scaling | ( aefenglom inbox )

[He nods.]

Complex flavours are good in sweets, too. That's why I like parfaits and crepes. You can get different flavour combinations that complement and contrast each other. Of course, just a well-made chocolate bar is good, too.

I haven't had a crepe in a while...

[ That's the sort of sweet he can appreciate, something versatile. It doesn't even necessarily have to be sweet. ]

There was a place back home that did unusual crepe flavors. I wanted to go try them sometime. [ But it's obvious what happened before he could get around to that. ]

[The first thought he has—that Akira will get to try them eventually—gets discarded. He doesn't particularly want to think about the fact that Akira will someday go home. After all, if anyone can do it, it would be Akira. But no, another day. He can be sad on his own time, as per usual of how he deals with emotions.]

Hmm, you're going to have to learn to cook a lot of different things, I see...

[Instead, he opts to ask for crepes in a roundabout way.]

[ It's also a thought Akira would rather not linger on, though it's more that he's not sure when he's going to be able to make it back.

Much easier is throwing Akechi a look when he seems to be making an indirect request, grin barely contained. He'll have to do better than that if he wants to put Akira to work. ]

Don't worry, I won't make you my guinea pig for all of them. I'm sure someone else would be willing to test the crepes.

[How rude. Akechi purses his lips in a little frown, realising what Akira must be angling for and also realising if it will get him free crepes, he will go ahead and do it. Except, of course, he'll do his own twist on it. He gives him an especially cute smile, the kind he has given Sae many times for free food.]

Since you know how much I like them, I think you actually feel excited to make them for me.

[ Oh, that's a smile he's not used to receiving from Akechi. He's not unfamiliar with its type, though, and hides his amusement behind false consideration. ]

Do I? I think I'd be excited if it was more challenging. [ Is he complimenting his own cooking skills or calling Akechi's standard for sweets low? It's hard to tell with the mirth now peeking through in his eyes. ]

[Wow. Rude much? At least Akira seems to be enjoying himself, so he tries playing along the angle given to him.]

Of course it will be challenging. It can't just be any crepe. It has to be something unique. It has to be your version of a dessert crepe, right? That alone must be different than any other crepe out there.

[ Maybe he's giving in too easily in this playful little tug-of-war, but Akechi has laid an interesting challenge in front of him. Better yet, a couple of ideas have already popped into his mind—inspiration, if you will. ]

Alright. Will I get anything if I make this unique crepe and you like it?

[Akechi tilts his head, thinking. Most of his skills don't translate well to the current moment.]

If I really like it... then you can get a favour from me.

I'm okay with that.

[ It's actually a pretty weak offering from someone who recently promised to help him however he needed. Then again, Akira isn't really in it for a reward. Having some sort of stakes just seems customary for this type of thing. Honestly, with the ideas brewing in his mind, he's just looking forward to experimenting until he comes up with something that will please Akechi. ]

I just might ruin all other crepes for you.

[At least he accepts it. Good enough for him. And frankly, now he's rather intrigued.]

Oh? That is quite a boast. I'm very eager to see if you manage to live up to the expectations that it sets.

[Though even if it doesn't, just having something to look forward to feels good. Akira even seems sincerely happy about it, too, rather than put-out or anything like that. It really does just feel... nice.

Akechi leads them into the sweets shop and pauses looking in at the glass display of different types of candies wrapped up: toffees and caramels and fudge and marshmallows and hard candies, too. He knows they're here for a reason but he can't help being a kid about it at times.]

[ Akira only has a promising smile for him. It's mostly just a bluff, thrown out there to fan the flames of this little challenge for fun, but his ideas are catered specifically to Akechi's tastes, so—who knows, maybe?

He follows into the shop, and rather than get straight to work locating the chocolate, Akira allows himself to linger at the display as well. These aren't the kinds of sweets he's particularly into, but it's a nice image to see them all neatly lined up and interesting to see what exists in this time and place. ]

... What's your favorite kind of sweet? [ It's not asked for any deeper reason than curiosity; he just realizes in moments like this that for as much as he knows about Akechi, there are so many shallow little details that he has no idea about. ]

[He cups his chin in thought.]

It depends on my mood. If I want something light but quick, a marshmallow-based sweet is perfect. If I want something richer, then caramel or nougat is good. Hard candies are good when I have to savour the taste for awhile. I think what is nice about sweets is that even though they have the 'sweet' aspect in common, there is a vast difference between all the types.

[Then, laughing a little, he glances at him with a smile.] Sorry, that was a bit more complicated than you asked for, wasn't it?

[ The mirth in the glance he sends Akechi's way says it all: Akira would never ask him a question expecting a simple answer. He knows better. ]

You answered my question. Sometimes answers aren't that straightforward. [ Shrugging a shoulder, he slides fingertips along the top of the display as he moves farther down, eyes peeled for chocolate that would be easy to use for their purposes.

It was really just because he was curious, but Akira files the information away for the future, crepe recipes or otherwise. ]

[It pleases him more than he can say. But for now he allows that to be left unsaid with just a smile before he flags down the shopkeep and asks for a bar of a specific type of chocolate, assuming there can't possibly be that much chocolate needed. The owner teases him about how he's asking for less than usual and he clears his throat with a laugh.

He doesn't say it but not in front of Akira??

He pays for the bar himself since it's not expensive at all, handing it to Akira.]

What do we have left?

[ Akira isn't about to be so rude as to butt into the conversation between Akechi and the clerk, but he does turn his head away to hide brief, quiet laughter at the teasing. It's barely been a month, and he's already a known regular? Akechi's sweet tooth is the real deal. ]

Thanks. [ He accepts the bar and slides it into his bag as well. It's a good thing that it's just going to be melted into the curry because he's not sure its shape is going to hold through the warmth and humidity of Maiuril while being jostled around inside.

On the way back to the door, he mentally reviews the ingredients list. ]

Honey, rice, apples, the vegetables... Some substitute for yogurt and steak sauce. [ That one is entirely reliant on Akechi and his food smarts, though. ]

[Akechi listens to the list, then takes out his notebook again. After a moment of thinking, he writes something down, looks over it, then nods.]

All right. Go get the honey, rice, apples and vegetables. I'm going to get what we need for the rest. We'll meet back in front of this shop when we're done just to make sure we have everything before going back. Agreed?

[ Divide and conquer—a good plan, one that'll get them through the shopping list that much quicker. Akira is curious about what Akechi's planning to buy in place of those ingredients, but he'll find out once they've reconvened. ]

Okay. I'll see you in a bit. [ And as he heads out the door and down the lane, he gives one warning over his shoulder. ] Don't get distracted by anything sweet.

[It gets Akechi to turn around and glare at him but he otherwise just waves him off as he heads in a different direction. It takes him about a half an hour to gather up everything he needs for it, so that when he comes back to the sweets shop, he has a bag under his arm of the things he needs.

He is tempted to buy something from it now. But after Akira teased him, he refuses to today, staunchly not looking at it.]

[ Somehow, Akira manages to take longer than Akechi does to return to the sweets shop. Finding apples turns out to be harder than expected—turns out there are some seasons where they're less common, which the grocery stores back home never hinted at—and then he gets sidetracked at the stall of a particularly friendly turnskin who's selling some sort of pancake-esque dessert. The crepe challenge is still in the back of his mind, so he swings by to ask a couple of questions about the ingredients and what the shopkeeper thinks would be good for doing a thinner sort of alternative. It gives him a direction to go in, at least, and stirs a couple more ideas.

He finds Akechi already waiting, back turned to the shop, when he returns, a small sack with the vegetables in hand. ]

Sorry it took me a while.

[ He glances down to Akechi's bag. Looks like he found what they need. ]

[Although surprised by the wait, he looks up at his voice with a smile.]

That's fine. Did you get everything you need? We can look together if you were having difficulty.

[ Akira shakes his head, lifting the bag just slightly. ]

Got it all. Apples just aren't that common in spring.

[He sighs. That makes sense. Greenhouses might exist and there might be imports, possibly, but overall, things will be seasonal.]

I miss modern conveniences more and more everyday. But in that case, we're all set.

So do I...

[ There are plenty of other things that he misses more, but it takes being thrown into a weird, magical Victorian-era city to realize how many of those conveniences he took for granted. ]

Let's head back, then. [ A jerk of his head indicates the way they came from, a quick warning before he starts off in that direction. ]

[Akechi walks alongside him, his mood brightening the closer they get back home. Although he does enjoy Leblanc's—and by extension, Akira's—curry, it's more than that. The taste of it, the smell of it, all the familiar things he took pleasure in will be his soon enough. And he gets to have a chance to see Akira cook again, too.

Although he doesn't realise it, the smile on his face happens to be a little childish.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject