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The Abyss was cold. It was a place where the sun’s warmth couldn’t be felt, where its rays did not shine. It was difficult to imagine anything worthwhile could even grow down in these cruel depths, yet Escoffier had to press on. She wouldn’t walk away empty handed after all the grief getting here, even at risk to her life.
In truth, she had stumbled into the Abyss’ clutches by complete chance, carried away while scavenging for unfamiliar ingredients. There happened to be a rift, a small crack in the shadows of some cliffside where she was resting. She had touched it out of curiosity, and before she could register what was going on, she already found herself in foreign land.
The scenery hadn’t changed one bit in fifty minutes of walking, each protruding rock structure looking identical to the last. The only light for miles had been beneath her feet, luminous violet flowers growing sparsely along the pathway.
It was becoming more difficult to continue on, she grimaced knowing there would be no easy relief for the growls from her stomach or the ache in her feet within this wasteland. Most of her supplies remained in her camp on the surface, with only a few basic mechanisms on hand. But with no ingredients to prepare, they provided little use to her in this predicament.
Her eyes were becoming wary, struggling to make out much within the surrounding darkness, until she caught a flicker of warm light–
A campfire. There was somebody there; she wasn't alone.
Escoffier practically ran towards the source, forgetting her fatigue in a fit of desperation. She stopped just short of the campsite, exhausted as she hunched over, catching her breath. She did her best to compose herself before approaching the other party, unsure if they were friend or foe. In any case, as long as they would be willing to lend her the warmth of the fire for a short while, it mattered not.
Beside the campfire sat a lone woman, expressionless as she relaxed near the heat. The surrounding camp was very minimal, only the simplest of tents and a worn cooking pot populating the space. It made Escoffier's own site back near the outskirts of Fontaine look like a five-star hotel by comparison, yet she had no authority to complain, the essentials are all she needed.
“Hey, excuse me, would I be able to share this fire with you?” Clearing her throat, Escoffier cautiously posed her question to the stranger. The woman slowly turned to look Escoffier up and down, her expression unchanging. As much as she tried to conceal it in her voice, Escoffier’s body language gave her away as she couldn’t help shivering from the cold of the barren abyss, standing small as she shrunk into herself.
After an agonising pause, the woman finally gave her an answer,
“Sure.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Escoffier immediately perked up, rushing over to kneel by the open flame. She held her palms up towards the heat, breathing a sigh of relief once she could feel her body temperature begin to rise again. Responding to her elevated mood, her mechanical tail began to wag, the forked metal glowing under the light. The camp’s owner eventually spared it a glance, before returning to her own business. She pulled out a sword, examining the blade meticulously as she began to sharpen it, refining her weapon against the stone found beneath her feet.
Escoffier remained on guard, unsure where that fine blade may end up if she made a wrong move, yet she couldn’t take her eyes off of the sight. It was mesmerising, watching as the cold woman struck her sword against the sharp stone, each strike practiced, precise.
She was brought out of the trance with the intrusive growl coming from her stomach, an unfortunate reminder that she came here empty handed. She hadn't eaten anything all day.
The woman paid her no mind, continuing her maintenance in perfect tune, yet that didn't make it any less mortifying to be leeching off of her in such a helpless state. The least she could do to thank her for the warmth and company was give something in return.
“Do you have any rations on hand? Please, allow me to prepare a meal for the both of us,” Escoffier extended her offer, despite feeling slightly intimidated by the mysterious swordswoman. She could only hope that this lady had enough to work with in her campsite, and if not, then she would have to beg on her knees for her to take charge in the hunt.
“...There’s some fish. Actually, I'm getting hungry too. Let's eat, then.”
Escoffier relaxed, a small sigh of relief escaped her as the woman rose from her seat to dig out her catch of the day.
She remained sat close to the open flame, her head low and expression tense. It was partly out of fear, partly out of respect, keeping her guard as she waited for the stranger's return.
Alongside the fish, the woman brought over two skewers for them to hold above the fire. As she sat back down, she was already lining up the sharp rod to pierce through the body, until Escoffier tried to stop her.
“Wait, are you just cooking it like that?”
“Yes, why?” She would have just carried on if not for Escoffier’s glare, instead waiting for her to continue.
In fairness, the pair of them lacked the most appropriate equipment to even think about restaurant standards down here, and she couldn’t just expect a stranger to share her patience or passion for cooking. Yet, watching her company so indifferently poking a stick through a fish, looking to hover it above a campfire for a while and call it a day, she just couldn’t help herself.
“Let me do it,” Escoffier stood up from the comfort of the fire, approaching the simple tray laying across the woman’s lap. “As thanks for letting me impose on you, I’ll make it a nice meal for the both of us.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then,” she handed over the tray without any fuss, resuming her sword sharpening as she waited.
Escoffier set the tray down against an elevated formation in the stone, just high enough to work comfortably from. She had just talked big, but she couldn’t lie to herself, this wasn’t going to be up to her own standards, yet it still held a slim chance of impressing her host. That framework was enough motivation, setting her into motion. She could use the tray as a makeshift chopping board, and the tools left behind on the edge of the tray could still prove useful when serving. Still requiring a knife, she attempted to create one using her Vision, soon relieved to find her control over the elemental energy was functioning as normal. Her mechanical tail was enough to handle the majority of the workload, saving her some time as she struggled to cram everything into her tiny workspace.
Besides her mek, she still had a few basic seasonings stuffed into her pocket, enough to pair nicely with the meal. The fish itself was completely foreign to her, it looked quite alien compared to the creatures populating the waters of Fontaine, but the composition of its body was nearly identical. After stripping off the skin and slicing it up, it actually started to look edible.
—
“It’s ready,” Escoffier announced, finishing up the presentation on the tray. As she looked back towards her host, she met her gaze. She had long finished her craft, attention now fixed on Escoffier.
“Great,” was all she responded with, yet Escoffier could tell by the look in her eye that she was one second away from scoffing it down in one bite, as if she hadn’t eaten at all in five days.
Escoffier tried not to let that inflate her ego too much, but she couldn’t help but be pleased with herself for making it work despite the circumstances. She carefully took a seat next to her, placing the tray down between them. Having only one tray, the two would have to share, yet Escoffier didn’t mind.
The chef picked up the first piece, reusing the sharp tools to skewer through the fish. Despite doing her utmost to clean the utensils beforehand, she remained a little bit skeptical, though she knew she couldn’t afford to dwell on it for long. Suppressing her concerns, she boldly took the first bite, feeling an intense stare from the other party even as she briefly closed her eyes.
It was delicious. Simple and comforting, the perfect dish to take her mind off of the horrors. The fish had managed to cook evenly above the open flame, the tender meat almost melting in her mouth. Her added seasoning was subtle, yet it elevated the dish more than she could have imagined. The fish was just slightly sweet, paired with the balance of the more savoury dried herbs and salt, it was a match made in heaven.
She practically had stars in her eyes, her tail wagging behind her as she took bite after bite. Seeing such a strong positive reaction from her guest, the stranger began to dig in as well. Escoffier paused momentarily as she watched her try it for herself, eager to note her impression of the food.
As she closed her mouth and tasted the fish, her entire demeanour changed. It was only for a split second, yet Escoffier didn't miss how her features momentarily softened, the corners of her lips curling upwards. Before Escoffier could blink, she had finished her piece and picked up another, wolfing it down with inhumane speed.
She had to admit she was impressed. Escoffier was barely halfway through her side of the tray before the other end was fully polished off. She tried to eat the rest of her share a little bit quicker, eager to follow up with the woman while she had her in a pleasant mood.
“I assume it was to your liking?” She asked, her answer already more than evident by the way the swordsmaster was still licking her lips.
“It was the most delicious fish I've ever eaten,” She replied, her tone no longer as indifferent sounding as before, "Thank you.”
“No trouble at all!” Escoffier relaxed a bit more into her seat, her apprehension dissipating. “Though, I probably could've made it even better if I had more of my equipment available.”
Her head was already swarming with ideas on how to improve it, itching to try her hand at the dish again. “Before I find my way out of here, I want to try catching some of this breed myself. Could I ask where you found them, miss…?” It was at this point the Escoffier finally realised she never learned the woman's name.
Watching Escoffier’s expression shift as she trailed off her question, it eventually clicked what she was intending to ask.
“Oh, I'm Skirk. And you?” Escoffier was a bit taken aback to hear Skirk sound surprisingly friendly with her after her solemn first impressions. It was a welcome change, she supposed, after Skirk had been admittedly rather intimidating at first.
“Escoffier,” She responded in turn.
“There’s a stream not so far from here, that’s where I’ve been fishing lately,” Skirk gestured north of her camp, “Do you like fishing?”
Escoffier hummed in thought; she usually doesn’t have much opportunity to go fishing herself, buying the best she can get from the markets instead. “I suppose I’m not half bad at it, but I’m quite out of practice. Then, do you enjoy fishing, miss Skirk?”
“I don’t mind it either,” she mused, “I like fish, so I try to catch some when given the chance. My student liked fishing, so I guess I picked up the hobby from him,” Skirk gazed down towards the fire, her expression too vague for Escoffier to decipher.
“Miss Skirk, have you ever been to Fontaine? I believe we have a reasonably active fishing association there,” She proposed, thinking back to her current objective of making it home in one piece.
“No, I haven't. I have no current interest in visiting the surface.”
“Ah, that's a shame,” Escoffier sighed, “do you at least happen to know the way, though? I think I'm completely lost down here.” She tried to laugh it off casually, yet her inner concerns couldn't help but slip out within her tone, faced with too many unknowns in her current situation.
“Yes, I can take you to Fontaine if you want.”
“Really?” Escoffier immediately perked up, “are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?”
“It's fine, it happens to pass by the way I'm next headed anyway. Though, I will ask for one thing from you in turn.”
“If it's within my power, I'll do whatever you ask of me,” Escoffier responded, not quite sure what to anticipate, yet prepared to accept nonetheless.
“I want you to cook fish again for me.”
That was far simpler than what she had expected, she couldn't help but smile.
“Deal.”