trustfell | at the end of the river, the sundown beams

at the end of the river, the sundown beams

[Well...that trial was most certainly a thing, now wasn't it.

It's probably a while after the trial that some notes will be going underneath people's doors, written in a nice, clean scrawl--]

For anyone who hasn't gotten anything to eat, there will be food and refreshments provided in the dining room courtesy of Estelle-san and I. Feel free to take as much as you need.

Please stay strong, everyone.

♥ Estelle and Sayaka

[True to the word, there's plenty of food to go around--potato stew courtesy of Estelle, and curry courtesy of Sayaka. There's coffee and tea out as well, for anyone to drink, and...well, it's more or less an optional thing. After today, some might need it.]

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[About that, Rin--

The enthusiasm is a bit forced on her side. There's a part of her that's still an idol, and she's trying to do better at showing her positive side even though it's hard. An idol is supposed to inspire people with their craft, right?]

It's completely fine! They're more fun to eat than they are sitting around goin' bad. And I can always make more.

[Is that a goddamn alligator.

...so Hibiki's actually from Florida, everything makes sense now.]

Mm, good point. In that case, I'll take it back to my room as a special treat. Just let me clean my plate and wash my hands first.

[If Rin notices Hibiki is forcing herself to remain cheerful, she doesn't comment on it, only giving the girl a wink before turning back for the sink.]

[Waniko is a lovely alligator, okay?!]

Alright! Butata will be right here waitin' for ya.

[Hibiki will continue to assume her positive attitude is fooling everyone. For now, she finishes rolling the shape of the next rice ball she was going to make. To her, making something is more therapeutic than eating it.

And in a way, it's a little less lonely when she has food that reminds her of her animals here. But that's silly.]

[Just scrubbing off this plate then. She's not going to volunteer to do everyone's not when enough food was made for thirty people, but she can at least take care of her own. It's a bit awkward to scrub with only one hand, but she gets a system going. Soon it's rinsed off, and she's on the silverware.

...for some reason it takes longer on the silverware.

Rin's holding a fork, watching water fan off it's curved edges when she jolts back to herself, setting the fork aside to dry. She pours a little dish soap in her hands, noting the fingers are pruned before speaking over her shoulder back at Hibiki, sounding pleasant enough.]

So do you make those onigiri animals for bentos?

Sometimes!

[She's already crafting another one. Today, these onigiri are just meant to help her pass the time. To take her mind off of everything. To say "I'm here, I'm at the party" and "I'm not here" at the same time. But it's okay. She likes being near the hustle and bustle, and she likes the candles she saw.]

I make 'em for everyone in the office, too. Usually I make sata andagi, but these are great, too. I live alone, so I'm always doin' a lot of cookin'.

[Seriously. She's up at 4AM to feed her animals (cooking from scratch for them), feeds herself, and then she's off to school and idol work, and then she feeds everyone again before doing her homework.]

What about you, Rin? Do you like cooking?

[Sata andagi, huh? That explains the Okinawa accent.]

I do. It started out of necessity, but I really got into it as I started refining my techniques. Although I confess, I can't prepare even simple Japanese meals, like miso soup.

Huh. But you're Japanese, aren't ya? What kind of dishes do you make, then?

[And why out of necessity? Hibiki isn't blunt enough to ask, surprisingly.]

Western and Chinese dishes are my specialty; the latter especially. Despite being Japanese, my family has always emulated Western culture, cooking included. [Which might explain a little about the cross she bears on her shirt.] Even my house more closely resembles the kind you would see visiting Europe.

[Well, certain parts of Europe, anyways. These days most people have a flatscreen television and fancy appliances, over Persian rugs and antique French furniture. But it's definitely styled more to their tastes than the Japanese.]

I don't have a fancy excuse for why I like Chinese food, on the other hand. I ate out at a certain Chinese restaurant Kirei favors enough times that I probably just developed a taste for it, and wanted to try new styles.

[...less burn your tongue off because it's too spicy styles.]

I can't really explain why, but hearin' ya live in a fancy, Western style house kinda fits ya! I'm not really great with other kinds of cooking, but that's probably only because I've never tried...and because Okinawan cuisine is the best cuisine of all, hehe!

[She's always taken pride in her heritage. Thinking about home might be a little painful now, especially since she's been living in Tokyo and it's been so long since she's returned, but it's nice to tell someone else about it.]

Hey...Kirei...he's the guy with the cross necklace, right? The priest? I didn't realize you two were friends!

[You know, Rin's never been to Okinawa to really try their cuisine, other than what a few transfer students might bring to class sometimes and share. She was about to ask if Hibiki would be interested in trading recipes, when Hibiki says that and boy, that's an innocent mistaken that needs to be corrected right away. Rin's smile falls for a comically flat expression, and she waves a hand.]

He's not my friend.

He isn't?

[Hibiki shrinks a little, feeling for the second time today like she's said the completely wrong thing. That's not much fun for her. But it's probably not as bad as earlier, right? She looks down at the animal she hadn't started making and then back up at Rin.]

I guess I got it wrong, huh?

[...oh, she looks kind of upset? It takes Rin a moment, but thinking back to the trial she can guess why.]

Completely wrong, but it's fine. It was an innocent mistake, so you shouldn't dwell on it.

Mm, alright.

[That makes her feel a bit better! But now that she thinks about it, isn't it also weird that two people know each other? ...Is there anyone else like that? It's not like she's asked, and she doesn't know anyone else here.]

So, is he a friend of your dad's or somethin'?

[She had a few more words of pep talk in her if needed, but Hibiki already looks like she felt bolstered by that. At least that's how it appears to Rin; she's not the best at reading people.]

Your guess was warm that time.

[Rin flashes Hibiki a brief, encouraging smile, then leans her back against the counter. See? You're doing well.]

Kirei was an apprentice of my father's, and after his death, he became my guardian. As the succeeding head of the Tohsaka family, that makes him both my disciple and my second teacher.

[SHE REALLY NEEDS THEM. But she's doing her idol best at conversation tonight. Surely, trying to force a smile won't hurt her in the long run, right?]

That sounds really complicated! So he's...takin' care of you, but he's also...your disciple? Does that mean you're smarter than him? Oh, but he's your teacher, so maybe...nope, I don't really get it unless you're both each other's teachers or somethin'.

[She's trying so hard. She really is. That sounds like a complicated relationship on paper at any rate.]

I wouldn't say I'm smarter than him. There are things I'm more adept than he is with, but similarly he's more skilled than I am at others because we excel in different fields.

[As much as Rin might dislike Kirei, you'll never see her diss on his capabilities.]

Basically, we're both apprentices of Tohsaka, but Kirei is an outsider where I'm the heir, both to the family and as supervisor of the land. This puts me in a higher position than his when it comes to matters concerning those things.

[Though until recently, that was in name only. Naturally when things started, Rin was too young to handle most of her responsibilities, but she wanted to keep the explanation simple.]

Does that make more sense?

Mm, I get it! It sounds kinda like there's a hierarchy! He might be older and bigger, but you've got all the resources. Like in elephants!

[Males do all the fighting and get some good stuff, but being a female means you're more adept at socializing. She's not explaining this, but suddenly comparing it to an animal relationship makes sense??? Leave it to Hibiki to compare Fate/Stay to dominance hierarchy.]

But that makes you sound even more impressive. Heir, supervisor...you're a really important person, aren't you?

Of course. When you're a person with important responsibilities, that's typically the result. The responsibilities inform my character in that respect.

[While there might be a tinge or pride in that, Rin relays this fairly casually as well, as if it's just a matter of fact. A moment later she seems to rethink things, tilting her head as if she just heard something odd.]

Though I'm not certain I get the comparison to elephants... [Bouncing back away from the counter, Rin turns to face Hibiki properly.] On top of being an idol, are you a zoologist as well?

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at the end of the river, the sundown beams

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