She nods and does just that, fishing carrots and onions out and chopping them into chunks that go in atop the fish. Then out she goes to the pump to acquire water. And then back, and onto the stove it goes.

"I like cooking," she says quietly.

"I like it too," says Lily. "Fish is almost done, can you get out the plates?"

Plates, utensils, cups, and then off she goes for a pitcher of water, unless Lily would rather lemonade.

Water works just fine. By the time she's back with the pitcher, Lily has the food served neatly onto plates and the plates set on the table with utensils and all.

She sits down, smiles, and digs in. "This is delicious."

"It really is!"

Between bites, she asks, "How do non-farmers/fishers in the lake community keep themselves fed, if you know?"

"Most people trade with me or Palla or both. The lake nymphs make their own arrangements—oh, you wouldn't know. Nymphs live off of sex, usually from men although I've heard they'll go for a woman if they're confused or starving."

"That explains why one attempted to pounce us on the way to Hazel's today. Does it harm their partner any? Although... we shouldn't assume the usual rules apply to us until we've had Hazel look at our soul properly."

She hums a bit. "We'll need to figure out what sort of things we can trade with you and Palla ongoingly, too. That'll be easier once we have tools."

"It doesn't harm their partner, no. Well, not intrinsically—a starving nymph might bowl you over, or a corrupt one might get their corruption on you. You can tell the corrupt ones because they're cloudy like the lakewater to the south, and they smell like it too. Waiting until Hazel checks out your soul before you try anything does sound smart, though."

"Good to know, thank you."

Om nom tasty fish and turnips.

"What sorts of things do you trade for, usually? What would interest you from a builder/crafter/repairwoman? A promise of ongoing home repairs? A windmill? New construction?"

"I haven't done new construction here in a long while. You could always buy my vegetables with money," she suggests. "I don't make much use of it lately but I do accept it—that's what the caravan does, buys my produce to sell in the city and then brings me back salt and butter and whatever else I can't grow myself."

"That would work. Just need to get enough business building stuff. Hopefully we make enough of a name for ourselves while we're in the city that we can just sell gadgets to the caravan and get occasional construction contracts, once we move back. That'll be the goal, then."

She nods. "Yeah, that sounds like it could work. And if it doesn't, well, you can always split your time between the city and here—the journey's dangerous, but less so with company, and I'm sure they've got an endless appetite for widgets out there. The question's just whether they'll buy them without you to make the sale."

She nods, smiling slightly. "Yeah, this should work. Just need to get out there and see what tools we can get and what widgetry there's a market for. I can already think of one option, though it will take a bit of 'build the tools to build the tools' to get to the point where we can build it."

"Oh?"

"Refrigeration. Insulated box, makes its interior cold using tech or magic, thereby preserves food."

"Interesting! Better than an icebox or a cold cellar?"

She nods. "Depending on how we can make it work here, it will at minimum cut out the need to distribute ice, should either power itself or be powered from a central location, and will have a more consistent temperature. But we need to figure out what works and doesn't in this world, and get a handle on the magic. And all that depends on tools and time and a workspace. So we have to go to the city and get some work doing construction or repair or something."

Thoughtful nod. "Sensible. I wouldn't mind an iceless icebox of my own, if you do figure them out."

"Top of the list to get one."

...she smiles. "Appreciate it."

Her last bite of fish is soon followed by her last bite of roast turnip. "I'll get the dishes," she says, standing up to clear hers.

She finishes her last bites as well, and leans back to let Lily grab the dishes. "Thank you, Lily."

A quick smile, and she stacks the plates and cups in the washbasin. Tomorrow's stew is still bubbling gently on the stove.

"Anything else we can help with for now?"