Taking his time out to stretch. Salem came fully prepared for what was about to happen. His staff was nearby but held for safekeeping. He had his standard belt and vest. His pants this time were a short blue material that matched his hair. He was both functional and stylish. The fairy in him could never truly give up on beauty and style. It was the same as being unalive or poofed.

Salem finished his stretches and tried not to get jittery. He was thrilled to be participating in the events in Hosenka. You can say a lot of things about Blue Pegasus but they knew how to party. If it was not for the fact that Salem was in Paradise Dawn for so long. He may have switched guilds just for the sparkles. Like the guild really knew how to put on a show. Compared to keeping up his duties and protecting the desolate north. The nature was more abundant but the activities were a killer on his social life.

Getting up he cooled himself off from the hot sun with his magic. All he had to do was wait for his partner and for the event to show up. He was glad he managed to wrangle someone in to help. If not this event would have gone downhill a lot faster for himself.

WC: 225

Alaric was a bit thrown back when Salem approached him with the idea that the two of them partner for a cooking contest. He had never really cooked for Salem and as far as he recalled, the two of them never did discuss if either of them were good cooks. Alaric had traveled to Hosenka, a city he’d never been to, all to cook with his little fairy. He had thrown on something simple. They were gonna get hot and dirty so why bother getting too fancy? He opted to wear an older t-shirt that was a faded grey color with some sort of graphic that had washed away to nothing more than a simple star that had lost its shine. His pants were baggy navy ball shorts and probably a bit more broken in than he would normally wear in public.

He was a bit nervous. Not to be around Salem but to be around all these people. He wasn’t expecting a crowd like this. There were so many humans and other creatures from all over. It wasn’t just Blue Pegasus or Fairy Tail that were here, people from non-mage guilds had come to partake. It was quite the festival. He pushed past the crowds and tried to find his way to Salem.

After a few moments, he finally picked up the scent. Like a hound dog, Alaric started to ignore those around him and forced his way along the scent’s path. Eventually, he found himself looking at a fairy that was so put together it hurt his own pride. Like, did Alaric need to be standing by this man? He was so graceful and looked like he was made for the center of attention. While Alaric looked like he had just woken up. He approached Salem with a bit of hesitancy. “Ah, hey Salem.” Normally Alaric felt more confident in himself but today it seems that confidence had stayed at home.

wc 326

“There you are love~” Salem was enthusiastic in his return greeting. The wereman was fun to be around and could even bring some excitement to this competition. Sometimes Salem did think ‘if he had a tail, would it wag?’ It was not a serious thought but it was there nonetheless. It was just the excitement in the air that was getting to him.

Salem admired the look Alaric had on. It was so much more natural. Compared to the polish and try hard that Salem put in. The fae had to admit that the wolfman was so handsome in a more real way. He had no doubt that when set in motion, his companion may start to develop his own fan club.

If it were not for the fact that Salem was looking at him. He may have missed the signs that something was up. He came closer and bent over, as if to try and put his hands on the man's cheeks to get him to look up at him. “What’s wrong? Nervous? Upset? I will not know if you do not tell me?” Those fae genes were kicking in. When he wanted to he would display that straightforwardness to find out what he wanted to.


WC: 207 TWC: 432

Salem’s face of pure joy did bring comfort to Alaric. His nerves were still there but they were warming up to the scenario he found himself in. He glanced around at the crowd, noting that none of the people there were even looking at him. It made him a bit more relaxed about it all but still, he would rather not be in such a large crowd. The noise and smells were almost overwhelming for somebody like him. Lately, he’d noticed his senses were much more acute than normal. He wasn’t sure why but in a situation like this, it was a burden more than a blessing.

It must have been a Fae thing, Salem was able to pick up right away that something was amiss with Alaric. Alaric slid a hand behind his head and scratched at his hair to be more nonchalant. “Ah, umm yea I guess.” His body turned again to look at the crowd. While nobody paid him any mind, in his head they were all thinking about how a freak like him could be allowed to roam the streets as he pleases. Trauma doesn’t seem to fade overnight. He turned back to Salem and locked eyes with him. “Crowds and me don’t mix. Or, I should say, humans and me don’t mix.”


Wc 223
Twc 549

Looking to make sure his partner relaxed a little. Salem felt a little better when he did. The little fairy can get competitive at times but he was always concerned about the people he viewed as his. He was the type that enjoyed making sure his things were in the best of conditions. So when he noticed a hint of perkiness he was able to breath easily.

“Your focus should not be on them. Let me worry about them. I just want to eat the food you make. All you have to do is cook. Would be best for you to get your supplies ready. The event should start soon. Feel free to go full beast since I want to win. I will have your back.”

Salem meant that with his entire being. He wanted to win and would not hesitate to do so. It was his main goal and he needed it. He was giving Alaric a chance to show off. As a flame mage he should have a better control of flame, Salem wanted to believe the food would be bursting with flavor. When Alaric had his gear and stuff set it would look odd compared to some of the other contestants. To the ones working in pairs or groups, they had a similar idea as Salem.

“When it starts, get to cooking. We will make it up the mountain in no time.” Salem said it with confidence even if what he was about to do was highly experimental to say the least. Nor did he even know if Alaric could cook. He had faith in his healing abilities to keep anyone going or alive if he could not. From his hard work and confidence, Salem thought they would place even if the food lacked.



WC: 297    TWC: 729

Alaric looked at Salem as he spoke those words. He glanced back over his shoulder one more time before finding the resolve to drown out the crowds. Salem had given him what he needed, a safe space. He balled his fist tightly and gave a firm nod. “You’re right. I just need to focus. Fuck the rest.” He took a deep inhale, allowing his chest to fully expand. As he exhaled he walked past Salem and towards their station. It was nothing too grand, Alaric had used a cruder workspace before. This was much nicer than what he was used to. Out on the road, he was lucky to have more than two pans going at once. He gathered some of the wood logs and tossed them into the pit. If they were going to BBQ, he needed to get the heat going. With a snap of his fingers, a small burst appeared in the center of the pile. A flame sparked. One more snap and the entirety of the logs would be roaring to life.

He slipped on the apron that was hanging up and started to go through all his stock. “Hey Salem, can you get me a basin of water going? Go ahead and get some vinegar too and measure. I’ll get to work on the meat. It’s gonna take a bit of time to get this nice and smoked. We’ll have to keep an eye on the temps. “ As Salem headed off to get some of the base ingredients for the sauce together, Alaric’s attention shifted to the large ice chest. There were several different cuts of meat inside but his gaze went quickly to the venison ribs. Pork or beef were traditional with ribs but venison was a viable option too. One that Alaric could appreciate. They were leaner than the other two but there was still plenty of fat.

He took the ribs out and brought them to the table. He began to sharpen his knife while looking over the meat. More fat than I would have thought. I’m gonna need to trim that off or it will kill the flavor. He thought to himself. Slowly, he began. Slivers of meat slid off the hunks one by one. After several minutes of intense concentration, Alaric had shaved most of the excess fat off one set of the ribs. As he brought himself up to admire his work, he noticed the crowd once again.

People were looking at him. They were looking at everybody but he felt as if their eyes were only on him. Darting looks made him feel uneasy. The venison was a bad choice. No way these people will like the more gaming style of ribs. These were city folk, not hunters. He put the knife down and turned his back to the crowd, facing the cold box. He stood there staring at the other meat, afraid to pick a different option. The clock was ticking. If he didn’t have his meat in the pit soon, it would not have enough time to fully cook. Alaric was paralyzed.


WC 524 | TWC 1073