futurology | text; un: reika

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text; un: reika

[ This is pretty formal for an introduction but she doesn't really know how else to address a large group of military strangers. Best to just post it and hope for the best... ]

Hello, everyone. This is Kagura Reika. I'm a recent arrival to Audentes; I would like to request for assistance regarding a few things.

First is acquiring a sword or a weapon of a similar size. My own was deemed unusable, and I'm looking for a replacement as well as anyone who might be willing to train with me during the downtime we have now.

Secondly, I'm seeking to learn how to cook proper food beyond simple meals. Please let me know if you can do so and have some time to spare, I'll repay any help given to me.

Thank you.

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That's great. I'll be there. Thank you again!

[ In fact, she arrives about fifteen minutes earlier so she can take a look at what's inside. There's ready-made food but without anyone around who seems to have cooked it. Maybe they stepped out for a while? ]

[It's a good thing they're both early-birds. She's liable to see Haise milling about, tugging ingredients from here and there to assemble them on the counter. He's so preoccupied with this that at first, he doesn't even notice she's arrived.

Far too busy scrutinizing two packages that seem to contain chicken but are definitely not labeled as such]

[ Seeing that Haise is the only one in the kitchen, she has to assume it's him. ]

Excuse me, are you Sasaki-san?

[ Reika holds herself with subdued confidence, a notebook and pen in her hands. She's ready to take notes when necessary. ]

[Haise looks up from his inspection, first blinking owlishly before he turns and offers her an amiable smile]

Yes, that's me. You came early.

[He notes, a hint impressed. Though he's not unused to associates showing up early for training, it's nothing he takes for granted from anyone]

[ It's always good to be early, in case something hinders her travel and she ends up late. Being late is almost a crime, as taught to her by the person who trained her. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you once again for teaching me.

[ Haise looks friendly. People here have been friendly, which has helped her adjust immensely. ]

I'm ready to start whenever you are.

I'm happy to be able to help. After our last mission, something like this is a nice change of pace.

[Besides, he'd always loved cooking for his squad back home. It's not something he can indulge in regularly here, even with those he's close to, but that makes him appreciate opportunities like this]

I've got everything assembled here, so we should be all set. We'll start with the marinade, if you'd like to start with that. [He offers her a list, and the necessary items are grouped together with measuring cups and a mixing bowl] I can cut the chicken.

[Cutting chicken is a simple task, but for her to confidently prepare this for herself in the future, the marinade is more important]

[ He's very prepared. That much, she appreciates. ]

Alright, I'll get to it right away.

[ Before she starts, she copies down his list into her notebook. If Haise watches her work, he would notice that she's very careful with what she does. As a result, she might be a bit slow - but she doesn't want to mess anything up, so it's better safe than sorry.

Also, it smells good. Haise certainly knows what he's doing. ]

[Rushing often leads to mistakes, so when Haise looks her way, he appreciates that she's taking her time. Precision can be an important factor, especially with certain dishes, and it's better than ending up with the wrong proportions and wasting food.

Those tendencies will be all the more helpful with baking.

For his part, Haise is familiar enough with the recipe that he can but the chicken into appropriately sized pieces without taking much time, but he goes about the task slowly enough that she can observe if she wishes to without having to rush her own task]

Do you often take notes?

[Curious, of course]

[ Half of the substances on the list are things she's only read about and never seen, so it's almost a miracle to be handling them in person again. Much of what Mutsumi uses back in their kitchen are synthetic mimics. ]

Oh, I do. It helps a lot with memory. I want to make sure I've got everything correct.

[ Her handwriting is a little sloppy where she's had to dash some off quickly lest she misses a step. ]

I tend to take notes too, for similar reasons.

[Granted, he also worries about his memory because of how much he's aware of actually having lost, but no need to get into that. Notes are good for organization and recall, and it's a good habit to have.

He continues to cut the chicken at a steady pace, trying to match the speed at which she's getting the marinade together]

After this, we'll be putting the chicken into the marinade for a bit.

[ In missions, a single slip of attention can cost lives. That was the motto that Hibari drilled endlessly into new Operators, and the same applied to God Eaters as well. Plus, taking notes (and by extension keeping a journal) helped with settling her own feelings. ]

Okay. Though... are we told where these ingredients come from?

[ She's curious, more than anything else. ]

Not specifically, no. I'd imagine they're provisioned from our worlds...or at least I haven't seen chickens on the ones we've visited so far.

[There could in theory be chickens on other worlds, but Haise would like to think they'd smell or look different, or have some variance in consistency or something qualitative. Different planets would have their own ecosystems...

But the universe is a strange, strange place]

[ That's interesting. She's never quite questioned how the food was cooked apparently with no supervision, but where did they source everything from? ]

I see. It was just a thought.

[ Though she's frowning a little at it. It's definitely safe to eat, but at the same time... ]

It's probably not too consequential.

Beggars can't be choosers, as they say.

[Haise's tone is lighter than his actual thoughts on the matter are. Given the very specific limitations of his own diet, he's wondered more than once how his rations are being provided to him.

In the end, he's caught between his desire to be sure it's not as bad as it could be and his fear that it is that bad]

This planet doesn't really have much by way of natural resources, from what I've seen.

[ For all intents and purposes the fare here doesn't taste too different from home, so she'll leave it at that. ALASTAIR might be keeping some things in the dark but they haven't done anything overtly wrong (yet), so it's best to just focus her attention on more important things. ]

Yeah. We can't leave the castle area, I've heard. Why is that so?

[ Walking out results in turning back. She's been informed but not of the reason why. ]

Hm... [A thoughtful hum as he cuts more chicken. He hasn't lost track of that task yet] Supposedly, this is all that remains of the world as it once was. Maybe the rest is unstable.

[After that time recruits were transported to the wrong place and seeing how it was collapsing in on itself, Haise could believe that. Of course, there remains another possibility]

Though it could also be that there's something they just won't want us to get into.

[ She's been erring towards the end of trusting ALASTAIR, in part because of how they treated Julius throughout his year here - but Haise does have a point. They haven't been told everything. ]

I see. I hope it's nothing dangerous.

[ Maybe they'll be told more as time passes. Still, it's something heavy to be thinking about while cooking. ]

We'll figure it out eventually.

I'm sure we will. In the meantime, we just need to keep doing our best.

[At least, that's the way Haise chooses to see it.

Once he's done cutting the chicken, he places the meat in a bowl before he's off to wash his hands]

We'll marinate those, once you're ready.

[ Reika has been paying attention to her work while they speak, so at his prompting she inspects her bowl a little more closely. ]

I think it's done.

[ She's followed every instruction so it should be okay. ]

Next, we'll be putting the chicken into the marinade.

[After he's dried his hands on a hand-towel, Haise is right back to help her out]

And once we've done that, we'll cover the bowl and leave it for about twenty minutes. While we're waiting, we can make some rice to go with it.

[Occupy a little time, and all that]

[ Reika nods at his instruction and moves to clean her own hands so they can start preparing the other things. Haise is detailed and definitely knows how to plan his time, which she appreciates. A full meal needs many components and juggling them does take finesse.

Not for the first time she wonders how the chef in her homeworld managed it at the tender age of nine. ]

Might there be any umeboshi here?

Let's see...

[Haise veers right for one of the fridges to check on that. There are so many ingredients both foreign and familiar that he isn't confident simply assuming that he saw something before.

Some shuffling through shelves and drawers ensues before he has an answer for her]

Looks like we've got a winner, so long as these aren't just suspiciously similar to the real thing.

Oh!

[ That's a pleasant surprise. She walks over to inspect the jar in Haise's hands. ]

We can try some later to make sure.

[ They'll make a nice garnish, she thinks. ]

It's a plan then. I'll just set these out.

[He sets the jar down not far from their other supplies, and then he's off to collect the rice. In contrast to other ingredients, he hadn't set it out, not wanting to clutter the counter too much]

As for rice...could you get a pot for us to use? There should be some behind you.

Sure.

[ Reika works quietly, not talking unless necessary. The pot is easily retrieved and rinsed, ready for Haise to use. ]

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