2023-07-08: Soup du Silence
- Log: Soup du Silence
- Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Elisa Kafim, Franziska Edelweiss, Anser Vulpecula, Ujico Issa
- Where: Soup du Silence - Stockholm Branch, Kingdom of Scandinavia
- Date: 2023-07-08
- Summary: Yuliana and Elisa attend to one of their charitable works -- a soup kitchen, recently bolstered by new recruits fleeing the Yumi Foundation. Ujico's volunteered to help (with this part, anyway), and fate or chance leads Anser and Franziska into their arms. Yuliana lights up at the engineering principles of an old lighter; Elisa is entirely delighted by the novelty slogan on a cheaper model. They don't... seem like bad people, do they? The food's perfectly good, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana was -- upset, by her conversation with Liam. Revisiting the REA's crimes like that... it makes her throat ache. Luckily, talking to Elisa reminded her just who to blame; her wife helped her find her way back home, and salved her wounds, and it's been just fine for Yuliana to cling to her since then. Until, today: "Oughtn't we go amongst our people, zhenushka?"
Her whim is so frequently the determinant of whether the Silent Calling's leaders make appearances, amongst the growing faithful.
The Silent Calling, of course, is the spiritual group which sprung up recently, all focused on self-improvement and meditation and self-worth, asking important questions about why you should get killed for someone else's war. It's a little solipsist, perhaps, but it posits that unless you can be at peace alone with yourself, the world will exploit you -- a philosophy of fostering personal strength and insight.
None of these are particularly bad things -- nor the way the Silent Calling teaches mindfulness or radical acceptance of one's feelings, resilience and growth. Neither, indeed, the Silent Calling's charitable works, of which there are surprisingly many; they've started groups in many corners of the world, handing out coats to cold children in winter and assisting those displaced by war to find accommodation.
And, of course, feeding the needy.
'Vulnerable areas' are Scandinavia's euphemism for places of the poor: areas of cities besieged by crime or by inequity, though their society does try to moderate those things. In one such district of Stockholm -- perhaps not the same districts as would have been Vulnerable hundreds of years ago, but Stockholm is a city large enough that injustice does tend to flow downwards -- the Silent Calling has brought out a storefront, and it advertises food for all those who need it, now.
They have... gotten more staffing, more support, lately. With Sayla Mass's Zeonic revelations, there are of course donors and footmen who turned away from the Yumi Foundation. While the Silent Calling holds no ill-will towards its fellow charity organisation, has publically stated that they support the good the Yumi Foundation does, and didn't officially poach those people who stepped away...
... well, they want to do good, and the Silent Calling has been doing a surprising amount of it, over the last few months. It's only natural some of the people who left the Yumi Foundation would come to them, isn't it?
And a little more support than expected, today, in the form of the High Priestess and their Oracle. Dressed in ornate black robes and a plethora of gold and green jewellery about her wrists and waist and neck, with a green, accordion-folded cape in the style of a dragon's wings falling behind her, Yuliana Kafim hands a prepared box of food to a mother of four. "Be well," she smiles, to her, as she dips her head and scurries out, followed by her ducklings. The golden tiara on her head is distinctive, with dragon's wings stretching out behind her ears; they're hollow, not that it's clear to look at them, to properly hide her frills even if she extends them.
There is a rest area at the front of the establishment, as well; lounges and water all provided for people to take a moment to collect themselves, before going back out into the harsh world. (Or to wait, if lines are long. They are, sometimes. This is a place which needs quite some help, though it's not a convenient place for the government to fix.) It's not hidden, looking in from the street outside; it's an interesting set-up they've got here, in Soup du Silence.
It's a nice place, really. A little quiet, but... what's wrong with things being quiet, when there's so much shouting out there?
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
The High Priestess moves with grace, her ornate black robes seemingly unable to hold her down. Similarly the jewelry, though heavy, does not overweigh on her. She retains her gymnast's grace in every movement. And just now, that movement is paused, held in abeyence, as she speaks to three aspirants in hushed tones.
"Yes," she says to them, "It is just so. You must attend to yourself before you can attend to those around you. How can you pour from an empty cup? No, it takes time, and work..."
She smiles, and starts to walk away with a, "Be well. Think on it."
Nice and quiet.
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
Dr. Franziska Edelweiss needed a bit of time off after the incident in Paradigm, to lay a little low. She had put in some built-up time off at the Concern and returned to her native Germany for a sabbatical. A quick trip across the Baltic found her in Stockholm for a day, and specifically in front of Soup du Silence, narrowing her eyes at the establishment.
"Hmph, spiritual nonsense disguised as altruism."
An eyebrow raises as she notices...wait...isn't that...that woman?! What in the devil is she wearing?! Ugh, curse my curiosity. She stomps in, peeking around.
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
Two weeks.
Or has it been three?
Anser has been taking a much-needed leave of absence from her usual duties, and while it would be an exaggeration to call it a vacation, she's pointedly made herself scarce from her usual clients, opting instead to work on smaller-scale projects. The sort of engineering work that's not especially challenging, but gratifying. Repairing broken down vehicles, assisting with minor electrical concerns. She's too much of a workaholic not to be up to something but at least this is free of moral ambiguity, and getting herself wrapped up in something where she might come face to face with seeing someone who she knows she'll make even deeper mistakes around.
Some of what are referred to as the 'scruffy' areas of of the city are where Anser has been concentrating her efforts. It's not so unlike Sweetwater, when push comes to shove. Good people in a bad situation, without the help they need.
Dressed casually and all caught up on sleep, her hair gathered in a high ponytail, it's difficult to tell her at a glance... especially because she's short enough to blend into the crowd. Which abruptly shifts in one direction when a new batch of people are let in, and she finds herself jostled in the direction that the congregation is headed. The flow of foot traffic is such that it's easier to just follow it than fight against it, and she ends up ducking through the rest in immediate search of an exit.
There's nothing of interest for her here. She's certain.
...Probably.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
It's only like Food Not Bombs in the ways that actually count, Ujico thinks.
The ways that count are mostly in line with 'people are being fed'. The ingredients here probably didn't come from guerilla gardens hidden in empty buildings or in the weird hollow places of a colony, or from dumpsters. There are donations, mostly monetary, but she did the intake for two cases of rye buns this morning, shortly after her shift began. They were from a bakery elsewhere in Stockholm. Ujico ended up turning some of them into croutons, and some into a variety of the local dish smrrebrd (she had onions and she had smoked fish and she had some suggestions from the internet about what to do with them, it was only natural).
And then the person actually in charge of cooking for lunch and dinner arrived, and very politely asked Ujico if she could go finish prepping the vegetables for the soups instead of making decisions about bread.
Now, Ujico's shift is almost over, and there has been (and still is) plenty of food to go around. She boxes another meal up and stacks it in the warming cabinet with the others.
The Silent Calling, she considers, looks just fine. And she can't... find anything wrong with what they're saying? You can't pour from an empty cup. Secure your own oxygen mask before attempting to assist others.
But she puts it together with Bana-ji and Leina and everybody in pain, and Yuliana saying things that felt gross, and...
She frowns inwardly, and since the cabinet is full Ujico can go back to serving. She's got a friendly smile in place the entire time she's filling bowls with soup and plating toasty sandwiches. "Potato-leek? That one's really good!"
Surface connection. A brush of pleasantry. Give the food. Repeat.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
That woman, as it happens, is the Silent Calling's Oracle... Yuliana Kafim. And she recognises Franziska, though they spoke some time ago. Perhaps it's better that she recognises her, first -- less suspicious, for her to have met her, to say, "Doctor Edelweiss, isn't it? Welcome, welcome."
A group enters, a breath later, and Yuliana smiles to them. "Be welcome at our hearth," she smiles, to them, just the same. "Are you hungry? We've food enough for all. Please, take as much as you need. Our attendants," she gestures, here, to Ujico, currently trapped in the spotlight, "will help you."
The food isn't from guerilla gardens, but it is sourced from local farms and food production outfits -- which is part of why the Silent Calling's food charity varies so much, from Helmajistan to Scandinavia. Yuliana insisted on supporting local businesses, you see.
If Ujico wants to make bread decisions, though, Ujico gets to make bread decisions. She might have been a little impolite, at a previous meeting, but it was an innocent enough misconception; Yuliana still favours her, given the kindness she showed her during her recovery, so she's pleased to see her embracing the charity side of the Calling.
(She wasn't paying enough attention to stop Ujico from being assigned to the vegetables, though.)
"You cannot pour from an empty cup," she underlines her High Priestess's advice, as she hands over a packed box. "If you do not care for yourselves, all else will suffer. Any who would expect you to burn yourselves to nothing just to help your families through another week are wretched souls..."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa would say that she appreciates Ujico's initiative. She may or may not have actually done so, but she would, if it came up. The actual cook in charge will have to content himself with the very good money Elisa pays him to put up with that.
Elisa, though, the High Priestess, is between specific tasks for a moment--and that affords her a chance, not to contemplate Ujico's complaints, but instead to:
Approach someone starting to leave!
"Ah, are you looking to move further in?" she asks, placidly. "This way," she says, to the direction in which Anser has found an exit, "Leads into our back area, for the staff. I must ask that you not come this way."
"The food is there." A smile.
One can probably ignore the fact that her breath doesn't mist near the chill air of outside.
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
Edelweiss squints her eyes and decides it is better to not question things too much. "Yes, that is me. I remember you, yes, even though I don't think I got your name. I had no idea you were a....philanthropist, let's call it that." She puts on her best socialization voice, cloyingly sweet and almost patronizingly happy, like a cashier's fifth year on the job. That being said, it was very hard for Edelweiss to not sound patronizing even if she tried.
It was also hard for her to not grumble to herself at the advice of this so-called High Priestess. Bah, hard work is everything. A candle is made to be burned! "So, is this an independent undertaking or is there an organization behind this kitchen?"
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
Anser looks up when Elisa inserts herself between her and what should logically be the exit. She has no real reason to be suspicious of a building she's just ducked into, so she placidly looks up and waves her hands quietly, "I'm not here to eat - just the exit. Do I just go out the way I came, then?"
Her stomach loudly growls, and she turns her attention downward.
Traitor.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
Ujico looks up from dishing up someone's meal. She felt eyes, attention. Also she heard the Kafims tell people to go get food and Ujico is one of the people you can get food from. "--mrep," she voices wordlessly, a nonsense sound, realizing she's on the spot.
If Ujico wants to make bread decisions she can! But there is a heirarchy to every kitchen. Ujico has observed them, over and over. It's more important to make sure all the jobs are done than to fight over who does what job. And her knife skills aren't bad. It was just a faux pas. She only felt a little embarrassed about it.
In the end, they all worked together and made a good meal.
"Hello!" she pipes up, waving a plastic bowl like an unwieldy fan. "It's potato-leek or chunky vegan tomato! Plus some other stuff - bread with herring and onions, or fruit, or..." The horned girl makes a vague, encompassing gesture at the serving line. "Come on, you're hungry, right?" She heard a growl, Anser! A stomach growl!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Her Elisa has handled the matter of congregants trying to get in the back; Yuliana leaves the matter of Anser's escape to her, and smiles to Edelweiss, instead. She did offer the Doctor help, when last they met -- though, indeed, she didn't offer her name. It was different then than it is now, when she introduces herself: "Ah, I'm Yuliana -- Yuliana Kafim. I am Oracle to the Silent, and through my visions, our salvation." Amongst the rings on her fingers is a wedding ring, richest and finest of them all. It wasn't there the first time they met.
Her socialisation voice is not so cloyingly sweet or obviously put-on; she sounds entirely invested in Franziska, with generous beatification in her voice. It's loud enough that others could hear, just the same. "You see, after I was saved from the Federation's blacksites by so many brave souls, I realised that I wished to help the world as I had been helped. That is why I started the Silent Calling -- the association which runs these charitable services for all on Earth who need them. Though," her hands clasp together, her voluminous robes tumbling over them, "I assure you, we're quite independent."
She smiles, now, as she turns to the line, spreading her hand out. "Please," she offers, to Anser, as if to support Ujico's efforts, "eat. We've enough for all." There are places one may sit and eat, in the lounging area at the front. There are even people already eating -- people whose home lives are too chaotic to be able to bank on eating in peace and quiet, perhaps. There are utensils, there, to those ends.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Ujico's cheer is always welcome. Elisa gestures to her, when Anser's stomach growls so loudly. "Your stomach appears to have other ideas... But I would of course not force anyone to stay."
She asked a question! Elisa might even answer it, "Going that way is likely to lead you into the crowd... The exit is over there." Past the food. The tempting, tempting food. And Ujico! And Yuliana, and Edelweiss... There is no path to the exit Elisa points out that does not involve passing a lot of people first.
"I am the High Priestess of the Silent Calling," she introduces herself. "But my position is ultimately one of service."
"Regardless of your choice, know that you are welcome."
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
"Ah yes, I see, I see, that's very good for you! And congratulations on the..." She points to the ring with a grin. Ugh, it was worse than she thought! It was a cult! Of course, after so long, she had accepted that Yuliana had never actually been on to her illicit dealings, but...this was arguably even more dangerous!
"I will warn you in advance, I am strictly a woman of science. I respect your...lifestyle, but I'm afraid any...proselytisation will just go in one ear and out the other. No offense intended." She gently wrings her hands together as she explains her euphoria at being enlightened by her own intelligence.
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
A sigh from Anser, and she casts a glance at the line and takes a brief sniff. There's plenty of reason not to stay, of course, but there's also a compelling reason to at least get a to-go bowl and then make a quiet exit once foot traffic has died down a bit. She raises her hands, visibly relenting when she's informed that the exit is in the back.
Honestly, it's not the worst setup in the world for an assembly line sort of situation, but it's sure as hell not convenient.
"Potato-leek, right? Yeah. Sounds good." She queues up, appearing only slightly put off by Elisa following after her to deliver her spiel. A slight little eyetwitch, but Anser musters a polite uptick of her lips. It's not quite a smile.
"...A pleasure to meet you, High Priestess." Her affect isn't quite flat, but it's not warm.
And this is her when she's trying.
The queue moves more rapidly than she's anticipating. Such efficiency! Before long, she's being ladled up a generous helping of potato and leek, and... it smells really good. She clears her throat and finds herself a seat, blowing on the bowl a bit to accelerate the cooling process.
Cool food. Eat food. Move on. It's a good plan.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
Greet people. Serve people. It's easy when things are reduced to rote. Maybe it's not very exciting, but too much excitement is bad for your digestion anyway.
"Issa," comes a voice from behind her. Ujico looks up and back at her relief, a human boy a little older than herself. "Chef says to make sure you take a break and have your lunch. You know the food's for us too, right?"
"I goooot it," she half-sings, a little too tired to bother not doing it. "Thanks, Eldad."
A few minutes later, someone approaches Anser's table holding a tray. It's the pink-haired girl from the serving line, now with her own meal. The toast is very fishy, and also topped with mustard. "Hi. Mind if I sit and eat with you?"
It's a little too much like a cafeteria. But Ujico isn't a student anymore. It should be fine.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana smiles, when Franziska notices her ring; her fingers brush against it, as she looks across the room to find Elisa. Her smile grows more warm, more affectionate; it's a subtle shift, but her love for her wife is quite genuine, and it may be plain just who her wife is. "Thank you," she sighs, content. "We're very happy..."
Oh, it may well be a cult. 'Cult' is such a complicated word, so often used by people who don't respect the beginnings of legitimate religion... but its origins refer to religious mysteries, and this, certainly, is one.
Franziska, though, is euphoric, and Yuliana... well, she'd be a poor host if she didn't smile, wouldn't she? "My dear Dr. Kafim, our High Priestess, is a doctor herself," she says, instead. "The mysteries of our existence are mysteries of science, as well, don't you think...? Of course, we ask nothing of you, here," she allows, and reaches across the counter, to offer Franziska some of the smoerrebroed Ujico so kindly prepared. "Please, eat. Would it soothe your heart to have company? Then I shall soothe it."
With that, she takes some smoerrebroed for herself, and goes off to take a seat... with Ujico! And, as it happens, Anser, who Ujico has already gravitated towards. She waves Elisa over, as well; of course she wants her wife to join them.
She's even kind enough to sit on the opposite side of the table to Ujico, so she doesn't consume her in her immediate cone of silence. She's such a generous woman. "Wonderful work today," she compliments the horned girl, and her voice, at least, is warm. "You're so reliable, Ujico! And so creative," she adds, taking a bite of Ujico's Bread Creation. "Wonderful."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
As it turns out, Elisa walking with Anser for a moment is on her way somewhere else. But before that, she smiles back; there is no offense taken at the near-flat affect Answer shows. If Elisa even notices it's the way it is, there's no sign, as she instead inclines her head. "Yes," she says.
Then, she moves on to the line, and to Eldad. "A fine reminder. Please, ensure that you do not work too hard yourself."
She is about to move on from there... But Yuliana waves her back over. She considers.
"I believe I heard something of a woman of science," she reflects. "How welcome it is, one who understands the acquisition of knowledge through rigorous testing."
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
"Ah, hello, hello! Dr. Franziska Edelweiss, Janus Research Concern. I am afraid I do not have any of my cards on me." She continues to wring her hands, this being far too much socialization for one day as it was. She was also hesitant to accept their offer of food, but...
Grumble
Ah yes, she had forgotten breakfast this morning, and it was catching up with her. There was no way out of this meal. "I would be happy to sit and eat! What is on the menu today?"
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
The worst days of her flight from Neo-Zeon aren't something that have been quick to abandon her. Eking out an existence on stale rations and entirely-too-creative culinary uses for small mammals is something that's always in the back of her mind when it comes to judging any culinary creation.
Which is to say that Anser, in spite of her grumbling, starts wolfing down soup before it's gone cold, risking a burnt tongue in the process. A warm meal that isn't warmed up in a microwave is something she hasn't had much of recently, and hey. The soup tastes good.
When Ujico approaches, Anser glances up, and merely shrugs a shoulder at first, finishing her latest swallow of soup before nodding to the seat. "Communal seating. Asking permission isn't necessary, or anything." An owlish blink of her bright red eyes. Hard not to feel the appraisal in the young woman's gaze.
It would be polite to keep the conversation going. She knows that. It's not like she's entirely without social graces, but...
"...how about this weather?"
...
She's bad at it, okay?
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
"Yuliana," Ujico greets her, settling down at the table with her lunch. She's removed her hair net at least; hygiene is essential, even if her horns always end up partially poking through, it's the principle of the thing and also that food safety course that Ujico attended as though it were something much more prestigious, like maybe freshman year at her dream college or something. She had a decorated binder.
Yuliana is always kind. Maybe Ujico is the one who was mistaken. "Thank you," she smiles, picking up her fishmustardtoast and taking an appraising bite. ....Hmm. She doesn't really have a reference point for fishmustardtoast. Is this a good example?
She stares quizzically at her food as she chews and swallows. ...Well, even if it's not [correct] it is still very [tasty], which Ujico cares more about when she gives it some thought.
"We had the things to make it and Reddit said it was a good use of them. The mustard is all me though." Because she can't just go around blaming the internet for things!
Maybe Anser is like her, a bit. Or just tired. "Is it nice outside?" she asks, leaning out a bit to peer through the windows. "I've been inside since my last smoke break. It was breezy." Ujico only remembers because it had made lighting up tricky.
"If you're still hungry, there's more. After you finish I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"It's all right, I recall," Yuliana smiles, when Franziska introduces herself as part of the Janus Research Concern. She notices the Doctor's discomfort with so much human contact, of course.
Anyway.
"This is smoerrebroed," she explains, still smiling. "I do believe our very own Ujico made this variation!" The fingers of her free hand splay, as she gestures to the pink-haired girl. Another bite, and she assures her: "Your inventiveness is wonderful. The important thing about food is for it to taste good, don't you think?"
She tilts her head, to Anser; her gold headdress glints, in the light filtering through the windows welcoming people in. "Even in Stockholm, it gets rather warm in summer, doesn't it?" She asks, amicable.
... her eyes, close up, are a truly endless green.
Like Lalah's were, so long ago.
"Particularly in our day and age... I heard someone say that before the Universal Century, the average high didn't go up past twenty," Celcius, they're not in Britannia, "even in the depths of July. I suppose that's why the houses still aren't built for the heat, here... my High Priestess, should we not attend to distributing those fans, sooner rather than later?" She invokes Elisa, looking to her with a warm and loving gaze.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"Ah, I recognize that name," Elisa says of the Janus Research Concern. "I'm quite interested in your research. Perhaps we should discuss more of it sometime; I do see things in it that are worthy of support..."
The weather! The weather is perfectly... interesting. Elisa hasn't acquired food herself; perhaps she's already eaten? That's a reasonable explanation.
"Yes, the climate continues to change..."
A pause. "Yes. Yes, we should." She looks around, and lifts a hand; one of their workers approaches.
"Do begin distributing the fans," Elisa says, to a worker who has ordinary eyes, not strange at all, though they are a lovely shade of green.
"Yes," the worker says, and inclines her head. SHe looks to the rest of the table and smiles. "One moment, please."
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
"Oh, have you? Of course, I would be happy to discuss my research at the Concern at some point!" The research at the Concern.
Not any other research. Any other research she is definitely not doing.
After that, she silently collects some food, taking a seat communally, but still with a noticeable space between her and anyone else. She couldn't help but remember similar meals taken alone during her graduate studies. She tended to stay away from most people, and most people would stay away from her.
That is how she liked things.
You're always so off alone, Frannie! Stuck in your own world again?
Pointless nostalgia of halcyon days.
The smoerrebroed was...perfectly passable. Granted, she had not eaten much Scandanavian food in quite a while, but it was fine enough.
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
Anser really doesn't seem to be much for idle conversation, as was already made ridiculously apparent. Still. She's cornered, and she's not inconsiderate enough not to respond when directly spoken to. She just looks mildly uncomfortable the entire time. It's not embarrassment or shyness, or even irritation. Just... awkward.
"Yeah. It's warm out there." She agrees with Yuliana, looking back to Ujico and tilting her head.
Oh! Common ground. She can use that.
"Everyone in my field tends to use plasma lighters - if they smoke at all." She takes another spoonful of soup and glances up. She sets her lighter on to the table. Simple. Sleek metal. She opens it up, showing the fact that it's a traditional lighter. Combustible fuel, flint. Nothing fancy.
"...Some things are better analog, right? The flint strike and fire's more satisfying. But... yeah. The wind can be a pain. Or the rain." She clears her throat, and palms her lighter again, sliding it back into the pocket of her skirt. Because life is too short for fashion to ruin pockets.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
Oh. See, she had nothing to worry about, probably. Yuliana gets it - that it's enough for food to just taste good.
See? There's nothing wrong.
Elisa gets a smile as she settles next to her wife. She's a busy woman, maybe she ate earlier. Yuliana likes food, so she'll find the time to sit and snack with Ujico for a bit. It's kind of her.
Edelweiss gets a Totally Chill Glance that is absolutely Ujico trying to gauge whether the other woman is enjoying her food. ...Jury's out. But hey, she ate some! Good enough. Maybe she's not into herring. Or toast.
"Ah, I've seen plasma lighters before," Ujico nods, watching Anser produce something she's very familiar with. It's a good one - Ujico is sure that if she picked it up, it would have weight and feel good in her hand. Her eyes, focused on the lighter, are also green, and a different kind of depthless than Yuliana's, or a woman dead when Ujico was a baby.
"It'd probably be a good idea to get one, but I keep getting the same cheap ones from the convenience store." There's a reason for that - Ujico likes the cute designs they can have. "Is that one really old - an antique?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
That Elisa has eaten already is a perfectly reasonable explanation; why, even Yuliana is only eating to facilitate the comfort of their visitors. She smiles, looking from Franziska to Elisa; her gaze settles there. "I'm sure you have much to speak about," she says, and may even be paying attention to what she's saying as she admires her wife.
Not too much, though. She's busy admiring her wife, with little hearts floating off her conversation portrait and everything.
About the only thing which could distract her from her favourite subject is some of the other things she's interested in -- and Anser setting out a traditional lighter counts. "Oh!" Yuliana exclaims, and it's surprisingly genuine, given the beatific tone she's taken thus far. "A flint and steel set-up! Look there, Ujico -- the action opens up the valve to release -- is this still butane? I don't suppose this is a ferro rod set-up, but are you using Bernoulli's principle, with this one?" She's excited, all a sudden, and it's a subtle but definite shift from the generous welcoming she's shown until now.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
It'll be more than one moment before the fans arrive. It's fine.
"Of course," she says to Dr. Edelweiss. And then she regards the others. She doesn't read minds, but she can read people with some facility; she watches Anser without being particularly obvious about it, noticing that 'awkwardness'... and how it melts away to a degree when she starts to talk about the lighter.
Elisa smiles.
"It is easy to lean on convenience, isn't it?" she says to Ujico. "To use the tools that we are accustomed to using, because they are easier to use."
Elisa also has hearts bubbling as Yuliana speaks up. "But my darling wife here is so interested in new tools, all the time. It's very interesting to see these differences..."
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
Edelweiss glances over and considers the married couple. They do look very happy together. She supposes some people are into that sort of thing. Dating, romance, domestic life...to her, it was all pabulum and distraction.
After all, when you live alone, you have more money for research and more time for research!
A heavy sigh.
She had always found it hard to be...well, human, in a sense. All these social norms and mores...it was like speaking a foreign language. Anyone who looked over her way would notice she was chewing her food especially vigorously, lost in her own head.
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
Okay, she really wasn't expecting this much attention from her lighter - at least, while it's still out on the table.
She's just about to answer Ujico when Yuliana appears with all of the exuberance of a magpie who's just spotted a particularly shiny object. Anser visibly leans back a touch, laughing softly when she pockets the lighter again, "...Still butane, yeah."
Ujico's question of whether it's an antique.
"I actually have no idea. Old enough, I guess. I've had it for fourteen years, and I don't know how long the previous owner had it."
Then Yuliana brings up Bernoulli's principle, and Anser blinks up, clear recognition in her eyes.
"Oh. No, that's why it's not very convenient in the wind. Everything I work with is so complex, it just felt suitable to have at least one simple thing in my arsenal."
She's toying with her spoon, letting it do circles in her soup. Something to fidget with.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
Ah, that's right - Yuliana is an engineer. Even something as small as this...
Elisa is partially right. As if testing the waters, as if preparing for a joke to land, Ujico reaches into her apron pocket, past the wrinkled paperboard of her cigarette box, and digs out a cheap, convenient lighter. "Yeah. And sometimes they have funny stuff on the side." She sets her disposable lighter upright on the table.
Simple, bright text reads 'AVOCADON'T' on both sides. Yes, there is a cartoon avocado below it. The folks who design convenience store lighters don't get paid to break new ground.
"But you got it fourteen years ago, huh? That's a long time to carry anything. It's kind of cool, when you think about it." Was something important fourteen years ago? She'll think about it later, maybe.
Edelweiss chews hard. "...it's good?" she asks the Evil Biologist.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Distributing goods to the needy is an involved process; one can't just snap one's fingers and make it happen. Though -- it seems that Elisa can snap her fingers and start the process, just like that.
Tools that are easier to use are fine enough, of course, but Yuliana is magpie-bright at this novel tool. Elisa's affectionate regard only serves to fuel her engagement to greater heights; love enhances her strengths, rather than diminishing them.
Always is this true.
Dr. Edelweiss is at least granted a reprieve from socialisation -- because Yuliana's spied a delicious meat pumpkin. "Of course, of course! That's why everyone keeps an open-ring spanner in their toolkit, don't you think? Of course you need a Stilly around, and a good wheel brace, and after a certain point the open-ring's just kind of sitting there, but a kit's naked without such a simple tool at hand. It's entirely the same principle!"
She grins, and adds: "Of course, if you added some air intake, you'd increase its performance in the wind considerably..." Don't let Yuliana touch the antique lighter. She's definitely going to Improve it if she gets her hands on it.
Yuliana looks over at Ujico's cheap convenience store lighter, though -- and giggles, fingers fanning over her lips. "Hehehe... something like that suits you, dear!" It's an extremely Ujico artifact.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa notices Franziska's distance. It's fine. She notices the way Yuliana and Anser can discuss lighters. And she notices...
That lighter.
"Ahahahahaha," Elisa laughs merrily. "Avocadon't!"
"I love it," she says. "That's wonderful. Avocadon't. A caution that spurs us forward..."
She'll be a minute.
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
The [Law-Abiding] Biologist swallows hard when Ujico asks her for a review. Such a peculiar girl...Edelweiss wondered how someone like her got caught up in whatever it is this couple was doing.
"It...is alright. The food of this region has a particular...strength to it, sometimes." She takes another bite. It's completely overwhelming in a way.
<Pose Tracker> Anser Vulpecula has posed.
The repetition of the age of the lighter spoken from Ujico's lips instead of Anser's has the mechanic's eyes unfocusing for a moment, her brow slightly knitting. It's just until the next time she blinks, but she certainly looks troubled to be receiving follow-up questions.
She quietly pats her pocket to make sure the lighter's safe and sound, then glances down at Ujico's lighter, and politely nods, "It's very nice."
She sets her spoon against her thumb and index finger and lifts her bowl to cradle it in her fingers, lifting the bowl to her lips and glugging down some of her soup now that it's cooled off and she's eager to be shown that she is not available for talking.
And maybe because finishing the soup will save her from having to linger longer than she'd like to. Her brows lift slightly at Yuliana's enthusiasm, and she lowers the bowl back to the table with a soft thump so that she can point towards the mechanically inclined woman. "Just doesn't feel right without it, even if you know that you're never gonna end up using it - because, like, it's a good backup, right? And it's not taking up much space, or anything."
She engages, "It looks less cluttered than all the nuts, screws, and garbage that ends up free-floating until I get around to sorting it. Sometimes the things we hold on to that seem like they ought to have been thrown away can save us, in the end. I've only had to sift through the 'Miscellaneous' compartment a handful of times for a screw, but every time I did, it was because it was that or wait until a resupply."
A blink of those bright red eyes, and she scoots her focus back downward, back to the bowl of soup. Nearly done, now.
<Pose Tracker> Ujico Issa has posed.
A-all those things? Ujico swipes up the last globs of mustard from her plate and sticks her finger in her mouth. "..." Well when she thinks about it, doesn't she have a lot of things in her toolkit too? A vinyl cutter and a shirt press and a sewing machine...
"You think?" is what Ujico tried to say, except her finger was still in her mouth and it came out as something that sounded more like 'hoo fing?', so Ujico has to repeat herself while wiping her hand off on her apron. It had just made her laugh more than any of the other designs.
"Issa," a voice calls. It's Eldad again, looking from her to the clock. "Chef wants you at the table. Tomorrow's menu?"
There, at the communal table, Ujico's eyes widen a bit more. She nods and holds up a single finger, the universal 'gimme a minute' signal. "I gotta-- [chef's table], so my break's over!" Those two phrases are not at all connected. "Nice to meet you, uh... lady and other lady! Yuliana, Elisa," Ujico babbles, gathering up her tray and swooping the cheap lighter into her pocket. "Thanksforlunch!"
Her hip clips the edge of the table on her way back to the kitchen but Ujico's sudden spike of energy doesn't flag a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana makes a quiet note to stop into a hokey corner convenience store and get Elisa a novelty lighter sometime. She does have a wonderful sense of humour, doesn't she?
Yuliana conquers her own giggling, at least, to say to Franziska: "We prefer serving local food -- we may be visitors to these places, but that doesn't mean we have to push our own dietary sensibilities onto others. Of course, I understand that not everyone is used to food like this... would you like some water?" She even leans over, to pour some water from a nearby pitcher into an empty glass and place it by Franziska.
Yuliana's perfectly willing to let Anser blend into the woodwork -- while she's drinking her soup, she doesn't bother her. But when she points to her, Yuliana grins, in turn. "It is!" She agrees, with enthusiasm. "No one understands my system, but it's entirely necessary! As you say -- sometimes you need a screw and there's no supply, so why would anyone ever throw their screws out? Even if it's not for a wanzer, most of the smaller-scale units use similar kit -- if you can put up with the risk of over-torque, there's a lot of tools you can use to get something done which might just be lying around, really... so you're an engineer as well, are you? How wonderful to come across you! Ah -- I'm Yuliana, by the way. Kafim." She is quite too distracted by her interests to remember to add the Oracle part, this time.
But she's quite genuine, as she says: "I've got to say, seeing an old tool like that's really brightened my day."
Anser descends back into her Soup, though, and Yuliana is distracted from her by Ujico being called back in. "Hmm?" She asks, tilting her head. "Of course, of course -- I appreciate your hard work. It is well, that you rested." Though, as she leaves, Yuliana can't help but remark: "Ah... sometimes that girl says the strangest things..."
One of their green-eyed workers appears at the table, though, to ask: "Excuse me -- there's a distribution matter..."
And Yuliana smiles, looking up to him. "Of course," she says, again, and reaches a hand to Elisa -- a silent request to help her up. "Please excuse us," she says, to Franziska and Anser, as her hands coil about Elisa's arm. "We have to resolve this -- but enjoy as much food as you like. Take some, if you need it. It was wonderful to speak with you."
She walks with Elisa, into the back -- it's there that they'll resolve the supply chain issues that this man can't think through himself.
Not out here.
<Pose Tracker> Franziska Edelweiss has posed.
Edelweiss grunts and begins to down the glass of water, wincing as it pushes the bread down her throat. It seemed to her that Yuliana was just a perfectly normal spiritualist. Something that she personally disagreed with, but not the threat her paranoid mind had molded her into those months ago.
As she finishes, she stands up and brushes off her coat. "I should be going. The meal was lovely, danke. I will try to send you my latest dissertation, Dr. Kafim~"