ravenry | shoma catchall

Of course. You've missed a lot of pretty decent places, but...I think there's one you'll like. [ a pause. ] You're not claustrophobic or anything, right?

[ she shakes her head. ]

You don't have to worry about that with me. Lead the way.

Cool. Come on. [ and he begins to lead! we are heading to the preservation biome, and when they enter the ground level he's pretty quick about navigating so they don't get stuck with the nocturnal creatures for too long.

but he stops them on the second floor, entering the large hall of glass tunnels housing all sorts of brightly colored aquatic creatures. ]

...this whole biome's pretty nice, but sometimes I like to come to this floor and see how many kinds of creatures I can spot.

[ she doesn't seem bothered by the nocturnal creatures at all, but she follows shoma without stopping to look at them. when they get to the glass tunnels, her eyes go wide in awe.

she is silent as she takes it all in. ]

I've never been near the sea. This is... incredible. It is difficult to put into words.

[ yeah. he sort of figured, given he's seen her palace and just the way she's presented herself. but there's a soft grin and he lets them stop in the middle so she can have a 360 degree view of everything. ]

Right? It's a cool way of being able to have everything right in view and feel like you're actually underwater. [ ... ] My sister used to take me to aquariums when I was little, but I haven't seen one in a while. It's been nice to come back.

[ yeah, she does a very slow spin to continue looking before she walks closer to the glass.

her expression softens when he mentions his sister. ]

I can see why you like it so much. It gives such a sense of wonder. I think it would be nice to lie on the floor and watch them all swim by like they're stars in the night sky.

[ it's nice to see her relaxed, actually. ]

Well...what's stopping you from doing that right now? [ we could really just lay on the ground and watch bioluminescent fish. ] I won't tell if you don't.

[ when she's in front of something new, she can focus on that instead of the lingering overhang of things that are pink and dangerous and fleshy.

she looks at him and then she looks around. she won't lie down all the way, not yet, but she'll sit down in the center of this tunnel and look up. ]

Will you join me?

[ we are going to not focus on pink fleshy things. this is a safe space.

but he gently kneels first before shifting into a sit next to her. he's healed a couple of times this week but things are still a little stiff and bruised and burned. but he settles down and he tilts his head back to look up at the glass. ]

Not a bad view. I'm not sure I'll get tired of it.

[ she doesn't think she has to scold shoma about healing, so she won't comment but he does get a concerned glance before she goes back to gazing at the aquatic life. ]

It's nice to having something you won't get tired of. It makes things easier.

[ we're doing fine. but he's quiet for a moment to think of how to respond. ]

Yeah. It's...even when other things remain the same and out of your control, having something stable and simple's kind of amazing. Like a place to be able to reset when everything else is too much.

[ she nods. ]

That's what my favorite foods are to me.

Comforts. I think if people didn't have at least one thing it'd be hard to keep going. [ ... ] What even are your favorites anyway?

[ immediately: ]

Baozi.

[ oh. ]

Is that why you brought some with you when you were facing Sheba? [ your execution, ma'am. ]

Charles knew I liked them, so he brought me some when he visited me the night before. I didn't want to eat them until then.

[ because she would rather feel hungry than feel violent and murderous. ]

[ ...there's a soft laugh, more fond than amused. ]

Of course he did. That sounds exactly like something he'd do. [ charles is really just...good that way. ] Makes sense though. Anything for a shift in focus.

He's relentless.

[ she huffs. ]

But I am unfortunately much too weak to my favorite food. It is easy to bribe me with them.

Everybody's got a weakness. [ shrug. ] I don't think there's really anything wrong with that either. Makes you a little more human...plus at least it's a good food. I might have more to judge you on if it was something disgusting.

[ this is a joke. it's kind of cute. ]

[ she knows he's at least a little joking, but...

a little grumpily: ]

I am fond of lotus seeds. This horrible predator won't change me.

[ okay well that actually does make him laugh? just a little. ]

I think it's more impressive not to let it change your taste. Not that I've ever had lotus seeds before. [ and there's a shrug. ] But there's nothing wrong with that either.

You should try lotus seed paste buns. The saltiness combined with the sweetness.... I couldn't trade it for anything.

[ but she'd get people being put off by lotuses forever after this. ]

Maybe I will. Lately I've been trying to try new things anyway. And if we figure things out the way we want to, I can always let you know if I agree with you after I try them.

[ because he's on team "i want to stay connected", and why wouldn't he want to stay friends with her after this? ]

[ she has to look away for a second because it's a nice thought. she loves food, but she also likes sharing food. ]

If not, a jujube filling is a good second.

[ she is so cute i cannot stand it here. he has no idea what she's thinking though so this only is observed without realizing the reasoning. ]

Sounds like it'd be sweet. [ not in a bad way. granted he usually doesn't have opinions on food, period, so he's okay with the recommendations. ] I do trust your judgment. Maybe I'll try to find both.

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ravenry - 2024-04-20 15:26 (UTC) - Expand

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solesuccess - 2024-04-20 20:24 (UTC) - Expand