He opened the oven.
All the heat escaped in a rush.
The meat sat there, half-cooked, definitely still pink.
Roshan stared at it.
Faelyn stared at it.
"It's... pink," he said slowly. "You said no pink."
"Because you opened it too soon!"
"But I wanted to SEE if it was working!"
"You have to trust the process!"
"But what if it was burning?!"
"It had been TEN MINUTES!"
Roshan looked at the half-cooked meat with such betrayal that Faelyn almost felt bad for it.
Roshan's mind: ฅᨐฅ'I ruined it. I got impatient and ruined it. This is why I need BACKUP MEAT—'ฅᨐฅ
ATTEMPT THREE:
Roshan was determined now.
He wasn't going to open it early.
He was going to wait.
He was going to be patient.
He washed the meat. Ground the herbs. Seasoned perfectly. Built the oven. Placed the meat inside—checking THREE TIMES that it was actually there.
Sealed it up.
Sat down.
Stared at it.
'Don't open it,' Faelyn had said. 'Wait until you smell it changing. Then wait a bit MORE. Then check.'
