Letters to Costin

[Dusty Fae]

To: Mr. Costin Dracula
Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth


Dear Costin,

I hope you don’t mind my writing to you, but since you've been gone I have been trying to make pasta dishes still. The internet has lots of them but I don't know which ones might be good. Do you have any recommendations?

I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Dusty Fae

[Costin Dracula]

From: Vis. Costin Dracula
New Sighișoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

To: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

---

Miss Dusty - 

I do not mind receiving a letter from you at all - I must confess I have already grown quite bored here at home, despite the summer still being quite young. I have several pasta recipes I can pass along to you. Any one of them would likely be improved by the addition of garlic, although I generally do not use it at home for what I imagine are obvious reasons (vampire fathers, training myself to avoid it for the future, etc). I am attaching three of the recipes to this letter, and hope that you find my handwriting legible in both the letter and the recipes. 

How have you been finding the school in summer thus far? I am sorry you have nowhere to go besides the school, that must be truly wretched. I would invite you to visit but quite honestly I do not want to endure whatever my fathers would have to say about me bringing a girl home. Not to mention most humans who visit our home are there to volunteer themselves as food, so they might have the wrong idea. 

Please let me know how the pasta recipes turn out; I am dying (quite literally, a little more every day that passes) for entertainment. 

Regards,
Costin

(attached are three neatly written pasta recipes, each on an individual notecard, inexplicably decorated with a tiny Dracula family seal affixed to the top corner in sealing wax)

[Dusty Fae]

To : Lord Costin Dracula
New Sighisoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

Dear Costin,

Thank you so much for your recipes! I will keep them safe in my recipe box with my mother's recipes that I saved. I have tried the parmesan pasta recipe. It was very good but I think I added too much garlic. I don’t think it was quite right, but I’ll have to try again soon. I tried the gnocchi recipe too which I really liked! It was a lot of work, but maybe when you come back for school I can make it for us.

It's been very quiet here. It's been quieter than I expected honestly. I didn't realize that most people would go home for the summer, but I suppose that makes sense. I'm trying to keep busy. I'm still working at the diner in town and that helps a lot. There are people there to talk to and work to be done which keeps me busy. But then I come home and there's not anything else to do. I've been trying to cook more just because it's something to do. Plus, Seamus and Jose like when I bring baked goods into work.

I'm sorry that things are boring at home. I wish things could be more pleasant than they currently are for you. It seems like it will be a long summer if you're so bored already. Maybe you should try a new hobby. I've been thinking about picking up quilting myself. Or perhaps knitting. I haven't decided yet. I think it will help to have a new hobby so that when I come back to my dorm at night I won't feel quite so lonely I’ll have things to do. I never thought I’d miss homework.

I hope this letter will help you to be rid of your boredom.

Sincerely
Dusty

[Costin Dracula]

From: Vis. Costin Dracula
New Sighișoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

To: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

---

Miss Dusty - 

Thank you very much for your letter. I am glad to hear that the recipes have done well for you. I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen thus far this summer because it is the only place in my house that my parents do not frequent, which makes it a good place to get away from them. But it is also a strange place to spend a lot of time in if you have no interest in cooking, so I have started to do a lot more of that. Still no garlic, though. It is very much a process of trial and error, so I do encourage you to keep trying because you will never improve if you don't practice. 

Things have improved a little since the last time I wrote you. Gwyn Locksley has sent me a bow and some arrows, and I have been attempting to learn to shoot. It is very rewarding work, although my fingertips have some very impressive callouses on them and I learned the hard way that I would need an arm guard when shooting. Between the shooting and the cooking, my days have been fairly well occupied by activities that would please someone living in the middle ages. 

I have never considered knitting, although now that you mention it, it could be a useful hobby to have. I could create clothing for people who think I am their friend for holidays. 

Who are Seamus and Jose? Are they kind to you? I will speak to them if they are not. 

Kind regards,
Costin

[Dusty Fae]

To : Lord Costin Dracula
New Sighisoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Dusty Fae 

Tintagel Academy 

Trenale 

Earth 

Dear Costin,

I have been experimenting a little bit and I finally tried that last recipe you sent before. Something about it just didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t even add garlic to that one. It might be a while before I try that one again. But I did make the gnocchi again and I made a nice bolognese sauce. It turned out very well. I will probably make that one again. I’m glad you’re cooking too. Since you were so kind as to send me your recipes, why don’t I share one of mine with you? I make a mean fried chicken. I learned from my mother, so I’ll send you her recipe and then you can see what you think.

I’m glad things have been improving for you. I’ve heard of Gwyn. I know her brother Eddie who is very nice, so I reckon that Gwyn must be very nice too. I didn’t know that you liked archery, but I’m glad you have something to occupy your time. I was worried about you. I figured you might just spend all your time moping about not being a vampire, but I’m pleased to know that you’re not. Your letter sounds less gloomy than last time too.

Knitting gifts would be a very nice idea. That would be very thoughtful! I myself have decided to quilt. I have a few fabric scraps from back home and my old dresses from back home that I can use. It would be best if they didn’t go to waste after all. I haven’t decided if I should use my mother’s old dresses or not yet. I’m not sure I can cut them up just yet. So maybe in the future. It would be nice to have a quilt to remind me of my mother.

Jose and Seamus are my friends. They work at the diner with me. Jose is the cook. We speak Spanish together sometimes. Seamus waits tables with me. He’s big with red hair. He’s Irish and kind of stern with people who don’t follow the rules. Don’t you worry. They are very nice to me.

Sincerely,

Dusty

(Attached is a small hand written recipe for fried chicken on a small scrap of paper not in a different handwriting than Dusty's)

[Costin Dracula]

From: Vis. Costin Dracula
New Sighișoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

To: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

---

Miss Dusty -

I appreciate your feedback on the recipe. I must admit, it was my least favorite of the three as well, but I know many people have different tastes, so I wanted to be sure to give you options. I am attaching some additional recipes I have been tinkering with lately. One of them is a pasta dish, one is a soup, and the other is for a meat pie. Living in the northern parts of this planet, we have no shortage of cold weather, so soups are always a safe bet, but I am not sure what the weather is like in Trenale at this time, so I included the meat pie as well in the event that it is not soup weather.

I want you to know that I made the fried chicken and it was absolutely delicious. My father put his head into the kitchen at one point while I was cooking and declared that it smelled “like death” - which coming from him is, I believe, a compliment of some sort. It tasted very good once it was cooked. I made some mashed potatoes and greens to go with it, and it was one of the most satisfying meals I’ve had in a long time.

I did not know I liked archery either, but I was short on entertainment, and Gwyn went out of her way to mail me the bow and arrows, so I thought I ought to make good use of them. It has definitely made me feel, as you say, less gloomy, to get outdoors and do something more active. Also, at the rate I am cooking these days, it’s good for me to get in some physical activity, as I am not hoping to return to school unable to fit into any of my suits.

I have seen a great many exotic fabrics lying around this manor that I am sure my fathers would not miss (they have so many collections from so many places in the universe after all their centuries of wandering, I think they would not miss most of the things in this house). If you like, I can send you some scraps of exciting cloth from different parts of the galaxy that you can practice your quilting with before you start cutting up your mother’s clothes.

I am glad to hear that Jose and Seamus are kind people. I can speak a little Spanish myself - not nearly as well as my Papá (who is Spanish), but I am much better at Romanian. We could practice Spanish sometime when I return to school, if you like, and perhaps have a Spanish cuisine dinner night?

Please let me know how the quilting goes, I would love to see some pictures of the things you are making if you have time to take them.

Kind regards,
Costin

[Dusty Fae]

To : Lord Costin Dracula
New Sighisoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Dusty Fae 

Tintagel Academy 

Trenale 

Earth 

Dear Costin,

Thank you for sending more recipes. I will put the soup recipe away for the time being. It is hot here at school right now and having hot soup on a hot night doesn’t really strike me as a good idea. It will be perfect for a cold day though. Maybe in the fall when the weather gets cooler. It’s funny how much the weather changes here. It doesn’t change so drastically back home in Los Avalos.

I made the meat pie though and it was so good and very easy to make. It’s kinda like making a stew but putting it in a pie crust. I’ll definitely make that one again. And I really like that pasta carbonara dish. It was very easy and very satisfying. But the recipe made so much that I had to bring it in to work to share with Seamus and Jose. They also thought it was very good.

I’m glad you liked my mother’s recipe. It’s one of my favorites to make and I make it sometimes when I’m missing her. It’s one I know so well that I know it by heart.

I am glad that you’re finding ways to occupy your time that you enjoy. I’ve often found that a little exercise can greatly improve my mood. And I’m sure that Gwyn will be pleased that you’re trying. I can’t wait to see how well you can shoot your bow!

I would love to have some scraps if you don’t mind sending them. That would be wonderful to have! And it would certainly make a more exciting quilt than what I currently have going. That is very kind of you to offer. I am currently working on making a quilt with each block (that’s the square bit) a different kind of block. I’m working on one called bear tracks. I think it’s working out really well so far. I’ll send a picture when I’m finished with the block.

Sincerely,
Dusty

PS I forgot to respond to the part where you suggested that we should practice Spanish together and have a Spanish dinner night. I think that would be a very fun idea.

[Costin Dracula]

From: Vis. Costin Dracula
New Sighișoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

To: Miss Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

---

Dear Miss Dusty - 

You are more than welcome for the recipes. If I come up with any better ones, I will be sure to send you a copy of them. I am glad you liked the meat pie - I have gotten a lot better at making the crust since I have been practicing. The first few times I made it, I burned the edges so badly I had to cut them off to make the thing edible. I'm glad Seamus and Jose enjoyed the pasta - I was very hungry when I made it the first time, so the amounts probably were a little much for one person to eat for just one meal. 

I am attaching some fabric I found in one of the wings of this massive manor I live in. My fathers will almost definitely not miss them, because there was an entire pile of elaborate fabrics just lying there amongst some other things, and I have never known either of them to sew anything in my entire life. I hope you are able to make some nice quilt squares out of them. 

You are right that exercise improves my mood. It is strange; I have never liked it here at home, because there are no people here whose companionship I enjoy and there is usually very little to do that entertains me besides reading. And when I went to school, at first I liked that even less, because I still did not enjoy anyone's companionship and all of the reading I was required to do was dreadful, dry stuff like statistics and history that was irrelevant to me. But now that I am here, I find that I am learning to make the best of both situations. I am enjoying having a break from the schoolwork, and I am finding ways to entertain myself. But I find that I miss the school, and while I have always been hesitant to use the word "friend" when it comes to human beings, I do miss spending time with a few select people there. Exchanging letters with my school companions and looking forward to seeing them again has given me a more positive outlook.

I don't suppose you needed that lengthy discourse on my mood, but I appreciate you reading it anyway, if you managed to get halfway through that paragraph. 

I may pass back through the school on my way to visit another person, Hinrik, who has invited me to visit him at his family home over the summer. I am not going yet, but if I feel I've run out of recipes to invent and targets to shoot with arrows, I may take him up on it for a weekend. The only way I know of to get to his home from here is to go back through the school portal and then through it again to his home, so I may stop by at some point this summer, and if I do, I would be happy to see you. 

Are you getting ahead on any of your classes while you are at school without distractions, or are you merely enjoying the time off? (I know which I would choose).

Best wishes,
Costin

[Dusty Fae]

To : Lord Costin Dracula
New Sighisoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Dusty Fae 

Tintagel Academy 

Trenale 

Earth 

Dear Costin,

My mother used to swear that making crust was the hardest part of making a pie. I can't tell you how many pie crusts I've burnt over the years. But it gets easier with practice. Something that I've been enjoying recently is quiche. It helps use up leftovers at the diner.

Thank you for the fabric! There are some truly lovely pieces here. I will have to sort them all and then decide what kind of quilt blocks to make. I think I want to try all different kinds so having lots of different fabric will make my quilt look very unique. I can't wait to make more blocks so I can show you!

Well, I think, Costin Dracula, that this feeling is called growth and all humans do it. I'm glad that you feel like you have friends now too, even if you refuse to call them that. You certainly seem to have turned over a new leaf. I'm happy for you.

I would be happy to see you if you swing through town for a bit! I'll cook for you! Just let me know and I'll make sure I'm not working. I'd love the company for a bit.

I've been doing a bit of studying since there's not much else to do. I'm getting a little ahead, but not too much. Don't want to get too far ahead.

Your friend,
Dusty

[Costin Dracula]

From: Costin Dracula
New Sighișoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

To: Miss Dusty Fae

Tintagel Academy

Trenale

Earth

Dear Miss Dusty,

Your mother was absolutely right. The crust is the most challenging part. It’s easy to find things that are delicious in a pie, but it is even easier to over-handle the crust and then it is tough and not tender and flaky. I’m still working on perfecting that, but I am definitely getting in a lot of practice over the summer.

You are more than welcome for the fabric, and if I find any more pieces that seem like they would be ideal for a quilt, I will send them along as well. I must admit, I am not an expert in quilts, so if there is anything I send that is not useful to you, feel free to throw it out or use it for something else. Many of these pieces seem to have been acquired by my fathers for use in upholstery and draperies and the like - some of them even match some of the furniture and curtains in our house.

I am glad that you think I have shown growth. It occurs to me that it is not entirely a bad idea to make myself a bit more of an enjoyable person if I am going to spend the rest of eternity with myself. No one wants to be miserable for eternity, after all, not even me.

I am going to try and come to visit my friend Hinrik next month, I think, so I will send word ahead when I am soon to be back in Trenale. I have heard something about a sickness there - is it anything to be worried about, or is it just the usual human panic over the unknown?

I’m attaching a recipe for a frozen dessert pie that I hope will be enjoyable for the warm summer months. Let me know if you make it and if so whether you enjoy it.

Your friend,
Costin

[Dusty Fae]

To : Vis Costin Dracula
New Sighisoara Manor
Greater Wallachia
Antares 4

From: Dusty Fae
Tintagel Academy
Trenale
Earth

Dear Costin,

If school starts again and you need a few pointers I am happy to lend a hand. I’ve been cooking in the kitchen with my mother since I was kneehigh to a grasshopper. She was busy a lot so she taught me to cook to keep me mostly out of trouble. And it worked. I enjoy cooking.

Well I’ve just begun quilting, so I’m not sure what fabrics will be best. I think cottons are generally what people use, but I reckon that there aren’t rules that state you have to use cotton. But I’ve sorted everything and cleaned it all so tomorrow after work I think I’ll start cutting squares. I’ve got the patterns all picked out and I’m excited to get to work on new blocks.

I would love it if you visited while you were on your way to visit your friend. I will have to put it on my calendar. I am looking forward to seeing you. We shall have to pla-

Forgive me, I was called away right as I was finishing my letter. I’m afraid I have bad news. There’s an illness here, like you said. It wasn’t so bad a week ago. People were falling ill, but we were assured that it was nothing to be concerned about. I was called away just now about the illness. The school has decided to go on something they are calling lockdown. The illness is very dangerous apparently. We aren’t to be let out of the dorms strictly unless we are going to the portal room to go home. And we aren’t to have visitors either. I’m not even sure you should pass through. We don’t have much information at the moment, but I will keep you updated.

Thank you for the pie recipe. I was hoping to make it this week but I don’t know if they’ll let us go to the grocery store.

Sincerely,
Dusty