ąųdįţǫŗę (mentori) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-08-26 07:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !partner thread, ezio auditore da firenze, freya mikaelson |
Who: Ezio & Freya
What: Farmer's market adventures - sampling olive oil and tea, making plans for mulled wine
When: This morning
Where: Anaheim Farmer's Market
Rating/Warnings: SFW, yo
Status: Complete
The open-air market was all along quite the substantial stretch of boardwalk; not only were there fresh fruits and vegetables (the bonuses too, like honey or eggs, baked goods, tea, and kettle corn which smelled ridiculous) but arts and crafts too. Further down was the community garden, and the grove of olives - Ezio’s personal favorite, really, since he was a big fan of using olive oil in his cooking and often went through a bottle of the good stuff relatively easily. In general though, he just liked the ambiance of this market - it was very calm, serene, with plenty of people but no bicyclists zooming by or loud music. And out of all of Elijah’s siblings, it seemed like Freya would be the most likely to be interested in such a place, which was why he’d recommended it. Making a morning of the market was also something more fun done with company, so here they were. “And what is on your to-do list, to buy today?” he asked, out of curiosity. Ezio could spend hours here - cooking was beautiful. Food was beautiful, and fresh food was even better. Having spent so much time in Europe, Freya was definitely familiar with farmer’s markets and enjoyed them. Especially as in Kiev, and Ukraine in general, all shopping was either done at a kiosk or a farmer’s market. So while she was readjusting to the big box stores and chains that were common within the United States, she had a feeling that she would always gravitate towards food stands and farmer’s markets more often than not. And the ambiance of this market did not disappoint. “I’m definitely interested to see what teas they have, fresh fruit and vegetables,” Even if Elijah didn’t eat them and now she knew why, well, she still did. “I’m interested to see what balsamic vinegars and olive oil choices they have as well.” And then of course, anything else that might come of use - honey, preserves, things of that nature. “Those are all on my list too,” Ezio assured, with a deep chuckle. “We will start with the olive oil and vinegars, then - and work our way around, yes?” It would be a substantial walk, but they could go at their own leisurely pace and there was no need to rush. On a farmer’s market morning, you really could take that extra time to (literally) stop and smell the roses. And fill up your cloth grocery bags with all sorts of things. He headed in that direction, following the scent carried in the breeze - to him, olives had a very fresh scent (different than olive oil, but that was a whole other aroma). Like the sun and the sea and the beauty of the Mediterranean. Not to mention the olive grove in Tuscany, where his family villa was and where he’d called home. “You are settling in well?” he wanted to know, inquisitive and hoping that things weren’t too stressful for Freya. He heard that Elijah had mentioned the vampire situation, which was a lot to take in. “I assume you have not yet begun to experience very vivid dreams.” Maybe she wouldn’t but they really weren’t that lucky, were they? It wasn’t all that surprising, Freya’s list was more or less a standard for what one might look for in a farmer’s market. All the same she smiled with a nod, “That sounds like a good plan of action.” And plans of actions were definitely important. Or she found them that way if only because Freya was always working on a number of different projects at any one time. So to have a plan meant that she could get each thing done without getting too overwhelmed. Nor did the walk intimidate her. It was a lovely morning after all. “I am, thank you.” She was worried about her family, which was nothing new, though knowing about the dreams and seeing how much the one set of dreams had affected Klaus, she knew that she would continue to worry about those as well. But it was a familiar feeling so she was able to keep on with her own life as well - which mostly consisted of helping Percy with his nonprofit for the time as she continued to send her CV out. As for her and the dreams? “That I have not. Though my understanding is that I die while I’m still quite young.” So she doubted she’d have them herself. “Mi dispiace,” Ezio frowned a little - that was certainly a unique thing, knowing that you died young and then didn’t experience a glimpse into another life. But he had a feeling it wasn’t going to pan out quite like that - Freya was on that network, and those on that network? They dreamed. End of. If they did not, he really wished to know their secret. “Though I am betting there is...how do you say it? A twist?” he noted. “Your story, there must be more to it.” All in due time, it would reveal itself. It always did. Approaching the olive oil stand, he went right for the extra virgin olive oil, though even within that category there were various labels on the bottles and jars - strong, medium, mild, etc. “The proper way to taste olive oil is to slurp it, you know,” he said with a wink, after asking for some samples. “My mother would scold me if she heard.” Freya shrugged at the comment. She had finally managed to come to terms with the fact. It was still a lot, knowing she wasn’t there for her siblings in the dreams, but that was the way it was. She died and then Henrik died, and then the rest became vampires. “I suppose it’s possible.” Perhaps if she were for certain staying in the area, however she hadn’t made a firm decision on that yet. CVs were still in the air and while she had done a few video interviews, nothing had come of those yet so she was in a holding pattern either way. As they got to the olive oil stand, Freya followed after Ezio and laughed some at the comment with the wink and nodded as she took her own sample. “Well, thank goodness I have you here to teach me the proper way to taste olive oil.” Ezio wasn’t kidding though when he had said that there was a large variety of flavors to choose from. All the better for different recipes though. “I have my uses,” Ezio grinned. He first took a sniff of one of the samples, letting it infiltrate his sense of smell - then down his throat it went, and he wanted to see how it felt. If it was too bitter, if it burned, things like that - all before moving onto the next one. Some brands said extra virgin but they were obviously made from rancid olives. It wasn’t the case here, luckily. “This one’s bellissimo. Two tablespoons a day,” was his advice. “It’s good for you - did you know those in Greece consume five gallons a year?” Americans certainly didn’t consume that much themselves. It was a shame. He picked out another bottle though, something new for his collection - and one of the balsamic vinegars as well. What a perfect marriage. “Don’t we all.” Following Ezio’s example, Freya took a sniff of a sample to get the sense before seeing how it tasted and went down, making sure to get a feel for each of the samples that she had been given. Luckily, none of which made her cough or choke or anything of that nature. “I did not know that, though my work has yet to take me to Greece.” Had she gotten to Greece, perhaps she would have. But two tablespoons a day, noted. Picking out a blood orange olive oil and a pomegranate balsamic vinegar that she paid for, Freya nodded to herself. It had been a good combination. “So, where to next?” “Tea?” Ezio suggested. “It is near where the honey is, at least. I need more of that, though I do not drink too much tea. For this, I will rely on your recommendations.” He mostly stuck with coffee - the kind he brought from Italy, the good kind, in order to make a perfect caffè espresso. However, he wouldn’t mind sampling something new - whatever gave him a shot of caffeine to help him get through grading papers and essays for all the students in his classes. Adding the paid for olive oil and vinegar to his bag (how he couldn’t wait to make a salad with this - or maybe a dipping sauce for bread), he moved along to continue. “I asked Elijah to move in with me,” he ventured. “I am not sure if he mentioned.” He was also not sure how it would go, since Ezio had never lived with a lover before - and his relationship with Elijah was sort of rocky at the moment. However, he was trying to smooth things over. Hopefully living together would give them more of a chance to focus on what they had. Or they could drive each other batshit crazy, either one. “Lead the way.” After all, Ezio was the one who knew this farmer’s market. But giving advice on tea? That was something she could easily do, especially once she knew what exactly he was looking for in his tea. There were so many varieties - and each place Freya had lived had their own teas - that you could use one type of tea for waking up, one that was geared more towards health, one for calming down. Olive oil and balsamic in her bag (because this was California and everyone had their own bag - and most cities had been moving towards reusable bags from what Freya had seen), she followed alongside Ezio. “Elijah did mention that to me.” Freya still wasn’t completely sure how she felt about that if only because she’d been giving Elijah advice on his concerns before that and she didn’t know if adding the change and stresses that came from moving in at this exact time was the best course of action. However, it hadn’t been part of the advice portion of the conversation and had been decided on, which meant she would support Elijah however she could. Besides, her only concern really was just the timing of it. But that was life and her basic understanding of relationships. They would see if it helped or not. “Did he? Well, that is good, then. I made space in the closet for his suits,” Ezio smiled crookedly. He was absolutely mad about Elijah, but he meant it when he said he wanted a peaceful life with the person he loved. Nothing more, nothing less, no drama that some people obviously liked to thrive off of. If that wasn’t going to happen then it wasn’t going to happen. Ezio would give it his all, though - relationships took work, and he was willing to do that work. Approaching the tea stand, he was nearly knocked unconscious by the scents - he had enhanced senses, all of them, part of his genetic makeup (and the Eagle sense too). Sometimes it was irritating but most of the time he lived with it normally, he adjusted. “I do not know how I feel about green tea,” he observed, studying a canister. “It always tasted like grass to me.” “Well that is definitely an important step.” Because Elijah and his suits would always be a thing, something that could always be relied upon as a constant. There was a reason she had found suit pajamas for him. She’d teased him about his suits before and how they couldn’t trust Kol to try and find him something that wasn’t a suit because their styles were just far too different. “I’m pretty sure I have a picture of him in a suit with an apron on somewhere.” Because of course she did. What sort of older sister would she be if she didn’t have such a photo? “Green tea does have a strong aftertaste. The best green tea I’ve found is a mint one, made with matcha.” Because if green tea wasn’t made with matcha, well… it wasn’t quite right. Even so, she picked up a sample of an apple chai before turning her attention back to Ezio, “So what would you want in a tea?” Ezio laughed, quite heartily - an apron and a suit, that was very Elijah. “I will take any and all embarrassing pictures,” he told Freya. “Ones from your youth too - I never really got to see any, though when we visited Italy my sister Claudia was all too happy to show him ones of me.” She liked embarrassing him, but he gathered that was the responsibility of sisters anyway. If only his brothers had been around to meet Elijah too, they would have liked him. Now, a mint tea did sound good, actually. He made a thoughtful sound, studying the same canister Freya had picked up. Actually, that apple chai looked nice as well. “A burst of flavor, I think - I would not want to add much to it, and also perhaps something spicy?” Which was why the apple chai caught his eye - he did like chai spice. “Plus, a lot of caffeine.” Naturally. The color of matcha was pretty though, a very vibrant chartreuse. He would agree that the green tea wouldn’t be much without it. Pulling out her phone, Freya found the apron photo and sent it to Ezio, “There you go. I’ll have to go digging for other photos later. And of course she was, it’s part of the job description as a sibling.” Amused, the blonde put her phone back into her bag. As the oldest of seven, Freya was all too familiar with the joys of embarrassing photos and teasing her siblings with things like them. There was a mint blend with rose and cherry on the table, though it was non-caffeinated. Then one that was spiced with cinnamon and full of caffeine near the canister which Freya had picked up for the apple chai. Getting samples of those three, plus a mulled spices tea with black currant tea, she placed them in front of Ezio before tasting her own. Yep, she was definitely going to get all four because it was nice to have some variety in the morning. “Grazie,” Ezio grinned, glad to have photographic evidence of Elijah’s ridiculousness. He’d even worn a suit to Italy, for most of what they did - and that was a vacation, or meant to be one. “Yes, Claudia does her job as a sister well - she is younger than me, though you would not know it by how she acts.” In dreams, she’d been both an accountant at one point and also a Madame in Rome - head of the city’s most successful brothel. Not like Ezio would ever tell this Claudia about her other self though. It would sound insane. Look at this array of tea! How fantastic. He was eager to sample each, and was impressed with Freya’s taste. “The one with black currant - this would be good for fall, I think?” he mused. The mulled spices made it so. He decided he would get that one, along with the cinnamon-tasting selection. It seemed like it would be nice for breakfast, a good start to the day. “But of course, what good is a photo if I don’t get to share it with people?” Priorities after all! “There is no age limit on who gets to do the embarrassing. So I’m sure your time will come. And sometimes that’s the way it works out.” Freya was always in older sister mode, but she had seen plenty to know that wasn’t always the case in how siblings acted. “It should be,” Like Ezio, the mulled spices made it seem much more appropriate for the fall. “I’m fairly certain I’ll be having to make my own mulled wine once the season comes. It’s not really an American thing from what I can remember.” Being in Europe for so long, mulled wine had become a staple during the holidays for Freya. And while it was possible that things had changed in the interim, Freya didn’t really remember mulled wine as a thing when she’d been in the states. Mulled wine, merda, that sounded delicious. “Hm, I do not know if it is popular in the States - I have not lived here very long myself,” he said. “It will be my first autumn in this country.” First autumn, first Thanksgiving, first holiday season - since he’d arrived just in time for last spring’s semester. He was looking forward to seeing how it all went here though. “We call it vin brulé in Italy though,” he added. “A French term, for an Italian wine. I will share my recipe with you, if you share yours?” It seemed like a fun thing to do together. Ezio liked being around Freya - she was a calming presence. Doing things like this with her, farmer’s markets and shopping, reminded him of those errands Sofia would send him on - one time, she’d even asked him to collect flowers for her. White tulips. Such a simple thing, but it had nothing to do with revenge or killing. He needed things like that here and there. “Ah well that should be exciting for you then. You won’t get a full autumn experience here since it’s Southern California so the seasons aren’t as pronounced.” As a rule, Southern California didn’t get four seasons. There was the regular weather then fire season plus some rain when they were lucky. “It should still be an experience though.” Because even without the cooler temperatures of autumn and changing leaves, it was still something. “I think that can be definitely arranged. You’ll have to tell me which country you’d want to try though. I’ve known it as Vin Chaud in France, Svařák in Czech Republic, Grzaniec Galicyjski in Poland, Glintvein in Ukraine, Glühwein in Germany and Belgium and Forralt Bor in Hungary.” Reasons she had stuck with saying mulled wine. The idea was the same yet the name differed by country as did the recipe. Still, making mulled wine would be a fun thing to do once the season was right. It was a few months away, but would be there before any of them knew it. “Well, that is a good question,” Ezio laughed a little. “The German version is somewhat sweeter, isn’t it? Perhaps that.” The Italian version was spicier, and really perfect to relax with on a cold night. Not that there would be many cold nights in the OC, but he supposed he’d have to see? Freak weather was not an unnatural or unheard of occurrence around here. “Alright, and now must be the best time to look for fresh fruits and vegetables. I will try not to take forever,” Ezio spoke solemnly, with a twinkle in deep, dark eyes. But he had so much to purchase! And, at least for today, all the time in the world. “It tends to be, yes. Also unlike some recipes, uses a splash of port wine as well. So Glühwein is shall be.” Freya had no preference. She liked how in Ukraine instead of orange, it had been tangerine but it wasn’t as if she couldn’t make different ones later as well. This was just for her and Ezio’s recipe sharing and making. “One of the most important stops. After you.” Like Ezio, she had a lot to purchase there as well, and no other plans. |