47. Iyrman Curiosity

47. Iyrman Curiosity

“What are you doing?” Jurot asked, staring down at Adam.

Adam was squatting, his eyes glued to the oven ahead of him, where an Iyrman was currently baking bread. “Thinking.”

“Your friend is queer,” Timojin said, staring at the squinted eyed half elf.

“Can you judge someone after a day?” Jurot asked, shaking his head.

“My gut tells me he’s queer.”

“Last time I trusted your gut, I almost died,” Amokan said, chuckling lightly.

“Last time you trusted my gut, you brought back a fattened boar for your family,” Timojin grunted.

“And a delicious boar it was.” Amokan nodded his head, licking his lips at the thought of the taste.

“What are you thinking about?” Jaygak asked, squatting beside Adam, staring at the oven which was creating a large number of fluffy breads for the various families.

“Food.”

“I guessed that much.”

“An oven like this can make a great many food, but there are a few I’m thinking about.”

“Food from your home?” Jaygak asked, throwing him a quick glance.

Adam nodded, sighing slightly. It was one thing to use Tricks to flavour his food, but it was another to feel the food within his mouth, the textures of his favourite foods which he’d be unable to eat again.

Timojin suddenly felt a little awkward about his comment. Adam, who had revealed that he no longer had a family, was missing the taste of home. Amokan threw the orcish Iyrman a look, admonishing him in the most smug way possible.

“What kind of food?” Timojin asked.

“Breads and more,” Adam said. “Flat breads of a certain kind, but there’s also something I want to make, but I’m not sure if there are the appropriate ingredients.”

“Which ingredients are you looking for?”

“Tomatoes.” Ever since he had arrived within this world, he had noted that a few of the fruits and vegetables he was used to weren’t in the world, or at least, they weren’t in this land.

“Tomatoes?” Jaygak asked, the word foreign to her lips.

“It’s a type of fruit, a nightshade specifically,” Adam said, standing tall. “Something which can be made into a sauce by being cut up and cooked in a particular way.”

“Do you make the sauce in an oven?” Jaygak stood up beside him, tilting her head.

“No, a pot or pan. Once it’s cooked, you can spread it over some flat dough, and then you sprinkle some cheese all over it.” Adam swallowed. “Pizza.”

“Pizza?” Jurot was trying to imagine what kind of food Adam was trying to describe.

Adam threw Jurot a look, one full of smugness. It was a look Jurot had thrown to him whenever he knew something the half elf didn’t.

“I’m not entirely certain how to make the dough I’m thinking of, but it should be fine either way.”

“Let’s make this pizza,” Jaygak said, feeling some vague sense of familiarity with what he was talking about, but she couldn’t quite place it. “So you need dough, cheese, and this thing called tomatoes?”

“We need a few tomatoes, but we’ll also need some oil and salt for the sauce, and the mild cheese I ate previously. You can use other cheese, I guess, but I think the mild cheese would go well with the pizza.”

Jaygak assumed Adam had wanted the mild cheese without him mentioning it. The stronger cheese was an Iyrman favourite, but that was only because they grew up on the cheese. “We have everything but this tomatoes you speak of. What are they?”

“They’re...” Adam thought for along while. ‘Do tomatoes even exist in this world?’ “I would have to taste the various fruits and vegetables in order to figure it out.”

“What do they look like?”

“They’re red, usually about the size of an apple. They’re green when they grow and they turn red when they’re ready to be eaten, depending on the type of tomato. Though, I’m not sure if they’re on this land, or if they grow the same way outside of my home.”

“We can bring some fruits and vegetables for you to check,” Jaygak said. “I’ll go speak with Elder Zijin.”

“Well,” Adam said, suddenly feeling a little awkward. “we don’t really need to bother the Elder. I could make it another time once I’ve found a tomato.”

Adam wondered how much damage he was taking internally, sighing once again to calm himself. With that, he began to taste the various fruits and vegetables.

The Iyrmen waited patiently, eating and roasting some of the vegetables he had finished tasting, not wanting the food to go to waste. Their families soon joined, eating and chatting as Adam tasted the various fruits and vegetables. The story was explained to them, and the anticipation of the Iyrmen grew.

The flavours of the various fruits and vegetables were all familiar and foreign in many ways to his tongue. He found many different tastes, some of which surprised him. There was a fruit which tasted awfully like chocolate, one he’d need to keep in the back of his head, though it seemed to be one of the exotic fruits.

“No!” Jurot shouted as Adam brought a seed to his lips.

Adam sat up in surprise. “What?”

“Don’t. It’s poisonous.”

“How poisonous?” Adam quickly placed it down.

“It will not kill you, but it will pain your stomach for the entire night.”

Adam nodded. The half elf cut into a large fruit which looked like a red pumpkin, and he bit into it. He was struck by a tang, and then a slight sweetness.

“Oh,” he said, surprised.

The Iyrmen near him glanced his way.

He ate another piece, feeling the way the soft skin gave in, and tasted the seeds too. “It’s slightly different than what I’m used to, but this is definitely the same flavour and feel as a tomato.”

“That’s from the south,” Jaygak said, smiling. “From the land of my ancestors.”

Adam smiled. “I’m not sure if I can do them proud, but I’ll do my best to try and make a pizza.”

Omen: 5, 7

“Tomorrow,” Adam said. “I don’t feel very lucky today, and I’ll need some time to remember how to make the pizza properly.”

“We’ll wait,” Jaygak said, nodding her head.

The Iyrmen dispersed, excited that Adam had finally found the last ingredient he needed.

Adam returned to the Rot family house, and Turot stepped in too. He stared at the half elf. “Can I have some pizza too?”

“Of course,” Adam said, chuckling. “I’ll be sure to make some great pizza.”

“Turot, go bring Adam a stylus and a book,” Sonarot said. “It’s best to prepare the recipe beforehand.”

Turot quickly scampered away, before returning with a small book and a stylus a few moments later. The stylus was essentially a mechanical pencil, where the long strip of rock could be slowly pushed out by twisting the body of the wood.

“Thank you,” Adam said, taking the pencil and book.

“I can’t wait to eat this pizza,” Turot said.

“I can’t wait either,” Sonarot said.

Adam spent the rest of the evening trying to remember how to make pizza. It wasn’t a difficult process from what he recalled, but he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss out something obvious. There were too many Iyrmen to please.

Intelligence Check

D20 + 3 = 5 (2)

He stared at the recipe for a long while. There was something off about it, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He sighed, placing the book aside before he turned in for the night.

Adam pulled the blanket over his head, going deep into thought. ‘These Iyrmen are more eager than me. If I fail...’ He tried to shake the negative thoughts out of his head, but the stress filled his entire body.

‘Belle, how much experience does it cost to reroll?’

[100.]

He wondered if he’d really spend so much experience trying to make pizza of all things.

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I wasn't kidding when I said it was the slice of life arc.