"Hey hey hey now. What happened to 'mind over matter'? Someone's been slipping on the meditation," the Martial Chef teased, "It's not easy putting something simple like this together, so you can't just nibbled, you've got to breathe it across the palate, and take in the subtleties of how the seed and peppers mortar together."
For emphasis, he took a dab himself and chewed it together slowly with relish.
"The anatomist classifies the sensation as pain, but the essence of true flavour, that is...is..." A sly smile crawled across Zaofan's face, until the corners of his eyes began to water,"...ok yeah, vintage or not, we're going in."
With a small pop, the cork top of the ceramic jug was opened, and a hit of acetone-sweet went straight up the nostrils, hitting brightly across the sinuses. Its aroma was so strong it forced a blink, behind the veil of their eyes flashed the image of its lush origins. It was like breathing in sunshine.
"Here." Pouring out two glasses, Zaofan began to aerate them, and a light foam rose upon he surface. "Last season's harvest set to brew for a quarter year. The growing season is extra lengthy in this part."
Distilled to liquid amber, the Baradurian spirit went down hot, but that was only the blood rushing to meet it. Once it settled, each subsequent sip seemed to smooth out as it set their nerves alight with a heady bloom, and with it a momentary fugue of perfect serenity.
"Drink up, Held. For the moment, life is good for these people, and it's thanks to your crew."
As the Captain made his leave to compute the new data sequences, Ochazuke remained there with Held and Zaofan. He stood there facing away into the stars."I don't envy you two." Held replied, regaining his composure for a moment, "I guess I get the easy part of the job, eh? Write a few checks, a few dozen reports about your tasks, and then fly down and kick a belligerent or two in the head."
He paused, frowning. "Actually, no...I'll likely have to do a few reports about your report as well...." he shrugged, "Still, I suppose I can't very well sit and complain about such things while you're both hard at work."
....Still, some part of me would rather be doing that...Atleast it's something of use. Half my time I'm stuck playing politics or bureaucrat. I didn't realize my command would be so constrained. Then again, as things are, it can't be helped until I manage to gain more influence...Which this whole thing probably will help with.
"I guess I'll do my part for the effort and have a drink for the both of you, if that's the case." He replied to his own excellent humor with a laugh, "I suppose that's the burden of higher command, eh? None of the work and all of the credit? All of the enjoyment seems fitting as well..."
On that note....I hope that geezer manages to come through and helps me mitigate the blow back from this. This was the right call, but I don't know if the others will see taking Blacktongue and the priestess prisoner as proper diplomacy....
"After all, a little R&R goes along way for your team, I imagine. You've been grinding things out for sometime now...." He sighed slightly, "And not to kill the moment, but I feel this might be the easy part, the prelude, even."
There's no way Auroc could overlook such an insult to his pride, and the closer we get to him, the more resistance we'll encounter...Each bread crumb only leads us into more danger, into a diversion and proves that he should take us seriously...
"I'd hope we can jump straight to the climax sooner, rather than later, but we're rarely that lucky."
"I suppose we should be thankful he's so self absorbed." Held replied, his attention drawn to the ambient energy that heralded Auroc's power, even with his believers could not. It may have went unseen to many, but not to those assembled. And even to those unable to see it, they certainly felt it, either during the frantic battle, or more intimately, as it crushed their minds and spirits beneath its weight, subjugating them entirely.
Even now, Held was only vaguely aware of Ochazukes means, tracing things that were esoteric and unseen to even to the potent techniques of the Shingan. Held may have possessed sight beyond sight, but Ochazuke employed a sense very different, that Held could only detect on the periphery of his awareness.
"After all, if anyone can follow his slimy tendrils back to their source, I'd think you two can."
"Nightfall beneath the sky of another world. Until this past year I have never experienced such a thing. Nor had I stopped to ponder the field of view."
Besides the outer lights of the spaceships gathered in the sky where they docked, there was little to disturb the sight above. The swaying trees and crackle of torches seemed to be silenced by the unobstructed view of endless scores of stars under an unpolluted atmosphere. The tails of shooting stars streaked across the dark canopy, as if they traced for their eyes what wild, mythic shapes they'd bestowed upon the ancients of this place; but try as he might, he could not find nor truly understand the spirit that rose from this place.
"Little over five years ago my training brought me to the North Continent back on Earth. Seated beneath the icy peak upon the tundra, I would look up to try and find constellations. I'd been taught to recognize the movement of Heaven as some sign of auspicious meaning. Aligned this way, it would be time to seize your fortune; find the pole star and destiny is on your side."
"I wonder, was it the same for you, Held? The Saiyans? The Threshling princess when she made her arrival? Everything must happen for a reason..."
From The Doctor to the Gods and certain, extraordinarily bold Guardians, and creatures like That Man or twisted monarchs from in-between realms, there was always that struggle, the urge to seize upon the yawning void and create some semblance of order, to design meaning for oneself, even if it meant imposing it where there was none.
Strive.
"Ever since we crossed path with Evangeline, I'd still looked skyward and saw nothing but one wretched calamity after the other, waiting to fall from the heavens."
His fist tightened by his side with such intensity his knuckles popped.
"I wonder. Does Auroc know enough to feel the same way now?"