Blueblood Posted November 15, 2017 Report Share Posted November 15, 2017 Two Weeks Off Duty. It wasn't as if Feng hadn't dealt with such lapses in his guard schedule before; the Watcher's very zeal was often the cause of his involuntary vacations. Well, 'vacation' wasn't quite the right term; 'recovery leave' was more accurate. This time, however, things were different. This was an Empress-Dictated relief of duty, pursuant on certain lapses of decorum at a certain banquet with certain foreign dignitaries. In his defense, Feng would still maintain that it could have been poison! Some poisons looked very much like allergic reactions. Nonetheless, it had caused an unseemly ruckus, and he was hardly going to argue the point with Yu Yue. But the upshot of this break was, instead of being confined to his rice mat while his body healed, he was in full physical shape with nothing to do. This was a novel and somewhat distressing situation. Not having very many hobbies, he found himself working his exercise routines even harder, just to keep himself from going crazy. This led him to being hungry beyond the ability of his rations to satisfy... and therein lay the main problem. Normally, he'd head down to the kitchens, chat up the cook, and leave with a bundle of goodies. However, his friendship with Yanhua, the Imperial Chef, was under a bit of a strain since his allegations of poison had naturally thrown some suspicion upon her. The whole thing had been proven wrong, of course, but the distress caused to the innocent was real, and difficult for him to face. Eventually, after a few days, the emptiness in his middle grew too insistent to ignore, so Feng felt he had no choice but to stallion up and face the music. And so, after too many hungry nights, he allowed the savory smells down the hall, and through the steam-shrouded doors into the kitchens... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted November 20, 2017 Report Share Posted November 20, 2017 It had been a long time since Yanhua had felt so genuinely scared before in this palace. The events seems to occur so fast. Her pouring her heart and soul into another meal, Qing sampling the food, Qing on her back and convulsing, ... and Feng making cries of foul play and poison. Being surrounded by guards instantly bringing up memories of the past. Armor clad guardians needed only to be replaced by Followers of the path and the image would have been perfect. Just the thought of that make the cook's heart hammer away inside of her chest. ... and produced a new tail for her as she lost her focus. When she noticed the waving splash of red in a hanging frying pan, Yanhua hurriedly hid away the illusion. Hoping to in some sense re-establish her territory, a restless Yanhua began making rounds around the kitchen at night, this place already smelled of all the things that brought her comfort: It was a perfect spot to relax. There were no rules against cooking so late in the evening so the royal cook did just that. No need for any gigantic banquet, some simple noodles would be fine. In no time at all the kitchen was awash in the succulent scent. While the ingredients prepared, Yanhua heaved a sigh as her mind again drifted to Feng. How could he cast suspicion so readily on her? She might not have revealed to him she'd known him for much longer than he thought, but ... she still thought that their friendship mattered something to him. Was she just a tool to get lunch when he'd forgotten it nowadays? Maybe his oath to the empress were as binding as he told her so often. If that was teh case what future did she really have in the palace? Cooking every day? She could do that in the wilderness. If she did go back to wandering she might even be able to learn more about the culinary arts too! She'd even be able to keep a great distance between her and the spiritual adviser too! Her thoughts were derailed though when she heard the doors open. Was someone still awake at this hour? The Mare raised up her head and sniffed at the air, smelling only the spices and savory aromas of her own work. A huff escaped her, she'd have to face whoever this was it seemed. "Um... Sorry to be up so late. If that's palace security I'd like to buy your silence with a meal if you don't mind." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted November 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 "Oh, um..." Just for a moment, Feng sounded very much unlike himself. Heck, unlike either of the selves Yanhua had known; the hesitant tone fitted neither with the stoic guard or roguish troublemaker. He seemed to waver between the two personas, before shaking himself, assuming the role of guard. "That's... not necessary. But, I don't mind either way. I was hungry myself anyway." He walked slowly over to the little table in the kitchen set up for just such situations, taking a seat amidst the savory steam. He took a deep breath, deciding to take the forthright option and get the awkwardness over with up front. Kill the reluctance with momentum, as it were. "Look, I wasn't thinking of you then. Or anypony! It was just how I'm trained to react. Didn't mean to get you in trouble..." The power in his voice drained fast, tapering off to be drowned out by a whistling kettle. The words were too weak for him, and he knew it. "I'm sorry." He said, barely audible above the cooking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretzelparty Posted December 4, 2017 Report Share Posted December 4, 2017 At first Yanhua didn't quite recognize Feng's voice, she thought it was just some random guard drawn to the kitchen. Between the loud sizzling of her pan and the wavering of his voice she wasn't quite sure how to react. "Well um... Take a seat then and I'll serve something up, just close the door before you sit down so I don't attract anypony else." Like that she went back to the cooking, a blush growing on her cheeks at a palpable awkwardness that hung heavy in the air around her since the guard entered. Despite the feelings in the air, Yanhua continued to cook. Taking the handle of the skillet in hoof, "Any requests or things you want left out of your---" Then came the apology: in the voice she recognized. Realizing that it was in fact Feng in her kitchen right now truly shook her to her core. Without thinking she let her hoof drift over the handle then land on ... the hot rim of the pan. The mare let out a loud, more canine sounding yelp as she leapt back from the pan. Pain seared through her forepaw as she crashed against counter, cushioned by several long flowing ta-- tails? Such a shock of pain to her system forced her back into her true form! Before Feng could come into the kitchen and investigate she sealed up the door and shouted, "D-don't come in! I-I'll be out in a second. I'm fine!" The fox would need a couple seconds before she could re-assume her qilin form... and oh goodness the food! Again, without thinking, Yanhua got up and took the handle of the pan in her teeth to move it over to the un-powered magical burner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2017 It all happened so fast, Feng had only two seconds to observe what it was that happened. And one of those had been entirely wasted in self-absorption! Nevertheless, the trained senses of a Watcher were keen enough to detect three things: Yanhua was startled by him specifically, she had magical power enough to slam a door in his face, and she had fox tails. What all those facts amounted to... he couldn't say for now. It didn't help his cognitive processes that his poor snoot had been beslammed. "Owb..." The longma massaged his muzzle, relieved that there was no bleeding at least. "Um, are you... alright in there?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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