The most depressing time of the year.

[dolorous_sensei]

1.*You might just randomly meet him on the hall. Or you may have the unfortunate fate of sitting beside him in the newly opened bar. But now, Walt is grabbing and shaking your collar."

"Tell me. How can you manage to deal with it? How!?"

2.


"This... how does this turn into this!? This can't be true. You must be lying. This place is... this place is..."

*Someone is staring at awe at a raw egg, then at a bowl of scrambled egg, then the raw egg again.  It drops the raw egg. It stares at the mess. The mess won't turn into scrambled egg, obviously.*

"And that! How does that turn into this!? It can't be!" It gnaws at a piece of bread while shouting toward a pile of flour.

Apparently someone promised to teach the waltspawn "the food's way" at one point. Who's that irresponsible person is unimportant. The important thing is that the still unnamed mysterious creature is in a kitchen now.

The mysterious being is holding its head, breathing heavily.

"This place..."

Comments

[prismphantom]

[Elma's been hard at work making a Spanish Omelet for Selena to celebrate the coming new year in fact. Plus, Albhard had wanted to help the waltspawn out with this. Though he wibbles a bit at the broken egg.]

Ah, please don't do that again, one wasted egg means one less someone can use at a later date. But can you please hand me the milk and onions?

[dolorous_sensei]

*It hands over some milk and onions, while chewing one.*

Delish. What are you going to do with them?

[prismphantom]

Mix them together, of course!

[The onions are set on a chopping block, Elma's manipulator arm deftly cutting them into mince and adding it in. Afterwards it's the milk's turn.]

It'll taste awful as it is, but that's what cooking will fix. Could you turn on the stove? It's one of the dials on top of the oven.

[dolorous_sensei]

Why are you burning good tasting onion!?

[prismphantom]

But I'm not just "burning" onions! We'll be cooking it instead, using the heat as a catalyst to finish prepping the meal. Please trust me on this, I've made this dish countless times for Selena!

1

[star_of_sad]

[Setsuko is surprised - no, shocked. She drops the papers she was carrying.]

Lt Schmertz?!

Deal with what? What are you talking about?

Re: 1

[dolorous_sensei]

It's the end of this year already! How... how can you handle that?

[star_of_sad]

Umm, well. It's not that the world is going to end, after the year ends another one comes...

And it's all just how we measure time anyway. Various cultures had new year on different days, right?

[dolorous_sensei]

I know. Why must mankind arbitrarily mark days like this. It only makes things more obvious... and sadder...

About what we failed to do for this whole 365 days...

[star_of_sad]

What... we failed to do?

[These words strike a bit too close for Setsuko's comfort.]

2

[actuallyselfish]

"Whoah, whoah, whoah!" Dido says, rushing in. "Calm down! It's just a mixing and heating process that make the food easier to chew and digest! Breath slowly! Like this! Ahhhh–"

Dido draws in a deep breath that makes her cheeks bulge. "Huuuu...." And slowly lets it out. "C'mon, breath with me..."

Re: 2

[dolorous_sensei]

*It starts to breath slowly.*

Things... mixed... and heated... turn into other things... Got it.

*It scoops a handful of flour and starts to eat it.*

But this doesn't taste anything like bread! Aaah! Everything is so confusing!

Re: 2

[actuallyselfish]

"The heating process alters the flavor too!" Dido hastily adds. "During the mixing process, we also introduce an culture of microorganisms that eat sugar and excrete carbon dioxide: that's why the bread becomes large and fluffy..."

Her voice trails off. "I think I understand why you're freaking out." She says softly. "If making food's complex, then how complex must other things be? How will you be able to understand anything in this reality? Am I right?"

Re: 2

[dolorous_sensei]

Yes...

*It gnaws the bread silently.*