✿ THE HOUSE ✿
Adra's house is a cozy stone cottage on the outskirts of Caissa, close enough to the sea that one can hear the breaking waves throughout the day.
This afternoon, there's light, cool rain falling intermittently, tapping in a rhythm at the windows and roof. Fortunately, the kitchen is warm, bright, and welcoming. Its counters and tables are covered with freshly prepared foods of all kinds, and there are plenty of chairs for visitors who might like to sit and relax.
A door from the kitchen leads out into the garden, which is not quite yet fully landscaped, but which boasts a promising array of flowers (orchids, roses, lilies, tulips, etc) and herbs. Adra's also cultivating strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, and so on; the strawberries and cherries in particular are ripe for picking. Adra has strung enchanted, floating fairy lights all over the garden; they cast a soft, ethereal glow over the paths and carefully tended patches of greenery. At the garden's center, there's a clear pond filled with red and pink lotus blossoms.
Back inside, a visitor might like to rest in the den. There's a roaring fire in the hearth, and sitting near it for a short while offers a boost to the weary spirit. Soft, plush chairs and couches fill this room, making it ideal for lounging. The tables are covered with books borrowed somewhat indiscreetly from the library; they deal largely with the magic and history of Enprise.
Adjacent to the den is Adra's study. In here are half-empty bookshelves and antique rolling desk covered with neat stacks of papers, boxes of quills, and numerous pots of ink, each one in different, brilliant colors. His journal is somewhere here, too ...
Finally, down the hall one will find a half bathroom and, across from that, the door to the second bedroom--belonging to one Gilgamesh. The master bedroom, belonging to Adrasteius, is at the end of the hall. There's a full bath in there, but this room is definitively locked.
✿ THE SPREAD ✿
As usual, Adra's gone over the top in his preparations. For drinks, there's a sweet, refreshing punch; delicately pink and decorated with sprigs of flowers. There are pitchers of sparkling ice water, jugs of wine and spiced mead, and plenty of glasses to share.
Though Adra does not eat meat himself, he prepares it ably; there's a honey-glazed, roasted turkey in the center of the table, right beside a carving board heavy with seasoned, hand-carved slices of fresh beef. Red potatoes, bright with paprika and salt and glistening with pats of melting butter, are arranged in wedges around the turkey. There are woven baskets of steaming rolls, flaky and soft; platters of carrots and broccoli and asparagus; enormous bowls of belly-warming soup filled with thick wheat noodles, sliced egg, and shredded cabbage. At one end of the table, there's a plate of burgers, along with small dishes to fix them--bacon, crispy onions, sauteed mushrooms, and all the necessary condiments. He has plates of savory pies, filled with beef or pork or chicken; steamed and fried dumplings stuffed with meat and spring vegetables, plump and perfectly shaped.
The desserts are similarly extravagant: he has a plate of meticulously crafted flower and fruit cakes; some look like ripe, blushing peaches, others, he shaped into red orchids, lotus blossoms, or golden roses. He's made a chocolate tart so dark that its smooth, sugar-dusted surface shimmers reflectively in the overhead light. Cupcakes of all kinds are scattered here and there, as well as an extravagant, multi-tiered confection dripping with fudge sauce, encrusted with sliced strawberries and vibrantly colorful, fondant flower petals. There are loaves of warm banana bread; fruit tarts glittery with rainbow sugar crystals; and, under glass, an assortment of flavorful macarons baked to look like something plucked right from the starry sky.
But the most important thing about Adra's lavish banquet is this: all of the food is enchanted, laced with magic meant to inspire feelings of comfort and security. Eating it may conjure up familiar, welcome sensations or memories--nothing sorrowful or painful, and only as specific as you'd like. It could be something as simple as the feeling of a fuzzy blanket on a cold day, or as complex as a particular soothing memory. In all cases, the intended effect is meant to inspire calm and ease.
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In any case. This dish does sound interesting. If she's sharing it, he may as well partake. Even if he sounds vaguely suspicious in tone while he accepts. It probably means nothing. ]
All right. Give me a call then. You only need to ask for "Levi." [ He's not the type to use a fancy carrier handle. ]
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Which he might be once he tries what she's cooking, to be honest. It's just a small token of her regard to the world.]
I will. You may recieve a call from "Nun". But it's just Caren.
[She's not fancy either, technically.]
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Got it. [ In the meantime... ] What does "nun" mean?
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Oh, that's a member of a religious community of women.
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[She shrugs.]
But the two groups can and do work together with various projects, mostly charity works, including education, hospitals...so on and so forth.
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He also notes she mentions a singular God. Different from the Blanc culture of many. Since he figures she must have some opinions on the matter, it for whatever reason, provokes him to share something more personal. ]
In my world, there are some people who believe the Walls that protect our community are divine. [ If he sounds dull about this... it's because knowing a semi-truth about those Walls, in some ways, makes them seem even crazier. ] Most people have abandoned the idea that any kind of God exists.
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[That's different. But if it goes with the various kami that Shinto speaks of...well, maybe she can understand this?]
That's new to me. But I know many atheists and agnostics- those who do not believe in god, and those who do, but who do not believe in organized religion.
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But I'm wondering... aren't types like you usually pretty self-righteous?
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[She shrugged, but his question had her mouth curl into a small smile.]
That may be what is known as a stereotype. Some are, using the name of God to make everything right.
But not all. Some are more humble. And some are filled with love for their fellow human being, and call each person brother, sister.
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More importantly though, he made the statement because of what Caren herself said about being "a bad person." It's contrary to the thought of a religious person who truly believes in the righteousness of their practices. ]
How about yourself? Your religion doesn't uphold you stabbing people with forks, does it?
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[Levi got the cream of the religious crop, it seemed. But him talking to her about this, and the whole bad person that she knows herself to be is...different. Not odd, not bad not good. Just different.]
It's more of a religion of forgiveness. But I? I simply am. It's complicated.
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If you say so. [ ...though now he's run out of things to say. ] How do you like Caissa so far?
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It's...busy. Busier then I'm used to. It's not a bad thing, but I've been adjusting.
What do you think of it? Caissa, the Halls of Glory. This world.
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It's calm. [ Said very definitively, not necessarily with positive association. ]
The people at the top are surprisingly good at letting their territories stay unaffected by war. [ That is, until it comes to them. Capablanca was one example of that. He's not saying it's a bad thing; panic is worse. But it has two sides to it. ]
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But they're also behaving, more or less. She's...tried to. As much as she can.]
I'm not surprised by this. It's Nimby.
[A soft noise, not quite a sarcastic 'hah' before she continues.]
I didn't expect the outpouring of gifts and...affection. Being screamed at during the clean up efforts and being blamed...that made more sense to me.
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[ —Because while on one hand, this outrage that he's familiar with is something that provokes his anger towards it being somewhat unfairly misplaced, he also understands the position the outraged are in. He understands the part of that responsibility that's truly his.
Here, at times, he's felt that many of the Heroes don't understand their impact on the civilians in the same light. Perhaps even the civilians don't, since they revere them as Heroes sent by their gods. Ultimately, it gives them a crucial disconnect to these peoples' struggles.
But less seriously... ]
... What's a Nimby?
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[She shrugs. She can understand it, far too well. And there's a part of her that truly finds...all of this funny, but knows better then to start hysterically giggling.
She doesn't want to be taken as crazy after all but...humans are kind of hilarious.]
It's short for not in my backyard.
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[ That isn't to say he believes them wholeheartedly... but he's more likely to think it's happening behind the scenes, if there is deception. The ones they interact with simply don't seem conniving enough for the task.
But on the other thing... he squints thoughtfully: ] I don't get it.
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[She would know that, wouldn't she.]
It means that if it's not in close in location, then they don't have to worry about it. Someone elses problem.
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I wouldn't say I'm all that satisfied with "easy."
[ Not if it leaves out something crucial. But—ah. So nimby describes a phenomenon he's critical of, then, quite well. He hums, getting it now. ]
Isn't that the way the center of most civilizations are? Making a show of the disadvantaged isn't in their interests. [ And those are, undoubtedly, the most important. ]
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[She doesn't believe it either. She's certain that there's something to this. But she also wants to bring down the gods of this world just so others will not be brought in, yet again, for someone elses war.]
I suppose it is? Though that depends on what is the motivation behind their governments as well. There have been a variety of ways that humans and even thrived by supported from the bottom, or at least bringing a few...upwards.
Or various other practices which was really war crimes and abuse. But that would be counter productive to speak of in this place.
We're supposed to be acting all sunny and cheerful, are we not?
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Moreover, her viewpoint is seemingly no less nihilistic. Levi snorts. ]
No one's made any rules for it, have they? [ He looks around, as if wondering whether Adrasteius is going to show up and scold them. ]
The Blanc flunkies aren't so bad on the surface. [ Though that's only his opinion. ] It's what we don't know. No wonder it has us looking to our own experiences.
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It's little wonder they get along so well, being so nihilistic.]
It's only social rules. Never written, but iron clad.
[She makes a soft noise of amusement. She could have some fun, teasing Adrateius a little more.]
They don't look so bad on the surface, but we don't know them. We can read all the books we want, but we can only rely on our prior experiences-here and home-for judgement.
But from what little I gathered is...the public is fickle. But that's no surprise.
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Books can only paint so many perspectives. I prefer to talk with those affected... even if they are [ - as she says, ] fickle. Though what makes you say so? [ He has a few guesses, but he'd like to hear it. ]
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