The Exploits of Misfit Company

Yvan looks down at the hand offered, taking a second to extend his own to give the tiefling a quick yet firm handshake. His hand returns to his side while his lips thin at the mention of his kind. “I’m from the mountains,” He mumbles, his expression going a tinge sour, though his gaze is adverted. Truthfully, he didn’t remember any of the traditional meals from his tribe, not that he would want any of it though. He only remembers the food he was subjected to while he was chained.

At most, he did remember... “Spiced eel.” And that was it. A specialty food he rarely got the chance to eat. He was a kid when it was offered to him to try, one of the few good memories of his childhood, and it was the most flavorful thing he ever had. The eels he’s had here didn’t compare, but they were good substitutes. 

Yvan falls back into silence and watches Courage interact with Busha. His expression softens, and when he sees Alys offer up half of her scone, there’s a small smile at his lips. He takes the offering and gives the scone a bite. “... It’s good.” He mumbles again, finishing his piece with another bite. “Thank you, Alys.” 

When it looked like Courage was done interacting with the others, Yvan says, “Do you need help with your belongings?”

Courage expression had brightened at the mention of a garden, as thoughts of having a look and perhaps even improving the garden began rolling about in the back of his head. Even that, however, wanes upon noting Yvan's reaction later, and realizing the landmine stepped stepped on, if though by accident. Still, he tried to keep to a pleasant demeanor, and even resisted clarifying meaning 'mountains from the south'... unlike a certain changling.

"Spiced eel, you say? I see, I see-..." Courage nodded while brushing a hand over a robust beard, then looked to the ground in deeper thought.  "Should look into portals to the plane of water for the best catches there." He murmured. "Ah, should take notes! Mr. Souperb? Take note." He said, looking past his shoulder. The potback then pops slightly open as what appears to be living soup or stew squeezes its way out and ontop of Courage's shoulder, congeal itself into a roughly humanoid form with some kind black opal centered its chest, phosphorus petite tomatoes floating about its head for eyes(?), and the remnants of a pot floating about its form close to the core.

The creature gives everyone a polite wave, before then reaching back into the pot, pulling out a pair tiny gloves, a pen, and paper for itself to start taking notes as Courage dictates. "Mn, and that should be it for now. Good job, Souperb." Courage ends, to which the creature gurgles and parts its face in the approximation of a smile. "My apologies for that, hehe. But if things are truly settled, I would head to the room to unpack my things, if that's alright?" He asked, and would follow along whoever shows the way.

Souperb: (Picture Red-Orange instead of Green)

Kasha walked back in, brushing off leaves and dirt, and startled violently as the..the uh..

"What the hell is that!?" Kasha pointed to the living..food. "What. The hell. Is that."

Both Souperb and Courage look at one another, and then back to Kasha with confused looks. "You mean Souperb? Ah, don't you worry now. They're harmless unless I tell him to be otherwise. And... well, this is kind of embarrassing, but Souperb here was the result of my trying to combine a bit of artificistry with my early attempts at cooking." He glances awkwardly over to the soup boy. "The lesson? The Culinary arts and Arcane arts adjacent don't always lead to straightforward results... But! He's helpful and rather cleanly despite his appearance thanks to his heart."

Kasha shook her head. So many questions.

"They?" she started with. "Otherwise?! He was an experiment?" 

She looked at the camera briefly before looking back at Courage and Soup Herb. 

"He's just a helper, right? Nothing more? You don't, like..use him..for..ingredients..right?"

"Bahaha! No, no, no. They're just a helper, and a constant reminder that adding a mystery and untested ingredient alongside some sugar and spice does not make for a guarantee 'win' in any book." He admits with a rueful smile. "I did once think of making another that had regenerating special ingredients, but figured the ethics on that one was a bit sketchy to say the least. Plus, I wouldn't want to make Susan jealous now." He added, patting the line of handy belt pouches.

Alys would beam, sticking close to Yvan. The elf would go to take another bite of her scone when Souperb would make it's appearance. She'd blink, tilting her head slightly. The scholar would then look to Kasha as she'd point it out with exuberant curiosity. Sharing the same thoughts, she'd nod before looking back to Souperb. Grateful for their druid to begin her next round of questions, Alys would bite down onto the chunk of scone she still had left, holding it in her mouth to free her hands. She'd reach for her journal to begin taking notes and sketching.

"Whyyyy do you keep saying 'they'?" she asked. "Regenerative?" Kasha looked at Courage's belt pouch. "Susan...?" she asked, looking for a person. She then rubbed her temples, flopping to the floor, surrendering. "Ugh, i'm so confused." she moaned. "What kind of cook ARE yyoouuu...."

Courage lets out a boisterous laugh. "The very creative kind! Some people like to name their weapons, I, however, like to name my most trusted items and/or strange concoctions." He then looks around, before squating down and stage whispering, "And between you and me, I don't really know if Souperb even has a gender, or if its like a collective consciousness sort of thing. But, figured it'd be rude to call 'it', so..." He shrugs helplessly. 

From his shoulder, Souperb just burbles and forms a smile in their surface.

Alys makes some corrections and further notes.

Then, there was the sound of a little cat bell by the door. Kasha's attention was immediately diverted and her demeanor changed. "Oh! Mail!" She got up and opened the door.

OUTSIDE

She got up and opened the door. Outside, a small hawk was on a perch with a note tied to it's leg. It stuck it out to Kasha. She took it and smiled. "Hi! Thanks, Anthony!" The bird flew away after Kasha gave it a treat from her back pocket. It was a letter from back home. "Oh!" she said, and opened it quickly. It was from back home.

She read it very carefully. She read it again. Her face slowly went from smiling to neutral, to frowning. Still holding the letter, she sighed, sadly, as if her breath had been taken away, like she had been punched in the gut. After a moment, she stared blankly towards the horizon and stayed that way for a few moments, holding the letter in her hand. She slowly turned back into the house.

INSIDE

"I'll be upstairs.." she said, surprisingly devoid of emotion, and went upstairs to her room.

Stella stifles a smile. "Well, it's definitely going to be interesting having you around," she says cheerfully. "Hello, Souperb!"

When Kasha gets her mail, Stella follows the druid with her eyes, her smile quickly transforming to a worried frown. "That didn't look good..."

"Should one of us go ask her if she wants to talk about it?"

Alys would look to everyone individually, finally biting her scone to free it from her mouth. She'd chew. Kasha had not said a word to her when she saw her last. Perhaps Alys asked her too many questions? The elf wondered if she'd even be the right person to go... the halfelf may not even want to talk to her?

Though, should Stella, Vastra, or Yvan not go, Alys would finish her scone and go check on Kasha.

Yvan waits patiently for the interaction between Courage and Kasha prior to getting to showing the tiefling his room, only to stop briefly when the sound of a bell rang. He watches Kasha leave to get the mail with a cocked brow. "... Did this place always have that feature or..." 

Then the druid returned with a complete change in demeanor, immediately worrying the goliath. He watches her off with a frown, wondering what it was that caused such a quick switch. "I... I'll check on her," Yvan says, stepping forward. "One of you show Courage to his room... I'll see if she wants to talk about it." He doesn't wait for a confirmation, and climbs up the stairs, going to Kasha's door.

He knocks on the door lightly and says softly, "Kasha? Are you okay...?"

The door was open. Kasha was at her desk, looking over what appeared to be a photo book of sorts. She had it open to a page where it was, on both sides, various photos of a man who appeared to be in different poses of hard heavy work over lumber and trees, dirty, sweaty, and rarely smiling. It was painfully obvious who this person was, the facial resemblance was simply uncanny. Everything except the eyes.

Kasha didn't respond at first, and after a few moments, felt Yvan standing there. She startled back to reality, quickly closing the photo album, reflexively, and turning to look Yvan's way.

"Yes." she said, clearly lying. "I'm fine. Is there something I can do for you?"

Stella watches Yvan go, then returns her attention to Courage. "Follow me, I'll show you to your room."

Yvan's eyes flicker from the book to Kasha when she turns to look at him, his expression softening at the lie. She must have had her reasons but... it was clear that she was not okay . "Kasha... I'm having a hard time believing that answer," He takes a step in her room. "What's wrong? ... Was it the letter? Do... do you want to talk about it?"

Kasha stared blankly at Yvan.

“Oh, it’s just..family matters.” She said, softly.

After a few moments, she turned back to her desk where the photo album was and she opened it again for him to see, offering to let him sit down.

“You never met my father, have you?” she said, sliding the album closer to Yvan so he could see, looking at the photos. She looked upon the fondly.

“Markus. So strict and overbearing." she said, a fond memory on her mind as she looked at the photos, tracing the edges of the pages with her fingers absentmindedly. "When I was a child, my mother was not around." she snorted in a soft laugh, too, remembering. "He basically raised me by himself. I would..give my father such a hard time growing up. I was..so wild and..always into trouble. It would make him so mad. He could barely contain me. Always scolding me. I constantly frustrated him. He mellowed out a little bit over the last few years.” 

She paused for a moment, still looking at the pictures silently, as if thinking to herself. “I was planning on..visiting him this winter. I thought we would go to the winter faire they always have there in my village. He would take me to them each year when I was little." She touched one of the pictures of her father.

"Despite how..how I aggravated him, he would always call me his little tiger, little dreamer..imaginative..” Her Kasha’s lip quivered and she shook her head almost imperceptibly - a heavy weight of sorrow slowly broke through her calm facade becoming physically manifest. She sank every so slightly and began to cry to herself while looking at her Father’s photos, and her voice cracked audibly when she finished, “..so..very gentle..”

When Yvan would step forward to agree to check on Kasha, Alys would smile softly. She’d be in the best hands and well taken care of. And with Stella taking on the task of escorting Courage to his room, the elf would take her own direction.

Alys would finish her scone on her walk through to the garden. As she arrived, it was easy to notice the absence of B’s tent. Her heart would sink a little. She knew it wasn’t a structure made to be permanent, but she had considered sitting in the space, even for a moment. The sentimental wizard would continue her steps towards the now barren area. She’d kneel down in the centre and begin to hum a soft melodic tune to herself. With a few gentle gesture of her hands, she’d move the earth, creating a deep hole. Then she’d spend some time on some rituals and incantations. And once all preparations and precautions were taken, Alys would place B’s gift into its resting place. She’d burry it.