eight >> audio

[awaitingalbion]

[Merlin clears his throat, steading the journal in front of him.]

I would like to say that the Lady Morgana has just arrived in Luceti. [He pauses, trying to begin again with less strain within his voice.] I would hope that people could try and help her adjust to captiv--life, here.

[It is perhaps a pointless formality, but Merlin is feeling guilty about a number of things. Chiefly, how he had last seen the Uther's ward before being dragged into this world. Luckily, it looked as though Morgana was from well before that day. But he was also feeling guilty about the kind of life Morgana was now thrust into--and without Gwen, although she had been here so recently.]

Also...[now more self-conscious than strained. Also, I was wondering if anyone could provide some kind of lesson or instruction for the devices that have recently appeared in the kitchen.

[He wants to provide a proper meal for the apartment's newest resident. Something beyond the bread and cheese that has been sustaining Merlin. He hasn't yet tried to conquer the stove.]

Comments

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Merlin runs his index finger across the recipe, puzzling out the letters that are just a little bit unlike those that he is used to.]

Oh, yum. That looks brilliant, Minato. [Picking up some canned or whole? pineapple because that's a weird sort of food he's never seen before.]

[emp3thy]

[Let's say whole because royalty deserves fresh fruit. Also it's amazingly delicious.] Then let's get to work.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Then this pineapple is really getting a funny look.

Well, it is until he holds it up to Minato.] What am I supposed to do with this?

[emp3thy]

We have to cut it. [and he looks around for a sharp knife...]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

You're telling me that you can actually cut this thing? It looks like a piece of Arthur's worst battle armour.

[emp3thy]

Carefully. [watch and learn, Merlin. He finds a knife, sets the pineapple on a cutting board and begins sawing off the top and bottom.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

Carefully. [He echoes, watching. A look of gentle surprise hits his face when the interior of the pineapples looks so much more inviting that the spiny outside.]

[emp3thy]

[He continues slicing until he has a tower of yellow fruit, then starts to cut it into rings. But in the meantime...]

There's a metal pot in the bag, Merlin-san.

[He brought a rice cooker with him from the store, in case the kitchen here didn't have one already. No one should be without one, in his opinion.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[He'll retrieve that for Minato, examining it even as he walks it over to Minato.]

And you're going to put the pineapple in that?

[emp3thy]

[he shakes his head, while slicing the center out of each ring. Now there's a nice pile of pineapple.] It's a rice cooker.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

This? Just for rice?

[He was slowly getting used to rice. It was certainly a preferable grain to the kinds he had tasted at home.]

[emp3thy]

Yes. [after cleaning up the pineapple remains, he takes the cord of the cooker and plugs it into a wall outlet.] We eat a lot of rice in Japan.

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[He seems to be quietly investigating the device.] So, this machine must be common in Japan. Does everyone have electricity, then? Readily available?

[emp3thy]

[just don't touch the outlet.]

That's right.

[Now to remove the rest of the ingredients from the bag. He managed to find some boneless chicken breasts. Meat you don't have to pluck, Merlin!]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Merlin watches the meat with a perplexed expression.] Oh! You've already chopped it up. That's rather useful.

[emp3thy]

Well, the Malnosso did. [let's get a pan for this stuff.]

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

That almost makes them sound helpful, you know.

[emp3thy]

They are providing for us. Just not the way we want.

[he takes an orange out of the bag and hands it to Merlin.] Can you peel that?

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

[Now, oranges? Oranges, he knows. Medieval Britain seemed to manage importing those little beauties from rather early on.

Merlin grabs the orange from Minato's hand and begins peeling in earnest. His work is rough and inexact--much of the pith is being left behind, for example, but he at least behaves diligently.]

I don't get why they provide for us at all. Aren't we supposed to be prisoners?

[emp3thy]

[You'll get the hang of it.] Preventing mutiny?

[awaitingalbion.livejournal.com]

They have such power over us. Surely, mutiny would be nothing to them. Any king knows how to squash a rebellion--at least, the successful ones do.

[emp3thy]

Then there's a reason they don't use it. [he takes out a bowl from the cupboard and a jar of honey from his bag, pouring the honey into the bowl] If they wanted, they could keep us all in cells.