awashlogs | Event Twenty-One

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Event Twenty-One

Sometimes I feel happy,
Sometimes I feel sad.
Sometimes I feel curious,
Sometimes I feel mad.
Sometimes I feel silly,
Sometimes I feel surprised.
How many feelings,
Do I have inside?

t's another regular, normal day in the Town. There's absolutely nothing to show that anything could possibly be wrong; the birds are chirping, the sky is bright, and everything is absolutely, entirely wrong.

This time, though? The problem is internal. Slowly, bit by bit, people are going to stop feeling entirely like themselves -- or maybe even stop feeling at all.

And suddenly that nice, bright day doesn't seem quite so nice and not quite so bright any longer after all.

Welcome to Awash's Twenty-First event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event!

If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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[ …At least the debuff cleanse was a success. ]

I…I am not certain of that…

[ Thinking of all those bawdy tavern songs he’d played at Wei Wuxian’s New Year’s Party…

But more importantly, he doesn’t really want to argue with the king, so he can only bow in gratitude. ]

But it is an honor, all the same. I shall aspire to be worthy of your praise.

[ There he is, bowing in public again. Operation: Don't Treat Me Like a King hasn't really been working out, but she supposes it doesn't really matter at this point. The need to conceal their names seems to diminish by the day. It's more a compulsion than a necessity...

Anyway, Tristan isn't happy like when she first found him, but he doesn't seem quite as depressed like he was a few minutes ago either, so she takes that as encouragement to stick around a while longer. She moves to take a seat next to him. ]

The weather is fine today. Let us set aside the formalities and speak frankly as old comrades. Would that agree with you, Tristan?

[ Indeed, it all feels so perfectly…natural now—her presence, and his lingering but tempered melancholy. As if this is how things should be.

Blunders and all. ]

I—

[ He wants to say that he’ll do his best, but he gets the feeling that that isn’t quite what she wants to hear. Instead, he swallows. Tries again— ]

It would be a pleasure…Saber.

[ That's about the most casual form of address she can expect of him, so by god she'll take it. She settles next to him, her gauntlets plinking together as she rests her hands on her lap. Since she's decidedly not acting as a king at the moment, she sits with her knees politely together rather than apart in the righteous manspread of royalty. ]

Wonderful.

[ She looks out high over the lake. It would be a nicer scene if it wasn't frozen, but alas...

Now, what should they talk about? Round Table talk is out of the question. As is Britain, the Holy Grail, singularities, or any kind of topic that could potentially lead to Tristan getting depressed again.

Which leaves............ ??? ]

I have been thinking that we could use more chickens.

[ Thank you for not making him think of ye olde codpieces in these trying times. ]

Chickens?

[ You win, Saber. That does snap him out of his melancholy because…why? Did the spirit of Tamamo Cat possess her somehow? What do chickens even have to do with the Holy Grail, Britain, and all the other stuff that they usually talk about?

Cautiously, he adds: ]

Why this sudden preoccupation over livestock?

[ He recalls a time when his good friend Tonbokiri had suddenly obsessed with horses. What if she’s succumbed to the same thing?! ]

Is it so surprising? The procurement of food is the foundation of concern for any community, and a community cannot look to the future if its eyes are fixed to the earth in search of scraps. Conveniently, a chicken is easy to care for and provides a nutritious egg every day.

[ A nutritious... delicious egg. ]

We would need a great many of them to call the eggs a reliable source of food, but I do not see why we could not provide a chicken for every household in a modest amount of time.

That is so, but…

[ Well, neither of them know that much about farming, so he knows he won’t be of much help. Then again, if his king had successfully helped Master establish some sort of beach settlement (while in a swimsuit, no less), then perhaps he’d do well not to underestimate her even on this matter. ]

Raising such creatures is no simple matter.

[ They have dragons now. Real dragons who want to carry off their livestock…! ]

What would you have me do?

Why, nothing at all, unless you know of a song to enkindle the passions of chickens. Though I would not be terribly surprised if you did...

[ Maybe music can get chickens in the mood as much as people? And if there's anyone who knows a love song, it must be Tristan. ]

There is a man named Dextera who is already in the possession of a flock of chickens. We have been working toward increasing their numbers, and I am optimistic about our odds of success.

[ Thanks to their contemporary Geoffrey Chaucer, Tristan’s musical repertoire for livestock is not as lacking as she might think.

But yes. Better not to dwell on that at all. ]

I am familiar with the man.

[ Sort of. So he’s gone from mourning his lost boyfriend to raising chickens in his grief? How sad… ]

I did not realize, however, that a breeding program was already under way.

[ Wouldn’t they need farmers and the like to take care of those? Not to mention a proper source of food for the chickens…but he’s not really sure how to even begin questioning Operation Fowl Play here. ]

"Breeding program"... Yes, I suppose it could be described that way. We are not experienced when it comes to pairing chickens, but it is not a difficult endeavor. Animals will breed even if we do not meddle in their affairs.

[ A lot of the "program" is just playing with chickens, honestly. They're charming in their own way...

She looks askance at Tristan. ]

I sense that you are not particularly enthusiastic about this project.

It is not that. I merely—

[ He merely thinks it’s unsuitable for a king to dabble in such ventures, but after all—why shouldn’t she? Especially since she’s going out of her way to understand people a little better. Would he have any right to put a stop to such endeavors? Absolutely not! ]

I merely wondered how I might make a present of them for my housemates, both of whom are avid cooks.

[ …Nailed it? ]

Oh...?

[ She sees his suspicious stutter and raises him a suspicious look... but it's fleeting as she chooses to give him the benefit of the doubt. ]

Now that I think of it, I have not met your housemates despite being to your home twice. What are their names? Perhaps I know them.

[ Whew. No need to plead for mercy then. For now.

But it’s hard not to brighten up a little at the talk of his roommates. He loves and worries about them so very much. ]

They can be found hereabouts. Xie Lian in particular possesses a shrine at the edge of the forest, which he frequents as its patron deity.

[ As…absurd as that sounds. But then again, is it really so crazy after everything else they’ve been through? ]

Jim, meanwhile, strikes me as the more domestic sort. I often find him puttering about in the kitchen…in fact, his cooking might be comparable to that of the Archer Emiya’s.

Ah, then I have met them both. Xie Lian shared a most pleasant fire with me, and Jim fought bravely during the dragon invasion. With both of them skilled cooks as well, your residence count not want for more.

[ And Xie Lian is apparently probably the god Pyra mentioned, so that's... interesting.

At mention of Archer Emiya, Saber's smile becomes distant. For all the conflict that came between them, Saber is glad to hear that some iteration of Archer is still doing peaceful, domestic work like cooking for his Master. Maybe he even enjoys it. ]

So Archer cooks for all of you... Yes, I find that both easy and difficult to imagine. If Jim's skill can match his, then I am thoroughly impressed. I will have to sample his food at first opportunity.

[ It’s hard not to feel a little warmth swelling up inside of him upon hearing that she approves of his roommates. But of course—they’re both good people, with much to recommend them. But when the conversation turns toward matters of Chaldea and the king’s expression seems to…dim a tad, he has to wonder.

He’d seen the way the king of his Chaldea interacted with the other Servants, of course, but…hmm. ]

I am certain that he will rise to the occasion.

[ It’s Xie Lian they really have to worry about anyway. ]

No doubt he will think it an honor to cook for a king.

Ah...

[ That last bit genuinely surprises her. Was it assumed that they would tell Jim of her kingship? Certainly, she would need to make her standing known if she were in her contemporary Britain, but in Chroma, it's a little... ]

It will not be necessary to inform him of my social status. I would not want to pressure him unduly... and I am certain everything he makes will be head and shoulders above my expectations.

[ Her baseline expectations being "better than Gawain's cooking"... ]

[ Look, he can’t not warn Jim about her VIP status. How would they ensure proper hospitality otherwise!! And he’s so used to Nero just casually declaring her own royal status too… ]

Of that, I am certain.

[ But he’s quite visibly surprised at her reply regardless. She doesn’t want it made known that she is royalty? She’s well within her rights to—but ah, of course. Given the way he behaves around her, this is only another means of protecting her identity.

And more than that…he feels stupid for not having considered something so vital for her in the first place— ]

But…my liege, does your own residence want for a cook?

[ She notes his reaction and neatly sets it aside. She can't blame any of her subjects for being surprised at her indifference toward other people's treatment of her. After all, back home she had to work with an iron fist to ensure she received her due respect as Britain's ruler. But here, she doesn't mind being a simple resident. It's a novelty, and she's quite content to be left alone rather than fawned over. ]

No, I am satisfied with Lan Wangji's cooking. He prefers vegetables, but he is adept at creating hearty dishes even without meat. It is really quite eye-opening.

[ She might even be able to stomach eating another potato if Lan Wangji prepared it. ]

... Tristan, tell me truly. What did you think of Gawain's cooking?

[ Lan Wangji, is it? It’s sort of a relief to know that she has a reliable roommate, if nothing else. Though he can’t help but wonder what disaster might happen if Wei Wuxian tried to visit the man while she was around.

Although that thought’s dismissed for the moment as she broaches that question, whereupon he turns a little bit green.

Sorry, Gawain. You had that one coming. ]

Forgive me…but I do not think I should dignify his actions by calling them “cooking.”

[ He’s a superb knight, but please…have mercy… ]

... I see.

[ A slightly bitter look crosses her face as if in voiceless agreement. Mordred complained about Gawain's cooking too, but Mordred complains about everything. But if Tristan is saying this as well, then it's undeniable... ]

Why did you not voice this sentiment at the time? If I had known Gawain's cooking was insufficient, I could have appointed someone more suitable.

[ It’s a little embarrassing to even say as much to the royal cousin. They might have frequently tossed shade at each other back in Camelot and at Chaldea, but denouncing his cooking in front of the king is a little…well, mean, kinda. ]

It would have been too sad.

[ Sadder than killing them with all that food?! ]

His enthusiasm was too great. In the face of that, I could but humbly receive my fate.

[ It’s divine punishment, basically. For what…he doesn’t know, but he probably deserves it anyway. ]

... You are kind, Sir Tristan.

[ And Gawain's breezy charm was fatal. ]

I must admire your tolerance. I imagine you were used to finer fare while serving under your uncle.

[ "Finer" by the standards of the time, anyway. ]

The company at my uncle’s court was finer still.

[ There’s a little part of him that’s happy at thinking of Iseult again, before he promptly grows sad at the fact that he’s already forgotten what she looks like. He sighs, in the manner of a man who must endure all the sorrows of the world. ]

How sad…

[ He can't mean that King Mark's knights were finer, so Saber supposes he must be referring to matters of romance -- a topic that appears to her as a three-foot deep, fifty-story tall castle wall studded on either side with countless landmines. In other words, an intensely dangerous topic she'll have to prepare for death for if she wants to get through it. ]

What about it is saddening you in particular?

[ inb4 he shuts the moat on her instead— ]

I am sorry, my king. I should not burden you with such things.

[ She likely has even bigger concerns than his own botched love life anyway. Hell, the last time he’d vented his frustrations about his love life to her, well…

The less said, the better. And recalling those harsh words makes his guts twist and his face scrunch up in grief. Yes, definitely the less said, the better. ]

Event Twenty-One

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