enjoymyatelier | 009 [VIDEO]

[So Kayneth is in a rather unexpected situation this go around; that is to say he is currently in a kitchen that has various objects of cultural significance strewn about.

Judging by the ingredients, it appears as though he is attempting to make Mom's Favorite Chocolate-Covered Pretzels. One would think this was an accidental post, but... no.

That would probably be less of a clusterfuck, honestly.]

I am never really sure how many parallels there are between this world and my own, particularly in terms of holidays-even when it makes very little sense for them to be there for apparent historical reasons. With even recent news broadcasts by the natives dropping hints that Valentine's Day-or something like it-is around the corner, I'm finding myself rather curious about what sort of holidays naturally exist in this world.

I suppose that whatever the natives are celebrating could be some sort of equivalent that came about naturally... or it could be something that they picked up on from people from other worlds and decided to exploit in a fairly typical fashion. After all, why would the companies of this world miss out on an opportunity to use relationship-based guilt in their marketing strategies at some point in the year?

[you... you sound bitter, bro]

My general displeasure with the overcommercialization of this holiday aside, it is regrettably very effective in getting people to want copious amounts of sweets, but if I'm going to have anything like that this season it's going to be made by my own hands. Has anyone attempted the recipe that was brought up in Friday's news broadcast and found it to be less than satisfactory? If not... well, it should be obvious that I'm considering trying to make them.

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[ Food. Suddenly Saber is paying attention. ]

Chocolate? [ Sorry, was he talking about something else? ]

Hey, as long as you're not slipping poison into them, I don't see the harm in it.

[He laughs dryly.]

As for Valentine's day, well... Last year, things got kinda hectic.

[Have a shy middle school-aged girl fidgeting a bit.]

T-There's nothing wrong with handmade sweets. It's the best way to sincerely express yourself. The recipe from the broadcast was very good, by the way.

[This looks so much worse given that he's not in a position to see the 'Gear, given that it looks like Kayneth has dissolved into talking to himself; at least by the end it's clear that he's talking to someone, apparently a plural "someone" at that, and it takes him a bit longer than it should to realize that Kayneth likely has the device on - either that or he's soliciting advice from the aether, which isn't a level of crazy that Tokiomi is comfortable going near, but at any rate, this isn't sounding good.

He doesn't approach, exactly, instead choosing to remain closer to the door, straight-backed with one arm folded loosely against his waist; he fiddles with the fabric of his suit jacket a bit before he realizes what he's doing and makes himself stop.]

Quite the interesting speech, Lord El-Melloi, though not one I would expect you to be giving over something such as chocolate.

[...yeah if this is awkward at all his tone isn't reflecting it.]

You seem agitated; is everything well, or...?

Wow. Never thought I'd see a humanoid so bent out of shape over a holiday...

Besides that one dude and his raging hate-on for Christmas, of course.

I dunno man, I don't see the whole "guilt" part. What's so bad about wanting to spend Valentine's Day with your SO? It's a great opportunity to show them you appreciate them.

[Although Larry has a pretty good idea why Kayneth's sounding so bitter about this, considering he's been in the same spot before.]

[If it weren't for her own relationship problems, she'd make an attempt to be optimistic for him; instead, Jane focuses on the cooking aspect of this post. P.S. Kayneth is getting some chocolates, it is her mental note.]

That recipe is really a breeze, but then again, I'm a bit of a baking queen! If you need any help with it, even just over the phone, I would be happy to help you out!

[...how does he even react to this]

...Yes? It's seasonal, after all...

[ If he needs someone to give chocolate to, there's a perfectly fine young lady here. ]

I tried once to bake chocolate. [ A nervous laugh. ] As a result, I have been banned from the kitchen.

Chocolate however... very few foods are better than it.

I haven't tried it myself, but one of the people I'm with made them for us! I think it's really a great recipe. And it looks like she already offered you her help, so just let me say she's terrific at it!

Well, I can't say I'm fond of what Christmas has become, but at least the holiday's presence here is easily explained by the fact that the majority of cultures have some sort of celebration related to the solstice.

[...in which he willfully dodges the point...]

I really didn't think there was anything wrong with it-honestly, now that I've gotten the hang of things related to baking, this is actually quite enjoyable.

I do get the impression these might be a bit lacking aesthetically, though...

[...oh, yeah, there are other people in the house

...that probably sounded really awkward, um, especially since by now even Tokiomi probably picked up that something's wrong here

TIME TO BE DIFFICULT SOME MORE, THOUGH, BECAUSE HE IS A MAGUS AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO]

It's the season in general, really. I've always found it to be frivolous, and as I said, the rampant overcommercialization doesn't help.

You really have no idea as to why that would make someone feel worse about this particular holiday, particularly given the nature of this place?

[be more bitter kayneth]

[Oi. :| Of course he has.

...It took him a bit longer than it should have, but you know, details.]

That may be, but "relationship-based guilt" is a particularly cynical way to look at it, I think.

[Look at that, he was right.]

Sorry, I just kind of took that wording differently.

[He sounds genuinely sympathetic for the next bit.]

Believe me, I know what you mean. I spent my first Valentine's Day here without anyone so I know it all too well.

[Hmmm...] If your SO isn't here, you should spend it with your friends instead. I know you gotta have friends here, even if they're not from home.

Given that they're for my own consumption, I should hope that isn't going to be a problem.

What do you mean by that? Granted, from what you've told me, this place tends to get odd at times, so I can only speculate...

[...well this holiday isn't a total loss...]

Admittedly, I haven't attempted much baking before coming here, but it does seem like a decent way to pass the time while waiting for the weather to be more pleasant. With that said, this particular recipe does seem fairly simple, so I doubt I'll have any difficulty with it-outside of aesthetics, perhaps. I'm not sure if I'd be satisfied with plain-looking chocolate on these pretzels.

All right...

So why are we so cynical.

[ Karkat Vantas. attack growlithe. ]

Well, I'm glad to hear that it's satisfactory. I really doubt I'll need help with something as simple as this, of course, but I'm sure she'll be helpful in any future endeavors.

[...given that he has been aiming for truces with all the fourth war enemy servants while he's here and he kind of dropped the ball with her in the first encounter...

this is a good diplomacy tactic]

...Well, it's true that the best foods are often the most difficult to prepare. [CHOCOLATE ISN'T ONE OF THEM WHAT DID YOU EVEN DO??? BEING DIPLOMATIC IS SO HARD SOMETIMES] And I would most certainly agree with your opinion, though I'm admittedly rather particular about it.

Cynical? I'm simply being realistic. That's really all this advertising is-blatant emotional manipulation.

[He shuts his Pokegear a little more harshly than intended and sets it aside so he can start doing some goddamn baking.]

I figured. Just had to make a little joke there.

[Because really. Bowser was just... pffft.]

As for last year, everyone got hit with a serious case of sappy feelings, and a whole bunch of Psychic types swarmed, teleporting people just for kicks.

[...sigh.]

Is this regarding your fiancée?

...well, I had certainly assumed it wasn't a unique problem.

[...yeah, that was... pretty obvious of him

admittedly he's not going to mention that if his SO were here it would be another can of worms, but]

I suppose that's all I can do, really. There is a reasonable amount of people here that I know well enough, at least.

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