Starter for @waterprisoned Basil w/ Joachim
Basil had cooked a simple meal for that night. It had been too exciting a day, between the crash, awakening, and travel, to think of anything else: fish grilled with foraged vegetables and herbs, the starchy tubers of the region for a filler. While bent over the fire she learned more about her new companions: Gale was erudite, and forthcoming with polite conversation; Astarion was sardonic and dramatic; Shadowheart was the only other person present who could cook, but she said nothing else of herself; Lae'zel thought the food of the material realm to be 'primitive.' They each found corners of safety to tuck themselves away into, in their camp by the river, to eat, or contemplate the darkness of the night.
All of them faced the looming specter of death and transformation, tension and weight tightened the expanses of all their strong shoulders. Basil sensed that these were independent, willful people, and she was the only one in the bunch truly willing to cooperate. She made a poor glue but cooking helped, everyone was more affable after a meal. Only one person did not come into the firelight for supper, however, nor did he even speak to the others. He had introduced himself earlier as 'Joachim,' and besides his impressive abilities in combat, Basil knew nothing else about him. Nonetheless, he had tagged along with their strange, and mutually infected, group.
There had been a set of serving ware, simple and earthen, in a crashed fishing boat on the shore near the downed Nautoloid. Onto one of these clay plates, Basil heaped fish, vegetables, and tubers, so she could carry the food to where Joachim lingered by the river, near the reeds. Basil set the plate on a rock before him, a small peace offering. She clasped her hands in front of her and offered a smile.
"I thought you might be hungry," she said. "I know it isn't much, but everyone else thought it was quite good." Except Astarion but Basil suspected he had a refined palette. "At the least it's filling."
Basil hesitated and then added:
"Is everything alright? If you need healing, or anything, please let me know. I'd be happy to help."
