❝ 𝐘𝐀'𝐀𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐄
- arabic term meaning 'you bury me,' a declaration of one's hope that they'll die before another person because of how difficult it would be to live without them. ❞
⤷ in which an ex assassin meets a thief orphan who's skil...
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CHAPTER EIGHT ✔️
...
THE GATE BEFORE THEM opened, revealing a courtyard surrounding an arguably large house. The roof was a maroon color, and the walls were stone with Victorian-style windows. It was beautiful.
The courtyard was filled with individual counters and ovens, hinting at what the challenge of the phase would be. Sitting in front of the house were two people, one absurdly big, and one with green hair tied up in each direction.
So glad I go both ways.
Percy thought, biting her lip at the examiner's mesh top. She looked away—she was fifty percent gay, but she wasn't perverted.
"Will all the applicants who passed the first phase please enter? Welcome, all! I'm Menchi, your examiner for the second phase." The applicants filed into the empty space of the yard while the examiners, Menchi and Buhara, introduced themselves. A loud rumbling reverberated through the space, causing various people to gasp and question where it was coming from.
"Well, there you have it. The second phase... will be cooking!" She held up a finger gun, smiling. "That's right. The second phase of the exam will be preparing a meal that'll satisfy our palates. Don't you know? It's simple really, we're gourmet hunters!" The crowd breaks out into laughter, making Menchi huff.
"So, you're both gourmet hunters. And what exactly do you want us to make?" A bigger man with an undercut and pony tail asked. It could be easily noticed that he did not take this seriously.
The tall, round Buhara stepped from where he was sitting, making the ground around them vibrate. "Today's required ingredient will be pork. Feel free to use meat from any species in Visca Forest. As you see, you'll use these cooking facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass the exam, you must create a dish to satisfy our discriminating palates." Each counter was set with knives and other utensils, as well as a bowl full of fruits and vegetables. This would be a piece of cake.
"But we won't be evaluating taste alone. So take this seriously. Is that clear? When we've both eaten our fill, this portion of the exam will be over." Menchi crossed her arms.
"Okay, enough talk. Lets just get to it, alright?" The man with the undercut said again, waving his hand around and smirking.
"Let the exam's second phase... begin!"
As the crowd pushed and shoved for the forest eagerly, Percy remembered her days at the orphanage. They didn't have a large budget, so preparing and eating pork was a luxury given about every other month. She was suddenly heated about the treatment—as she often is—she was on dinner duty almost every night since her adopters returned her so quickly. She was punished and forced to make the food, so she had some idea of what she was doing. As long as they had carrots and potatoes in those bowls, she was set to pass.
