((Mavis was kind enough to pay for my travel by sea train, to assuage her RP woes.))
"Woooooow!!"
Randy heedlessly pushed her way through the crowd. It seemed like hundreds of people were crowding the platform of the sea train. She had never even been near one of these monsters of machinery before and the sheer size of it was a sight to behold. It easily dwarfed any ship she had ever been on or near. Except for some marine ships she has seen, that is. Large metal gears controlled the bottom and steam puffed out of its top. She could barely wrap her mind around its inner workings. Ships were simple enough; they had big sails that caught wind and the wind helped it move. This was a different creature entirely; no sails, no rudder, and it didn't even have rowers! Just the mere concept of how it propelled itself forward was enough to give her a headache. Fishing a hot pepper out of her side pocket, Randy munched the delicacy while admiring the ship. Pirates, regular folk, merchants, and marines all hustled and bustled past and beside her moving to and from the train. This will certainly be a once in a lifetime experience, of that she was sure. She had seen her own fair share of wonder in the world, but a train that moved across the waters surface just had to be some kind of world wonder. Actually, if Randy were the thinking type, she'd swear she heard someone say there were only a handful of these things in all the blues.
"Hey! Watch it will ya!"
A passerby batted at Randy's hair as they passed by. She didn't even realize, still entranced by the steam train in front of her. Randy's hair was always the first thing to show her emotion, and it animatedly emulated her excitement. Locks of hair darted and danced around Randy and into the air. There are times where she is able to exercise a measure of control over her hair but this is certainly not one. Not only that, but she probably wouldn't even try to right now as what she saw in front of her face was legitimately amazing! Without another moment to spare, Randy rushed forward and onto the sea train as if her life depended on it. As she passed the ticket checker she thrust the piece of paper into his hands. To be honest, Randy had just found the slip of paper in a bottle whenever her and Devlin were last at sea. It was just floating along minding its own business. Out of curiosity, Randy plucked it out of the water and was surprised to find a ticket for the sea train. She had heard the tickets were expensive. Accompanying the ticket was a note:
Randy had figured now would be a good time to take advantage of the notes kind invitation. Her and Devlin were kind of wandering aimlessly at the moment, without any defined goal. It was particularly boring to Randy. Earlier in the day she told Devlin she would meet him at Jaya Island and then just ran away, giggling with glee the entire time! He tried to chase her to get more information but, as usual, his gigantic robo arm kept him moving at a snail like pace and she was able to easily outrun him. Randy ran hard into the back of a train passenger, bringing her thoughts back to reality. She excused herself then pushed on past to explore more the train. It blew her mind that everyone else was being so normal about this! Wasn't it amazing to be on one of the modern marvels of the world? People were casually moving about the aisles of the train, pushing their luggage into overhead compartments, and generally moving with the casual malaise you'd expect from a despondent prisoner performing some mundane yard duty. In a way, it kind of made her mad. How are people so detached?!
Finally, Randy made it to the train's paradise. A place she hadn't known she was looking for until she found it; the kitchen! Of course, Randy was a fighter first and that was her primary trade; but if she had to choose a second love it would definitely be cooking. Many times throughout her life she was told that in a past life she must have been a cook. Before she had met Devlin, Randy spent most of her time as a drifter, moving from bounty hunter crew to bounty hunter crew. During this time, many crews were unwilling to let a newbie fill a role as important as the muscle. So, oftentimes, she was relegated to less important role like janitor or cook. Growing up she had always cooked and experimented with peppers and felt she was quite proficient at making meals that were both satisfying spicy and enjoyable! The kitchen was a bastion of activity; chefs and sous-chefs pushed past her with trays. They moved like one cohesive unit, seasoning each others dishes, mixing ingredients, and generally moving like one large school of fish. Randy had seen plenty of people proficient in moving through the flow of combat. This was one of the first times she had seen so many people proficient in the flow of cookery! Somehow she managed to move through the crowd of chefs without being noticed. Either that or they were so busy they just didn't have time to shoo her out of the kitchen. Randy slid up to the end of a cooking island where a large basin of broth sat. It smelled wonderfully meaty. Most likely made from some complex concoction of sea king or other sort of fish meat. She had heard that some ships would pay top dollar for even a little bit of sea king meat. It was so difficult to get and most of the times you'd get so much meat from just one. She had heard stories of some bounty hunters who were set for life, just from taking down one sea king and selling the meat from it! After a quick glance around, Randy chanced dipping a finger into the broth. The liquid was still piping hot. Removing her finger she taste tested the broth and...was actually extremely let down. The whole arrangement was bland! She could tell there were quality ingredients involved but there was too much salt. Not enough real flavor. She could tell that whoever made this threw seasoning on just for seasonings sake! Not with the intention of creating any sort of blend of flavors!
She immediately set to work taking peppers and other spices out of her side pack. Some cooks might disagree vehemently with her use of pocket peppers, but Randy didn't care. Her first choice was a handful of Luio Pepper. Native to an island in west blue, they were fairly unique in what they did to sauces and broths. Whenever boiled in liquid, they would melt away into what could almost be described as a cream. They were great for providing texture and thickening up a base. After that she pulled some wild onions down from a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. Some cooks advised against using such wild ingredients. They might say that, when ingredients are found in the wild instead of grown in a garden, their flavors can vary too wildly and it can negatively affect the outcome of your meal. Randy didn't like that way of thinking; to her, any skilled cook should know how to use the ingredients they had on hand and how to best utilize whatever tastes are brought to the table. Maybe that was the difference between being taught by some fancy chef, and learning to cook stuff that tasted good by trial and error. For a moment, Randy was reminded of some of her early meals. As an early teenager, when she was still truly experimenting with flavors, she made some really volatile meals. The best piece of advice she ever got was when a cook tasted her noodles once and said;
"Sure, it's spicy. But what for? What's the purpose?"
From that day on Randy knew she had to mix flavor in with intention. It wasn't enough to just throw the ingredients into a pot and call it a day. As the peppers melted and the new ingredients she added came to a slow simmer, Randy dipped a finger in and tasted her new creation. The blast of flavor was fantastic! It had a deep, creamy texture now, instead of just tasting like fish water. And the spice combo was phenomenal, if she could say so herself.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Get out of here!"
A chef started to approach her from the other side of the kitchen, hatchet in hand. Seems like I've worn out my welcome.,, Randy quickly dodged around the side of the counter, to the other side of the kitchen from the angered chef and out of the door. She wouldn't have time to brag to the other chefs about the greatness of her meal, but that was okay. She didn't want to chance getting kicked off of the train. Randy sprinted to the back of the boat and spent the rest of the trip watching the sea sprawl out behind them. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. It may be the same sea she often watched from the bridge or deck of a ship, but something about seeing it by train was a new experience. The train didn't have the bouncing rhythm, The sea didn't bound by but instead simply coasted. It liked like a knife edge pushed against the seem of the sky and watching it speed past was mesmerizing. A loud whistle sounding brought her attention to the front of the train. As it slowed to a stop she realized they must have made it to Jaya Island. She had heard many tales and stories about the island but was ready to experience some of it for herself. She made her way to the front of the ship and out of one of the doors. Pulling her hood over her hair, Randy made her way toward the central city to see what kind of excitement should could find. Her mind danced around the idea of what sort of exciting bounties would await her in this strange land.
"Yea the service was kind of crappy but goodness darling, did you have any of their sea king broth? It was absolutely to die for!"
A group of people wandered off the train and passed Randy, their comments reaching her ears. Randy's hair flickered with pride as a smile crept its way onto her face. This was the start of a great adventure.
"Woooooow!!"
Randy heedlessly pushed her way through the crowd. It seemed like hundreds of people were crowding the platform of the sea train. She had never even been near one of these monsters of machinery before and the sheer size of it was a sight to behold. It easily dwarfed any ship she had ever been on or near. Except for some marine ships she has seen, that is. Large metal gears controlled the bottom and steam puffed out of its top. She could barely wrap her mind around its inner workings. Ships were simple enough; they had big sails that caught wind and the wind helped it move. This was a different creature entirely; no sails, no rudder, and it didn't even have rowers! Just the mere concept of how it propelled itself forward was enough to give her a headache. Fishing a hot pepper out of her side pocket, Randy munched the delicacy while admiring the ship. Pirates, regular folk, merchants, and marines all hustled and bustled past and beside her moving to and from the train. This will certainly be a once in a lifetime experience, of that she was sure. She had seen her own fair share of wonder in the world, but a train that moved across the waters surface just had to be some kind of world wonder. Actually, if Randy were the thinking type, she'd swear she heard someone say there were only a handful of these things in all the blues.
"Hey! Watch it will ya!"
A passerby batted at Randy's hair as they passed by. She didn't even realize, still entranced by the steam train in front of her. Randy's hair was always the first thing to show her emotion, and it animatedly emulated her excitement. Locks of hair darted and danced around Randy and into the air. There are times where she is able to exercise a measure of control over her hair but this is certainly not one. Not only that, but she probably wouldn't even try to right now as what she saw in front of her face was legitimately amazing! Without another moment to spare, Randy rushed forward and onto the sea train as if her life depended on it. As she passed the ticket checker she thrust the piece of paper into his hands. To be honest, Randy had just found the slip of paper in a bottle whenever her and Devlin were last at sea. It was just floating along minding its own business. Out of curiosity, Randy plucked it out of the water and was surprised to find a ticket for the sea train. She had heard the tickets were expensive. Accompanying the ticket was a note:
Life is meant to be enjoyed.
Some say it can only be enjoyed by boat.
I say it can only be enjoyed by train.
~Enjoy~
Randy had figured now would be a good time to take advantage of the notes kind invitation. Her and Devlin were kind of wandering aimlessly at the moment, without any defined goal. It was particularly boring to Randy. Earlier in the day she told Devlin she would meet him at Jaya Island and then just ran away, giggling with glee the entire time! He tried to chase her to get more information but, as usual, his gigantic robo arm kept him moving at a snail like pace and she was able to easily outrun him. Randy ran hard into the back of a train passenger, bringing her thoughts back to reality. She excused herself then pushed on past to explore more the train. It blew her mind that everyone else was being so normal about this! Wasn't it amazing to be on one of the modern marvels of the world? People were casually moving about the aisles of the train, pushing their luggage into overhead compartments, and generally moving with the casual malaise you'd expect from a despondent prisoner performing some mundane yard duty. In a way, it kind of made her mad. How are people so detached?!
Finally, Randy made it to the train's paradise. A place she hadn't known she was looking for until she found it; the kitchen! Of course, Randy was a fighter first and that was her primary trade; but if she had to choose a second love it would definitely be cooking. Many times throughout her life she was told that in a past life she must have been a cook. Before she had met Devlin, Randy spent most of her time as a drifter, moving from bounty hunter crew to bounty hunter crew. During this time, many crews were unwilling to let a newbie fill a role as important as the muscle. So, oftentimes, she was relegated to less important role like janitor or cook. Growing up she had always cooked and experimented with peppers and felt she was quite proficient at making meals that were both satisfying spicy and enjoyable! The kitchen was a bastion of activity; chefs and sous-chefs pushed past her with trays. They moved like one cohesive unit, seasoning each others dishes, mixing ingredients, and generally moving like one large school of fish. Randy had seen plenty of people proficient in moving through the flow of combat. This was one of the first times she had seen so many people proficient in the flow of cookery! Somehow she managed to move through the crowd of chefs without being noticed. Either that or they were so busy they just didn't have time to shoo her out of the kitchen. Randy slid up to the end of a cooking island where a large basin of broth sat. It smelled wonderfully meaty. Most likely made from some complex concoction of sea king or other sort of fish meat. She had heard that some ships would pay top dollar for even a little bit of sea king meat. It was so difficult to get and most of the times you'd get so much meat from just one. She had heard stories of some bounty hunters who were set for life, just from taking down one sea king and selling the meat from it! After a quick glance around, Randy chanced dipping a finger into the broth. The liquid was still piping hot. Removing her finger she taste tested the broth and...was actually extremely let down. The whole arrangement was bland! She could tell there were quality ingredients involved but there was too much salt. Not enough real flavor. She could tell that whoever made this threw seasoning on just for seasonings sake! Not with the intention of creating any sort of blend of flavors!
She immediately set to work taking peppers and other spices out of her side pack. Some cooks might disagree vehemently with her use of pocket peppers, but Randy didn't care. Her first choice was a handful of Luio Pepper. Native to an island in west blue, they were fairly unique in what they did to sauces and broths. Whenever boiled in liquid, they would melt away into what could almost be described as a cream. They were great for providing texture and thickening up a base. After that she pulled some wild onions down from a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. Some cooks advised against using such wild ingredients. They might say that, when ingredients are found in the wild instead of grown in a garden, their flavors can vary too wildly and it can negatively affect the outcome of your meal. Randy didn't like that way of thinking; to her, any skilled cook should know how to use the ingredients they had on hand and how to best utilize whatever tastes are brought to the table. Maybe that was the difference between being taught by some fancy chef, and learning to cook stuff that tasted good by trial and error. For a moment, Randy was reminded of some of her early meals. As an early teenager, when she was still truly experimenting with flavors, she made some really volatile meals. The best piece of advice she ever got was when a cook tasted her noodles once and said;
"Sure, it's spicy. But what for? What's the purpose?"
From that day on Randy knew she had to mix flavor in with intention. It wasn't enough to just throw the ingredients into a pot and call it a day. As the peppers melted and the new ingredients she added came to a slow simmer, Randy dipped a finger in and tasted her new creation. The blast of flavor was fantastic! It had a deep, creamy texture now, instead of just tasting like fish water. And the spice combo was phenomenal, if she could say so herself.
"Hey! What are you doing?! Get out of here!"
A chef started to approach her from the other side of the kitchen, hatchet in hand. Seems like I've worn out my welcome.,, Randy quickly dodged around the side of the counter, to the other side of the kitchen from the angered chef and out of the door. She wouldn't have time to brag to the other chefs about the greatness of her meal, but that was okay. She didn't want to chance getting kicked off of the train. Randy sprinted to the back of the boat and spent the rest of the trip watching the sea sprawl out behind them. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold. It may be the same sea she often watched from the bridge or deck of a ship, but something about seeing it by train was a new experience. The train didn't have the bouncing rhythm, The sea didn't bound by but instead simply coasted. It liked like a knife edge pushed against the seem of the sky and watching it speed past was mesmerizing. A loud whistle sounding brought her attention to the front of the train. As it slowed to a stop she realized they must have made it to Jaya Island. She had heard many tales and stories about the island but was ready to experience some of it for herself. She made her way to the front of the ship and out of one of the doors. Pulling her hood over her hair, Randy made her way toward the central city to see what kind of excitement should could find. Her mind danced around the idea of what sort of exciting bounties would await her in this strange land.
"Yea the service was kind of crappy but goodness darling, did you have any of their sea king broth? It was absolutely to die for!"
A group of people wandered off the train and passed Randy, their comments reaching her ears. Randy's hair flickered with pride as a smile crept its way onto her face. This was the start of a great adventure.