It had been a couple days of travel before Aerisith found herself within the city walls, and she was certainly quick to ensure she had a room to her name at the inn. However, she wasn't just going to let the night life take her away. She had to take in the sights and tastes of the land. But where? Where would e the best place to go? No forced alcohol, a good bite to eat… It was time her nose did the guiding as she sniffed the air like some kind of dog before being led over to an open griddle barbecue place. Good job, nose, She thought, toothy grin in full display as she entered.

It did not take her long to get settled down, cup of ginseng tea and a bowl of white rice on one side, plates of marinated beef, pork, and chicken on the other, and a blazing griddle right up front. Chopsticks in hand, she handled some of the beef to the grill, letting the sizzle bless her ears and the cook with her nose. Part of it was a waiting game, but she was free to cook them how she liked and enjoyed as she wished (with free refills!).

Still, while there were plenty of private booths she could have taken, secluding herself to her own foodie paradise, she took t one of the more open benches with larger griddles for multiple plates. It almost gave it a more tavern-like approach, to just go up to a stranger, strike up a conversation, maybe a game or two as you wash the work day away. … Then again, could they play cards with the griddle where it was?

Ah well. At the very least, she knew she could at least strike up some talks as she flipped over her steaks, indulging in the spicy kick of the seasoning, taunting her to dig in. "Do not fret. I shall consume you soon enough…"

A small commotion came from a few booths away where customers paid to get a seat at the griddles. There was the proprietor, a middle-aged man with greying hair pulled back neatly in a topknot standing face to face with a man who had loose hair in an unusual shade of blue. The man's clothing was old and somewhat faded, while his eyes were green like jade. There was a puzzled look on his face as the poor proprietor had an expression of exasperation. "I don't understand…Why can't I use these coins? The value should be the right amount for a set?" The middle-aged man dressed in a short coat and rolled sleeves shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I only accept payment in do, gin, kin, or silver crescents. I don't know where you got this currency, but it isn't traded here." The blue-haired man seemed shocked, confused even. "Are you sure they're not the same?" The tired man nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Here–let me show you. This one with the star is do, the moon is gin, and the sun is kin." Shulgan stared at the coins for a while, then back at the ones in his palm.

"They're different?…They really are different." Realizing his money wasn't any good, he nervously glanced back at the proprietor before asking hesitantly, "…Do you accept the barter system?" The bargaining continued on as passersby saw the strange man attempt to make purchases using 'dragon scales', with the owner of the barbecue establishment growing more beleaguered by the second. How long had he been asleep for the currency to change so much? Shulgan was desperately trying to see if he had anything that was still considered acceptable payment. In reality, the old sea drake had gotten the countries of the currencies mixed up and now the coins he had were defunct. The only place they'd be worth something would be at a pawn shop or private collector's gallery–not that he was aware of this. 

Unnatural hair and striking eyes aside, Shulgan's appearance was odd. He wasn't dressed like a beggar, but his clothes were old and the style wasn't something you saw often in these parts. The cloth had seen better days, with the vibrancy of the original dyes now dull. He also carried a long staff with him, doubling as a walking stick and simple weapon for self-defense. It took training and skill to use a sword, but you didn't need any to know how to smack things with a pole. 

Cloaked-blue eyes gazed greedily over the beef, nose on point to catch the scent of perfection as her chopsticks readied themselves in the air. Just a little more… a little more… NOW! The sticks slid through, swiping the meat off the griddle before flying them towards her mouth as they still popped from the heat. The fire from the cookware now rested on her tongue as it worked with the sharp spices, she smiled in delight as she felt her mouth get seared, heat filling up to the back of her nose before starting to lay out the next batch in front of her.

That was when the commotion got started with one of the shop keepers. Normally, such banter would become background noise, but it was the rare delicacy of the tale that drew interest. Someone who had no idea of this realm's currency was certainly a bit of an oddity, and his face towards such realization made it seem like he had no real idea, but still intended to make do. All he wanted was a decent meal, but no real way to provide at the current moment.

"HEEEEEEY!" Aerisith called out, waving to trying and get the sop owner's attention, "How about you get him him what he wants, but put it on my tab? 30 silver maximum, though!" She had learned to always set limited when tabbing others, just to ensure they don't go overboard. "Oh, and a small order of dumplings, too!"

He was starting to panic. He thought things would be fine since he had some money, but apparently there were many things that had changed over time. Shulgan was contemplating on heading down to the harbor to try his luck fishing instead when someone intervened. One of the customers at a griddle called from her seat, saying she was willing to pay for what he wanted to buy. This small act of kindness may have been a trifle, but to Shulgan this was a great sign of respect. Grateful to this magnanimous young girl, the drake gave a hopeful glance at the proprietor. By now the man wanted to get this over with, so he obliged. "Alright alright…so you wanted the set of beef with side dishes?" The blue-haired man nodded, and the shop keep wrote the order down. "The seats are open, sit wherever you like. We'll bring your food over when it's ready." 

"Thank you sir!" Shulgan hurriedly gave a polite bow before heading over towards an empty spot beside the nice girl who had offer to buy him a meal. He waved his hand a bit to fan away the smoke coming from the sizzling grate as he observed the cooking pieces of meat. Ah, so this was how the shorter-lived people ate their meat. The raw meat quickly went from a vibrant red to a darkened brown in seconds, fat melting and burning in the heat. There were other smells intermingled with the aroma of rendering fat, along with the ash of charcoal. "Thank you for your help earlier. I didn't know that the shape of the coinage changed already." He said sheepishly. "It still doesn't feel right to receive something without giving in return though. Please accept this as my token of gratitude." Fishing out the nicest coin from his age-old collection, he offered it to her. His coin pile wasn't very large in comparison to other dragons. Most of the things he hoarded were knickknacks, interesting baubles, and textiles. 

From his brief observations of city folk after his hibernation, it appeared people preferred receiving coins instead of non-coin related items. There was very little use of the barter system as well. If rare roots and fallen scales weren't acceptable for trade, then he would need to find a way to obtain the most recent currency to exchange for goods. Perhaps he should try selling things people did want–like fish? Shulgan had never eaten barbecue before. In fact, this was the second time he was eating cooked meat since he woke up. Normally he ate fish and sea plants right after they were harvested. They tasted best that way; if they sat around too long they would go bad and eating them then would make you sick. 

The beef gets the flip… The beef gets the flip… And then they are met by the porky strip! She mused herself as she handled the food before her, adding on more meat to cook as the next bits were finishing up. The smell of the three meats were complimented by their seasonings so well as the fats dropping into the flames was music to her ears. And at the end of it all, a seat next to hers dragging open as the confused man came to her, once again talking in such a strange fashion. You say this as if you came from another world or was in a millennia coma," she chuckled, though not to denying the coin. The metal was still able to hold shape, luckily, but its print and carve certainly seemed foreign. If it was the later, maybe she could bring it to a historian to see what kind of return she could get from it?

Still, his face clearly showed his mental wheels were running in full drive, as if trying to solve a complicated puzzle. "Hey, we are hear to relax, right?" She tried to comfort as she pulled the beef strips from the griddle, again delivering them straight to her mouth and flipping the others chunks of meat as she savored the flavor. "Or… or we could chat a bit to help you see how much you missed in terms of the change of the coin print?" Maybe too much of a tease, but what was the worse that could happen?

Resting her chops, she traded for her glass of ginseng tea to help clean up her palette and cool her lips before saying, "You may call me Aleina, and if there is anything you would like to know, I could certainly be glad to assist." It was at that time another server came by with two plates: one with fine cuts of beef strips, glistening with marinade and seasonings while the other was a small platter of steamed dumplings and dipping sauce, which washed away the air she placed on just a moment ago. Taking one in chops, and a quick dip, and she was fast on diving in to the doughy bites, with shrimp being the main stars as it worked with the veggies and herbs that worked in the center of the slightly grilled treat.

"Was it that obvious? How did you know?" Shulgan asked, genuinely surprised. Yes, he thought she was serious when she happened to mention being unconscious for an incredibly long amount of time. Under normal circumstances this would be sarcasm, but today the girl would learn just how accurate her offhand remark was. Jokes aside, he made himself comfortable as the food arrived. "Oh I don't mind. It's best to experience and learn things slowly instead of rushing all at once. Miss Aleina, you may call me Shulgan. It's been quite a while since I've been in a town." Quite a while as in more than a couple of centuries. The plate of meat with seasonings was his, and the other that Aleina ordered had some strange things with a sort of flabby skin. His jade-green eyes watched her intently as she took one and ate it. To his surprise, there was something inside. "What is this?" He asked, pointing at the dumplings. "May I have one?" He was experiencing so many new things today, especially regarding how others ate food.

When he inspected the strange parcel, he used the chopsticks to break the dumpling open. Picking apart the doughy skin, he prodded the conglomerate lump in the center. There were bits and pieces of things in the mass, the green likely edible plants of some sort. The thing holding it all together was solid, but not tough. He picked up a piece of cooked shrimp with his fingers and chewed it slowly. Having never eaten cooked shrimp before, he had no idea what it was. It was some sort of meat, definitely not fish or a land animal. The texture was firm to the tooth without being fibrous. Tasting the 'skin', he made a face as he tried to discern what this was. It looked and felt like skin, but it was surprisingly weak. Shulgan wasn't sure if he liked it. 

Turning his attention to the beef strips, he decided to imitate Aleina and picked up a piece of raw meat with the chopsticks to dip it in the marinade that came with the plate. However instead of putting it on the grill, he ate it. "It's salty." He ate the meat…raw. And for some reason he was acting like this was a totally normal thing to do. As for Shulgan, in his eyes having a piece fresh beef sliced so nicely and arranged on a plate was exceptional customer service.

How… did I….. know? Was he serious?! It was a joke! Sarcasm! A play on the situation! How can he just shake it off so easily and accept it as truth?! Waitwaitwaitwait… But which one's true?! If he did come from another realm, then the coin would be absolutely useless unless she somehow either found his ream or found someone who found fun in researching them. On the other hand, the man was over a thousand years old and he handed out an ancient relic that historians would love, considering the condition it was in. No, wait… She would certainly be questioned on its authenticity if such an ancient relic was given in such high condition, and they were very keen on deceptive acts like modern wear…

The gears in her head were frantically turning until her nose brought her attention back home: the chicken and pork was burning! "AHH!" She panicked, acting quickly to pull off the blackened bits off the grill and onto a side plate before examining the damage. The chicken was fairly charred, but could still be possibly enjoyed. The pork, alas, had to be sent off to the food heavens without the joy of being eaten. Still, even then, the toughness the blackened shell had dampened the joy the chicken could have given, needing to swallow it down with chunks of rice and a rinse of tea. Who would have thought such a strong reaction would result in an earthly texture?

Her attention was so drawn away that she failed to even see him take one of the dumplings, dissecting it open like an alchemist after the heart of a goat.Instead, she was only able to catch him take the raw beef and drop it into his mouth. … Nope, no matter what the answer is, that is simply strange, was the last words in her head, just imaging the gumminess of crewing on raw beef making her spine crawl. "U-Uh, hey, umm… Not to be rude, but maybe you should cook it first?" she suggested before laying on a new strip of pork on the grill. "I can understand not knowing how to cook, but I am sure the flavors will pop much better after applying some heat."

First the strange wrapped parcel, then the smell of blackened meat. Shulgan was wondering what Aleina was doing, observing the meat change color as the heat made it shrink and dry. Fat melted and sizzled, creating smoke. Then the surface started to brown. The brown then started to turn black as it was burning away the fat and moisture. Her panicked reaction seemed to say that something had gone wrong, so maybe you weren't supposed to leave it until it darkened so much? One of the pieces of charcoal-colored meat was discarded but one was eaten. Aleina didn't seem very happy about it, however. How interesting; apparently humans preferred their meat blackened slightly but not entirely so. Did they enjoy the smell and taste of charcoal? Vaguely he recalled that certain colorful birds would eat charcoal after ingesting unripe fruit. Did this action share a similar purpose?

As he was preparing to repeat his basting of the raw beef again, his table-side companion showed visible discomfort. She asked him if maybe he should cook the meat first, saying it would be more palatable after applying heat. This was something entirely new to Shulgan. Puzzled, he asked: "Oh? Does it taste better? This is how I usually eat though?" Normally he would catch his food and eat it immediately. Waiting too long meant a decline in flavor and texture, as a day-old fish was far worse than one still alive and kicking. Eating with tools and having the meat pre-cut was already a cut above his normal eating habits. You could say it was what one imagined as the peak of luxury. Was he eating the food wrong? A thought then entered into his head. "Ahh! Am I violating the local customs with my etiquette? I do apologize, I wasn't aware that it was poor manners to do so. How should I go about it then?" Again the dragon had reached a completely erroneous conclusion about why eating the meat raw was 'wrong'. 

Looking thoughtful he muttered to himself. "So in this city it is rude to eat meat before it is seared by heat…I see." At this point this man was more than just a temporal fish out of water, he might not even be in the same mental time-space of a past millennium entirely! He did however seem very eager to learn, despite jumping to far-fetched conclusions. 

"Yeah, the only meat people would not look at you strange for eating raw would be fish," Aerisith commented as she picked up a strip of Shulgan's meat, looking it over. A very thin cut. Perfect for a flash fry, echoed in her mind as she let the tip of her pinky touch it and lick it clean. Salty base with the soy, some fish sauce to add umami and earthiness… Some herbs and rice wine to balance it out… Ah, and a cut of lime acid to finish it off.

"Oi, can I get another bowl of rice?!" Aerisith hollered out, hand in the air until she got a nod of conferment. A grin shared her thanks before turning back over to Shulgan, telling him, "Okay, this is a very thin cut of meat, so it won't take long for it to finish through. I'd say 10 seconds each side. From there, you either eat it right off the grill or let it rest on a bed of rice, letting that soak up any extra marinade. From there, you will see how much of the sauce will really pop." The searing sizzle echoed as she tossed the strip onto the griddle, letting her nose take in the aroma of the meat as it fried away. A flip of the meat showed how much of a change there was of the color and smell after being cooked together with the beef. The bowl of rice was set between the pair as the succubus judged by her nose before pulling it off and resting it on the new bowl of rice. "There ya go. Now see how that tastes."

She indulged herself in another dumpling before setting up her own strips of meat on her part of the grill, waiting to see how much of a difference the cook made.

Shulgan watched with great concentration as Aleina began to demonstrate the proper way to eat sliced meat. Taking the thin strips, she laid them over the heated griddle flat. Wisps of steam arose as there was a hiss and crackle of moisture evaporating and fat searing, releasing the fragrant oils and scents from the marinade like burnt incense. A few moments later she then flipped them over to apply heat onto the other side, turning the darkened portion upward. The flash of heat had changed the meat entirely–the supple and soft texture now constricted and solidified gaining a slightly greater thickness than before. When it was cooked, she moved the finished pieces onto the piping hot rice. The residual marinade intermingled with coagulated blood and rendered fat left a shimmering layer that seeped slowly into the white fluffy grains. 

Picking the not-quite-burnt meat with a few grains clinging to its underside, he ate it in one bite. As he began to chew, his face alternated through a series of different expressions. The surface was no longer moist, more oily. The sharpness of the acidity had mellowed but the heat had accentuated the flavors of something mixed in. The freshness of the raw herbs took on a more complex form, and he could taste greater savoriness without as much salt. The marinade was much better, but the dragon still wasn't used to eating his meat 'tough'. He then jabbed his chopsticks to lift a clump of rice, shoveling it into his mouth. The melted fat with the heated sauce made the otherwise plain steamed grains more delicious.

"It makes the rice taste better and the sauce is more appealing once heated. But the change in texture is something that will require time getting used to. After cooking, the meat loses its flavor to take on others from the marinade. Though I must admit, the smell of burnt fat does smell wonderful." That sort of effect could never be achieved unless it was heated. How mysterious! Shulgan tried to imitate what she did a few times with varying success, sometimes having it overdone or only browned on the surface. His facial expressions showed his opinion on the results. After a while he eyed the small clay bowl of marinade, then the griddle. Since he enjoyed the new flavors that came about once it was heated, what harm there would be in heating it all? The sea drake carefully picked the marinade up and lowered the bowl onto the griddle's surface.