[About]

In light of recent changes, which we are still working on, I'd like to present to you a low-key, fun-filled event for the whole Akatokiyami Family!

[Rules]

1. Any character can join, provided he or she is passed as an Accepted Character. As this Event will have no bearing on any canon, I will allow the use of any to all characters that you may have - This includes both Primary and Secondary Characters, and their attendant Associates.
2. There is no posting order, but please post at least once between each of my posts; I will be posting roughly every 48 hours, independent on who has or has not posted. If you do not post at least once between my posts twice (you get one Freebie), you will be exited without warning and be ineligible for rewards beyond that of the standard. Standard absence post rules do not exempt you from posting; however, should a situation beyond your control occur, PM me notice. I also understand that not everyone has access to the Internet on weekends, but if you are in the box, I will expect you to be able to post.
3. This Event will take no longer than three weeks, although it may end sooner.
4. This is an AU Event. You are not required to exit any threads to participate. All Role-Play may continue on as normal. The Rule for Multiple Characters per thread has also been lifted for this Event, however prizes may be rewarded differently due to turn out.
5. There will be a Real Life prize drawn by raffle upon completion of the Event and mailed to the recipient. If you do not wish to participate or give me your address, please inform me before the raffle.
6. Most of all, have fun! You don't need to be a master chef to compete; you can whip anything together and have poor outcomes, or even opt to be just a part of the festivities.

She could smell it. Even from the depths of the barn she had crawled into, Ariadne could smell the smoke from the fires. Savory and acrid. Cooking smoke. It drew her out of her hiding hole and into the bright summer sun. Into the people. They were amassed together, on a green slab of earth, arms laden with ingredients and even more piled upon tables beyond the display.

The display itself housed several cooking stations with the necessary tools to cook the world's greatest meal. Fires burned hot and ready, ovens shimmered within their heated air. Men and women alike bustled to and fro, preparing everything so that it was just right for the contestants. Crowds had started to gather around the central green, some dragging in benches and tables, while others set up booths for the running and playing children, face-painters and dunk-the-drunk tanks.

Ariadne made her way to the spectator area, drawing her paper-thin cloak tighter about herself, ineffectively blocking out the rumbling her stomach made. She sat on one of the benches, warily watching, and waited for the food that was inevitably going to come her way. But first, they needed to cook it.

Food. The essence of all being. Kingdoms rose and fell on the supply of food. But food. It had more use than just to sustain life. Their was artistry in food, to make deliciousness, to make recipes appealing to the pallet.

Yoshiya did enjoy eating. His dishes were simple though. What he made could be best described as comfort food. Warm, good tasting, but simple. Nothing fancy or with much flair. Honest, good, grub.

The man walked to his table. He had conspired with the organisers before the event to negotiate this spot. He wanted a particular place, right under a tree, a rafter which had a branch sticking out of it. The branch was important. Very important.

He sat down a rather large and lumpy bag upon the preparation table and raised his staff into the air, holding it aloft. Those with bad eyes would see a long black snake burst forth from the rod. Those who looked closer would see that it was merely a chain. The other became his trusty shield, though in recent days all it had shielded him from was the rain. But today, it would keep water in, not out.

Swinging the chain round and round, he focused on the nail. A low swoosh was heard in the vicinity, a vicinity clear of obstructions. The low drone filled the air, before stopping suddenly as it was released, flying right at the branch, the wood piercing the metal, the chain hooking on the branch. It was carefully lowered so the shield was hovering a few feet over the ground, like a dish.

Reaching into the bag, Yoshiya placed a circle of stones under the dish, and wood inside the ring. He turned to his neighbour who was farther on than he was.

"Hey there, mind if I pinch some of your fire mate?"

This was OK. Yoshiya held one of his sticks in his partner's fire, and brought the fire to his own pile of wood. Soon a decent flame was burning under his cauldron.

It was a growing problem. After 2000 years they were tired. Tired of the same old food. The chefs had run out of inspiration for innovation, innovation to freshen up the food served in the canteens and mess halls of Seireitei.

Thankfully, there was hope. A cook-off was being held in the Rukongai, and a number of Shinigami from various divisions were tasked to attend and seek out any dishes which could be used to feed the minions of the white city. Kabelja was part of the team.

Unfortunately Malik jokingly called it a "secret mission". Unfortunately Kabelja didn't realise he was joking. Sure, blabbing about what they were doing would bias results, but it wasn't a matter of security.

Now, Kabelja knew that Konno-san read spy novels, stories of espionage and daring, so she asked her subordinate to lend her some titles. Of course young Yumi questioned why she wanted them, out of curiosity, but was met with Kabelja stating that the reason was classified. The junior Shinigami shrugged and complied. She was well versed with her superior's oddities and had learned to roll with it, a trait picked up from her mother.

Oh dear...

Kabelja entered the area. Unlike her fellow surveyers, who had come either in plain clothes or in uniform (as many Shinigami who were not involved in this plan had) Kabelja...was wearing something far more elaborate. She had purchased a 'little black dress' from a Mrs Stopheavilly at the Tuffiny boutique, along with black gloves which reached past her elbows, a necklace of pearls and a large tan cartwheel hat, which further obscured her features.

He was in trouble. Big trouble. There was one person that Sikes could not best, though they had been locked in struggle for nearly three centuries. No matter which way he turned, nemesis was there. The name of this nemesis? Belle. 

Yes, he couldn't get one over the missus. Lately she had been complaining that he didn't do any housework and left all the chores up to her. He chucked slightly. "She is smashing, though." So, in order to prove himself to her woman (and get back into her good books) he had volunteered to participate in the cooking contest.

He then realised that he didn't have all that big a repertoire, though the kids did say he made a good breakfast. So there he was, in the sun, cooking a big fry up.

With all this grease and muck in his food? He didn't have a chance....

"Seireitei Scouts, fall in!"

For many years, the Seireitei Scouts had been helping out the community. Most of their activities took place inside the walls, but sometimes they were allowed to participate in more organised events in the Rukongai. This was one of those moments. Yumi had spent many years with the scouts, but now she was to old to be a member, but since had signed on as a leader. Since she was here as a scout leader, and not as a Shinigami, her uniform was different. Instead of the traditional Shinigami uniform, she wore a tan shirt, with a brown sash, skirt and beret, the same as the others, save for the shoulder pads. Theirs were brown, yet hers were purple, signifying her division.

This was her first big event since discharge, and the girls under her command had taken advantage of this. That would explain her fierce looking cane and eyepatch over her left eye, despite now being able to walk fine, and her eye being uninjured.

The young girl strode in front of the girls in her command, pacing back and forth in front of them with mock authority.

"We are gathered here to supply buns to those gathered here. No-one shall go unfed on my watch! We shall supply everyone with baked deliciousness, we shall spread goodwill and cheer to all! But most importantly, we will outdo the boys!" 

On that note her platoon turned to the male regiment and booed, sticking their tongues out at them. Yumi gave a playful wink to her counterpart commander. He returned a similar gesture. All knew it was in good fun.

"You all know your assignments! But remember, stay in groups of at least four. Do not abandon your fellow man....or girl! If you get into trouble, alert the nearest adult Shinigami. If you cannot, send up the emergency signal. Now everyone, move out!"

With that she blew a shrill whistle and everyone dispersed to where they belonged. A few seconds later a lower one was heard, as the boys moved out. Yumi broke character and smiled, sliding her patch up so she could see with her left eye again and leaning casually on her staff, happily observing a nearby group offering their produce to an elderly Rukon couple. Everything would be fine. There was plenty of good will in the area, and plenty of Shinigami too. A notice had gone out to all divisions. It wasn't heavily promoted, but a good number of the divisioned Shinigami should have been told to casually keep an eye out for the little ones.

What time was it? Anyone could tell you that it was COOKING TIME. Having counted the days until the start of this contest, Biru was excited. For unlike many of the other contestants who went with traditional methods, Biru used SCIENCE in order to supplement his cooking. Sure there had been a few incidents such as last year where his dish had come to life and went on a rampage and the year before that where Biru's dish had exploded, but Biru was sure that things would go great this year. Biru had learned a lot about cooking since then. Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

Smiling and waving to some of the nearby Rukons as he pushed a small wagon that was carrying his ingredients and some inventions OF SCIENCE that he had designed to aid him in the contest, Biru was oblivious to the terrified reactions (such as widening their eyes, screaming in horror and running as fast as they could) that the Rukons gave in return. Going to the station that was set up just for him (and was set up far from all of the other ones), Biru began to set up his inventions and ingredients.

"Let's see now. I have the bowls, the containers, the mixer, the blending device, the dispensing device, the lightning rod, the electron mover and the ice pick...oh darn i forgot the grenades in case it comes alive again." Biru stated to himself as he took out some of his tools and set them up. Figuring that he would just have to improvise if the dish did come to life again, Biru gave an exhausted sigh and began to set up some of the other devices that he had brought. "I'm pretty sure i have everything else though." Biru stated to himself as he worked.

Harupia enjoyed gatherings like this, he really did. A good chance to meet and converse with various people, enjoy yourself in good company, and in this case, a lot of good food...the one thing that worried him a bit was that he would be doing the cooking. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to prepare a decent meal, but there was the fact it was a competition. People would be making their own delicious meals, and he would have to compete against them. He liked company, but competition always made him feel a bit anxious...never know when someone took it to far...heck, he was taking this probably a bit too seriously for his own good.

The Taicho walked towards the area of the cook-off, a tightly wrapped bundle upon his back, a slew of cooking gear stored in it. Mostly dishes, but also a slew of spices and herbs. If anything, he was good in mixing things, so that was one advantage... and luckily he had a pretty good balance, as a large group of children ran past him in a quite excited fashion. Heh, the Seireitei Scouts...such a jolly bunch of kids...he wished he was part of them when he was a child. Managing to avoid being trampled, he would get to his designated spot looking around a bit amongst his potential rivals as he prepared his gear. Two Rukongai citizens he knew, and a rather...sharply dressed lady. Quite a strong competition it seemed, he thought to himself chuckling a bit. The question was, what would they be cooking exactly?

People slowly trickled into the green where the event was being held. Some came in large groups, others by themselves, some in uniforms, and some in something far more...extravagant. To Ariadne, it didn't really matter who was doing what or where or when, but as long as they were doing something. Only then, could the meal be had and shared and then eaten.

And she was ready for the eating.

The man, rotund and rosy-cheeked, approached the center of the still-filling green and gave a shrill whistle while wringing his hands on his stark white apron. Once he had everyone's attention, he chuckled and spoke in a loud, booming voice. "Arrite folks! Welcome to the 73rd cook-off!" Hope you all came with empty bellies, cuz this year's theme is gonna take 'em by the horns!" He chuckled partway through his joke, the smile on his rosy cheeks reflected in his dark eyes. "The theme's beef! Best Beef Dish wins the celebratory title of Master Chef, so get cookin!"

The crowd cheered, and Ariadne's stomach rumbled dangerously. If things didn't pick up soon, she thought, she would end up joining too and making a fool out of herself. That wasn't the point of the friendly competition, however, and instead of making friends and feeding the neighbors, she sat on her bench, waiting for the stragglers to join up. Her eyes drifted over to each of the parties, curiously trying to see which person would do what.

Previously, and with a larger turnout she assumed, people had managed to make an entire four-course meal from scratch in a matter of hours, from appetizers and drinks to delectable desserts. How that was goin to happen when the theme was beef, she did not know, but she had that nagging curiosity brewing underneath it all that she couldn't wait to find out.

Pausing in his setup as as the man gave his announcement about the theme of the cooking contest, Biru realized that he was at a loss for what to cook. WHATEVER WOULD HE DO NOW. "I guess i'll just have to improvise." Biru said to himself (oblivious to the horrified looks that those around him had given him after hearing of such a prospect). However before Biru could begin with his cooking he first had to finish setting up his COOKING INVENTIONS OF SCIENCE.

Going back to setting up the various inventions OF SCIENCE, Biru was soon absorbed in his work. By the time he had finished setting up the last of his inventions, the rest of his competitors would have had a decent head start against him. Some would even say that this was a big enough disadvantage that he was sure to lose the contest. However what Biru lacked in TIME and CULINARY SKILL and in this particular case PLANNING, he more than made up for it with ENTHUSIASM AND SCIENCE. "Let's see. If the theme is beef that means that I should be able to easily do the main meal and an appetizer first. So let's start with that for now." Biru said as he found a good pot to make soup in.

A...theme?! Sikes fretted at the words. "There is a theme?!" "I should have looked at the rules more closely first."

What he had planned wasn't a beef dish but...it did have beef as an element. "Oh boy..."

"I'd better get on the veggie roll first."

Sikes took a blade and started chopping up the scallions, dicing them up into small pieces. Sikes then got a large chunk of beef and tried to force the meat into a mincer, turning the handle. It seemed to work. The 'chef' proceeded to add a dash of pepper to the beef before rolling up the scallions into it, then seperating them into small patties. These small patties were then dropped onto a frying pan.

A great sizzling noise filled the air as the meat cooked.

"Hmmm...this looks interesting."

The lady in the big hat had eyed the table of Nie-San. Many impressive devices were upon the table.

"This will freshen up cooking in Seireitei."

She had to get closer, but sneakily. There were crowds walking back and forth. She hid in a group of people, transferring from party to party to shake any tail she may have.

However a lady dressed like that tends to stand out, and her erratic movements drew some attention as she slowly made her way to the scientist's table. She turned away from it and spoke to Biru, her back turned to him. Her very voice was disguised, in an obviously fake Russian accent.

"You have some interesting devices there ser. Tell me, how do they contribute to the cooking of food?"

"Hitoshi-san!" The young Konno girl marched briskly up towards the Taichou's table, trying not to hide her discomfort, pushing her limbs to the limit.

"Taichou-Hitoshi! Hello! I just wanted to thank-you and your division for looking after me after my injury!" She beamed warmly at the man. "I know it isn't much, but can I interest you in a bun? I know, the nutritionists will probably kill me, but ah well! All things in moderation, eh?" She giggled as she held open a box of caramel squares to the man, her cane held behind her in the opposite hand.

"Ah, beef, fair enough."

Yoshiya laughed, as his game plan for this wasn't foiled by this declaration. It was a simple plan.

1. Fill a cauldron with water, add the mystery ingredient and a bunch of other stuff. Put it over the boil.
2. Serve as a soup/stew/broth.
3. 
4. PROFIT

If it were something sweet, it may have been more difficult. If it were fruit, he could have made jam, perhaps...regardless, he poured a bucket of water into the make-shift pot and waited for it to boil. As that was going on, he prepared the rest of his food, chopping up the beef, onion, carrots and most important, the potatoes. The potatoes were skinned and cut into rather large chunks. Because potatoes were important, and offered a great delight to the dish.

Alas, there was another stage before dumping everything in a pot. Yoshiya got a flat pan, lumped in the meat with the onions, added some oil, and cooked them up until they browned.

A collective gasp from the crowd drew Ariadne's attention from the smells before her to the small gathering of....what appeared to be women fawning over something. Ariadne couldn't tell what exactly, though, as the throng was far too thick for her to see through without appearing obvious. Everyone else was staring at the gaggle, but not her. She didn't care.

How wrong she was had not to cared! The crowd parted at the right moment, and she, too, felt her breath part her lips in a gasp. The man, for that was what he was, stood shorter than she, bedecked in garments of the purest, cleanest white. His golden hair wafted softly to his shoulders beneath the white chef's hat, and his smile glinted like gold in the reflected sunshine.

She watched him with bated breath as he approached an unused station, the girls at his side moving and melting into the crowd, and seemingly vanishing from sight. The chef was an ordinary dwarf, she saw, pudgy and rotund as if he had sampled each of the dishes he had ever prepared. Ariadne did not know of him, though some of the spectators surely recognized him, and she was unfazed, albeit slightly rattled, by his appearance.

Soon, he set to work, and she could not take her eyes away from him. She saw the glinting gold from his smile, even at her distance, and soon became enraptured. Her heart fluttered in her chest in a way it never had before, and the next time he smiled, she was sure it was just for her. There was no one else, just her and the dwarf, lost in a sea of smells and unknowns. He had the same effect on anyone else who glanced at his smile, not just the emaciated child who caught a glance at the wrong time.

The meat was done, as were the onions. Into the pot they went, along with all the other vegetables, and just a dash of salt and pepper to season. Away the mixture bubbled in the hot water, a warm homely smell emanating from the broth. A ladle swirled in the mix, tumbling the ingredients around the vast dish.

Yoshiya hummed a little ditty as he stirred, confident that all his dish required was time.

He had not yet seen the one of golden hair.

"One down...I don't know how much more to go."

Sikes sighed as he considered all the stuff he still had to prepare. Still, nothing doing but to keep rubber ducking!

"Right...so what next? Ah, probably the breads..."

Ebenezer gathered up the relevant ingredients and made two breads. One using wholemeal flour and plenty of soda along with buttermilk, the other out of hot mashed potatoes, laden with butter and with flour added to the mixture. The soda bread was cut into thick slices, the potato into thin. Both were laden upon a girdle to cook.

Beef, beef, beef... Meats were always a tricky subject. Sure, you could cook it and all rather quickly, but making the taste be something more, something special...that took time. And unfortunately that wasn’t something he had here...still, some proper seasoning and marinating would help his beef some out better... he only wonder if he had the time...

As it often happened, Harupia spaced out a bit, thinking deeply about the dish he wanted to serve, while preparing all the untensylia he had, so it took a while for him to notice the small interruption from below. Shaking his head he would look at one of the members of the Scouts which had left the walls of his Division not so long ago. It was good to see her in good spirit, even if her leg looked a bit ginger still. With a bright smile, he would lean in down and gently pet her head as he said "I think we can leave this one as a secret for the nutrient doctors. I’ll be sure to run it out later" winking at the girl before picking out one of the caramels. Taking a bite, he would let out a satisfied sigh while saying "Quite the delicacy. It would be a shame if the other's didn’t get to try the treats! Thank you, and watch out on the leg a bit. As much as we enjoyed you company IM sure you wouldn’t want to visit us as a patient anytime soon"

After that, he would go back to the preparations of his meal, moving to get himself a nice, large beef fillet...an idea was brewing in his mind. He wasn’t sure how well he would pull it off...but he would try his best.

The young Shinigami chuckled as she was patted on the head, though when it was over she regained her aura of authority, slipping down her eye patch and standing at full attention.

"My platoon has been deployed throughout the area SIR! We shall make sure to serve everyone with deliciousness SIR!" Smiling, she gave a bow to the superior Shinigami.

"All the best with the cooking, Taichou Hitoshi. And hopefully we'll continue to meet under my line of work rather than yours."

With that she bounded off to pastures new, to contribute to the scouts' work...that was, she would have if her travels hadn't been interrupted by him.

She saw him in the crowd, a face in a sea of faces. That hair, so long and golden, the radiance of his smile. Yumi generally didn't chase after heartthrobs as many girls her age did (and many of her scouts had) but he...he was different.

The universe faded from existence, save for two entities. Yumi, and the chef. Nothing else existed in the world. It was just the two of them. Forever. The destiny of two peoples. Two were one. They were all that existed in this world.

Filling a pot with some stock in order to make the broth, Biru began by putting the pot on top of a fire so it could be heated up. Proceeding to cut up various VEGETABLES so they could be BROKEN DOWN AND DIGESTED, Biru soon added carrots, onions, potatoes AND SPICING the true ingredients of a nice and filling soup. At least Biru was pretty sure those were the true ingredients of a nice and filling soup. In retrospect it would have been a good idea to at least study some common soup recipes. But on the other hand cooking new dishes was like experimenting and Biru did like experiments (even if a lot tended to end up with property damage).

Having finished adding the vegetables, Biru noticed a large amount of ladies fawning over something. Ignoring the distraction and heading back onto his work, Biru picked up a metal prod with a crank on it. Spinning the crank around his COOKING DEVICE OF SCIENCE, Biru was soon faced with another distraction. "Hello there. I would like to apologize but i'm going to be a bit distracted ma'am. To answer your question my devices contribute in a number of different ways. For example this device uses a shock to help tenderize meat." Biru said with welcoming smile as he focused on his work. "Feel free to watch. That would probably answer your question better than I could." Biru stated as he picked up a piece of beef in order to use his TENDERIZER OF SCIENCE on it. However his device would turn out to be a lot more effective than he thought. Instead of tenderizing the meat the shock from the prod instead sent it flying off (and so the adventures of the flying beef would begin). "Uhhhhhh...sometimes things like that happen too though." Biru said in a somewhat bewildered tone as he watched the beef go off into the sunset (well it would have if there had been one).

"Probably going to need some clamps for this one." Biru said with a sigh as he took out two clamps and another piece of beef. Clamping the beef down onto part of his workstation, Biru began to spin the crank on the prod again. "Just as a precaution you may want to step back when i use one of the devices." Biru stated as he counted the number of times he gave the prod a crank.

"So...this is the magic of his technique. Yes, this should improve the delivery of food in Seiretei."

Her back being turned, she could not see his frantic movements. Being an idiot, she did not pick it up in his voice. She thought the projection of beef was intentional. She nodded at his words to step back. It is fortunate that she was not so foolish to take that literally, for if she had she would have ended up in his table. 

Instead she casually moved towards a nearby tree, and casually gazed in his direction, casually watching him.

There seemed to be some commotion a little ways of.

"One of the others will get it. It is quiet here."

Ariadne hadn't noticed that her body had moved of its own accord, raising from her seat at the secluded table and weaving through the crowd so that she could better gaze upon the gilded dwarf. In fact, many of the onlookers, male and female, had been subjected to the same magnetic draw that she had. It was there that the dwarf began his act, first taking the slab of beef at his disposal and setting it to marinate in a deliciously spicy, savory yet fruity mixture.

The first course, he admitted, was a little appetizer meant to compliment the flavor and aroma of the main course. In this way, he concluded, it tied into the theme without needing to be made of it. It was meant to soften the tester's pallet, make him (or her, said with a wink and collective swoon) more receptive to the faint flavors that he added in underneath the main body. Admittedly, he was in it to win it.

And she was borne to witnessing it. With vacant eyes, she watched with all the adoration she could muster, willing the dough he was kneading to become the softest, flakiest crust it could ever hope to be. Watching those magnificent, stubbed fingers braid the oil and flour into the dough, small nuts and dried fruits magically appearing folded into the bread. Magnificent.

Those unaffected by the dwarf's guile soon found themselves grouped around various stations, peering and waiting for another special kind of magic to appear.

A few other things remained. Sikes looked around and saw he had umpteen things cooking. The veggie rolls were frying away (and needed flipped!) as were the potato and the soda breads. He was only one man. He only had two hands! He needed a whole production line!

"Right...what next...beans. Ok. No, the sauce for the beans! AHHHH!"

He was all aflutter, rummaging through the ingredients for various things. The beans and the tomatoes for one.

"How do I do this again? Bahhhhhhhhh. Sod it all!"

He was stressed, really stressed, all confused and the like, wondering where he should be. Frustrated he diced a number of tomatoes, garlic and onions, dumping them in a pot of boiling water along with haricot beans and bacon.

There was some tomato and bacon left over. The tomato was sliced into rings. It and the bacon were thrown onto the frying pan.

His whole station was a mess, a sea of pots, pans, sizzling and steam. And he had yet more to do.

Oh, the scent. The scent of the beef marinading in the sauce drifted into her nostrils. "It's like a party in my mouth, but in my nose!"

The aroma had put the lass into an even deeper trance than she was in before. Though she gazed through a gap between the crowd around him, the sight was all she was aware of.

Him.
His sight.
His movement.
His scent.
His charm.
Him.

The stew was boiling.

The dish would be ready soon.

This haiku is bad.

Cranking the device a few more times, Biru placed the prod down and began to prepare the grill. Making sure that there was plenty of fuel for the fire, Biru lit a fire in the grill (which caused some bystanders to move away from him a bit due to the usual results that came from Biru handling fire). Noticing that the bubbles appear on the bottom of his SOON TO BE SUCCULENT SOUP OF SCIENCE, Biru decided to test out another one of his CULINARY DEVICES OF SCIENCE. Taking out a small ball and twisting, Biru carefully placed it (AKA dropped it) into the pot. Watching the ball roll around on the bottom, Biru smiled as he noticed that the rolling caused the soup to be stirred due to CONVECTION.

Picking the tenderizing prod and electrocuting the meat with SCIENCE, Biru then proceeded to put several spices on top of it. Putting the meat onto the grill, Biru smiled as he heard it sizzle before taking out the next piece of beef. Repeating the process with another piece of beef. Biru would do so several more times until all of the beef was on the grill sizzling. "Now I think I can focus on the main dish. Let's see what I can whip up" Biru said to himself as he searched through the other ingredients he brought with him for some INSPIRATION OF SCIENCE.

Those looking at Kabelja would see her take out a compact and see her powder her face. That may have been her one good bit of appearing inconspicuous, for in reality she was using the mirror to see behind her, to see Biru's cooking prowess, the movements of his hands, the play of his meat. Though some vision was limited. She couldn't see in the pot, all she saw was the dropping of a ball, and the sound of it rolling.

But crowds were gathering around him. Her sight was blocked. She would have to move on.

Hmm...it seemed the Rukongai fella he met in the inn that one time decided to perform an offering to the sky for good fortune of his cooking...that, or the meal he wanted to make was to much of a blast...Chuckling a bit to his own jokes, Haru saw that there was quite a crowd gathering among all the contestants. Mostly among one in particular, a stout looking fellow, but one who seemed to be good at his work. The smell coming from his direction was quite enticing...still, he couldn’t let himself be distracted too much. He was there to provide a meal as well. Hopefully, he would make it in part as tasty as the other meals.

By now the beef was resting a bit, after being tenderized a bit and tossed around in a mix of salt, pepper, powdered peppers and some other herbs. After that, it was time to heat the situation up, as he placed the slabs of meat upon a heated pan, searing the slabs of beef. As they grilled on the pan, he moved to start chopping a few other ingredients like mushrooms and shallots, which he planned to surround the beef in by the end of his cooking...When he was preparing he thought this meal would be a good balance between easy perpetration and good taste, he just hoped he wouldn’t slip up...As it often happened, Harupia went into a full focus, ignoring the surroundings, poring all his thought into shopping, flipping, and making sure the meat was in a good shape. If there was one thing he was reasonably good in, it was multitasking...Though the scent of slightly burnt meat meant that he could improve even there...Well, people liked well done steak right?

Around Sikes, the spectators watching soon broke into nervous laughter at his fumbling. Sure, all his food smelled good, though to some it looked odd and questionable, but his nervousness tended to affect those watching-even if it was not his intention to do so. The people there didn't bother to move stations just quite yet, instead keeping their focus on the fumbling landlord to see if he could pull through.

Meanwhile, those around the farmer were unsure of how to act, as the soup just sat in the bowl, sad and lacking any real substance to gauge against.

The scientist fared much better, eliciting cheers and joyous whoops with each pleasing boom; the greater the outcome, for better or worse, from the spectators. They liked the theatrics, regardless of the scientist's scientific approach, and during each lull, started asking for more explosions, the more brazen of the bunch taking to pointing at the various devices and asking for them- their own little experiment.

The Taichou had a sizeable grouping, larger than that of the landlord but smaller than that of Biru's, and about as disinterested as that around the farmer. Those that were not of his city, which is to say, nearly all of them, seemed to gaze approvingly at the captain's attempts to make a fine meal- they hadn't expected one of Harupia's rank to be quite so skilled in the culinary arts, and soon their disinterest became interest, even with the slightly overdone meat.

Nothing that the gilded dwarf did could ever hope to dissuade his masterful control over them, and with each added statement, with a full smile, the hold deepened and drew more to his table.

"We're going to be late, come on!" Yashimaru exclaimed, tugging gently on the girl's arm as she struggled to match his long stride. "You said this year I could take you wherever I wanted, and I want to take you to this cooking thing! My Pa went last year, and it was a real blast!" Without waiting, rather, listening to her response, the blond man raced forward, dragging the bewildered daughter in his trail toward the festival.

Along the way, due south from the Second Division where they had met up, Yashimaru regaled the young Tanaka with stories of his time spent at this cook-off. He'd only been there twice, once as a kid and full if wonder, and then only a few years ago because his mother's corn had been a featured item. But he'd never been a specator like today, and his excitement was palpable. "Beef, Mai! They have real beef!"

"But," she panted, forcing the word out through clenched teeth as the pair raced along the cobbled road toward the third district green. "I don't eat meat!"

"Yes! Real meat!"



The sky changed as the duo approached the Green, going from that brilliant, cloudless and endless summer blue to an ominous and painful red-orange. They slowed, the elder male ceasing his pulling and instead drew Mai behind him, suddenly chivalrous and wary. This was not the festival he remembered from before. It wasn't even the same sky. He looked up, expecting to see the source of the orange.

"Yashimaru." Mai's voice, normally elegant and a little haughty, seemed frightened. He stopped and turned toward her, fake smile plastered on his face to reassure her. "The grass," she said, stopping his gaze before it reached her and redirected it.

The green was brown, dead. In some spots, shaped not unlike those of the footprints of a child, it was very nearly black. The pair followed the path, only stopping short at the sight of the imp surrounded by a gaggle of expectant bodies. No one else, the pair realized in tandem, seemed to notice this.

Mai and Yashimaru looked around, panic beginning to etch itself into the lines around their eyes, both of them seeking some reassurance from someone else, already present. Only the bodies around the gilded dwarf seemed subdued, but everyone else was otherwise normal. Mai's hand squeezed Yashimaru's forearm in reassurance to his quivering sigh. They just needed to find someone before things got worse.


NOTE: two of my posts after this ( on the third), the event will be closed to new participants. You can still join. I will also be lifting the exit rule, and will instead just skip over anyone who has not posted in between mine-I had thought there would have been a larger response. Other things to mention: those already in the event should continue as though nothing has changed; to you, all is as normal as a cooking contest can be - you will be addressed via Lard. Anyone else who enters, will be addressed via Mai. Once the third post has been made, you will receive further instructions.

Giving a nervous smile as he noticed that he had managed to attract an audience (usually they were running away when Biru was experimenting), Biru took a few deep breaths so the crowd wouldn't get to him. Telling the few that were interested in using his devices that he would take orders for them after the contest, Biru tried to focus on what he would make next.

Deciding that he could prepare a noodle dish with the ingredients that he had left, Biru placed some onions, mushrooms and carrots to the side. Taking another pot of water and putting it over the fire, Biru decided that he could also test out some of his FLAVORING CUBES OF SCIENCE on the noodles. Putting one of them in with some thick noodles, Biru wound up and placed another one of his SPINNING BALLS OF SCIENCE into the pot so it would stir the noodles around and loosen them up.

Flipping the beef over so the other side could be cooked, Biru then picked up the vegetables that he had placed to the side. Beginning to cut them up in preparation for the next part of the meal, Biru tried to think of what else he could create WITH SCIENCE AND A PASSABLE ABILITY IN THE CULINARY ARTS (for a loose definition of passable).