[MJ22] Mistral Meals Crusty Copper Pot Trinkets At an unknown point in history, someone tragically burned a meal. Looks like they tried to bury the evidence. (Special thanks to elodieglass!) 85 Fluorite Windsinger Familiar A spontaneous statue, carved by the artisans of the Wind Flight. (Mistral Jamboree 2022 Holiday Item) 0

Reached Level 25 on Dec 8, 2021 Wind Mage/Battle Cleric https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/gde/1666709 Element per Venue https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/gde/2858083 Battle Stone Guide https://www1.flightrising.com/forums/gde/1344211/14

There is a pot buried in the garden.

Strohwein stares at it for a while; at first he had mistaken it for one of the many Old Tin Pots they had placed all over the field, but then he noticed the patina of aged copper sticking out of the dirt.

That’s his cooking pot buried in an empty herb bed, how odd.

March is the perfect time to start planting, and lately he has been spending most of his time in their quaint farmland instead of practicing for the upcoming Mistral Meals contest. He was on his way to check on his Bamboo Leaves and Green Shoots when he noticed the pot and is now mystified by it. Picking it up, he realizes that it had been badly burnt. The smell was masked by the dirt, and most of the charred bits were loosened from it. Though not in a great state, it can be salvaged.

His plants can wait, so he turns and heads back to the lair. When he reached the cooking area, it occurred to him that there must have been a reason for a dragon to bury a Crusty Copper Pot in the garden, rather than simply bringing it to the nearby Hoard for a quick report and disposal.

Mistakes weren’t judged here. Strohwein himself has had a few cooking mishaps when he first started, though he never burned a pot this badly.

He got to work, coating the pot in a simple solution. He has other pots, various ones for different acidity of food. A single pot would have not been missed, but something about this situation makes him want to hold on to it. At least figure out why it had been buried. All he has to do now is wait a few minutes before rinsing the pot and it shall be usable once more.

It is a pleasantly windy day. Lulled by its relaxing breeze, he decided to rest and close his eyes, only to open them immediately when a certain dragon approached the area. It is his partner, Eiswein, and they are carrying a shiny copper pot that is nearly as big as them.

They freeze, and the two stare at each other. Eis must have assumed he was out, tending to his plants, and had hoped they could have replaced his pot without being caught. Eis spots the old pot by Strohwein’s side and knew they could not hide the truth.

“I boiled tree sap. I boiled it too much.”

Boiling tree sap? He couldn’t recall ever seeing Eis do that, and for what purpose? Though diminutive and difficult to read, they are able to hold their position as the clan’s leader and command the dragons effectively. Eis could have asked him, or someone else who was experienced with handling cookware, to boil the tree sap instead of doing it by themself.

“May I ask why you buried it? I could have cleaned it or added it to the Hoard.”

“I did not think it could be cleaned.” They brought the new pot over to him and placed it next to the old one. There is a notable difference, but the solution is working. “That is impressive. I am glad it can be saved. I did not want to throw it away, so I thought I should bury it in the fields. It is imbued with a certain kind of magic. I hoped the magic could flow through and reach the plants and the whole farm.”

“Magic?”

“Memories.” Eis looks at the old copper pot. “We found our first Treasure Chest, just the two of us, and when we opened it there was this pot. Back then I thought it was useless and was going to sell it, but you wanted to keep it. This pot fed us, fed many dragons and brought joy to our clan.”

He had forgotten. They found many pots since then, all used for various purposes. For Eis to remember and use the very first pot they found, it must have been for something special. He didn’t think Eis would tell him, for they had tried to keep it a secret from him. He got up and was about to take the pot to a nearby watering pump when they spoke again.

“I wanted to make a syrup for you to bring to the cooking contest. Something for you to think of me.”

Oh. Strohwein smiles. There is an easy fix for that. “I’m taking that pot with me to the contest then.” Eis looks at him aghast, it’s rare for them to be so expressive. That only made him smile more.

“You will not. That one has been buried in the dirt and it is all scratched up. Take this new one instead, do not make a bad first impression.”

“No.” He can feel the smile on his face, warm and sincere. While the new cooking pot did look more suitable for a competition, he believes Eis when the Fae said there is magic in the old one. Seasoned with memories.

“Hmph, do not blame me if you do not win.” Eis frowns as their own words, “What I mean to say is, it is fine if you do not win. Because you have not been cooking long and there are more experienced dragons competing. Perhaps next year or the year after that, yet if you never do it is fine.” They trails off, but Stroh understands.

He always knew what they really meant.