001 ★

[guiltapalooza]

[Willow is on her knees in one of the open spaces of the makeshift dining room-- if it could even be called that-- frowning comically into a hollowed, blackened space used as a fire pit in the stone floor. She has a small fire going, mostly embers; that wasn't the problem. And there was a large, shiny stock pot propped on scavenged bits of metal above it, at an appropriate distance.

The problem was what to put in it. She has water in the pot, and a collection of various herb-looking things and a couple scattered, scraggly vegetable-looking things set out on the floor in front of her. She'd done enough exploring with Buffy in the past week or two to find some of the outdoor areas, and rustle up the things that looked like reasonable approximations of cooking ingredients.]

And then Willow poisoned everyone while trying to make soup, [she says to herself under her breath. No, better do an edibility-detecting spell. Was that even a thing? It was now, because she needed one.

She just needed to... do it. Yeah. She could do that. Willow continues to eye her set up, composing the spell in her mind.]

Comments

[feigns]

I'd rather she didn't. [ he's been watching her for a few moments out of a mixture of curiosity and boredom — the castle hasn't proven itself to be full of never-ending curiosities and excitement, after all, and even if it had, the fact that they were trapped acted in stark opposition to the development of fascination. that aside, his remark is uttered relatively cheerful, pointedly betraying little of his frustration at being stuck far from where he ought to be. ] If it's that much of a concern— [ he continues after a moment, gaze briefly shifting away from willow and up towards the ceiling. ] —I'd prefer it if you opted not to feed me. I'll find and make my own food so as to miss out on any mass poisonings.

[guiltapalooza]

[Willow is very, very familiar with humor used to cover up frustration, and uses it frequently herself.]

Oh, she's about to do a spell to-- I mean, I'm about to do a spell to make sure it's all edible. I was just thinking of how to do it. [She's twisted around in her kneeling position on the floor to face him as she speaks, and despite his criticism, she offers him a somewhat apologetic smile.]

[angsts]

That'd be rather pathetic.

[He'd been intending to simply pass by, but stopped upon recognizing Willow. And, well, when he heard that, he couldn't help but make a comment.

... Also, what happened at the springs hurt his pride. :(]

[guiltapalooza]

[She cares nothing for your pride, Dynos. In fact she doesn't even turn around when he speaks.]

It would, which is why I'm not going to. I just like to talk to myself.

[angsts]

[... Well, he kind of talks to himself too, so he can't judge there.]

And yet you seem to be continuing.

[guiltapalooza]

You have the hardest time with the idea that my magic isn't just for fighting, don't you?

[See icon? Exactly that look.]

[oversleeping]

[Subaru had been prowling -- and there's really not any other word for it -- around the castle since arriving. Being distressed over his absent twin, avoiding Seishirou and Fuuma, and generally just lurking out.]

[The presence of someone else in the dining room isn't a surprise to Subaru, though Willow's mention of poison and soup makes him stop and stare.]

Poison?

[guiltapalooza]

[She twitches a little at the unfamiliar voice saying poison, but makes herself relax. Willow's just a bit on edge from all of the shadow-monster-infested exploring she's been doing with Buffy lately.

By the time she turns in place to face Subaru, she has a ready smile.] Just joking. I'll make sure it won't actually poison anyone, duh. Though even if I did it might be better than our other option.

[oversleeping]

It would be faster, at least. [Grim! He's not in the greatest of moods, though -- he can't help but be a touch grim. He considers, then steps into the room, moving quietly despite his complex clothing.] Are you having trouble with your meal.

[guiltapalooza]

[That was pretty morbid, but then he transitioned right into polite concern, so Willow has a hard time holding it against him.]

Faster, but less fun, [she jokes again.] I wouldn't say I'm having trouble, exactly, but I'm not really sure what I'm doing, either. I was about to come up with a spell to test for edibility.

[oversmiling]

[Did you notice the man half-obscured in shadows? No? Wonderful, that's exactly what he intended. He'll be stepping out now, however, silently, a smile already on his face as he considers the-- soup. Well, it might be soup later, but it certainly isn't now.]

That would be quite unfortunate.

[guiltapalooza]

[Angel has done this to her enough times that although she starts in place and has to suppress a reflex to skitter away, she recovers swiftly. ... Angel had definitely never smiled, though.

It's a bit off to be smiling while talking about poisoning people. Willow eyes him.] Yeah, and then who'd solve the big castle mystery? I guess more people could wake up in the coffins, but-- [Wow, okay, stopping her own babble here. She's so glad she got that skill as she got older.]

But it's just as well, because I won't be poisoning anyone, [she finishes, certain.]

[oversmiling]

I think it's almost certain that more people will arrive here. [and he does sound certain, almost eerily so. Kamui hasn't arrived yet, after all, and he hardly believes anything will keep him away from Subaru for any length of time.]

I should hope not. It would be a shame to have to create a justice system here so soon.

I am not sure how Willow's magic works, so maybe cordelia just saw wrong!

[eldritch_princess]

[Cordelia had been stalking the hallways for a while now, less scared than she had been originally - this, after all, seemed to be nowhere near the part of the world she was familiar with, meaning that, hopefully, nobody knew who she was.

When she spotted the makeshift dining room - or rather, the person therein preparing to cook - she blinked. She had only heard the girl muttering to herself, but hadn't been able to make out the actual words. What she could make out was...was that a kind of magic? Or had she just been mistaken? It was possible.]

Uhm, excuse me.

[She knocked on the wall next to the entrance, in the absence of a proper door, but didn't take a step in without being invited to. ]

I couldn't help but notice, are you, perchance, a court mage...?

[She hoped she was wrong, but it probably was best to know exactly what she was dealing with in this place as soon as possible. And besides, maybe she had been wrong. That would be better for sure.]

it's cool, her magic is pretty versatile :D

[guiltapalooza]

[Wow, knocking before stepping in. Pretty formal. Willow twists around to see who it was, blinking at the question.]

I'm a witch? [she explains hesitantly, getting the feeling that they might as well be speaking different languages.] We don't have court mages where I'm from. Or, well, courts at all, really.

You can come in, by the way! It's a public area. [Willow smiles, determined to be friendly and reassure her.]

Yeah, I remember now...I think. Has been a while since I watched Buffy!

[eldritch_princess]

[The answer was a bit of a surprise. How did other places really work? They sure must be living far, far away from her country. Or maybe they really were from different worlds.]

Uhm...thank you.

[The woman slowly stepped in, looking around, looking a bit less tense after Willow's words. A few years ago, she might have called the place run-down, though that was years ago...]

I'm Cordelia, I've recently woken up in the other room. Nice to, uhm, have met you, despite the circumstances

[She didn't really want to mention the buried alive part, so 'other room' it was.]

And I'm sorry for mis-identifying you, I was just wondering.
Where I'm from, things really seem to be different.

[volcanic]

Don't you have to put the ingredients in first? [ For all Iceland knew, there was other stuff in the pot, but. It looks like most of it is on the ground, so... it's a fairly accurate statement, right? Okay but really, he doesn't mean to intrude but just happened to walk by at the right moment, he couldn't help it. ]

[guiltapalooza]

I need to test them and make sure they aren't actually poisonous, [she explains, shifting on the ground to face him more directly.

She gives a self-conscious smile.] Sorta thought that was an important first step. Also, me, not big soup cooker.

[volcanic]

Soup's the easiest thing to cook, though. You just let everything sit in the pot. [ He gives a sort of half shrug. ]

In any case, do you think testing them by yourself is a good idea?

[schrodingersghost]

[Danny crouches down nearby and watches this with skepticism.]

Looks like soup via call of the wild.

[guiltapalooza]

I know. Kind of a sad sight, huh? [she agrees, drooping and moping a little.]

Best I could do while we're stuck here in Trannsylvanian Robinson Crusoe.

[schrodingersghost]

Just a bit. But hey, at least it's not trying to eat us back.

[stillshinigami]

Is your self-narrative always so gloomy?

[He's been watching for a little while.]

[guiltapalooza]

[wryly,] Not always, just when I'm trying not to commit accidental genocide.

[stillshinigami]

I'm no expert on edible plants, but some of em look familiar. Where'd you get this stuff anyway?

[The bowl, the spoon...]