[ oh he is absolutely investigating like a true teenager with a neverending appetite. pokes his head right in without hesitation. who's in here, what's cooking? ]
kazuki will find... it's strohl at the stove! he's monitoring what looks like skewers of some kind at the moment - they're sizzling nicely on a cast iron pan, and strohl's reaching for a knife to cut vegetables when he notes kazuki coming down the stairs.
he gives him an easy grin, friendly. ]
Oh, hey. Afternoon. Come down to use the kitchen, or drawn down by the smell?
It was fine the first day. The second, got a bit stale. The third...? Well, if I've the ability to cook for myself, and a fine glass case full of decent ingredients someone broke into, I may as well use it.
[ he gestures with the knife over to the counter. ]
Hungry? Could use a helping hand, if you want to eat.
[ he gives him an easy smile, and returns to fussing with the pan - curiously looking over at the guitar as it comes by. ] I take it your favourite might be music.
Suppose that's the truth - Junah might have my head if she heard me say it. [ he hums a little, thoughtful. ] It's the first magic of world, at home, music.
Should ask Hulkenberg about her sometime, Junah. She's been a fan of hers for a long time, apparently, and knows a lot more than I did.
[ there's a little mischief there, playful. the energy of sibling teasing other sibling for their embarrassing crush - though, he listens to kazuki and it fades, nodding. ]
I'm sure all of this didn't help. [ with a vague gesture outwards at the whole Murder Situation. ] ...Still, I like that answer. Most things're better when we come at them with our whole heart like that, as opposed to lukewarm. A cause, instead of a hobby.
A fan? [ oh, this sounds good. ] Alright, I'll definitely ask sometime.
[ hums. ]
You might be surprised about that, actually. But yeah, I definitely agree. It's better if there's passion put into something - then you can really feel it.
Uh... I can sing, I guess, but I don't usually. I mostly just play guitar.
[ a slight hesitation because it's not necessarily a good story, but. ]
Getting dragged into the Reaper's Game might have been what kept me alive. I'll have to start my music career over wherever I go, but that's the better alternative.
...A second chance, for how awful it must've been, or despite it. I get that. [ a little more solemnly - he regards kazuki, brows knitting slightly. ] 'm sorry to hear that things were going poorly, before.
[ thoughtfully: ]
Had you no time in between the two? The Reaper's game, and this.
[ aw. cute. ] Haha. Talk about it like that - course you can. Teyvat... that's not the first time I've heard that name, either.
[ not a home world, huh. a frown briefly crosses strohl's face, a little more troubled. ]
...Same thing happened to Vi. Odd. [ ...but he shakes his head to clear it off, rapidly, and then smiles. ] - You've got a lot of support there, then? In Teyvat.
So you didn't come straight here. [ that's... not as surprising as it could be, maybe. still a little frustrating. ] Just a couple of people, but they have connections if we need help with anything, so. Yeah, I guess so.
...Might have? Honestly, we didn't get to know each other all that well over there, for the most part. I heard it here.
[ from. someone at some point i've lost track of all time. anyway. he holds his pan out for the veggies he was cutting! stick those in there for him. ]
I didn't, no. But - I also didn't go anywhere else. Just back home, back to what I was doing. [ frowning. ] I hope that's not the commonality... bloody cruel, if it is.
Doesn't seem to be. Most of the others I've asked about had some time, like you. [ he shrugs. ] I guess it's nice to already be adjusted to it. Haven't lost whatever sense of normalcy we regained after.
[ look he is aware he turbo bonded... ] More like - we didn't have the cards or the phones, or anything like that, so we only had to rely on how much or how little we conversed to get to know each other. And people honestly were picked off so quickly, we barely had time to know any details, for the most part.
[ a smile tugs onto his face, briefly - fond. ] Vi, though - well. Sometimes, you just meet the right people at the right time. Click together. You know what I mean?
[ the veggies sizzle as they're added - the smell wafting through the room gets more fragrant, spices and cooking meat and veggies, roasting tomatoes over the heat as he gives the pan a quick stir. ]
Got that right, though. I think I'm starting to forget what "normal" even looked like, before.
...Makes sense, with what you've all said before. [ he smiles back, but there's something a little sad to it, too. ] Yeah. I understand. It's like... some people were just meant to be in your life, somehow.
[ but let's focus on the other stuff haha!! doesn't that just smell amazing!!!! ]
I know the feeling. It's been so long that normal is starting sound like the fantasy. [ he shrugs. ] All we can do is deal with it now. But I am sorry you guys are coming in from just two weeks of freak accidents to... whatever this is going to turn out as.
[ distantly attaches myself to kazuki across the void.... your uncle from another game.....
anyway ]
... [ it's okay - mentioning it made him feel a little sad, too. he notes kazuki's expression inthe same moment that he misses will, actually, and so strohl shakes his head, glad to move on from that thought, he follows kazuki's lead. ]
Thanks. [ genuinely - there's a little huff of a laugh. ] We're already off to a better start than we were in the last place, but the bar's in hell. You're more of an expert than me- maybe I'll ask you for tips, yeah?
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kazuki will find... it's strohl at the stove! he's monitoring what looks like skewers of some kind at the moment - they're sizzling nicely on a cast iron pan, and strohl's reaching for a knife to cut vegetables when he notes kazuki coming down the stairs.
he gives him an easy grin, friendly. ]
Oh, hey. Afternoon. Come down to use the kitchen, or drawn down by the smell?
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The latter, mostly. I don't usually cook unless there's a reason for it. [ he will simply let other people do the work. ] Not into the steaks, then?
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[ he gestures with the knife over to the counter. ]
Hungry? Could use a helping hand, if you want to eat.
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[ ...carefully sets his guitar by the doorway. ]
Sure. It's not my favorite hobby, but I don't mind helping out.
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[ he gives him an easy smile, and returns to fussing with the pan - curiously looking over at the guitar as it comes by. ] I take it your favourite might be music.
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Music isn't a hobby.
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Suppose that's the truth - Junah might have my head if she heard me say it. [ he hums a little, thoughtful. ] It's the first magic of world, at home, music.
What's it to you?
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Musicโs my life. It was going to be my career, too, but... that got a little derailed.
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[ there's a little mischief there, playful. the energy of sibling teasing other sibling for their embarrassing crush - though, he listens to kazuki and it fades, nodding. ]
I'm sure all of this didn't help. [ with a vague gesture outwards at the whole Murder Situation. ] ...Still, I like that answer. Most things're better when we come at them with our whole heart like that, as opposed to lukewarm. A cause, instead of a hobby.
You play, yeah? Do you sing, as well?
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[ hums. ]
You might be surprised about that, actually. But yeah, I definitely agree. It's better if there's passion put into something - then you can really feel it.
Uh... I can sing, I guess, but I don't usually. I mostly just play guitar.
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[ with a bit of a grin? he shifts the pan a bit for some of the vegetables, giving it a little wiggle. ]
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Getting dragged into the Reaper's Game might have been what kept me alive. I'll have to start my music career over wherever I go, but that's the better alternative.
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...A second chance, for how awful it must've been, or despite it. I get that. [ a little more solemnly - he regards kazuki, brows knitting slightly. ] 'm sorry to hear that things were going poorly, before.
[ thoughtfully: ]
Had you no time in between the two? The Reaper's game, and this.
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It was going great, right up until the last few minutes before the Game. So I know I can do it again, with the right support.
[ which... sounds more confident than he is, but there's also a god on his side? so maybe it's not so bad. ]
...No. When we were brought here, it had just ended. I was supposed to be going to Teyvat with my team.
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[ not a home world, huh. a frown briefly crosses strohl's face, a little more troubled. ]
...Same thing happened to Vi. Odd. [ ...but he shakes his head to clear it off, rapidly, and then smiles. ] - You've got a lot of support there, then? In Teyvat.
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[ he didn't know that about vi, but. hm. ]
So you didn't come straight here. [ that's... not as surprising as it could be, maybe. still a little frustrating. ] Just a couple of people, but they have connections if we need help with anything, so. Yeah, I guess so.
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[ from. someone at some point i've lost track of all time. anyway. he holds his pan out for the veggies he was cutting! stick those in there for him. ]
I didn't, no. But - I also didn't go anywhere else. Just back home, back to what I was doing. [ frowning. ] I hope that's not the commonality... bloody cruel, if it is.
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[ in go the veggies! ]
Doesn't seem to be. Most of the others I've asked about had some time, like you. [ he shrugs. ] I guess it's nice to already be adjusted to it. Haven't lost whatever sense of normalcy we regained after.
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[ look he is aware he turbo bonded... ] More like - we didn't have the cards or the phones, or anything like that, so we only had to rely on how much or how little we conversed to get to know each other. And people honestly were picked off so quickly, we barely had time to know any details, for the most part.
[ a smile tugs onto his face, briefly - fond. ] Vi, though - well. Sometimes, you just meet the right people at the right time. Click together. You know what I mean?
[ the veggies sizzle as they're added - the smell wafting through the room gets more fragrant, spices and cooking meat and veggies, roasting tomatoes over the heat as he gives the pan a quick stir. ]
Got that right, though. I think I'm starting to forget what "normal" even looked like, before.
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[ but let's focus on the other stuff haha!! doesn't that just smell amazing!!!! ]
I know the feeling. It's been so long that normal is starting sound like the fantasy. [ he shrugs. ] All we can do is deal with it now. But I am sorry you guys are coming in from just two weeks of freak accidents to... whatever this is going to turn out as.
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anyway ]
... [ it's okay - mentioning it made him feel a little sad, too. he notes kazuki's expression inthe same moment that he misses will, actually, and so strohl shakes his head, glad to move on from that thought, he follows kazuki's lead. ]
Thanks. [ genuinely - there's a little huff of a laugh. ] We're already off to a better start than we were in the last place, but the bar's in hell. You're more of an expert than me- maybe I'll ask you for tips, yeah?