harlequinchimera (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
harlequinchimera) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
vivala2025-01-04 06:27 pm
harlequinchimera) wrote in vivala2025-01-04 06:27 pm
Entry tags:
Chimera Corsair: I
I: Hitting the Books (Vault)
Despite her large size, formidable strength and unusual physiognomy, she did find time to perch - perhaps on the very largest and tallest chair available to the library, likely as not seated comfortably on a tabletop of some particularly sturdy material. She was once again engrossing herself in research, this time delving into the intricacies of the local language and of all things, the units of measure involved with cooking. She was certainly not so involved in her reading that she could not see anything else that was moving - her long habits being what they were.
II: Of the Prices of Ale (General)
So where would a 7'8" black and white chimera with an unusual eye, enough strength to carry a motorcycle and the skills of a long-range killer and spy take her ease? The tavern, of course! She would find her way to the alehouse, the Corsairs' source of drinks, the place that tended to attract more wanderers, strangers and such that a certain Mesopotamian space station. She would seek and locate a stool tall and sturdy enough to hold her remarkably muscular hindquarters far enough from the ground that she would in fact relax atop it and even keep her tail from becoming a hazard to navigation. She tended to look for darker ales, when she was in a more social mood - which she was. And when really wishing for a strong one, something clear with more bite than every snap of the world's most famous archaeologist's whip. She would look then to see who else was in the place, since this was now the point of contact for meeting others in the same line.
III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
The new year had arrived, and it was not long since she had arrived. She found herself walking outside near the docks, as most bundled themselves away or worked upon the ships as she strode past. She was relaxed, surprisingly so, and lightly dressed for once. She then found a place far from dishing lines, boats and ships and there was her goal, the frigid waters - and soon she was swimming as she had only in her wintry home waters and then, she was on the shore, taking in the wintry sun with all the joy some would see on a tropical summer beach - and there was certainly enough room if any were at least going to see what she was about, or even swim.
IV: Wildcard
Is there a scene or interaction that you would like to do? Just ask!
Despite her large size, formidable strength and unusual physiognomy, she did find time to perch - perhaps on the very largest and tallest chair available to the library, likely as not seated comfortably on a tabletop of some particularly sturdy material. She was once again engrossing herself in research, this time delving into the intricacies of the local language and of all things, the units of measure involved with cooking. She was certainly not so involved in her reading that she could not see anything else that was moving - her long habits being what they were.
II: Of the Prices of Ale (General)
So where would a 7'8" black and white chimera with an unusual eye, enough strength to carry a motorcycle and the skills of a long-range killer and spy take her ease? The tavern, of course! She would find her way to the alehouse, the Corsairs' source of drinks, the place that tended to attract more wanderers, strangers and such that a certain Mesopotamian space station. She would seek and locate a stool tall and sturdy enough to hold her remarkably muscular hindquarters far enough from the ground that she would in fact relax atop it and even keep her tail from becoming a hazard to navigation. She tended to look for darker ales, when she was in a more social mood - which she was. And when really wishing for a strong one, something clear with more bite than every snap of the world's most famous archaeologist's whip. She would look then to see who else was in the place, since this was now the point of contact for meeting others in the same line.
III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
The new year had arrived, and it was not long since she had arrived. She found herself walking outside near the docks, as most bundled themselves away or worked upon the ships as she strode past. She was relaxed, surprisingly so, and lightly dressed for once. She then found a place far from dishing lines, boats and ships and there was her goal, the frigid waters - and soon she was swimming as she had only in her wintry home waters and then, she was on the shore, taking in the wintry sun with all the joy some would see on a tropical summer beach - and there was certainly enough room if any were at least going to see what she was about, or even swim.
IV: Wildcard
Is there a scene or interaction that you would like to do? Just ask!
no subject
A woman in elegant robes wanders down the shelves, clearly looking for something in particular. Her long, serpentine tail twitches once or twice as she spots some empty spaces in place of the books she expected.
She is about to turn to leave when she spots the small stack of books lying next to the rather enormous lizard person.
"Ah, good afternoon. Are you using all of those at this moment?"
no subject
"I sincerely beg your pardon. I fear as with meals, my appetite for reading is particularly voracious. And I am still learning more of this new world I find myself in."
As she spoke, she managed a respectful bow from the waist.
no subject
She is met with an equally deep bow, and Shu is struck by the portent that there may be a fair amount of this happening in the future.
"I only briefly needed to consult a reference about the correct temperature at which to render 'beef' fat. We do not have cows where I come from, you see. ...Do you enjoy cooking?"
This is spoken with the slightly tentative air of somebody who thinks they might have found a shared interest.
no subject
"It is not a preparation I have much experience with, myself - the beef known in my homeland was rare, very fatty and exorbitantly expensive. The little I do know is of the heating the of beef fat. The gyūshi, ah... Beef tallow?" She looked thoughtful for a moment, recalling the words. "It has to be heated and shows no signs of how close it is to the right temperature. That is sadly the limit of my knowledge. I believe there was a well-travelled..." She trails off, once again pausing for thought. "Bearded gentleman who seems quite adept with cookery."
She looks towards Shu more directly and gives a nod and the smile gets... downright toothy.
"Where are my manners. I am Oki Korobase, something of a newcomer to the Vault."
no subject
More bowing ensues. She does not seem remotely perturbed by Oki's reptilian features, given that this is a common sight in her world. In fact, Shu's horns and tails mark her as a distant relative of sorts, a lung dragon, simply on the opposite side of the spectrum of anthropomorphism.
"But that was Higashinese," she continues, and from her slightly surprised expression, this seems to indicate that she is familiar with some aspects of Oki's culture. She murmurs a few words of greeting in her world's equivalent of Japanese, having recognized the language spoken. "Hajime mashite. I am from Great Yan, bordering Higashi." And if her accent, clothing, and general demeanor are any indication, that word might be recognizable as a parallel to a country Oki may ascertain as China.
"Are you interested in learning how to cook?"
She sorts through a few of the books and picks up a single volume. "I only need the single one. In these winter months, I cannot help but produce far too much for there is too much time on my hands and not enough to do."
no subject
"Ahhh. Forgive me. I feel as if a great cord that bound me long after the locks on my wings were broken has finally snapped." She chuckled again, softly. "As for cooking - I have found that the preparation of food and drink are among the key features and insights into a culture, be it large or small, be it ritualized or casual." She chuckled again. "My own skills in that direction tend towards the variations and flavours of coffee and almost exclusively to the preparation of ocean fish."
She smiled again, nodding. "My work also seems comparatively minimal, but certainly not idle, not in the least, not while there is an enemy to understand and fight or comrades by my side."
no subject
She is familiar enough with the theories of parallel worlds to know that there were potentially an infinite number of variations on a familiar theme, yet it is always something else to directly face such a thing.
"Perhaps the cuisine is similar as well? I am familiar with some Higashi dishes if you would like to be my test subject at some time. You would do me a great favor. Ah, I am a farmer by trade, you see. At this time of year, my harvest is complete."
A chill wind blowing through the caverns rattles past the library windows as if to emphasize her point.
"And so... I cook. Best to make use of what I have reaped."
no subject
She gave a sidelong glance at a wall and a long sigh. "It sounds like the two cultures that became the places you speak of do have ones that correspond, but they were never allies, barely friendly and more than once, they were at war."
When she looks back, there's a strain in those off-colored eyes, but it lasts no longer than a blink before she is relaxed again. "It could be. I will say - I eat few vegetables. I had to acclimate to having any dairy in my diet, and that is in small amounts with some chemical assistance that was remarkably easy to find in my home, but here, I could not say."
She snorted. Was there an oath in that sound? The ire that showed in her eyes made it clear in that moment. "Hardtack and salted meats were my lot. No fish. No greens from the sea. Just enough to keep me strong and mobile."
The look deepened as she turned her eyes away again. "Reaping, that was the other part of my work."
She exhaled then and finally seemed at ease. "Forgive one who despises the bondage of sentient beings lamenting her lot and has promised to break the chains of many. And see the debt that those that hold the keys paid with interest." She looked back once more. "I will try what you make, Shu-san, be it a nibble or a feast."
She actually burst into a shining, clear smile.
"The taste of freedom exceeds the value and delight of all spice or sauce."
no subject
Shu chides gently, sliding into an attitude that would be familiar to anyone who knew her. Always the overbearing type, she shakes her head and holds up the book on preparation of foodstuffs as if she were imparting the secrets written within. ...Well. To a certain degree, she was.
"You must maintain a proper balance of nutrition. Especially as a warrior. Eating solely meats and -- " She hesitates to call hardtack 'bread'. " -- flour will cause you deficiencies that will weaken you in the long run. Of course, since you are not accustomed to a balanced diet, reintroducing these foods correctly will need to be a multiple-step process, or your digestion will be overwhelmed. Then it is decided. Tomorrow, I will cook you a meal with small samplings of grains and vegetables to counterbalance the yang qi of your meat dependence."
One may observe that Oki's opinion was not required during this decision.
"Freedom is a wonderful thing, but death due to scurvy or kidney failure is not."
Having said her piece, she slides back into her more genial expression. "I am hearing that your journey here has been a difficult one. So please, you must take care of your health while you have this time of respite."
no subject
"You have a very good grasp of nutrition and the needs of soldiers and indeed the qi of those you work with."
She tilts her head and nods once again. "Oh believe me, I am doing that with some precision. One of my parents swam the seas of the north, consuming the flesh of fish, cetaceans, small mammals and similar, and hunted in coordinated packs." She looked more thoughtful. "The other subsisted on the meats of the high mountains, be it on wing or hooves." She let out a soft laugh. "It was also why I grew fond of the scent of certain kinds of incense or have any sense of smell, strange as it might seem with a snout like this one."
She tapped the side of her nose and laughed softly.
"But you are right. Health is a resource that can and must be curated and kept in good condition. So! Proper diet, exercise of the body and..." She lifted the book in one of her hands. "Exercise of the mind. Shu-san."
no subject
"The people of my home have been farming the same land for generations. In the present, we have become the suppliers for all of Yan - indeed, even many foreign nations rely on the crops of Dahuang. In times of Catastrophe, all of Terra goes unfed. So even here, I consider it my duty to ensure that our warriors receive ample sustenance to continue their work."
She glances curiously at the book that Oki holds to see what she is perusing.
"What is it you would train your mind in today?"
no subject
Oki is holding a book concerning the state of the art of bullets and their construction, as it happens, along with a few cookbooks.
A chimera of diverse interests.
"Cookbooks, state of things with blades and arms. There also seems precious little writing on coffee, I am sad to say."
no subject
Insofar as it didn't really contribute to feeding anything in particular, apart from low-level addictions.
"Although I have a vast amount of tea, if you would find it a suitable substitute. Is there anything in particular about the weaponry you are interested in? Or are you simply perusing to find what technology exists in this world? Indeed, the discrepancies can be a mystery to me. They have no ability to create spacecraft and have little infrastructure in their world, and yet they are advanced enough to use power armors the likes of which Terra has not even imagined."
no subject
"Ah, tea! Something I saws very rarely indeed once I had moved to what was my primary base of operations and business. Its consumption is highly regionalized, as is coffee. I moved from what you'd term a polar tea-drinking culture to a polar coffee-drinking culture."
She chuckled softly.
"If you have a good powder-based and whisked green tea available it would be a true and rare delight. As for studies? Knowing how much there is to work with, using the technology available, and also learning new things in general are part of my discipline. I am sadly not well-versed enough in metallurgy to create the specific alloys needed for one piece of equipment, not yet."
She laughed again. "Armor has its own set of limitations, even from my home."
III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
But they still liked watching the ocean, and trying to find ways to get on the water with minimal disruption to the animal life, usually by finding whatever small boats can be borrowed. Hence observing Oki swimming. They aren't going to interrupt until it is clear she is done, and hauling out of the water to bask in the sun, and then they will row over.
Given the brightness, Ilphyl has their own goggles up. The winter sun may be weak, but they grew up in the lightless depths. It does make them a bit hard to identify visually, save for their braid dangling outside their hat.
"Hello. How's the water?"
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
"Brisk. Wintry, clear. The first taste of ocean after the length of time I spent in holds and barracks in chains."
She looked skyward and let out a short, sharp bellow. She stretched once more before settling down once again and looked back to Ilphyl. "Apologies. I find that the open air of winter is the right place to express the deep feelings that one carries."
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
She leaned her head back, looking up at the sky. "But this icy place, this is what home felt like."
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
It was why the Corsairs relied so much on the sea, and the underground Vault. Because even though the Empire knew those existed, they still tended to focus up rather than down. It was kind of an interesting thought: that there might be underground elves and dwarves and others who the Empire had never touched.
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
She sat up and crossed her legs and chuckled.
"Allies made of an enemy that would enslave us all."
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
And also why the Empire is so quick to make examples of whoever they can. Because seeming like a law of nature, and only offering the people a choice of who is the lowest in the hierarchy keeps people from asking 'why does the Empire have to exist at all'. It seems inescapable when you are inside of it, but the workings are far clearer from the outside -- also why the Empire doesn't let people step outside to look at it, and makes sure those from other worlds are always at the bottom.
Ilphyl has spent about two decades thinking about how different it feels trapped in an oppressive hierarchy where they could never be at the top, but sure could fight to not be at the bottom, versus seeing it from outside. It feels wrong to call this 'practice', but it suggests that they can learn from this for their own people.
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
Oki was from a country that had been involved in a terrible, brutal war - and the cultural memory still bore the scars and regrets and nightmares it had caused, even to the day she had left it.
She had spent decades living away from it, assimilating the culture, customs and language of another nation, but she was never one to forget or misplace the memories, history, training or culture that had raised her. She was even inclined to miss it, and call back to it when she could.
Re: III: What Snows of the New Year (General)
II
He tilts his head slightly so that his good eye can fall on the stranger, giving a curious glance over. "New here?" While it was in the form of a question, it sounded more like a statement of fact as he seems to be savoring his drink, taking his time.
Re: II
She turns a bit to look at his, for now with one of her eyes. She offered a polite nod. "I am at that." She raised her mug and gave him just the slightest of smiles. "It sounds like you are far less new here than I."
What Snows Of The New Year?
"Oh! good afternoon." She raised her right hand in greeting.
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
"Ah, good afternoon!" Her tone was quite genial, though her look and gaze was direct and would seem fixed for just a moment before she relaxed, or seemed to.
"So, a new year finds us, and the icy shores and sky as well. It's nice to find a place, I find, that has the breath of home, as this does."
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
She pauses. She cannot say Hokkaido, not in public. "You are from colder climes, then?"
She's still trying to walk normally. Fuck knows why; Oki was at Bluvink and definitely heard the medical evacuation request, if not directly saw Natalia completely eat shit.
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
She did take note of the unease and stiffness in Natalia's movements, but spoke of them not once.
She was privately glad Natalia had come back alive.
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
"Beautiful place," she agreed. "Shame about everything else."
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
"Sakhalin and Kamchatka are the major landmasses to the north of my home, the north of Hokkaido. Both of them on the... Sea of Okhotsk? That's the name in this language."
She shook her head a bit and laughed.
"From Wakkanai, Sakhalin was visible if the sky was clear enough."
She laughed still, softly.
"So, the same ocean reached both our shores? I don't think we are of the same world, and in some ways we are."
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
Her smile fades. "But yes, same geography, I think. I did fight chromeboys, once upon a time, but... The fact I still live without any chrome in me is enough to show we are a little different, yes?"
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
She looked up at the sky once again. "There are always differences - a fact I've come to accept, even celebrate in my own way."
Re: What Snows Of The New Year?
"But I think the best thing to say would be... No matter what they say, I think the steppes and Kamchatka are prettier."