closed;

[grylls]

🧙 WHO: Gentaro & Riou
⚔️️ WHAT: Cooking and Totems
🕒 WHEN: Midday, the day before the new arrival storm
🗺️ WHERE: Heading away from Camelot toward the Red Springs
⚠️ WARNINGS: Riou hunts his own ingredients.

[ The last of the January snows seem to be fading out, and that's giving Riou a chance to go exploring on his own. There are a few clear caravans of people heading out to the Red Springs-- he's noticed people like to do so before the new arrivals come in, since people always want to look for people they know.

Riou has been seeing those caravans throughout the day, but he himself isn't treading far-- Jyuto asked him to stay close, after all. Rather, he is simply on a mission to check out areas around Camelot City now that the snow is less heavy to see where the best areas to hunt are, perhaps a good location for a base came, and to test out the totem recipe he just purchased from a recent trip the the traders.

For now, it's time to hunt, and Riou is laying in the snow and lamenting his lack of appropriate camo (most of his purchases have been going toward fashion supplies, not camping) and how he doesn't quite blend in with it. But he is watching an odd-looking, large beetle crawling over log and trying to decide if he wants to have it for lunch or not... ]

Comments

[yumenope]

( while gentaro is out and about, his focus isn’t as grisly as hunting. or as cold as laying in the soft snow and getting himself soaked. his long coat doesn’t provide too much warmth (and really, thankfully the heaviest of the snow seems gone now), but it’s good enough.

he’s really just heading from one errand to the next when he notices a familiar mess of hair. minus the “camo” befitting the area. )

Hm? ( he tilts his head to the side, hands in his sleeves. is riou okay... is he alive? ) A bit cold to be doing that, isn’t it?

[grylls]

[ The beetle, upon hearing Gentaro's voice, flies away and Riou loses his potential lunch. Ah..

He pushes himself up to sit on his knees, a small frown on his face. ]

Yes. [ He's definitely cold, and he doesn't like that part but.. ] We are on another world, it is hard to tell what bugs are edible or poisonous without observation.

[ And everything talks because of his animal magic so he doesn't want to engage something to ask if he's gonna eat it.. ]

[yumenope]

( that seems a bit rude, yes. why would you want to speak with what you’re about to eat. seems a tad barbaric. but far be it for gentaro to judge. )

You’re... considering consuming that? ( he notices it’s gone, expression a brief blip of confusion as he looks to the log then to riou. )

Are you short on food?

[grylls]

Beetles can be a great source of protein and flavor.

[ Riou stands up and brushes his pants off, ridding the fabric of the small amount of soil and snow he picked up from the ground. ]

Are you? I can make enough for two if you're hungry. I've already gathered most of the ingredients. I only need a protein.

[yumenope]

( perhaps perfectly, his stomach chooses that moment to grumble. )

I— won’t lie and say the thought hasn’t crossed my mind. ( but is he willing to consume riou’s cooking???? )

Preferably without bugs. What else would be appropriate for this meal?

[grylls]

[ Gentaro doesn't luck bugs. He will remember that for future meals. ]

A fowl would be a good choice if we can find some. What are you doing out here?

[ So he isn't interrupting whatever Gentaro was doing.. ]

[yumenope]

( okay, fowl. game. he can handle that. that’s closer to his previous diet. )

Taking a minor detour from the library. Was considering perhaps burning down the forest. ( and you know, going to see if there are any familiar faces coming in. not like he’d admit to that. ) Just kidding about that last one.

( yikes. ) Fowl seems fine. Have you hunted them before?

[grylls]

[ What kind of.. ah, a joke.. ]

You have a dark sense of humor.

[ Burning down the forest jokes are a lot, Gentaro!? Even Riou was mildly alarmed for a moment. ]

Yes. I hunt all my own food back in Yokohama. Arisugawa says he likes my cooking, if you need assurance.

[ He says it as if Dice is a good source of taste, but you know, Riou likes the guy. :) ]

Help me look for a smaller stick, approximately this size. [ He shows him with his hands. He's going to make a snare trap for birds, so the log is too big. ]

[yumenope]

( saying dice likes it is the Worst Thing you could say. that guy likes greasy and disgusting things. ick. terrible taste.

he doesn’t comment on it, instead assessing the task at hand. stick. ok. )

I see. All right. ( he turns away from riou to start looking around the brush, lightly brushing off some snow. the bushes don’t have long twigs, so he shifts towards the little thick of trees. ) Are you staying anywhere? ( might as well make ‘small talk’ )

[grylls]

[ At least when it comes to Riou, Riou's cooking is very, very good as long as you don't pay attention to what he puts in it. ]

Yes. I have an inn room near Samatoki and Jyuto's.

[ He doesn't go too far so they can still speak comfortably, pushing snow around in his own area to search. ]

[yumenope]

( he hums in acknowledgment. in his low-key ‘snooping’, that seems to track with the limited info he’s gathered to date. )

Don’t they serve meals there? ( it isn’t accusatory, just curious. a character study on riou would be very worthwhile. )

Will this suffice? ( he holds up a stick. )

[grylls]

Yes. I like to cook my meals myself. I would rather know where my ingredients come from than eat Fruity Pebbles. They don't even taste like fruit.

[ What is a fruity pebble anyway

He accepts the stick and goes to set it up a few feet away from them, pulling some loose wire out of his pocket and building the snare in about a minute. ]

[yumenope]

( gentaro blinks.

that was fast.

he tips his head to the side, wondering if he watched closely enough to be able to recount it in his current book. oh well! )

Quite impressive. I imagine we’re hunting for a guinea fowl, in that case? ( or something. )

[grylls]

[ It's a simple and straight-forward trap, but more than that, he's got a lot of practice. ]

If we're lucky. Given the scarcity of fresh food in the winter, bait is likely to attract a lot of creatures. This is an instant-kill snare, since it's the most merciful. We should eat whatever we capture.

[ He sets some bait-- some seeds from a trail mix he made for a snack earlier in his pocket-- in the trap, then backs away. ]

We should watch at a far enough distance we won't scare prey off.

[yumenope]

( whatever they catch???? oh dear. what if it’s a snake. that doesn’t sound appetizing.

gentaro restlessly brushes his hair behind his ears. he tries to think of another grandiose lie but comes up empty, too engrossed with observing this display. )

How long? ( he wonders as he takes the hint and moves further away from the little trap. ) I can’t imagine these woods are especially safe after dusk.

[grylls]

My familiar is nocturnal and omnivorous, and I can speak with or fight anything that approaches. I lived in the forests of Yokohama even back home.

[ Once they get far enough away that they can still hear, but their presence won't scare off any critters, Riou finds a stump and cleans it off, then uses his knife to saw down some sharp edges to create a seat. ]

Sit here. I'll start a fire.

[ Which will be a more complex task than the snare was to create, since he has to clear out the spot and arrange rocks. At least there are a lot of dead trees and brush to gather for kindling. ]

[yumenope]

( what a day he’s having. he wouldn’t have suspected this when he woke up. or even encountered riou.

almost daintily, gentaro takes a seat. he tilts his head to the side to observe riou at work. masterful, truly. )

Why do you? ( he doubts he’ll receive a satisfying or full answer, but he’s itching to know why someone would choose this lifestyle. for dice he understood, given his gambling affliction, but... )

[grylls]

I enjoy living a survivalist lifestyle.

[ Sorry, Gentaro, you haven't quite unlocked the friendship level necessary to get a really deep answer about why he enjoys it. With enough snow cleared out of the area, Riou builds his little circle of rocks and starts filling it with brush, the scraps from the stump Gentaro is sitting on, as well as some thicker sticks and branches he can gather nearby that weren't a good shape for the trap earlier. ]

It is also more effective to engage in all-out battle against thieves without potential hostages and bystanders nearby.

[ He will give him that, though-- people are always trying to steal his microphone because it's a valuable prototype. :( ]

[yumenope]

I see.

( it takes gentaro a moment to process what riou could mean by that. even when he does register it, he isn’t entirely sure he understands. the encounters he’s had with the former soldier have been limited and this one is truly a chart topper for peculiar. )

I’ve found that magic seems to dissuade most thieves. Of course, it doesn’t do much good if you’re also facing a person capable of burning your home down.

( a mild shrug as he continues to watch riou work. ) Frostbite can be terribly annoying. Are your clothes suitable to avoid that?

[grylls]

I meant in Yokohama. Thieves regularly attempt to invade my campsite and steal my microphone. Here, I have animal magic, so it is not particularly useful for guarding a campsite unless I can convince a predator to guard it for me.

[ Either way, a lot of predators are pretty cranky so he hasn't gotten one to agree to watch his campsite for him. ]

If I stay out for too long without warmth it could become a problem, but I have lined the insides with additional fabric and am wearing extra socks. I can stay out for sometime, though not overnight. If we watch nothing, I will buy you dinner to make up for your time spent out here.

[yumenope]

( that’s a very long and seemingly honest explanation. how refreshing. while gentaro is used to being the only liar in a conversation, he isn’t used to someone being that candid. hm.

extra socks though. thanks riou. )

You shouldn’t feel obliged to do that. ( he says it gently, waving a hand gently. he won’t mention his familiar. not right now. )

This experience is more than payment enough.

[grylls]

Have you never cooked on a campfire before?

[ Once there's enough brush and some thicker sticks built up into a conical shape within his rock circle, Riou takes out a keychain with a magnesium flint and steel on it. It only takes a brief couple of strikes and some blowing to get the fire going. ]

Listen for a scream and we'll know we've caught dinner. I'm going to get more wood.

[yumenope]

A campfire? No, I can’t say I have.

( he pauses at that last bit though. A SCREAM? isn’t that a bit alarming?

gentaro blinks a few times, expression unchanged but eyebrows slightly lifting. )

And what am I to do after hearing said scream?

[grylls]

Alert me. The animal should not last long after being captured. If you want something to do in the meantime, you can pre-wash the dishes.

[ He lives outside, you have to wash the dishes before and after use to be safe. ]

[yumenope]

( gentaro isn’t comprehending that. )

Pre-wash? My, I don’t mean to nag, but I don’t quite believe you can do that out of order.

[grylls]

If you are outdoors, it's best to do both.

[ Particularly since he hadn't planned on this outing, so the "dishes" are two flat rocks that he found. Which is going to be made apparent as he hands them to Gentaro a moment later. Apparently he'd found them while he was gathering rocks to contain the campfire. ]