03: In Like A Lion

[theriflespiral]

01: Pancake Week (Elysium)
Much as she despises the Orthodox Church, there was one tradition, Natalia thinks, with which she can truck, and that is the week before Lent being Pancake Week.

She has a small Ether stove and a little chalk sign: IT'S PANCAKE WEEK! Deliver a pancake! Ask me how!, with a small list of fillings, and a drawing of a penguin carrying a pancake wrapped around little herrings and a pleased expression.

Although, the ability to deliver a pancake, still warm, without breaking it, is a hell of a statement for a shipping company to make...


02: To Dance As The Queen Does
Once more, Natalia listens to distantly piped jazz and taps the rhythm carefully, gathering Ether, ice swirling in her hands as she moves to the beat.

And, once again, as her mind fills with other things, the spell breaks, sending little bits of powder snow all across the improvised dance floor, to evaporate.

She hums in annoyance. Of course, by now, surely someone would hear soft or hard jazz and come to investigate.


03: Unfurling Inner Lotus
While much of her time is given to maintaining her front or honing her marksmanship and spellcraft, time must be given to conditioning her body.

This is risky, because unlike the other forms of training, to do it she must engage her energies at their fullest. This is less a risk of her being hurt-- no more than usual-- but rather a risk of discovery; for no one notices a girl with black hair and black eyes, but a girl with blue stars shining in her eyes? Now that has been seen once or twice, to say nothing about how it might touch on the senses of those sensitive to Ether.

But it's the only way to make sure she's training to her utmost, and so utmost she must go-- keeping up with others, never mind the Empire, demands it.

Thus it is that someone as apparently light as Natalia Koutolika is now lifting sacks of shot that are obviously as heavy as she is, and tossing them some distance, besides.


04: Special Deliveries

This was the spot. Natalia stood on the deck of the Humboldt in the little shelter the rocks of the island made, and waited to make contact.

As much as she wanted to recover and utilize larger ships, even ships that might be better suited to the line (intentionally), ships like the little sea sloop were too useful for Penguin Logistics' other purpose: smuggling packages, people, and information.

Was her chronometer wrong? She kept a weather eye out. Who is meeting her? And for what?

Comments

[newmemorywhodis]

Link shrugs; he ate food whenever food came his way. Or he was hungry. Or just felt like it. Really, 'eating food' was just a thing Link did a lot of.

As for fillings, well, there was only one answer.

"Surprise!

[theriflespiral]

"Surprise it is." She clicks on the stove, which lights up immediately and starts heating the cast-iron pan, which already has some fat in it.

She considers Link's taste, so far, and...

Well, she's workmanlike, at least. She can make a serviceable meal of most things.

So! Some farmers' cheese and pre-cooked fish (and some particularly savory sauce) later, she wraps the entire thing up in a bit of yesterday's newspaper and hands it over. "Just don't tell anyone, all right? I'm in enough trouble with the Flying Flounder as it is."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link watches everything she does closely; it's clear that he's not just eager for the meal, but is noting how she makes it.

There's a very good change that this is a recipe he will be replicating later.

Once she hands it over however, he's about to immediately open it up and scarf it down - but then she says she's in trouble, and he pauses.

She gets a concerned, questioning look. Does she need help?

[theriflespiral]

"I'm not supposed to be feeding people out of this store front, you see. I'm not a food vendor. That's the restaurants' job, yeah?" She lets Link connect those dots for a second or two, before adding, "That's why I have to mention it comes with a courier delivery, both on the sign and to anyone who asks."

"It's part of being a good neighbor to those around me." And the more she's a good neighbor, the less they'll look into her affairs. And the less nosy Parkers there are about, the safer the Elysium Network is.

[newmemorywhodis]

That seems a strange restriction to Link. Why shouldn't she serve food wherever she wants? There should be more people serving food everywhere.

But even if it's a restriction Link doesn't agree with...it clearly exists. And is something Natalia is worried about.

So he presses the little package back into her hands. Says, "Deliver to that rooftop," - he points to a building halfway down the road - "in five minutes."

And then runs off. To that roof over there, apparently.

[theriflespiral]

She nods, and taps a shoulder. "I'll handle this myself. Back shortly. hold the fort."

And she puts a warm stone into a wooden container, sets the blin atop it, and then--

Okay, maybe she has her own version of fast. A different version than Link's. She's careful with it, but Link can tell as he watches that she's moving at high-end sprinting speeds for far longer than even people trained to run could maintain it. She just never stops.

Despite this, she's careful to keep the little wooden container steady. There's no magic involved.

Just skill, knowledge of Elysium's terrain, and speed.

It's still warm when he picks it up out of the delivery box.

Natalia's not even particularly winded.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link had watched from his position perched up on the roof, and he was impressed; Natalia must have phenomenal stamina.

And when she joins him on the roof, he has pancakes! He makes a cheerful, happy him - and now finally opens up the package to scarf the whole thing down.

Link eats almost as fast as Natalia runs.

"Neighbours can't complain now," he says, just a little cheeky, once the food is gone. See? She delivered it. Sure, to basically across the road. But it still counted.

[theriflespiral]

She nods. This might even give them a chance to catch up. It has been some time. Not that this is surprising; being in the Elysium Network had its issues for talking freely in public.

As much as they ever talk. She finally relaxes a little. She doesn't often let on how much running the shop front is a mask on top of a mask.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link meanwhile, is already relaxed - he's just had pancakes, he's got a nice roof he can get a good vantage from.

He flops down on his back, and sighs happily - before raising one hand into a thumbs up.

Those pancakes were good. Link approves.

[theriflespiral]

She nods, and takes a seat, and then leans back against the tilted roof. Never mind the whole business with the ship, just these past few days have seen an intense amount of miscalculations that might end with a raid.

Worse, it might be her fault. Which... wouldn't be so bad, if it were just her, but... With the others to consider...

She sighs, staring up at the grey March sky.

[newmemorywhodis]

Being up here with Link, the two naturally end up falling into silence. Link's more than happy to just exist without speaking; to just lie here on this roof, looking up at the sky.

But while Link's a quiet fellow, he's also restless. Eventually, he starts twitching. He wants to do something.

Something which turns out to be silently creeping up behind a small lizard that's trying to get a bit of sun.

[theriflespiral]

There is, at least, a moment's peace. But as Link sneaks off, Natalia stirs.

She sounds so very tired when she says, in Russian, "-- Milya, if you grab another, we are caught--"

Fuck. This is not Russia. She scrambles to her feet, slipping her fabric collar up near her neck to cover the suppression collar's scars more thoroughly.

Much as she craves these peaceful moments... There's no way she has time for this.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link, of course, does not speak Russian. He doesn't even know what Russia is.

So as he grabs at the lizard on the roof nearby, and hears her speak in an unfamiliar tongue...he turns, and gives her a blank look. Lizard still wriggling within his fingers.

Has she been talking to him?

[theriflespiral]

It takes her half a second to realize where she is before she rubs her face, stands, and grimaces faintly. "Apologies. Old habit."

How was that boy doing? She couldn't remember, and he hadn't arrived with the Program. "Just for the lizard?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Link looks down at the lizard. It wriggles uselessly. Link shrugs.

"It could be useful." Sure, Link didn't know exactly what kind of elixir this lizard could be used for. But if he tossed enough of these in with various random ingredients, Link was sure he'd find something of use eventually.

[theriflespiral]

She pauses, hums. "Getting warm enough for lizards to be active again... Means it's probably close to shedding time, isn't it?"

She kneels down to get a closer look at the lizard in question.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link pauses a moment; he hadn't actually thought much about when the lizards were due to shed. But now that he thinks about it, she's probably right. He nods.

Then he holds the lizards out for her, so she can get a good look at it. It's an interesting lizard, not like the ones at home. It's tiny, with little spots all over.

"It's new," he says.

[theriflespiral]

"Ah. You haven't seen this species before?" She hums. "Wish I knew more about local biology. Maybe Senshi...?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Link shakes his head. No, he hasn't seen this one. But he takes the lizard, and puts it into his pack.

"Can try to make something, if I find more," he says. Which honestly was Link's usual response to finding any new and unseen species of small critter - toss them in a cooking pot with some monster parts, and see what happens.

[theriflespiral]

She hums, and hops atop a small spire to look over the city. "If I recall, there's a few places with plants and insects in the city proper. You might find some there..."

[newmemorywhodis]

"I'll look," Link says, hopping on top of the edge of the building, looking down.

Before he decides to launch himself of the side in search of them however, he glances back at Natalia.

She's got a delivery business now. And it's probably something that takes a lot of work, on her part.

"...You need help delivering?" he says.

[theriflespiral]

"... I might, at that. It's not all me, mind you, but another hand who is careful isn't unwelcome." She pauses. "Though I'd have to get you a uniform, but that's not too bad."

[newmemorywhodis]

"I've worn uniforms."

Came with the job of being a knight, really. Even if these days, Link generally did prefer a lot more personal expression in how he dressed.

[theriflespiral]

"Well, then. Let's get you to where I get all the uniforms for Penguin." She gestures with her head. "It's not far. Follow me."

Confident that, if nothing else, Link can keep up, she leads him to a small clothing shop at a rooftop run.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods, and follows at a quick pace. Although with Link, a 'quick pace' involves just as much paragliding as it does running.

When they arrive at the little clothing shop, he gives it a curious look. He hasn't seen this place before.