[html] At the answer to his question Jasper turned his nose up, deciding that there would be little harm in just leaving the organ in the other pot and pretending like he'd simply forgotten all about it. That, or his luck, Ahren would find it and fish it out for him. The stew though, that was what really mattered. He nodded his head as his father listed off everything that they would need, making mental note of it, which would be an easy thing for him to remember. Jasper would do most anything for stew for certain, hell, he even dreamed about it sometimes. "Ok!" Spoken like a little soldier. He was up and away before anything else could really be said, only lingering long enough to grab hold of his wagon and go rushing off past the older male.
The wine, the salt and the pot would be the easiest things for him to find, followed by the onion and the potatoes. The rice and carrots though, Jasper hadn't the faintest idea where to being looking. He went for the pot and the wine first, both of which he knew exactly where to find, the city. It only took a small bit of rummaging through some houses to finally find them, a long with a small container of salt and, luckily for him, he knew that the potatoes and onions wouldn't be far. It was on the very outskirts of the city that he could recall seeing the farm, an old and broken down barn surrounded by a wooden fence. He remembered it because, at some point while walking one night, the scarecrow that stood in the garden had frightened the hell out of him. A little digging was all it took for him to find his treasures, which he placed with care into the wagon with the rest of his items, even grabbing extras to bring along just in case.
It was on his way out of the garden that he spied them, the faint orange color that peeked faintly through the dirt. The rain had washed away the top layer, revealing them at some point or another. Plucking a few from the ground, he loaded them into the wagon and began on his way. It was as he passed the barn door that he found the last treasure, a very large burlap sack of rice. He knew, because it said so on the outside.  Along with a few other sacks of whatever it was, one which included flour! Loading those up onto his wagon, the young male practically sprinted back to where his father was. He'd taken quite a while on his little journey though, and rather hoped that Ahren hadn't abandoned their camp in the event that he grew tired of waiting. "I got it!" He called out loudly, barreling through the trees toward the still going fire.
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THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOVED
______THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOST
THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
______________THAT I'VE DROPPED
_____ Quite the contrary to his son’s assumptions, Ahren had not gone from their little campsite. He had been busying himself with the deer, and in getting the hide from the rest of the buck. That he strung up between two trees, intending to scrape it clean. He cut off the best parts for stew, as well as several for jerky, and put them to the side. The remains of the buck were moved off into the woods, where they would be left for the scavengers. Only then did he work on getting the fat from the hide. It had been scraped clean quickly, though getting the fur off would take a little longer.
_____ He had paused to smoke when Jasper came back, wagon in tow. Holding the cigarette in his mouth, he made his way towards the fire and began to rig up a makeshift set up for the three meals he intended to prepare. Drawing the cigarette from his mouth, he began to speak and gesture at each item. “First of all, wash off the vegetables in the water. I’ll start cutting up the meat and you can take care of the stew. This pot,” he said, picking up the one with the liver in it, and removing said organ. “Needs to be filled about halfway up with water. Boil that, then put about eight single handfuls of rice in there. You need to cook the rice and brown the meat first.”
_____ He began his own task then, taking a pan from the wagon and grabbing one of the cleaned onions. He peeled it and then cut up a few pieces, putting them in the pan tobrown. During this, he sliced and coated the liver in flower. Putting this in the pan and then over the fire, he began to tend it carefully, keeping an eye on his son’s work.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] The sight of the liver in the pot caused yet another curled nose reaction, though it was quickly taken out so that Jasper could make use of the pot. Grabbing it, he immediately made his way back to the wagon, gathering up the vegetables and dropping them quickly into the pot. With that one in tow, he made his way back toward his father, gathering up yet another small pot. With both of them securely in his arms he made his way off, not stopping until he reached the water's edge. Once there, he settled the pots onto the ground and leaned down to begin his work.
The pot full of vegetables was first, which he immediately grabbed for. Holding it down toward the water, he covered the vegetables with one hand, holding them down into the pot as he submerged the very end, filling it to the brim with water. He then fished it out, bringing it to settle in his lap. He cleaned each vegetable one by one, rubbing them vigorously to loosen and get rid of any dirt that had gathered, dropping them into the smaller empty pot when he was certain they were clean. Once finished, he took hold of the pot containing the clean produce, hauling it back over to the fire before running off to continue. This time he took the pot the vegetables had been in previously, dumping it out and refilling it. He did this once or twice, just to make sure that it was clean, before filling it one final time.
Jasper managed to haul the half filled pot all the way back to the fire without dropping it, despite the excited skip in his step at the prospect of his favorite meal. Rigging it there, with just enough room for everything else, he settled it in to wait for it begin to boil. While he was waiting his attention was quickly drawn to his fathers work, eying the liver in the pan with yet another wrinkle of his nose. How odd. Not only was is slimy and nasty looking, it didn't even smell. "Why doesn't it smell like anything?" Obviously slightly disgusted at the fact. What in the world kind of food didn't have a smell to it?
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THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOVED
______THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOST
THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
______________THAT I'VE DROPPED
_____ The blonde had been content in his meditation, focused on keeping the slices from burning, turning them just the right shade of brown (well, gray to him, though Ahren could see when there was less red) and more or less in his own world. When Jasper spoke, though, he looked up in confusion. The smell was quite strong, and frankly, smelled delicious. Puzzled, he stuck a piece of uncooked, bloody meat on the knife and held it out towards his son. “Can you smell that?”
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] The confusion on his father's face was enough to frighten the young man. Ears laid back almost immediately, falling flush with his head. Once more, he peered over at the pan with the cooking meat, only to turn back to find the knife held out to him. Staring, for a very brief moment, he leaned forward and sniffed. Once, twice, and even a third time before finally bringing his eyes back to his father, giving a very hesitant shake of his head. "Nuh-uh." He just simply couldn't smell it.
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THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
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_____ “Huh,” Ahren muttered, looking back to the meat. He drew it back to his face, sniffed it, and then quickly ate it. Working the liver, he considered what he had seen in his life and looked up to his son curiously. “It might have happened because of the fire,” he reasoned, unsure if this was true. “Not being able to smell…” Biting his lower lip before smiling and shaking his head slightly, the blonde motioned to the meat for the stew. “Brown that if you want to eat stew tonight,” he reminded.“It’s probably going to taste different, since you can’t smell, but it should still be good.”
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] Immediately, at the sound of the bubbling water, Jasper scampered back over to the fire on his hands and knees, stopping only when he reached the very edges. Carefully, the young male started scooping out the rice, counting out eight handfuls in his head until he was done. Turning then, back to look at his father, Jasper frowned. He was silent for a moment, considering the things that he said. It was quite possible that it was because of the fire, but as soon as he'd noticed the smoke, after falling out of the tree house, he had made sure to cover his nose. Eyes narrowed suddenly, crossing inward at an attempt to look at his own muzzle. "Think it'll come back?" He questioned then, words leaving him in a rather depressed manner.
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_____ “Who knows,” Ahren said, pulling the pan from the fire and setting it nearby. He always ate his food rare, even if it was cooked. There was just a certain, special flavor that came with it. Shrugging idly, he rubbed the side of his face. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much. At least you have both your eyes, ja?” Even though he smiled as he said this, he hated speaking on the subject. It was a mistake to have saved Laruku, one voice told him. Another swore, up and down, it was the right thing to do. Better then leaving him to die in that damned forest. No one deserved that, not even a child-murderer, the man he had tried to kill. The universe was random, and sometimes, it was better that way.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] Dragging a large spoon from inside of one of the nearby pots, Jasper turned back to the fire to poke at the boiling rice, watching carefully. "I guess.." He said quietly, still not quite thrilled with the fact that things might taste funny, which was, at the moment, far more important to him than being able to smell. "I guess looking funny would be worse.." The comment came almost idly and, at the realization of his words the very moment they came from his mouth, Jasper froze. Ears flattened then and he turned his head to look back at his father with a grimace. "I mean...not that you look funny or anything.." He knew that, no matter how much he tried, he wouldn't be able to play it off.
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THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
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_____ Had he been busy with anything else, Ahren might not have caught the words. Instead, his jaw tightened in a neat frown and his eyes narrowed slightly. His right hand came up and clipped the boy neatly in the back of the head, though it was open-palmed and meant to do no damage.
“Keep it up, bumsenkopf,” he swore jokingly, shifting his weight and leaning onto his knees, cross-legged, like the Buddha.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] He grinned his stupid grin, only for a brief moment, before turning back to the boiling rice. It was then that the hand popped against his skull and Jasper whined suddenly, not from the force, but rather in surprise. "Aaaawwwww" The sound came in a drawn out fashion, pouting at the rice that certainly could not see his disdain. He always said the wrong things. Dropping the spoon into the water, Jasper grabbed the handles of the pot, which were thankfully not made of metal, and drug it off of the fire and to the ground. Turning back then, he eyed his father a moment, the pout clearing away. "I think it's done.."
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THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOVED
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THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
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_____ “Chop up the rest of the vegetables, and put the meat in a pot with them. Add a little bit of water. That has to sit for a while, and then we’ll mix it with the rice.” He eyed the liver, which was still hot to the touch, and exhaled in a huff, blowing his bangs from his face. “Mab makes it better then I do, so if it isn’t perfect blame her for never telling me her secrets.” Of those, she had many. The truth of his father’s death, for one. The truth of the de le Poer house for another.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] Hurriedly, because if Jasper was ever anything, he was hungry, he moved to follow his father's instructions. He grabbed the pot that was full of cleaned vegetables, followed by a knife, and began to work. The young male struggled for a few moments, attempting to get used to using the knife, before he was finally off at a good pace. Once finished, the meat came next, which he dropped down into the pot right on top of the vegetables. Looking around, after a short moment, he frowned. All the way back to the stream for a little water? Instead of dragging along the pot, he grabbed an empty one, dragging it over to fill it with just a bit of water.
"Sounds gross.." He commented on his way back, brows furrowed and nose wrinkled up. Once back to where he had been before, Jasper poured the water into the pot and settled it on the fire, turning back to his father once seated.
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THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
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_____“You wanted it,” Ahren reminded, reaching out a hand to the liver. Though still warm, it was no longer hot enough to burn. He picked up a piece and nearly swallowed it whole, reveling in the taste. It had been a good long while since he had eaten prepared food. Most of the time he would kill something and move on. Such was the way of the world, it seemed. “Try this,” he said, picking up another piece of the meat and eating it himself.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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[html] The younger male watched for a quiet moment as his father ate, nose twisted in disgust. Finding it impossible to tell Ahren no, Jasper scooted forward slowly, eying the meat as he neared it. Holding his breath, he quickly grabbed and piece and popped it into his mouth. His tongue pressed against it at first, aiming to swallow it back in one go, but once the taste hit his tongue and spread, he froze. It was delicious.. Maybe not as much as the stew that was on it's way to being finished, but it was soooo good. Chewing slowly, Jasper finally swallowed it back. "Eh..it's ok.." Sooooo good.
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THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOVED
______THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOST
THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
______________THAT I'VE DROPPED
_____ Rolling his eyes, Ahren muttered something under his breath and ate another piece. For a few moments longer, he held the silence, finishing off the majority of his meal, and then dug through his pouch. He produced rolling papers and loose tobacco, and began to put these two together. When this was appropriately done, he finished it off and adjusted one end. With the end of a hot twig from the fire, he lit the cigarette up and inhaled, brushing his hair back with one hand as he exhaled through his nose.
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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