video | un: konoha

[lumberlady]

[Lunatia's resident centaur lady is back on screen, excitedly trying to... set her network device up somewhere where it can actually get all of a rather large frame into the shot. Not that she waits to start talking.]


Greetings, everyone! I didn't realize it's been months since I last used this for "posting"... There's probably so many new people, so, um, very quickly- If you don't know me, my name is Konoha! I'm a jinba... Or a "centaur" if you want! And oh, that's my husband, Gonta... and our friend, Mikuni! Say hello, you two!

[Catching sight of the other jinba behind her pausing in their field work, she moves the camera to show a large palomino fellow (Gonta) who gives a gruff nod and semi-wave, and an elegant ebony-coated gentleman? (Mikuni) who dips into a more proper bow with a little smile.]

We run the Tsurugi Farmstead in the Greatmoon Groves! There was a lot of damage when it flooded before, but thanks to everyone's efforts we're back up and running properly... and we've had our first fall harvest!

So... as a bit of a thank you, and also maybe to celebrate not dealing with those awful nightmares anymore, I thought we could have a hotpot party here by the river? In my village we usually make imoni in the autumn, it's so delicious! It's full of beef and taro root and leeks and konnyaku... Mmm!

[She finally gets the device set up properly and trots back into frame properly, obviously excited by the invitation she's making.]


Cordis is almost over, right? So now seems like a good time before Iris shows up... But if you have a Cordis appetite, don't worry! We'll supply all the imoni... or, the ingredients, anyway, it's more fun if you cook it outside with everyone. We also have fresh sweet potatoes, pumpkin, new rice... oh, and persimmons!

But if you want to share anything, feel free to bring your own dish, too! Let's say... tomorrow? I'll send directions for anyone who hasn't visited before, alright?

I hope we see you there! Er, here, I mean! If you have any questions, just let me know!

[And with a last smile, she gives a big, respectful bow from the "waist" before moving to grab her device, a muffled "Gonta, Mikuni, wait up- !" before the feed cuts, and a moment later a pin on the Lunatian map app becomes available.]

SENT:
📍 TSURUGI FARMSTEAD, GREATMOON GROVES

[ooc: there won't be separate log posted for this, but I'll gladly action tag within this post with anyone interested!]

Comments

action - open

[saezuru]

[ Pls let's party at the farmstead..... Doumeki loves helping out at Konoha's place, and after the nightmare nonsense he could certainly use a break!! So in keeping with it being Konoha and everything, he dons his yukata from the festival and even brings a large pot with him: miso soup!! He's been working on his cooking so he wants to show off a little. (Well, and maybe give them a test run, see how people like the soup before he makes it for Yashiro.)

So if you want to get some soup, Doumeki is helping!! He'll serve you some soup if you want. I mean, what could be better than yakuza-made miso soup? If you wanna just chill, Doumeki can also be found being chill. He'll be at one of the tables having a meal and enjoying the food and man, this is great! Well, he's not smiling, but you can kinda get the sense he might be happy. ]

You are free to join me.

[lumberlady]

[Who is super pleased to see Doumeki arrive with a dish? Konoha certainly is, chest puffing up with a bit of pride that her employee-friend-student has taken it upon himself to help provide more food as well as test out the recipes she’d been teaching him.]

Doumeki-san!

[Which might be why she joins the food line as if she wasn’t organizing this while impromptu shindig, holding out an empty bowl with a big smile.]

One miso soup, please!

[Both for eating and for taste testing...]

[saezuru]

[ He's always happy to make his second-boss/friend/teacher proud! Doumeki may have his usual calm expression on, but he's maybe a little proud, and maybe a little nervous about having Konoha try something he made without any real supervision...

Pls be kind, Konoha-san! ]

Mm. Here.

[ He pours her a bowl, handing it to her carefully. He's actually pretty nervous, even if it doesn't show. ]

Let me know how you like it. Or where I need to improve.

[lumberlady]

Thank you!

[Konoha likes to think she may have picked up on some Doumeki-isms over the past months, but even if she’s wrong and he’s totally confident in his dish... She’s still going to approach it as a teacher! ... But also a friend, so of course with niceness. Even if he had oversalted or used to thin a stock or overheated the miso or any of the numerous miso soup crimes that were possible.

Her smile unwavering, she lifts her steaming bowl to her face to sniff the steam, expression melting into the happy expression of a (centaur) woman clasping a hot meal on a crisp autumn day. Mmmm... Bottom’s up!]

Mmmmmm...

[As if this were like one of those weird cooking competitions she saw on the big screens in the city sometimes, Konoha closes her eyes and concentrates on the flavor of something she’s intimately familiar with, concentrating...]

You pass!

[First, the good news!]

[saezuru]

[ Oh good! A tiny furrow in his brow evens out as he watches her approve of his attempt. He'd been really nervous, I promise. ]

I'm glad.

[ He sighs, though he can tell more is coming. Well, she's teaching him, after all. It wouldn't be a lesson if he didn't have room to improve. ]

But...?

[lumberlady]

But... ! I think maybe you could use a bit more miso paste. It’s a touch too delicate...

[Even her critique is said with a smile... and between sips of soup, so nothing she’s saying can be that bad!]

It’s a common early mistake when you don’t want to accidentally make it too heavy- You’ll find a good balance the more you make it and feed it to other people!

[saezuru]

[ Doumeki nods, taking her words to heart. He's a good student—eager to learn and refine his skills. He's got a goal in mind, after all. ]

I see. I will keep that in mind for the next time.

[ He bows his head properly now, grateful for her feedback. ]

[lumberlady]

Mm!

[That settled, Konoha happily drains the rest of her bowl before setting it down with a satisfied sigh, her gluttonous side more than happy with the smell of imoni cooking streamside and all the dishes other people had brought. Wiping her hands on the half-apron she has tied around her “waist” hanging down in front of her equine chest, though, Konoha suddenly stops.]

Oh, oops- Wait here, Doumeki-san!

[Not that he looked like he was going anywhere, set up to serve soup... But Konoha still kicks into a canter off towards the farmhouse...

And comes back a minute later with an apron in her hands. Definitely a lady’s apron, in a simple yellow floral pattern the type designed to tie over and protect a kimono (or yukata, in his case).]

Sorry, I’m the only one with spare aprons right now... Will this work?

[Gonta and Mikuni had more manly navy aprons in thicker fabric, but they’re already wearing them... and also, they’re much bigger they’d probably dwarf a human...

But she can’t let him recklessly endanger his nice garment while serving!]

[saezuru]

[ Oh. Doumeki hadn't thought of that. Truthfully he would probably just buy a new yukata if this one got damaged (must be nice to have so much money...) so Konoha's apron is a welcome help. He really doesn't care if it's for women, he'd wear a dress if he was told to, honestly. ]

It is good. Thank you, Konoha-san.

[ He accepts the apron and ties it on, the flowers a striking contrast from the navy blue of his yukata. He doesn't mind. ]

I did not plan ahead. I apologize for the trouble.

[lumberlady]

[Just because one has money (thanks, moonlacing) doesn’t mean one should waste it! ... Is Konoha’s philosophy, so. Aprons all around!]

It’s not a trouble at all. I’m just glad you came.

[She’d say the same even if he hadn’t brought soup! But looking at the apron, she kind of likes navy and yellow... it makes her think of summer, goodbye summer..,

But also-]

Oh... I didn’t notice, but Doumeki-san has a kind of dainty waist...

[Com... paratively speaking, anyway, to his broad shoulders! The only time she’d hugged him around the waist had been in the nightmare, and he’d been far thicker with equine withers and different musculature then.]

[saezuru]

[ That's a good philosophy to have honestly... Doumeki only buys things when he needs it, so it's no wonder he's sitting on a mountain of it.

He nods at her words. He's happy to come, really. Now that she's the only other person he's told about his past besides Yashiro, she is basically Family. ]

Ah.

[ Doumeki looks down at himself. Now that Konoha mentions it, the apron does kind of accentuate his waist, doesn't it? Dorito.... ]

I had not noticed either.

[ He thinks about it, like this is a very serious discovery. Is it because he's always wearing suits? His jackets make him look kind of boxy, outside of the one very nice suit that Yashiro got him. He never really pays his appearance much attention, so this really is new to him...

He blushes just a little. ]

Does it look alright?

[lumberlady]

[It is a serious discovery! And giving it the weight it deserves, Konoha splays her legs and dips lower to examine his waist and allow her to answer the question properly.]

Hmmm...

[Nibbling on her lip in concentration, she uses her hands held rigidly as if they were measuring sticks, holding them up to the edges of Doumeki's waist on either side as if to size him up. She widens the distance between her hands quite noticeably, comparing the size of his waist to the only other one she's intimately familiar with, but Gonta was nearly nine feet tall and a a ton of muscle-bound jinba flesh, so it's not... really a fair comparison...]

Hmm...

[She glances up, though, and sees... Blushing? Is Doumeki blushing? It's faint, but-]

Y- Yeah!

[Intent on making sure to sound convincing even when her personal preference was far more chunky, (she could still appreciate muscles in all their variations!), Konoha eagerly pats the sides of Doumeki's waist before realizing that's probably super weird and quickly switching over to uselessly "fixing" the way the apron ties are arranged.]

It's nice! Like you'd be a good dancer!

[saezuru]

[ Doumeki's never really had someone look at him with this much scrutiny before. Well, not since Yashiro, anyway, and that was back when he was sizing him up to decide whether or not he'd make a good bodyguard (or whether or not Yashiro wanted to sleep with him.)

It's been a long time. And he does work out, to stay in shape and stay strong to protect Yashiro. So he's maybe a little self-conscious, he can't help the blush, really. ]

A dancer...

[ Does Yashiro like dancers...? Well, Yashiro has told him lots of times that he likes his body (and especially certain parts of it,) so maybe it's okay if he's not Konoha's type. He's Yashiro's type, that's all he needs. ]

No one has ever told me that before.

action

[boutdatlife]

[Alright then, he's loaded himself with more food than Samatoki would normally take at any one time. Cordis has him craving this and that, and he is balancing it all rather precariously. He also has no concern over his pheromones and lets them fly, so sorry to anyone who is drawn by the smell of smoke, a copper hint that seems like blood after a fight, and good strong coffee.

It is his basic natural smell but on crack, and he wears it far too comfortably for those around him. He recognizes Doumeki; it's the guy who pitched in on those thugs with him. Well, alright, this party is looking up just a little bit more since he is fighting with Jyuto and couldn't invite the cop. Inviting Riou probably would have ended in him getting laid before the night was over (He may still make the invite if he decides to indulge that urge today.), but it also would have gotten him fed. Coming here was to sate his hunger without that happening.

He is half dropped in the seat, already having sat his food down before the other man can even offer the privilege to him. Of course, he's welcome, who wouldn't want his company, he's a fucking ray of sunshine.]

Nice get up.

[He smirks, starting in on his food. Mostly just teasing, though he is here in his normal attire, jeans, black boots, and a vintage button shirt. He's pissed he had to adjust the jeans to accommodate his arctic foxtail. Guess these pairs will be his Cordis attire from now on. His ears, nearly blend in with his hair the color is so similar but they are definitely there.]

[saezuru]

[ Doumeki has an enhanced sense of smell thanks to a dusklight bracelet he got himself months ago, so can smell Samatoki approaching from practically a mile away. The smell is a familiar one, but Doumeki only has eyes for his boss, so he doesn't pay it much attention. They'd crossed paths once before, and any friend of Riou's is good in his book (even Jyuto,) so he gives Samatoki a friendly nod. ]

Thank you. Your ears suit you.

[ Missing the point, he replies honestly. Hey, at least he's not wearing the yukata that had a full-length pinup of Yashiro on the back. This one is actually normal. With the weather cooling down, it'll be kimono weather soon, so he figured it was worth giving his yukata one last spin. His usual suit and tie outfit just wouldn't feel right. ]

How are you doing, Samatoki-san?

[boutdatlife]

[Samatoki could care less rather people ignore his pheromones or not; in truth, it's not like they would get far with him. More indulgent due to Cordis, yes, more prone to vulnerability with people he does not trust, never.

So, with his newness here and his innate ability to mistrust nearly everyone who is not Jyuto or Riou at the moment, his partners are few, and he likes it that way. Samatoki appreciates anyone who can throw down, and being friends with Riou never hurts; he's one of two people Samatoki trusts.

The answer gets a short bark of laughter from the yakuza.]

Y'know..nah, never mind.

[Yup, he can see how he and Riou get along, literal-minded folks and all. It's amusing, and Samatoki starts eating with little thought beyond that when Doumeki asks how he is, he at least finishes his bite, swallowing and taking a drink before he answers.]

Better now, this moon shit has me starving. [Enough he has and probably will again eat Riou's cooking in larger quantities than he ever wanted to.

This little party is his salvation today.]

You?

[saezuru]

[ Doumeki nods. He's always a fan of the straightforward approach. It's definitely why he and Riou work so well together. They built a table! They played pool! It was great. They are literally on the same wavelength. ]

I understand Cordis have large appetites. You have my sympathy.

[ He nods. He'd offer him some of his bowl, but like, that's his food? And Doumeki may not be Cordis, but he still eats a lot. He's a big dude. He pauses to consider his question, though. ]

I am well. Konoha-san has been teaching me to cook, so I am here to observe her skills.

[boutdatlife]

[Samatoki can see it, right from his first meeting honestly. After all, minus the nearly fighting each other, Riou and Samatoki had a similar first run in. He saw the edge of the blade before the smooth glint of the steel so to speak.

It works for him.]

It's crazy, this point I'll even show up to a random party to get free food.

[He definitely would not be here indulging right now if not for Cordis influence. Not to worry, he's got himself loaded and is not ashamed to go back for seconds.]

She's not a bad cook, could do worse. What's she got you cooking?

[saezuru]

The Tsurugi Farmstead's goods are plentiful. I am sure you will enjoy them. Konoha-san and the others work very hard.

[ He nods. He can kinda sympathize, the moons make him do some pretty crazy stuff sometimes, too. Though walking into a party for free food isn't too bad a choice when it's a party by someone as nice as Konoha. ]

I made the miso soup. Please let me know how you like it.

[ Doumeki has a bowl with him, but it's empty now. ]

[boutdatlife]

You know them pretty good then, huh?

[Yeah, he is figuring he asked her enough questions and is being careful enough about what he eats that he should be alright. Even if what he is eating he took in major quantity. Especially for a guy who while tall does not have much meat on his bones, just a lot of lanky muscles.]

No shit, let me see. [He looks through what he's got, finds the miso soup because he had seen it and assumed it was safe. He gives it a try and flashes a grin at Doumeki.]

That ain't bad. First time making it?

[saezuru]

I have worked on the farm, helping with the harvest.

[ Doumeki nods. He's not nearly so careful with what he eats, but he works out and eats plenty, that much is pretty obvious. ]

Ah. Thank you.

[ Oh... it's nice to see someone just appreciate it like that. Doumeki kind of only cooks with his boss in mind, usually. ]

It is my first time making such large portions, with the intent to share. Balancing the ingredients was more complex than expected, so I am glad to hear it is acceptable.

[boutdatlife]

Got all kinds of skills huh, fighting, cooking, harvesting.

[Reminds him of Riou, multi-talented and judging from it all, good at everything he does. Must be something to do with the whole strong, silent type thing.]

Sure.

[Samatoki meanwhile is going to finish that soup, cause yeah it was damn good and he is damn hungry. Going to get a second bowl of that.]

Yeah, don't think I'd bother trying to cook for this many, nice thing ya'll are doing but it must be a lot of work.

[Then again, he can cook at least, probably not as good as most but he won't starve or live on take-out.]

[saezuru]

I try to keep busy, since my work is less demanding here.

[ Far less people are out there trying to kill Yashiro, so he can actually take time off to do other things. But it's true, when you're simple-minded like Doumeki, you can do almost anything you put your mind to. ]

Konoha-san has been teaching me to cook. I wanted to return the favor by offering my help for this event.

[ Hard work, but it's worth it to return Konoha's kindness! ]

[boutdatlife]

Yeah, I don't got shit to do, and it's boring; Yokohama always had something going on. Here there isn't even a good battle to get into; that four-eyed guy was too weak.


[Right, he does not realize Doumeki and Rosho are friends. Sorry, he got your friend stuck in jail, and Jyuto decided to be petty? Only, he's not; he likes Doumeki, but Rosho annoyed him on sight, that he is connected to Sasara earns him no redemption points.

Hey, there's nothing wrong with that; Samatoki will leave the big thinking to the scholars. He is a simple man by nature, he knows what he stands for and what he's after, and that's it.]

You're one of those honorable types, huh? I like that shit. You'd make a good underling.

[That's a compliment in Samatoki speak.

Yeah, she was lovely; even if they talked about some weird shit on the network, he probably wouldn't cook for her. But he'll find some way to repay the meal; it's who he is.]

[saezuru]

Yes. Shinjuku was more lively than this place.

[ Alas, he's from Shinjuku... but he remembers Riou mentioning Yokohama too, so that's not a surprise. Of course, he also doesn't realize that "four-eyes" means Rosho, so he doesn't take the comment for what it is. ]

Thank you. [ Doumeki's used to rough words for soft emotions. He knows a compliment when he hears one. ] My boss thinks so as well.