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teacup-crow · 4 years ago

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Sparklers

Here's my entry @zombiesmake round 1, 25/06/21! Thanks as ever to @puptart and @crownleys!

[EDIT] Based on prompt 3 - a ThoughtCo article on Chemical Elements of Fireworks (I also used the WikiHow article 3 Ways to Make Fireworks for research and got mixed up).

Gentle Tom/Steve, which is such a rarepair I didn’t know I was writing it until Tom just. Showed up. Unexpectedly. He’s here now, I guess!

Set post S7M7 with spoilers for that mission!

He’d asked her for permission like a sixteen-year-old with a prom date, sat in her office still smelling of chemicals, the hair on his arms standing up on one end. Janine had stared him down until he looked away, her eyes piercing his flesh, her knuckles white on the desk. “If you do a single thing to hurt him, Mr Sissay, have not a shadow of a doubt, I will shoot you in the head.”

“Understood, ma’am,” Steve replied, fighting the urge to salute as he squirmed in his chair.

“Please, don’t take this personally. I have had the same conversation with Miss Marsh. Now, if you must, go and get on with it.”

So, all in all, that could have gone worse.

Steve’s father was the one who taught him all about making fireworks. On icy November evenings they would sit around the bonfire, the face of the straw-stuffed Guy melting away, and he’d watch the man’s callused, animated hands gesturing, made shadowy with flame.

“Now, it’s a more precise science than you might expect. There are an awful lot of ways this can go very, very wrong if you aren’t careful.”

The sparkler they’d made in the workshop a few days earlier spit and sputtered and spat in the boy’s grip. Three hundred grams of potassium chlorate. Sixty grams of aluminium shavings. Two grams of charcoal. “Sticking to the recipe is vital, just like your mother when she’s baking. Get it wrong, and it won’t rise off the ground. Get it wrong, and there’s too much smoke. Get it wrong enough –“ and here he chuckled – “and you burn your face off like Fawkes there.”

“John, stop scaring the boy!” His mother had admonished, then, and ushered him into the kitchen to refill the guests’ wine glasses. His father, the kind of upper-middle-class man with enough free time and money on his hands to have wildly dangerous hobbies. Steve’s mother often complained that he couldn’t have picked golf or shooting or hunting. Well, before he disappeared, and left nothing but smears of coal ash in his midst, and she had plenty worse things to complain about. He can’t remember much of the man now apart from those hands, which he sees whenever he looks at his own, warming them over a campfire.

In the present, it’s only seven PM, but it’s already growing dark. Tom is lying back in the crunchy fallen leaves, wearing Steve's favourite jumper, staring at the sky and not saying a word. It’s so rare to get the man this quiet and still and happy that Steve enjoys it while it lasts. He seems so much happier and healthier now than the wild, filthy wretch he’d been years earlier, wandering through the wasteland and baying for his sister’s blood. His eyes are clear, his skin clean and healed and soft, his face clean-shaven and ruggedly handsome. Steve finds himself staring, and tears his eyes away from a de Luca for the second time that day.

He’d planned out about a thousand ways to make this romantic – grand gestures have always been his thing, even though they never worked too well on Kefilwe. But even he knew that it would be a bad idea for Tom, who had required an itemised itinerary of what they would be doing before he even agreed to going on a date. Picnic in the forest. Share a bottle of wine. Talk about... whatever this is. Home again before the gates close for the night. It’s hard to accept that these quiet, little things might possibly be enough to show the depth of his feeling. Truth is, he’d shatter the sky into shards of multicolour glitter for the man if he could.

“Kefilwe was speaking to me today,” Tom says suddenly. His eyes are closed, now. He’s almost talking to no-one. “At the trial.”

Steve winces. He wants to ask a thousand questions. What did she tell you about me? What was she whispering in your ear? Has she told you everything she knows I’ve done? He wishes they didn’t come to him, that his first thoughts weren’t riddled with fear and guilt and shame, but he can’t help it.

“Oh?” he manages, and rummages in the bag for the drink, the matchbox at the bottom, a small tupperware case which rattles in his hands.

“She… I was glad she did, actually. She… you know, I’ve done so many terrible things,” Tom says. “Even… before. Back when I was fine. I hurt so many people. Tore apart so many families. And I just keep wondering and wondering what it was for, over and over...”

“There are people – people like us – who have to do those things to make the world spin,” Steve replies lamely. He didn’t want to have this conversation, not tonight. He’d hoped that for one night he could avoid being confronted with the reality of his sin, avoid his crimes being thrust in his face. Hasn’t he gone through enough? God knows Tom has. Haven’t they both done their penance?

“Do you really believe that?”

The lack of light pollution means there are so many more stars now than there ever used to be, even if they’re shrouded with clouds tonight. Perhaps, now the war is over, there’s no more need for fireworks. Perhaps there’s no more need for someone like him.

“Here,” he nudges Tom, who opens his eyes and sees the box of sparklers. “Want to set these alight?”

Tom props himself up on one elbow, and the side of his face not too numb with scarring to move creases into a wry smile. “Commemorating gunpowder, treason and plot, eh? Haven’t we had enough of that for a lifetime?”

“Here’s to that ending. To peace, I suppose, whatever that entails for people like us.” Steve strikes a match for both of them, and watches the sparks reflecting in the other man’s soft grey eyes. “To new beginnings.”

“Now we’ll make our own stars,” Tom says, gazing at the light. “Carve our own paths. It’s about time both of us tried that.”

#zombies make #zombies run #zrs7 spoilers #this is so short i ran out of time rip

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certifiedskywalker · 5 years ago

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Pasta Sauce - Klaus Hargreeves

You knew when you fell for Klaus that you were in it for the long haul. What you didn’t know was just how terrible of a cook Klaus was. One night, you try to remedy that.

“Is it supposed to be screaming?”

“What?”

“The water, is it supposed to be screaming?” A sharp streak of panic rushes through you and you darted over to the stove where Klaus stood. His curious and concerned green eyes were focused on the pot of boiling water in front of him. Bubbles popped, splashed up after the steam and you rolled your eyes.

“It’s not screaming,” you sigh and turn the knob to lower the heat. “It’s boiling. It’s ready.” “Oh.” You shook your head and nodded your head towards the piece of paper on the countertop. “Hand me that, please.” Klaus handed you the recipe and you busied yourself with rereading the steps. “Once the water comes to a boil, pour in the rigatoni and cook for eight minutes. Stir every so often so the pasta doesn’t stick.” “What the fuck does a rigatoni look like?” Klaus asked. His eyes scoured the counter near the stove with furrowed brows. You bit back a laugh and pointed to the package of pasta that came with the recipe set. “It’s noodles?” “Pasta, yes,” you smiled at him, “did you not see the picture?” You flipped the recipe page over and held it out to him. His confused expression morphed into one of disbelief and he stole the paper from your grasp. “It’s supposed to look like this?!” He points at the picture showing the dish. You had thought signing up for a free trial, delivered-but-make-at-home food service would cut the drama out of cooking with Klaus. So far, it had done the opposite. “Not exactly like that but…” Klaus squinted his eyes at you, “something like that.” Klaus grumbled something under his breath and you snatched the recipe from his hands. “I don’t understand why we can’t order out…” “Klaus, we talked about it.” He rolled his eyes as he pushed himself up on the counter. His long legs swung in the air, his bare feet nearly skirting against the floor. “I know, I know. It’s ‘too expensive’ and ‘not healthy’.” As he spoke, he scrunched his fingers for air-quotations to mock what you had told him. You raised a brow at him and, noticing your cold stare, Klaus let his hands fall to his sides. “It’s so easy though.” You hummed gently as you turned back to the stove and poured the uncooked pasta into the water. “Sounds like you’re just lazy.” “I am,” Klaus said dryly, “you’re just figuring this out now?” You heard his feet slap against the floor as he landed. Your body tensed, waiting for Klaus to tickle you or try to scare you; but what surprised you was his wiry arms wrapping around your waist. “I guess I just had faith you were putting on a show,” you joked. Klaus hummed softly in reply and you could feel the vibrations in his chest against your back. You wanted to turn away from the stove and just melt into Klaus’ warmth. Maybe even order a pizza? No, you had to stay strong and firm. To show yourself you were steadfast, you set a timer for the pasta. “I do like putting on shows for you,” Klaus whispered lowly in your ear. His embrace around your middle tightened and you felt your resolve waver, only until a wicked idea entered your mind. You turned in his arms so that you faced him. There was a mischievous glimmer in Klaus’ green eyes ad you grinned at him. Your hands lifted and cupped his jaw, ready to pull him in for a kiss. “Then why don’t you,” you leaned closer, just so that when you spoke, your lips brushed against Klaus’. “Put on a show for me now?” “Really? Now?” Klaus raised a brow and let his arms around you fall. His hands found your hips and a smile spread along with his features. You nodded in response and Klaus’ smile grew larger as he lifted a hand. “What kind of-” “This one!” You slapped the wooden spoon you had been stirring into his palm before he could reach your face. “Happy stirring!” You slid away from the stove and darted over to the far end of the counter. Klaus was too busy staring at where you had been to look over at you. A laugh slipped past your lips when he finally turned to face you. His smile was gone, replaced by a knowing smirk. “You’ll pay for that,” he teased threateningly. You grinned and shook your head. “No, I won’t. I gave you the easy job.” “Oh yeah?” “Yup,” you gestured towards the counter that was covered in a variety of lingering ingredients. “I have to make the pasta sauce.” You waited for Klaus to speak up, tease you further, but, instead, he went to mindlessly stirring the pot of cooking noodles. For a moment, you thought he was joking. You waited for him to turn and walk off to sulk in your shared room; but he didn’t. With a small sound of shock, you turned to busy yourself with chopping the vegetables. The process went quickly in the quiet. In fact, it was the calmest you had ever seen Klaus; besides when you were bed. Every so often, you heard the tell-tale ‘swish’ of the spoon in the water as you finished chopping. You glance over at him and smiled. If the future looked like this, with the easy quiet and Klaus, would felt you could be happy forever. “How’s it going?” You asked as you brought the vegetables over to the stove. “Slow,” Klaus replied without missing a beat. You smiled as you set a saucepan on the stove and set the flame on underneath it.

“Have you tested one of the noodles?” Klaus turned his eyes to you with a wary glance. “You can do that?” “You should,” you explained. You took the wooden spoon from him and fished a pasta spiral out of the pot. “Blow on it before you eat it.” Klaus let out a smug chuckle and you rolled your eyes. “What, it’s what-” “Just eat it, Klaus.” Before he could giggle like a school-girl, you pushed the spoon to his face. He took the bite and cringed. “What is it?” “Is it supposed to be crunchy?” You wanted his jaw tense as he bit down and the sound made you cringe too. “It needs a bit longer then.” You gave him the spoon back with a smile. “Get back to stirring.” Klaus gave you a grimace. “Anything for you,” he teased.

“Thank you, babe.” You played along with a smile as Klaus went back to the pasta. Quiet settled over the two of you once more. After pouring a tablespoon or more in the saucepan, you added the vegetables you chopped. Each cubed tomato and shreds of green onion sizzled in the hot oil. Before you could even begin to stir the base of the sauce, Klaus looked over in the pan with an almost child-like curiosity. “Wanna switch?” “What?” “Switch stirring positions,” Klaus clarified, “do you want to switch?” “Are you asking for a raise?” Your teasing made Klaus grin, but it wasn’t the type of grin you were expecting. There was something in his eyes that set you on edge; like the top of the roller-coaster before the downwards rush. It was thrilling and fun and terrifying all at once. “No, I just want to stir the sauce.” You gave him a questioning quirk of and eyebrow and Klaus sighed. “My face is full of steam. Please?” Klaus stuck out his bottom lip dramatically and widened his sad eyes. Against your better judgment and with a momentary lapse of memory regarding Klaus’ history with pranks, you conceded. “Alright, fine.” You and Klaus shuffled around each other in a small dance. Now you stood in front of the steaming pot of water with cooking pasta and Klaus in front of the start of the sauce. You gave him a careful glance as he pushed the tomatoes and onions around in the saucepan. When you saw that the onion had gone brown, you nudged Klaus with your elbow. “Tomato paste.” “What?” “Add tomato paste and look at the recipe.” Klaus reached for the paper and read it carefully. His brow furrowed and you saw that he was reading the same step over again. “You’re the one that wanted to be in charge of the sauce.” “Yes, I did,” Klaus murmured as he squeezed the tomato paste from the tube. With a ‘plop’, soon followed by a sizzle, the paste spread into the oil and the sauce began to form. You watched as he stirred. “I did.” “You did,” you echoed with a furrowed brow. Once the sauce had melded, Klaus flicked off the stove and let it cool. Yet, he still continued to stir as the heat faded away. You glanced at your own pot of food. You still had a bit until the timer you set went off; the sauce was done sooner than it should have taken.“Klaus what are you-” “I did because I wanted to do this!” Before you could respond or shriek or even flinch, Klaus flicked the spoon in your direction. Warm red-sauce splattered against your clothes and cheek. You screamed in shock and fright, although the sound was drowned out by Klaus’ laughter. “Oh you,” you clamped your jaw shut to keep from saying something you would regret. Klaus, on the other hand, couldn’t have cared less. “I told you!” Klaus choked out between fits of laughter. “You paid for it!” As Klaus got lost in what you imagined was pure joy, you reached your own stirring spoon into the saucepan. When you were content with the amount of tomato mixture you had gathered, you flung it at Klaus. Even when the sauce got in his chocolate curls and splattered across his face, Klaus continued to laugh. “Hey!” You stepped towards him and Klaus wiped at his eyes. His hand brushed against his cheek and swiped away a spot of sauce. “You’re a menace,” you grumbled under your breath. Klaus met your gaze and, with a smile like the one he gave you, you couldn’t stay mad for long. “But I’m your menace,” Klaus leaned in but before he could kiss you, you dragged your index finger along his cheek and gathered up some sauce on your fingertip. You popped the taste in your mouth and hummed. “And my cook, apparently. It’s good sauce.” Klaus smiled and reached his hands up to your face. You could feel his fingers brush through the sauce on your own face as he pulled your lips to his. For a moment, all you tased was tomato, then something sweet. Something you wished you could savor for the rest of your life. “Ya know what else is good?” Klaus asked when he pulled away from your lips. When he spoke, his breath tickled your neck and you couldn’t help but smile. “You cleaning up the mess you made?” Klaus let out a breathy laugh and let his head fall before he brought his gaze up to meet yours. “I think I remember you throwing some sauce too,” he pointed out. “Ah yes, but you threw the first spoonful.” You tapped Klaus’ nose lightly to tease him. “How about you start cleaning and I’ll salvage what I can of the sauce.” “Fine,” Klaus sighed. He leaned in once more and gave you a kiss. His soft lips melded against yours and you hummed into the touch. Klaus pulled away and you ran your fingers through his messy hair. Droplets of sauce gathered between your fingers and you cringed. “You have sauce in your hair.” Klaus grinned. “So do you.” You grinned back at him. You could live with this; all of it, including the mess, if it meant Klaus would be by your side.

#klaus hargreeves #klaus hargreeves x reader #klaus hargreeves imagine #klaus hargreeves imaignes #klaus hargreeves fanfic #klaus hargreeves fanfiction #tua #tua imagine #tua imagines #tua fanfic #tua fanfiction #the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy imagine #the umbrella academy imagines #the umbrella academy fanfci #the umbrella academy fanfiction

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for-the-ninth · 4 years ago

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WIP Wednesday!

Thanks for the tag @noire-pandora! Everyone I was gonna tag already has been, but if you haven’t been tagged and wanna be, leave me a comment or shoot me a DM and I’ll add it.

This is another snippet from the second chapter of my first fic that I started reworking a few days ago. I got stuck trying to finish it last night, so hopefully posting some of it will help.

PS: I’m still looking for more beta readers! I currently have one who is committed and one person who’d like to go through a trial period (which I’m happy to do with anyone who isn’t sure if we’ll vibe). Check my pinned post and feel free to reach out. I’m also down to read your work if you’re feeling shy about it and just want another pair of eyes (I’m especially good at hyping up nervous writers because I myself am one lol so I can give you many compliments if that’s what you need!!). Anywhere, here’s the bit:

Hours later, Shielan startled awake and shot up from her cot. Her hands flew to her chest and throat as she gasped for air, and a soldier ran over to ask, “What’s the matter?”

His eyes were as wide as hers, and it took her several seconds of staring at his shadowed face to recognize where she was. Slowly, her gaze peeled away from him and she took stock of her surroundings. The sun had gone to sleep and the canopy was lit only by fire. Within it were mostly sleeping refugees, peppered with insomniacs who snapped their necks up to look at her quizzically as she disturbed them with her wheezing.

When her eyes returned to the soldier, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“How long was I out?”

“You stayed awake long enough to create this”—he gestured vaguely at the canopy above them—“at which point you passed out and remained dead to the world until now.”

“Yes, and when is now?”

“The moon is full in its sky, Herald.”

She sighed. A day wasted. In one alarmingly swift motion, she threw off her blankets and stood, then groaned as she stretched and felt her spine crinkle to life. Her stomach growled. Food. There was none to be found upon a cursory glance of the clusters of supplies, and she assumed they’d brought a limited supply to begin with. It didn’t feel right to go around asking for it. She rifled around for her wool robes and gloves, slipped both on and donned her hood. Little in the way of foraging would be available this time of year, but she could scout out a few rabbits before sunrise, maybe a wandering ram or two if she was quiet about it. As she finished tying her boots, she looked up to find the soldier staring down at her.

“Can I help you?” she asked, with one eyebrow cocked.

“Commander says you are to be resting, my Lady.”

She rolled her eyes and strode past him. “You can tell Rutherford he’s not my fucking keeper.”

On the other side of the canopy, the environment was largely the same, though windier and much colder, and she made a mental note to weave more shelters for the refugees as she crept off into the woods. Along the way, she started hashing out hunting plans. Her staff had been lost to the avalanche, and although she was proficient with a dagger and decent with a bow, neither of those weapons were in large supply. Lighting the rabbits on fire would certainly cook them faster, but nobody wanted a mouthful of hair in their stew. Lightning would draw too much attention and carried the same risks as fire, and drowning was both implausible considering the lack of water and arguably the least merciful of her options.

“Fuck, I hate trap and snap,” she muttered. But it was the most efficient and humane method available to her, so she stalked the woods, slipping in and out of trees and tiptoeing across crunchy snow until she came upon a lone rabbit. Without a sound, she trapped it within an invisible box, snapped its neck and slipped the body into her robe without looking. Deshanna would kill me right now.

Her Keeper had always known Shielan wasn’t cut out to be a Hunter, but forced her to learn basic trapping skills anyway. It came in handy when she lived alone, but even a decade of killing for food hadn’t desensitized her to the overbearingly eerie stare of a dead corpse. Deshanna had always encouraged her to make peace with the animal, and to honor it before and after it was slain. The most she could muster was a swift death and a tentative reservation within some far off compartment of her brain—a little hub dedicated to the honoring of animals that she’d promise to think about, but never consciously would. Luckily she found the few rabbits stupid enough to roam the mountain alone in the dead of night within an hour’s time, and headed back to camp.

Shortly before reaching the treeline, she was stopped by someone’s thick hand wrapping tight around her wrist from behind. Without hesitation, she whirled toward her assailant and bounced the edge of her flattened hand against his throat. The smooth scrape of steel against sheathe alerted her to a second presence, and she looked up from beneath the sulking hem of her hood to examine his face. He was young and scared, but his comrade—who had recovered from his injury and was once again advancing upon Shielan—showed no fear in the grip he tightened around her neck.

#wip wednesday #fanfic #dragon age inquisition

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saviorsbookcafe · 4 years ago

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The Savior’s Book Café in Another World: Chapter 3

INDEX || PREVIOUS || NEXT

Chapter 3: An Encounter in a Different World

Translated by: sydney Proofread by: Necro

“Welcome.”

Relieved that my voice still works, I look at my first customer, book clutched to my chest.

A man, possibly a few years older than me, around the same decade.

With crisp features, he is good-looking in a way that could be called handsome.

He gives off a somewhat intimidating, but honest impression.

He is wearing the same Knights uniform that I saw in a book before, with a beautifully designed sword at his hip.

At the sound of my voice, he looks at me and his body stiffens for a moment.

His eyes seem wary.

After a moment, he speaks to me.

“I left my horse in the paddock outside but, is that alright?”

“Yes, there’s a barrier to prevent any theft, so please let it run around freely. Or if you don’t want to release it, you can tie it up in the stable at the edge of the paddock.”

“I’ll leave her as is then. The sign outside said this is a ‘book café’...?”

“Yes, you are free to read any of the books here. The books in this café are enchanted so that they won’t get dirty, so while it may not be very good manners, you can read while eating here,” I say, throwing a little joke in, and his stiff demeanor relaxes a little, a small smile breaking out onto his face.

His gaze moves to the bookshelves in the café, then to the book in my arms, his eyes widening.

As he opens his mouth again, his voice wavers a little.

“That book, wasn’t it already out of print...?”

“Yes, I desperately wanted to read it and I finally got it, so today’s the first day it’s in the café. Would you like to read it?”

“Yes, of course!”

As if that tense air had never existed, he smiles happily.

I react the same way upon finding a book I want to read, so I can understand how he feels.

“You can sit wherever you’d like, and because customers rarely come, feel free to read as much as you’d like,” I tell him, handing him the book in my hands.

Taking the book happily, he looked around the café, before moving to a seat in the corner.

The chair he chose was in front of the fire, so it was in one of the most relaxing areas.

There are seats divided by partitions as well, but those seats are a little farther from the bookshelves, so anyone who wants to devote their time to reading probably won’t choose those.

And I just realized, I forgot to put out a sign for the private room.

After I close up tonight, I’ll have to write up something so customers even know there’s a private room.

Making a mental note, I hand him a menu.

Since this is a café, I made certain to offer a variety of teas and coffees, and mainly added light meals to the menu.

There are also plenty of meals that are easy to eat while reading on there.

That said, since this café is open late into the night, I prepared a few types of heavier meals as well.

It’s evening already, so if he orders anything I wonder if he’ll just order something to drink before dinner, or if he’ll order a heavier meal as an early dinner.

Contrary to my thoughts, he hesitated over the menu before pointing to the page with lighter meals.

“I’ll have a sandwich with tea.”

“Of course, I’ll have it out shortly.”

Is this just a light dinner, or is he going to eat late but wants to eat something in the meantime?

Wait, this isn’t something I should be concerned with.

I’m curious about my first customer, but I quickly leave those thoughts behind and return to the kitchen space.

It’s rude to be nosy.

I readjust my ponytail from over my shoulder to behind my head and wash my hands.

I headed towards a pantry I made in a blind spot from the café interior, and summoned ingredients with my pendant.

This world has some foods that are the same as in the world I grew up in, along with some foods I’ve never heard of before, but I went through plenty of trial and error combining those ingredients to come up with a menu full of items I’m confident in.

It’d be perfectly fine for me to summon things directly from my pendant, but as someone who loves cooking, I want to make it myself.

I chose some ingredients from what the pendant had to offer, and summoned them with a smile.

What he had ordered was the lighter of two kinds of sandwiches.

If he had chosen the other one, it would have had meat and cooked vegetables and would definitely be more filling, but this one was significantly quicker to make.

Even so, I took my time making it.

Fresh tomatoes, a vegetable from this world similar to lettuce, and crunchy charred bacon.

It’s a sandwich made with vegetables I summoned the same way as the first ingredients.

Since it’s for a main course though, I added ham and cheese and grilled it.

It makes a light crunch as I cut it with my knife, and the cheese drips out of the edges of the sandwich.

Maybe I’ll have a sandwich for lunch tomorrow too, I think as I plate the completed sandwich.

I can even summon as many rare ingredients as I want, and I have plenty of time and love cooking.

Since I’m the only one who’s ever tasted any of them, everything here is made to my taste, but I think they’re all good dishes.

I hope my first customer likes the café and the food here.

Carrying the sandwich and a pot of tea, I made my way to him, where he seemed to be focusing intently on the book in front of him.

Remembering the times when I’m in the middle of reading, I hesitate to call out to him, but I have no choice.

“I’m sorry for the wait. You can have as much tea as you’d like, the teapot won’t run out of water.”

“O-oh, thanks.”

The pot is enchanted not to run out and is also enchanted to not cool off, no matter how long it sits.

I place the teapot and a small jar of tea leaves on the table along with a cup and the plated sandwich, and offer him a pocketwatch.

“This watch has an alarm on it. There’s no time limit so you can stay until closing if you’d like, but if you need to leave by a certain time, then please use this. That way it will only ring in your head.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

“I’m running this café casually, so I’ll just be reading or working, but don’t mind me. You can read as many of the books in the café as you’d like.”

At first, I felt that it might not be good to be reading a book while other customers are here, but then I thought that if I were in their position, I’d be more uncomfortable if the staff were just standing around.

And since I don’t really have to profit off of this café, it wouldn’t really hurt if people stopped coming.

“I see, in that case I’ll read as much as I’d like.”

“Yes, if you need anything please ring the bell on your table. Oh, and for the series you’re reading, I just got the rest of them in today, so I have the next one as well.”

“Really?! I spent so long looking for them, but I’d given up. Thank you,” he says, looking truly happy, and I smile at him, telling him to take his time before stepping away.

I told him what I needed to, so I just didn’t want to disturb his reading time any longer than necessary.

I turn away as he picks up the sandwich and returns to the world of his book, and return to the counter myself.

Just as he took a bite of the sandwich, he made a surprised face, before smiling a bit and continuing to eat, so I hope he liked it.

I don’t really like working very hard, but having a customer come like this still makes me happy.

Listening to the sound of the pages of a book being turned, I returned my gaze to the book in my hand.

He ended up staying focused on his book until his alarm rang, but it looks like his alarm went off about halfway through the book.

He looks extraordinarily disappointed as he stands from his chair, not even trying to hide his reluctance to part with the book as he looks at it.

When he paid for his meal, he was very surprised at how cheap everything was, but because I can summon as many ingredients as I want for free, I only set the prices high enough to not be suspicious.

Of course, it would be strange if everything was free, so I just set the prices as low as I could.

Having paid, he looked at the book in his hands, before eventually noticing the stack of books next to the register, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.

He picks up the topmost book, his voice strained as he asks, “This one too, it was only supposed to have a limited number of copies.”

“Yeah, I happened to end up with it, so I thought I’d put it in the café.”

After staring at the book, he looks around the café, his gaze running over each of the bookcases, and his eyes brighten.

“I’m going to come back tomorrow. If I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I’d want to stay longer.”

He continues looking around the café eagerly, yet disappointedly.

There are several more books after the one he read today, and I’m sure if he had the time he would stay until closing.

Holding the partially-read book in hand, he opens his mouth apologetically.

“I’m in the middle of this one, but would it be possible for you to put it aside, so that no one else borrows it?”

“Yes, I can do that. This café is entirely a hobby for me, and I haven’t put any advertisements out, so even though it’s been some time since it opened, you’re my first and only customer. I think it’s unlikely that anyone else will come.”

“Is that so...? Well, it certainly is deep in the forest. Since I can leave my horse untethered, I’ll come again. And the book....”

“I’ll give you a bookmark for that. Please write your name on it and leave it in the book, and I’ll hold it at the counter until you come back.”

“Thank you. If that’s all, then I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting. Thank you very much.”

He leaves with a relaxed smile, and I don’t feel any of the tension from when he first arrived.

I wonder if it was stress, or if he was just tired.

Whenever I’m getting stressed, I want to read, so maybe he’s like me in that way.

The bookmark in his book has the name ‘Ill’ written on it.

“Ill-san, huh? I’m glad my first customer seems to be a good person.”

At first he seemed intimidating, but he turned out to be calm and charming.

He was polite too, so maybe he’s just the type of person who has an intimidating atmosphere.

Personally, he looked to be just my type.

I don’t know if he’ll actually come tomorrow, but for now I’ll start cleaning up and getting ready to close.

Maybe I’ll make a slightly nicer dinner as a celebration of my first customer.

Oh, before I forget, I need to put out a sign for that room.

Riding my beloved horse on the path back to the castle, my mind races with everything that’s happened today.

A smile broke out onto my face as I thought, I really found a nice place today.

As someone who’s been teased for being a bookworm, that book café was a gold mine.

The atmosphere was nice, and the food was delicious and just as I liked.

The owner of the café was calm and friendly, so I’m looking forward to returning after work tomorrow.

She said it’s been some time since that café opened, but I wish I’d found it sooner.

But as soon as I see the castle from a distance, that happy feeling withers away.

The castle where the king who rules this country lives, and the place I live as a member of the Knights.

The place where a young Savior girl who it is said will save the world arrived.

I let out a sigh, and am reminded of the sour morning I had because of her.

Early in the morning, just after sunup, I looked out the window from high in the tower of Osela Castle.

Below were the horse grounds.

Normally the Knights’ horses would be lazily running around there, but now there wasn’t a single horse in sight.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Just ‘cause the Savior got scared by a horse and fell, now we can’t even let them run around,” the man standing next to me spats.

The light reflected almost too brightly off of his short blond hair, which was the opposite color of mine.

“And after she was the one who came into the horse grounds unannounced. Is she trying to stress out the horses until the next monster subjugation?” I added.

I’m grateful that even if I would normally be reprimanded for complaining in my position, I don’t have to hold back in front of my trusted childhood friend.

Ever since the Savior came to this country several months ago, the castle has been uncomfortably tense.

Everyone watched how the Savior acted, and tried to go unnoticed so as to not get hurt.

But the incident with the horses was completely unprecedented.

“I’m working with the Princess to figure out the Savior’s whereabouts and find a time and place to let our horses out, so we’re managing for now, but are you okay? Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to leave your horse with me?”

“You wouldn’t be able to hide taking two horses out at once. Don’t worry, after I finish the work for the Knights, I’ll be going on a long ride.”

“But you’re always looking forward to spending some time reading once work’s over. It must be stressful for a bookworm like you.”

“I’m more concerned about my horse’s stress than mine. It’s not that bad.”

“You don’t have as much time to eat either, right? You’ll collapse before long.”

“I can manage that much. You too, don’t get so irritated that the Princess hates you. You finally got engaged, after all.”

“Yeah, I got it. It’d be nice if the Prince would pay attention to his surroundings like before. To think that despite being lectured by the King, Queen, and his older brother and younger sister, he’s still in a trance with the Savior. What a pain.”

The Savior who arrived at this castle was a beautiful young girl.

She is one of the Saviors said to sometimes descend upon this world from a different world.

It is said that any country who obtains a Savior who has learned the powerful magic called Great Magic would even be able to unite the world with that power.

I heard the several Saviors who descended upon this world are working to learn Great Magic.

Osela is a country with no interest in uniting the world, but everyone is still happy that there is a Savior in their country.

Not only will her existence alone suppress invasions by other countries, but the second Prince of this country has fallen in love for the first time, with the young Savior girl.

But it was only at first that everyone welcomed their relationship.

If she were to learn Great Magic, marry the Prince and rule the country with him, the peace in this country would be guaranteed.

However....

“The Savior, huh. If she would just learn one spell, even a basic one, it’d be different,” I noted.

“Apparently she hates studying. We may not have enough magic to use Great Magic, but now I know there really is no point in just having magic.”

No matter how much time passed, she never learned a single spell.

She’s refusing to learn even basic spells that young kids can manage so long as they have some knowledge of magic.

There’s no doubt that she has magic, an amount ours can’t even compare to.

Just as we sigh simultaneously, we hear bright laughter echoing from far away.

Looking towards the source of the sound, it’s the Savior clinging cheerfully onto the Prince.

Upon seeing her, my brows furrowed and I let out another heavy sigh.

My sigh comes at the same time as one next to me, and my friend’s gaze is locked on the Prince and the Savior as he opens his mouth irritatedly, “She’s so conceited, so what if she’s a Savior?”

“Don’t let anyone hear you saying that.”

“Everyone’s thinking it, they just won’t admit it. Since the Prince is head over heels for her, no one’s bringing it up, but even though it’s been near half a year since she got here, she’s just spending all her time hanging around the Prince and hasn’t learned a single spell. But on the other hand, it’d be bad if another country took her, so we can’t just throw her out either. And we can’t have her convincing the Prince to run away with her to another country either. Just thinking about it irritates me. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ill. If I didn’t have anyone to complain to, I’d go insane.”

“I feel the same, Beork. I hope we can find a way to solve this all.... Ah, it’s about time to get back to work.”

“Today we start the real work. Not only are we unable to rely on the Savior, but we have to reinforce our patrols, too. I’ll leave that to you, right, Knight Captain Soeil?”

“Stop with that ridiculous formality, Beork. You’re the Vice Knight Captain after all.”

I pat Beork, who called me not by the usual nickname “Ill” but by my full name “Soeil,” on the back before heading towards the Knights’ main office.

Both in battle and in life, I’m always being saved by my friend.

“Yeah, yeah, the two brats from the countryside are now the Knight Captain and Vice Knight Captain. After everyone in the village was so happy, we’d be ostracized if we came back saying we quit the Knights because of a little girl. We can’t do anything about it, so we’ll just focus on what we can do.”

“Yeah. It’d be nice if this tense atmosphere would clear up soon.”

After another day of work ends, I get on my horse, suppressing my desire to read a book.

My horse cuts through the cold air, and I let out a sigh once we’re some distance away from the castle.

If happiness escaped with a sigh, I would have run out long ago.

“How did it come to this?”

The words I whispered from atop my horse are drowned out by the wind, not reaching a single person.

It used to be a peaceful country.

The royal family was overflowing with consideration for their people, and due to the efforts of the skilled Knights, there was very little harm done by monsters.

Just the other day, my childhood friend Beork was won over by the Princess, and they got engaged.

Beork, who had gone through girlfriend after girlfriend without interruption, is now completely captivated by the Princess.

I had told him with a laugh that I would have never expected that from the old him, and he told me now it’s my turn to find someone, and we’d joked around for a while.

It’s almost like those peaceful times never happened.

Even the Savior refusing to learn magic was tolerable at first.

Saviors are said to come from another world, so that means this young girl was suddenly taken away from her parents to live in a world completely unlike what she’s used to.

She must be missing her home, everyone thought, deciding at first to just watch over her.

More so, it was for the sake of the second Prince, who hasn’t had any romantic relationships despite his age.

But no matter how much time passed, she never learned any spells.

She would avoid it by saying she doesn’t like studying, crying like a child as she refused.

And then she started to use the fact that she’s a Savior to work towards her own selfishness, sneering at those of us who couldn’t leave.

She rejected the maids, and whined to the Prince that one of the maids had been mean to her.

The maid, who had worked here for many years and was overflowing with loyalty, had only given her a brief word of advice about her table manners.

We lied to her that the maid was fired, and instead switched the maid to exclusive work deep in the castle where the girl couldn’t enter.

She complained to the Prince that his retainer had bullied her.

All she had done was refuse to hand over her precious necklace that the girl said she wanted.

We gave the girl an identical copy, and had the Prince’s retainer switch to a different job.

She came into the horse grounds unannounced, scared the horses, and got hurt.

She had the horse grounds closed because she was scared, and ordered that no horse ever be brought in front of her.

The Prince stayed head over heels for her.

Something seems strange, the Prince wasn’t like this before, and the King used to be stricter in dealing with these sorts of things too.

At the very least, they weren’t the type of people to spoil her this much.

The King and the Queen are both objecting to the Prince, but there hasn’t been any apparent effect.

I want to complain to her, or better yet have her removed from the castle, but I won’t be forgiven if I say something like that.

I can’t relax in the castle with the tense atmosphere around me and all of this to think about.

If the Savior just learned Great Magic, it’d be peaceful again.

But is there any worth in a Savior who doesn’t have any intention of learning magic?

I’ve been wondering that to myself recently.

Ahh, I want to read.

The time I used to have set aside for reading has now been dedicated to taking my horse out for a long ride since the horse grounds have been closed.

She’s my beloved horse, my hobbies can’t compare to her wellbeing.

But even so, being surrounded by this tension and unable to even pick up a book is undeniably wearing on me.

My horse can probably tell, the way she looks up at me somewhat apologetically, making me feel even more cornered.

I gently pet her neck.

“Sorry, let’s take a bit of a different route today.”

I decided to go in a slightly different direction to get my mind off of things, and directed her into the forest where the snow was piling up.

And in the middle of the forest, I saw that café.

“...a café? This deep in the forest?”

I dismount from my horse and look up at the two-story building.

This place was deep in the forest, still within Osela’s territory but a distance from the town.

Not only was this place unsuitable for opening a café, it was unlikely that there would be any customers at all out here.

Even as someone who should be familiar with what’s in the country I work in, I’ve never heard of this place before.

A sign that said ‘Open’ hung on the front door, and the building had a subdued appearance.

A small sign in front of the building said ‘Book Café.’

“Book café? Is that a café that has books?”

I’ve never heard of this café, I wonder if the owner likes books.

If there are books inside, then maybe I can read for the first time in awhile.

As the thought crossed my mind, my horse tugged at her reins, pulling me towards something.

“What is it?”

Following her gaze, I see a space surrounded by a fence.

She seemed to be pulling me towards it, so I let her lead me and take a look, seeing a paddock big enough to leave her untethered, along with a small stable.

At the edge of the paddock grew plenty of grass that horses like, and there seemed to be a magic barrier to prevent the cold from getting in.

Next to the gate, there was a sign written in the same handwriting as the ‘Book Café’ sign out front, saying, ‘Please let the horses run around, and you can use the stable as well.’

My horse looked at the grass, her eyes sparkling, and I realize it’s about time for dinner for myself as well. I don’t have much of an appetite, but it’d still be best to eat something.

Deciding I’ll go into the café, I open the gate to the paddock.

The warm air soaks into my body, cold from the snowy road.

“This place has heating too? The café owner must have a lot of magic and magic control.”

It seems like there aren’t any other customers, and worst comes to worst I can come back and tether her later.

As soon as I let go of the reins, she immediately runs over to the grass and begins to eat it happily.

Once she eats, she’ll probably run around as much as she wants.

This would be quite a big paddock for personal use.

Because of the Savior, we haven’t been able to let the horses run around as they’d like recently, so I’m very grateful for this.

Leaving the paddock, I’m exposed to the cold air again as I walk to the entrance to the café.

As I gently push the door to the café open, warm air surrounds my body, and I hear the sound of a crackling fire and quiet music.

What surprises me is the number of bookcases.

I’d hoped there would be as many books as anyone with a hobby of reading would have, but this café is filled with impressive wooden bookcases lined up, packed with books.

“Welcome.”

I look in the direction of the composed voice to see a woman, probably a little younger than me, with a calm air about her, a book in her arms as she looks back at me.

Because I’ve had so many unpleasant encounters with the young Savior girl, just seeing a woman younger than me reminds me of her, putting me off a little.

But this woman’s calm demeanor makes that vanish in an instant.

To be honest, I had actually imagined the owner of this café would be a man, so that feeling was unexpected.

There’s no sign that anyone else is in the café, so this woman must be the owner.

I tell her that I’d left my horse in the paddock outside, and she says there’s a magic barrier on it to prevent any theft.

I’m very grateful, but that’s supposed to be considerably advanced magic.

The castle’s stable has a similar barrier, but when it was put up, everyone who had helped had drained their magic and was completely exhausted.

If that’s what happens when multiple people are involved, did this woman really do it all by herself?

Such a trivial problem is immediately forgotten when she tells me I can read any of the books in the café.

On the bookshelves are numerous books I’ve wanted to read but have never been able to get, and my depressed feelings instantly brighten up.

That one too, I’ve never read it before.

Next to that one is another book I’ve seen before and been curious about.

What’s more, the book she’s holding is the one I want to read most right now, a book I’d done everything I could to find.

The book I’d given up on, after it went out of print and there was no sign I’d be able to get it, is right in front of my eyes.

She hands me the book with a bright smile, and I thank her, looking around the café to see that there seems to be no one here except me.

She had told me I could sit anywhere, so I choose the most comfortable-looking chair.

The chair is comfortable, and good for reading.

I have to eat dinner, but I also want to read.

Honestly there’s been so much going on lately that I haven’t been feeling like eating much at all, so I decide eating something light will be enough.

I asked for a sandwich that I’ll be able to eat with one hand while reading, and a cup of tea, and immediately opened my book.

After reading for a short while, I hear her telling me my food is ready in an apologetic voice.

It’s obvious that she’d need to interrupt me since she’s bringing me what I ordered, but she seems apologetic about disturbing me.

It felt...very kind, and made me feel a bit better.

She hands me an enchanted pocketwatch, and I quickly calculate what time I need to return to the castle by.

Realizing there’s no doubt that I won’t finish this book tonight gives me a bit of a shock, but I decide to focus on reading as much as I can while I’m here.

She tells me to take my time, and I thank her, watching for a moment as she turns away.

She picks up a book on the counter and sits down to read.

I notice that the book she’s reading is another one that I like, and my mood rises again.

Having the clerk here reading as well makes me feel better about not paying much attention to what’s around me, and I’m grateful.

Not worrying about my surroundings, I’d be able to stay here for quite a long time.

Dropping my gaze back to my book, I take a bite of my sandwich, and it tastes so good that I can’t believe there isn’t anyone else here.

Unconsciously, the hand on my book stops moving as I taste the sandwich.

The vegetables and bread are delicious, I’ve never had a sandwich this good before.

Maybe it tastes even better because I haven’t had much appetite recently and have therefore just been making do in regards to meals.

The sandwich has a gentle flavor, one that seems to make all of my worries disappear.

I forgot how good food could taste, I think with a wry smile.

As soon as I take the first bite, my hand doesn’t stop moving, and despite thinking I didn’t have any appetite, the next thing I knew my plate was empty.

I’m left feeling somewhat unsatisfied, but now is my chance to do some reading for the first time in awhile.

Not only that, but I have a book I’ve always wanted in front of me, and now all I want to do is read.

Next time I come, I’ll try ordering something different, I decide, looking back down at the book in my hands.

She said that I could have as much tea as I wanted too, so the service here is very good.

Sitting in a comfortable chair near a warm fire and listening to quiet music while reading a book I like.

It’s an incredibly calm and luxurious time.

And as I read, the time passed in the blink of an eye.

It took me a moment to realize the gentle music echoing in my head was the alarm, and I became incredibly disappointed upon realizing time was already up.

But I ask for her to put my book aside at the counter, and leave the café in high spirits.

Outside, I see my beloved horse looking very refreshed.

I’m glad I changed routes today.

Mounting my horse, I turn away from the café.

Apparently I’m the first and, as of right now, only customer.

Sorry to the café, but it’s nice being the only one there, I think.

The food was delicious, and the prices were extremely cheap.

It seems she really is running this café as a side hobby like she said, since she probably won’t make any profit like that.

The atmosphere was just as I prefer, and there are still many more books I want to read there.

My horse glances over at the grass in the paddock longingly, and I stroke her back with a smile.

It seems she also really likes this café, and I’ve finally got an appetite for the first time in awhile.

“Let’s come back tomorrow. With those prices, it’s cheaper than cooking for myself. If I could, I’d come every day.”

She neighs happily, and I lead her back towards the castle.

I hope nothing’s happened with the Savior, I think, feeling my heart drop.

I let out a sigh, suddenly missing the café I’ve only just left.

If only the Savior was like that gently smiling café owner.

Deciding that I’m absolutely coming back tomorrow, I headed back towards the castle with a heavy heart.

Translation Notes:

Ill’s horse: in the Japanese (throughout both the manga and light novel) the gender of Ill’s horse isn’t specified, but because I didn’t want to use “it,” I decided to pick a gender and use “she.” If there comes a day where the gender is specified, I’ll make a note of that, but for now that is very much not the case (and I honestly don’t think that day will ever come)

#savior's book cafe #savior's book cafe translation #bookcafenovel #chapter 3 #an encounter in a different world #translation notes

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foreveralwaysanauthor · 5 years ago

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It Comes In Threes

Monthly Prompts Day 23

August 23rd - Tab

AU Used: None

Characters: Butchy, Giggles, Lugnut, CheeChee, Seacat (Teen Beach) and Miles (OC)

Notes: I promise you that the snacks and drinks that I have mentioned are all real things that my mom remembered having in her house as a kid growing up in the late 60s-70s. I didn’t believe her on a few of them, but after some research, I was proven very wrong.

Big Momma’s was always stocked up on the best sodas and snacks, everybody in town knew that. Everybody knew that if new snacks rolled around or a new soda commercial aired and they wanted to try it, all they had to do was tell Big Momma herself, and she would add it to the next delivery order if she could. Most of the regulars had a preferred combo that Big Momma kept in stock year round. Kiki, CheeChee and Rascal all liked to swap between Nehi grape soda and Hires root beer. Tanner enjoyed Squirt brand grapefruit soda and some kind of sugar coated popcorn called Screaming Yellow Zonkers. Struts and Lugnut always seemed to share a bottle of Moxie and a container of Pringles.

Miles, however, liked to be on the complicated side. He always liked to try whatever was new. At first, it was simple things like switching from crunchy Chee-tos to the puffy Chee-tos. Then, when he got permission from Big Momma to branch out and see what else might interest him, he began slowly requesting more things. His newest conquest, however, had taken almost a month to get into Big Momma’s because so many places were ordering it.

Tab was the newest thing on the soda scene. It was sugar-free and was already booming with popularity due to being only the second soft drink on the market that had no sugar. The swanky design on the packaging had made people of all ages flock to the new drink, making it hard to find in stock anywhere.

Miles had requested it the same day he had seen someone drinking it at work.

It had been almost a three months at that point. Miles had been drinking nothing apart from Tab. The first week after Big Momma’s had recieved the shipment of Tab, everyone had tried it. Most of the regulars had no real liking for the drink, yet a select few, namely Lugnut, Seacat and CheeChee, had actually liked the drink. To most, the drink was nothing more than a new version of Royal Crown’s Diet Rite. To Miles, it was one of the best drinks he’d ever had. He soon incorporated it into his regular drink orders along with Devil Shake and Nehi.

A few weeks after Miles�� initial trial of Tab, some of the regulars in Big Momma’s had begun to notice his addiction to the cola. Miles had been the only one consistently drinking it and, after a while, he seemed to drink nothing apart from Tab. Most of them had offered to buy him something different such as a water or a milkshake, only to be turned down and asked if they’d mind getting him a Tab instead. A full month had come and gone and, all the while, Butchy had been encouraging him to have something, anything other than the soft drinks, but Miles had been adament that, as there was no sugar in the drink, it couldn’t do him any real harm.

Butchy decided to recruit his little sister’s close friend and lab partner, Giggles, to do some research on the soda to see if there was anything they could use to dissuade Miles from his obsession. Giggles had accepted the idea fairly quickly, taking one of the bottles Miles had left on the counter at Big Momma’s so she could research the ingredients on the label to see what it all meant. Most of the ingredients had been fairly harmless. Carbonated water, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, and caffeine were among the listings, however they posed no real threats as most colas Giggles had seen, contained most of those same ingredients. One thing Giggles wasn’t thrilled to see, however, was that Tab had potassium cyclamate, saccharin and aspartame high on the ingredients list.

Aspartame was a common enough ingredient, especially in “diet” sodas. It was an artificial sweetener although, if you had too much of it, it was proven to cause symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis. What Giggles focused on more, was the high ranking of potassium cyclamate and saccharin. If mixed to a certain extent, the mixture was nearly 50 times sweeter than simple table sugar.

In the simplest terms Giggles could find to use in her explanation to Butchy; the soda was not as “sugar-free” as it claimed and would be worse off for Miles to consume than a normal soda.

Butchy had taken the information to Miles, who had seemed unbothered by the information that was laid before him. In Butchy’s opinion, Miles was only unfazed because the drink hadn’t bothered him or the others in the slightest since they’d begun drinking it. With the help of the others who had been drinking it, Butchy set out with a plan to change Miles’ opinion.

It began with Seacat. As Miles wasn’t as close to the surfer as he was with Lugnut and CheeChee, Butchy decided to begin his plan with him. A few days had gone by since Giggles and Butchy had given Miles their report on the drink and the plan had already been discussed with all parties involved. Giggles had alerted some of the regular surfers as to what would happen, while Butchy had taken to only telling a few of his biker friends. Seacat had gone through his usual routine of getting a drink - buying a Tab this time - and snack from Big Momma before returning to his usual table next to CheeChee.

After a while of drinking soda and talking, Seacat began complaining about his stomach and was ushered out of the restaurant by CheeChee and a couple of the surfers. Miles had watched in mild concern, calling out for CheeChee to call them later on to update them on how the surfer was doing. CheeChee gave him a simple thumbs-up and continued on her way with the groaning Seacat.

Miles had watched them leave the restaurant before turning back to his snack. He polished off the rest of his snack and everyone assumed he had done the same with his soda. He never left more than a drop in those bottles of Tab. After a bit of conversation, Miles announced that he was going to head out for the night. Butchy took note of the fact that Miles had left his bottle of Tab with a few sips worth of soda left in it.

Phase 1: Acknowledgment, was a small success.

The next stage of the plan was simple, but Butchy was almost sure it would work. Two days after Seacat had gone home - he supposedly claimed it must’ve been something he’d had at lunch that day - CheeChee had gotten a Tab cola from Big Momma and sat herself with the rest of the Rodent crew. She sipped at her soda and made small talk with everyone, occasionally making faces after drinking her soda. Butchy noticed, with a small burst of pride, that Miles was subconsciously nudging his own soda away from him more and more as CheeChee reacted poorly to her own.

A little while after finishing her soda, CheeChee claimed she felt tired and wanted to go home and rest before having to go in to work later on in the day. Struts and Lela, being the good friends they were, decided to walk her home as they noticed she looked dizzy when she rose from her seat. Miles decided to follow the group of girls, stating he wanted to make sure they would get there safely before he left for work himself. Butchy couldn’t hide his smile when he realized that Miles had left his soda practically half-full on the table.

Phase 2: Recognition, was a success.

Finally, Butchy’s plan was coming to a close. He had talked it over with Lugnut and decided to make things hit things closer to Miles than it had been. Lugnut and Butchy were Miles’ best friends and the three of them were pretty much brothers. Miles had gotten a Tab after work that evening, yet had only taken a few swigs from it despite how long they’d been at the restaurant. Butchy and Lugnut had decided to join Miles in his choice of drink, Butchy insisting he simply wanted to try it again. Miles had sat with them, watching them with what looked like some sort of anticipation.

After a while of sitting, talking and laughing, the group retired to the outer deck of Big Momma’s for the evening. Lugnut had already polished off his first bottle of Tab with Butchy offering him the rest of his own after deciding that the soda just wasn’t for him. Butchy had relaxed into his chair, giving an exhausted yawn as, despite that being part of the plan, staring out at the starry sky that had settled over the horizon, had made him feel pretty tired.

Lugnut had followed suit not long after, yet began claiming that he was starting to feel “fuzzy-headed,” whatever that meant. Butchy noticed that Miles had abandoned his drink and somehow pried Lugnut’s from his hand and set it on the table. Miles and Butchy had walked Lugnut home, Miles making sure to stay with Lugnut until he was sure that the older boy was okay on his own. After that, Miles and Butchy returned to Butchy’s house, where Miles had been staying for the last seven months. Miles had been watching Butchy out of the corner of his eye as they walked, but said nothing about how Butchy and Lugnut had acted at Big Momma’s.

That night, Butchy had stayed up until nearly midnight with Miles, feeling the younger brunette’s eyes on him multiple times throughout the night. After a while, Miles had passed out on the couch, so Butchy had covered him with a blanket and retired to bed himself.

He wasn’t entirely sure if the last phase of his plan had worked properly, but he was almost entirely sure it had. It wasn’t until the next day, when everyone had arrived at Big Momma’s, that Butchy was sure that it had worked. Miles had, evidently, bought all of the remaining Tab colas from Big Momma and gotten rid of them somehow, politely asking her to never buy the soda again. Miles had seen the “affects” it had on those around him and told her that he was worried for their health. Miles had confided in Butchy later that day that, when Lela offered Miles the last Tab in the refrigerator at their house, he had taken it from her, waited until she had left the room and poured it down the drain. Miles didn’t want to drink it anymore and he definitely didn’t want his friends to drink it again.

Even though Butchy knew deep down that he should’ve told Miles then and there about what they had done, he found himself incapable of doing so. The look Miles had given him after admitting what he’d done was one that almost rivalled the one Lela would give him when she was caught stealing sweets before dinner. Miles wasn’t used to living with Butchy in the sense that he still had to adjust to having someone who wouldn’t yell at him for doing something like that. Butchy had noticed that about him fairly soon after Miles had moved in. Instead of telling Miles about the plan that their friend group had come up with, Butchy told Miles he was proud of him and seeing the smile on the younger biker’s face was more than enough for Butchy.

Phase 3: Protection, was a definite success.

#ForeverAlwaysPrompts #writing #writing prompt

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coldcanyon-blog · 5 years ago

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Cold Canyon- Saison

This is the fourth batch I’ve brewed of this recipe as I try to hone in on my ideal saison. The most recent change I’ve made, which is a big one, is to switch the yeast strain from Wyeast’s French Saison 3711 to their Belgian Saison 3724. I’ve brewed a couple batches with 3724 and although I’m still getting a handle on this yeast I am really happy with it so far.

I fell in love with 3711 at the first brewery I worked at, it was our go-to for saison and we even brewed our witbier with it. Back then I found 3711 to give a super clean profile with a great balance of punchy fruitiness and spice without being too “hot” with alcohol or muddled like a lot of other saison yeasts. When fermented on the cooler end we found at the brewery that 3711 created a unique orangey spice. People swore that we put orange zest and coriander into our witbier when in fact it was all yeast character they were tasting. When I started doing trials of this saison recipe I started with 3711 but after a few batches was getting a completely different character out of it. Each batch had this astringent bitterness to it that was like a combination of rust and soil. I wasn’t sure at first if what I was tasting was hop-related or perhaps an unhealthy yeast pitch, but after a few batches and some research I decided what I was tasting was the “phenolic bite” that is said to come from certain saison yeast strains. Still haven’t figured out why the character I got from 3711 is so different than how I remember it from a few years ago at the brewery, but at any rate I decided to move on from it.

I had started looking into a new yeast to try when I was out at one of my favorite bars in LA, The Hermosillo. The Hermosillo is the original home to Highland Park Brewery, probably the best brewery in LA, and in addition to HPB beers always has an awesome selection of guest beers which often includes a saison or mixed culture beer from Perennial Artisan Ales from St. Louis. I had a glass of Perennial’s Prism, a dry-hopped saison, and immediately knew that whatever yeast they used in it was exactly what I was looking for. Prism had a great balance of yeast fruitiness and spice that worked well with the heavy hopping and a unique mouthfeel that softer that most saison. From Perennial’s website (http://www.perennialbeer.com/beer-lister/) I found that they use a Belgian saison strain so I took a chance with Wyeast’s option (https://wyeastlab.com/yeast-strain/belgian-saison).

After a few brews with 3724 I am fairly confident that it is indeed the yeast that Perennial uses in Prism. I’m pretty happy with the results so far. I might not be completely sold as it is a bit finicky. The yeast tends to stall out in the 1.020-1.030s halfway through fermentation. It will eventually finish out but it takes some time and/or warming the beer into the 90s Fahrenheit. 3724 also seems to land at a higher FG than other saison yeasts I’ve brewed with. I’ve read it does get down close to 1.000 but I haven’t seen it get that far. (Rather I haven’t been patient enough to see it get that far). But maybe the attenuation will improve as I harvest and re-pitch it a few times.

Brewed 3/18/2020

Water Profile:

.5 tsp Calcium Sulphate and 1.5 tsp Calcium Chloride into 6 gallons strike water

Yeast:

Wyeast 3724 (2nd Gen)

2 Liter starter. Stirred 48 hours. Refrigerated overnight and decanted. Yeast “bloomed” on brew day with first runnings.

Grist:

Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner Malt- 6 lbs (55%)

Weyermann Pale Wheat Malt- 3 lbs (27%)

Flaked Oats- 2 lbs (18%)

Raw Organic Honey- 1 lb at end of boil

Boil: 60 minute

Magnum Hallertauer (13% aa) - 1 oz @ 60

Magnum Hallertauer - 1 oz @ 15

Wildflower Honey - 1 lb @ 10

Mash pH: 5.17

60 min O2 through aeration pump. Pitched yeast and put in fermentation chamber at 77F with no temp control on it (free-rise)

OG: 1.046 - pH 5.07

FG: 1.012 - pH 3.8 (as I mentioned before, could probably have waited for the yeast to attenuate more fully but the beer tasted clean so I decided to keg as I’m under quarantine and NEED BEER)

Kegged 3/30/2020 w/ ~2oz ground coriander

Notes:

4.5% ABV

Super aromatic, coriander and cinnamon.

Silky mouthfeel, soft on the palette, 3724 give a super unique pillowy-marshmallow-like sweetness that balances well with the spicier notes it also creates.

Overall I’m stoked on this beer as a base saison to continue tweaking. "Farmhouse” (whatever that means) styles are my current brewing obsession. Specifically the lower ABV, refreshing, rustic, I’m about that shit. I feel like the best farmhouse beers have a level of flavor and complexity from letting yeast do it’s thing in combination with adjuncts like wheat and oats, and plenty of hop flavor, that you don’t find in other low ABV styles. To me this beer drinks almost like a dry white wine or cider and as it warms in the glass it just becomes more aromatic and punchy.

Concept:

At least partly inspired by the visuals in this Kanye video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivCY3Ec4iaU

Been playing with the visual component of beers more lately. Above is something I threw together with this one as I was first tasting it. Something about the smell and mineral flavor of the beer makes me think about winter, COLD AIR, throat chilling humidity, crunchy frozen grass under your feet, river rocks. Thought it was a funny play on the stories about farmhouse beers that they were traditionally low ABV refreshing beers made for the farmworkers in rural Europe. Always thought that was a dope visual. A bunch of tired farmworkers cresting a hill on the way back to the barn at the end of a hot summer day. Sitting down in the shade and tapping a wooden cask of crisp, rustic saison. Imagining how satisfying that would be. With Cold Canyon I’m picturing a solo creekside walk in the afternoon in the dead of winter. The sun is about to set and the ground begins to freeze agin after only having thawed a couple hours prior. You sit on the one dry rock you can find by the barely flowing, almost entirely frozen creek. Pull out the thermos you packed this morning and pour a portion into the lid. It foams and crackles with carbonation despite having sat in your bag all day. It’s colder on your lips now than it was out of the fridge that morning. A light breeze blows through the bushes nearby and as you take your first sip a waft of floral aromatics from the only remaining live blossoms around for miles hits your nose. A perfect moment of solitude.

#saison #homebrewing

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