Hmm, think I should have time to leave the sect for a little while... Ares made sure Dabble and Julio weren't going to squabble like rowdy chickens anymore before heading off to Red Sun with two goals in mind. First, Shu, second Bahru. It had been ages and then some since Ares last met with Bahru, so for old time's sake it would be good to see him again, but Ares visited Shu first... He stopped outside her patisserie and slapped his cheeks in preparation because the woman he was about to deal with... Well it wasn't easy being around her, that was for sure. Her attitude was one of perfection or bust so Ares, who studied and learnt under her for a while, had gotten a lot of shtick from her back when he was younger. Hell he still did! Ares braced himself and walked into the store, a bright building filled with cream coloured tiles and dull pink furniture. Ares recalled being told it was designed this way because it resembled strawberry cream puffs and would set a sweeter atmosphere, encouraging shoppers to spend more. It's not like Shu cared about raking in the money or anything, her professionalism and dedication to her craft was the real driving factor behind this set of changes. Ares snuck his way to the back of the store, past all the customers lining up, and headed towards the staff area.
Shu used to run this tight ship all by herself, mostly because she couldn't trust others to match up to her in terms of quality, but the load as of late was impossible to manage solo. Instead, a different system was in place whereby customers who wanted Shu's work specifically had to make a reservation or pay a hefty sum, sometimes even both depending on how swamped she was. Today, though, her schedule was probably open as she wasn't making anything out at the front. Some of the other workers noticed Ares slipping by but Shu had probably mentioned that he was welcome back there and didn't question it any further. If he wasn't permitted to be back there Shu would kick him out herself, she was probably the second strongest shopkeeper in all of Red Sun... Though comparing her to Fixer, who had his own secrets and lengthy past, was pretty unfair. Only a handful of people knew this but Fixer actually came from the Dueuer domain, the one above Vraizon. He might honestly be the oldest being on this side of the severed domains as he lived through the severing and so much more. Not that he looked it but that was his extraordinarily high cultivation doing its job. He took an oath never to wield that cultivation, though, so he just sort of quietly blended in to the scenery while checking up on family, Lizzy, every now and then. His history was complicated and, debatably, related indirectly to Ares too... But that was for the future.
Ares entered a lounge and slumped onto a sofa opposite a young woman, in her mid to late twenties, reading a newspaper and sipping some coffee. A brief silence ensued as she finished going over today's news, and presumably any reviews of her shop that happened to be featured, before slapping the newspaper down on the table and revealing her face. She wore glasses pretty much everywhere, all the time, and had a face that refused to budge come rain or shine. She didn't look annoyed, per se, but she definitely didn't appear to be happy either. A plain, mood-less expression, soured by about five percent, combined with a sharp, all knowing, piercing stare. That about summed up Shu's defining feature, her stoicism and unrelenting professionalism no matter who she was dealing with. It contrasted quite heavily with the pink chef apron she was wearing but Ares knew better than to mention it, it didn't go well for him the last time he did. She went on a long rant about how she disliked the colour but it was appropriate for the shop itself and how making sacrifices for the sake of upholding her prided quality was mandatory... Honestly, a part of Ares still believed she might actually just like the colour... Ares had something thrown on his face but he didn't rush to take it off, simply sighing instead as his world was dyed pink. He lifted the apron off himself, put it on, and followed Shu wordlessly into the bowls of the shop. Whenever she wanted to practice harder sweets, or experimental ideas, this was where she would come so as not to disturb business upstairs. This was also where she trained new workers religiously until they possessed even a fraction of her own talent and were well enough equipped to serve the masses. Shu was never really satisfied with any of the pâtissiers she manufactured down here but her own standards were simply too high compared to the quality of wannabees she ran into and it was a miracle if she even found someone who could follow her recipes to the letter. She was demanding, requiring precision that was downright surgical, but it was what made her such a reputable chef worldwide like Remmy.
As for what Ares was doing down here... "Go on. Show me." Ares wasn't permitted to enter Shu's shop without being subjected to an exam of sorts. She kept up to date with his performance as a chef whenever he stopped by which, admittedly, was why he tried to avoid this place if he could. Not getting roped into this was impossible, completely unavoidable, and he was going to be asking her for something after anyway so it was only polite to do as the Romans do. Shu tested all her students constantly and Ares had learnt under her for long enough to be considered something of the sort. Of all food types, sweets were what he practiced the most in his spare time specifically so as not to embarrass himself if he ever wound up at Shu's. It didn't matter if it had been a day or a year since he last came here, she wouldn't ever let him go without a test, feedback, and brutal critiquing.
There were two main reasons for this, the first being pride. If Ares ever dared mentioned he was taught by Shu he better still be up to snuff as a chef lest he bring about ridicule for his master. Shu releasing her students out into the wild was acceptable on the condition they either continued training until the end of time, and never tolerated mediocrity, or never picked up a baking tray ever again. She couldn't enforce this, exactly, but she demanded it anyway. It wasn't a pretense, exactly, but it also wasn't the main reason she constantly tested everyone. Witnessing evolution. no two chefs were the same, this realisation pained Shu because it meant she would always have to look over everyone else's shoulder constantly and make sure they were striving to meet her standards. She would never find another chef like her, one she could just give a recipe to and let loose without having to check on them all the time. It was unfortunate but true... But there was an upside to this. Being different didn't exactly mean being inferior in all possible cases. Different chefs had different talents and were useful to Shu in other ways. Maybe one of her students would fold pastry in a way she never considered, maybe one of them would develop a taste sensation via a combination she wouldn't dare have the gall to even attempt. It could, and on occasion even has been, all be a complete accident. Maybe a student stumbled across something brilliant via a rookie mistake Shu would never make. There was lots to learn from different chefs and Shu understood that well so checking in regularly with her students was actually mostly for her own benefit. Curiosity about how they developed, what direction they were taking in their career or personal life, inspired her more than she ever directly admitted. She didn't deny it but wouldn't come out and say it of her own accord either.
In that way, Ares was interesting to Shu. His raw, technical talent was pretty ordinary. He couldn't bake a cake faster than anyone, he didn't measure instantly with nothing but his eyesight, and he took his usage of tools slowly. He was still above average compared to most but Shu had way better students in that regard and some even she respected which was rare. But no, Ares stood out for a different reason, a reason that was much rarer to come by. Shu was very by the book, to the point one might even mistake her as the original author. She could produce works better than the creator so long as she had the exact recipe. It was to the point she frequently adjusted recipes by even a single gram of sugar because it resulted in a better final product. Her knowledge of all things basic, intermediate, and advanced was immaculate. Her machine like efficiency was a thing to behold too so she was undoubtedly amazing... But there was something she lacked that Ares had in spades, creativity. It's not like she couldn't shape a pastry uniquely, add on small extra flavour profiles to change a dish completely, or come up with her own dishes... But, comparatively, Ares was like a drunkard preaching the end of days on the roadside. He was insane, basically. While Shu was using slightly different shades in her colouring book, Ares was blowing up test beakers and giving himself radiation poisoning. Ares' successes were rare, of course, but they were in a league of their own that even Shu had to begrudgingly give him credit for. What Ares truly excelled in was cross referencing flavours and combining them to heighten their individual characteristics or create something wildly different to the original ingredients. His dishes weren't exactly constructed perfectly, Shu could make his dishes better without fail, but they tasted incredible because every single ingredient was picked immaculately. To Shu, she couldn't comprehend it. It often looked like he was throwing a pin at a dartboard and praying for the end result to be edible... But it inexplicably worked for him and this was just the kind of manic chef he was. His ambrosia was a brilliant example of that but Shu didn't know of it. She wouldn't be surprised at all though...
It was impossible to mimic Ares and so, instead, Shu just enjoyed testing him and seeing what kind of whacky ideas were floating in that otherwise empty head of his whenever he dropped by. His worst 'test scores' to date were those he got whenever he was being lazy and not showing Shu anything new. At that point, he was just an ordinary chef who knew how to cook delicious food thanks to to other people's ideas having been hammered into him across Red Sun. He really stood out, even compared to other chefs in the region, when he did something stupid. Thankfully Ares never shied away from that sort of approach and so Shu waited patiently for him to finish the sweet he was making with a degree of anticipation. Not that it could be seen on her face which hadn't moved an inch since he started. Watching him cook was unusual, though, because it seemed like half the steps were missing... And yet they would randomly, mysteriously, be completed right on queue... Ares was using his Primordial Blade to help cook and it looked odd from the outside but Shu, again, didn't question it. When it came to Ares, the end was what really mattered and, soon enough, the end in question came.
Ares plated up a single macaroon, ashy black in colour with a golden cream in the middle. The colouring of the macaroon was rather pleasant and easy on the eyes, like a soft wispy grey with dark blemishes that functioned like gradients. Also the golden cream in the middle was brilliant and almost glistened so the dichotomy on display was appealing in its own way. This isn't how Shu would have plated it but it would suffice as it wasn't what she was really interested in. She only saw Ares using basic ingredients for the most part but she understood he was hiding the more erratic and strange choices to withhold information. He was always like this so Shu paid his grin no mind and picked up the macaroon. She smelled it and was already struggling to understand what kind of scent she was picking up because it was entirely foreign to her. He knew Ares went on a trip to other countries recently so maybe he picked up a local ingredient or two and was flexing his well-travelled knowledge of exotic cuisines... Shu bit into the macaroon, making sure to taste everything at once as she'd do individual taste testing afterwards, and chewed carefully. She shut her eyes and delved deep into the secrets of the dish but found no giveaways. Ultimately, she was left clueless as to how Arse achieved this flavour but she really wanted to know because it was quite impressive regardless. A faint hint of a smile could be seen on her face and that was perhaps the best praise she'd ever given out in her entire life. The macaroon's texture was arguably more spectacular than the taste as it practically melted in the mouth. Even Shu would struggle to create something as soft as this and this was her entire livelihood. It had nothing to do with Ares' technique, he didn't randomly improve this drastically, so he exploited an ingredients qualities instead but didn't compromise on taste. The Macaroon was sweet and tasted almost like burnt sugar. It was a faint taste, though, and vanished like a ghost on the tongue making it moreish. That was where the cream slid into play, though, as it refreshed the palate with a stronger taste that was indescribable. There was nothing in Shu's repertoire that tasted like this cream and her only thought was that she was eating literal gold. Sweet gold, like a more refined and elegant honey with richer undertones but an explosive punch. This was definitely Ares' best test score yet and Shu could only really chide him for improper execution when it came to matters such as beating the mixture inconsistently in places, not having a thoroughly clean workspace, measuring quantities incorrectly by a couple grams here and there, not getting the perfect shape for a normal meringue. In other words, the usual stuff Ares cut corners on because he didn't excel at it to begin with.
"What is it?" Usually this was where Shu would begin her long tirades and lecture the student but, when it came to Ares, she almost always found herself asking this question first.
"The meringue is made from alien limbs and the cream is made from my blood!"
...
Shu looked down at the meringue she just bit into, back at Ares' dumb smile, back down at the meringue again, and then finally looked Ares dead in the eye. "You're lucky it tasted good or I would have slapped you." She'd already eaten it, and she believed Ares was telling the truth, so she could only swallow her pride and admit this horrible concoction was obnoxiously good. She would have tried it regardless but she was definitely pleased she bit into it before knowing as it would have made her life way harder. She wasn't the adventurous type and if anyone other than Ares dared offer her something like this she would have gone into attack mode. Ares was dead serious about his silly ideas, though, so he got a pass... Barely... "Explain..."
Ares hesitated for a moment. "... Uh, the aliens are quite ugly but their limbs are extremely tasty. I was basically force fed one otherwise I wouldn't have tried it myself either... Looking back, though, I regret that attitude because now I'm pretty confident this is a major find for me. I even locked up the alien brood mother to create an alien farm so I could have a constant supply of these limbs..."
"... How ugly are we talking?"
"... Extremely... Do you want to see them?"
Shu took a deep breath. "I will brave the unknown for I believe it will be worth it." Ares understood the implication here, Shu was considering working with this ingredient. She was more impressed by the ingredient than she let on but using it without really understanding the source wasn't something she would ever tolerate... Ares handed over a ball of light containing memories of regular steppers, the brood mother, and the psychopath variant for good measure. Shu would definitely want a full rundown so he spared no expenses no matter how repulsive it all was. She would rather wretch and find it all unpleasant than not see it or have anything hidden from her, she was quite mentally tough in that regard even if only because of her work. This was a new avenue so she needed to explore it properly.
Sigh
Shu shook her head and looked a bit sickly but opened her eyes and narrowly stared at Ares. "Let me try a raw limb." She'd seen Ares eat it in his memory so knew full well they were perfectly edible. she had to understand the base flavour before moving on to actually utilising it across the rest of her work. Ares didn't say it but he was impressed she had this level of resilience and was powering through to this degree so he handed her a limb he stole from the farm and watched her wince as she bit into it. Much like with him, though, Shu slowly came to normalise the process of eating the limb and kept biting into it while writing down notes here and there. It was definitely an ingredient that made the taster hate that they love it. The texture and taste were phenomenal but the source of it... Really was what made it all so hard to digest... "Your blood, can it be eaten normally too?" Switching gears, Shu wanted to eat something else and take her mind of the alien substance for a bit. Ares nodded, cut open his finger and used telekinesis to hover some blood in front of Shu. She scooped it up and tried it with considerably less hesitation. Human blood was a far less hideous concept than an ugly alien and if it was someone she knew then there was basically no problem. "This... Does the flavour change?!"
"Mhm. Gets sweeter when mixed with other sweet things and tastes more savoury with the opposite. It's hard to tell what to use it with because I think pretty much anything will work well."
"I see... Do you mind leaving me some stepper limbs and some blood? I'll compensate you of course. You only ever come around when you want something nowadays anyway so I'll make whatever it is now as payment."
"Ouch..." Ares felt guilty being called out like that but it was true and he couldn't deny it. "I'll try and come around a bit more often if I can find the time..." Being a sect master and adventurer was time consuming but he could make stepper and blood deliveries if she wanted to start using these ingredients regularly. "Would you mind making a pie? Anything with gravy will do."
"A savoury pie? I don't mind but why? Your two wives who come around often ask for sweets so I'm guessing it's not for them." Shu had already met Enyo and Bellona and given them a small discount which they were immensely grateful for.
"... Uh, hehe, I have another partner now who really likes pies... Truth be told I was hoping to maybe learn a bit more about making them at some point too..." Translation 'pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease teach me.'
"What am I going to do with you..." Shu shook her head but wasn't upset or anything. Ares came and went like a free spirit. "Fine but only because you're still working hard to come up with new recipes. If you slack or give up then I won't waste my time with you anymore. The pie should take about an hour, I'll be taking it slow to make sure I produce something that will showcase the very best the pie world has to offer. You can come back when it's ready."
Ares took off his apron and waved goodbye as Shu got to work at her station. "Thanks again!" He was dismissively waved off but Ares could tell Shu was in a good mood as he walked out the store. "Hm. Bahru... Should be in at this time still." Ares would be catching Bahru at the tail end of the first half of his daily routine but that was perfect and so he used Voidwalk to make sure he wouldn't arrive late. Bahru mixed during the day and sold / bartended in his club at night. Ares wanted to get there while he was still brewing drinks because he remembered the other half of what Sandy liked. 'Gravy pies with mash' was one thing, Shu could make the pie and Ares the mash, but the 'ginger ale' she wanted was a more complicated matter. Ares was not great at making drinks and was a sore spot he needed to work on. It's not that he didn't work for Bahru for a while and get experience but it was a different ball game entirely and completely out of his wheelhouse. Ares wanted to get better at it too but, right now, he just wanted to welcome Sandy into the home with something to knock her socks off. Bahru, and old pal who hailed from Akarala, was the perfect acquaintance to help with that.