[ you know, when the witch brought everyone here on ""accident"", sabo had been pretty okay with the arrangements that he found himself in. everything that anyone could ask for was available to him (them), so there wasn't any kind of concern about needing to worry about food or any of that.
...which is what sabo would love to say except when he spots a very curious thing happening in the kitchen. obviously he couldn't (didn't) expect everyone here to know the basics of cooking but—
well. ]
What's the name of the dish you're making there?
[ it. looks interesting? probably??? just how much of a disaster is cain.... ]
[ Cain, all things considered, seems absorbed in what he's doing over that pot. Hair tied back in a bun, apron on, tongs in hand. He might even be humming lightly!
But he notices the footsteps that enter, tracks them, and even throws a grin over his shoulder in that general direction when asked. ]
Beef with broccoli!
[ To demonstrate, he plucks the whole head of the broccoli out from the boiling oil. It's...battered and everything.
sure is beef with broccoli... why is it battered..? is this a question he wants answers?? ]
Is that so.
[ in favor of answering whether or not he will want some to eat himself, sabo latches on something much easier to deal with. he's not one to turn away food no matter how badly it looks but. well. look, it's reasonable that any human have limits as to what they should or should not put into their body. ]
[ Good thing he's not human, then! ...More importantly, he's just weird. ]
Nah. I just tend to eat a lot, so I make a lot, too! So whaddya say?
[ He plucks a battered piece of beef from the pot and puts it on the plate next to him. Sabo will be treat to the sight of other pieces of broccoli and slices of beef that have also been similarly battered and fried. Like...tempura... ]
Or if you don't like beef or broccoli, I can throw anything else you want in the pot!
[ somewhere deep within sabo is a much smaller sabo who is desperately crying out for help despite knowing that there will be no one around who can hear him. sabo is quickly creating a list of people who are and are not allowed in the kitchen in real time. ...not that cain will get any idea as sabo looks the monstrosity that gets pulled out of the oil with a pleasant expression on his face.
somehow. ]
That makes sense; I've been known to be a bit of a big eater myself.
[ he says with a bit of a laugh and manages to keep his voice friendly and casual. ]
Unfortunately, I haven't had much of an appetitive since arriving but— [ ever the gentleman (for the worst in this situation) ]—I'll try some of that beef and broccoli. But just a small portion, I'd hate for you to make something else just for me.
[ t...two of them! except sabo knows how to cook and cain doesn't. and boy does his fingers twitch at his side as he wants to interrupt and help when he watches cain just put more meat into the pot.
someone give him strength. ]
I'm used to having things change on me suddenly, but I can't say that something like this is something that has happened to me before.
[ the invite to work out is appealing, at least, except— ]
Work out? What sort of "work outs" would I be expecting?
[ Cain will nod at that. Ain't that the truth. The moon might've taken his eyesight away but now he's starting to wonder if this is weirder.
Anyway, once he decides his food is cooking well, he'll steal a glance at the plate to see if any is gone, then toss a grin in Sabo's general direction. ]
The place isn't as big as I'd like it to be, but a jog around the gardens, then strength stuff like push ups, sit ups. Usually I'd work in sword drills, too. But I'm also thinking pool to cool off.
[ Sabo will nod along and listen to what cain describes and honestly? he is so happy to hear that it's a completely and utterly normal work out. clearly the man here is just a miserable cook—which is fine. everyone can have their flaws.
unfortunately that isn't one of sabo's. ]
Sounds like a good work out to me. I like to keep myself in shape.
However, I have to warn you that I'm not too used to using swords; I'm much more comfortable with a staff.
[ wdym isn't deep frying the best way to cook everything, ]
Hey, a staff! That's cool! If I'd had my sword I would've taken you up on a spar regardless. But I don't—maybe you could teach me a thing or two instead.
[ He holds out a fist in Sabo's direction. For a fist bump, obviously. ]
[ i feel like that's the most american and british thing that i've read from a character who wouldn't have any idea of what those two countries are all about. ]
Sabo.
[ he'll return the fist bump easily. ]
If you're willing to learn then I'm happy to teach. I've heard that I can be pretty tough teach, as a warning.
Cain's eyes finally find Sabo, and he grins. Though the contact doesn't last long, because he's busy deep frying. ]
Not a problem! I used to be knight captain, and the guy teaching me magic's the most powerful wizard in the world. I can take it. [ He grins again, proudly pulling up a nicely battered bit of beef. Mm mm! ] Tough instruction makes me work harder.
[ tell me i'm wrong. and lord sabo should do something about cain's deep frying nightmares but unfortunately he said the magic (literal) word and now he's interested in a whole different way. who could have seen this coming? ]
A knight captain that knows how to use magic? [ he'll hum with great interest. ] Sounds impressive.
[ or more like the stories he read when he was a child. there's a certain kind of grin on sabo's face (while the smaller, inner sabo screams at the beef). ]
But if that's what you want then I won't hold back. I'll see what kind of paces that I can put you through.
Cain can't help but match Sabo's grin. It would have been super cool if he could use his magic when he was captain. Storybook stuff. Reality isn't so kind.
No time to elaborate though, because Sabo takes him up on his request and he can't help but chuckle triumphantly. ]
Yes! That's what I like to hear. I'll make sure to impress you!
[ With his food, too! ]
What else do you do, Sabo? With your staff and without.
[ reality is never ever kind, but that's okay. what sabo doesn't know is what he doesn't know and he'll be impressed enough as things are. ]
I'll look forward to it.
[ PLEASE NOT THE FOOD. HE HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FOOD PRESENTLY. case in point, he'll tap a finger on his chin as he thinks. how does he answer this... ]
I suppose a few things here and there. Most of it with my staff but in the times that I don't then it's likely because I'm up to no good.
[ That draws a laugh out of Cain, too. Maybe Sabo will be reminded of the food when he pulls out a perfectly golden brown head of broccoli and places it on his plate of abominations. ]
Up to no good?
[ He'll playfully elbow Sabo with a little grin. ]
[ knock knock. where is cain? sabo woke to fire (again) and there's some irony here about all of that, however he can laugh about that when he's dead (haha?). right now he's thinking back to their conversation earlier in the week so.
sorry about being stabbed by siffrien (which he wasn't present for) but given the cadence of things he wants to make sure this makes it across. ...not that he won't be concerned about it, of course. ]
Seems like someone took up that guy's offer and killed; I wonder if their wish was really worth a life.
[ Cain's here! He'll open up the door to his villa. The first obvious thing is that his right sleeve is rolled up, his forearm freshly bandaged. That wasn't there the last time they saw each other.
(His hair is wet from a shower too, but that's minor.)
He hears the voice and he smiles a bit. ]
Sabo. That you? [ He holds out his hand. ] Can you touch my hand?
[ he's not going to be a huge fan of seeing cain injured when the last time that they saw one another he wasn't injured. he'll definitely want to talk about it but, yeah, there is something very important to get across first.
unfortunately, unlike cain who has freshly showered, sabo will still likely smell like smoke. sometimes you have more things on your mind than cleaning up... he'll greet cain with a smile nevertheless. ]
Yep, it's me; Sabo.
[ they are now holding hands. ]
...I feel like there's a story to that injury of yours.
[ sabo will also frown and join cain with his hopes that things don't have something nefarious underlying the intentions. ]
I hope it was reflexive and not a sign of something more.
[ ABOUT THE THING HE WANTED TO SAY THOUGH!!! ]
But, right. The same day that the majority of us received items from Ish, I also received this. [ behold! it'll be a gold tarot card that will hum of magic. ] And when I went to speak to him about it, he told me that it was not given to me purposefully but by chance.
He also told me that should anyone kill, then he must grant a wish even if they do not want or have anything in mind. However, it is possible to defer that wish to someone else.
[ He knows and trusts Siffrin well enough to be fairly certain it was reflexive. No hard feelings on his part.
Anyway, they'll disconnect once Cain turns to go into the common room. He'll gesture to any of the plus chairs as he lowers himself into one of his own.
When Sabo produces the card, Cain nearly flinches. ] Whoa.
[ Like a hand suddenly clapping right in front of his face, or being shoved. It's weird being deprived of his magic for nearly two (or perhaps more) weeks, and then suddenly being faced with something he can feel.
He frowns when he looks back at Sabo. ]
Like how some of us got vials from the snake? [ Hmm... ] What did he mean by chance? Could any of us have gotten it, or was it a mistake?
[ its so wild to see how people who are familiar with magic react to this card. sabo, ignorant as all hell to magic, is only able to work off assumptions and best guesses. ]
Exactly that. When I went to touch the jar that I was given, this card also appeared. [ like a gacha... ] He wasn't clear about whether it was a mistake that I received the card or not, but I believe that any of us could have gotten it.
[ do with that information as you will? and even tho sabo knows that cain has limited vision he wants another set of eyes on this. ]
I'm curious if another one has been given out with the items that we received from him yesterday. This one was able to shed some of the truth of what is happening here but who knows what another one might reveal.
[ As he gets used to the presence again, he settles his gaze on the card, studying it. How strange. Why give them a chance to learn at the truth instead of just keeping them in the dark?
He hums. ]
Well, it wasn't me. You're gonna have to keep looking for whoever got the other one.
It is what it is, but if you hear of someone else who has something like it and is willing to share, let's not be strangers.
[ alas... it would be much too easy if cain was someone who had the other card or, better yet, knew the person who would have gotten it. he's not holding it against cain, though. ]
A scene played out.
[ thanks to time shenanigans— ]
One that I believe others might have experienced as well—the one where we were all interviewed individually. I'm not entirely certain what truth it was meant to expose, but after talking to Ish some, it felt as though he didn't quite remember the interviews.
[ Imagine if it was that easy, huh? They'd be able to team up and tackle this mystery earnestly... But considering who's around, it's more likely it went to someone who's not as generous.
Cain nods anyway, though. He'll keep his eyes and ears out. At least he's good at being friendly.
He stares at Sabo in thought for a second before it hits. ]
Oh, wait, I think I do remember that. I thought it was a dream at first. [ Hmm... He taps his chin. ] If he didn't remember the interviews, would that mean he wasn't the one interviewing us?
[ to that person's credit, it's not as though sabo has been necessarily forthcoming about what he's found/been gifted either. ...but that was also before peoPLE WERE DYING; everything is different now. ]
That's what I also assumed but then others have mentioned that they experienced it too. Suppose this just further confirms that it was something we all experienced as a collective.
[ cain's theory is something that sabo chews over for a moment. his mind has always gone in one direction and even though it felt so right to him, he won't blind himself to the conclusions that he has drawn. ]
I hadn't considered that angle but that is a possibility. From how he spoke of it and handled our conversation, I was more under the impression that he forgot that it happened, but perhaps I was reading too much into that.
[ actually— ]
Cain, you've talked to him about a little bit about that goddess of his, right?
[ This is the moment that will spur Cain into being more productive with his time with Ish.
He's following along just fine so far, piecing what little he knows together with what Sabo tells him. Also while idly thinking about how easy it would be to work with him. He's a swell guy.
So he nods along. Cain could be wrong about his conjecture, too. Maybe he genuinely forgot, but Ish seems a little too...himself...to forget something like that, he feels like. Private information willingly given up like that is too tasty of a treat to be forgotten like that.
(Not that Cain is like this—he just knows too many people who are.)
Anyway. Mention of a goddess is like a smack in the face. ]
now isn't this awkward? he could have sworn—no, it's fine. sabo's got enough grace to be able to work with this. in a way, it's good to know that cain hasn't been made aware because it just gives him a better idea of what has and hasn't been wildly spread. ]
Oh...was it not you? My apologies.
[ no, sabo. it was not cain. it was the other redhead; the one that's dead. he'll just clear his throat and catch cain up to speed about things. not that sabo has much to work with since he hasn't been able to pin anything down with ish and only can go off with what he has overheard. ]
Anyway, there is someone that is important to him—his boss or some sort of goddess. I'm not certain if he's exaggerating her standing but it's clear that she has power over him.
[ ""power"". ]
Whenever she is brought up, he immediately becomes hostile and either becomes defensive or aggressive depending on the conversation. Whatever is going on here is likely to be influenced by her.
[ He's not going to say no to information, of course. Cain's surprise fades as he listens...and his brows furrow the deeper more Sabo talks.
Hmm. ]
That does change some things.
[ Cain thinks about his relationship with Akira, and Akira's relationship with the rest of his wizards. If any of them had a little toybox of interdimensional playthings and Akira told them to do one thing or another about it, they'd probably listen. ]
He may be enacting her will, or...if he gets defensive, maybe he's aware he's going against her will.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wk 1; monday
...which is what sabo would love to say except when he spots a very curious thing happening in the kitchen. obviously he couldn't (didn't) expect everyone here to know the basics of cooking but—
well. ]
What's the name of the dish you're making there?
[ it. looks interesting? probably??? just how much of a disaster is cain.... ]
FINALLY
But he notices the footsteps that enter, tracks them, and even throws a grin over his shoulder in that general direction when asked. ]
Beef with broccoli!
[ To demonstrate, he plucks the whole head of the broccoli out from the boiling oil. It's...battered and everything.
He puts it back in. ]
You want some? I'm probably gonna make too much.
no subject
sure is beef with broccoli... why is it battered..? is this a question he wants answers?? ]
Is that so.
[ in favor of answering whether or not he will want some to eat himself, sabo latches on something much easier to deal with. he's not one to turn away food no matter how badly it looks but. well. look, it's reasonable that any human have limits as to what they should or should not put into their body. ]
Are you used to cooking for a lot of people then?
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Nah. I just tend to eat a lot, so I make a lot, too! So whaddya say?
[ He plucks a battered piece of beef from the pot and puts it on the plate next to him. Sabo will be treat to the sight of other pieces of broccoli and slices of beef that have also been similarly battered and fried. Like...tempura... ]
Or if you don't like beef or broccoli, I can throw anything else you want in the pot!
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somehow. ]
That makes sense; I've been known to be a bit of a big eater myself.
[ he says with a bit of a laugh and manages to keep his voice friendly and casual. ]
Unfortunately, I haven't had much of an appetitive since arriving but— [ ever the gentleman (for the worst in this situation) ]—I'll try some of that beef and broccoli. But just a small portion, I'd hate for you to make something else just for me.
[ please do not make something else for him. ]
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Either way, Cain can't see the expression on Sabo's face, so he takes everything he says at face value. When Sabo laughs, so does he. Two of them! ]
The adjustment's been that hard, huh? I don't blame you. It's been kind of a shock.
[ More meat in the pot. Sizz... ]
Still, you can take what you like. If you need help working up an appetite, you should come work out with me sometime!
no subject
someone give him strength. ]
I'm used to having things change on me suddenly, but I can't say that something like this is something that has happened to me before.
[ the invite to work out is appealing, at least, except— ]
Work out? What sort of "work outs" would I be expecting?
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Anyway, once he decides his food is cooking well, he'll steal a glance at the plate to see if any is gone, then toss a grin in Sabo's general direction. ]
The place isn't as big as I'd like it to be, but a jog around the gardens, then strength stuff like push ups, sit ups. Usually I'd work in sword drills, too. But I'm also thinking pool to cool off.
[ Hand on his hip, proud! ]
Whatcha think?
no subject
unfortunately that isn't one of sabo's. ]
Sounds like a good work out to me. I like to keep myself in shape.
However, I have to warn you that I'm not too used to using swords; I'm much more comfortable with a staff.
no subject
Hey, a staff! That's cool! If I'd had my sword I would've taken you up on a spar regardless. But I don't—maybe you could teach me a thing or two instead.
[ He holds out a fist in Sabo's direction. For a fist bump, obviously. ]
I'm Cain, by the way.
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Sabo.
[ he'll return the fist bump easily. ]
If you're willing to learn then I'm happy to teach. I've heard that I can be pretty tough teach, as a warning.
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Cain's eyes finally find Sabo, and he grins. Though the contact doesn't last long, because he's busy deep frying. ]
Not a problem! I used to be knight captain, and the guy teaching me magic's the most powerful wizard in the world. I can take it. [ He grins again, proudly pulling up a nicely battered bit of beef. Mm mm! ] Tough instruction makes me work harder.
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A knight captain that knows how to use magic? [ he'll hum with great interest. ] Sounds impressive.
[ or more like the stories he read when he was a child. there's a certain kind of grin on sabo's face (while the smaller, inner sabo screams at the beef). ]
But if that's what you want then I won't hold back. I'll see what kind of paces that I can put you through.
no subject
Cain can't help but match Sabo's grin. It would have been super cool if he could use his magic when he was captain. Storybook stuff. Reality isn't so kind.
No time to elaborate though, because Sabo takes him up on his request and he can't help but chuckle triumphantly. ]
Yes! That's what I like to hear. I'll make sure to impress you!
[ With his food, too! ]
What else do you do, Sabo? With your staff and without.
no subject
I'll look forward to it.
[ PLEASE NOT THE FOOD. HE HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE FOOD PRESENTLY. case in point, he'll tap a finger on his chin as he thinks. how does he answer this... ]
I suppose a few things here and there. Most of it with my staff but in the times that I don't then it's likely because I'm up to no good.
[ he says with a laugh?? ]
no subject
Up to no good?
[ He'll playfully elbow Sabo with a little grin. ]
Uh oh. Like what?
wk 2; friday
sorry about being stabbed by siffrien (which he wasn't present for) but given the cadence of things he wants to make sure this makes it across. ...not that he won't be concerned about it, of course. ]
Seems like someone took up that guy's offer and killed; I wonder if their wish was really worth a life.
no subject
(His hair is wet from a shower too, but that's minor.)
He hears the voice and he smiles a bit. ]
Sabo. That you? [ He holds out his hand. ] Can you touch my hand?
[ Business soon. He has to see Sabo first. ]
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unfortunately, unlike cain who has freshly showered, sabo will still likely smell like smoke. sometimes you have more things on your mind than cleaning up... he'll greet cain with a smile nevertheless. ]
Yep, it's me; Sabo.
[ they are now holding hands. ]
...I feel like there's a story to that injury of yours.
no subject
[ Cain is just keeping his hand there...
He lifts his injured arm to look at it, giving Sabo a better look. He frowns a bit, mostly in sympathy. Not for himself, obviously. ]
When we woke to the fire, I scared Siffrin. They stabbed me. I think it was reflexive.
[ A smile suddenly bursts over his face as he waves his hand. ]
It's fine, though. Did you wanna talk?
no subject
I hope it was reflexive and not a sign of something more.
[ ABOUT THE THING HE WANTED TO SAY THOUGH!!! ]
But, right. The same day that the majority of us received items from Ish, I also received this. [ behold! it'll be a gold tarot card that will hum of magic. ] And when I went to speak to him about it, he told me that it was not given to me purposefully but by chance.
He also told me that should anyone kill, then he must grant a wish even if they do not want or have anything in mind. However, it is possible to defer that wish to someone else.
no subject
Anyway, they'll disconnect once Cain turns to go into the common room. He'll gesture to any of the plus chairs as he lowers himself into one of his own.
When Sabo produces the card, Cain nearly flinches. ] Whoa.
[ Like a hand suddenly clapping right in front of his face, or being shoved. It's weird being deprived of his magic for nearly two (or perhaps more) weeks, and then suddenly being faced with something he can feel.
He frowns when he looks back at Sabo. ]
Like how some of us got vials from the snake? [ Hmm... ] What did he mean by chance? Could any of us have gotten it, or was it a mistake?
no subject
Exactly that. When I went to touch the jar that I was given, this card also appeared. [ like a gacha... ] He wasn't clear about whether it was a mistake that I received the card or not, but I believe that any of us could have gotten it.
[ do with that information as you will? and even tho sabo knows that cain has limited vision he wants another set of eyes on this. ]
I'm curious if another one has been given out with the items that we received from him yesterday. This one was able to shed some of the truth of what is happening here but who knows what another one might reveal.
no subject
He hums. ]
Well, it wasn't me. You're gonna have to keep looking for whoever got the other one.
[ Directs his attention back to Sabo. ]
What truth did it tell you?
no subject
[ alas... it would be much too easy if cain was someone who had the other card or, better yet, knew the person who would have gotten it. he's not holding it against cain, though. ]
A scene played out.
[ thanks to time shenanigans— ]
One that I believe others might have experienced as well—the one where we were all interviewed individually. I'm not entirely certain what truth it was meant to expose, but after talking to Ish some, it felt as though he didn't quite remember the interviews.
no subject
Cain nods anyway, though. He'll keep his eyes and ears out. At least he's good at being friendly.
He stares at Sabo in thought for a second before it hits. ]
Oh, wait, I think I do remember that. I thought it was a dream at first. [ Hmm... He taps his chin. ] If he didn't remember the interviews, would that mean he wasn't the one interviewing us?
no subject
That's what I also assumed but then others have mentioned that they experienced it too. Suppose this just further confirms that it was something we all experienced as a collective.
[ cain's theory is something that sabo chews over for a moment. his mind has always gone in one direction and even though it felt so right to him, he won't blind himself to the conclusions that he has drawn. ]
I hadn't considered that angle but that is a possibility. From how he spoke of it and handled our conversation, I was more under the impression that he forgot that it happened, but perhaps I was reading too much into that.
[ actually— ]
Cain, you've talked to him about a little bit about that goddess of his, right?
no subject
He's following along just fine so far, piecing what little he knows together with what Sabo tells him. Also while idly thinking about how easy it would be to work with him. He's a swell guy.
So he nods along. Cain could be wrong about his conjecture, too. Maybe he genuinely forgot, but Ish seems a little too...himself...to forget something like that, he feels like. Private information willingly given up like that is too tasty of a treat to be forgotten like that.
(Not that Cain is like this—he just knows too many people who are.)
Anyway. Mention of a goddess is like a smack in the face. ]
—He has a goddess?
[ He didn't know about this HELP. Clearly not. ]
no subject
now isn't this awkward? he could have sworn—no, it's fine. sabo's got enough grace to be able to work with this. in a way, it's good to know that cain hasn't been made aware because it just gives him a better idea of what has and hasn't been wildly spread. ]
Oh...was it not you? My apologies.
[ no, sabo. it was not cain. it was the other redhead; the one that's dead. he'll just clear his throat and catch cain up to speed about things. not that sabo has much to work with since he hasn't been able to pin anything down with ish and only can go off with what he has overheard. ]
Anyway, there is someone that is important to him—his boss or some sort of goddess. I'm not certain if he's exaggerating her standing but it's clear that she has power over him.
[ ""power"". ]
Whenever she is brought up, he immediately becomes hostile and either becomes defensive or aggressive depending on the conversation. Whatever is going on here is likely to be influenced by her.
no subject
Hmm. ]
That does change some things.
[ Cain thinks about his relationship with Akira, and Akira's relationship with the rest of his wizards. If any of them had a little toybox of interdimensional playthings and Akira told them to do one thing or another about it, they'd probably listen. ]
He may be enacting her will, or...if he gets defensive, maybe he's aware he's going against her will.
[ It could go either way.
After a breath, he nods. ]
I could go talk to him about her.