Taking a break (7/16, evening, open)

"As for myself, while I do not doubt the power of a single word, what it can mean and hold... I have yet to find one that encompasses all that I do."

Katrinkah smiled briefly and stretched languidly in her chair.  "Though I find myself curious to see what other wonders our host's hands have wrought." She looked over to Beovyn.

Ion nods. "I just realized that I do not know either of your names."

He leans down and grabs some soda cans from his messenger bag and offers them to the other two before opening one and drinking from it.

Beovyn's eyes settle on Katrinkah. "Perhaps sometime I will show you."

When he looked back to the visitor, he stared at him for an uncomfortable moment.
"I am Beovyn."

Her head nodded once to Beovyn, before she reached out to take the can that was offered. She rolled it in between her hands, back and forth, as her focus went back to the Doctor.

"My name is Katrinkah."

Ion doesn't flinch at the other man's gaze. When Katrinkah grabs the soda can, it is pleasantly cool.

Ion nods as they introduced themselves, as if he came to a conclusion. "A pleasure to meet you both. I thought that I had recognized you Beovyn, I have heard briefly of you. I am also a natural philosopher, a Scientist specifically."

Beovyn raised an eyebrow.

"Hmmm. What is it that you have heard of me?"

Katrinkah remained quiet, interested in what the Doctor would have to say about Beovyn.

Ion sips his drink. "Practically nothing. A few scant references about you and something about a disappearance. Considering how few Natural Philosophers there are in the world I am quite surprised I have not heard more about you."

Her lips quirked, but otherwise the woman remained silent.

Beovyn still looked dubious.

"What do you mean by this natural philosopher?"

"A natural philosopher is a term I use for those who have been inspired. Some use the term awakened. And some say that those who have not been are essentially asleep, though personally I find that particular terminology rather condescending." He takes another sip of his soda.

"Natural philosophers often self-categorize themselves among various Traditions of thought. As I said, I am a scientist, whose group is often denoted by the acronym SOE. I have found, through my travels, that though the various philosophical Traditions often disagree, we all have more in common than we might realize."

"And what does a scientist have in common with one you've called a natural philosopher? Or myself, as a strega?"

Katrinkah shifted in her seat, repositioning until she became comfortable once again.

Beovyn's posture changed, and he seemed a touch more inviting. He stood and headed inside as Katrinkah spoke. He game back with a tray of charred meat, and more mead. He set it down between the three of them.

"I am not familiar with that word. What is a strega? Oh wow, thank you."

Ion waits a brief moment for his host to sit down and then reaches into his messenger bag again. After a few moments of searching, he pulls out a folding fork/pocket knife and skewers one of the pieces of meat and eats it.

Katrinkah's eyes followed Beovyn as he rose and left the room, then returned to Doctor Ion. "Strega means witch..." Any other explanation was cut off when their host returned with food. Reaching out iwth her bare hand, she took a piece of meat from the tray. Taking a small bite at first, she chewed slowly, and made an approving noise.

Once she'd swallowed, she smiled to Beovyn. "It's been awhile since I had fresh game; thank you."

"Guests at Drekisalr are always welcome to my food and drink, no thanking needed." He sat down.

"Yes, she is Strega, and I am Valdaermaen. We work with the spirit and life. From what I have seen this science is a cold, and lifeless thing. Can you prove different? I would have more faith in these times if you could."

Doctor Ion does not look offended at his words, "I once met an African Shaman who had just arrived in America. We spoke about what each other did and what we believed. It was a very memorable experience and one that I will always treasure."

Ion looks thoughtful. "I would not want to try to change your mind. But if both of you would like, we could share our thoughts."

He pauses. "Not literally. I will tell you what science means to me and why and how I fight the Union. And I would also very much like to hear what you believe."

He smiles and skewers another piece of meat. "If you are up for the adventure."

"I'm curious as to what you will say, chemist, and if your words will hold sway."

She took another piece of meant for herself, and leaned back into her chair.

Beovyn looked between the two, obviously weighing options. When Katrinkah voiced her curiosity, he decided to play along.

"I'll see where this takes us. Begin."

Ion holds up his fork, with the meat still skewered on it. "Why is it that we cook meat?"

Katrinkah snickered softly. "Because stomach does not handle raw well. And, heat kills any bad lingering in the meat." The woman was fine with participating, but did not quite see the point the Doctor was trying to make just yet.

Ion smiles at her snickering. "I know, seems like a silly question, right. But how did this come about?"

"Meat does not come pre-cooked. We consciously make a choice to apply heat. And in a very specific amount. Too little, and the bad is still lingering. Too much, and its too burnt. Up to individual tastes of course."

He then takes a bite and chews. "I think it also makes it taste better."

"Was this always the case? I don't actually know the history mind you, but I imagine that a long long time ago we ate meat that was bad. And realized that when mixed with fire it was not bad. Or a kindly planar creature.... er.. a spirit told them. Or something. Maybe that is just one thing we know from birth. However we learned, thats not my point, my point is what we did afterward. We passed that knowledge on. And we used that knowledge and combined it with other knowledge."

"Some people use spices with their food. Or they apply different amounts of heat over time. Slow roasting. Some people love salt. Some soups help with colds. Trial and error or random discovery or inspiration. But passing on knowledge. And sometimes cooperating. And curiosity."

"Cooking in this regard is very much like chemistry. My ex wife told me I was a great cook but I think she was very biased."

He pauses. "Are you with me so far?"

Beovyn nodded, wanting to hear more before speaking

"I am so far. Also, you are making me hungry." She grabbed another piece of meat and took a small bite.

Ion looks around. "This platter you brought the meat out on, what is it made of? And did you make it yourself?"