incandescentfaith | Deerington Inbox

Then I will be sure to see you then. Until we meet.

- Ouse

[Trudging through the snow is made a bit easier and nicer by the big, fluffy husky at Ouse's side, and surely enough, though it's getting very cold outside with the sun going down, Ouse arrives, Toshiko peering curiously around her legs as she knocks at the door.]

[She doesn't have to wait long. The door swings open and Rei waves her inside with a bow.]

Glad you could make it. It looks like we're due for a really nasty storm tonight.

The snow in this region reminds me of home. [She sounds a bit impressed by it actually, as she knocks the snow off her boots as best she can before stepping into the entranceway, and then removes her shoes to store by the door.

Toshiko just shakes herself off in the entrance, splattering some snow and water around. Oops. Ouse smiles apologetically for that, as well. Then, just like that, the dog is off like a shot to go find Rei's pup and hang out, and explore, and Ouse steps in to join Rei proper, going through the ritual of removing her hat, gloves, and scarf as she does. As always, Rei's home is very warm.]

I hope with fewer avalanches.

[Rei quirks her head to the side, a little amused by the comparison. But then she supposes a hilly region of Japan would likely be just as nasty as a Maine one. Tokyo is mild, mostly, but given Yuri's descriptions of the area she's definitely gotten the impression that it's a really different climate.]

Here, let me help you with those.

[She doesn't mind the dog mess, it's only water after all, and that's what the front hall is fore.

Taking the hat, gloves, and the rest she sets them out over a small drying rack she's set there for the purpose.]

And god I'd hope so. We only have the one mountain, and I think it's safe to say most people avoid it. Wendigos aside, the wind is absolutely vile.

Thank you. [Off next is the jacket, and she figures out where to put that, before, satisfied, she steps further in. Time to get their baking on! And... well, whatever else. Sounds like they'll be snowed in. It'll be a great excuse to do a little cuddling. Ouse likes the idea of cuddling, very much.]

Yes. It's a strange place, I hear, where straying from the path lands you in a blizzard you cannot see from the path, is it not? I can safely say Mount Hikami was nothing like that. There were just a lot of lakes, rivers, and waterfalls you had to watch out for. And getting lost in the forest.

[Which made it really interesting when everything froze over in the winter, and the precipitation turned to a goodly amount of snow.]

[Cuddling is good. It's part of why she'd called Ouse over. Also, it was cold, and Ouse's house was cold. No reason not to bring her into the warmth. Baking's a good excuse.]

It is strange. I flew up there a while back, and it was a mess getting around. I had to get back by flying over the storm, and it was just...nasty?

[That's the only word for it.]

Mount Hikami sounds a bit less sinister. I'm fairly sure that Sodder, or whatever's brought us here, is just trying to keep us from exploring further.

But we're here to cook. And I thought we'd start with something simple. Do you like chocolate?

Mount Hikami wasn't really sinister at all, to be honest. Not from what I remember of it. [Okay, so maybe there was a bad implication of it but... well, if she could show Rei the mountain from her time, maybe she would understand. It was a very spiritual place; and it was beautiful, lush, full of trees and life, even if it was also a place of death. And the waters - so pure, so clear, so wonderful...

... Best not to linger on that.] I think so as well, but... it sounds more like they're hiding something. That's why we only permitted a certain, small amount of people in very specific areas. This just seems more dangerous to try to get through.

[Okay so maybe it's not that different.]

So long as it doesn't lead to floods or avalanches, though, I am perfectly willing to leave their mountain alone. That mine was more than enough for me for now. [Like. Seriously. Though, speaking of which, she looks back over.] I love chocolate. What are we making with it?

[All that about the mountain makes sense. But the mention of the mine makes her shiver a little. She had hated that place, and it was a travesty that they'd gone in at all. Necessary maybe, but still a travesty.

Cake, though, is much better. She focuses on that]

I'm thinking about a cake. A proper one. I can't imagine you've had a lot of western style cakes, right?

[It was awful, Ouse could tell. For Rei, for herself... that was a whole new nightmare to add to the pile, when she'd eventually Glanced that woman at the end of the tunnel. There was something other in that mine, and they were going to find out about eventually, Ouse thinks. Rather later than sooner.

Besides, she's in a good mood right now, they're both recovered from it, and even better, Rei isn't in any form that's beating against Ouse's sixth sense and scaring the hell out of her.

She blinks, and tilts her head. A western cake?] No, I've not had too many of those, at all. A slice or two since I've been here. They're very delicious. [And there's a tiny bit of an eagerness in her tone because... well, see: aforementioned sweet tooth.] So... a chocolate cake, then? Hmm...

Yes. I think that's what we're going to do. A chocolate velvet cake. It's a little different from ordinary ones. I just found a recipe at the library and I liked how it sounded.

[She really liked the sound of it. Ouse's a good excuse to try it out. And if nothing else, she figures the other miko will have fun getting to lick the bowls and such. She has remembered the sweet tooth...]

I got all the ingredients already, so, if you're ready to start, let's?

I am very ready to start. [And she's all perked up and interested in what they're going to make. Chocolate velvet cake sounds... delicious. And spending time with Rei is always a bonus, especially now that there's nothing terrifying her about Rei's presence.]

What would you like me to get to mixing first? The dry ingredients?

Yes, let's go with that.

[Seems like a good enough plan. So she's leading the way into the kitchen, where stuff's already set out save for things that need refrigeration. She'd been prepared, her cookbook sitting open on a reading stand on the counter.]

I'll get the chocolate grated so we can mix it in, and you get the dry things.

Very well. [She's lowkey excited and can barely contain it, but. Well. That's just Ouse. She eyes the cook book as she steps in, taking in the ingredient list and the amounts.] Let's see...

[And she goes through the list, adding carefully measured cups full of ingredients to the biggest bowl, piling them on and getting them ready to go whenever Rei gets back over with the chocolate. She's been working on this one!]

[Rei gathers things up, sliding them onto the counter so they can work side by side, and she probably stands a little closer than is strictly necessary.]

So...has anyone told you about Valentine's Day?

[She doesn't want to be insensitive and assume Ouse's not heard of it, but she is from an era before the holiday even existed.]

["Closer than strictly necessary" is a-okay in this one's book. Because duh, she really likes Rei.]

Hmm... I see some decorations in the stores for it, and I heard it is the next coming holiday, but I... don't know the specifics. It seems to involve a great many hearts, though...

[Which, of course, means her interest is piqued.]

It's for couples. And for people interested in finding a significant other. Or who just want to spread romantic feelings.

[She sort of nudges Ouse, there.]

Partners exchange gifts and have a nice dinner. And everyone gives out small treats to the people in their life. Chocolates usually.

... Oh. I see... [Look, if Rei ever wanted to see Ouse light up a little, this is a great way to do it. A romantic holiday. Does she need a romantic holiday to flirt with the woman at her side? Absolutely not. Is she going to take the idea to heart and run with it? Absolutely.]

Chocolates, hm? And gifts... I think that sounds like a lovely holiday. Even in a place like this. [Ouse giggles as she remembers she had a job she was trying to do and not get distracted by her own whimsies about romance, so she mixes the bowl around a bit more.]

It's almost like that Christmas holiday. Though I feel like New Year's came too early...

Mmmhmm. It's one of many Western holidays we've co-opted in Japan.

[And she definitely knows what it is that Ouse is feeling. She may not need a special opportunity to flirt, but Rei's going to give her the knowledge anyway. It'll make her happier, and that's important in a place like this.]

New Years though, that was Western New Years. Not Lunar New Years, the one we celebrate.

I see. [She pauses what she's doing to press her fingertips together, thinking for a moment more. ] It'll be exciting to see the holiday in its original form, as well. Though I wonder... is it much different in Japan?

[Might as well discuss it as she continues to get ingredients mixed in and together, and gets everything ready to go into the cake pan. This is exciting. She hasn't done much baking of cakes - the last thing she got taught was cookies.]

What, Valentine's? No, not really. The American form isn't anywhere close to the original form anyway.

[Rei keeps on prepping, mixing and kneading and all that stuff.]

It was a Roman holiday beforehand, a festival to get people together, but then the meaning got lost over time. Now it's a day gifts and such are exchanged. It's a couple's holiday.

[She turns and kisses Ouse's cheek with a laugh.]

And I thought you'd enjoy it.

Hm... it sounds wonderful. I won't jinx it, though. [By hoping "nothing bad happens" or something equally as damning. It's Deerington, something bad will most likely happen.

She just wants to keep it as it is. And accept kisses from Rei. She likes those.

That said, she does raise an eyebrow over at Rei as she looks away from the cake batter briefly, and what she's doing with it.] So what kinds of things would you like to do, if given the chance?

[Well, that's an interesting question. But she has a ready answer.]

I want you to stay over. Sleep in my bed. I just want you with me.

[While she's not as interested in this stuff as Ouse, generally, she does want to give her the experience she deserves. At least cuddling, oh, at the very least that.]

Anything else is extra. But I'm sure we'll find things to do.

[That's... more immediate than she thought the answer was going to be. And oh, what an answer it is - of course, the little gears in Ouse's mind are a-turnin', and she has to stop what she's doing because honestly, she's taken by surprise. It's mostly that Rei just seems so conservative that such a frank admission is... startling. Welcome, but startling.

Ultimately, though, it's the words that get to her, and at some point she's sort of amazed she's still standing. Yes, she swoons, and yes, it's humbling to have someone say that to her, because it forces her to just sort of smile privately, down at the bowl, and gently clasp a hand in front of her chest. Oh, be still her heart, and also how is she supposed to respond to that?] Yes, I'm sure we will.

[Oh, her emotions are such a curse. Love is such a curse, and so is how easily and quickly she just falls into wanting any small taste of it, so badly. Once again, all she can think of wanting to do is just sort of fall into the other woman's arms and melt into her and just let herself be held. She doesn't, though, because she has something else to focus on. They still have that cake to make.

So maybe it's not totally going to curse her. She can focus on that.]

[Ouse should remember that Rei's slept with two different people since the two of them arrived. She'd been forced out of that conservative shell, a bit, by circumstance. And now that she was in a relationship, it felt only right to enjoy all the benefits of it.

One of which was that creeping, happy feeling that few inside Ouse. It felt good, knowing that she could have the effect she was having on someone that she really, truly valued. Scooching a little bit nearer, Rei slipped an arm around Ouse's waist and tilted her head to rest against her shoulder.]

I'm very glad. This will be my first Valentine's day as part of a couple. I'm looking forward to our time together, Ouse. I'm...very lucky to have met you.

[This isn't just random affection. She really, truly does feel blessed to have this strange, quirky person in her life. Their relationship has had it's fits and starts, but she feels deep down that she's truly blessed to have her in her life. She's wonderful, and just having her near is enough to begin to light up Rei's heart.]

[Yeah it doesn't matter much when she's still so wound up that it's hard to get a read sometimes - even moreso because Ouse can't use her Glance or anything else tied to it to inform her decisions much. Sure, the sixth sense is like a cousin to true Empathy powers, but it's still not quite right.

Twitterpated though Ouse actually is, Rei does still make her a little nervous.

Except when she's being cuddly like this, and then it's easy to forget what about her makes Ouse nervous.... and she doesn't feel as obligated to hold herself back. Maybe today she'll get a little more comfortable. After the cake, which, as she notes, is probably ready to be put in the oven soon.] I look forward to that time, as well... but... I also look forward to our time here, as well. And I want to be someone that can continue to be a support and source of comfort for you as well. It may be a bit difficult because of how I have lived my life thus far, but I'm here to stay by your side, no matter how that entails me doing as such.

[She turns, reaches over to gently cup the side of Rei's head and pull it in close... mostly so she can plant a gentle little kiss right there to the side.] Now... I think this cake needs to be put in the oven before I get too distracted by how wonderful you are.

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