✿ 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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no subject
Adra listens closely, and he listens carefully. Whenever he's around another person, he fixes his attention on them; he watches for every little detail he can glean, from tone to posture to word choice. Setsuna keeps to his oath because he doesn't want to change ... Adra can't surmise the exact reasons for wanting such a thing, but he can deduce well enough that it must mean Setsunsa's world was a difficult and dangerous place. It had to be, if maintaining such distance from other people was so necessary. It had to be brutal.
A sad look passes over Adra's face to think of it, but he doesn't pursue any more questions. Not about anything personal, anyway. Instead, he has a much gentler and safer question to ask. ]
Well, tell me one more thing, Setsuna. How did you like all that food?
no subject
Simply considering it already drives a slightly suffocating sensation onto him. Setsuna's distant eyes notice the sad look across the elf's face, leading for that sensation to become heavier. For a moment, he lowers his gaze and he tightly grips the plate on his hands. Thankfully, the next question easily surprises him enough.
He lifts his eyes again, looking more curious. Maybe a little shy this time. ]
Um... It is, everything is... delicious. Thank you for the food.
no subject
I'm glad.
[ He looks out over his burgeoning garden, at all the flowers and herbs and so on, already growing and in bloom. The fairy lights cast a shimmering glow over everything, imbuing the atmosphere with a soft, ethereal quality. ]
I hope you approve of my landscaping, too. Do you have a favorite kind of flower?
[ He remembers their excursion to gather herbs; how excited Setsuna was about the drawing Adra gave him. The drawing that Setsuna gave him in return. ]
no subject
Are you all right? You have done much today.
[ Definitely more work than one person could handle. A part of Setsuna wishes that Adra at least asked for assistance, but he also can understand how he feels doing everything by himself. But still...
Thoughts trail off a little though, once the next topic is presented to him. He isn't the type to press either, so he'll go along with the flow politely. To respond to the landscape comment, he nods firmly once. ]
It is beautiful. And I have not really thought of it, but...
[ Setsuna never thought of it, but now that someone asked — the first that naturally comes to mind is: ]
Desert flowers. They remind me of many important things...