azume | ⚔ // once upon a dream

⚔ // once upon a dream

[You all know the drill by now. Ignis and Camilla have taken over the nearest kitchen, and there's going to be food in the Pokemon Center soon enough; a warm and comforting vegetable curry. Highwind's even out now, welcoming any and all who might need a large cloud bird to hug after everything that was.]

[It's been a long night. Everyone needs a good meal and a long rest, and luckily one of those things is being seen to immediately.]

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...

[Immediate conclusion: immortals are just goddamn weird.]

That's...definitely not how baking works, Michael.

....but that's what the books are in the library for, isn't it? Research purposes?

[can you imagine ardyn developing a minor chocolate chip cookie obsession tho]

[you say that like ardyn isn't the agent of chaos that wrote those 70s-ish cookbooks with everything in gelatin and with mayonnaise and all that shit.]

Yes, and while baking is itself a science of a sort it's not quite so exact of one. It takes time, testing and altering recipes until you find and refine one you enjoy.

Working in a kitchen is in the sentiment of what you aim to make, as it is textbook education on what to use and in which amounts.

...the sentiment.

[how do feelings affect the chemical reactions in the baking, sounds fake]

Like not accepting cookies from people who don't like you? [michael that's POISONING]

Not exactly, no.

[michael...]

You're going to hate this, but it's about caring for what you're doing and the people you're doing it for.

[.....]

Ignis, I know that you're sort of the expert here. But you know that sounds pretty superstitious?

I know how it sounds, but it's entirely true.

[this man literally gives stat bonuses because he's That Good.]

You can't think of it as a purely black and white science, there's simply more to it than that.

That's what science is, Ignis...

[But you do seem to have hit some kind of chord in him, and that barely comes off as more than a...well, one dying complaint.]

Okay, okay. So what do you do, say nice things to the batter while you mix it?

No, just...

[Ignis faltered, briefly at a loss for how to explain something that wasn't easily put into words.]

Think of it this way. Why do you want to make them?

Well - they make people happy, don't they?

Good start, yes.

Why do you want to make people happy?

I don't know, I - [He does know, though.]

Okay, it's like this. I used to handle pretty much everything for my human friends. When we were in the Neighborhood I built, I could create anything for them, and I warned them about what the other demons were going to do so they were never caught too off-guard. And then afterwards, I planned out everything to keep them safe. It just made sense; I knew all about where we were, and I belonged there.

Here, I can't just...make things be better.

[...aw, michael]

That's exactly what I mean. I don't want you to overthink the act of cooking or baking in itself--don't labor terribly over every last detail and struggle to make it some textbook example of 'perfect'. Just find a recipe, follow it, and keep exactly that feeling in mind as you do.

The rest will fall into place, and that intent will come across in the result.

[Michael listens, nodding along. You can't see it, but he's sort of gesturing with the knife in a way that would be alarming. If you could see it.]

Okay. So, just...do it. Still follow the recipe, with the measurements and everything, but other than that, just do it.

[he can hear you moving, thank shiva, because he really doesn't want to get stabbed]

Precisely so. A task requiring intuition, more than logic.

[It's fine, he doesn't stab things he doesn't want to.]

Not a strong suit for demons. Our whole system is very black-and-white - it's something I've had to work on. Where do you want these vegetables?

There should be a clear spot on the counter a bit to your left, just leaving them there for now is fine.

Regardless, you do seem to be grasping the base concept easily enough.

Alright.

[Veggies accomplished!]

Well, Chidi and I worked on it some, pretty early on. Chidi's one of my human friends, he's a professor of ethics and moral philosophy. [And suddenly so much about Michael makes sense!]

[...you know. it sure does but he's not going to point it out.]

Glad to hear it. I think you've every chance to get a handle on the idea, if you keep it up like this.

Oh, thank you! Humans approach things so...differently. Only partially because of your flesh brains. I think it's more mortality; angels are the same way as us, you know, with the black-and-white?

[.....]

I guess the flesh brains could be a part of it.

I think a case could be made for both having some part in it. I can't say I'd know for sure.

Doesn't matter. This is way better than hanging out with any of the rest of those losers. You know, I actually met an angel once? Bo-ring.

Honestly, I've never known most of our gods or messengers to be much for engaging conversation. Just one or two. Nightmares or not, the difference is almost refreshing.

Wouldn't call Darkrai much of a conversationalist himself. But yeah - the immortal crowd around here is mostly alright. Even Darkrai doesn't sound like he does the nightmare thing just for laughs.

[Not saying his reasons are exactly airtight, but they're a step above outright sadism.]

We can certainly do worse than 'doesn't quite grasp human morals', I think.

(no subject)

eudaimonikos - 2018-09-17 04:32 (UTC) - Expand

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