hugtopia | [text]

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Hello! If we haven't met, my name is Kyoko Mogami! I noticed the research center is offering money for new recipes, but it seems like they want it to be some kind of team effort? In any case, I already had some notes written up about some of the dishes I've been able to make satisfactorily since I got here, so if anybody would like to help me with the taste testing and descriptions, I can neaten up those recipes for submission. And of course we would split the compensation! Oh, but I've also gotten some additions to my replicator since I wrote down those other recipes, so I can do a lot more now! So far I have kombu, bonito flakes, miso, soy sauce, sake, and tofu! So if you want to try something that's not in the notes, just tell me what it is! Nikujaga would be nice, right? Please contact me if you're interested!

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[ If Kyoko wants to split up some cooking duties, Sasuke is good at cutting things. It's kind of part of his job description. ~~And the fact that he did a lot of the cooking at home.~~ ]

... Things are finally starting to grow in this city. Perhaps it's time to attempt a vegetable garden.

[ The problem would be getting the seeds. Would vegetables from the replicator germinate? Sasuke isn't a gardener the likes of Kojuro, but potatoes would probably be the easiest to experiment with. There's no need for seeds. They just need to plant parts of the potato into the ground. ]

It's a good idea, right! Have you grown vegetables before?

[ Kyoko herself is very comfortable cutting things--it is one of her specialties, though uh, not quite in the same way it is for Sasuke. It hasn't occurred to her to put him to any hard tasks just yet--he's a guest!!--but she does glance over at the pot on the stove. ]

--Ah, that's about enough for the kombu! Would you pass me that bowl?

[ The one sitting near the stove, there. ]

[ Sasuke looks for the bowl by the stove. Ah, there it is. He takes it and hands it over. Then he'll go back to standing awkwardly. He doesn't know how to be a guest when he's usually the one serving others. Even when his master was a guest, Sasuke wasn't waited on. ]

I have a little experience, though I'm more familiar with foraging in the wilds than cultivation.

[ He can grow something, but if the plant doesn't take or starts to get worse, he won't instantly know how to fix it. ]

Foraging, huh.... But that's pretty cool! It's too bad there's probably not much to forage here, right?

[ Did edibles sprout up along with the wave of greenery that hit the city this spring? Kyoko's not sure, but her knowledge of plants is pretty casual.

And she remains oblivious to Sasuke's awkward plight as she swoops over to pluck the kombu out with tongs and set it into that bowl, saving it for glorious future uses. ]

Now it's the bonito's turn~ It's already measured out there, would you mind adding it to the pot?

[ Nothing really to forage here unless he wants to gather vine pollen for use as a sleeping agent. ... Huh, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea to do. Sasuke does have trouble sleeping, and he might be able to us it to knock someone else out. But for what reason? Even when this place isn't as peaceful, it's still too peaceful to warrant such preparations.

Sasuke perks up at the other request. ]

Bonito... bonito...

[ He spots it and turns the cup over. Into the dashi the flakes go. They absorb the liquid, darken, and sink into the dashi.

And having finished his water, Mr. Tori flies over to rest on Sasuke's shoulder to see what's going on. ]

[ No no, gather the vine pollen and sell it as a sleeping aid for the city's insomniacs. This is your chance to get rich Sasuke!!

The kombu only gets a moment or two to cool before Kyoko gingerly plucks it up again, chopping it finely as she chatters on. ]

Ohh, Mr. Tori~ Are you here to watch over your master? Sorry for making him work~!

[ !! That is a great idea. Kyoko. How would you like to be a business partner and gain Dora through non-physical contact means... except if people are to wake up, someone will need to be in contact with them.... Having a lot of Sleeping Beauties would be bad for business. Damn it. So close.

Mr. Tori caws and starts nipping at Sasuke's hair. ]

I think he's excited to eat something different. We're pretty limited where I stay.

[ Always a problem with get-rich-quick schemes, isn't there.

Kyoko giggles lightly at the bird's antics, as she reaches over to switch on the heat on the dashi broth. Just gotta let the bonito steep in there for a bit now! ]

Aah, do you not have any extras on your replicator? It was a long time before I managed to get any of this, for sure. Poor Mr. Tori~

[ Alas, Sasuke will have to remain broke and living off the allowance he's given. He's kinda bad at doing what the gods want him to do. ]

I do not. Everything I have is still the basics.

[ Replicators on their own is a jump to understand. He knew some people had replicators that could make different things. He hadn't quite made the connection that he could purchase upgrades. Although, that's partly because he's not earning much to begin with.

Sasuke hasn't even bought a new set of clothes. He's still going around in his ninja attire. ]

That's a real shame, for a miso soup connoisseur like you....

[ She hums thoughtfully as she goes back to finish chopping the vegetables, making a note to send him home with some ingredients. ]

Well! At least it comes free with our captivity.

The locals and the gods would have an even harder time getting us to do what they want if they didn't feed us.

[ Especially since they have no other option for food... which makes the idea of a vegetable garden all the more attractive.

However, if Sasuke is sent home with some ingredients, he is going to stretch it as much as he can. He'll only accept it for Mr. Tori's sake. He was supposed to be helping out here to feel less indebted to Kyoko. ]

[ How lucky that "please, it's for Mr. Tori~" was going to be Kyoko's excuse to make Sasuke accept it anyway. What a guaranteed win, thank you for being so helpful in these matters Mr. Tori. ]

It's true, we're not much good to them dead, either. At least they understand that much.

[ Despite the grim topic, her voice stays level and casual, though her tone gets more cheerful as she moves over to strain those bonito flakes out of the broth. ]

--There! That should be fine~ So, if I make some furikake and simmered vegetables, then what else....

[ Her eyes flick over to Mr. Tori, and Kyoko lowers her voice, leaning furtively towards Sasuke. ]

...Is it rude to eat egg in front of him?

Mr. Tori, do you want an egg?

[ ~~It's only rude to eat french fries in front of Mr. Tori and not offer him any.~~ Sasuke scratches his crow on the head. While Sasuke leans towards lighter fare when he does eat, Mr. Tori enjoys a wider range of food when he does eat. As such, Mr. Tori playful nips at Sasuke's gloved fingers. ]

I think that's a yes. Do you think we could boil a few eggs? I know something really simple to do with them.

[ Even if he just uses pieces of carrot for details the "recipe" is going to be pretty damn cute either way. Rabbit and mouse eggs, anyone? ]

[ She just hadn't been sure! Even though these eggs are synthetic, and are imitations of chicken eggs rather than crow, she'd hate to upset him! But apparently crows are cool with eggs, so she can breathe a sigh of relief.

But oh, is Sasuke actually making a request? She'd been thinking about tamagoyaki, but if he's asking for something, of course she'll go with that. ]

Boiled eggs are good! Do you need anything else for them?

[ Truthfully, Sasuke would understand Kyoko's concerns. He avoids catching or eating fowl in front of Mr. Tori whenever possible because he feels it awkward. (... Well, he tends to not eat much at all, but that's besides the point.) However, crows naturally eat such things in the wild. Even if he's a larger, shadowy one, Mr. Tori is still a crow. ]

If you have no plans for those carrots, I could use one. A knife as well.

[ He doesn't know what else is available through the replicator, but he saw the carrot. That will be enough for him to do what he plans. ]

I was going to simmer one with the potatoes, but that's it.

[ And she's pretty much done chopping things by now, so she'll step aside and gesture politely towards the knife and cutting board. ]

Please.

[ She's pretty curious about this boiled egg and carrot dish, but she'll let Sasuke be mysterious about it if he wants, as she goes to fetch some eggs from the replicator and start them boiling. ]

[ Sasuke takes of his gloves, revealing scarred hands from burns and various cuts. ]

Here, Mr. Tori, put these somewhere will you?

[ He hands the armored gloves over to Mr. Tori who takes them in his beak to stash someplace. Sasuke runs his hands under some water before drying them off and starting to cut the carrot into thin strips and round slices to shape further. His knife-work, as expected, practiced and clean. It's clear that he's not exactly cutting a carrot to prepare for a dish... it's almost like he's playing with his food. ]

[ It's hard to miss those beaten up hands, but... well, if he really is Sasuke Sarutobi, maybe it shouldn't be surprising. Kyoko doesn't let herself stare.

But as she shuffles around with portioning out the dashi--some for the soup, a little for the side dishes, and the rest to be saved for later--and setting things up in pots and pans, she can't resist sneaking peeks at what's going on over there on the cutting board. ]

Hohhh, you must cut a lot of vegetables... You're good!

[ And that's just his hands. If there's ever a hot springs episode in Hugs... well, actually he'd avoid it all together if people were going to see him.

He doesn't need the whole carrot, so the remaining pieces are sliced and turned into flower shapes. They can go into the soup or one of the side dishes. ]

I often cooked for my master and his lordship, and they can eat a lot alarmingly fast.

[ Sasuke might have employed the use of shadow clones to help him make meals. Mr. Tori comes back from his task of putting away the gloves and pesters Sasuke for bits of the leftover carrot cuttings. ]

[ "Master and his lordship," he says... Wow, she really is dealing with a genuine relic here.

Kyoko lets out an appreciative heeeh as she seasons the vegetables and the furikake--soy sauce, sake, sugar, dashi, and so on--and turns up the heat. ]

They must have really relied on you! But it's fun, isn't it, watching giant feasts disappear after you make them? I know someone like that too.

They do rely on me.

[ Or did. Past tense, like Kyoko said. He can't do so here. Sasuke tries to push down those thoughts. They'll do him no good, and he doesn't want every visit of Kyoko to involve him breaking down in some way.

He picks up some scraps of carrot to feed Mr. Tori. Seeing the bird happy is a good way to distract himself. ]

Who's the big eater that you know? Someone here?

[ Ah, maybe she shouldn't have made a remark like that. Kyoko knows as well as anyone how it hurts to be away from your important people. But it doesn't seem like something he wants to talk about, and she doesn't mind that. ]

No.... [ Her face softens, her smile just the tiniest bit sorrowful. ] Sensei--I met him back home, but it was a while since I'd seen him even before I ended up here. Ah, I hope he's been eating well!

How much longer for the eggs?

[ Sasuke asks mostly to break the awkward moment they have both unintentionally fallen into. He's really going to have to learn how to be more social when others don't immediately fear him or dismiss him due to his profession.

Luckily, Mr. Tori fills in the gaps well enough for now. The crow caws as if to ask the same question. ]

Impatient, aren't you?

[ Good job Sasuke, it's impossible to be sad when you're talking about eggs! Kyoko glances at the pot, as if it were possible to tell from looking when a boiled egg was done. ]

Um... it's been a few minutes, so they should be at least medium boiled by now, right? Sorry, Mr. Tori, we're making you wait!

They'll need to be firm and not runny, so I guess he will just have to settle for carrot pieces for the moment.

[ Sasuke will feed Mr. Tori one of the flower shaped slices. ]

Oh, could you use the rest of these for something? I don't need that much carrot, and while Mr. Tori will happily eat them....

[ He motions to the extra slices. ]

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