Table for Four [Sarkany/Ru/Viktoria]

[MP]

The fire pit stood a little ways off from the path, down at the end of a narrow dirt trail. One could just make out the lid past the uneven ground and the screen of pines, but not much more. The clearing was small, sheltered, and smelled peculiarly of apples.

Apple wood, anyway. Sarkany had collected an assortment of firewood - pecan, mesquite, hickory - but apple of all things seemed to be winning out. He didn't mind the floral smell. It made for a pleasant backdrop as he worked, setting out the last of the kitchenware and arranging his makeshift fire pit with the critical, near-fussy eye of a nesting bird. He hummed to himself - an old tune consisting of blending notes and odd intervals - as he laid the last stone into place. That was the last of them. His fire pit stood ready for service beside the first, waiting only for ingredients. And Sarkany had prepared those already. An array of fresh meat, caught, skinned, and carved mere hours earlier, waited in several borrowed ice boxes. Other ingredients stood on a weather-beaten park table, row upon row of vegetables and seasonings and foraged tidbits laid out for the taking. Sarkany waved away a curious fly. Overall, he was rather proud of their efforts. It had been awhile since he'd put any real effort into a meal.

The seraph raised his head to glance around the clearing, listening perhaps for the crunch of approaching footsteps. Then he turned to the vampire, who was working on a third fire pit for himself.

"Late, I suppose. Cats usually are. Almost done?"

[jarahamee]

Ru cut a strange sight standing in the middle of relatively nowhere, doing manual labor in a black three piece swallowtail suit. His white-blond hair remained immaculately slicked back. His pale eyes seemed bright and clear, seeming strikingly blue against his white skin. Ru had spent the day carefully constructing a second fire-pit to help Sarkany in his culinary endeavors. For all his trim appearance, he was at least as strong as a large linebacker or other practiced athlete and seemed more than content to follow orders on constructing something to help make this event a smash hit. However one might be able to make an event for three people into a smash hit. He ponders this while setting down his last brick carefully.

The vampire was unable to eat anything and certainly could not handle anything approaching solids, but maybe he could enjoy a drink. Or maybe bask in his enjoyment. He stared at the skinned and carved animals. He was not really used to this sort of outdoorsy hunting lifestyle, at least apart from very, very occasionally luring a clubgoer to find a secluded corner with him... He could definitely say he was not much of a hinter. 

"..Uh, I think... I'm just about done."

He looked over at the other things that were waiting to be made. He still had a fondness for tea and coffee. Those were weaknesses that he would never vanquish he imagined.

[tsukikoko]

Viktoria jogged her way through the streets, her pace matching what would be nearly a sprint on any normal person, yet she showed little sign of fatigue. Or rather, he showed little sign, given the illusion she was currently wearing. Since her return and after a number of meetings with Cassius, the feline had been given another false skin to wear - one that was thought to better suit her tastes and physical prowess. Tall, broad and sporting a very tightly cropped cut of platinum blonde hair, the illusion bore Viktoria’s likeness only in his size and dimensions. That and the multitude of scars covering near every inch of visible skin. Quite the feat, considering the vest top and shorts showed off more than a little of said skin.

Heads turned as the feline-turned-man covered the distance, but none were of the sort of interest to concern Viktoria. It was envy, appreciation or astonishment she saw, not the vested interest of those who had imprisoned her. Even so, she was alert. She would die before she let them take her again.

The feline’s thoughts turned to Sarkany as she ran, banking off the streets and following a well-worn trail into a wooded park. After what she had done, the humanoid fully expected to be cast away; she wouldn’t have fought it, wouldn’t have fought any of them had they decided to attack her in retribution. The reaction would have been a valid one, given the damage she had caused, the trust she had broken. In her time, that would have been exactly what had happened, or she would have been given a restraint collar at the very least. If anyone had bothered trying to break the conditioning in the first place.

So it was with a measure of surprise that Viktoria found herself fought for, defended… rescued even. She had been pulled back into the strange group of bunker-dwelling friends she had made - her pack, Sarkany had called them - with barely a hint of hesitation. The feline found herself wondering, was this what a family was like? There had been some behavioural changes, understandably; Sarkany had not placed himself in any sort of vulnerable position, sat, laid down or otherwise, while she was in the room, he had been more withdrawn than usual and more than once she had caught a subtle, watchful gaze upon her. But the feline did not blame him. Likely, in his mind, at any point she could revert. Turn into a rampaging monster. She hadn’t pushed it, but resolved to act as herself, thinking perhaps that was the best way to alleviate his fears, if she ever could. Yet, after an incredibly short time, his normal behaviour began to assert itself; he teased, joked and became amusingly flabbergasted upon learning the culinary state of affairs in her world.

Hence, this day of eating he had planned. As she neared the clearing, Viktoria’s senses, still finely tuned beneath the illusion, caught the heavy scents of meat. A lot of meat.

The feline in a man’s guise began to slow, not wanting to come barrelling into the area with a newcomer in the vicinity, lest she scare him. She didn’t know exactly what a vampire was, but she was intrigued to find out about Sarkany’s colleague. A few moments later a scarred man, muscles sporting the bulked, swollen appearance of one who had been working out heavily very recently, emerged from the treeline and came to a steady halt. He raised a hand in a small wave and called over in a familiar, if slightly more masculine, drawl.
“Hallo Sarrrkany.”
Viktoria walked steadily closer, eyes passing over the very pale figure nearby,
“Zis yourrrr frrriend?” She said with a nod of her head in Ru’s direction.
The illusion stayed up for the moment. Viktoria had no idea how many humans frequented the area and the last thing she needed was to create another incident through her natural appearance.

[MP]

Sarkany nodded his acknowledgement and glanced over at the vampire’s work. A fire per man should be enough, regardless of whatever experiments they undertook. But before he could comment one way or another, a deep-voiced drawl turned his head toward the trail path.

“There she is,” he announced, arms spreading in a display of joviality that was wholly genuine. “And yes he is - Viktoria, Ru. Ru, Viktoria.”

Sarkany clapped his hands together once, satisfied that the human formalities had been observed, however cursorily.

“And there’s no need for disguises,” he added, glancing with amusement at the platinum down fuzzing the human Viktoria’s scalp. “We’re all friends here, and I put a haze on the path. We’re as safe here as anywhere else. If you prefer,” he added. It was possible she preferred a human appearance. Though privately he found her animal features and tearing jaws more beautiful, regardless of the fact that they had only recently been clamped into his neck.

“In the meantime the two of you can decide what’s on the menu, hmm?”

With that, the seraph took a smiling step back and continued unpacking the ice boxes of storebought ingredients - transported earlier in his natural form - allowing the two to better acquaint themselves. If he felt any discomfort or reserve in the feline’s presence, he showed it not at all.

There had been a period of adjustment, it was true. A period of caution. He’d kept a close eye on the feline in the days following her return, alert for signs of relapse as much as any outside threat. She was his packmate and therefore his responsibility - and there was also his pup and his other packmates to think about. He had no intention of putting any of them at risk through his complacency. But those attacks had not been Viktoria’s choice, and it never occurred to the seraph to resent her for it, or alter his behavior toward her. She behaved normally and he treated her accordingly, without outward or inward worry. If she did relapse, they would deal with it as it came. Until then, it was enough that she was home.

Sarkany began to unwrap the storebought meats, visibly listening out for his companions in case he was addressed. Human favorites such as beef and pork were laid beside the freshly butchered wild cuts - his own hunting efforts, of course, killed with tassel rather than with more uncouth methods of tooth and claw. Everything from venison to wild duck and delicate mountain fish were present at the beleaguered park table, though the sea and river fare he left in its ice box. There were other edibles - fruits and vegetables, herbs and seasonings, the occasional sandwich bread or cheese. But the game was his pride and joy, and took up the majority of the space.

[jarahamee]

An unimposing, admittedly rather short figure, the vampire at least presented dramatically: despite the conditions being rugged, he was standing there in a black velvet swallowtail coat and slim fitted tuxedo. Ru was very pale, with white-blond hair,and pale gray-blue eyes that always seemed all the brighter contrasted with his pale face. He had what looked like a truncated featherboa on his shoulders and was wearing gloves while he worked. Even though he had put a fire pit together mere moments before, he did not seem to be sweating.

Ru waved to the newcomer hesitantly. This was not a human, he could tell, and beyond that, he was not really sure what she was. Certainly more than this glamour seemed to imply. And the glamour implied a lot. Large, powerful, scarred. Likely experienced in combat. But aren't Sarkany and Mr. Telmore also experienced in combat? A voice deep in the void of his mind spoke, and the thought was calming. He may not have been a fighter, but the rest of his world now was, and that was something worth keeping in mind.

"...H..Hi.."

His voice sounded a little more hesitant than he would have liked, but otherwise he did not seem overly nervous. Mostly due to the nature of vampire-kind. In some ways, lacking a stress response was a definite plus for him. He looked over the meats. Well, they were already drained of blood so they weren't inherently attractive to him, and he hadn't been much of a meat eater when he was alive. More of a ... chicken and fish-eater in an unintentional sort of way. He wondered how Sarkany managed to catch all of those animals and then decided...he did not want to know.

".. Uh, it's all you, I um, don't really..."

He meant to say he did not have a preference, but what he meant was that he did not eat food, and his body would have rejected any of this physical substance.

[tsukikoko]

At the brief introduction, Viktoria's gaze settled more firmly upon Ru. The feline in male guise studied him for a few seconds, there was the briefest flare of nostrils, a tiny arc of one eyebrow and then inclined her head.
"Hallo, Rrrru."
Her first impressions mostly focused on the pale one's lack of scent. It was... peculiar, highly peculiar. But if Sarkany had decided he was trustworthy enough to spend time with, Viktoria would take the seraph's word for it. His stuttered words reeked of nerves, even without a scent to accompany it and even before she dropped the guise in favour of her natural appearance. But, as her friend had stated they would not be viewed here, the feline fully intended to return to herself, even if that meant scaring his other guest.

A second ticked by. Two. Then, with a strange shimmering of the air, like viewing an image though a disturbed pool of water, Viktoria's form shifted; though the dimensions barely altered, her face elongated, a mouth became jaws lined with rows upon rows of fangs, skin greyed, eyes flashed an animalistic emerald, bone spurs materialised at the ends of her elbows and ankles, while a pair of large, cat-like ears unfurled from atop her head. All traces of hair, head or otherwise, vanished from the hybrid humanoid. After a few moments, Viktoria, the real Viktoria, stood in her entirety in the clearing. She yawned widely, stretching her maw to work out the kinks and then surveyed Sarkany's work with a bark of deep laughter.
"Hah! You hyave been busy Sarrrkany!"
The feline approached, slyly observing her friend from the corner of one eye. She made as though to be casual, glancing over each meat, fruit and bread loaf to see what might be in store, but lingering ever so slightly longer in front of the wild cuts. Her nostrils flared more than once, gaze sharpening into a predatory alertness despite the animals long since having met their demise.

The scarred feline turned, her back now to the food but, notably, her hands now resting far closer to a particular cut of venison than they had been moments ago. Her gaze settled back on Ru, expression as stoical as ever, though she did tilt her head a fraction, accompanied by the flicker of an ear.
"So," she began questioningly, "You arrrre, ah, not vanting of zis?" Viktoria gestured at the ensemble behind her, a harmless gesture, though her hand did hover rather close to a certain deer carcass as it passed over. "Zherrre iz, ah, perrrhyaps somezing you arrre.. prrreferrr? Do not vant to be leaving you out."
In truth, the feline meant it. She didn't want for Sarkany's companion to simply sit and watch the two of them eat. If he had taken the time to come out, he should partake. She was certain between herself and Sarkany, they could cater for him.

The fact that talking about the food put her closer to that which was currently filling her nostrils with tantalisingly delicious scents had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Not a thing.

[MP]

Sarkany did not look around from his unpacking, but he spoke over his shoulder.

“Ru is a vampire, Hkoma. Strict blood drinker.”

Ice rasped around in its box as the seraph rummaged and came up with a small packet. The contents were thick and nearly black from cold, but the blood was unmistakable. It was one of several bags tucked alongside the more traditional ingredients.

“Picked it up from the WDSA this morning, so it should be fresh,” Sarkany said, dagger teeth flashing in a faint grin. It wasn’t difficult to pass for a vampire with that smile, and perhaps with an occasional command. He glanced at Ru. “See if we three can’t work out a recipe for it, hmm? Your kind have been around awhile - fancy types - I’m sure they’ve thought of something.”

He seemed not to notice Viktoria’s gradual movement toward the meats until he turned and, nearly in the same breath, added:

“And not a bite until that’s cooked. No packmate of mine is wasting good stomach room on raw meat, when there’s dinner coming. I think the trout might do first. Or the duck, roasted with a good glaze maybe...”

He trailed off thoughtfully, eyes going distant, and then blinked back to the moment.

“Well, have a sniff at the ingredients anyway. See what strikes the fancy. Or the nose.” And he patted Viktoria’s sharklike muzzle, subtly nudging it away from the venison. It might have been innocent happenstance but for the twinkle in his eyes and the wry words that followed.

“A sniff, mind, not a bite. Go snacking behind our backs and I’ll have to bite your head again.” A common occurrence, when one of them was playful or not in the mood to behave.

[jarahamee]

Ru smiles, and shakes his head a little bit at Sarkany. It was kind that he was thinking of them in the meantime, though he had to admit, Sarkany was rather vampire-looking. His slim figure, long features, bright, bestial eyes and sharp teeth certainly fit the bill, though they weren't the only hallmarks of vampires honestly. He rubbed his hands together and looked at the blood bag thoughtfully.

"Well, I did learn a little bit. Like, feeding from someone who is already um, inebriated, high or ate something delicious will give me a taste of what they had. I don't know how that would be replicated in bagged blood, unless we got someone to...uh, do something before they had blood drawn, and I think usually they prefer not to have people do that before they have blood drawn."

Ru was not sure quite how to best word it, but it did seem like something that might be worth trying. And it was a little more savory than being all dirty and biting people's body-parts. He had to say, that was hardly sanitary. He was not sure what exactly was sanitary about drawing blood from others and drinking it but it did cross something of a line.

[tsukikoko]

At the revelation that their companion was solely a blood drinker, Viktoria raised an eyebrow ridge. There had certainly been people - disconnected, solitary tribes and even her own kind when she thought about it - who consumed a lot of blood, either through viciousness or patronage to some deity or another. Never, however, had she heard of someone who subsisted solely on it. How did he even function? There weren't enough calories, let alone nutrients, to keep a human body going. Or at least, she hadn't thought so. How perplexing.

Still, if Sarkany had decided the slim man was trustworthy and worthwhile, she would accept that call. Besides, she wasn't exactly human standard, given how much shark and feline genetics had gone into creating her. Who was she to judge?

The feline's thoughts instead turned to how one might incorporate blood into a dish without it simply being... well, blood. Perhaps if she and Sarkany couldn't do anything with the ingredient, they could at least give it a more interesting presentation somehow? As the scarred feline mulled over the quandary, still creeping steadily closer to the food, she was abruptly pulled up sharp by Sarkany's good-natured warning. Viktoria's lips peeled back in the beginnings of a chuckling smile, taking his snark with good grace, rather than showing any embarrassment at having been caught in the act. When it came to food, she was no longer apologetic about her beastial behaviours with him.

Though, at a pat to her muzzle the catshark blinked a little with true surprise, the top of her snout crinkling as though tickled. She let herself be pushed away from the venison, knowing full well that if she tensed the muscles of her neck enough he wouldn't be able to budge her with his natural strength. But there was humour in her eyes and a high set to her ears, before long her voice peeled into a sound somewhere between a purr and a laugh.
“A sniff, mind, not a bite. Go snacking behind our backs and I’ll have to bite your head again.”
A common enough warning. One that Viktoria had been on the receiving end of a fair few times, along with incessant nibbling of her ears. In response, she opened her maw and gently chased the seraph's fingers as though she might bite him, her teeth grazing against his skin just barely enough for him to notice. Considering her size and the sharpness of her teeth, it was a remarkably controlled and playful gesture.

Once he stepped away or enough time had gone by, Viktoria diligently filled her nostrils with the culinary scents her friend had put together; she knew how much pride he took in cooking, when he put his mind to it. Sure enough, the scents wafted through her nose and curled around her brain, until her pupils were blown and her mouth watering. But she behaved herself and soon turned back to face Ru, folding her large, muscular arms across a similarly muscular chest. A return to her stoic, deadpan expression and demeanour.
"Must say, hyave not considerrred meal forrr only blood but-" She rubbed one knuckle thoughtfully under her chin, thinking back to the eccentric dishes and 'delicacies' she had seen on her travels throughout the solar system, back in her time.
"Am vonderrring, can perhyaps be.. ah," the humanoid rolled her hand, eyes turning to the sky as she racked her brain for the English word she needed. Unfortunately, she could not find it, so attempted to explain, "iz lyike, ah, let sit in clean bowl, make blood go solid. Iz become... pudding? Zhat iz rrright vorrd? Harrrderrr, can cut vith knife. Heated, serrrved in cubes. Vas meal I am seeing in, ah.. Venusian dining. Verrry expensive." She shrugged. "Rrrreal animal and blood harrrd to come by, vherre I am frrrom. You might not vant, but iz perrrhyaps morre interrresting, da?"

[MP]

Sarkany seemed not to mind the touch of teeth to his skin, or even notice particularly, but there was a hint of a smile to his eyes as he took up several items of kitchenware and retreated to one of the tables. He’d taken one of the fish from the cooler, a fresh bit of wild salmon, and was already starting on a marinade for it with uncharacteristic energy. Still, he kept an ear on the conversation, evidenced by the slightest tilt to his head.

“Pudding?”

Sarkany glanced up from the little station he’d made for himself and considered the feline’s description. The spoon whisked busily over the bottom of the bowl, mingled scents of honey and ginger and soy sauce rising as he thought.

“Yes, I think we could do that. If that sounds edible,” he added, looking over at Ru.

Sarkany reached for the pepper flakes, brandishing them absently at the vampire as he continued. “What about spices? Extracts? Seasonings, you know - just small amounts. Can you handle those, or does it need to be pure?”

[jarahamee]

Ru thinks about it, and then nods. He was able to drink things like coffee or water, which were definitely not blood, though they were in limited quantities. He had not really tested the limits beyond trying to take a bite or two of food, and having his body reject their physicality. The blond vampire rubbed his jaw lightly as he reflected upon the matter and himself.

"I think so.. Though uh, if we tried pudding, I think it would have to be from human blood... It's that weird 'blood is the coin of the soul' thing, or at least, that's what I was told. I could probably drink spiced blood if I can drink blood with alcohol? I'm not sure how hard and fast the rules are but I might end up with stomach upset if it's too much of one or the other."

He made a tense face. It was like being lactose intolerant all over again.

[tsukikoko]

At Sarkany's agreement and with Ru seeming to be on board with the idea of her suggestion, Viktoria nodded, the lines of what might have turned into a smile lifting the corners of her eyes. She cast a look over the progressing meals once again, noting that since she was the last here much of the heavy lifting (so to speak) had been done.

Nevertheless, the scarred feline was not one to sit idle, unless she was reading, so turned her attention back to Sarkany. Given his culinary prowess, she deferred to him in this instance, though her drawling Russian addressed both present.
"So, vhat vould hyave me do?" She queried, spreading her arms to indicate their picnic grounds, then showed a little fang in a humoured approximation of expression. "Prrrromise vill not eat yet."

[MP]

Sarkany looked up from his marinade, raising an eyebrow. He nodded at the table of butchered meats and herbs in a prompting gesture.

"Cook. Eat! In that order, of course. If you don't know what to do with yourself, I'll make suggestions. But you know your meats and I know your nose. I doubt you need my help, hmm?"

He glanced around at the two of them, stoking his cookfire in an absent sort of way. When the two did not immediately leap into action, he urged them again.

"Well go on. We can make it a proper contest. Steel Chef, or whatever the humans call it."

[jarahamee]

Ru held the bloodbag carefully, and wondered if he might be able to separate his tries from one another. It may be terrible. He could not cook when he was alive, and now, he was not entirely sure he would be any better. Beyond that, he rather wanted to drink the blood with nothing in it. He wrung his hands and tried to think about what he could do. And how could one best mix the ingredients together to make something of value?

The vampire glanced at Sarkany and Viktoria and then hard-swallowed and looked at all of the cookingware provided. Maybe he could add some animal blood to his human blood, and possibly some spices as well. Or maybe alcohol... He weighed his options, and put the heat on the pan he chose on low. He then cut the corner off the bloodbag, and tried not to inhale the... still rather tempting smell, as he poured it in. He knew it was going to be less than edible soon...Now what... He added garlic salt to the mixture.... And a little bit of wine...

Before it started to smell burned...Ru poured the still-steaming-questionable-smelling blood into a cup... He then washed the pan to rid them of the residue, trying to avoid looking at it too intently. It was probably...absolutely disgusting and he did not want to focus on it too much.

[tsukikoko]

At Sarkany's comments, again Viktoria's throaty, barking laughter filled the clearing. She nodded her agreement to his idea, her gaze tracking over the multitude of meats, assorted spices and vegetable accompaniments, before her attention shifted to the surrounding trees. While the firepit was perfectly fine and there was more than enough firewood, for what the humanoid had planned, she would need something a little extra.

Without a word the feline took off at a sprint, gaze fixed upon a branch she could see a good few feet above her head height. It was slim and there was no way it would support her weight as she powered off the ground and reached for it with one hand; which was exactly what she intended. As her hand caught the wood, her kinetic energy coming to an abrupt halt and weight dragging down upon the branch, it sheared and snapped off, sending Viktoria flying with what remained of her momentum. She twisted, spine flexing in a decidedly feline manner and landed on both feet with the desired branch in hand, before beginning to make her way back over to where her cooking area would be. As she walked, Viktoria used her claws to remove excess twigs and new growth from the wood, leaving behind a branch that was naturally rather rounded. The end that had sheared away from the main trunk she trimmed, again with her claws, before beginning to shape it into a firmer, single spike.

Once her task was complete, the scarred humanoid placed the length of wood on the ground before wandering off towards the trees once again. She wandered around them for a few moments, assessing, before more branches to her liking were torn away and brought over to the first. These two new branches, shorter but thicker than the first, each forked into two smaller branches at one end. The feline checked them over, making sure there were no signs of them splitting, before abruptly stabbing them into the ground either side of the firepit. Said firepit was soon lit, the feline watching it for a few moments to ensure the fire wouldn't burn too intensely. With the time she needed to spend on the meat, it should burn down to a nice level. Her attention then refocused upon the meat Sarkany had brought, settling upon the largest cut she could see. Elk, or deer perhaps, she wasn't sure. There were so many more animals here than she had been used to in her time, with far more names - was a stag also a deer, when was it a buck? Where they all different animals that looked similar, or just multiple names for the same thing? Were they the male variants? These questions and more Viktoria still hadn't quite worked out, but she resolved to eventually, in time. Either way, the rather large carcass was soon dragged over to her constuction.

Sarkany had already done the work of gutting and preparing the meat, so all Viktoria had to do at this point was season it. She laid the meat out on it's side, using the top of one of the ice boxes to avoid placing it upon the ground. When she made her way over to the pile of seasonings and other items Sarkany had brought with her, the feline's brow creased for a half second. Many of these plants and powders she didn't recognise, not existing in her time, or being in a different form from what she could see here. Thus, she relied on her nose to tell her what to use. For a good few minutes the sharkcat flared her nostrils over different spices, shaking her head if it didn't meet her needs, or picking it up and sniffing again if it was a potential contender. In the end she came away with an array of items, including oil, pepper, sea salt, rosemary and others, including a bright yellow, acidic scented fruit that Viktoria was pretty certain she'd heard called a 'lemon' before.

The deer-elk was soon smothered in oil, rubbed down with the lemon that she had cut in half using one claw and seasoning liberally applied. The empty innards of the meat she then stuffed with... well, she wasn't entirely sure what the plants were, but they had an attractive, tangy aroma remniscent of the herbs she had used in cooking before, along with slices of what she did know to be garlic. To seal the carcass, she then threaded and tied off the meat using thin strips of young tree bark she carefully peeled off with her claws. Finally, with the deer-elk-creature prepared, Viktoria could then drive her sharpened length of wood into the meat. Tearing and the occassional cracking pop filled the air as she did so, but before long the scarred feline had essentially meat on a spit, which she mounted above the firepit using the two forked branches she had procured. A final couple of checks, ensuring the meat was high enough away from the heat not to burn, for instance, before Viktoria took a step back with her hands on her hips, looking pleased with the result.