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[ The video feed begins with Yuri, the familiar backdrop of the kitchen behind him. He seems to be talking to someone offscreen, but his voice is too muffled to discern, then he frowns in thought as his attention turns back to the broadcast — and the first clearly audible sound is a resonant thump, jarring and loud after near silence.

This time, the view swings around to reveal a tall, well-muscled blond man having what seems to be an epic battle against some tough bread dough. ]

To think there're recipes that require that strength of yours... It'd be all day, if it was me.

[ If even then. Anyone who knows something about Dimitri's strength would know that's an understatement...if a few fist-sized dents in the metal countertop from his kneading efforts aren't evidence enough. ]

Indeed, it's more challenging than I'd have expected.

[ Yet Dimitri seems to be enjoying himself, the faintest of smiles on his lips as he works. ]

It's got the both of us wondering... You all have any favorites from back home? Universe being as fast as it is, it stands to reason there's a great many dishes one or another of us haven't heard of.

[ Dimitri pauses in his work, shooting a look Yuri's way. ]

Don't forget to mention there will be extra bread.

Right, right... Give us a bit, we'll have some fresh bread here. Recipe's from some realm I'd butcher the name of.

[ ooc: Replies will come from Yuri or Dimitri, your resident medieval men. ]

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Hm... I like baked apples and spice cake. Seafood is nice too.

Spice cake... I wonder if it differs from what comes to mind for me.

[ Different spices, perhaps? ]

But what sorts of seafood do you fancy?

I like pickled herrings and various vegetables. I've made them here in the past, but I feel as if my efforts to bring a little bit of my home to the station were not greatly appreciated.

I can give you the recipe if you want to try this for yourselves.

Ah, really? A shame. I guess pickling's a matter of taste, but personally? Pickled rabbit skewers are a favorite of mine, back home.

[ So it doesn't sound unappealing to him, at least. ]

I'd welcome that recipe of yours.

That's a surprise. [And not a bad one. A rarity.] I can share it, or I can show you.

A demonstration, even? Sounds like my lucky day, provided you've the time to spare.

[ How often does one get the opportunity, after all? ]

There is nothing else to do here than wait.

[Wallow, he means, in the aftermath of missions and their own fragile minds. The space that seems even more endless than the dark expanse of the universe outside the thin walls of the station itself.]

When might you have a moment?

Ah, fair point. I've got hours until this dough's ready to roll [ no pun intended, honest. ] so I'm free in the meantime.

[ He does have all the time in the world otherwise, as well, but he gets the feeling his crewmate might have use for a way to pass the time. Or company. Both, even. ]

I will look through the latest batch of food items, and see if the station has what I need. I can be there within the hour.

[There is no way to the food teleportation platform without walking through the sunlight room, and his footsteps drag on as he watches the false sun rise over the beautiful landscape there. The only room on the station that doesn't reek with desperation and lost souls, the toil and torment they have all dragged on to it after every successful mission.

Aleksander searches the boxes, rooting through the stacks of food until he finds-- most of it. There is no fish here, but he does find red beets and onions.]

Hello?

[As he steps in to the kitchen, his provisions carefully balanced in a cardboard box in his arms.]

[ At first, Yuri's quite out of sight — until he pops up from behind a counter, scrutinizing a device in his hands. He frowns thoughtfully at it, muttering to himself something about how one would fry air and why, before he belatedly registers that he'd been greeted.

Yuri is quick to set the mysterious gadget aside for later assessment as he turns his attention to the new presence in the room. ]

Sorry about that— in our downtime, I try to familiarize myself a little more with the appliances around here.

[ That and it seems a certain royal associate of his had discovered an interest in it, which is a pleasant surprise, but it means he needs to be the expert. ]

Aleksander, right?

[ Assuming his moniker on their internal network is his name, that is. Yuri knows by now this isn't necessarily the case. ]

Because you plan to cook more food in here?

[The small electric oven that beeped angrily at him and set off sparks that one time he put a cup of tea in it, spoon and all, had been enough for him to deal with. He had left everything else alone, for more than a year.

There really was no reason to set the station on fire, when the food in the cardboard boxes worked adequately enough.]

Yes. And you must be Ashen. Pleasure to meet a man who appreciates a good pickled fish.

Good to meet you as well. Call me Yuri; the user name's just a remembrance of home.

[ And on the odd chance another of his erstwhile schoolmates arrived here, he'd like to think they might pause at the sight of it. Their academy days are well behind them now, but those from his small class still occasion to call themselves wolves, a remnant of their days as the Ashen Wolves.

Then again, they might first think of their professor's old moniker. Who could be sure? ]

You could say cooking is one of my hobbies and you wouldn't be amiss... Though the equipment here takes getting used to.

Edited 2023-03-09 10:45 (UTC)

As you wish. Yuri.

[Names carry meaning, and he nods, setting down the ingredients in his arms before snorting a brief laugh.]

That is one way to address the sheer illogicalness of the machines in this room. I would have preferred an open fire, but- [he finds a cutting board, knife placed carefully next to it] perhaps flames in an enclosed space isn't the best idea.

I know the feeling... Our ovens and stoves are decidedly not like the contraptions in this place, but I suspect people'd be alarmed by the smoke if we went our own course.

[ A shame, that. Yuri prefers the wood-burning versions back home, but with the lack of windows, there isn't much for it. ]

Can I fetch anything for you? Least I can do.

I will need more honey- [as he lines up the ingredients, the almost-fresh produce which makes him frown (the celery dangles limply from his fingers) and finds a pot in the nearest cupboard.] if you can find it. All I found in the storage room was this... it's supposed to be honey, but I've never seen honey this color. Or this liquid. [a bear-shaped pot of 'honey' joins the line of things he will need.]

I would be more concerned about suffocating, than alarming anyone. [but...] it is possible to find a place with fresh air and a proper wood-stove in the simulation room.

[The last thing he lines up, is a short row of fresh herrings.]

How good are you at deboning fish?

[ Yuri spares the bottle a glance — then a more pointed look as he takes in the odd shape of the bottle. A bear? What purpose could that possibly serve? He supposes Bernadetta would like it, but it doesn't strike him as at all practical, and the color is a little odd indeed. ]

I think I can scare something up. [ For his own purposes, he's scoured this kitchen more than once, after all. Already, he heads toward the cupboard he'd last seen what he assumed to be honey stored in. ] And I've got experience with fish...and knives, for that matter. Big annual fishing contest where I live.

[ Or rather, above where he lives. ]

Tell me about the fishing contest.

[As he slides a cutting board toward the place Yuri last stood, before starting to dice the nearest vegetable in to thin slices.]

If you could cut those in to fillets, that would be very helpful.

Well, you see... Alright, context. Abyss is below this monastery, and they've got themselves a fine fishing pond up top. The numbers tend to swell up a certain time of year, yeah? Broad variety of fish, as well.

[ As he speaks, Yuri sifts through the contents of the cabinet until he locates the jar he had in mind, pulling it out for closer inspection. ]

So they have a contest, gets the numbers back down... And the fish are ample enough that quite a lot of the results make it down to my people, so as not to have it go to waste. I fancy most of us know how to prepare fish as a result.

[ He returns with his findings: a proper jar of honey. Then he pivots to the sink. ]

Let me just wash my hands and I'll get to that fish.

[When Yuri sets down the jar, Aleksander scoops it up, inspecting it before unscrewing the lid to have a little taste. The spoon clatters in the sink as he turns back to the vegetables.]

Your home is called the Abyss? That certainly is a very interesting name. We didn't have much growing up, but fishing in lakes and the ocean was free. Even for people like me.

[Chop, chop, chop, the blade falls like a metronome] And I do like to know that the food I make will keep. You never know when we might fall on hard times in here.

Indeed it is... Couldn't tell you who named the place, but it is underground and goes on a ways. Can't say it isn't apt.

[ Though Yuri would just as soon point out the place is far kinder than the surface is, at times. What the world topside can't provide, sometimes Abyss can: a haven for those whom society has let slip through the cracks.

Yuri makes brisk work of washing his hands, careful to dry his hands with a clean hand towel. With that done, he moves on to the fish and sets to work, setting about preparing it with practiced ease. ]

People like you, though? You seem like an amiable fellow, from what I've seen. Bonus points for resourcefulness.

Grisha. [He holds up his hands, fingers twisting and a tendril of darkness slithers against the palm of his hand, vanishing back to the dark corners as soon as he lets them fall back to the chopping board.]

But thank you. Starvation is a powerful motivator for learning new skills, and here, you will need that. We have had-- mishaps here before. Missions without food. Without much water. The packs in the storage room are important to remember, they will have necessities and can help save lives.

[ Yuri observes this small demonstration curiously for a beat, then returns his focus to the fish. As he'd said, he clearly knows well enough how to filet a fish — but he seems more intimately familiar with handling knives. ]

Where I come from, I fancy that'd pass for dark magic. Just another variety some have more aptitude in than others.

[ Yuri can recall missions in which there was hardship such as his associate describes. However, he's kept to himself a little too well, and he fancies those around him could easily take him for a new face.

He's so much more involved, back in Abyss, out of necessity. ]

After that little incident with the station turning against us, I've begun stocking emergency supplies. Water, especially. A man can go much longer without food than water, though I've been gathering non-perishables. Imagine if such a thing happened again, and for longer...

[ A pause, as he examines his work, before he thinks to add— ]

Supplies for everyone, of course.

Edited 2023-04-02 11:13 (UTC)

That wasn't the first time it happened.

[Conversationally, as if the idea of the station malfunctioning - the air supply disconnecting and the horror that might come after that, with most of them struggling to breathe and the rest having to look on - he shrugs.]

Of course, who would want to hoard food and water solely for one person. [He might have, had it not been utterly in vain.] It is not as if any one person could possibly fulfill the deal we made.

[After dicing the vegetables, and a short glace at the very well-cut fish, he pulls out a pot, pouring in vinegar and water.] You know of magic. Is dark magic something unwanted, where you are from?

So it's a pattern? [ It's cue for a put upon sigh that lacks any true weight behind it. ] That's reassuring.

[ It's true enough no one person is capable of hunting down every orb, though really, it's less practical than that for Yuri. He prides himself on practicality, and yet...

His sense of responsibility to and for others is simply as robust as most others from his deeply chivalric homeland. Not something he'd out himself regarding, even as he's fully aware of it. ]

Indeed, I'm a decent hand with healing and wind, myself. I'd say dark magic may be less common as talents go, yet they still taught it at the academy I attended. It's ah...mostly children of nobles and the like, future leaders and all that.

[ He shrugs the notion off, setting the knife aside for now and nudging the cutting board (or more to the point, the fish) within easier reach of his companion. ]

Education's woefully limited back home.

It was. We took care of it months ago.

[Olivia and the fight that followed, the discussion of whether or not she deserved mercy. The orbers pushing aside personal struggles and disagreements to help and ensure that they wouldn't find themselves floating in space one final morning.]

You have gifted children born from nobles. And they are not hidden away or shipped off into obscurity. [well, well] My own country lacks education, for people like me and for those who are born without powers. There is no reason to teach children how to read or write, when most of them will die with a rifle in their hands before turning twenty.

[But not the Grisha he found.

The water boils and the sharp smell of vinegar spreads through the kitchen as he adds spices and honey, the golden liquid dripping down slowly.]

Are you born in to nobility, then? I know very few who would clean their own fish, or even know how to catch them. But you seem capable.

Pickled foods sound like a delicious thing to have with bread. Any in specific you recommend we have? The bread is going to be on the salty side, I think.

If you can find fresh fish, spicy pickled herring should go with that. It has a nice tang to it that goes well with salt.

That sounds good. Would it only work if it's fresh then?

The fish? Pickled fish is superior to regular fish because it can be kept in sealed jars for long periods of time. That is also why it's a Second Army stable in our rations.

[Dimitri cleans his forehead with a nearby towel, the sweat accumulating on his forehead due to the work, the heat, and the stuffiness of the kitchen at the moment.

The bread should rest, but he doesn't remember for how long.]

How long should I put it in the weird box for?

[He read the recipe, it said to put the dough on a bowl, cover it with a towel (a clean one, of course), and to put it in the metal box that will make it rise. Supposedly. If they pressed the correct buttons.]

The recipe said it'd be a good four hours or so... Which means we can do whatever we like once it's in there.

[ Dimitri had gotten even more of a workout than Yuri would've expected, thanks to that dough. Who'd have thought? Then again, they've seen all manner of diverse races on those alien worlds, so he shouldn't be quite that surprised. ]

If you'd like to take it easy, I can hold the fort. You did most of the work, as it stands.

I--

[He doesn't know what to do for four hours. Oops.]

Shall we make some sweets?

Well look at you, getting all ambitious.

[ Yuri finds himself surprised, but not unpleasantly so. ]

What'd you have in mind?

Those little ones?

[He means petit fours but doesn't know it.]

Could be easy.

[Easier than staying with his mind for four hours.]

Little ones...

[ The trouble is the description could mean so many things.

Yuri hums, debating what Dimitri means by that. It isn't long before he gives up, sauntering over to a shelf lined with cookbooks, and tugs one free — a title dedicated to desserts. ]

Let's find these "little ones" of yours.

[Dimitri watches him, but then gets closer to Yuri when he takes out the book, to look at the pictures of the desserts. He can't taste them, but might as well try them anyway.]

They're the kind Mercedes used to make.

Oh yeah? I admit, I didn't spend much time around her in the kitchen.

[ So he continues flipping through pages at a measured pace, paying no mind to Dimitri looming over him. ]

She is really good at baking.

[Dimitri is looking at the book, when something similar to the little ones shows up.]

There, that. the little cakes.

So that's what you're getting at...

[ Well, that shouldn't be too bad. Daintier than Yuri would expect Dimitri to want to attempt, but if he's feeling adventurous, who is he to discourage him? ]

Alright, let's gather the ingredients then.

Yes, let's do so.

[He turns to go look for the flour, being very careful to not mix up it with the bread flour he was using before. He sets a 2kg bag on the counter, and then turns to Yuri.]

Where do I get all the other things?

Let's see... Sugar's in that cabinet over there, for starters. Vanilla's in the next one over, butter's in the fridge like the eggs are...

[ Yuri has by this point strayed away from the book, off to find them measuring cups and spoons. Anything easily broken, he may as well collect to ease their project along. ]

[Dimitri nods, moving to where indicated, and collecting the ingredients. He watches as Yuri collect the small things Dimitri knows he'll break if he holds one.]

We need the measuring thing again, right?

[The scale, he thinks it's called. And yes, they do need it.]

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video | un: ashen

audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

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Voice. un: Aleksander

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Voice, un: blaiddyd

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