Yuwel (New Year)/Stories
Determined to best Alk on both the battlefield and in the kitchen, Yuwel tries his hand at making a special stew. But things quickly descend into chaos when it becomes obvious that the only thing the knight can cook up is toxic sludge.
Yuwel: Phew...
Light: The new year has just begun, and already you are hard at work.
Yuwel: Good morning. I must start the new year correctly.
Yuwel: They say excellence isn't any one act, but a habit. And I don't intend on taking a single day off.
Light: Well, if not a full day, how about a few hours? Alk should be done making breakfast by now. Come and join us.
Yuwel: Of course. It would be an honor to eat at your table!
Light: It is a strange feeling being idolized...
Light: This is excellent! Alk, you have outdone yourself yet again.
Stella: Amazing...
Alk: Naw... I just learned how to use soy sauce and local seasonings, that's all.
Nimbus: What's wrong? Don't like the food?
Yuwel: N-no, it's delicious. But...
Yuwel: I find it odd Alk would put so much effort into his cooking.
Yuwel: Back home, we believe it's the job of the strong to fight. Household affairs are left to, well, everyone else.
Alk: Oh. Sounds like the Farlands need to get with the times.
Yuwel: ...
Nimbus: Heh. When Yuwel talks, all I hear is a spoiled rich kid. You have servants bathe and dress you too?
Yuwel: Only when I was small!
Alk: That's a yes, then.
Yuwel: My point is, warriors needn't know how to cook.
Light: Is that so? When I was human, I would sometimes make simple meals—
Yuwel: OR RATHER, warriors of OLD needn't have known how to cook. Of course all great warriors NOW wield pans just as well as they wield swords!
Yuwel: I am the last of the Swallow Knights. It is my duty to be master of both field and scullery!
Yuwel: I'm ready!
Nimbus: What's with the get-up?
Alk: He had. A whole outfit. Custom-made.
Nimbus: If a silver spoon falls out of his mouth, and no one's around to hear it, do you think he's still rich?
Yuwel: Be quiet!
Yuwel: Now, I'm to make traditional Yamato stew, am I? Well, I've gathered only the best ingredients, so my "zoni" will be flawless!
Yuwel: If you would please wait here, I will have the food ready in a moment.
Alk: I've got a bad feeling about this...
Nimbus: Fight-or-flight instincts are kickin' in...
Alk: I think I'd better go check on him...
Alk: CHOCOLATE?! Why would you use CHOCOLATE?!
Alk: Because you LIKE IT?! THAT'S NOT—
Alk: NO! Fish sauce and soy sauce are two completely different things! Yuwel... PUT THE SURSTROMMING DOWN!
Yuwel: Go away! I know what I'm doing!
Alk: STOP! You can't fix it! Unless you'd like to suck out all the CHOCOLATE you dumped in!
Light: All we can do... is trust to fate...
Alk & Nimbus: Not for all the gold in the world.
Yuwel: Brutes.
Yuwel: Sir Light... You wouldn't turn your back on me, would you?
Light: Is this... a test of my courage?
Stella: I'll try it.
Stella: You are... even worse... than me...
Alk: He broke Stella!
Yuwel: It can't be...
Yuwel: It can.
Light: How are you feeling? I hope you aren't too... upset.
Yuwel: I... I'm sorry!
Light: It is nothing to apologize for. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps you were simply not meant to—
Yuwel: No! I haven't given up yet.
Yuwel: Alk will not get the better of me. I WILL make zoni! My pride depends on it.
Yuwel: I... I'll make sure to taste the food myself so you needn't worry...
Light: I understand. May good fortune preserve you.
Yuwel: Mmph...
Yuwel's cooking is as hopeless as ever, but his pride keeps him from going to Alk for advice. After a conversation with his old friend Will, Yuwel realizes that some obstacles can only be cleared with help from others.
Yuwel: Urk... Grr!
Yuwel: Well! At least I've stopped fainting.
Nimbus: That's just 'cause you've built up a tolerance to poison.
Yuwel: Nimbus. You've come to laugh at me, haven't you?
Nimbus: Oh, I'm laughin'. But I'm HERE for a non-toxic snack.
Stella: You are a human with opposable thumbs.
Stella: Thus, you are physically capable of cooking. Good luck.
Yuwel: Thank... Thank you...
Nimbus: If you wanna get good fast, ask Alk to teach you. You're gonna die of old age or food poisonin' at this rate.
Yuwel: Alk has enough chores to do.
Yuwel: If nothing else, I have learned that work in the kitchen never ends...
Nimbus: Oh yeah. You're washing the dishes now, right? Alk said it's taken a load off his shoulders.
Yuwel: That's because I don't want to stand in his debt. Those who lean on others never learn to walk on their own.
Nimbus: Funny words, comin' from a rich kid.
Yuwel: You're right... All my life, I have lived in the lap of luxury.
Yuwel: I thought the world was simple, but that was only because I didn't realize how privileged I was... I am the worst kind of fool.
Nimbus: Hey. I didn't say THAT.
Yuwel: That's why I need to do this... on my own.
Nimbus: Sigh... If you're sure.
Yuwel: Urgh... My head... and stomach... hurt... But there is still shopping that needs... to get done...
???: You're as big a blockhead as always, Yuwel!
Yuwel: Will!
Will: What an eye-opener... I've heard stories about Starview, but nothing beats seeing the real thing.
Will: You've chosen quite a place for your new home.
Will: I can't believe it! I'm in a different world! If only the rest of the Knights were here!
Yuwel: Quiet, Will. You're acting like a child.
Yuwel: Now tell me... Why did you come to Starview all of a sudden?
Will: Can't I want to visit an old friend "all of a sudden"? Or did you not want to see me?
Yuwel: No, of course not. But...
Will: Stella told me everything. Yuwel, an aspiring chef! The other Knights would laugh themselves blue in the face if they found out.
Will: I'd ask you back to the Farlands, but I know you won't come.
Yuwel: Yes, Will... I am on a journey, which is still far from being over.
Will: There aren't any more monster attacks back home, you know. The duty of the Swallow Knights has been fulfilled... Though, I admit, that's no thanks to us.
Yuwel: But there are still people who need help outside of the Farlands. It isn't yet time for me to lay down my sword.
Will: You really haven't changed, have you? Guess it's just me who's become more of a realist these past three years.
Will: Well, I hope everything works out for you. You've got yourself some dependable friends this time around.
Yuwel: I did last time too.
Yuwel: I never could have made it out of the Farlands alone. Likely would have poisoned myself to death by the third day.
Will: That bad?
Yuwel: Unbelievably.
Yuwel: And, Will, it seems that I am in need of your help again.
Yuwel: How do you... shop?
Will: Well, that, my friend, is not as simple as it seems.
Alk: Hey, you're back. That was faster than expected.
Stella: Welcome back.
Yuwel: Thank you, Stella... For talking to Will.
Yuwel: And Alk. I'm afraid I must ask you for the favor of a lifetime...
Yuwel: Will you teach me how to make that most confounding stew, zoni?
Alk: ...What? I-I mean, that's fine but... Not exactly what I'd call "a favor of a lifetime."
Yuwel: Thank you. I am in your debt.
Yuwel: A debt that shall, WITHOUT A DOUBT, be repaid. Is that clear? I WILL NOT FORGET THIS.
Alk: Why do I feel threatened?
Stella: Friendship is a beautiful thing.
After enduring Alk's grueling kitchen bootcamp, Yuwel finally brews his first successful pot of stew. Determined to put his newfound skill to good use, Yuwel asks Alk to come with him to Palpebra, where they whip up a hearty meal for the orphanage's children.
Alk: I already told you! You don't NEED to be creative! Leave that to more experienced chefs!
Yuwel: But I—
Alk: Nuh-uh! No ifs, ands, buts, or coconuts! Stick to the recipe! And what did the recipe say? Low flame, Yuwel! LOW FLAME!
Yuwel: The kitchen changes you...
Yuwel: Please, help yourselves.
Light: Th-thank you.
Light: Mm? It's not bad.
Stella: One-hundred-precent edible.
Nimbus: I can actually swallow.
Yuwel: That isn't very encouraging...
Alk: No, no! It's great! I think it's a miracle you got this far!
Yuwel: It could use more seasoning, but it's actually quite suitable.
Stella: Congratulations. You have succeeded.
Stella: Now I am once again the only one who can't cook...
Nimbus: So, you're satisfied, right? No more shoving zoni down our throats?
Yuwel: Sorry... No more zoni, I promise. But I'm not satisfied just yet.
Yuwel: Alk, there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you.
Yuwel: HAAH!
Boy: Whoa... Yuwel's freakin' awesome!
Girl: He's so cool...
Yuwel: Phew... Alk, the rest is up to you.
Alk: Got it!
Yuwel: Mm... It's hard to describe, but the soup you make tastes... better. More comforting.
Will: I was wondering what you needed all this foodstuff for... But I never thought you planned on providing dinner and a show for the little 'uns.
Alk: I thought you were set on doing everything yourself. What made you change your mind?
Yuwel: I wanted the children to have something actually delicious. And to that end, I was willing to let go of some of my pride.
Yuwel: But when the time comes for the former Swallow Knights to reunite... I think I'll make the whole feast myself.
Will: Hah! That'll knock them for a loop.
Boy: Yuweeel! I finished! It was so good!
Boy: What was the white stuff in the soup? First it was like super stretchy, and then it was chewy like gum? But THEN, you could swallow it!
Yuwel: It's called mochi. It's a food from a distant land. The people there say that if you eat enough, you'll grow big and strong.
Boy: Sooo... does that mean I can grow up to be like you?
Girl: No way!
Girl: Yuwel's a PRINCE! He's DIFFERENT from us.
Boy: Aww...
Yuwel: N-no, that isn't true at all. First off, I'm not a prince...
Yuwel: But more importantly, nothing is decided in this life.
Yuwel: With enough hard work, there are few paths that you cannot pave.
Yuwel: To be honest, there was a time I thought that cooking was a hopeless task for me...
Girl: REALLY?!
Yuwel: Yes, but with aid from my friends, I came through eventually.
Yuwel: So remember, it's important to ask for help where it's needed and give help where it's wanted. That is the true source of our strength.
Boy: HAH! So I was right!
Girl: Wait... Does that mean I can be your girlfriend?
Yuwel: What?
Girl: I WUV YOU!
Yuwel: No. That, er—
Girl: Anything's possible, right?!
Nimbus: The hell's going on here?
Will: Nothing out of the ordinary. Wherever he goes, Yuwel can hardly keep the girls out of his hair.
Alk: WHEREVER he goes?
Will: Hey, missie! I'd give up on that one if I were you! The competition's fierce and the prize not easily won.
Yuwel: Will? What are you saying—
Girl: Huh? What competition? I wanna know more!
Nimbus: Me too.
Alk: Me three.
Yuwel: Will. Not. Another. WORD!