voidtreckerexpress | it's beginning to look a lot like Starlight...

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it's beginning to look a lot like Starlight...

Who: Sarai and Kumoko, others are welcome!
What: A certain Au Ra is feeling a bit festive...
Where: The kitchen.
When: Catfish 17

Even though it isn't the Purple team's turn for kitchen duty, Sarai has found herself there. Why? Since the appearance of festive pumpkins happened in the recent past, her thoughts turned towards Eorzea's winter holiday. Plus, it might be a decent distraction from the mission that had just passed...

Not that any of them were anywhere near Ishgard, now. Nor did any of the train's denizens look much like the Saint of Nymeia--save for her own husband, if anyone asked her. (Though Dread would make a decent Saint. He certainly had in the past, to others' merriment back on Hydaelyn. It was the white hair and beard, really...)

So Sarai could be found in the kitchen, mixing up a batch of what smelled like spice cookies. Another batch was already cooking in the oven, perfuming the air with the scents of cinnamon, cloves, and pecans.

Maybe she'd even make some maple cookies, since there weren't any acorns to go around...

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She was ostensibly there for plausible deniability - look, a member of Orange team, they could say! - but her main goal was the cookies and they both knew it. With the first batch baking, the kitchen smelled good enough that she was absently measuring the corner for a temporary nest whenever she passed it to fetch something for Sarai.

'How long?'

That particular question had been waved at the Au Ra at least twice already since the cookies had gone into the oven, but it must have been fifteen minutes by now..!

"They need to be rolled in powdered sugar! Otherwise they're not the Fury's snowballs!" Though Sarai was already laughing. "If only half of them or so survive, though, I suppose that's a decent ratio."

She could always make more, after all! Sarai also didn't complain if Kumoko snitched some cookie dough, either.

"Do you know any cookie recipes from your world?" Even if the spider could only describe them, there was a decent chance Sarai could approximate some cookies...

Knowing recipes would... really depend on having parents who cooked for you, right? As far as she could remember, her meals were storebought, and she'd been too busy playing on her computer to ever really visit the kitchen to do more than heat water for noodles. Her second life was a bust too. No kitchens in the Labyrinth, after all!

Wow, she was making herself depressed.

Snap out of it, snap out of it. The room smelled amazing, and she wasn't back in either of those places. The train didn't even stock instant noodles!

'Don't know any,' she spun, belatedly. 'Something with chocolate or red bean paste?'

"I'm not sure if I recall any recipes with red bean paste..." Though having been through Hingashi, Sarai was aware it existed, at the very least. "Chocolate, though...there are actual chocolates I've made. I wonder if the bars they offer would suffice to make the chocolates I remember? I've seen Tony make chocolate chunk cookies as well..."

But those just didn't seem very festive to the Au Ra. Not that she wouldn't make chocolates if she could!

"Maybe a rolanberry cheesecake...I thought I saw something that looked like rolanberries in the cold chest..." Sarai, Sarai, those are strawberries!

Having no real idea what she was talking about, but always eager for anything that involved Sarai's cooking, the spider nodded along and tried to look like she was familiar with any of it.

And, because she was being a good kitchen helper, went to check out the fridge for berries.

...

What do berries that look like rolanberries look like?

"They look like...pointed domes with seeds!" Hopefully that was a sufficient description. They probably could be mistaken for raspberries at a stretch, but those seeds were inside the berries, really, not on the outside.

"Oh, and they're red. Crimson. Not pinkish-red." That might give a little more room to narrow it all down, which was no bad thing.

She'd come over to peer over the spider's shoulders, if she had to. "There! Those are somewhat like." (Yes, Sarai, they're strawberries!) "And if you could get the creamed cheese and an egg or two? And a lemon, if you can find one?"

Meanwhile, she's going to search the cupboards. Though it wouldn't be beyond her if she had to make cookies for a cookie-crumb crust for her cheesecake...

Two legs curled up underneath her as a kind of basket, and she began scooping the things Sarai had pointed to into them. Berries (she stuffed one in her mouth while no one was looking), creamed cheese (she got a little on her face), eggs (maybe... but no, these went untouched) and a... Hmm, no lemons, but there were still limes lying around thanks to the stir-fry ingredients, so she grabbed a few of those too.

All this she then rolled carefully onto the counter, rearing up to get the height necessary.

Well, it wasn't as if Sarai wasn't using a crate as a step stool, herself. These things happened when you were less than five feet tall. At least in the Au Ra's case.

She gave the limes a thoughtful look, cut one open, sniffed it, and then shrugged. It wasn't a lemon, but it certainly smelled close enough to work, so she grinned at the spider.

"I think we can make miniature cheesecakes with this!" And here was hoping that they wouldn't deplete anything that anyone else might be looking for. Surely the next station was only a week or two away, but still, if someone preferred eggs for breakfast, it might be tight if Sarai made a truly impressive amount of miniature cheesecakes to sate the sweet tooths of the train...

One of whom was waiting for directions, likely. Sarai just grinned at the Ede Saine. "Is the cheese wrapped? I should need three or four--and then the juice of two of the limes."

Those were probably easier tasks for someone with no hands, she thought.

It's at a nebulous time of day. Or night. Honestly it's rather hard to tell what with the lack of a proper sun and moon outside the train, which isn't really helping Dio adjust at all. It feels late at night but whether or not it really is, is another question.

But maybe it was, as he's having trouble finding quite a few passengers. But there's scents coming from the kitchen, and obviously someone was there so it seems reasonable to investigate.

And coincidentally it's that lady with the interesting hair that Tony Stark had told him to find. Who could help. Help with WHAT, Dio was not precisely sure. There were a few options.

She's smaller than he expected.

"Excuse me." Well at least he's not suddenly going to pop out of nowhere and scare the crap out of her, that would be a miserable hello. "You are Sarai, yes? Mr. Stark recommended you."

When one has a husband that is Roegadyn-sized, like Sarai does? Even large men popping out of relative nowhere aren't enough to scare her. Besides, she's a Warrior of Light, and those don't scare easy--even if his demeanor is the furthest from attempting to be frightening at the moment. So it all works out.

"Oooh, guilty as charged! Tony recommended me? You don't need counseling of some sort, do you?" She tilted her head and smiled as she looked up at the big fellow, leaning against the counter to rest her chin on a clawed hand. To be fair, she did generally serve as train therapist--so long as the subject was willing.

"If it isn't that, what can I do for you, Mr.--?" She smiled again then, straightening, even as her scaled tail twitched in amusement behind her. "And please, keep calling me Sarai, I prefer that, actually!"

THERE'S A TAIL. It's not a weird fashion accessory.

Dio is forced to consider perhaps the horns aren't a hair accessory either, rather suddenly. He can't really complain about claws, he had them himself, but he certainly didn't have a tail, or horns for that matter. This reassessment lasts a solid twenty seconds or so before he ventures anything else at all, brows furrowed.

"I don't believe I need counseling, no. I'm not entirely sure what he recommended you for precisely.." The conversation had been vague. "Either you can help me kill God, or you can do something about these atrocious outfits; either one would frankly be useful." There's another pause, this one MUCH briefer, before, "My name is Dio." He wasn't given a surname to call her by!

"Oh, I'm not a tailor, but I know a very good one--so I can introduce you?" She beamed at that. Sarai was always fond of helping, when she could. The spider might be able to help him too, but Sarai knew Dread could...

Though her expression shifted a bit when she heard his other question. "Kill God? You mean kill a god? Like a primal? I mean, I do have some skill in slaying beast tribe gods, but I'm not certain that's the same as what you want. I could try..."

But really, her face said she was uncertain at best, there. Sarai shook her head, then. "As for the tailor, you're looking for my husband, Dread Thunderstorm. He's around here somewhere. I'd be happy to introduce you!"

She took Dio's hand briefly in hers for a quick shake and release, like she'd seen other humans do. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dio!"

"..Certainly. Does he prefer to be addressed as Mr. Thunderstorm or Dread?" It doesn't seem to matter too much to him where that clothing assistance comes from. Another person, Sarai, it really was all the same. They're all strangers! At least now he had a surname to work with. 'Thunderstorm' might be it, if her husband's name was DREAD Thunderstorm.

It's an odd name. Very dramatic.

.... He liked it.

This matter of it being her husband apparently doesn't phase him at all, which is probably a good thing! Though he's a bit nonplussed at having his hand suddenly shaken, he doesn't jerk away. His grip is cold. Room-temperature at best.

"I, Dio, admit I don't know for certain if there is only one God or many," he says eventually, frowning. "It seems to vary from place to place. I have not yet determined exactly which faith is true, and thus which one has destroyed my family, my life and most everything else along the way. I seek the one which controls fate." His expression brightens up a tiny bit. "Everyone will be better off without some unseen force pulling the strings of destiny and forcing horrific events for their own entertainment, don't you think? That I want it dead at my feet is simply a happy side effect!"

Maybe he does need counseling. "Do I smell cookies?"

"Oh, please, he'll probably insist on Dread. 'Mr. Thunderstorm' is far too formal for him!" But Sarai couldn't help but giggle at the amusing thought, and the look that would likely cross her husband's face if he were referred to as such!

The chill of Dio's touch puzzles her, and it might even show on her face--but she dismisses it. It isn't important. Something nags at her, briefly, but Sarai pushes that aside as well. She frowns, however, as Dio relays the tale of his life and how his family has been nigh unto destroyed by this god.

"I am sorry you had to undergo that," she said, brows furrowing. But she couldn't help but laugh a little at the 'happy side effect' mention. It didn't seem as outre as perhaps it should. "Well, I will say if we encounter anything like it while on our trip here...you have my bow!"

And his final question has her laughing again, merry this time. "Yes, yes you do smell cookies. And cheesecake. And chocolate. I've made a few things. Would you care for a Fury's snowball? I made enough for the entire train!"

"I'll be sure to remember it." Which is to say, now he's going to call him Mr. Thunderstorm just to see a reaction.

These sorts of things are absolutely vital to experience for oneself, after all. In one way, it does settle the matter of clothing, so perhaps Tony's suggestion works well enough after all, though he's still a little dubious about whether or not she can help with his destruction of predestiny. "I'll likely have to open a path, but I've gotten that very nearly figured out, my calculations didn't really take into account.. mm, all of this." He gestures broadly, meaning the train in general but maybe it's just the kitchen.

Kitchens can be nefarious. Speaking of nefarious kitchens, the offerings are very tempting, but he's not entirely sure which, if any, he can actually handle. Wine was fine, so liquids got a pass. What about things like delicious cookies? He hadn't had any in SO. LONG.

"...Certainly. What's the worst that can happen?" A good taste, and suddenly illness! "It's been quite a long time since the last time I even scented a cookie.."

Sarai only hopes that she can be present when Dio calls Dread 'Mr. Thunderstorm', so she can witness the expression on the Roegadyn's face when it happens.

She nodded at Dio as he replayed his calculations and their results. "Well...I've got some experience at calculations, so I could always make an attempt to, ah, expand on that? I've been here for a little bit." Sarai shrugged at that.

"Well, I certainly made enough for the entire train--even given the sweet tooths which seem to live here in abundance!" And the walking stomachs that involved the teenagers on the train, of which there were a few. "I'd hope they weren't offensive to anyone's stomach!"

Sarai laughed a little, though her brows arched in surprise. "if they do settle for you, by all means, help yourself!"

There's something he hadn't thought about. For a moment, he looks rather surprised, as if the idea of someone else being able to break into heaven simply never occurred to him before. "Certainly, if you'd like. Ordinarily I'd suggest against it, as it likely means venturing into another world or reality and that might be harsh on humanity, but I'm.." He pauses, frowning. "Not entirely sure you qualify as human, if you'll pardon me saying so."

What with the horns and tail and all. Sapient, absolutely! But human? Maybe not! Therefore, did the usual mortal restrictions apply?!

Well there's only one way to know for sure.

And, at that matter, he is GOING to help himself, looking thoroughly pleased at the idea. He could stomach wine fine, how much more offensive could a cookie be? Perhaps Jonathan's body was better at handling normal food than his original purely vampiric one would be! "You are very generous. I'm afraid I've naught to offer in return but gratitude, I'm afraid. It seems everything I might have given didn't come with me here!"

Sarai stared at Dio for a long moment. He might almost think her offended, before she broke into a grin.

"Really, no, I am not a human at all! I'm an Au Ra. And you are definitely pardoned! But venturing to places where others usually don't go...that's sort of a thing I do, so I'm not certain how much I should worry about it."

They still hadn't gotten to the bottom of what or why she'd been Called before she'd arrived on the train, after all. Maybe it was for a reason like the one Dio had mentioned. Sarai wasn't sure and couldn't be, but she could speculate, couldn't she?

Sarai laughed and waved a clawed hand, then. "These were made with goods found on the train. You're a member of the train. Ostensibly, then, they were made for you as well, so you are, of course, as welcome to them as anyone else here is!"

Aliens apparently exist.

Who knew.

"I admit I don't either. I haven't quite determined if there's even air in heaven yet." Not that he needs it to survive, but if he's going to be yelling at someone, he was going to need air to do it. He read enough sciency things to know sound doesn't travel in a vacuum! "I suppose I'll find out when I get there, I'll report back before the killing begins, so proper preparations can take place." After all if he's going to bring allies he needs to be reasonably certain they won't instantly die simply by crossing from one 'world' to another.

It's practicality! If Dio wants help, he better be prepared to see to his allies' basic survival.

Meanwhile, there's a cookie. It had been OVER A CENTURY since he's had a cookie, and he selects one completely at random and holds it delicately between his own claws for a few moments. "I wonder what else might simply be found lurking about, what with not being able to take anything with me."

The selected cookie is promptly eaten. Vampire fangs do in fact get a little in the way of chewing a crumbly thing, it turns out, but he's going to work at that anyway.

It doesn't taste like home. This tasted like simpler ingredients, no alum or chalk to whiten it. Superior in taste, at the least..

"Legends, just walking here makes you hungry," Eva quipped as she made her way into the kitchens. Theoretically, she was there for a drink and snack. In reality, she'd followed her nose.

"How long have you been cooking?"

"Oh. I don't know, I cleared out for a bit when the crowd came in to make dinner. It only seemed polite," Sarai admitted.

"Care for a Fury's snowball? Charlotte--they call the spider Charlotte, don't they? She helped me make them!" Sarai hadn't ever properly asked the spider if she'd even had a name--the Au Ra had figured she'd simply introduce herself if she had. Was that a proper nickname? She'd have to ask the spider, now.

"There's also miniature rolanberry cheesecakes, and I was planning on making bubble chocolates, too..." Sarai finished, grinning sheepishly. "I'm not sure it's even close to when Eorzea celebrates the Starlight Celebration, but I guess I was feeling nostalgic!"

Conan finds his way to the kitchen mostly because he was so bored that he was jumping on the chance to look into anything that changed on the train. Find the source of the smell of spices in the air was something to occupy himself with, even if it was only a few minutes.

Unfortunately he still wasn't tall enough to actually see over the counter without the aid of a chair.

"What are you making?"

"Cookies," Sarai responded. "You should bring that over here," she said, referring to the chair. "Or you might be able to share my step stool."

Even though he was definitely at least a foot shorter than she was. It was more like a stepladder, it had more steps. She was on the second to last rung, and she was certain Conan could get closer to the counter, if that was what was needed.

"They're called Fury's snowballs. Halone, the Fury, is a goddess of winter. Tales say that during one of the coldest nights of the year, the Knights of Ishgard would hide the children of the Brume under the coats of their red uniforms and share food and warmth with them. It is one of the legends that our Starlight Celebration comes from, in Eorzea, the land where I'm from," Sarai said. "So we make plenty of delightful treats and share them. These are spiced cookies, and then we roll them in powdered birch sugar, usually, to make them look like snowballs. But the powdered sugar here is even finer and sweeter--and entirely white!"

Birch sap powdered sugar betimes had a pinkish tinge to it, but that had never bothered Sarai. The Knights of Ishgard had red-and-white uniforms, after all, and so did the Saint of Nymeia.

"Would you care to have a few? I've also made some rolanberry cheesecake bites, and I'll be making bubble chocolate, next."

Conan didn't usually enjoy cookies much. When he had desserts he preferred things that were lemon or coffee flavored.

But it wouldn't do any harm to try one, especially when it was something new to him.

He drags the chair over and climbs up on it to get a better view of the counter.

"Sure, I'll try some. Are these all recipes from your world?"

"They are, yes! The snowballs are spice, mostly. We couldn't find lemons so I substituted lime in the rolanberry cheesecake bites, and I like the alteration..." Sarai shrugged at that. "The bubble chocolate, I seem to have all the ingredients for." Including enough wind-aspected aether to actually make the chocolate into the bubble-style spheres that the recipe called for.

Though if Conan mentioned his fondness for coffee, she'd make a batch of the bubble chocolates with espresso powder, just for him. Or maybe not just for him; she enjoyed coffee as well, since it was popular in Ishgard back home on Hydaelyn.

"They sound interesting," he offers. "There are holiday cookies at home, but I don't think they're quite the same." Plus it was more common to eat cake at Christmas where he was from.

"Quite possibly not," Sarai agreed. "I do not know what cookies from your home are like. We've got Starlight cake, but I'm not certain we had all the ingredients for that here, and I do not think I'd like to deplete stores when it's uncertain we'll get more, you know?"

The Au Ra pondered that for a moment. "Though if we do get more ingredients, I may attempt it next month. It certainly wouldn't hurt, it's very light and fluffy. The frosting is white, and we put rolanberries on it to represent peaks--though those are red. It's symbolic, I suppose, since red and white are traditional colors for the Starlight Celebration."

"What is the Starlight Celebration about?" He was genuinely curious. "I don't know what a rolanberry is, but that cake sounds interesting too."

"Mostly it's about Ishgardian history, really. During the Dragonsong War, the Dravanian Horde would attack the capital--and since Dalamud fell, Coerthas has been covered with snow. As the story goes, a company of knights disobeyed their captain to take in children displaced by the attacks, sharing their supplies and their tents. This was a century or two ago, give or take, and the tale's passed into legend. It's grown, as legends do, and now there's a Saint of Nymeia who goes around giving children toys and treats," Sarai said.

"We've nothing like that in the Steppes, I only encountered it when my sister and I came to Eorzea. But I find it charming, and I like to cook and bake, so I learned a couple of the recipes. The season shifts a bit every year, earlier or later in the twelfth moon of the year. I'm not even sure it's the proper time, but I doubt anyone would really complain." Sarai chuckled at that. "As for a rolanberry, it's somewhat cone-shaped with a fat bottom, many little seeds spangle it, and it's sweet with a hint of tartness, though they can be more tart if they're picked too soon. The Saint of Nymeia and the Knights of Ishgard wore red and white, so it's a bit symbolic there, too," she explained.

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it's beginning to look a lot like Starlight...

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timey wimey bullshit isn't only for timelords

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