• Solo • [Treth] Feasts for All

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

7th Ymiden, 718


This trial was the Feast of the Heavens, and since it was an important festival, it was all that the kids wanted to talk about. The warm weather, and brilliantly clear skies did little to make her students any less restless. Later in the trial, she and her class would be baking something for the feast, and that would hopefully curb some of their energy. Or at least put it to good use. The kids were really looking forward to the experience, and it would be good for them to be able to contribute something to the festivities of the trial. Tei'serin just hoped that her lack of baking skills wouldn't hinder the group effort too much. She herself had never baked anything in her life...but how could she say no to something her students wanted to do so badly? She just couldn't, that was all. Maybe it wouldn't turn out as badly as she feared. She could hope, at least.

For now though, she had a spelling test to give the kids. In the attempt to make it a little more fun for them, she was doing it in the form of a spelling bee. That way, she had at least a small chance of getting her students to concentrate on the morning lesson. As she gazed out at her students, Tei'serin noticed that Sorin looked like he was ready for the spelling bee, even eager for it to begin. So she chose him first.

"Sorin, please spell phantom, and use it in a sentence."

She gave him one of the harder words since he was especially good at spelling. Sorin grinned at her as he stood.

"Phantom. P-h-a-n-t-o-m. Phantom."

"Very good, Sorin. And the sentence, please?"

"The story about the phantom that lives in the well is a scary one, and isn't suitable for little kids."

"Very good. You may sit down now."

Sorin beamed at her as he sat down.

Tarya was another of her older students, so she chose the sixteen arc old girl. She would be graduating this arc, so Tei'serin wanted to make certain that she learned everything that she could before she graduated. Spelling was a part of that. And having a wide vocabulary could only help her in her work as a trader, so she gave her one of the harder words as well.

"Tarya, please spell dullard."

Tarya stood and obeyed.

"Dullard. D-u-l-l-a-r-d." Dullard."

"And if you could use it in a sentence for us, please?"

"Only a dullard can't spell these words."

Tei'serin frowned at the girl. While the sentence showed the correct usage of the word, it was hardly nice to call anyone a dullard, and she told her student as much. Tarya apologized meekly to the class as she sat down.

The next word was wonderland. Tei'serin gave it to a boy named Sean. He was new to Treth, so he hadn't been her student for long. This was as much a test of his ability to spell as it was an expectation that he could handle the word since he was one of her older students. Although Sean was able to spell the word correctly, he wasn't able to think of a sentence to use it in. Tei'serin gave him half credit for his effort before asking him to sit down. He did so dejectedly. Myra was waving her hand eagerly, so Tei'serin grinned at her, and called on her next.

"Myra, please spell the word heartbeats, and use it in a sentence for us."

Myra frowned in concentration as she spoke.

"Heartbeats. H-e-a-r-t-b-e-a-t-s." she said at last.

Tei'serin nodded, and gently reminded her that she needed to use the word in a sentence too.

"Um...his heartbeats sounded louder than a drum as he hid in the corner, praying that no one would see him?"

Tei'serin nodded again.

"Yes, that is an appropriate use of the word, Myra. You may sit down."

One by one, Tei'serin ran through the words on her list. Then it was time for the last word; tango. Since it was one of the easier words on the test, she gave it to Cally, one of her younger students. The young girl froze for several bits as she desperately tried to remember how to spell the word. But she managed to do so correctly. Her sentence, "My parents like to tango." was a simple one, but still correct. And since Cally was only six arcs old, Tei'serin praised her for her efforts before asking her to sit down.

The children were getting even more restless now that the spelling bee was over, and Tei'serin knew that it was useless to try and teach them a normal lesson. So she simply gave them their homework assignments for the trial before calling an end to the class and telling them that it was time to start baking for the feast that the village would be holding later that evening.

Off Topic

Bonus experience approved by Chronicle, to be given to the following character(s) involved in this thread, only upon the completion of the review, where the character(s) demonstrated celebration of the holiday, The Feast of the Heavens, on Ymiden 7th, Arc 718. The details of this this holiday include: A holiday devoutly celebrated by the whole region, the feast is considered one of the most important dates of the year. Feasts are held throughout the cities, from small, private gatherings to huge, government sponsored parties, tables overflowing with food and drink. The Immortals are very carefully referenced throughout the feasts, and much care is taken to ensure that each and every immortal is represented and referenced in one way or another. During the feasts musicians can be found performing for the honor of various gods; children hold plays depicting historical battles and events, and many sacrifices are given throughout the day and into the night.

Bonus Experience Upon Review Completion:
Knowledge
Ne'haer Holiday: The Feast of the Heavens
+3 Bonus Skill Points

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

The Gardeners had given Tei'serin and her class permission to use their kitchen to bake their contribution for the feast as long as they did a good job of cleaning up after themselves, and made enough of whatever they decided to make that they could say that the Gardeners had a part in contributing it as well. Tei'serin and her students were happy to oblige. Especially when Mrs. Gardener offered to give them all a lesson in baking as well as allowing then to use her kitchen. Since Tei'serin had no idea what she was doing when it came to baking, she was more than happy to get a lesson in it before having to bake something with a bunch of kids.

The kids were very excited to get started, but they quieted down readily enough when Tei'serin cleared her throat to get their attention. She was about to speak, but hesitated when her mother entered the room.

"Mother?"

"I thought you could use an extra hand. Baking is challenging enough when you know what you're doing. But if you don't, it's that much harder. And if you have to keep an eye on a class full of kids on top of that, well...you have an impossible situation on your hands. Unless, of course, you have someone to help you keep an eye on the kids."

Tei'serin grinned at her mother.

"Thanks, mom."

When she was certain that everyone was ready to listen, she asked Mrs. Gardener to begin.

"Baking is a dry heat method of cooking. That means that no liquids are used during the cooking process. Baking requires heat, and an enclosed space. Usually that "space" is an oven, but it doesn't have to be. It can be done over a campfire too. But that, while true...is a lot more stiff and formal than you need to be."

Meiarin, and some of the other young students giggled.

"Baking is...fun. When you bake, you are gathering up a bunch of simple ingredients, and turning them into something magical. Something far better than the ingredients that went into making it. Pastries, breads, cakes, biscuits, shortbread, and cookies...any type of flour based foods are a result of baking. Baking is creative. Once you have a firm grasp of what you are doing, you can play around with combining flavors you like and create your own recipes. But that freedom only comes after a lot of practice. So who wants to get a start with that practice?"

The kids cheered, and Tei'serin congratulated herself on putting this together for her students. They would be able to enjoy the fun and anticipation of a festival, and a break from more traditional lessons. But at the same time, they were still learning something. And practical lessons like learning how to cook or bake were just as important as the more academic ones.

[Tei'serin Nji'ryn]

"Well, then let's get started. The first thing you all need to do is to pick out a recipe that you want to make. It will have to be a simple one since most of you do not know much about baking. And since you only have the time to make one thing for the feast, you will all have to agree on the recipe you will make. I have several cook books that you all can go through and find a recipe that you want to make."

The kids got to work. It was quickly decided that they wanted to make cookies rather than a pie or a cake. They looked like they were easier to make, and there would be more of them to share at the feast. What type of cookies was a much harder decision. No one was able to agree, and as the argument grew increasingly louder and more intense, Tei'serin decided to step in. She solved the problem by picking a number, and having each of her students try to guess it; the one who came the closest would get to pick what kind of cookie they made.

Keiaris guessed the right number, and she chose lemon cookies. Once the decision had been made, Mrs. Gardener picked a recipe for lemon cookies that she had made before in the past. It wasn't too hard to make, and she knew from past experience that it tasted delicious. Tei'serin took over the recipe. She read it through carefully, before addressing her students.

"We need one and three quarters of a cup of flour, half a teaspoon of baking soda, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt, half a cup of unsalted butter that has been softened, three quarters of a cup of sugar, one large egg, the zest of one lemon, and one and a half teaspoons of lemon extract."

"The zest of one lemon is roughly a tablespoon of lemon zest." Mrs. Gardener explained as she got the butter, and set it aside so that it could soften for a while.

The kids split up and gathered the rest of the ingredients. Tei'serin and her mother helped whenever the ingredient one of the kids was looking for was too high for them to reach.

"Since we need time for the butter to soften, I would like to show you how to make lemon extract. It is very easy to make, but it requires a lot of time, so whenever you use some, it is a good idea to make more. So, you'll need a bag of lemons."

Sorin was quick to get one.

"First you will need to wash and dry the lemons. Then you will need to use those vegetable peelers over there to cut thin slices of the peel into ribbons."

"How many lemons do we need to peel?" Tarya asked.

"Enough to fill this jar." Mrs. Gardener told them as she set a good sized glass jar on the table.

"Twelve lemons should be enough. When you finish that, we simply fill the jar with vodka, and put it in a dark cabinet for twenty eight to forty two trials. During that time, the liquid needs to be shaken once every few trials for the first seven trials, then only once in a while after that. Once the extract is strong enough for your tastes, simply strain the peels out, pour the extract into a clean jar, and store it in a dark cabinet."

The kids got to work. Sorin and Hardin quickly challenged each other to see who could peel the most lemons. Tei'serin and her mother pitched in, and by the time they had made the extract and set it aside to infuse, the butter was softened enough.

Tei'serin took over the recipe once more. She split her class up into groups, and assigned each one a task so that they could have a part in making the cookies. Some of the tasks were simple and easy to do. These were the ones she gave to her younger students. Others, like beating the sugar and butter until they were light and fluffy were harder, and took the help of all of the kids.

Before long, the cookies were ready to go into the oven and bake. When they did, everyone pitched in to clean up the kitchen. As they worked, they talked excitedly about the feast that would start later that evening.

[Korva]

Rewards!

Name: Tei'serin

Knowledge:

Baking: is a dry heat method of preparing food
Baking: requires heat, and an enclosed space; usually this means an oven, but it can be done over a campfire too
Baking: is used to create flour based foods such as pastries, breads, cakes, biscuits, shortbread, and cookies
Baking; Recipe: lemon extract
Baking; Recipe: lemon cookies
Teaching: practical lessons are just as important as academic ones

Loot: NA
Injuries: NA
Renown: 5
Magic XP: NA

Points: 13

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Comments: I love baking and I love lemon flavorings, the more tart the better they taste in my opinion! As always, I enjoyed learning write along with Tei'serin, enjoy your rewards

If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM or ping me in Discord. Thanks!

**Made by the magnificent Kes