vivala | 乙巳 004: 大寒

[video broadcast]
Greetings again, Corsairs.

[As usual, following a bow, Shu addresses the video feed with perfect poise and elegance.]

After the... challenging events of the New Year's mission, I wish to call for some levity. In Yan, as the year changes, we visit the temples to have our fortunes told for the coming year. It is just for fun, of course. In Dahuang, I keep a place of worship to... [a faint pause] a Xian of agriculture, Shennong, and occasionally run the festivities.

Please come by. There will be traditional New Year's food, of course.

[If anyone has learned anything about Yan at this point, it is that they have Too Many Holiday Traditions and Too Much Food.]

[option 1: just for fun]
[Shu's doorway is vibrantly decorated in red and gold, and when she ushers you in, the most immediate sight is the table filled with plates and plates of food. Mostly dumplings, for dumplings are easiest for visitors, but also whole fish, noodle dishes, and sticky rice.

To the side, there is a little chest with two sets of burning incense at either side. Fortune seekers are invited to kneel, burn incense if they wish, pray for luck from whatever deity or the general karmic wheel of the universe, and then reach out for a container of what look like sticks. There is a little sign explaining this is the tradition of 'qiu qian,' beseeching insight from the gods.

One must ask a clear question, shake the container a few times, and pull out a stick.]

[option 2: the real thing]
[Shu sits at her 'priest's seat' and laughs lightly at the interpretation of the fortune received. Perhaps she sees something more ponderous in your eyes, for after a moment or two, she clasps her hands together and exhales lightly, bowing her head.

Her red pupils have constricted to tiny dots when she raises her head once more.]

...I could give you a better fortune, if you wish.

((If you pick option 2, Shu will either tell you in very vague prophetic terms something that may or may not happen in the future of your canon, something that happened in the past of your canon, or give you a random item that might be useful to you this year. If you pick option 1, it will be total nonsense.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

purplexing

[He refuses to wear that thing in public.]

Are they? Well, I guess that explains why everyone gets roaring drunk out in Flotsam every time we come back from a successful liberation mission.

I think I like your celebrations better.

[Not as loud, and full of good food. He picks a few bones out of the next bite of fish, brow arching as Shu vanishes briefly.]

Whaaat is it?

[He is resisting the urge to poke at one because that'd probably be rude.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[She takes this to mean he wears it in private and appreciates it in the comfort of his own home, which is just as good. Another win for Shu.]

This is a rice ball. In the language of Higashi, 'onigiri.' Lightly salted and wrapped around a core of fish, meat, or pickled vegetables, it is considered a snack food.

I have learned that Yan has a parallel in some worlds called China. Similarly, our neighbor, Higashi, has cultural connections to China's neighbor, Japan. Higashi cuisine tends to be simple, with fewer oils and spices, which brings out the natural flavorings of the food.

Clear your palate.

[i.e. please swallow.]

From:

purplexing

[...he will neither confirm nor deny this.]

Ooh...

[He blinks and swallows down his current mouthful. Maybe he should have grabbed some water or something but his hands had been full with plates. Surely one can wash down food with food!

Okay probably not, but that's not keeping him from reaching for an onigiri to chomp into. Sticky but not an overly unpalatable texture. The saltiness seems just right.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

Salmon.

[She explains as he chomps down. Her finger moves down the plate to gesture to each in turn.]

Beef simmered in ginger. Pickled plum.

[Yes, he is supposed to take a few bites of each. Growing boys need rice.]

…Well? What do you think?

Edited Date: 2025-01-25 06:09 pm (UTC)

From:

purplexing

[Ah, more fish. He looks between the rice ball in hand to the ones Shu points out. At this rate how's he supposed to finish what's on his plates? Although looking at it, he's made quite a dent in that flounder...

Donnie replaces the first rice ball so he can try the others. He doesn't do 'a few bites' more so than one big one for each. His eyes light up at the last one.]

Oh, I like the pickled one [Said around a mouthful of it.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

The tartness and earthy flavor provide a contrast to the plain salt rub.

[Shu nods, almost solemnly, as she sets the tray aside. There is an expression of not quite resignation, but expectation in her eyes.]

It is all perfectly alright, isn’t it? That is to say… there is nothing particularly exciting.

[She sighs.]

I am not accustomed to ‘alright.’ It is too low a bar. Something is missing - an ingredient or a flair.

Still. I am excited to try something different. I’ve cooked the same recipes for decades on end. And since there are no books here in Esthere, it will all have to be trial and error.

I will require a guinea pig.

[The smile is directed unto Donnie like a spotlight on a stage.]

From:

purplexing

[Just absently going to finish the rest of his rice ball. Someone please tell him those should not be polished off in two bites. Softshells, man.]

I mean...it's kind of exciting for someone who's never had it before? I bet my little brother would be all over it especially. He's more of the experimenter when it comes to foods.

[Otherwise they'd probably be content eating those wiggly worm things they found in the shallows, and whatever roots Donnie deemed to be edible and 'probably not going to kill us'.

Donnie's reaching for the beef-packed rice ball while looking on at Shu, freezing as she smiles at him.]

Uh.

[Aw gee, is it getting hot in here or is it just him?]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[If she heard about their previous diet, she would probably faint. One has the feeling that Shu's conception of the ideal body shape for Donnie is a perfect sphere.]

Oh, nothing.

Here, have more food.

[Ker-splotch.]

...You have three brothers, is that right? May I ask about them?

[He mentions them semi-frequently enough that she thinks this might not be too emotionally hazardous.]

From:

purplexing

[Circles are Mikey's thing!]

....

[If he didn't know any better he'd think he was being prepared to be the next main dish.]

That's right. There's Raphael, the oldest. He's like, a full head taller than me and really strong. And Leo's my age. He likes to talk a lot. And then Mikey's our baby brother. Extremely bouncy, practically throws himself everywhere.

[He smiles fondly, wistfully. And then stuffs the rest of that rice ball into his mouth.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[Shellbeast soup is an ancient and revered Yanese delicacy... Perhaps she will not mention that little bit of trivia.]

You have a twin?

[Somehow, this seems unexpected.]

So the strong one, the talkative one, the energetic one... And which one are you?

[the future spherical one]

From:

purplexing

Well...kind of? Not identical. He has these red markings across his eyes, and all of them are hard-shelled.

[Nuoooooo he's supposed to be the rectangle!!]

The smart one! [He says with an upturned nose, before recalling his other conversation with Shu, which probably made him seem anything but. He ducks his head.]

...the one who's maybe too curious for his own good. [He sighs, nibbling sullenly on the fish tail.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[She laughs lightly at his correction. If she says 'the cute one,' he will probably never speak to her again.]

How about 'the one who learns.'

[There are a few possible meanings to that, all of which seem apt.]

I have a 'sort of twin' also. He is my younger brother, but we were so close the others thought of us as a pair. He left me to travel the world many years ago.

[Her voice is absent any bitterness, though it is clear she is wistful.]

From:

purplexing

[Ugh, he's not cute Shu, how dare

"The one who learns" sounds slightly better, but Donnie's well aware that it can go so many ways. He lets the crisped fins fall from his mouth as he picks at the rest of the food on his plate.]

You didn't want to go with him?

I never thought I'd be apart from my brothers. We'd do everything together. Or there'd be at least one of us in each other's company if we did anything outside of home.

From:

singlemilletgrain

I did. Very much.

[Again, she speaks like she is remembering a memory from long ago.]

But it was not possible. I had a duty in Dahuang, a promise I made to a friend. And besides that... someone needed to oversee the agricultural development of the city. Dahuang provides the vast majority of the produce for all of Yan. In recent days, even many countries outside.

If Dahuang's harvests fail, the entire world goes hungry.

But I could not beg my brother to stay. He had his own path to travel. ...Like you do now. Even though you never thought you would leave, it is in being alone that you find who you are.

From:

purplexing

Oh...

[He listens quietly as he works a bit slower on his plate. Maybe he's finally reaching his limit. And maybe it's a bit of other things too.]

...I guess...

[He doesn't sound 100% sold on that. But then he still feels like he's very much floating along with whatever currents the Corsairs stir up, doing whatever it takes not to drown.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[Her smile is understanding as she quietly pours him some tea. Liquids facilitate further digestion.]

There is always value in taking the time to understand who you are and what you want separate from your family or companions. You may not think so at the moment, but... you have grown and changed in ways that would not be possible otherwise.

...Obviously, it is not a good thing that you have been separated from those you love. But my brother returned to Dahuang, perhaps a week before I came to this land. I was stunned at the person he had become. ...And proud.

I am sure your family will feel the same.

From:

purplexing

[That's something he supposes he can't deny. There's been some great opportunity that he knows he would have probably never had if he never left home. He's just not so sure he would have willingly paid such a price had he known it.

...then again, he knows he'd never be satisfied with just the scraps of whatever they could pick from what fell off the Empire's table.

He picks up the tea with a soft "thank you" before trying a few sips to test the temperature. A cautious smile touches his lips as he thinks of how a homecoming would be. Would his father be proud of him? Or upset that he'd gotten caught? Both, maybe, but Donnie really hoped for the first.]

I hope you're right.

From:

singlemilletgrain

I am sure I'm right.

[Shu smiles -- then her eyes flicker briefly to the upper left as she seems to think of something. As Donnie quietly sips at his tea, she slips away from the table and retrieves the canister of qian sticks from the little shrine.

He seems to be done eating, anyhow.]

Here.

Take one.

From:

purplexing

[Inwardly he braces himself for more food, but he's somewhat relieved that it isn't.

Ah, but instead it's this thing. He eyes it like it might bite him before leaning forward to pick out a stick.]

From:

singlemilletgrain

[Shake shake shake. The stick that comes out is marked #101... which is a bit weird, because the book of prophecy only goes up to 100.

Oh wait. There it is. On the back of the last page in small, neat text. If it looks like someone squeezed this one into the book in pen instead of dignified inkbrush at the very last minute, that's because that's exactly what happened.]

This year's lucky creature: the Green Lung Dragon. Always listen to everything she says no matter what. Also she is right about everything.

[Looking over his shoulder, Shu nods sagely.]

Ahhhhhh.

The wisdom of the gods is powerful, indeed. We must be sure not to spurn such a gift.

From:

purplexing

[Squint.]

....

This thing is rigged.

From:

singlemilletgrain

[Shu ignores him and continues laying it on a bit thick.]

Glory be upon thee, blessed divine oracle, for thy inspired wisdom. We offer our prayers upon thee and promise to abide by thy guidance.

Especially the young one.