there's a let it go joke here somewhere

[bloodyashes]

Characters: Grumpy redhead and you!
Setting: Various; see prompts.
Format: Whatever man, you know I don't care.
Summary: Catch-all for February; event stuff may be added later if needed.
Warnings: Valentine's mini event = really bitchy Asch.

Cafeteria Kitchens, early afternoon, any day 1st-13th

[Anyone who braves the cafeteria will find a usual scene - Asch with a bowl full of batter, or his hands deep in bread dough, or cleaning some animal of its meat.

On the twelfth and thirteenth, there's a big bigger prey than usual - large pieces of chocobo meat fill a table, in various states of "frozen" and "cooked," with whatever piece Asch is working on at the moment in front of him. Hell of a bird, that.]

[Floor 101, the morning of the 9th]

[A stop by the hidden floor has become a part of his morning rounds, since he prefers to catch the elevator on this floor rather than at the top of the dorms above. It's less crowded that way.

This morning, though, he has to stop and double-take at the thickening layer of pink snow building up on the garden paths and ledges.]

You have got to be kidding me.

[Around the dorms & elsewhere - CLOSED TO PREVIOUS CR WHO WERE IN LAST MONTH'S EVENT]

[And for those of you who are choosing to stay in your rooms until the malfunctioning powers come to an end - luckily, there's a redheaded delivery service with your name on it.

If you don't run into him on the stairs or in the elevator, with arms full of bundled, makeshift meals, then knock-knock. Here's something a little less sugary sweet and morbid. You'll let him in, right?]

[Valentine's Mini-event catchall - the 14th, obviously]

[At least there's warnings this time. That's about the only good thing about this, really. Come morning there's Asch with a deep pink heart on his cheek and a bad attitude that might be familiar to anyone from Auldrant - he stomps his way up and down the staircase in a rush, with a glare leveled at anyone who gets in his way.

There's no food deliveries today, certainly - as far as he's concerned, you can all just starve. He's got better things to do than worry about people like you - even if yu're one of the people still inclined to help him out.]

Comments

14th because fuck yeah bitchery

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba's lip curls as she catches sight of Asch on the staircase. He's going up, and she's going down. It probably wouldn't be as big an issue as it's about to be if not for the fact that while he has a heart on his cheek, she's got a heart on her arm, a bit above her leather wristband.

As it is, she narrows her eyes.]

You're in my way. Move.

all the bitching

[bloodyashes]

What, you need the whole staircase to yourself now? I didn't think you were that spoiled.

[There is no ground given - he was, after all, only taking up one side of the stairway in the first place. The claws are definitely out right now - from the sound of it, he's almost looking for a target.]

Cafeteria, 6th

[ambassadorasshat]

[Hi Asch hi, your not!brother is wandering into the kitchen to join you. This is the first time he's been to the cafeteria in a couple days, as he's been sleeping the rest of them.

And still looks tired. He's wandered into the kitchen in search of food that's less pink and/or heart-shaped, but whatever Asch is doing looks interesting too.]

What're you making?

Re: Cafeteria, 6th

[bloodyashes]

[Oh it's you. Asch doesn't even look up from what he's doing, which is kneading a large chunk of dough on the counter. There's another slab of it next to where he's working.]

Bread. Trying to get it to rise in this cold is hell.

[It's good for punching your frustrations out on, though.]

[ambassadorasshat]

Oh. How is it going to rise if you keep squashing it down like that?

[No, he does not know how bread operates. Or at least that kneading helps it rise, at least.]

[bloodyashes]

[SIGH. Universal rule of Lukes: Doesn't Know Anything About Cooking.]

That's not the point of kneading it. You knead the dough so that it gets better mixed and has the right texture when it does rise.

[ambassadorasshat]

[Not true! He doesn't fail at making sandwiches. And he can heat up stuff and sort of make riceballs. And burn chicken.

...Yeah, he doesn't know much about cooking.]

Huh...I was about to say that you weren't going to get anywhere if you kept going the way you were. I've never made bread before, I didn't know.

14th, this will go well

[sageprincess]

[It's an agonizingly slow process for a busybody like Zelda, but the energy she gave up for the Tower's continued existence is gradually beginning to return to her. If it weren't for the visions of... everything that continue to plague her dreams at night, she might have even felt more alert than not as the first half of the month comes to an end.

But she doesn't need that much energy to recognize something's odd when she catches Asch in the dorm halls. The glare might be familiar to those from his homeworld, but she's more used to a polite bow of the head when they find one another in passing. But the stain of the heart on his face is the most troubling - it's hard not to associate the symbol with Ruana after two years in the Tower.

Brow furrowed deeply in concern, she backs up to ask:]

Asch, what is wrong?

Re: 14th, this will go well

[bloodyashes]

[It's Ruana's doing for sure - there's a resentful look that seems to be saved for Zelda in particular when she approaches, something rebellious in the eyes that normally hold her in high regard.]

Nothing.

[It's almost snapped.]

[sageprincess]

[Minds and personalities being altered is hardly a new thing, but she can't help being taken aback, lips pursing into a hurt frown.]

... The hateful glare says otherwise.

[So much so that she has to break eye contact lest she wither under it - something she cannot allow herself to do if he's Ruana's playing a game with his mind. This does allow her to scrutinize the mark on his cheek more closely, at least.]

She has marked you for something... [But what, and how does she go about reversing it this year?]

[bloodyashes]

It's nothing.

[Oh yeah, we've got some maximum resentment here going on. The comment about being marked goes completely over his head, as though he didn't even hear it, even though he's close enough that he definitely should have.]

[sageprincess]

Ruana's influence on your mind is not nothing.

[She insists, because it is unfortunately rather easy to misinterpret the lack of a response to the mark.]

You would not look at me in such a way otherwise.

[bloodyashes]

Why should you care? It's not like I'm of much use to you anyway.

[The words shoot out in a flurry of resentment before he can stop them, but from the look on his face, he's not taking them back.]

foodgrump delivery service~

[fionnuisce]

[Waver ran into Asch on his way back to his own dorm room. Even though the lecturer had been stopping to rest more than usual, it was apparent he'd still been running himself ragged all the same. Some things simply never changed.]

Asch? Do you need help carrying all that?

Re: foodgrump delivery service~

[bloodyashes]

[Waver, Waver. Well, as long as he doesn't wear himself to the bone, Asch won't say a word.]

It's fine. If you've got your heart set on lightening the load, eat something.

Cafeteria, 5th

[sarcasmancer]

[Considering the menu for this month, Jade hasn't bothered to eat at the cafeteria. Doing his own hunting and cooking is an inconvenience, but it's far preferable to the alternative. Actually, he'd spent the first several few days experimenting with fasting--after all, technically they don't have flesh-and-blood bodies, so do they really need to eat?--but there was an unmistakable sense of lightheadedness after a while.

It's quite realistic. He can understand why no one suspected for so long.

So when he arrives at the cafeteria on the fifth to ensure it's in a state that can be used before heading out hunting, he pauses to see Asch busily preparing a meal. His gaze is inexpression. After a moment, he briskly moves to inspect the rest of the kitchen. There was something Jade had to ask Asch, but preparing for the first meal of the day comes first, and he doesn't expect the redhead to share.]

does this tag before the difficult ones involving feelings

[bloodyashes]

[There's not a greeting for Jade this time - indeed, Asch hardly even looks up from cracking eggs on the side of a pan and dropping them in to fry. Silence, except for the cracking of the eggs, reigns supreme for a while.

Finally - ]

Fried or scrambled? If you want them boiled, you can do it yourself.

[Yes, old man, that was definitely directed at you.]

feelings are hard, let's go snarking

[sarcasmancer]

[There is a touch of surprise in the way Jade straightens and raises his eyebrows over at Asch. He had figured that Asch would probably say something, but that? That he did not expect. He can only imagine one reason why the redhead would make the offer, too.]

Well, well. Is this an offer for a truce?

WHO NEEDS FEELINGS throws heart out window

[bloodyashes]

[A grunt.]

If you're set on seeing it that way, by all means.

[Personally? Asch isn't so stupid as to count Jade an enemy even if he currently wants to punch the man's jaw in. There's bigger fish to fry in the Tower, anyway. He'll save the venom for the people who actually hurt the ones he's trying to protect.]

what a waste of a perfectly beautiful human organ 8[

[sarcasmancer]

I'm afraid it's not my policy to make conveniently beneficial assumptions about people with whom I'm on bad terms. I'm much more interested in knowing what your actual intentions are.

[After all, Jade never had heard why Asch had been so helpful that first day he arrived. Better to get this all out in the open now, if he's inclined to continue to be helpful for whatever reason.]

Cafeteria Kitchens

[tempus_scorpius]

[Rolo can't help but stare at the huge pieces of meat all laid out on the table.]

What... meat is that? Did you catch it?

tardy because event whoops sorry

[bloodyashes]

[By now there's few enough people in the Tower that Asch is passingly aware of those who've been there a while even if he hasn't met them. Rolo's in that category, familiar from being passed in the halls but never spoken to. After a glance up to put the voice to a face, Asch looks back down at his work.]

Chocobo. And no, someone I know brought it to me.

No prob!

[tempus_scorpius]

Chocobo? [He studies the cuts for a bit.] Is it a type of chicken? I see. Did they catch it here in the Tower? I don't think I've seen such a large bird here before though.

[bloodyashes]

It's a bit longer legged, but they might be related. It's not something from my world.

[He shrugs, continuing to cut the meat clean.]

[tempus_scorpius]

Oh, alright.

So... what are you planning to make with all this meat?