again those Vancliff's are nothing but trouble." His mum warned him.

"I know mum, I know." He answered looking a little distracted.

Chapter end