Day 16 (S9)

Day 3 of heist planning, they planned to go through with the heist the next day.
Rina was staying in the Tunnel inn reading Niktalia Eternal, then gets a knock on the door.
She opens it, "Aurelius? What are you doing here?"
"Well, since you're a terrible cook" he started.
"Hey!" she interjected, "I might be better if I had good ingredients!"
"Well, I think we should go to the Culinary School here to get some - and so you can actually learn to cook."
"Maybe you should learn" she said, "I cooked for my family for decades. Not my fault you grew up with a silver spoon in your mouth and its not good enough for you."
"You coming or not?" he asked.
"Fine" she answered, "Why wouldn't you take Kin or Alice?"
"Because you're the mom of the group. Plus I've known you the longest."
Rina was a little flattered at being considered the mom of the group. She was a mom, of course, but she also was glad they felt that way about her.

"Why don't we head to the ShapeSmithing school on the way and see if any pouches are done?" said Rina.
"I thought you hated the idea of the pouches" said Aurelius.
She paused, "I have to admit I think it's a little tacky, but I kinda want to see that vampire again. Besides, it's on the way."
They stopped in to see if any pouches were ready. "I have three dozen ready to go" Drake said, "get them out of my office, I need to be able to use my desk again."
The three of them went into his office to find his desk completely covered in little leather pouches - each stamped with a logo Drake had designed for the Sprite's Lights.

"Nice work" Rina said, "it's a perfect logo."
"It was nothing" Drake answered. He then got up and walked away without another word.
Rina and Aurelius then left - feeling a little awkward.
"No 'goodbye' or nothin, huh?" Aurelius said to Rina.
"Yeah I guess not" she answered.

They went to the Culinary School and saw dozens of students all cooking the same dish.
"Good afternoon" a sweet voice said from the head of the classroom, "What can I help you with today?" I young-looking woman seemed to be teaching the class, and talked over to talk to them.
"We both want to learn how to cook" said Aurelius.
"Well, HE needs to learn how" said Rina, "I just need better spices."
"Well, seems like we can help you with both!" the woman said with a smile, "Let's see what the two of you can do - grab a apron and get to a cooking station!"
The two of them cook the same dish that the rest of the students were cooking - it was a kind of Withersalt quiche.
Rina's was pasable, "Hmm, it seems like you are not used to working with many spices" said the teacher, "but this is not bad!"
Aurelius' got burned in the oven due to him trying to talk to all the other students and forgetting to take it out, "Um..." the teacher started, "After taking off all of the burned parts, the inside is pretty good."
She continued, "The two of you just need more experience, and more spices."
"Where can we get more spices?" Aurelius asked.
"Well, it's best if you get them fresh. Obviously you can dry them, but nothing is better than fresh herbs!" she said as she clapped her hands in excitement.
"Alice has the bag of Colding" said Rina, "We could keep them fresh in there."
"Yeah!" Aurelius started, "What herbs do you recommend for a high-meat diet? We have to hunt a lot, and it would be nice to season the mean more often."
The teacher then showed them around the spice rack, and handed Aurelius a small book with hand drawn pictures of different herbs, with lists of how they pair with different foods.
"We have many of these books - it is one of the students' final projects to make one each year when they graduate. I grade them myself, so you know they are accurate!"
"Thank you" said Rina, "You have really helped us today - and the rest of our adventuring party."
They all laughed, then Rina and Aurelius left.

In the meantime, Kin and Alice were moving the barrels and boxes in and out, acting like traders.
"Kin" said Alice, "when can we stop doing this every day? My arms are sore!"
"Today's the last day" he said, "Tomorrow we go through with taking the chest with the body in it."
"What else do we need to do before then?" Alice asked him.
"I need to find a trader that needs to leave tomorrow, and pay him to keep his boat in the water right next to the Floppy Hat Inn" he said, "We need to make sure that the chest it's in can get out of the city without us being seen doing it. We will need to throw it out a window."

Later, Kin paid a ship owner to pause near the Floppy Hat Inn until after a chest had fallen out a window.
"But I got to make time!" the captain said at first.
"Would this make it worth your while?" Kin said handing him 25 gold in one of the Sprite's Lights pouches.
"Uhh, yeah!" the captain responded excitedly, "I'd sit here for a whole day for that!"
"Good" said Kin, "If nothing happens by sunset tomorrow, you can go ahead and leave anyway. But if a chest falls onto your boat... just cover it with a tarp."
"You got it!" the captain said, saluting Kin.
Rina and Aurelius took a few meals they had made at the Culinary School for them to eat for dinner.
"This doesn't taste like anything" Kin said as he ate Rina's quiche.
"Mine's inedible!" Alice said when bit into one of Aurelius' quiches.
"At least mine can be eaten" said Rina.
"Yeah, yeah..." Aurelius sighed.
They all laughed and ate.
"Now, listen" started Kin, "The last few days, the Barbarian looks over the back side of the building, but the Fighter - who is supposed to guard the room - goes to get donuts. That's when we should go in."
They all nodded, now feeling somewhat confident in their plan for the next day.

Next: Day 17 (S10)