#iberisnightingale

[ee-furoido]

Have you tried making Floyd and Azul eat mushrooms such as the Wood Ear or the Snow Fungus? They are very versatile and their nearly nonexistent flavour should make them palatable to those with a distaste for mushrooms!

"How ingenious, ufufu."

As always, Jade perks up at the simple mention of mushrooms.

"I shall have to search the grounds for those mushrooms, or perhaps Sam-san would be able to procure them for me. I am sure with such versatility there's much I would be able to create with them."

Both of them have their uses in cuisine, perfect for light dishes at a café such as the Mostro Lounge. A Cucumber Salad mixed with the wood ear mushroom could be a nice appetizer. At least, far better than the one that was prepared currently with shiitake mushrooms. Jade stifles a light chuckle, hoping that perhaps this small change would put his brother in a more acquiescing mood towards his dishes.

"Floyd is adamant to always check the dishes I prepare for shiitake, his distaste for them is so powerful." Jade explains. "However his aversion to other mushrooms seems to only come from constant exposure in a short amount of time. Fufufu, if only he wouldn't call them strange and mysterious, I wouldn't feel the need to educate and feed them to him."

"I'm sure he and Azul will be more than willing to try a new dish containing different species of mushrooms so long as it comes with the assurance that I won't be feeding it to them without pause for another month. Ufufu."

[ee-furoido]

Has Floyd ever, accidentally or not, destroyed your terrariums or killed your mushrooms? If he has, what was your retaliation?

"As playful as Floyd tends to be, he has not and I'd like to believe that he would not resort to such a childish act intentionally."

Jade's usual light-hearted mask falls slightly at the thought of his precious gardens being maliciously destroyed. Arms folded across his chest, he looks just as cross and you wonder what thoughts dance just inside his eyes. Is he thinking of how he would retaliate? Is he enjoying a small theater of the mind in which he avenges the lives of his carefully brought up mushrooms? Whatever it is, his sly smirk slowly spreads from cheek to cheek once more.

"Ah, I apologize, I do not wish to deal in hypotheticals, fufu. I am quite sure that Floyd would know better than to even approach my terrariums or mushroom garden. After all, it would be a shame if someone were to, let's say unintentionally, scuff up his new pair of high-end brand shoes... Not that I've ever entertained the thought, fufufu."

[ee-furoido]

Do you know of air plants? They do not need soil to grow from, so you can place them in any kind of terrarium; you can even hang them upside down from the ceiling!

“Oya? How fascinating!"

Jade takes a look around his room, at the numerous terrariums on his shelves on desk. Truly, he was running out of room recently, and perhaps hanging glass terrariums near the window could be aesthetically pleasing.

"I must thank you for bringing these otherworldly kind of plants to my attention." Jade's eyes twinkle in excitement. "Their appendages are quite wild, it is interesting how closely it resembles underwater plants, frozen in time."

His grin is a pleasant one, excited to add to his terrarium collection. More gardens for him to be the sole hand of life or death for. "It will be a relief for Floyd, I am sure, that these new plants will not track soil and dirt in our room, fufu."

"How exciting, I shall have to procure some swiftly."

[ee-furoido]

Do you know how to perform tea ceremonies? I think having the Mostro Lounge as a setting would bring an interesting and novel atmosphere to one of those.

“I have, of course, read on the subject of tea ceremonies,” Jade ponders, arms crossed. “However I have not had the pleasure of performing one myself.” His gaze is wistful, as if imagining what all would be necessary for such a traditional display. 

The booths in the Lounge would have to be moved aside, of course. A nice mat laid out on the ground. Bowls and a bamboo whisk. Yes, it could be doable. Jade would only have to make sure that the guests who may partake wash themselves up properly before sharing tea from the same bowl.

He chuckles, pleased.

“Yes, I should be able to convince Azul that it would be quite beneficial and profitable were we to partake in such an event. A light departure from our intended theme, but perhaps the ambiance of the water reflected against the walls will allow for a soothing ceremony.”

[ee-furoido]

Do you like to add anything to your tea or do you drink it plain? Personally, I find that adding milk or sugar only manages to mask the subtleties in taste that a well-brewed tea possesses—I would only consider it if I were to find the flavour lacking in depth and need to hide the blandness.

You sit at the counter of the Mostro Lounge on a slow evening, your question pulling Jade’s attention from his latest finished creation, an Orange Coral fruity drink. He quickly places it on a tray for the waiting server and it is swiftly carried off to it’s proper table.

“Personally, I prefer tea to be undisturbed. It is refreshing that you think the same.”

From his side of the counter, he pulls out a small iron kettle and two small mugs and places it before you with a light smile. The kettle is steaming slightly, having just been pulled from his portable burner behind the counter. Perfect timing.

He opens the top of the kettle and checks the color. You see a cluster of wet leaves inside of the strainer resting in the pot. Ah, green tea. Just from the lid being remove, you can smell the aroma.

“If you’ve had tea that were lacking in flavor or depth, I would suggest tweaking a few of your steps. Perhaps the tea was not steeped for long enough, not allowing the flavor of the leaves to be infused in the water. It is also important to use purified water, so there are no other tastes conflicting with the leaves.”

He pours the tea in the two mugs, one for you, one for him. Small flecks of the green tea leaves float in the mug, having escaped from the strainer. The color is a dark green, like the mer-eel’s namesake gem.

“Instead of attempting to adjust the taste of the tea with additives, I would suggest serving your tea with a confection.” Jade says, pulling yet another container from behind the counter, a small transparent jar halfway filled with konpeito, small crystal sugar candy. With a small scoop, he pulls out about ten of them onto a small place and slides it towards you. “The sweets will balance the bitterness of the tea, and you’ll find your experience more enjoyable.

“I do hope these candies will help invigorate you to focus on your classes later today.” Jade’s polite customer service smile is turned up to max. He picks up his mug of tea and takes a sip, sighing. His sharp eyes watches you as you pick up a candy and begin to enjoy your tea. His grin widens.

“That will be 800 madol for the tea and advice. Fufufu.”

[ee-furoido]

With the winter holidays upon us, let us talk about the mushroom with ties to the season—the Fly Agaric! As you know, this iconic mushroom is poisonous, but would you be willing to eat it if prepared properly? People have regularly consumed it without adverse effects and its apparently delicious taste has my curiosity piqued!

“Prepared properly?” Jade nods with a knowing smile. “A single cap of the Fly Agaric could contain enough muscimol to be toxic to a human body, so we would have to be very careful, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

Jade starts to mutter to himself as he opens his logbook of mushroom details that he had collected over time and trailed his fingers to the entry for Amanita Muscaria. “We’d have to remove all traces of the toxins before we could partake in it, of course. 

“Perhaps the appropriate practice would be to boil the cap until all color has been removed from the cap, for about ten minutes or so. Rinsing, then packing it in salt, allowing it to dry out over a month or so. Once it’s dried well, we’d have to soak it to remove the toxin-absorbed salt. 

“Hmm, pickled muscaria sounds like it could be quite a delicacy.” He glances back up at you with a polite smile, excited to try a new recipe with such an unwilling participant.

“Oya, I do hope you trust me to be able to properly remove the sensations of euphoria, hallucinations, drowsiness, and nausea before I feed it to you. Fufufu.”

[ee-furoido]

Finally found someone who likes mushrooms!! Do you have a favourite, or one you are more interested in? I admit to have a particular fondness for the Destroying Angel, dainty and innocent-looking, but one of the most toxic mushrooms; and I would like to come across an Octopus Stinkhorn someday so I could admire it in person. I wonder what Azul would say if he saw one... And do you think Floyd would at least agree that it looks interesting?

There’s a twinkle in Jade’s eye as pulls out his notebook, rifling through the pages once more through the sketches and snippets of observations that he had created on the various mushrooms he had come across during his time on land.

“I had another curious individual come by the other day,” he mused, his eyes trained on each sketch as he flipped through the book. “Of course, they were more focused on looks and neglected to inquire about my favorite.”

He licks his finger and turns another page. “Hm. It really is quite difficult for me to choose a favorite, every species of fungi I have seen in my hikes have all had their own charms. I suppose I am quite partial towards the bioluminescent mushrooms myself, as they tend to remind me of the coral back in the ocean that would glow and light the way home when Floyd and I had stayed out quite late, exploring.” He turns his book towards you, showing a page with photos of various mushrooms of the Mycena genus, all taken at night, all emitting a light greenish hue.

Jade fondly pulls the book back, continuing to flip through the pages. He finds one that he had just organized the other day; the one you called the Octopus Stinkhorn. Except he had a different name for it up at the top. 

“I had heard that some call this the Octopus Stinkhorn, but I had always known it as the Devil’s Fingers.” Jade chuckled. “It does make me curious to know what Azul would say of it, perhaps I should take him and Floyd hiking with me one day to view the one that I found a few weeks ago. Yes, Floyd may find it quite fascinating to poke at. Ah, but-

“It may already be decaying, and I hear that the aroma is not pleasant. Fufufu, we wouldn’t want to turn those two off of mushrooms even more than I already have, do we? I do not wish for Azul to take away all my mushroom dish privileges.” Another soft, dry laugh as he put his notebook away, pleased to be able to find another person to discuss mushrooms with. 

[ee-furoido]

Did you know there are mushrooms that look like coral? The Poison Fire Coral and the Violet Coral are both really beautiful! Just beware not to touch the Poison Fire Coral, for some say its toxin can affect people through physical contact. For an edible mushroom, there's the Comb Tooth; just imagine it sitting on the bottom of a small bowl of consommé, it would be a perfect dish for the Mostro Lounge!

“I’ve heard that touching the Poison Fire Coral could cause skin irritation, although I personally haven’t found any evidence to corroborate this.” Jade nods his head, commending your influx of information. There is a small twinkle in his eye, elated to be able to discuss the beauty of mushrooms with someone who actually appreciates it, unlike his brother and Azul.

Jade’s grin widens at the mention of adding mushrooms to the Mostro Lounge menu. “I love the way your mind works. I personally think that every dish should have some semblance of mushrooms in it, and a mushroom consommé would be a lovely addition. 

“Try as those uncultured two might, they don’t seem to understand that I am simply trying to provide them a healthy lifestyle. The coral mushrooms would also make a fine addition to our lighter fares, perhaps cut up into bite-sized pieces and mixed into our salads. 

“Fufufu. I’ll just have to make sure we don’t harvest those more bright colored ones, won’t we?”