citylogs | [open] welcome to the city

Entry tags:

[open] welcome to the city

WHO: Altria Caster (

excaliburden) & perhaps you!
WHAT: Help out a gal who just got here and is still getting used to magical city things like powdered sugar
WHERE: Across the city! Namely: a convenience store, park, subway, etc.......
WHEN: Early November
WARNINGS: N/A! Will update if necessary

a. local victorian orphan discovers convenience stores

[You're probably popping into the local convenience store for sensible reasons, like to buy a soda or to grab a few things you're missing for your dinner. Maybe for one of those hot dogs. No judgment.

Either way, you're getting interrupted by a gremlin in young woman form, who comes right up to you as soon as she makes eye contact, holding up... one of those small little packs of powdered sugar donuts.]

Have you ever tried one of these?

[She sounds awed.

There is powdered sugar around her mouth and on her fingers. She seems to have already eaten three of the five in the pack. It's a little bit like a religious experience, honestly.]

b. park break

[There's only so much walking around the city she can do before she gets tired. Even a few days in, it's still a pretty overwhelming place, and despite making many plans with many helpful people upon first arriving, she... has not acted on any of them.

So it is that even though it's either very early in the morning or very late at night, Altria can be found seated on one of the benches in the park, shoulders hunched and hands in her lap. She doesn't seem to be asleep, just... thinking very, very intently.

Of course, if she notices that someone's near, she'll immediately straighten, lifting a hand to wave--but with how deep in thought she is, it isn't hard to sneak up on her, either.]

c. subway

[Using the subway today to get across the city? That's a perfectly normal thing to do.

There's a young woman there as well, nose pressed to the window as she stares out as the train moves, even though it's, you know, underground and there's nothing to see. It's fine--she still seems amazed.

Also, if you hop back on the train a few hours later to go elsewhere, she's... still there. She might be leaning back in the seat, staring at the ceiling, or moving from seat to seat idly, or, in particularly empty times of day, sprawled along two seats at once.

Don't worry about it. Everything's fine here!]

d. wildcard

(Wanna tag in but these prompts don't work? Totally fine, hit me with whatever--or poke me over here to plot something out!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[... She supposes that's true. It'll probably be curated, but...

In the end, she just huffs.]

I guess so... I'm just not used to sitting around like this.

[It's easier to just dive into things head first when there are things to dive in to!!

But also, look at the way he handles that knife... she's leaning to try to get a better view, interest piqued.]

[ He's much the same, but there's nothing they can do in this case. But the cooking gives him a good distraction—because it's not going to take him long to figure out everything he needs to about the place, and then what would he do after?

He could use the cooking to his advantage too. Maybe make a few connections with other people in the city.

He sees her leaning over, and adjusts his posture to give her a better view. ]

Ever learned how to prepare an eel?

[Since he's basically inviting her to snoop, she hops off of the counter to come closer, leaving him the space to cook since he's wielding a knife, but clearly intrigued.]

No, never. To be honest, I've never really learned how to cook much... at all...

[She is, in fact, a disaster chef.]

[ He frowns at that. How does she survive on her own, he wonders, not knowing something as basic as cooking? He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have basic survival skills either, like creating campfires or setting up a tent.

With the eel all cut up, he starts heating the pan, pouring a bit of oil on it as it warms.

... ]

You should learn how to cook.

[Well.

She can't argue that. It's fair, it's just...]

Since I don't really need to eat, I never really got the chance to learn. A lot of faeries like delicious food [her included] but...

[You know. Having access to that is a whole other story.]

[ Right, she wasn't human. Honestly, it's a wonder that he'd learned how to cook, because he didn't need to eat either. Just, when he was discovered and taken in by the people of Tatarasuna, they'd taught him everything one needed to know to live as a mortal, despite him obviously not being one.

He's silent for a while, as he finishes with the eel and sets it aside on a plate, to be used later. ]

You have the chance to learn now.

[...?

She supposes she has the time now, but...]

I wouldn't even know where to start, honestly. [Who would teach her???? [oblivious]]

You could always ask someone who knows.

[ Please pick up the hints girl, because he's not going to directly offer. Nope. Never. ]

Someone who knows... but it might be a little bit of an imposition...

[... .... .... Unless...

A stroke of genius, Altria!!]

... You don't seem to dislike cooking, though...

[...]

Maybe I can learn from you!

Took you long enough.

[ There's a smirk on his face, slightly teasing. ]

We'll start simple. Even a child would be able to pick it up.

[Wha--!!!]

You were just waiting for me to ask?

[Rude!!]

I thought maybe you didn't want to teach me...!

When did I ever say or imply that I wouldn't?

[ Like, your entire prickly attitude, sir... ]

[yea basically.

Still, that feels like an argument she isn't going to win, so instead she puffs out her cheeks at him for a moment, sulky, and then shakes her head.]

Well. If you're really willing to teach me, then... I want to learn how to cut the eel as cleanly as you did!

[ She must have been very impressed by his knife skills if that's the first thing she wants to learn. ]

And here I thought you'd ask me how to make all the sweets you love so much. You sure you don't want to learn that first?

[ There's still some time before the rice will be ready, so he pulls out the rest of the ingredients he obtained from the bags: sugar, vanilla beans, sesame seeds, an assortment of nuts, and palm dates. ]

This one isn't difficult to make.

[FIRST MURAMASA, NOW WANDERER... SHE KNEW THEY WERE SIMILAR!!! Neither of them will let her handle sharp objects...!!!

She pouts a little bit, but after a bit of a sigh, she'll move closer to peer at the ingredients he pulls out. After all, she is interested in sweets...

And, far-too-proudly:]

I've made chocolate on my own before! ... With some help! So this should be really easy.

[Sure.]

[ Oh, he'll let her, dangers be damned. It might be a hassle trying to teach her, but it'll be fun watching her flail helplessly, he thinks. ]

Don't sound so dejected. I'll teach you later. I was going to make this, anyway.

[ He shuffles around the kitchen to pull out some measuring cups and spoons. ]

It's best to follow recipes when it comes to making sweets. Unlike cooking, precise measurements are required if you want it to turn out good.

[ He shows measures out all of the ingredients, taking care to show her how to use the measuring tools properly. ]

[!!!!

Her enthusiasm comes back ten-fold, like a beacon of bright light. She beams, watching as he grabs those spoons and measuring cups.

Nod nod nod!

She's listening, but is she retaining? Uncertain, especially because she follows it up with:]

But what if you have lots of delicious ingredients that aren't part of the recipe? Won't it be even better if you can work them in?

[ He doesn't expect her to retain everything immediately, and he's not surprised she'd ask something like that. She doesn't seem like the type who exercises moderation very much. ]

I wouldn't if I were you. Until you know exactly why a recipe works, you should stick to it. Otherwise, you'll ruin the result and you won't even know what caused it.

[ In a bowl, he crushes sesame seeds with oil to form a paste, to which he adds vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. In another pot, he combines water and sugar over heat, occasionally holding his hand over the mixture to assess the temperature. There's a thermometer in the pot too, but he only glances at it once he's determined that the mixture has reached the appropriate temperature. ]

For this dessert, you need to make sure this sugar mixture reaches the right temperature. If it doesn't, it won't reach the correct thickness.

[He is so correct in his analysis of her. So, so correct. She looks a little put out that he puts the kibosh on adding things so quickly and aggressively, but nods obediently nonetheless.

He said this was an easy recipe, but...... he's multi-tasking so much! He's doing so many things and making them all look so smooth and easy!]

Um... how do you know when it's right?

[ Her enthusiasm deflates so easily, it's almost funny to watch her oscillate between excited and crestfallen. But he's busy with the ingredients, and so doesn't comment on it.

He tilts the thermometer towards her as he lowers the heat to keep temperature while he teaches her. ]

You can use a device like this if you have access to one. I don't normally, so the other way I determine if it's ready is to test what happens if I drop the syrup into cold water.

[ He lifts the spoon that was in the mixture and drips a small amount of the sugary mix fall into a cup of water he had prepared. After a short moment, he scoops the hardened syrup out of the water and shows Altria. It's a ball now, firm enough to retain its shape, but when he squeezes it, it flattens easy under his fingers. ]

You're looking for the syrup not to lose shape after it's removed from the water, but still be soft enough to be malleable under force.

[ With that, he turns off the stove entirely and lifts the pot from the stove. ]

Now, we mix it into the other bowl.

[Ooooohhh...! It's like magic, watching it change shape like that, and she's both easily pleased and delighted by it. Crystalized, malleable sugar... so that's how he makes such beautiful desserts.]

The other bowl is... the seeds, and the oil, and the vanilla, right?

[She reaches for it to bring it closer, wanting to at least prove she's been paying attention and retaining what he's been showing her.]

[ Wait until she learns how sugar changes depending on what temperature it was brought to. He's seen some of the essays by Spantamad scholars who have looked into the properties of sugar and other food ingredients in an attempt to innovate on culinary dishes. Personally, he finds those essays to be more entertaining to read.

He nods, his lips quirking up slightly. She's trying, at least. ]

Careful not to let your hands touch the syrup.

[ He begins to slowly pour the syrup into the paste, using a spatula to stir the mixture gently until all of it is evenly mixed together. ]

Stir slowly here. If you stir too quickly you can ruin the texture of the mix.

[ Once he sets down the pot, he grabs the various bags of nuts, quickly chops them up coarsely, and stirs them into the mixture.

He pours the final mix into a pan that has been lined with parchment paper, tapping it against the counter to flatten it out. ]

And now, we wait.

[ He sets the pan aside to let it cool and looks at Altria. ]

Now, did that seem hard?

Not at all!

[And with completely unwarranted confidence:]

I'm sure that I could make it myself now.

[This is unwarranted!! Confidence!! She'll mess it up!]

[ He eyes her for a moment, before sighing. ]

I'll send the recipe to you later. Make sure to follow it properly, especially when it comes to heating the sugar.

[ Anyway, back to the main dish! The rice is ready, so it's time to brew the tea. He gets that going on the stove, and then takes the eel, which has been covered in a dark glaze, and wraps rice around it, to hide the pieces. Then he starting working the rice into a flower shape. ]

You don't really need to do what I'm doing right now for this dish. It's... just for decoration.

[She will not follow it properly (things will be added). But it's fine. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Anyway, more importantly!!

She peers around his back as he shapes the rice, eyes wide.]

Can you do other shapes? Like--Proper Human History hearts or stars?

[open] welcome to the city

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