✿ 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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yes!
Hmm. It's something from my world--a cinnamon pastry. We call them 'rylak claws'. I just thought of it, now, while standing among everything else.
[ In all honesty, he probably does not need to keep making food. But he's vibrating with nervous energy, and it has to go somewhere. ]
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...Do you need any help?
[ And by help we mean someone to taste test it? ]
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Tell me how this tastes. Too sweet? Not sweet enough? Just right?
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He happily accepts the spoon and takes his time riding it from every trace of the batter.
After a long pause... ]
...I'll need another scoop before I can tell.
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But no double-dipping. Adra takes a fresh spoon, scoops up some more of the filling, and hands it over. It is a smooth filling, made with butter and cinnamon, with brown and confectioners' sugar, with a few drops of honey, with just a pinch of vanilla. ]
Go on, then.
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Yes, he'll even make a point of giving a pleased "mmm" before he decides he's done. ]
It's really good. I like it.
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Yeah, I can tell.
[ He gestures to the counters covered with platters of various foodstuffs with his dripping, filling-coated spoon. ]
Have you been eating anything else?
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Mhmm. [ And, surprisingly, he's not a mess. ] I wanted to see where it was coming from.
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[ Not sarcastic ... more just gently amused. ]
Did you just wander over from the network post? Or are you a friend of Gil's?
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We met when we first arrived.
[ Gilgamesh tried to steal his pudding and started a food war that they both were punished for. If that counts for anything. ]
But I saw your announcement. I thought it looked tasty.
[ Okay, so he's motivated by food and Social Links, at least. ]
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[ He says this with a wry smile as he continues to stir the filling, as he jerks his head towards the buffet laid out among the tables and counter tops. ]
And? Was it tasty?
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I'm not sure he'd call me a friend.
[ He's actually not sure what Gilgamesh would call him at all.
He's more ready to talk about the food. ]
Yes...did you make it all?
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Yeah, he's like that.
[ Adra shrugs. He doesn't know what Gil would call him, either, and they live together. ]
Down to the last bite.
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But food is way more important. ]
...Really? Wow. It's very good.
[ Hats off to the chef, for certain. ]
You should work in the dining hall.
[ That's...a compliment, honestly. ]