A Fungithal Meal Part 1 (Solo)

[Franky]

Thread Title

Glade 12, 121

Franky looked out over the hall, a soft smirk on his face, seeing his usual midday regulars, what few of them there were, and one new face, a Grackle eating fish alone in the corner. The busier lunch hour was over, and Franky was prepping for the evening. He stood there, leaning against the back counter of his bar, wiping down a long row of flagons and glasses he'd just washed. With each one cleaned, he'd set it on the shelf below the bar. He'd been surprised to get even this many customers so early on after opening his tavern, but it seemed there was a market here for the less desirables. It didn't bother Franky to profit off the racial hate here, someone needed to earn that coin, might as well be him.

The heavy door swung slowly outward, and a Dratori man walked in, face flush from exertion as he carried something in a sack over his shoulder. Franky set down the glass he'd just finished and stood up fully, smiling as the man walked down the row between his tables. "What do you have for me today, Goria?"

The elf smiled broadly, "I think you're gonna like this one, mate."

Franky nodded, walking over to the counter end, lifting it up, to allow the man to come behind the bar. Then he led Goria back through the door into the large kitchen, pointing at the prep table in the center. Goria slammed the heavy sack on the sturdy table, then untied the end. A dark, reptilian head of sorts flopped out, spreading a bit of mud on the table. Franky's head cocked to the side curiously, his lips pursed, as he watched Goria pull the entire sack off the creature.

"The hell is that?"

The hunter smiled, "That, my friend, is called a Fungithal. Seems to be part water lizard, part mushroom. Slippery fucker, I've had mud in my ass all damn day trying to bag this thing."

The creature was about five feet long, dark brown, with softly glowing blue spots on the mushrooms and other points on its skin. "How come it's glowing?"

The hunter shrugged, "It won't glow too long after it dies."

Franky nodded, his curiosity piqued. He walked around the table, eyeing the creature up from all the angles, "Looks like a lot of meat on this thing."

Goria smiled broadly, "Yeah, mate, me and my pap used to bag these all the time when I was a wee lad. Mum couldn't cook with a shit, but still was delicious."

Franky smiled, "How about twenty-five golds for the haul, plus an extra ten since you brought me something I've never seen before? Call it a finder's fee."

The hunter pondered on that, "I dunno mate, there's not many bones in that thing, and it was a right fuck to get. Took me all damn day. I'm gonna smell like that bog for days."

Franky hmmed as he thought about it some more. He walked over to it, pressing on the flesh with his hand. The hunter wasn't lying, he couldn't feel any prominent ribs or anything of the like. "Okay, you're right. How about thirty-five plus the ten, and I'll let you clean up in one of my empty rooms. And you can come by at dinner time to see what I whip up out of this thing, on me?"

The hunter's eyes lit up and Franky knew he liked that deal. So riding on the man's happiness, he added in, "But you also gotta tell me how your mum made it and why her cooking was bad."

The light stayed in Goria's eyes and he chuckled, "Pfft, I'd give that to you for free, mate. She made my wife look like a real royal chef, and she burnt water the other night." The pair shared a hearty laugh, before Goria stuck out his hand, "You got a deal, mate." Franky stuck out his own hand and the pair shook on it. "Now tell me how your mum did it while I get you paid."

Franky led the man out of the kitchen, while listening to his story about his mum's cooking, and back out into the bar area, reaching down beneath the bar and unlocking the lockbox. This lockbox was actually part of the bar so it couldn't be snatched and stolen away and only Franky had the key to it. He grabbed one of the small coin sacks he kept inside, filled with the appropriate amount, and handed it across the bar to the hunter. He then grabbed a key from the rentals cabinet, offering it to the hunter, "Room 8, go get cleaned up, you need to at least smell better than your wife's cookin'." The pair laughed uproariously as a few heads in the bar turned to see the commotion. Goria pocketed the coins and made his way upstairs.

Franky quickly finished cleaning the glasses, and wiped down the counter top, and then went around, seeing if anyone needed refills. Once that was taken care of, he slipped back into his kitchen, staring down at the strange beast. "Well, let's get to work."

[Franky]

Thread Title

Time Stamp

Franky walked over to the dead Fungithal, trying to decide how to start this process. It was still rather muddy, so he figured cleaning it would be a good place. Moving over to it, he wrapped his arms around its midsection, grunting gruffly as he picked up the weighty being. He realized now that he probably got a better deal than he thought, this damn thing was heavy. He slumped it into his deep basin sink, and began filling it with water. Grabbing a bucket and sponge he had nearby, he set to work cleaning the mud from the table. He scrubbed and scrubbed, only stopping to turn off the water once the sink was full. Satisfied with the cleanliness of the table, he turned to the sink.

Franky rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, reaching his hands into the big sink. He ran his hands over the smooth skin of the creature, gently massaging the sticky mud away. This was a long, slow process, during which the bioluminescent glow of the creature faded. Franky made sure to remember that for the future, that speed would be necessary if he ever wanted to see if a meal made from it might glow too. Once it was cleaned, Franky lugged it out of the muddy water and into the second deep basin sink, where he rinsed it, and his hands, off. Then he lugged it back out over to the table.

He then stood back to think, looking down at the limp creature. There was enough meat on it to make steak slabs for sure, which would fetch a higher premium than making a stew out of it. He could save the organs for the stew, along with the bones and leftover meats, but the steaks would definitely be the big money. He walked across the room, grabbing the two largest knives from his knife block. He set them down, reaching up to run his fingers along the mushrooms. They truly did feel like mushrooms and didn't seem to be growing on its skin, but rather were a part of it. He grabbed the carving knife, and used it to gently slice the mushrooms from the creature's back, setting them aside to continue drying.

He then flipped the creature onto its back, inspecting around its tail until he found the hole he was searching for. Almost every creature had at least one down there. Using one hand to draw the flesh taut, he used his other to gently guide the tip of his knife into the skin and meat. This first bit he went real slow, stopping and checking the cutting depth, for he only wished to cut through the meat and not puncture the organs, and this was not something he'd ever butchered before.

Slow he punched through the pink flesh, and then began drawing the blade up along its belly. He slowly continued sawing, agonizingly slow, working his best to be precise. He knew he could've paid extra coin for Goria to dress it but he liked to do it himself. It helped him get to know the food better. Once he reached the neck, he cut two diagonal lines up that disappeared over the shoulders. He then set the knife down and gently pulled apart the meat flaps, exposing the organs. He took a quick sniff, not smelling shit or anything else rancid, and sighed in relief. He probably didn't puncture any organs, thus tainting the meat.

Grabbing his carving knife once more, he set about to gently cutting out each organ, setting them into a bucket he had nearby. One of the organs spilled in his hands, dousing the meat in a liquid. He sniffed at it, not finding it especially foul. He shrugged, too late now.

[Mirage]

Franky

Lores
1. Business: Be polite to business associates
2. Business: Don't be too stingy toward business associates
3. Negotiation: Asking for something that is freely given is a form of leverage
4. Cooking: Washing and cleaning your cooking space
5. Cooking: Go slowly and carefully when working with a new food
6. Cooking: Field dressing a Fungithal

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points 5