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Assassin's plate soon became empty. And then it was time for her to refill it. She reached for the platters with much more grace this time, though, and proceeded to get food in a similar fashion to before.
"Oh, I don't know. It's just a way to say thank you... or is it? What do you have in mind?"
After saying that, she paused and straightened in her seat. Just eating isn't enough, she must have something to drink along as well! What's available to accompany the food?
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"I don't have anything on mind," Ambryll responds. With a heavy sigh, they add, "Perhaps I would if I had taken courses on fraud committance."
This is kinda a weird topic to bring up at a dinner table.
As mentioned previously, there's the beet soup, but there's also vanilla custard drink (Assassin can have both cups, her host doesn't mind), and probably plain ol' water if asked for. Does pudding count as a drink? There's that too, one would suppose.
...please don't mix all these together, pretty please.
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A single eyebrow raised in an exaggerated gesture upon hearing that. She didn't immediately reply, as she was too busy slurping up the vanilla custard drink in her cup. Finally, the cup was set down, half-empty, and she wiped her lips again.
Now Assassin tilted her head with a mischievous expression. "Oh, like, money laundering? Injust management of treasury? Influence peddling? Pfft, if there was a school to learn about that, people would be absolutely doomed."
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"I'm not quite so sure about that," Ambryll remarks in what sounds to be a serious tone, though they disprove the impression a moment later when they add: "Perhaps getting poor marks would dissuade some from starting their spree in unscrupulous activities."
Riiight.
The custard has a more liquid texture than creaminess. Like everything else, it isn't very sweet, though it has an authentic vanilla flavor. It feels like it would go well with ice cream, or as part of a smoothie.
"On another topic," Ambryll says, "I notice you enjoy sweets. Would you say you have a sweet tooth?"
The question feels more like an icebreaker inquiry than a genuine question.
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"You know it wouldn't, though." Assassin replied almost instantly with a huge grin that didn't quite match the abruptness of her words. It also didn't feel like she intended to continue that line of thought, as she removed eye contact and returned to stuffing her mouth with the new goodies on her plate.
"Hmmm...." As if to prove a point, she picked up a cookie, dipped it into the custard, and held it up in front of her face. "I think I do. More so 'cause I feel like a spoiled kid right now! You don't get free sweets every day. Or any kind of free food, really. Monch."
The cookie was consumed.
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"Ah, so your opinion is rooted in this moment?" Although Ambryll's expression could really only be described as curious at best, it feels like there is a hint of amusement to their slight smile. "Then I suppose you'll praise sourness if you try enough of the soup?"
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"Well I'd have to try it to judge!" Assassin picked up the nearest spoon with her free hand and gave it a twirl even while still eating up her current cookie. "Next up, soup. Feels like something to eat in winter. Just as well, with all thewind outside too. Not that it's cold here."
She glanced over at Ambryll once more. "What about you? Not hungry?"
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"No," they answer to her question. "Besides, it would be unbecoming to eat at the same time as a guest."
Perhaps they're talking about a custom of sorts, though if it is a tradition of some sort, it feels a little strange.
That aside, they lean forward in interest. "Are you from a colder region?"
(I feel like these two have convos that border on ADHD convos but are simultaneously too on-topic xD)
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"Oh, I see," she said, nodding in a way that made it clear she does not see. "I don't mind that kind of thing at all. I mean, I also don't mind you watching me eat, but it's just a teeny tiny bit strange if you think about it, no?"
Assassin started the process of serving soup for herself. When she was asked the question, she slowed down a bit, and her eyes wandered to a corner as recalling a memory.
"Hmm. I'd say that no, but that's also not completely true. Sometimes it'd get REALLY cold, but that wasn't all the time. Let's see... I'm sure I didn't go too far off, but the weather was pretty stable around there. I never thought about it too much." She leaned onto her palm. "I didn't wander around by myself for too long, but I'd say the weather was kind of mild except for like, you know, when it's supposed to be colder. Dunno what it's like in other places I haven't been to."
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As for Ambryll, if they feel flustered about a custom they follow being perceived as "strange", they don't show it.
Well, it's hard to tell what they're thinking a lot of the time anyways, so it's not like their reaction is out of the ordinary. In the meantime, they simply ponder her inquiry.
They say if you're used to something, then the abnormal becomes the ordinary. That goes for far-fetched dreams, and for traditions from a bygone past.
Not like they're thinking about it in those terms. That is simply the way a person can be, and how people are.
"Hm, so was there snow? Or no?"
Oh-so-interesting weather conversations. Maybe this one is actually interesting, though. After all, a lot can change between time and space, and the shifting of the earth and sky.
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The spoon Assassin's been holding tapped against her cheek as she pursed her lips together before replying once more. For once it becomes apparent that she's putting thought into her replies.
"Uhuh, yeah! It'd cover all the ground and everything. Ice too. Now that's when it really feels nice to have a good warm bowl of soup."
After saying that, she straightened in her seat again and took to giving the soup a taste test. Mind that she's having it at a slower pace than all the previous food she consumed.
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They give an amused smile. "You mean it would feel nice to drink soup while sitting in snow?"
That's just a joke, of course.
The soup has a rich flavor with notes of sweetness and sourness. Some of the consistency probably comes from some sort of meat. Maybe beef? It's a little hard to tell, so maybe it was also combined with another type. There are definitely tomatoes in there as well.
Swirling the cream into the soup gives the characteristic red soup a nice swirl of white, sort of like latte art. Small diced chunks of beets and cabbage can also be found throughout the soup and are easily fished out. The beet pieces are tender but not soft and are easily picked up with any sort of utensil. The texture is overall according to expectations--a rich, creamy texture with chunks of the solids that served as the foundation.
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“Wouldn’t that just make the soup all cold?”
Assassin licked her lips after the initial taste test. Approved for sure. The splash of white against the stronger color of the soup on the plate seemed to catch her attention for long enough to stop and stare. She mixed it in right afterwards, also lifting spoonfuls of liquid to let it pour it down and be completely sure that it was all combined.
Through all that process, she particularly appeared to savor the bits of beet. And also used her napkin properly for once, dabbing at the corners of her lips to get extra droplets off.
“Where’d you learn to cook this good? Are you a chef?”
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"It depends on the temperature," they answer, as if speaking from experience. "I daresay you would be impressed by the insulation ability of some thermoses. Though," they add almost instantly, "I suppose it would depend on the temperature. The liquid may just frost over if the air is cold enough."
Now it's hard to tell if they actually had an experience or heard about it from someone else. It seems they always speak in a straightforward manner. And as usual, they simply allow her to eat between speaking. However, her question is almost instantaneously met with a laugh.
"Oh goodness, I am most definitely not a professional. I simply chose to make foods that I like, so I am much more familiar with them." Having settled from their laughter, they transition to a thoughtful look, as if calculating something inside their head.
"Actually, I think if I were to attempt any more, the variety of every aspect would quickly plateau," they finally admit.