[ Alucard does have a way about him that gets Himeka to spend more time analyzing her own initial assumptions. She has a bad habit of thinking that thinking is someone else's responsibility, regardless of her own capabilities. But she can readily share what she has learned simply by living in Solvunn for so long. ]
The New Gods do tend to be more popular with younger folk. I assumed it was just because the Old Gods have already been so ingrained in ritual and culture that traditionalists would lean that way. The Old Gods are responsible for all the basic things we see in the world around us...light, air, water--they kind of are the world in that sense. But they believe that the New Gods were created by those Old Gods to begin a period of change.
[ Though now that she thinks about it... ]
...Which is kind of funny considering they're so afraid of change they don't want to really invoke the New Gods nearly as much.
[ It makes her think back to her early training at Shisui's Palace. The priests had very specific kami they liked to invoke and could never fully explain to Himeka why it was only those that needed the most care. ]
Then Viktor is doing the right work! I know I've gotten spoiled back home with what I could get. Though it is kind of charming cooking in a more rustic environment at the Inn. Did I ever thank you for doing such a good job from my ideas?
[ Her barely legible plans, yes. But she doesn't see it that way.
Himeka smiles at the praise in turn, pausing only to take another sip of her cider. The warmth on her throat and tongue is indeed perfect for this time of year. ]
Back home. [ She does not mention they are dead. ] And I've found it's hard to stay in one place for very long. Not being able to leave Solvunn drives me crazy at times, you know! If I wanted to go fishing in Thavnair but have dinner in Old Sharlayan I could do it in a matter of minutes back home--
[ Oh but now she's thinking. ]
--then again, the food scene in Old Sharlayan is one of the most embarrassing things I've seen for a city of damned scholars. They hold all the knowledge of the world in one place and what do they do with it? Create a loaf of bread that sits like a brick in your stomach and tastes no better than one too. Can you believe it, Alucard? See, that's another reason why I have to go back. They have one good restaurant in the whole place and that just won't do!
[ She shakes her head and reaches for a little rice cake, taking a bite before continuing. ]
If I can help build a cafe at the end of the universe, I can definitely get some stuffy old lectors to appreciate a good sandwich.
[Alucard's really only discusses the gods with Wanda and Himeka, so this level of granular detail is appreciated and new. There's no doubt that the more she shares, the more Alucard realizes he'd truly hate being in Solvunn full time. As it is, this is very fascinating.]
...So let's incorporate that into what we think to be true. If the New Gods are summoned and the Old Gods are said to have been created, then it sounds like the Old Gods have some connection to the Singularity but the particulars are a question mark. Possibly they have some control over it, or the dialog is different. Either way, the old Summoned were brought here to effect change and some thought it was bad, so they're invoked less. If it is a question of being hard to control or cursed - remember the Lunae and their feelings on those swords - then that's something too.
[All of this feels like...something. But what he isn't sure.]
I think you might've, but it is nice to hear again.
[Alucard was at least able to get the gist of what Himeka was going for with the plans. He just knows what one needs for a kitchen, that's easy.]
It is a blessing we all have Nocwich to visit every so often. I don't mind that the Free Cities are limited in scope. They're densely populated, and there's at least the wilderness for me to roam in.
[He stops then, letting Himeka speak more openly of home. That she focuses so much on food is hardly a surprise. Traveling by means of one's stomach is a completely valid approach to life.]
I think you're going to have to start very small first. Fix the bread situation.
[ Himeka taps a nail on the ceramic of her mug while he offers new connections. ]
Well, if Fred is any indication, it may be that they're a little more unpredictable. But to me it just feels like they're very...specialized?
[ There's a pause. ]
Actually--we had some sort of influence on our abilities as gods, didn't we? Like, they weren't wholly unexpected of us.
[ Himeka being so closely related to the hearth, to abundance and feasts all felt very in-character, even if the antithesis ended up being a little on the horrifying side. ]
What if there were still holes left in creation or whatever we want to call what the gods do that they felt they needed more?
[ As for Nocwich, she nods readily and exuberantly. ]
As nice as the Horizon can be, it feels different to see others in person as well, doesn't it? But what is your favorite place to visit in the Free Cities?
[ Their territory is so vast she imagines there has to be some fun places to explore. Now that Solvunn has gained some of the Badlands, Himeka plans on venturing out there herself soon if she can. ]
Ohhh, I plan to...I cannot believe a city on a literal island can't figure out how to make a proper fish bread. Honestly...
[ She shoves another mochi into her mouth, silencing further complaints. Then remembers that she came here to share it. ]
Here, try some! They're traditional in Hingashi back on my star.
I think that in a way, the New Gods are still closer to their original selves. Fred seemed...very human, in his way.
[The question of influence, however, gets a sort of ehhhn gesture from the dhampir. A waggle of the hand going either way.]
I'd argue that they were based on some part of the reputations we have now or built for ourselves. I'm mostly identified through my architecture work these days and behold, that is what I was associated with. Belief was forged out of genuine actions. So I'd push back on that a bit.
[Where to go in the Free Cities. Alucard considers this, resting his chin in his hand. The other hovers over the mug of cider, absorbing the warmth.]
The Red Path is a remarkable desert spot, full of flowers and wildlife. Walking through it is good for recentering oneself.
[Fish bread. Sure. Okay that's normal enough and--]
He does. I wonder if that's why he was so keen on reaching out to us?
[ Albeit in his own...unique way. ]
The reputations we've built for ourselves...
[ Himeka glances towards the snacks that she's created. This always has been herself, hasn't it? Her entire impetus to first travel to far off lands even beyond the Ruby Sea was a culinary venture. Nevermind all the magical growth and world-saving that went alongside that journey--food is her true love.
So she has to wonder, Have I never changed?
Or is her food just that good? ]
Well, I rather enjoy Alucard the Architect. And the chef.
[ She toasts to him with her mug before taking a much bigger drink, now that it's had a minute or two to cool. ]
Oh? Flowers are always lovely. Are they all red?
[ Thankfully the treats she prepared are not fish flavored. Alucard will find simple mochi with red bean paste, a light pudding or strawberries in the daifuku, and colorful nerikiri soaked in less traditional honey. ]
[Alucard's hunch leans towards yes, if only because he must see what is being done and it pings a note of familiarity. Speculating about that out loud though feels like an invitation to be contradicted, and Alucard is not especially inclined to enable that right now. So he lets it go.
In that time, it is clear that Himeka is also thinking, so he lets a comfortable silence settle for a few moments.
To hell with it. He clinks his mug against hers.
I also enjoy being that person instead of others.]
No, the flowers have a wide variety of colors, don't worry.
[He starts with the mochi, taking a bite and considering the texture. It is different. Not in a bad way or a good way, just in a Different way.]
That's a lot of versatility for a simple starch. Consider me impressed with the wide application and how well you are at wielding it.
Well, I wouldn't be surprise if this wasn't the last we'll hear of him.
[ It feels like once he got the Summoned's attention he has been more than willing to use it however he deems fit. Himeka knows that, inherently, being a trickster means that she ought not to trust him. But a part of her hopes that he's doing this not for his amusement, but because he genuinely cares about the Summoned. People he may have been before.
Only time will tell. Strangely, Koth is a bit easier to understand. ]
Well, I'd like to see it someday regardless. Anytime some place is given a name means that it was important to someone.
[ As such, she loves maps and road signs, even if she's keen on wandering about on a whim. Names can carry a lot of weigh and love.
Himeka drinks a bit more as he tries the mochi, always curious about his thoughts as a chef from a different tradition. She beams at his appraisal. ]
Isn't it amazing? You pound it with a mallet and fold it until you get the right consistency. The dragonets helped.
[ She's still teaching them all sorts of new cooking tricks in her domain. She flexes the arm that isn't holding her mug. ]
No, I don't think it is either. Especially if he was trapped with those swords for so long.
[Alucard has a vague concern that they need to worry about that too. About humans finding ways to trick and trap and manipulate them once they're more than human. But maybe that was always a false lead and Fred had just taken advantage of a legend.]
Perhaps one day. In happier circumstances.
[His only visit to Solvunn was under the most dire, after all.]
...Oh, there's hammers involved? [His eyes widen, fascinated.] I assume that it is similar to kneading a bread dough, but why the need for such force? Or is it simple what is required for the texture?
[ That's right--he must feel free as fuck right now, huh? Himeka hadn't considered it that way, but now that Alucard reminded her, she can't get the thought out of her head.
Yes...they certainly won't be seeing the last of him. ]
I think that day will come.
[ Himeka is very confident in that fact. The journey may be a difficult one, but they will find their way in the end. They will accomplish what they need to in Abraxas. Alucard will get to live the life he wants here, amongst new people with a new reputation, and Himeka will get to wander the stars. ]
Mhmm! You're right--it's partly so that it gets the right consistency which is easier to do with great force and also because it's believed to be good luck if you pound and eat the mochi.
[ She picks up one of the simple daifuku and pops it into her mouth. ]
I think we can use a little good luck coming into the new year.
[Alucard will laugh very bitterly about that day coming and neither one of them being able to enjoy the change in scenery. He'll mutter about of course he has somehow gotten trapped in Thorne again and she'll likely commiserate, and that will be that. No Red Path, no exploring Solvunn, only the worst return to the start of it all.
But for now, there's talk of food and the art of it and that is a far better thing.]
Is it because the pounding results in something delicious you get to eat, or is there something else I've missed?
[He takes another sip of cider before reaching for a daifuku himself.]
That feels like an understatement, given the rock.
[ Himeka is many things and an obligate optimist is one of them, despite the reasons she has accumulated to be otherwise. Joy is not achieved without effort, peace without pain. Even when the going gets rough--as it often does both in and outside of Abraxas--there's a way forward. If she doesn't think that way, she won't find it.
This has, of course, gotten her into trouble several times. A little bit of sobering, universe-ending despair helps rough up the edges of that optimism a bit. But it will take more than that to destroy it completely. ]
Yes, it's all about the right texture. You want to be able to pull it so that it stretches, but doesn't break--also, it's kind of fun.
[ And because this is the Horizon, Himeka looks behind them and manifests a large wooden bowl and mallet behind them. Just casually all up in Alucard's house. ]
Here! Maybe you can try it sometime.
[ When he wants to hit something a hundred times but also get a snack after the fact. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
The New Gods do tend to be more popular with younger folk. I assumed it was just because the Old Gods have already been so ingrained in ritual and culture that traditionalists would lean that way. The Old Gods are responsible for all the basic things we see in the world around us...light, air, water--they kind of are the world in that sense. But they believe that the New Gods were created by those Old Gods to begin a period of change.
[ Though now that she thinks about it... ]
...Which is kind of funny considering they're so afraid of change they don't want to really invoke the New Gods nearly as much.
[ It makes her think back to her early training at Shisui's Palace. The priests had very specific kami they liked to invoke and could never fully explain to Himeka why it was only those that needed the most care. ]
Then Viktor is doing the right work! I know I've gotten spoiled back home with what I could get. Though it is kind of charming cooking in a more rustic environment at the Inn. Did I ever thank you for doing such a good job from my ideas?
[ Her barely legible plans, yes. But she doesn't see it that way.
Himeka smiles at the praise in turn, pausing only to take another sip of her cider. The warmth on her throat and tongue is indeed perfect for this time of year. ]
Back home. [ She does not mention they are dead. ] And I've found it's hard to stay in one place for very long. Not being able to leave Solvunn drives me crazy at times, you know! If I wanted to go fishing in Thavnair but have dinner in Old Sharlayan I could do it in a matter of minutes back home--
[ Oh but now she's thinking. ]
--then again, the food scene in Old Sharlayan is one of the most embarrassing things I've seen for a city of damned scholars. They hold all the knowledge of the world in one place and what do they do with it? Create a loaf of bread that sits like a brick in your stomach and tastes no better than one too. Can you believe it, Alucard? See, that's another reason why I have to go back. They have one good restaurant in the whole place and that just won't do!
[ She shakes her head and reaches for a little rice cake, taking a bite before continuing. ]
If I can help build a cafe at the end of the universe, I can definitely get some stuffy old lectors to appreciate a good sandwich.
no subject
...So let's incorporate that into what we think to be true. If the New Gods are summoned and the Old Gods are said to have been created, then it sounds like the Old Gods have some connection to the Singularity but the particulars are a question mark. Possibly they have some control over it, or the dialog is different. Either way, the old Summoned were brought here to effect change and some thought it was bad, so they're invoked less. If it is a question of being hard to control or cursed - remember the Lunae and their feelings on those swords - then that's something too.
[All of this feels like...something. But what he isn't sure.]
I think you might've, but it is nice to hear again.
[Alucard was at least able to get the gist of what Himeka was going for with the plans. He just knows what one needs for a kitchen, that's easy.]
It is a blessing we all have Nocwich to visit every so often. I don't mind that the Free Cities are limited in scope. They're densely populated, and there's at least the wilderness for me to roam in.
[He stops then, letting Himeka speak more openly of home. That she focuses so much on food is hardly a surprise. Traveling by means of one's stomach is a completely valid approach to life.]
I think you're going to have to start very small first. Fix the bread situation.
no subject
Well, if Fred is any indication, it may be that they're a little more unpredictable. But to me it just feels like they're very...specialized?
[ There's a pause. ]
Actually--we had some sort of influence on our abilities as gods, didn't we? Like, they weren't wholly unexpected of us.
[ Himeka being so closely related to the hearth, to abundance and feasts all felt very in-character, even if the antithesis ended up being a little on the horrifying side. ]
What if there were still holes left in creation or whatever we want to call what the gods do that they felt they needed more?
[ As for Nocwich, she nods readily and exuberantly. ]
As nice as the Horizon can be, it feels different to see others in person as well, doesn't it? But what is your favorite place to visit in the Free Cities?
[ Their territory is so vast she imagines there has to be some fun places to explore. Now that Solvunn has gained some of the Badlands, Himeka plans on venturing out there herself soon if she can. ]
Ohhh, I plan to...I cannot believe a city on a literal island can't figure out how to make a proper fish bread. Honestly...
[ She shoves another mochi into her mouth, silencing further complaints. Then remembers that she came here to share it. ]
Here, try some! They're traditional in Hingashi back on my star.
no subject
[The question of influence, however, gets a sort of ehhhn gesture from the dhampir. A waggle of the hand going either way.]
I'd argue that they were based on some part of the reputations we have now or built for ourselves. I'm mostly identified through my architecture work these days and behold, that is what I was associated with. Belief was forged out of genuine actions. So I'd push back on that a bit.
[Where to go in the Free Cities. Alucard considers this, resting his chin in his hand. The other hovers over the mug of cider, absorbing the warmth.]
The Red Path is a remarkable desert spot, full of flowers and wildlife. Walking through it is good for recentering oneself.
[Fish bread. Sure. Okay that's normal enough and--]
Ah, yes, please.
[...nom?]
no subject
[ Albeit in his own...unique way. ]
The reputations we've built for ourselves...
[ Himeka glances towards the snacks that she's created. This always has been herself, hasn't it? Her entire impetus to first travel to far off lands even beyond the Ruby Sea was a culinary venture. Nevermind all the magical growth and world-saving that went alongside that journey--food is her true love.
So she has to wonder, Have I never changed?
Or is her food just that good? ]
Well, I rather enjoy Alucard the Architect. And the chef.
[ She toasts to him with her mug before taking a much bigger drink, now that it's had a minute or two to cool. ]
Oh? Flowers are always lovely. Are they all red?
[ Thankfully the treats she prepared are not fish flavored. Alucard will find simple mochi with red bean paste, a light pudding or strawberries in the daifuku, and colorful nerikiri soaked in less traditional honey. ]
All are made from rice. What do you think?
no subject
[Alucard's hunch leans towards yes, if only because he must see what is being done and it pings a note of familiarity. Speculating about that out loud though feels like an invitation to be contradicted, and Alucard is not especially inclined to enable that right now. So he lets it go.
In that time, it is clear that Himeka is also thinking, so he lets a comfortable silence settle for a few moments.
To hell with it. He clinks his mug against hers.
I also enjoy being that person instead of others.]
No, the flowers have a wide variety of colors, don't worry.
[He starts with the mochi, taking a bite and considering the texture. It is different. Not in a bad way or a good way, just in a Different way.]
That's a lot of versatility for a simple starch. Consider me impressed with the wide application and how well you are at wielding it.
no subject
[ It feels like once he got the Summoned's attention he has been more than willing to use it however he deems fit. Himeka knows that, inherently, being a trickster means that she ought not to trust him. But a part of her hopes that he's doing this not for his amusement, but because he genuinely cares about the Summoned. People he may have been before.
Only time will tell. Strangely, Koth is a bit easier to understand. ]
Well, I'd like to see it someday regardless. Anytime some place is given a name means that it was important to someone.
[ As such, she loves maps and road signs, even if she's keen on wandering about on a whim. Names can carry a lot of weigh and love.
Himeka drinks a bit more as he tries the mochi, always curious about his thoughts as a chef from a different tradition. She beams at his appraisal. ]
Isn't it amazing? You pound it with a mallet and fold it until you get the right consistency. The dragonets helped.
[ She's still teaching them all sorts of new cooking tricks in her domain. She flexes the arm that isn't holding her mug. ]
It's a good workout.
no subject
[Alucard has a vague concern that they need to worry about that too. About humans finding ways to trick and trap and manipulate them once they're more than human. But maybe that was always a false lead and Fred had just taken advantage of a legend.]
Perhaps one day. In happier circumstances.
[His only visit to Solvunn was under the most dire, after all.]
...Oh, there's hammers involved? [His eyes widen, fascinated.] I assume that it is similar to kneading a bread dough, but why the need for such force? Or is it simple what is required for the texture?
no subject
Yes...they certainly won't be seeing the last of him. ]
I think that day will come.
[ Himeka is very confident in that fact. The journey may be a difficult one, but they will find their way in the end. They will accomplish what they need to in Abraxas. Alucard will get to live the life he wants here, amongst new people with a new reputation, and Himeka will get to wander the stars. ]
Mhmm! You're right--it's partly so that it gets the right consistency which is easier to do with great force and also because it's believed to be good luck if you pound and eat the mochi.
[ She picks up one of the simple daifuku and pops it into her mouth. ]
I think we can use a little good luck coming into the new year.
no subject
But for now, there's talk of food and the art of it and that is a far better thing.]
Is it because the pounding results in something delicious you get to eat, or is there something else I've missed?
[He takes another sip of cider before reaching for a daifuku himself.]
That feels like an understatement, given the rock.
no subject
This has, of course, gotten her into trouble several times. A little bit of sobering, universe-ending despair helps rough up the edges of that optimism a bit. But it will take more than that to destroy it completely. ]
Yes, it's all about the right texture. You want to be able to pull it so that it stretches, but doesn't break--also, it's kind of fun.
[ And because this is the Horizon, Himeka looks behind them and manifests a large wooden bowl and mallet behind them. Just casually all up in Alucard's house. ]
Here! Maybe you can try it sometime.
[ When he wants to hit something a hundred times but also get a snack after the fact. ]