Mazus

As a detective's apprentice, it's Mazus' first investigation! Records say that there's a scandal afoot in the carnival nearby, and it's her job to go undercover to investigate it. And part of what makes a good job is a good disguise. She's dressed in a bard's outfit, colourful bows draping her person. (It was also her excuse to cheer up the hatchlings attending the faire.)

Mazus was investigating the coast of Sun Harbour until a bunch of pirates took her into their ship. With her wings tied, Maxus couldn't just fly away, so she looked for an alternative way out. Therefore, she kept striking deals until she found one they would agree upon. After several refusals, Mazus got desperate and without thinking, she proposed that she’d cook a tasty free meal for them, and the pirates would get her back to Luminhearth in return. The captain accepted the deal on the crew's behalf, and now she stands in their ship’s galley, where the kitchen was held.

Well, this is awkward.

What the pirates didn’t know is that in reality, she was bluffing and couldn’t actually cook. She hadn’t anticipated for them to so easily accept the deal. Mazus took a quick glance at the galley’s cupboards and shelves to see what she was working with. Salted fish scraps, vegetables, spices and herbs… It all clicked in Mazus’ head. She could make fish soup! Teakwood usually cooked fish soup for Mazus whenever she was uncovering a hard case, and the amazing aroma & taste was distinct enough for her to remember. Unfortunately, Mazus hadn’t asked her mentor for her recipe for fish soup yet, so the best she could do was to go with her gut.

Mazus went over to the pots, gingerly grabbing a stewpot from the shelf before moving it onto the kitchen countertop. She then turned to the chopping board, plopping her fish on the chopping board. Using a blunt knife, she cut the fish into small pieces before placing them into the stewpot. Afterwards, she took out a jar of pickled carrots and mustard greens she found from the pantry and dumped them into the pot. When she was done adding the base ingredients, it was on to cooking the soup.

Mazus took the stewpot and propped it on the stovetop. After adding some oil, she turned the knob as the fire lit, letting the ingredients simmer for a bit. “A bit” turned into 5 minutes, then 10, but no more than that. The steam coming out from the pot and oil splatters was a dead giveaway to Mazus that she probably should not have let the soup cook for this long. Mazus backed away from the soup, frowning. The Coatl then hastily rushed to the pantry to fetch some salt in an attempt to mask the mistake she had made with a good amount of seasoning. With a few flinches due to the splattering of oil, she sprinkled several pinches of salt and quite a few splashes of water so the broth could form.

Needless to say, after a few minutes of cooking, the dish hadn’t turned out as Mazus had hoped, and not nearly as good as her mentor had made it. In defeat, Mazus poured the soup into bowls, and decided to slip the knife on the chopping board into her tailcoat's pocket, turning her head back at the ropes which bound her wings together.

At least she had thought of an alternative plan out that doesn't require to be good at cooking.

Walking out of the kitchen, Mazus unwillingly presented her culinary disaster to the pirates, and after one taste, the crew expressed their distaste for the soup (Mazus may have put too much seasoning in it). But when they looked back to the Coatl, they realized some long cut pieces of rope and a blunt kitchen knife had just taken her place.