Hestia

393 AC - You don't go into Hestia's kitchen unless you're part of her brigade. I know this because I tried, by mistake, one evening after I'd had a few too many, and she kicked me out unceremoniously. Even Kaizaimon watches his step when she's angry. She's the big cheese of the kitchen in the Rediscovery Endeavor. She runs a tight ship… at least the galley part of it. And you'd better watch out if what's in your pot is different than what she asked. The mistress of the Mess does not mess around with her menu. Everything that ends up on the plate must meet the criteria she sets. And ever since she discovered the flavor and nutritional qualities of the Sap, she's taken a crazed delight in adding some to all her specialties. And, of course, her experience is reflected by all those she entrusts with her cookware. I hold onto the wall tightly to fight the dizziness. Jubal certainly bought the drinks I asked him to, and tomorrow's bill will be eye-watering… Now I just need to soak it all up with something more solid. But what?

I look at the menu, but the white writing seems to be swimming across the blackboard. There's her famous stew, of course. The classic dish everyone needs to try when they eat at the Mess. If you're in a festive mood, there are also those fancy little dishes that she never gives the recipe for: turbot with julienne of Undergrowth vegetables, Sap canapés… Sometimes, during those rare moments when she takes a break, she sits next to you and watches you eat to take note of your expressions. If there's no smile after the first mouthful, she grabs the dish and goes grumbling back to the kitchen, only to return again with a dish that brings a tear of pure pleasure to your eye. Behind the burners, she paces back and forth, barks orders, tastes spoonfuls of the kitchen hands' creations, invariably adds a glug of Sap, and watches cook times with a clockmaker's precision… But none of that helps me decide what to order to congratulate Aoife on her inauguration.

Hestia is the virgin goddess of the sacred fire and hearth in Greek mythology. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and eldest sister of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera and Demeter, Hestia is one of the 12 Olympians. She is a personification of the hearth and a symbol of family and society. Whenever a new colony was established, a flame from her public altar in the mother city would be taken to the new settlement to burn there.

BASIRA