towerofanimus | Time for a cooking lesson!~

[Diarmuid laughs and carefully sets her down on her feet, arm hovering nearby in case she is at all dizzy from the run.]

Should I be upset that you don't want me to carry you from place to place, Lady?

[Tohko was a little dizzy, but she was able to stand and walk just fine without too much wobbling.]

Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't know if you knew where the recipe books were in the library, and since I do come here quite often, I thought I might be able to find them a bit faster. Hang on..

[Tohko will then run off, vanishing behind a few shelves for a couple of minutes. She'll then return holding three small cookbooks under her left arm.]

Well, I managed to grab a few.

[He smiles gently at her.]

I was kidding, Lady. Do you need me to help gather more or will those be good enough?

[Diarmuid holds out his hands in a silent offer to take the books from her. Perhaps, this is as good a time as any to ask about her arm.]

I don't remember your arm being hurt the last time we talked. May I ask what happened? Do you need protection from someone?

[He pauses a moment, paling slightly.]

I think I am remembering all of our encounter during the experiment and I didn't do that right?

[It's not likely he would forget something like that, but he has to be sure.]

[Tohko lightly chuckled at herself for not getting the joke.]

Ah, alright then. And these should be enough! You don't have to gather up any more.

[Tohko nodded her head in gratitude and put the books in his hands. When he mentioned her arm and wondered if he did this to her, she sighed and smiled.]

Oh, don't worry! You didn't do this, so it's not your fault. Although..my arm was broken the last time we talked. I'm not surprised you didn't notice though..we were discussing other things. But you don't have to worry. I don't need any protection right now. I just lost my temper with a man named Sephiroth awhile ago.

[Tohko sighed at the memory of it, but she continued.]

He was talking about how great it would have been if he managed to destroy everything that lived on his planet, take over the planet, and rebuilt it as he liked. I lost my temper and tried to slap him, but he grabbed my arm and broke it. It should be fine in a month or two though.

[As he blinks a few times trying to process what she's just told him, Diarmuid isn't sure what makes him angrier. That this Sephiroth had been so cruel as to break her arm over such a small thing or that he had allowed himself to be so distracted by everything during their first meeting that he had missed that her arm had been broken.

Okay, so there isn't any challenge as to what makes him angrier, but he really doesn't like the fact that he missed such an important detail about her. He has always been known for being observant. What is wrong with him?]

Has he threatened to harm you again, Tohko?

[An unspoken promise underlines that question--]

If he has, I will kill him.

[Tohko sighed and shook her head.]

He hasn't..but the jerk ignored my punishment for him. I'll have to bother him for it if I see him again.

Tohko, I know it's probably not my place to interfere in a situation I wasn't around for, but I must insist you don't go anywhere near this man. Especially not alone! He is obviously dangerous and unstable. Who knows what he might try do to you next.

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

If you insist on seeing him again, I must insist on going along. Or passing on your message myself. What is this punishment he is ignoring?

He is pretty dangerous..but he did only break my arm after I tried to slap him. Then again..he did also start something without me instigating it awhile back, so I suppose my holding back wouldn't stop him.

[Tohko sighed again.]

Alright then..I won't stop you if you want to come along. And the punishment was that he had to write a hot-blooded song. With this arm broken, I can't write as well, so I was planning on having him write something that I could use with my friends plans in February.

You only tried to slap him, Tohko. You did nothing that required him breaking your arm. Honestly, isn't there someone else who could write the song for you? First of all, he doesn't sound like the kind of person who knows anything about music and secondly, he probably wouldn't help you even if he did. I would offer, but I'm only a singer, not a writer.

[Diarmuid hates bringing up his singing, but at the same time if there is any chance he might be able to use it to keep her away from Sephiroth, he will gladly do it.]

[Another sigh.]

Breaking my arm was pretty unfair..but while there are other people who would write it, it wouldn't mean much unless he did it himself. Even a half-hearted attempt would have been accepted. And he did say he knew nothing about music..but I don't know much about it either. It's not much of an excuse, in my mind.

[However, when Diarmuid mentioned that he was a singer, Tohko smiled.]

While it's a little sad that you haven't written your own songs, it is good that you can sing.

I see. You want it more for the lessen learned than anything else. I guess I can't argue with you about that. It wouldn't mean anything if written by someone else. Just promise me you won't go alone. If I cannot be there, take someone else with you.

[Diarmuid runs a hand through his hair and sighs.]

The only songs I know are the ones I sang with my father because he insisted I do it. I'm not very good despite what he would tell you. Something is just off about the way I sing. I don't really know how to explain it, but that is why I've never written anything. Oisin did try to get me to once, but I distracted him with a few drinks and he never asked again.

[At that, Tohko nodded.]

I promise, I won't go alone. I can't promise what will happen if we just bump into each other randomly though.

[Despite the subject matter, Tohko couldn't help but lightly chuckle.]

I suppose Oisin figured that you would try to make him drunk again if he asked. I'm sorry to hear that your father pushed you into something like that. That must have been rather uncomfortable.

As long as you are careful, that is all I will ask.

You misunderstand about my father, though. I loved hearing him sing and even singing with him, but I could never understand why he thought I was good at it. He always called me his little song bird, but I am no song bird. If I am a bird, I am a hawk. I fight. I spill blood. I don't sing of life, I take it.

[He shakes his head and sighs.]

It wasn't uncomfortable, I just didn't understand back then and I still don't understand now. I'm sorry I can't explain better. Maybe if you listened to me sing, you might understand, but we aren't here for singing are we? We are here for cooking. Shall we head on to the kitchen now?

Don't worry, I will be..

[Tohko then sighed.]

I'm sorry that I misunderstood..but he probably thought you were good because he did. Parent's are like that. They think their child is good at things sometimes, even when their child thinks that they're not. However..even hawks cry out sometimes when they're about to kill something.

[She then sighed and nodded again.]

No, I think I understand. But..maybe I could hear you sing some other time. However, you're right. We should be heading to the kitchen, or we won't ever get this lesson done!

Yes, that would definitely have been my father. I suppose I should be glad he didn't liken me to a swan instead. He was fond of them.

[An amused, loving look crosses Diarmuid's face before settling back into something more serious.]

But, yes, we should go. Here, take these back for a moment if you would.

[He holds the books back out to her.]

And I'll carry you to the kitchen.

[At that, Tohko smiled and suppressed a chuckled. While Diarmuid did sort of fit a swan, if he didn't want to thought of as one, she wasn't going to push it.]

Well, there's nothing wrong with swans, you know. They look nice, but they can be quite fierce. They're often used as guards when people can't get dogs.

[Tohko then nodded and took back the books, keeping them tucked under her arm.]

Alright then! Let's be off then.

Oh, I don't mean to imply that there is, it's just that there was another much beloved to him that fit that description much better than me.

[Probably because she was a swan for a good part of her life...

Lancer smiles and gathers Tohko back into his arms once she has the books safely tucked away. Only a short time later, they are in the kitchen where he carefully sets her down and then looks around in confusion.

Nothing here looks the least bit familiar to him.]

I think you have your work cut out for you, Tohko...

[Perhaps it was his wife, Diarmuid's mother, who fit that description? Maybe..but Tohko didn't have much time to reply as Diarmuid scooped Tohko back up and ran back into the cafeteria. When Diarmuid put her down, she quickly got her bearings before putting the recipie books down on the table and smiling.]

Maybe, but if I can teach Enoch about Christmas and have him understand it, then I can teach you how to use the stove and fry things. Today, we'll be making a very simple meat and vegetable soup!

Simple. Simple is good.

[Diarmuid takes another look around the kitchen. It doesn't make him any less bewildered than the first look had.]

Christmas...that's a holiday, right? Around Winter Solstice.

[And that was the extent of the knowledge he had from the grail on that.]

Simple is usually good for beginners.

[Oh, Diarmuid, that causes her to chuckle.]

Yes..but there's a bit more to it than that. And so, a small deviation from the cooking lesson!

[Oh boy.]

Christmas, at least, where I come from, is a holiday that takes place every December 25th. People gather around with their families, friends, and loved ones to give presents, eat food, tell stories, and generally be happy in their company. There are many stories that explain why the holiday is celebrated, but there are two that are the most popular.

The first, my personal favorite, is about a fat, jolly man named Santa Claus who lives in the North Pole with his wife, his worker elves, and his twelve magical reindeer. His elves make toys for him, and every Christmas Eve, Santa gathers a large amount of toys and gets on his sleigh, which is driven by his reindeer. They can make the sleigh fly around, and thanks to this power, Santa delivers toys all around to the world to good children.

..Of course, it's a story mainly for kids, but it tastes pretty sweet. The second story..it's pretty long, even for me to tell, but it's basically about the life of the son of god, Jesus Christ, and how, at the end of his life, he allowed himself to be crucified and killed so that humanity could be washed of it's sins. I'm not sure how much truth is in that tale though. Due to history, records and accounts have been mangled and destroyed, so it's hard to tell what the actual truth of that story is. However, that is the second story and reason surrounding Christmas in my world.

..Does that make any sense?

[Diarmuid is about to comment on how odd all that sounds to him when he realizes she's done it again. For the second time, she's mentioned something about how stories taste to her. Not how they sound or the impression the words leave on her, but the taste.

The first time he brushed off as just an odd turn of phrase, but the second time it's not so easy to do so.]

It tastes sweet, hu? And what of the second one? How does it taste?

[Oh dear..he had caught onto how she talked about stories too. As long as he didn't find out about it, it should be fine..and she did have a back-up story in case people asked about it and she didn't want to tell them the truth. She sighed and thought for a moment before replying.]

Hmm..a bit bitter and salty and places, but a little sweet at the same time. Like a dish of fried fish with some oranges.

[It is definitely more than just a turn of phrase the way she describes the stories, then. Her descriptions are too detailed...too well thought out. It is almost as if she really is tasting them.]

How curious, though I suppose accurate for the story as you've told it to me. Bitter for the injustice, salty for the sadness, and sweet, perhaps, for the hope it brings.

[Diarmuid catches her gaze with his own once he's finished.]

Am I right? Why is it you taste these things when you should be feeling or hearing them instead?

[At that, Tohko nodded and smiled, meeting his gaze. If Diarmuid was really good at reading smiles, Tohko would look a tad..nervous.]

You're right! You're exactly right. You've got it. Although..I bet it would taste like a lot of other dishes if you read it all in one sitting.

And I compare stories to food and cooking because they're quite similar, if you think about it. I hear and feel stories, but..music and feeling things don't quite make the best comparisons with books.

[It's a bit of a half-truth.]

[Diarmuid nods. He has worn enough false smiles in his day to know hers isn't all it seems to be. She's nervous. Probably because she's not telling him the truth about things. What he can't understand is why. This seems to be an innocent enough topic, after all.

In a far corner of is mind, a piece of information from the grail flickers. There is a condition that causes people to sense things differently than they should. They smell words or taste sounds. He can't quite find what the condition is called, but maybe that is what Tohko has. And it embarrasses her. That's why she doesn't want to talk about it.]

Perhaps you are right. I guess I've just never really thought about it like that. Maybe because I don't cook like you do, though I believe we are suppose to be fixing that.

[He motions toward the counter in front of them.]

Shall we?

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He doesn't know about Christmas, but he does know about Synesthesia. Random Grail info for the win!