#▐▌♛:▐ thread five — ( settleintoash )

[cerberice]

SMOKE WAFTS INTO THE AIR, delightful scents clinging to it with every step taken closer toward the multitude of grills. seeing things made of glass cook delicacies as this was unique, though it was more the grumble of his stomach that drew him here, accompanied by a face that has become more familiar at his side when they got the chance to meet up. ❝ Smells good, doesn't it? Better than undersea brine any day if you ask me, ❞ he comments, taking a moment to enjoy the myriad of scents.

a few more steps forward is all it takes for him to stop, planting them in the center of it all, as he gleans over the array of meals ready to eat and fully becoming prepped.

❝ So. Any familiar dishes here for you? We'll give them a try. And by we'll, that mostly means me, given I haven't had anything from your home yet. ❞

@settleintoash

[cerberice]

EMBARRASSING DOESN'T COME TO MIND, at least not in that particular statement. wasn't it normal for many to care about their physique, especially in such an active path as a mercenary? ❝ I don't see anything wrong with that. I tend to be lowkey, too, as you've seen. Besides, keeping in top shape is necessary for some things, ❞ he adds, a shrug of his shoulders. ❝ I don't think there's a professional food smeller job out there. But if there is, we've found the right guy for it, ❞ he teases, the smile on his lips far too obvious for it to be anything else.

❝ I can't say I'm the same. I'm accustomed to the welfare meals we give. And, well... let's just say some of the milkshakes aren't exactly the best unless you're looking for desolation. ❞ even the thought of it alone puts his tastebuds into a dire mood, like some aftertaste washing over them in fear he might have to taste it again.

soon enough, they arrive to wherever hoederer's nose leads him, his free hand placing itself on his hip. ❝ This the spot? It does smell good, that's for sure. ❞

"Both surviving, and well, even in Rhodes Island, I'd rather not be too much of a bother. And I care about my physique-" What an embarrassing statement, he can feel his cheeks heat up as he continues walking, the small heat flaring up to rival his hair as he sees Wriothesley's hand reach out, and he greedily grabs it with his own, fingers locking securely.

Quickly, he diverts his attention back to the stalls.

"Hardly professional, but...Well, this way, I think." Tugging his companion, he continues further into the stalls, deeper into the crowd. "I smell something familiar. We never had much, but my mom was a great cook with what she could do. I could never rival her palette." His own food was so bland in comparison.

[cerberice]

HIS MOTION EARLY HARDLY GOES UNNOTICED, only tucked away for a moment as they stop their walking. chicken was usual, as well as potatoes, but he hadn't thought the meals the other would have eaten would be so simple. ❝ No shame in that. Gotta do what you need to survive, right? ❞ he understands that much far too easily, the smile on his face expressing that well enough. back before he took over meropide, welfare meals were but a laughing thought, something none would ever think to be real.

it was a harsh environment that so many could barely make through.

❝ And right on cue, ❞ he teases, the smell also finding its way to him — something unfamiliar, though inviting all the same, were it the same. it nearly makes his stomach growl a little the more they wait. ❝ We'll track it down in no time. ❞ at least he hopes so, one hand now reaching out to take the others, a subtle response to his earlier movement, before beginning to walk along to inspect each stall. ❝ Let me know if you the place it's coming from. I may have a vague idea, but you're the professional here. ❞

"Definitely...I've never really been too partial to fish, but I also haven't spent much time near water." Or under it, he thinks, remembering Fontaine and where Wriothesley lives. He can feel his hand drifting over, fingers gently out, as though to hook into the hand of the other until they both stop and he quickly moves his hand back to his side.

"Familiar dishes? Well, I guess I mostly eat, uh, chicken. Maybe some other grilled food. I make sure I have high protein intake - and baked potatoes are good to keep up healthy carbohydrates-"

A pause, a familiar smell. Odd seasonings, for th epoor where the land can hardly grow anything.

"Oh,"

"Maybe.." How odd, and how nostalgic, he turns to his companion. "Let's look around."