I still regret every word, that day, I never said

[matchbreaker]

[ This trial was a mess. Hard on everyone, filled with conflicting emotions, and the twists and turns in it made it unsatisfying for everyone involved. That's probably become the norm at this point though! As have the gatherings in the aftermath of them. This time around the letter comes under everyone's door fairly quickly into the evening, following only a short delay for those organizing it to get things together and console themselves enough to be presentable. ]

Come to the dining room if you want to be with people. I will have board games, cards, food, and drink. We also will be writing letters to the dead, if you want to do that around others.

- Elda, Hanyuu, and Mikazuki

[ The dining room's set up is once again fairly simple. Hanyuu broad board games, Elda brought some rpg books though she doesn't expect anything to come of it, and there are a lot of envelopes, paper, and pens from the mail room. The mail room's going to close tonight, of course, but most of the letters will probably be written privately anyway. Elda just wanted people to be sure they knew they could.

Food wise, there's grilled meat and fish, rice, cream puffs (all Hanyuu!) Mikazuki's tea (both black and green!) and Elda's ... spicy fries. Some of them are more mild! However, the mild ones are covered in sugar so uh... that's probably not better. Either way, have at ]

Comments

[matchbreaker]

Before I speak of that, allow me to make my own apology.

[ Still hugging, her, the older woman gently scratches Lusamine's back, her nails digging in a little, but not fiercely - it's a gentle, almost maternal sort of motion. ]

... I suspected you, Lusamine. It was for that reason I fought with Hanyuu and for that reason I shouted, and would not betray the trust you and Gangrel had. In some part of my mind, I suspected that you had killed Vanille, and that Gangrel had finished off Phi when you were incapable. That was the drama I'd concocted, and I meant to apologize to you.

... Do they bow, in Alola? They do in Japan, and I intended to put my forehead to the ground for you.

[elepe]

[...Lusamine pauses a bit, the gesture...well, it's Elda. She's comfortable with the woman and all of her oddities. This one is no different.]

...I think I was too far in my own mind to know what was going on. And...I feared, for a moment, that you had assisted him. If...if you both had died, I...

[She doesn't want to think about it.]

You're no less forgivable than I am. I want you to know that right now. But your actions are your own, and if that is what you wish...I will not stop you.

But as far as I am concerned...I'm hurt, certainly, but I forgive you. I'm in no place to do anything else.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . ]

Is Alola very sunny, Lusamine?

[ It might seem out of left field, and well. It is. But still. ]

[elepe]

Alola is an incredibly bright region. We tend to have many sunlit hours, and it's always warm.

[She's never liked it, personally.]

Why do you ask?

[matchbreaker]

Because once we're free of here, while I have my family to return to, and I ... well, I have business with Hanyuu, I wanted to see what was yours. Silver also promised me to get one of those Pokémon for me. A Zubat.

[ And... ]

But I suppose I would burn up in Aloala, wouldn't I?

[elepe]

[...ha. That'd be wonderful, and Lusamine nods her head.]

I'm certain we could find plenty of ways to help you get around. There's nothing a little innovation can't solve, and I don't intend to let you burn out there.

[There's...a smile, working it's way on her face.]

It helps that Zubats live in caves. They're not the biggest fan of the sun either. They'll like you just fine.

[matchbreaker]

You know, Lusamine... you once told me that the customs of the Alolan people were strange to you.

Where is it you are actually from, then?

[elepe]

Ah...you misunderstand. My family and I were born in Alola. It was due to our wealth that we were very separated from the rest of the region's customs. My family...they follow a similar philosophy as you. That family is above all else.

[...]

I think...I may be starting to see things differently.

[matchbreaker]

Oh?

[ You know, standing and hugging like this is weird.

Elda motions for the bed. Let's sit and talk. ]

Pokemon Sun and Moon spoilers

[elepe]

[Yeah, let's go over to the bed. If this were any other time, she might've cared, but...]

...I never really had gotten over my husband's disappearance. You could probably tell that much, right? And yet look at me. I fell in love with a craven man...I lost my children, but I came to care for Gold and Silver like they were my own. Whether they wanted it or not, but...

[Lusamine looks away.] I feel something, toward other people. It's the first time in a long time, since his disappearance. I don't know if I can truly say this, but...I think I finally accepted that I care for people here. Even more strongly than I care for some of the things at home.

Is that...right? To feel like that.

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda being Elda, she can't help but say: ]

If you mean in comparison to your children, no. [ That's just... obvious. She doesn't feel much need to linger on that point, because she suspects Lusamine knows.

Also, she's going to be sort of lightly urging the woman to lean against her? Which is a bit awkward because Elda's like half a foot shorter. But all the same, ] But if you mean in general... no. No, I don't believe that can be wrong. Certainly, grief can isolate a person. Loneliness is more a state of being than feeling, in my experience. And moving past that... that cannot be wrong, regardless of the circumstances.

[elepe]

[...pray that pitfall of a subject never comes up, good god...

But...Lusamine willingly leans against her and rests her head. It's...interesting to hear her talk like that, but it's nice. It's a reminder that someone else is here and she's not alone with her thoughts.]

...I don't want to be so isolated anymore. I've already proven that it's not a good state of mind to be in.

[matchbreaker]

... Then what do you want, Lusamine?

[ Elda says, gently. Her arm around the other woman's side. ]

[elepe]

Would you be angry if I told you that I'm not certain?

In the long term, at least. Short term, I...simply don't think I want to be alone.

[...she kind of doesn't want to go to sleep alone anymore, but that's kind of. Much. Even for Lusamine.]

[matchbreaker]

How could I be angry at you for that?

[ Huff. ] ... All this time, my sole obsession was returning to my family. It still is. That's my main goal, my main motivation. But after that, what I will do with them, what I... what becomes of all of you. I've begun to doubt the details in that course. Or perhaps consider them is the better way to put it.

[ . . . ]

Lusamine. Show me how to make you salads. I can bring them to you.

[elepe]

[...that's interesting to hear. If anyone, she always expected that Elda would be the most unbending of them all. Miracles do exist.

Even so, Lusamine nods her head.]

Come to the kitchen with me, then. I hope you are not afraid of knives.

[...it may turn less into 'teach Elda to make a salad' and more 'let's take some fucking aggression out on some vegetables because fuck you that's why', but. She'll help Elda up if she needs it.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda's... Honestly, there's a lot of unpack, more that she hasn't said to Lusamine and perhaps more that should be said to Lusamine. But for now, before anything else, she is the woman's friend. She is the woman's friend and if tonight goes well and she can reclassify a certain someone the way she hopes she can, Lusamine will be her best friend here.

... So.

What's a little aggression and some disturbing notes as compared to that? ]

... I will tell no one of your escape plan, by the way. There's no need for them to know.

[ She said, getting up and heading out with hr. To the kitchen ]

[elepe]

[Lusamine jolts a bit at that, turning to face Elda when she says that. She's...genuinely surprised, if the look on her face is any indication. She would have thought that Elda would tell people, or at least Hanyuu, but...

...She's not used to feeling like this, what the hell. Lusamine smiles.]

...Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Elda.

[Well, alright, let's get into the kitchen--Lusamine starts pulling out the vegetables she likes. Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and carrots. It's a little basic, but...]

There are many ways to make a salad, but the biggest rule is making sure that there is plenty of lettuce. Why, if you don't have that, you may as well just call it a bunch of raw vegetables with no decorum! For starters, you want to cut off the bottom...

[Lusamine shows the bottom of the lettuce to Elda--that sort of bit that looks way too unpleasant to eat--and she promptly gets a knife and cuts it off.]

Now...this one is not bad at all, but if you find bad pieces of lettuce? Remove them. They'll spoil the entire dish. Now, cut them in half, and then...

[Lusamine shows off how to cut it in half--making sure to keep her fingers right out of the way while she does, and then she seperates the two halves and looks to Elda.]

Now, try to cut these halves into fourths. Just as I cut the lettuce in half.

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda ... actually is a little touched by that thanking in turn. She nods. As long as Lusamine - no, no, there's no need to make that condition. Lusamine will talk with more people. Lusamine will integrate. And even if she doesn't, Elda will still be her friend. That's what she's concluded, what she knows to be true.

... So while there are misgivings. Maybe even more things she brushed past there, that's it for that.

And on to salads. ]

Are they bad on discoloration? Smell? Texture? I fear I've worked very little with lettuce.

[ That said, she nods, getting the knife in hand. She actually holds it a little weird - not terribly confident. She wiggles it in her hand, and it looks a little silly paired with her impractical long nails, probably similar to how Gangrel looked doing pretty much anything with his. But Elda's long used to them, and so she goes to cut the lettuce- oh, that's a little tougher than she thought! She puts her hand down to brace, but does it ]

[elepe]

Discoloration, primarily. Lettuce doesn't have much smell to it at all...if anything, it smells like water tastes. Or...I suppose in a proper analogy...think of the most bland blood you have ever tasted, and it likely will be similar. Of course, if you find any foreign entities on it, you'll want to chuck it as well.

[Lusamine watches Elda carefully, though. She wants to make sure she doesn't wind up cutting off a finger or a nail, that'd be horrible. But it seems like she's got it, and Lusamine actually claps.]

Excellent work! You simply have to put just a bit of force into it. You can do that with the other half, as well.

[matchbreaker]

Yeah, it didn't seem to... just perhaps a little earthy at the bottom there.

[ More like herbs? Or ... no, that wasn't quite right. That said, to hear Lusamine make that comparison just for her makes her smile. It makes her chest feel... bubbly. Bubbly in a strange way that she's never really felt outside of her family before coming here.

... This must be friendship. True friendship.

She nods, and makes to follow suit. ]

So if it's so bland, why is it important? Because it fills most of the space?

[elepe]

That, and the texture.

[Lusamine plucks a leaf of the lettuce out, crunching it in her hand to show it.]

The texture is the largest selling point of it, but... [She pauses for a moment, considering it.] I know your kind are unlikely to do this, so the comparison may be lost on you. But the bland flavor of the lettuce allows it to take on the flavor of the other vegetables, and if you're so inclined, the dressing.

[Once that's taken care of, though, she'll grab a tomato and gesture Elda to watch.]

Now...these tomatoes need to be sliced. I must admit, I was never a fan of the Tomato Berries we had at home. Far too spicy for my taste, but these...I adore them. Now, what you'll want to do is turn these onto their side, and position the knife like so.

[Lusamine does just that, holding the tomato on one side and the knife onto the other. And then, she slides the knife down and through the tomato.]

Just like that. Obviously, you get rid of the bottom and very top because of the stem, but you continue this until it is all portioned out.

[matchbreaker]

So this one you need to slice, not chop. I see...

[ . . Actually, you know what, Lusamine would appreciate this, so she decides to go into Vampire Tastes, ] For my kind, because we do only eat one thing once we're adults, while some will tell you that there are little touches you can do like chilling the blood, or even some strange people who claim blood from different parts of the body is different, it's far less a matter of combining flavors as finding the right impact of flavor from the right targ... person. The texture and taste can be effect from many things, from if they meet your blood affinity, to diet, to their health. So the focus has to be on that one ... "Ingredient," I suppose.

[ She says all this while she slices the tomato. Elda was listening very raptly to everything else Lusamine said too, for the record! But she now is focusing on this, so... she's trying to be careful but does get some splatter of juice on her fingers ]

...mild cannibalism cw

[elepe]

[...Lusamine smiles at that, actually. It's interesting to hear--even if vampires are only able to eat a single thing, they have their own preferences and ways of eating, and it sounds like a culture of it's own.]

Different parts of the body is certainly an interesting rumor. I would imagine that the blood in a person's body tastes the same regardless of the point. Our blood is carried all throughout our body, so unless they took into account the taste of the flesh, that is...quite unusual.

[...that just went into Tokyo Ghoul territory, let's just avoid that--]

Never the less, how absolutely intriguing. It sounds as if the culture of blood is an interesting one.

[matchbreaker]

I've never put much stock into that one myself. As you felt, I suppose I'm traditional and that I ever go for the neck when I intend to eat it fresh and then usually for the forearm if I am ... Well, if I was extracting some for James. Some parts of the body are harder to pierce than others.

[ And harder to hit a good vein or artery. ]