[The sound of her name brings her head back around, a smile coming to her face almost automatically because, well, that's just what she's used to for greetings.]
Master Palamedes? What is i...
["It"... seems to be... her puzzle picture texts. Confusion takes over her expression with a furrow of her brow as she glances between the screen and the man holding it, finally coming up with a,]
[He... He's not a rabbit, he can just run as fast as one and she wasn't sure how to write his name, she had to make something up- ! But wait. It's his? Konoha is not one who is very skilled at schooling her expression, so the confusion is just blatant as she cocks her head, the large bun of hair wobbling atop her head.
The... username... Right... Not the name, the... user name...]
Um...
[She hesitates a moment, because since her arrival she has learned to be a bit self-conscious of the lack in a way that had never mattered in her own world, when she was surrounded by people in the same situation, but. Well, it's just the situation, so. She confesses with a little laugh that,]
I can't actually read, so I don't know it... I thought I found the one that was the same shape and size as I remember...
[But "recognizing" is not "reading", and it seems her memories of what his name looked like written out was a bit tainted by the weird corrupted stone fear that had suffused the woods when she saw it.]
[It's going to be quite embarrassing if she ever figures out that what she had thought was Liem's username was actually an unrelated word from the title of a Patho-Gen advertisement, but thankfully... she's not literate enough to, yet. As is...
Visuals help. ... But also please don't bring the tentacles into this. Konoha is valiantly attempting to pretend Corruption doesn't exist. Which might be evident in how she seems to be trying to cover every inch of herself these days, wearing a horse blanket over her back to try and hide the feathers coming into her undercoat.]
Oh, that's an easy shape to remember... !
[She pulls up the screen on her own device to try and find it, just to be sure, pointing at the first "x" she finds.]
[He's keeping the tentacles to himself, don't worry. They are staunchly contained under his poncho-like overpiece, unless he moves too quickly, then a glimpse might come out.
But for now, hidden. He leans over to look.]
That's the one. It's right in the middle, so if you see that, chances are it's me.
[Confirmed, she looks back at the symbol and squints hard at it, willing it to remain in her memory. "X... X... X..." is muttered under her breath, just to cement it in there, before...
She turns back to laugh a little helplessly. This fellow always sounded very smart (as far as she was concerned), so she can't help but ask,]
Are you a scholar, Master Palamedes?
[She's learned other people in other worlds, you didn't have to be a scholar or a noble or something to be literate, apparently, but. It's still her first guess.]
[That would explain "since I was born", anyway. There were plenty of those in the capital, she had heard of it, even if Tateyama was hardly a village large enough to have such a thing, and the nearby post town wasn't either.
At the offer of help, though, she cannot help but want to demure. It's just... what you did. At least two or three times, before accepting, just to make sure the other person was truly serious about the offer. But...
Looking hesitant, her thumbs rub over her device's screen in little circles.]
[He nods; yes, a scholar family, basically exactly that. And how, but he doesn't need to explain the sprawling Sixth "family" to her right now; it's not important to learning to read.]
My father has done a lot of teaching, and I've done a lot of listening to him talk about teaching. So, formally? No. But I'm good at explaining, so I think I can make it work for you.
[It's still her instinct to refuse, politely, to insist she couldn't impose on him like that, but. Her gaze flicks between the device and Palamedes' face and her tail flicks beneath the cloth "skirt" over her rump.]
If you have the time, that might be really nice... ? I don't really have any money, but I could try and find some. Or, I could do you favors to pay you back? I'm really strong, and I'm tall... I can carry a lot, or cook... ?
[Konoha doesn't know if she had been hoping he would say he was too busy or that he would demand money... but in the end, he simply insists he has both time and a need for one of the services she was capable of providing, and that means... Konoha sort of forgets whether she'd wanted one or the other. She just smiles a little, reaching up to scratch at her hairline. It was so itchy lately-]
Ehe, I would be really shocked if a scholar could cook...
[Something about it feels wrong, like you can't be super smart and good in the kitchen... That's too many blessings...]
What do you like? I can try my best... and if it's good, I'll take a lesson! In my world I didn't really have time for that sort of thing, but... I guess there's no lumberyards for me to run here, huh?
[She's an Augmented who is supposed to... to transform into some sort of monster and save people from poison rocks. Having some time on her hands seems a poor compensation for that, but... It was what it was.]
[He's sure there are some scholars who can cook... Not any that he knows, but probably out there somewhere. Maybe.]
I'm open to trying something new, so what do you like to cook? We didn't have much varied cuisine back home, so as long as it's not a bowl of protein mush, I'm happy.
[Protein... mush... Look, she's not a nutritionist, and the word "protein" itself is already a bit fancy, but the image overall is... kind of gross... What are they feeding these poor other world people???]
Well, I like what I'm best at, and I'm best at what I know...
[Is it nonsense, or is it philosophy? Konoha taps at her lips, seemingly taking this question very seriously, only highlighting the great difference in how she lights up and reacts to topics she feels more confident in versus how she seems to shrink around the peculiarities of their new world.]
I can do... salt fish? Simmered mountain vegetables... rice, of course... maybe some pickles... If we can get some red or white meat then we could grill with a nice... well, I don't know if they have miso here, but a nice sauce or something... oh, and grilled leeks would be good, too, actually... maybe a soup...
[If he doesn't stop her, the list might keep going.]
[Oh, she's really going for it, huh. Palamedes listens- he can't help but enjoy listening to people talk about their passions- but he really doesn't know... much about food, in general. There are a lot of nutrient pastes and less-than-exciting plates back home. And then the mush.]
Wait, is this all one meal?
[He may have, mentally, sorted each of those bits into one dish, including just pickles. That much food, in one meal??]
[Did it sound like multi... Oh. Oh, right. Konoha blinks as the realization kicks in, and then makes a little face, knocking on her skull with her knuckles.]
Sorry, this isn't my home, right... I guess here it's harder with the shortages, so... maybe changing that around. But a meal should have at least a soup, some pickles, and some meat!
[That's still a lot of food for one meal... He'll do his best.]
I'll bring my appetite, then. Do you have somewhere to cook?
[He's pretty sure they're allowed to use the Valentia kitchen sometimes, but being a scholar who doesn't cook, he's absolutely never set foot in there. Not that he'd know the hallmarks of a good kitchen even if he had - it is a complete mystery to him.]
Oh, I've just been borrowing the Valentia kitchen...
[Sometimes, anyway. It's been a little more awkward to ask since she had a little incident bumping her rump into a burner and upsetting one of the chefs. It was kind of cramped back there, she'd tried really hard not to!]
But I heard a rumor that they were going to be kicking us out, soon...
[Which might be a huge thing weighing on her mind because aha she didn't have a job... but that... well...]
But don't worry! I'm a decent cook over an open fire, too.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Master Palamedes? What is i...
["It"... seems to be... her puzzle picture texts. Confusion takes over her expression with a furrow of her brow as she glances between the screen and the man holding it, finally coming up with a,]
- Why do you have Mister Liem's Syntraphus?
[She'll get Syntrofos right one of these days.]
no subject
I don't. This is mine.
[A beat, pursing his lips. Okay,] Do you know this Liem's username? I can help you get in touch with him properly.
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The... username... Right... Not the name, the... user name...]
Um...
[She hesitates a moment, because since her arrival she has learned to be a bit self-conscious of the lack in a way that had never mattered in her own world, when she was surrounded by people in the same situation, but. Well, it's just the situation, so. She confesses with a little laugh that,]
I can't actually read, so I don't know it... I thought I found the one that was the same shape and size as I remember...
[But "recognizing" is not "reading", and it seems her memories of what his name looked like written out was a bit tainted by the weird corrupted stone fear that had suffused the woods when she saw it.]
no subject
Well, mine is just my surname. "Sextus"-- just look for the "X".
[He draws an X shape in the air, rather than hold up his arms in the shape or something like that. He's not bringing the tentacles into this.]
no subject
Visuals help. ... But also please don't bring the tentacles into this. Konoha is valiantly attempting to pretend Corruption doesn't exist. Which might be evident in how she seems to be trying to cover every inch of herself these days, wearing a horse blanket over her back to try and hide the feathers coming into her undercoat.]
Oh, that's an easy shape to remember... !
[She pulls up the screen on her own device to try and find it, just to be sure, pointing at the first "x" she finds.]
This one?
no subject
But for now, hidden. He leans over to look.]
That's the one. It's right in the middle, so if you see that, chances are it's me.
[Not... like... 100 percent. But probably.]
no subject
[Confirmed, she looks back at the symbol and squints hard at it, willing it to remain in her memory. "X... X... X..." is muttered under her breath, just to cement it in there, before...
She turns back to laugh a little helplessly. This fellow always sounded very smart (as far as she was concerned), so she can't help but ask,]
Are you a scholar, Master Palamedes?
[She's learned other people in other worlds, you didn't have to be a scholar or a noble or something to be literate, apparently, but. It's still her first guess.]
no subject
[This is not an exaggeration, but only because he's from a big house of nerds who live in a library.]
I don't want to be presumptuous, but if you wanted an additional hand, I could help you get a solid baseline.
[He'll make flashcards!!]
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[That would explain "since I was born", anyway. There were plenty of those in the capital, she had heard of it, even if Tateyama was hardly a village large enough to have such a thing, and the nearby post town wasn't either.
At the offer of help, though, she cannot help but want to demure. It's just... what you did. At least two or three times, before accepting, just to make sure the other person was truly serious about the offer. But...
Looking hesitant, her thumbs rub over her device's screen in little circles.]
... Are you used to teaching, then?
no subject
My father has done a lot of teaching, and I've done a lot of listening to him talk about teaching. So, formally? No. But I'm good at explaining, so I think I can make it work for you.
[A whole class maybe not, but one-on-one, easy!]
no subject
[It's still her instinct to refuse, politely, to insist she couldn't impose on him like that, but. Her gaze flicks between the device and Palamedes' face and her tail flicks beneath the cloth "skirt" over her rump.]
If you have the time, that might be really nice... ? I don't really have any money, but I could try and find some. Or, I could do you favors to pay you back? I'm really strong, and I'm tall... I can carry a lot, or cook... ?
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[He doesn't really have plenty, oops, but he has enough! He'll make time.]
And if you insist, I can take you up on being paid in food, because I can't cook to save my life.
no subject
Ehe, I would be really shocked if a scholar could cook...
[Something about it feels wrong, like you can't be super smart and good in the kitchen... That's too many blessings...]
What do you like? I can try my best... and if it's good, I'll take a lesson! In my world I didn't really have time for that sort of thing, but... I guess there's no lumberyards for me to run here, huh?
[She's an Augmented who is supposed to... to transform into some sort of monster and save people from poison rocks. Having some time on her hands seems a poor compensation for that, but... It was what it was.]
no subject
I'm open to trying something new, so what do you like to cook? We didn't have much varied cuisine back home, so as long as it's not a bowl of protein mush, I'm happy.
[This is literal, the bowl of mush.]
no subject
Well, I like what I'm best at, and I'm best at what I know...
[Is it nonsense, or is it philosophy? Konoha taps at her lips, seemingly taking this question very seriously, only highlighting the great difference in how she lights up and reacts to topics she feels more confident in versus how she seems to shrink around the peculiarities of their new world.]
I can do... salt fish? Simmered mountain vegetables... rice, of course... maybe some pickles... If we can get some red or white meat then we could grill with a nice... well, I don't know if they have miso here, but a nice sauce or something... oh, and grilled leeks would be good, too, actually... maybe a soup...
[If he doesn't stop her, the list might keep going.]
no subject
Wait, is this all one meal?
[He may have, mentally, sorted each of those bits into one dish, including just pickles. That much food, in one meal??]
no subject
[Did it sound like multi... Oh. Oh, right. Konoha blinks as the realization kicks in, and then makes a little face, knocking on her skull with her knuckles.]
Sorry, this isn't my home, right... I guess here it's harder with the shortages, so... maybe changing that around. But a meal should have at least a soup, some pickles, and some meat!
[So it's... multiple options for a meal, then...]
no subject
I'll bring my appetite, then. Do you have somewhere to cook?
[He's pretty sure they're allowed to use the Valentia kitchen sometimes, but being a scholar who doesn't cook, he's absolutely never set foot in there. Not that he'd know the hallmarks of a good kitchen even if he had - it is a complete mystery to him.]
no subject
[Sometimes, anyway. It's been a little more awkward to ask since she had a little incident bumping her rump into a burner and upsetting one of the chefs. It was kind of cramped back there, she'd tried really hard not to!]
But I heard a rumor that they were going to be kicking us out, soon...
[Which might be a huge thing weighing on her mind because aha she didn't have a job... but that... well...]
But don't worry! I'm a decent cook over an open fire, too.