bakerstreet | Paaaancakes

It's very nice to meet you! [ Although the cheer dampens a bit seeing how much of a hard time he was having with those pancakes.. ][ Or is it just that it's well known.. ] the restaurant holds that it would taste so awful.

[ She thinks a moment. ]

I know I'm not responsible but I can't help but feel bad that you aren't enjoying your meal. [ He's either legitimately finding it disgusting or he was like the nobles (well, former) back home who fuss over "commoner meals". She wasn't about to call it out though, but she did think for a few minutes what might be something more palatable for him. ... which probably wasn't much given the menu. ]

Em, I was thinking of ordering a small dessert, like a piece of cheesecake or two to go with my drink - have you had it before? I can split mine with you if you'd like to try it.

[ He is anything but a noble! Though he still was raised in a gentry household. But only since he was nine; before that he was a homeless tramp who lived off of food scraps on the streets. So, his opinions on food have a lot of backing towards it.

Still, her offer of a dessert does perk him up somewhat. A cheesecake. What the hell is a cheesecake? ]

That sounds great. I haven't had it before, no, but I might as well try it while I'm here, right? Even if it might turn out like the. Pancake.

[ Hm. Pancake. Cheesecake. Relation, perhaps? ]

[ Classwise then they couldn't be more different! Although Agnes wasn't raised like the usual snobby rich person, and she didn't really "enjoy" the benefits of such - it was a bit annoyingly restrictive really. But even she wouldn't want to waste food. She smiled brightly at the sight of him perking up, and nodded. ]

Oh! I hope they make it well here in that case - I've not tried one that was disappointing yet. [ She motioned over for a waitress, requesting said cheesecake and a pot of black tea - they'll need something to wash it down! ]

Okay, that shouldn't be long. So what brings you here in particular? Were you getting out of the cold too?

[ ... maybe... small relation? But hopefully it won't turn out like The Pancake(tm). Poor Wei will get trauma from visiting Denny's! ]

[ Black tea, cheesecake. These are things he can accept and enjoy. The tea in particular. Though, if it was his choice, he'd choose booze but this doesn't seem like that type of establishment.

And then Agnes asks him that question and ah, well. ]

The strangest thing, really. I was traveling and stopped by an inn, went to my room and when I walked through the door — I was here. Like some sort of portal. When I walked back through the door, I didn't return to the inn so I'm stuck here for now, I think.

[ And it's also in the future?? He doesn't know. He has no idea what's going on. ]

[ She hoped it would be a good improvement to his mood given what a poor first impression he had. Not that she blamed him. ]

That IS strange... [ She paused. ]

But now that I think about it, that happened to me as well once. Ah, though it wasn't an Inn, it was a -- [ How to explain - he might not have magic where he's from. But he knew of portals, so maybe? ]

It was a reaction.. to something - [ Like her Genesis. ]

I was hurrying on my way to class, and wasn't able to stop myself in time before I tumbled through a portal myself the first time I found myself in a place like this. [ On the upside she was able to make it back home --eventually! ]

Fortunately I wasn't with any of my friends at the time. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I had worried them.

[ She's pretty comfortable in terms of future tech since Calvard was fairly advanced, so she likely had a better grasp than he did. Luckily, the waitress came padding out with the plates of cheesecake, lingering long enough to pour some tea for the two of them. ]

Oh! That was faster than I expected. [ At least it all LOOKED good. ]

[ He does have magic, at least. Just — it might be different than what she thinks of as magic. Still, the supernatural elements are real and thus portals are a concept at least familiar to them both. They can meet in the middle here!

He listens to her story and the similarities to his own are there, so he assumes this is just... that type of place. She doesn't seem to be too worried about it though, so maybe she was able to find her way home afterwards? He hopes so, since that means he'll be able to too. ]

Ah, the people that I know are probably just happy to have me out of the way for a bit so I doubt I'll worry them. I'll just wait it out for now.

[ And then — boom, food! He looks a little curiously at the cheesecake as it's set in front of the both of them, two spoons laying there for them to share it. And then the tea is poured as well and Wei Wuxian leaves it as is, taking it black. When the waitress leaves, he'll take a sip of the tea first to warm his body and wash down the pancake before gesturing — ]

You can take the first bite.

[ He's not taking any chances. ]

[ She giggles a little at that description. ]

Do you really think so? But I feel like they would worry about you too, if you were away too long and no one knew where you were. [ He couldn't be THAT much of a trouble maker! ... right?

Fortunately she doesn't get a chance to ask that particular detail with the arrival of the cheesecake and tea. The cheesecake at least -looked- properly made and very pretty! She hoped it wasn't deceivingly pretty though. Ah - and he was sacrificing her to the cake first. Well that.. that was fine! ]

Oh, are you sure? All right, then..!

[ ... he kind of had her nervous though. What if it was bad? She picked up her spoon, skirted a quick look in Wei's direction and smiled with a sort of hesitant confidence - if such was an expression. Carefully scooping a small bit of cheesecake on the spoon and taking that first bite..!

Hrm. She'd fallen into the habit of savoring sweets a little more than usual, thanks to Van, but it didn't taste -that- bad... maybe a little sweeter than she was used to.. but the tea would be a good thing to complement it in that case. ]

Mm -- well... it's.. not bad!

[ Such a RINGING endorsement. She was surely going to be the poster child for their next advertisement. '"Try the cheesecake! It's eeeeh... ok." (thumbs up)' ]

Please, try it.

[ In his opinion, he's a perfectly respectable guy! Maybe a little bit mischievous, but who isn't? He's totally normal and totally cool and everyone who dislikes him is just a hater. Still, what she says gets a bit of a wane smile from him as he thinks of the people who possibly might miss him and the way they will yell at him when he returns for disappearing. ]

Maybe.

[ But he watches her with a curious expression as she takes a stab at the cheesecake. Propping up a head on his hand, his curiosity is blatant and he doesn't disguise it even a little. No, he wants to know what's up with this "cheese cake" and thus, he's watching her expression like a hawk.

Which means he can tell she's not impressed. Ah, how tragic. ]

It's not?

[ A raised eyebrow, a dubious expression. Alright, sure. He'll try the cheesecake. He picks up the clean spoon and scoops a small piece of the cheesecake off onto it, sniffing it lightly as he holds it to his face before taking a bite. It's creamy and — ooh, sweet. Too sweet. He's not used to eating anything this sweet. His mouth flattens into a thin line but he'll chew and he'll swallow before opting to go right for the tea next.

After he's swallowed it down and washed out the immediate sugar rush in his mouth, he looks at her again. ]

Alright, I can understand why you would pair the two but... that is quite sweet. Doesn't exactly taste like cheese though.

[ Because, you know, cheesecake. Cheese. Cake. ]

[ A little mischief is totally fine! Everyone has a mischievous streak here and there. Well, mostly. Either they had one or appreciated people with one. Agnes was the latter, she didn't think she was particularly mischievous, but she was amused by most people's shenanigans. That said, it's true! Bad cheesecake was quite tragic, she'd been looking forward to a good treat. ... she also can't waste it, but she's not going to demand he take another bite if he didn't like it either. The tea was good though!

As he mentioned that it didn't taste like cheese, that actually makes her perk up a bit, pleased to be able to share a little detail about something she thought she would never get to use. ]

Oh! Van told me about that, actually!

[ YAY useless trivia is actually not so useless. And, well, the dessert might not be great, but at least the company wasn't horrific, right? ]

It doesn't mean that it's meant to taste like cheese, it's just that the primary ingredient is cheese. Um.. cream cheese I think. Depending on how it's made, you can maybe taste the cream cheese a little more, but it appears that the chef that prepared this one leaned more into the syrupy sweet portion...Which is fine, but it's just a tiny bit sweeter than I'm used to, too... I might just have to make some Chococolate Sablé when I get home later..

[ Thank you for your understanding!! Look, sometimes you can't help but poke and prod and get in people's business. It's fine.

He doesn't expect her to perk up at such an offhand comment though and looks at her in mild amusement as he lifts his mug to his mouth to drink some more tea. He doesn't know who this Van is but must be a friend, right?

He'll listen to her explanation and then pause at the end, only asking — ]

Chococolate Sablé?

[ What the hell is that. ]

[ She fortunately does catch herself - she's not able to wax poetic about sweets like Van can, but she also didn't want to spend five hours yapping about candy. Instead she looked a bit sheepish, scratching her cheek with a finger. ]

Eheh, sorry, I guess I picked up a little candy trivia from my friend after all..!

[ Yeah, friend, crush, employer-kiiinda? ... it's complicated. ]

Hrm? Oh, Chocolate Sablé are cookies using a shortbread mix, but they're a little crumbly when you finish baking them. They go really well with tea or coffee too, I find, so I like to nibble on them a little when I'm studying. I don't always have time to cook them, myself, so sometimes I'll stop by a bakery to get a little box of them.

Do you cook?

[ Look, he's also got an #itscomplicated so he can't judge her for it. He just looks kind of amused as she explains herself, giving a shake of his head. ]

It's fine. I wouldn't have known if you didn't explain.

[ A shrug. And then he listens to her explanation of the cookies and oh, okay. He. Does not know what chocolate is which is FINE. It's fine. He's not going to make a fool of himself and ask though. ]

They sound tasty. Perhaps I could try them with you sometime? Next time we're in this... place together.

[ As for his cooking... he grins, a bit sheepish. ]

Oh, ah... well, I like what I cook.

[ He makes everything too spicy. ]

[ Handclutches. She understands the woes of the #itscomplicated life! ]

Oh! That's a wonderful idea, I'd be happy to share them.

[ GASP. Never had CHOCOLATE? You poor deprived soul :D. She'll have to keep in mind not to make it too sweet regardless though, .. perhaps she'll bring some from two different batches, the dark and milk chocolate types. ]

Oh...? ... You don't use unusual ingredients in your food or something do you? Not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

[ Unless it's bugs. She's going to have to draw the line SOMEWHERE. But with that kind of response, either he's a bad cook or there was some other reason people didn't like his cooking right? Spice, she's actually fine with personally (usually) - though she has a friend who can't handle it at ALL. ]

[ There's no chocolate in ancient China, unfortunately. :( He's a few years too early for it. Alas! But now he gets the blessing of sharing it here, which is very delightful.

She looks a bit apprehensive at his answer, which is a little offensive. He's not a bad cook, damnit! Everyone is just weak as hell. THERE AREN'T ANY BUGS IN HIS FOOD EITHER. ]

No! I just... tend to make it spicier than people can handle. I don't see what's the big deal but I've had some juniors get mad at me for it.

[ But they're all fifteen and dumb so who cares what they think? ]

[ Awww, but yay for being able to experience the glory that is chocolate here! Eventually! She does look relieved when he clears up the reason people don't like his food though, giving him a sheepish smile. She didn't mean to offend his ability to cook! ]

I'm sorry! I didn't to imply otherwise - I know some people who can't handle spicy food. I like it though, and some of my friends do as well.

[ She can understand the offense - and boy is she glad she didn't mention the possibility of bugs in his food, he might get mad and storm out. Interestingly the person who didn't like spices back home was about 12 or 13 herself. Coincidence? ]

Although if I may say, it is a little silly to get angry about you putting spice in your food, if that's the way you like to cook..

[ Uuuuuuuunless he doesn't warn them ahead of time. ]

[ He wonders if she'd be able to handle his spice tolerance then, since she's saying she likes it. Then again, some people think he's got a little too high of a tolerance. He wouldn't want to ruin things. ]

Maybe I'll cook for you then, next time. We'll see if you actually like it.

[ And then he laughs at her comment and gives a shake of his head. ]

To be fair, I made them congee as a medicine. I just... added a bit more spices than they could tolerate. I thought it would give it some flavor.

[ He did not warn them because he did not think it was that bad. ]

[ Have mercy, she only had -one- (1) dish that was spicy before! ]

Really? That would be wonderful! I'm sure I'll like it. [ She might be brought to tears over how good ~~or spicy~~ it is! ]

Congee.. as medicine? I've never heard of that being a treatment before.. what kind of illness did they have?

[ Oh she's so doomed in the future. ]

[ well then. GOOD LUCK, AGNES. she will certainly be able to survive this, sure. ]

Corpse poisoning. Using glutinous rice, it combats the poison before it reaches the heart and purges their body. Usually you just apply it to a bite or a wound but unfortunately, my juniors inhaled the poison so they had to eat the congee instead.

[ just undead things! ]

[ She can handle it! Surely! maybe. She stops in the process of lifting her tea to her lips to -blink- at Wei for a second, mention of corpses jogging a sudden memory. ]

Corpse.. poisoning....?

[ .. yeah she encountered and had to deal with similar back home, though the cause was because of a certain little device being misused. So the curse wouldn't have been rice, sadly, and the people (and animals) victimized were too far gone for anyone to help them anyway, but it still reminded her of that moment. ]

I'm relieved that you were able to cure your juniors .. I never would have thought about using rice to cure something like that. Is it a common remedy?

[ He's watching her curiously as her reaction isn't exactly what he expected. Huh, familiarity? Maybe they have the undead too in her world in the same way they have it in his home. Ooh, how interesting. ]

It is. Common enough, at least. There are other methods as well but this one's the easiest in a pinch.

[ A pause, he takes a sip of his tea and watches her for a moment. ]

Do you have experience with the undead?

I didn't know something like that could be cured.. I'm guessing it has a time limit to cure it before it's not able to be used?

[ Still, if it was that common, just how often did he have to deal with undead? Well even one was one to many. ]

Ah - well, I'm not sure you could say it was "experience". It was only the one time, when my group was going to a neighboring village. We encountered an organization performing some...awful experiments with an ancient artifact, and a number of people were... turned. Unfortunately for most of them, they ...were already too far gone and had to be um... [ Re-killed? Eliminated? Put down? ]

We had to fight them in order to get to the source. [ Most of the victims were already killed and reanimated by the time they got there, but sometimes she wonders if they could have saved her friend's mentor. ]

The time limit is how far it gets into the body. If it's just a wound, it takes it's time but once it reaches the heart — you're through. As long as the victim stops moving and gets treated quickly, they'll be fine.

[ And look, when you're a necromancer you tend to know these things! It just comes with the territory!

He listens to her story though and looks a little sympathetic. ]

That's a shame. What did you do with the bodies afterwards?

[ Wei Wuxian, that is a creepy thing to ask. ]

That's what I was afraid of... I do hope they all managed to find peace...

[ Well.. yes. Creepy and ..a little odd... she definitely never expected to be having a conversation about zombies in a restaurant ~~which would make for an ..interesting anime/manhwa~~, but there you go! She was also assuming he was just asking if they burned or buried the bodies.. she hoped. ]

Well, most of those that died were jaegers or civilians. Er - the jaegers are ..more or less lawless mercenaries where I'm from. So if the ones that died were from a jaeger unit, then their leaders took care of the burial... I'm...not sure if they were brought back to their homeland to be buried there, or where they died near the village.

[ It was a while ago, and a LOT happened. ]

But the civilians were given a proper burial near their homes. Of course, once we were certain that they'd all passed on truly.

[ It'd super suck if they buried them, left, and then the undead got up and started walking around again. That poor little village did not have a good fate. ]

[ This is the moment Wei Wuxian is probably going to turn Agnes' opinion on him slightly. Because he listens to her description and nods before sighing a little wistfully. ]

What a shame, you could've used those bodies to fight back if you didn't bury them. That's what I would've done, at least.

[ Yeah. ]

[ Yyyyyyeaaaaah there's a clear moment of utter horror at someone saying something like that so .. casually. It honestly sounded like something that would be said by the people she and her friends fought against. The only difference was he was just saying 'sure use them as weapons once they're dead' and not 'kill them and THEN use them for weapons for fun!' ................... yet.

She has to take a moment to not react with utter disgust, frankly. Other worlds have different opinions and views on the dead, and something like that - went so much against her beliefs. ]

That is where you and I would disagree, I am afraid. We would never use the bodies of the dead to fight our battles. Those people don't deserve to be treated like weapons or used as tools. They should have had a peaceful, natural death.

[ Wei wtf ]

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