text; un: reika

[p66]

[ 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.

Comments

[p66]

[ 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. ]

[ex_adept136]

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]

[p66]

[ 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.

[ex_adept136]

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.

[p66]

[ 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. ]

[ex_adept136]

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.

[p66]

[ 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.

[ex_adept136]

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.

[p66]

[ 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. ]

[ex_adept136]

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]

[p66]

[ 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?

[ex_adept136]

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.

[p66]

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. ]

[ex_adept136]

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.

[p66]

Sure.

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

[ex_adept136]

Thanks

[At last the rice is a straightforward process, and he doesn't waste time in filling the pot with water and setting it to boil so they can get started]

You know...this is almost like back home.

[Almost. Now and then, Mutsuki had helped him in the kitchen]

[p66]

[ They're going quite smoothly with the whole process, which is a good thing. ]

Working together?

[ That, she agrees with. Much of her work back home couldn't be accomplished by a single person. ]

How is your world like, Sasaki-san? If you don't mind me asking.

[ It sounds intact, which is not something that can be said for her own. ]

[ex_adept136]

Yes, exactly.

[And though he hadn't thought about it, he'd missed moments like this.

The question makes him pause, after he's placed a lid over the rice to let it cook]

I've only known Tokyo, which is rather urban...I don't know what you're accustomed to, but it's a lot of skyscrapers and buildings close together.

[p66]

[ Urban would describe the ruins outside the Far East Branch quite well. ]

My world had those things too, in the past. I've seen a few of them.

[ It's hard to avoid the topic of it being ruined, though. ]

Are there many people who live in the skyscrapers?

[ex_adept136]

Many of them are office buildings and businesses, but some are residences.

[Which is the long way of saying yes, sometimes]

Tokyo is quite populous.

[p66]

[ It sounds very much like her world before it imploded. ]

How many people live there?

[ex_adept136]

Over thirteen million, I believe.

[That is, a lot of people in not a lot of space, relatively speaking]

[p66]

[ It's hard to conceal her surprise, which is why she doesn't try. ]

That's... a lot, really. And they live together? Where does the food come from?

[ex_adept136]

Well, families live together of course, but there are individual apartments and houses.

[More apartments than anything else in the city, but he and the Quinx live in a chateau, so standalone residences aren't unheard of]

It's a combination of produce from farming and fishing alongside imports, I should think.

[p66]

[ A world still filled with life... it's a good one. ]

It sounds amazing.

[ She's seen records of the past in the Archives, but it doesn't beat hearing it firsthand. ]

How many people live in your world total?