1????????????Soul Bound


    1.1??????????Finding her Feet


    1.1.6????????An Innocent Profaned


    1.1.6.7??????It''s good to be the queen


    They returned to the game about half an hour later. Alderney wanted to drop a moon rock on XperiSense’s headquarters. Kafana appreciated the sentiment, but settled for having Alderney help her add some sensible protective limits to her crown. Alderney had a unique way of interacting with machines. Half the time she treated Kafana’s crown as a wounded baby that had been abused by XperiSense, half the time she threatened to melt it down into scrap for doing a useless job and said she’d replace it with something better that had real gems in it, like Kafana’s in-game diadem. After Kafana held it protectively away from Alderney, after one of the manic crafter’s more vipturative outbursts, Alderney settled for promising to upgrade the crown to make it more crown-like, to which Minion replied with a polite “Thank you, Creator”.


    Only Tomsk and Rudolfo remained at the forge. Alderney reassured Tomsk, and stayed with Rudolfo, who offered her a journeymanship. Apparently he impressed her sufficiently, because she accepted. Tomsk took Kafana to the Dove, and had a private word with Columbina:


    “Kafana, I was all set to be very cross with you for turning up so late this morning. A cook must be dedicated to her art. But Tomsk tells me that you are late because you were sorely wounded saving the lives of thousands of poor people in Basso suffering from disease, and for that I will forgive much. This time.”


    Columbina paused, noting Kafana’s pathetically relieved expression, and waved her to a chair. “Here, sit, sit! Tomsk, you may stop hovering like a mother hen; I swear I will nurse her as tenderly as I would my own daughter. I will save teaching and exacting judgements for another time. Today we will experiment and collaborate together. It will be fun.”


    Tomsk gave Columbina a look. “See that you do. If she is not smiling when I return, I shall cast a curse upon this place that makes you and your customers the toilet of choice for every bird in Torello.” and, on that note, he departed, leaving Columbina open mouthed.


    She tapped her mouth with her fan thoughtfully, saying mostly to herself “That man.” and then shaking her head. Then she brightened and turned to Kafana with a wide smile. “Gelato. You remain there, and I shall bring you ingredients. You have but to name them, what will you have?”


    <hr>


    The hour that followed was one of the most exhilarating experiences of her life. Even with the advantages of Bungo''s briefing on ice crystal formation and her own experiments using Alderney''s machine in arlife, she found that keeping up with Columbina stream of opinions and suggestions required Kafana''s total commitment - like a runner tilted so far into a head wind that it feels dangerous to slow down even slightly. They drew closer together, one finishing a sentence started by the other, as flavour combinations were increasingly swiftly proposed, prepared, sampled and improved.


    Kafana: “Columbina, you seem better at using Cook’s Sight than I am. Can you get a feel of how ‘thick’ a liquid is and put a number to it?”


    Columbina: “I think so, let me experiment a little.” Columbina took some bowls, water and cornstarch and precisely measured different ratios into three bowls, which she observed carefully while stirring them and dripping them. “Yes. Here’s how you do it.”


    The harmony and learning buffs really made teaching each other almost telepathy. In fact, why not? Kafana produced her purple mind healing stone and, after warning Columbina to think only of cooking related things, they clasped hands over it. A couple of minutes later, they let go.


    Columbina: “There are really all these little ‘molecule’ things wiggling around inside my nice sauces?”


    Kafana: “Well, possibly? I’m not sure it matters if it is actually true. What’s useful is that this way of visualising what’s going on helps you make predictions about what can and can’t be done.”


    Columbina: “Such as denaturing proteins when you brown something?”


    Kafana: “Precisely. Once browned, bacon can never be unbrowned. Whereas melted ice cream can be re-frozen, but if you don’t do it the right way, it doesn’t return to the same small crystal size that made it tasty.”


    They carried on discussing and experimenting until the custard had cooled, then split it in two. One part Columbina would have someone try freezing by floating a bowl of it in a bath of salt and ice cubes. The other part they took down to the larder and, with the help of the cleaned and dried containers, they used Alderney’s Marvellous Machine to turn into gelato.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    And that’s how the morning went. Her cook profession rose by 2 and Columbina offered her a journeymanship which she accepted. Her other cooking related skills also went up.


    Columbina’s favourite flavour was sour cherry. Kafana especially liked the pistacchio. The serious assistant, whose name turned out to be Passionata, was wildly enthusiastic about the thin chocolate strands of stracciatella, despite it meaning more work for her. Coffee and walnut with a dash of rum appealed to some of the men in the kitchen.


    The greatest success was accidental. Columbina had returned to smashing strawberries, and Kafana had insisted that they use the fragments in the next batch. With ingredient enhancement they managed to produce a deep rose colour and intense flavour. They’d gone for a high melting temperature base, hoping for something the kids could sell and Columbina, tired of trying to hack out a portion with a spoon, had drawn her knife. With delicate strokes she produced large smooth curves. Kafana said they reminded her of flower petals and Columbina arranged them like a rose in a glass dish. Kafana took a whole strawberry, cut it into three slices, removed the green bits, and placed them on the top in a pyramid as the finisher. It looked amazing.


    Columbina: “I think we’ve got it.”


    Kafana: “You realise we have not added any magic effects to it, yet?”


    Columbina: “Does it need any?”


    Kafana: “No, you’re correct, I don’t think it does. Let’s whip up some more batches of this. I’ll store them in my storage space, which will keep them cool, and I’ll be your serving girl outside for them, so I can note down any feedback we get.”


    Columbina: “Serving girl? Certainly not! You’re a cook and my journeyman. We will dress you suitably, and you will have a dedicated server to whom you will hand them and she will place them on the table. We serve only the very top part of society. Appearances are important.


    ‘suitably’ for a cook at the Speckled Dove turned out to be high on drama and flair. She must be an original, Columbina declared, and she sent off a couple of messengers with Kafana’s measurements and a note.


    They carried on preparing food. Kafana asked for more skill buff snacks, and a Columbina shared her precise recipe in moments, using the purple gem. She was almost certain this wasn’t what the deities had intended it for, but the deities had never tasted gelato. Heh, maybe she should invite some of them to turn up to the launch, incognito? Then again, maybe not. She put the idea firmly out of her mind, and prepared herself three trays of buff food: one skill levels, one learning and one harmony. She kept a tight control of herself. No more being recorded doing silly Sound of Music songs while cooking. She settled for wordless prayers to Cov, Zer and Mor (who was associated with crafting, as well as the water she was friends with). A lot of her mana left her, so she assumed the prayers did something.


    As she was meditating to get it back, the messengers returned. The one from Columbina’s patron, Signora, asked Kafana to return the dress in person at some point, so Signora could get to meet her. The one from Harlequin didn’t demand a price for the loan. Instead he politely requested the honour of a dance with her. She looked at Columbina, seeking advice, but Columbina only grinned devilishly and then switched to looking as though butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth and said that Harlequin was a very good dancer who wouldn’t tread on Kafana’s toes.


    The dress was spectacular. A mixture of imperious and delicate, high collars, gossamer, a shaped leather bustier with bronze intaglio, wide vertical blue and green falls that mirrored the colours of her hair, layers of sumptuously soft cloth that spoke the language of fashion with verve and authority. It reminded her of Queen Titania from A Midsummer Night''s Dream. Whoever this “Signora” was, she was a genius and Kafana felt sure that every eye in the Plaza of the Public would be riveted to her.


    Then Columbina brought out the package from Harlequin. It was a crown. An honest to goodness actual crown, not a play make-believe, but one with real gems and gold. It must cost a fortune. Ok, Harlequin would get that dance with her, she decided. Such a gesture could not be ignored.


    {Sys, any time I am wearing this dress and crown, please ensure that I have my Aura Of Authority skill turned on to max.}


    [Yes, Kafana. Good call.]


    She placed it upon her head then pointed regally, getting into her role. “Columbina, today you are my courtier, paying attendance upon me. I am a visiting dignitary, who has deigned to share her genius with Torello at your invitation. Society ladies do not get to summon me to their tables. They must humble themselves to you in order to be worthy of you bringing them to introduce to me.”


    Columbina knew a good opportunity for drama when she saw it, and played it to the hilt. She went down on one knee, sweeping her arm around to clench across her chest. “My queen, it shall be as you have ordered!” She stood up, and gathered her staff with her eyes. “All hail Queen Kafana!”. The staff, used to Columbina’s moods, dutifully echoed “All hail Queen Kafana”, but their spirit wasn’t in it.


    That was no good. They had to react correctly to her when above, not play it as a joke. Hmm, come to think of it, they’d never really seen her in full operatic mode, had they?


    {Sys, please don’t kill them or do any sonic damage. I’m just aiming for a little scared and a lot awed.}


    There, now she was free and didn’t have to hold back out of concerns for safety. She poured rage and anger into her performance as she sang the most intimidating queen she knew, the Queen of the Night aria from the Magic Flute.


    As she finished, Columbina still in perfect timing with her through the harmony buff, cried out again “All hail Queen Kafana”


    This time the entire staff sank to their knees without thought, and poured quivering passion into their declaration: “All hail Queen Kafana”


    [Skill “Aura Of Authority” has reached level 6.]


    [Skill “Intimidate” has reached level 4.]