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A courier delivers a parcel to Max at home one afternoon. The contents are a pair of jars; one contains strained honey. The other, raw honey with a nice chunk of comb. The top of each jar is marked by a wax seal--beeswax, undoubtedly. The seal is in the shape of a bee with feathered wings.
There is no note.
There is no note.
"Huh? Who sent this?" Max murmurs to himself as he inspects the jars, turning them over to see if there's some kind of signature on the bottom. No. Nothing there, either. And no note.
"Damn... I wish I knew who to thank for this." Fresh honey, what a treat! If only he could pay them back somehow...
If they wanted that, they'd have sent a note, he concludes. He'll use the honey happily, and wish whoever was kind enough to give it to him well.
"Damn... I wish I knew who to thank for this." Fresh honey, what a treat! If only he could pay them back somehow...
If they wanted that, they'd have sent a note, he concludes. He'll use the honey happily, and wish whoever was kind enough to give it to him well.
The honey itself has a calming effect. Not like a depressant or sedative type of calming, but it clears up stormclouds in the mind as much as a loving hug and kiss on the forehead might.
Also, jars with the same seal are sold in the local stores. If Max should happen to ask around, they're apparently from Kasprak farm.
Also, jars with the same seal are sold in the local stores. If Max should happen to ask around, they're apparently from Kasprak farm.
There's a heavy box on Max's front step, left there by the usual courier. There's a card on top of it in Bart's small, neat handwriting, his name on the front and Max's underneath. Inside, it reads:
Mr Maximum,
We'd discussed the possibility of developing some more efficient kitchen equipment,
and it has become something of a pet project of mine.
Enclosed there is an appliance that I would like you to test and provide feedback
It works similarly to a standing mixer, but hand-cranked.
It can be fastened to your bench-top so that it doesn't need to be held in place
and the beaters can be swapped for a single wire whisk, or a set of grinding rollers
as an attempt to make something for you that might facilitate production of
powdered sugar, as you'd mentioned needing a better method for it.
If there are tweaks that need to be made, please do not hesitate to let me know.
-Bart Torgal
And just as described, there is something similar to a Kan Wonda-mixer secured in the box, with a bowl wrapped in brown paper to keep it from breaking in transit. It isn't the prettiest device, but inside there are instructions for use, including nicely illustrated diagrams for how to attach it to the corner of a kitchen counter or the edge of a table with something like a built-in clamp.
Mr Maximum,
We'd discussed the possibility of developing some more efficient kitchen equipment,
and it has become something of a pet project of mine.
Enclosed there is an appliance that I would like you to test and provide feedback
It works similarly to a standing mixer, but hand-cranked.
It can be fastened to your bench-top so that it doesn't need to be held in place
and the beaters can be swapped for a single wire whisk, or a set of grinding rollers
as an attempt to make something for you that might facilitate production of
powdered sugar, as you'd mentioned needing a better method for it.
If there are tweaks that need to be made, please do not hesitate to let me know.
-Bart Torgal
And just as described, there is something similar to a Kan Wonda-mixer secured in the box, with a bowl wrapped in brown paper to keep it from breaking in transit. It isn't the prettiest device, but inside there are instructions for use, including nicely illustrated diagrams for how to attach it to the corner of a kitchen counter or the edge of a table with something like a built-in clamp.
Max can't believe his eyes when he opens the box. It's absolutely beautiful in his eyes. He's so excited he has to use it right away! One batch of sweet potato cookies coming up!
An hour later, Max is still grinning like a fool, so pleased with how easy that mixer made everything, especially when it clamps to the table like that. He's racking his brain thinking of improvements that might be made, but, honestly? It already works so perfectly like this. Maybe the only real complaint is that it's harder to clean after.
So, anyway, of course, he's going to call Bart up to gush about this! He grabs the stone and barely waits for a hello before launching right into it.
"Bart! Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for the mixer! It works like a dream. I made some sweet potato cookies and it was a breeze to mix them in your invention. You're amazing! You thought of it all, even the clamp to stabilize it. I'm so impressed!"
An hour later, Max is still grinning like a fool, so pleased with how easy that mixer made everything, especially when it clamps to the table like that. He's racking his brain thinking of improvements that might be made, but, honestly? It already works so perfectly like this. Maybe the only real complaint is that it's harder to clean after.
So, anyway, of course, he's going to call Bart up to gush about this! He grabs the stone and barely waits for a hello before launching right into it.
"Bart! Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for the mixer! It works like a dream. I made some sweet potato cookies and it was a breeze to mix them in your invention. You're amazing! You thought of it all, even the clamp to stabilize it. I'm so impressed!"
When Bart gets that ecstatic call, he's in the middle of finishing up the favor that he'd offered to do for Lev at the clinic, finish the new copies of the library cards to replace the ones that had faded. He had barely gotten out a greeting before Max is talking so quickly and he can just imagine the smile on the man's face. He smiles in return, holding the seaglass stone in his hands and hugging a relieved little sigh.
"Oh good, I'm glad that it's working as intended. I hope you didn't have any trouble switching the utensils out. I wanted to make the locking mechanism sturdy so that it wouldn't struggle and loosen in thicker mixtures. Likewise for the table clamp, it's so heavy and I would feel terrible if it rattled off the table and landed on your foot. Does the lever action to lift the top half work smoothly? I wanted to make sure that the top half could be lifted off for cleaning but that could end up making it a bit unstable if it's treated roughly." He may have been overthinking the safety of the machine versus the practicality when he was designing it.
"Oh good, I'm glad that it's working as intended. I hope you didn't have any trouble switching the utensils out. I wanted to make the locking mechanism sturdy so that it wouldn't struggle and loosen in thicker mixtures. Likewise for the table clamp, it's so heavy and I would feel terrible if it rattled off the table and landed on your foot. Does the lever action to lift the top half work smoothly? I wanted to make sure that the top half could be lifted off for cleaning but that could end up making it a bit unstable if it's treated roughly." He may have been overthinking the safety of the machine versus the practicality when he was designing it.
Max,
I feel some guilt in asking a favor when we’re still getting to know one another, but it’s for a good cause- do you, perhaps, know how to bake a pizza?
I feel some guilt in asking a favor when we’re still getting to know one another, but it’s for a good cause- do you, perhaps, know how to bake a pizza?
"Oh, no, that worked perfectly. The unlocking mechanism is really clever because, yeah, the last thing we want is one of the beaters to go flying in the middle of mixing.
"The lift works, but I will say it's pretty top-heavy so people who aren't as strong might struggle with it more. Maybe we can add some kind of catch that keeps it propped up once you get it there? The clamp on the table is solid, though. That thing isn't going anywhere."
"The lift works, but I will say it's pretty top-heavy so people who aren't as strong might struggle with it more. Maybe we can add some kind of catch that keeps it propped up once you get it there? The clamp on the table is solid, though. That thing isn't going anywhere."
"No need to feel guilty. I never turn down a chance to cook or teach cooking. I do know how to make pizza, yes. What can I help with?"
“I’m trying to find a pretense to check on the well-being of someone without being intrusive, and someone told me that they greatly enjoy pizzas with unusual toppings.”
"That's really sweet. Of course I'll help!" Food is the perfect way to cheer someone up, especially if it's their favorite.
"Do you want me to deliver it to you so you can take it the rest of the way personally?"
"Do you want me to deliver it to you so you can take it the rest of the way personally?"
“That would be wonderful, thank you! Although… I’m still not sure what he would want. The whole notion of pizza is still very new to me.”
"Hm. I know what the usual toppings are, things like sausage or salami or bacon for meats, sometimes chicken too. And things like peppers and onions are always popular. I guess things that are considered weird would be like... ham slices and pineapple. There's this whole debate about whether pineapple belongs on pizza or not that's become like a Whole Thing but...hm. He's not vegetarian is he?"
“I don’t believe he’s vegetarian, no. Apparently he likes his pizza topped with things like… let me see if I can remember. Tuna and licorice, I think?”
"Oh! That kind of weird. Hmm..." He hums to himself while he thinks. Those aren't the toppings he would have picked but he's not the one who will be eating it is he?
"Black licorice or red?"
"Black licorice or red?"
"Coming! Just a minute!" Max calls to the door. He's just pulling a cast iron full or cornbread out of the oven. As soon as he can peel off his mitts, he goes to answer the door, still wearing his apron covered in cornmeal.
"Angel? What brings you here?" he asks in surprise, but then he sees the honey. "Wait, was it you that sent me the other jar, too?"
"Angel? What brings you here?" he asks in surprise, but then he sees the honey. "Wait, was it you that sent me the other jar, too?"
“I would not know the difference, mu- Max. I have not had the occasion to try either, and now the question has me curious.”
"Aw, why didn't you send a note the first time? I would have been able to thank you. Thank you." He takes the proffered honey and then waves for Angel to follow him inside.
"Want to come in?"
"Want to come in?"
"Has me curious too. The big difference is that red is sweet and fruity tasting and the black one is bitter and salty. If I had to guess, it's probably black because I think that would pair better with the tuna."
"I do know some mer who pair fish with fruit, but it depends on the kind of fruit."
"I think if I can make a compound lever I can alleviate some of the weight," Bart suggests, and there's a sound of papers shuffling, followed by the scratching of a pencil. "A catch so that it won't just fail and fall back down, too. Either something you can hook around part of the bar or something that clicks into place when the top is pulled back far enough like a kickstand." He's just talking to himself at this point, murmuring through his process, grateful to have something to think about that's more in his wheelhouse than...well, everything else.
"Do you have a preferred time that I should stop by?"
"Do you have a preferred time that I should stop by?"
"Sure. If that's okay?" He realizes how silly that is, as he says it. Like, would Max offer the invitation if it's not okay? But still, there's a hesitation before he steps forward. "Do...you have good recipes for honey? I've been keeping some of what my hives make."
"Oh, yes. Fish and lemon, for instance, is probably the best pairing you can do. Lots of citrus or tropical fruits work well with fish, but I worry about how it would mix with the cheese and tomato sauce. Red licorice is usually strawberry or raspberry flavor which is a little too sweet in a lot of cases. Picking flavors is an art form of its own, you know?"
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