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yumemory
Raws: @hellocrier, thank you!
Card Story: When the Taste of Loneliness Changed (Lennox, Shylock, Akira)
Card Episode: Surrounding the Table (Lennox, Akira)
When the Taste of Loneliness Changed: Chapter 1
[Location: Hallway, night]
Lennox: Good evening, Master Sage. It’s late, is something keeping you up?
Akira: Good evening, Lennox. I couldn’t sleep, so I thought a little walk might help.
Lennox: May I accompany you, then? I couldn’t get to sleep either, so I was just about to go on a walk around the manor myself.
Akira: That’d be great. Let’s go!
[Location: Manor courtyard, night]
Akira: Mm! The wind feels nice at this time of night.
Akira: Do you often go for walks when you can’t sleep, Lennox?
Lennox: Yes. When I was still traveling, I often left my tent for a walk and enjoyed the night air.
Lennox: It felt as if the breeze put to rest the unease that kept me awake.
Lennox silently gazed at the sky. I could see the nostalgia in his eyes.
Akira: Um, if you don’t mind, can you tell me stories about your travels?
Lennox: Most of them aren’t very entertaining, but I can tell you a few, maybe.
Lennox: Where should I start… Did you often travel back in your world, Master Sage?
Akira: Not frequently, but yes, I did go on long trips sometimes.
Akira: I always looked forward to seeing the local specialties, and tasting my destination’s local cuisine.
Lennox: I see…
Akira: What kind of food did you eat during your travels?
Lennox: It was mostly food cooked using the ingredients I was able to find in the town of my destination.
Lennox: Because I couldn’t bring some utensils with me, I was limited to making simple dishes.
Lennox: I would often make a risotto out of edible wild plants and mushrooms. It’s a dish that doesn’t require many tools.
Lennox: Cooking it over the fire for too long would burn the bottom side, but it still smelled appetizing and even enhanced the mushroom’s flavor.
Akira: (Oh, so like scorched rice… That’s some good stuff.)
Lennox: Is something the matter, Master Sage?
Akira: I’m sorry, I started feeling hungry after hearing you talk about food…
Lennox: …I don’t know if it would suit your taste, but if I can find some extra mushroom in the kitchen, I can make that risotto for you if you’d like.
Akira: Really?
Lennox: Yes. After talking about that risotto, I suddenly wanted to eat it.
Lennox: Let’s head for the kitchen.
Akira: Okay!
When The Taste of Loneliness Changed: Chapter 2
[Location: Kitchen, evening]
Lennox: It’s been a while since the last time I cooked…. Master Sage, please wait in the dining hall, I’ll bring the risotto to you when it’s done.
Akira: You’re doing this for me, so let me help.
Lennox: If that’s what you wish… Thank you. So, firstly, pour water into the pot…
Shylock: Oh my, I didn’t expect to find the two of you here in the kitchen at this hour. What are you doing?
Lennox: Oh, Shylock.
Akira: Lennox is cooking a late-night meal for me, since I was getting a little hungry…
Akira: What about you, Shylock? Do you need something from the kitchen?
Shylock: Yes. I thought I could borrow some fruit for cocktails, as my stock is running low.
Shylock: But then I found the two of you here, and I’m interested in the meal Lennox is making. Would you mind if I join you?
Lennox: I don’t mind, but this risotto is the one I used to make during my journey just to fill my stomach. I’m not sure if you’ll like it…
Shylock: That won’t be a problem. In fact, I happen to be looking for an easy recipe for a meal I can make during a journey.
Shylock: It would be useful to learn for when we Western wizards embark on an extended mission.
Shylock: “Better be safe than sorry”, as they say it in Master Sage’s world.
Akira: Ahaha, you’re right. I should learn how to make this risotto too, so I can be of help to everyone.
Lennox: Then if there’s anything you want to know, you’re welcome to ask me.
Akira: Okay, thank you, Lennox!
Lennox: …Maybe I should improve the taste if I’m cooking it for other people.
Shylock: As thanks for teaching us the recipe, I could show you a simple way to improve the dish.
Lennox: That’d be great. I’m curious to learn what a Western wizard would add to this risotto, since you all have refined tastes.
We then continued cooking the risotto, all while having a peaceful and lively conversation.
[Location: Dining hall, night]
Akira: Thank you, Lennox.
Akira: …! It’s delicious! We didn’t use that many ingredients, but it didn’t turn out bland at all.
Shylock: I agree. The mushroom makes it quite delectable.
Shylock: Risotto is light on the stomach, so it’s still easy to eat when worn out from a mission.
Lennox: ……
Akira: Lennox, is something wrong…?
Lennox: I suddenly remembered something from my journey. It’s been years since that happened…
Lennox: When I was camping out in the mountains, a woman suddenly barged into my tent.
Lennox: She looked like she was starving. I couldn’t ignore her, so I served her this very risotto. And then…
When The Taste of Loneliness Changed: Chapter 3
[Location: Dining hall, night]
Lennox: She gradually regained her energy, and even said that she liked the risotto I made.
Hearing an episode of Lennox’s encounter during his journey, Shylock smiled, showing interest.
Shylock: How very like you to help someone in need. Would you mind telling us more about that lady?
Lennox: I don’t think she was even a woman, as she wasn’t a human or a witch.
Akira: Huh? So…
Lennox: I wouldn’t have noticed it myself. At one point, she told me that she was a spirit.
Akira: That was really unexpected…!
Lennox: Haha, I had never experienced something like that myself, so I was a little surprised.
Shylock: Spirits are more likely to be in an environment where nature thrives, after all. She must have been one of the spirits living on that mountain.
Shylock: But for a spirit to communicate with you… Wouldn’t you think she had a reason to do it in the first place?
Lennox: That’s….
Lennox: …She said it was because I looked terribly lonely, with an empty expression on my face; that she wanted to give me company.
Lennox: Before leaving, she made a wish on my behalf for an encounter that would fill the void in my heart at the end of my journey.
Akira: (Lonely… That’s right, Lennox’s journey was to find Faust….)
Lennox: After she left, I found an ointment made with rare herbs that grow in the area. Perhaps it was her way of saying thanks.
Lennox: That ointment helped me a number of times afterwards.
Lennox breathed deeply in nostalgia.
Lennox: If, someday, I have the chance to meet that spirit again, I want to thank her properly.
Lennox: And tell her that I’m no longer lonely.
Akira: If you go to that mountain once again and bring a pot of risotto, she might show herself again.
Lennox: Yes, and this time, I’ll flavor it as Shylock instructed me, and serve her an even more delicious risotto.
Shylock: Fufu, I’m glad I could be of help.
Shylock: Oh, how about adding wine to the menu? I can deliver a bottle to your room later.
Lennox: Sounds good. Thank you, Shylock.
In the dining hall lit with the gentle rays of moonlight, we continued to converse with one another.
All while hoping that the spirit would one day get to see Lennox’s peaceful expression, just like the one he wore tonight.
Card Episode: Surrounding the Table
[Location: Dining hall, day]
Mitile: Mister Leno, thank you for the delicious soup!
Lennox: Glad you liked it. Isn’t it almost time for your lesson with Rutile?
Mitile: Ah, you’re right! See you later, Mister Leno!
Akira: Hello, Lennox. Did you cook something for Mitile?
Lennox: He looked hungry, so I chopped and simmered some vegetables to make a simple soup. It’s not anything grand.
Akira: So a vegetable soup! That sounds delicious; I like vegetable soups too.
Akira: Did you often cook for yourself, even after settling down in the South?
Lennox: Yes. Most of the time, I cooked by myself because I lived alone.
Lennox: But in the South, people there often gather and have meals together. In those cases, I cooked together with everyone.
Lennox: Among other things, we often made rollitos de pollo and eggs benedict, using newly-harvested vegetables and eggs, and freshly-baked bread.
Akira: Really…!? I kind of want to try cooking with everyone and eat them together.
Akira: I’d love to do it with the wizards here in the manor one day!
Lennox: Haha, that sounds wonderful. When we have the chance, let’s ask around. Perhaps that day will come sooner than we think.
Special Home Screen Line
Lennox: To do something in return for someone’s feelings sounds simple, but it’s not uncommon for things to go awry when we try. That’s why I’ll thank you, for the feelings you expressed to me with such sincerity.
TL: yumemory | Proofread: Alle
