thefoundation | WEEK 4 - VENUS FLYTRAP

[Sometimes you really have to kick the past to the curb; or at least the decrepit and rotting parts of it, the parts that only know how to talk and not how to act, the people who hold you back and everything else they've collectively disowned. Strangely, in a Game where they're trapped as Pieces, freedom seems more within reach.

So there's an answering and familiar gleam in Anon's eye, because here they go again, and he couldn't ask for a better way of discussing cuisine. Apparently. They can worry about secondary vampire cuisine later.

It's really a good thing they're still just starting to explore the kitchen at this point.]

Ahaha, I really don't know what would happen! Maybe it would be like Nirrti's flames, and they'd just get burned up, or there'd be a lot of screaming, so maybe you should get blood first. [because all of the above might happen??] I've really never tried feeding a human Underworld food before.

[From the way he says it, this was definitely an oversight.]

Edited 2019-05-24 01:33 (UTC)

Hmn. Blood first, but just a taste. If they catch on fire it'll be better than nothing, and if they don't then I'll be able to compare how the pepper affects the taste. [ Why is this what they're talking about. How did we get here.

Feeding still isn't something Natsuno likes to do but he's accepted it at this point, and the temptation and curiosity is very real in this imaginary scenario. He's licking his lips just thinking about it, there's still shades of his human likes buried in his jinrou palette and spicy food was his favorite. ]

It'll be a fun first experience, then.

Ooh. So like a taste test! I never really thought about it, but it's kind of like vampire cuisine... if you start feeding your food food.

[Sometimes you end up spending way too much time with a vampire, after finding out very recently about how exactly vampire lore works, and suddenly your perspective on the world changes in all kinds of messed up but interesting ways. Anon's learning a lot, and he has no idea why or how he's here, but he's here all the way. Somehow.

He's absolutely gauging the reaction and taking notes. This is a disaster for the future, please see the following:]

It's definitely going to be fun. I bet we can experiment with other seasonings and things, too.

That sounds funny. [ "Feeding your food, food." but he has a wry smirk on his face anyway. His sample size isn't very large, but he's fed from enough people to know that they all have distinct notes and flavor profiles. Thinking of that, what he likes best so far is... ]

Mn? I think that almost happened at the Foundation with my interviewer. I tried to bite him the first time and when he came back I think he ate everything with garlic he could find.

It is pretty funny. Nothing really changes depending on who I swallow unless they really come with something weird attached. I think the really powerful guys are tinglier, but other than that it's about the same!

Still, I haven't tried with that many weirder SCPs yet.

[Like, they've fed him a few Agents and he's definitely swallowed some less humanoid things at this point, but the Foundation was perhaps understandably nervous about feeding him anything too far off the beaten path.

And then he swallowed Ichigo and the rest is history, but for the moment he's still thinking in terms of flavors. Hmmmm... He definitely snickers at the thought of the interviewer scuttling away to drown themselves in garlic.]

Ah, how did it taste? Did you get him in the end?

Edited 2019-05-24 17:00 (UTC)

I wonder if you swallow an ice golem or something would it feel cold? [ Temperature is different than taste, right? Also blame their recent dragon adventures for him reading up on more mythological things. ]

No, I decided to play along after they stuck me in isolation for a while. I was really tired after that... [ It actually was not a good time because he's way too inward facing on his own, let alone when he's forced into it. ] But I'm sure he would have tasted awful, garlic is way too strong. It wouldn't bother me or anything though, just like I can still use mirrors just fine.

[ ...he can't even blame his terrible fashion sense on not getting a good look at himself smh. ]

It would totally be a bit chilly! I'd have to be careful not to get my tongue stuck.

[That's probably not how that works?? Anon seems like he's contemplating stuff like this for the first time, there probably aren't many ice golems or other such things in the Underworld, so now they're both getting somewhere. No one knows where that is at this point.

Mythological gastronomy sure is a thing???]

Garlic tastes pretty good if you don't just use gallons of it, so at least you still have that! I bet they didn't even feed you in isolation, did they? The Foundation really likes to pull stupid things like that, just because they like hoarding powerful things until it all blows up in their faces.

[There's a grumble in his voice -- it's not dissimilar to when he first got here and would regularly complain about the Foundation's containing ways, but the difference this time is that he seems rather offended on Natsuno's behalf.]

I really hope it blows up in their faces soon. I want to watch.

[ That sounds like how it works though. It honestly makes him wonder too, if he drank from someone who was suffering from hypothermia would it be a noticeable difference? Maybe this is a quandary to solve when they go dragon glacier adventuring. Hmmmm. ]

I don't think I need to worry about things like that. Even if I broke my fangs, I think they would just grow back. [ But he's not eager to find out. ]

I've only had garlic a few times, we don't really use it in washoku. [ He sighs at the Foundation bit, a lingering agitation there. ]

They didn't, not even turtle soup. [ ... ] Me too. It might be even more fun than watching Sotoba burn.

[These dragons and glaciers really do have so much to answer for. They might need multiple draconically-inclined worlds at this rate, but it's not like Anon would complain about expanding their very dubious buffet options.]

Wow, so you've never broken a fang before? [a beat] Actually, I've never thought about vampires breaking their fangs. You'd probably end up needing to drink blood through a straw at that rate.

[Can you imagine this. Geriatric blood drinking, the worst. He gives a little huff because the Foundation continues to be rude, so he's going to continue being rude about them. It's only fair.]

No varied diets, no basic diets, and their containment sucks, I really can't decide sometimes if it's a good thing they're that incompetent. [but some of that incompetence is probably how they ended up here, so he lets it go a little] Mm, can you imagine, though? What would happen if you released all the most dangerous SCPs at once, and then set the sites on fire. It really would be the end of the world.

[Probably. A few dozen times over. This is why the Foundation didn't let him do things!!]

[ Natsuno wouldn't either, even if he could (rightly) blame Anon for encouraging his newfound gluttonous tendencies. ]

That would be awful. [ Making a face!!! ] No, I've never really drank much before. And I've only been a jinrou for a bit so...

[ Very much a baby jinrou who violently abandoned it's nest and then set it on fire. Which seems relevant here, really. ]

I wonder if it would be like one giant fireworks show. [ There's definite approval in his voice. ]

[As always, Anon is here to help him live his best (un)life. That's what he's all about.

There's a happy snicker at the face Natsuno just made and of course he had to picture him trying to drink from someone's neck through a straw, too. It's truly almost a pity that he probably won't get to see that in person unless they do terrible things to some hapless passing vampire or unless Natsuno really, really loses to dragonhide.]

Heheh. Don't worry. If you ever do break a fang, you can totally have one of those crazy straws. [is that really consolation though] It's decided, though. We're definitely going to try every kind of blood we can get our hands on. What's the point, otherwise?

[He's definitely being a little silly -- but he's also perfectly and pleasantly serious. The two are a necessary coexistence when it comes to him.]

There would definitely be all kinds of fireworks, and all kinds of fights, too. Ahhh, it's so tempting.

I'm not using some stupid straw. [ They can abuse some poor vampire on another world, but here is where he draws the line apparently. ]

Yeah, if we're going to do it, it should be all the way. [ He takes a breath to settle himself from his straw indignation, and to reflect on the foundation's destruction. ]

They'll self-destruct eventually, right? So if we keep an eye on them we can just come back for the best part. I never really liked sitting through entire movies anyway.

[ The popcorning here is very literal apparently, as is his casual insinuation that they're going to be around each other for that long. It's not something he's consciously thought through, but like most things with them it just kinda happens without any resistance on his part. ]

[The snickering turns into real laughter, because he can't help it when Natsuno seems to have a totally random vendetta against straws. But there's something in it that's very like him, too, so the laughter has an oddly indulgent note to it, quiet and inviting.]

Okay, okay, if you don't want the straw then somebody else is going to have to!

[Let it never be said that Anon doesn't understand the art of compromise, even if the art is usually of manipulation rather than real compromise on his side of the fence. It's something he hasn't really brought with him, though, and he leaves it easily behind especially in this place and time.]

I'd put money on the Foundation really blowing up if I had it right now. But we can definitely just pick and choose the best parts. I don't think either a jinrou or Infernal lifespan is worth watching the Foundation do its thing for that long.

[That mellow note in his voice is still there, softened a little further. He definitely didn't just imply anything about lifespans, either. Neither of them are doing anything out of the ordinary.]

There have to be jiisan vampires in other places besides Sotoba, so we just have to find one of those. [ Problem solved, and he sounds happy with this deal. Natsuno is always up for digging on the elderly. ]

Mmhmm. Watching the whole thing would just be like going to school... [ He looks at Anon, unaware he has a very stupid smile on his face. ] but you wanted to see what high school was like, mn? We can just pick the best parts of that too.

The best parts of everything. [ He has no idea when he started to speak or believe in such grandiose ideas that had nothing to do with revenge or self-destruction. ]

I wonder if really old vampires still have fangs, or they have to use fake teeth like old humans? Maybe we'll get to find out.

[Otherwise they're just going to have to do really unmentionable things to this hypothetical geezer vampire, which Anon sounds like he might kind of be looking forward to because. They're like this. Someone save any vampire world from this combo, please.

He mostly done laughing but his ever-present smile widens again in response to the silly one Natsuno's giving him. This is terrible, it's like a feedback loop of being unable to take anything seriously. Not that most of the ideas they've spouted at this point would be taken seriously by anyone else.

Maybe that's the best part.]

Once we're free from this Game, we definitely have to do all of that. School, and blowing things up, and never taking anything less than the best.

[He strikes a ridiculous pose, pumping his fist in the air.]

That's how you know it's worth it, after all.

Hmn. If they were turned when they were old, their fangs might be old too. There was a jiisan who was bedridden when he turned and he still couldn't walk after. An old vampire like that might be our best bet. [ He snorts at this because it serves him right for being selfish and stupid. Nodding along at the rest, because he's totally here for this.]

That makes it sound like we're going to do those both at once. [ He's apparently not opposed to blowing up a school, because of course he's not. Kinda blinking at the end though. Is this pose something he's supposed to do too? Or is it like a high five thing? He's not really good at either of those things, so just cocking his head to the side and raising his hand a little.

Help. ]

Ehh, so there are vampires who would actually drink old people blood?? Wouldn't their blood be weak or tasteless or something? It really doesn't sound appetizing, and besides ending up as somebody old and rotting for eternity sounds like the worst!

[He is definitely judging the vampires on both sides of this transaction a little bit?? Whichever elderly vampire has the bad luck to get mugged by them for fangs or something sure is in for a time.

Anon cocks his head at Natsuno's half-hearted gesture, glances at his own fist and then makes a split-second decision punctuated by a happy laugh: he opens his hand and then bounces forward to tap their palms together. It's actually a less boisterous high-five than you'd expect from him, but Natsuno is still learning!

And improvisation. And stuff.]

We could do them both at once, too. I'd be up for that! That's what fireworks are for, right?

[That is not what fireworks are for.]

I never want to have to find out what they do taste like. I'd rather starve. [ Suffice it say he agrees here on both counts, and whatever geriatric vampire they find is in for a time. ]

Okay. [ To the both at once, give him a moment he kinda just realized that he both accepted and returned a high five. ]

...I don't think so. But we could launch fireworks after.

[ Nailed it? ]

So no old people blood for you, got it! Hey, what about like, immortal blood? Like the blood of a Witch or maybe the blood of something that lives for tens of thousands of years.

[Which, to be fair, is mostly Celestial Beasts where he comes from, and he's not sure how that blood would work out in the end, but it's not that big a deal to experiment with it if they ever get their hands on a Celestial Beast. The universe is wide and Anon is unscrupulous, but he does have his connections, too.

He's paging through their options, is the point here.

He looks even happier coming off the high-five here, delight and smugness warring in his expression as he watches Natsuno have a crisis over it. Maybe the crisis is part of the fun, too.]

Ah, that's too bad. I've always wanted to set off as many fireworks as possible at once. but I can totally settle for blowing something up and then fireworks.

Mmn, I could try it. [ Slowly and with trepidation—this is all so new and it's kinda like running before you can walk, but there's a note of determination too. Plus he's still recovering from the whole high five ordeal. ] I don't even know what type of human I like the most...

[ Tapping a finger to the corner of his mouth. ]

It'd be like a post destruction celebration, right?

A post-destruction destruction celebration!

[Anon claps happily at the prospect. Oh boy.]

Hm-hmm. It's probably easier to start with humans, there are so many, and then the others when we catch 'em! But there really are differences in human blood, huh? So younger and older, and do taller ones taste colder? What about lighter and darker hair, is it sweeter or more bitter?

[This has turned into blood tasting wild mass guessing, but obviously he's never really thought about this stuff in such terms or in such detail before -- this entire exercise has been both of them expanding their horizons and running the hell away into the distance, off a cliff and into a new game (not Game) entirely.

And they're not even wearing metaphorical shoes. Go figure.]

That sounds much better. There wouldn't be any loud annoying couples for those kind of fireworks either. [ Just you know, them. But he's oblivious here to the intensity of connection they have so nothing to see here. ]

...do you really want to know what different blood tastes like? [ You don't need metaphorical shoes when you have wings! Or something like that. ((Wings are later but details.) He's still not quite reached that point of jumping off the cliff with overwhelming enthusiasm, but by the sound of it he's still willing, just a bit thrown off. Gazing into the abyss before plunging into it and all that. ]

The best way to enjoy something is definitely to chase out everybody else first.

[He says this with a shit-eating grin so it's pretty obvious he knows that's not what you're supposed to do at a celebration?? Even if he has some very off-the-wall ideas about fireworks. But the idea of blowing things up with Natsuno has always been an excellently attractive one, so this is just the natural conclusion here.]

And 'course I want to know all about what blood tastes like. Why wouldn't I?

[Wholly sincere question here?? As the abyss gazes back with bright, bright red eyes, just about the color of fresh blood or flowers or a slowly polished mirror that hasn't quite been unveiled yet. It will truly be a cold day in the Underworld when Anon isn't up for going cliffdiving in every way.]

[ He returns the grin, not quite equally bold but he's getting there. It's not an emotion he can really keep up for the vampire cuisine, but he manages to preserve it somewhat. ]

Ha, you're you so I shouldn't have even asked in the first place. [ And that's comforting, even if he doesn't fully grasp why yet. ]

It's...I've only drank from a few people and never from any women. They were all pretty different, even though two of them are doctors. One was heavy and the other one had this warmth that felt like a fire in my stomach.

Ahh all blood—human blood—is sweet like water, with a sharp edge on the end. Sweet like apricots, or sweet like red bean, or sweet like scallops. Always, always, sweet...

[ Poking might be necessary as he definitely just zoned, oops. ]

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