|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:27 am
“I discovered this ritual that the humans have for their Halloween celebrations,” Aliez explained as he carefully set the large pumpkin down on the ground, trying not to sound too out of breath as he sat on the ground as well. “I thought you might like to partake in this type of entertainment with me? Have you heard of their creation of jack-o’-lanterns?” Along with the large pumpkin, Aliez pulled from his subspace a set of tools he also purchased - yes, he was getting better at using the currency of Earth - to help with disemboweling this large orange gourd to decorate it for the Earth’s festivities of Halloween. While he might have felt strange approaching King Caedus before, he was a little more confident about it, now that he was determined to make sure he was welcomed as not just their King, but as a fellow Velencian. Maybe it was inappropriate of him to do so, but that is why he had located the King just outside of their dome while the sun was beginning to set and cast everything in warm tones.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2021 7:44 pm
Caedus’ eyes were on the pumpkin and he nodded along with Aliez’s explanation. He had been a bit surprised with the offer, but naturally he had accepted the invitation and sat on the ground on the other side of the gourd. Caedus always seemed to drift outside for the sunsets, and he couldn’t help but appreciate the warm glow that spread across everything. “I think the human festivities are wonderful. They are so creative. A bit excessive, and certainly very wasteful, but there is something enjoyable about them. I have not heard of jack-o’-lanterns, but I would like to learn,” he said honestly, and put his hands on the pumpkin as he examined it. “This is very big, you carried it all the way here? It is an impressive specimen.” He knocked on it and seemed to enjoy the hollow sound, almost as much as he enjoyed Aliez inviting him to partake in this creation. “It becomes a lantern?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 9:26 am
“Once it is hollowed, the humans put a candle inside and it creates an appealing night illumination,” he explained. At least from what he could understand about it. He couldn’t stop from smiling a little when King Caedus commented on how impressive the pumpkin was.
“It was a little heavy, but it will be lighter soon,” he said as he made himself comfortable next to the pumpkin and picked up one of the sharper of the tools. He wasn’t going into this blind, though. He had instructions that he found. Or at least pictures. He opened up his ComTech with his free hand and swiped through the information he’d gathered to show what needed to be done.
“First we cut open the top. Would you do the honors, Your Majesty?” he asked, handing him the handle of the knife and then pointing to where the images showed to cut the pumpkin.
“Once the top is off, we are to scoop out the insides. It says the seeds are edible, so we can try to save those.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:19 pm
Caedus leaned forward a bit so he could easily read over Aliez’s ComTech and nodded as he skimmed over it. “Oh, I am surprised you trust me with this!” he laughed, but readily accepted the knife. “Commodore Lyndin never let me play with these when we were younger.” And yet, he was eager to play with it now. He positioned the tip of the blade on the pumpkin, glanced back at Aliez’s instructions, and then stabbed into it. He was stronger than he looked; the blade slid through easily--a bit deeper than he meant, and he murmured an apology to the pumpkin before he tugged the blade out just a bit and began to carefully cut away the top. “I do not think I have ever eaten one of these, but it looks fun. I am excited to see the inside.” It didn’t take long; in only a few short seconds he was pulling out the knife and pulling up the now separated top.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:56 pm
Aliez just nodded, because he did trust King Caedus with it. Especially since it had been quite a few years since either he or Commodore Lyndin had been younger. And a thousand years almost between youth and now.
“That looks right,” he insisted when King Caedus cut through the top with relative ease. Aliez reached out to help pry off the top part with the stem, and made a face before laughing softly at the sight of all the orange mush inside.
“Oh, good thing I brought towels,” he laughed, and paused to pull some more supplies from his subspace. He had a container that he placed down as well and nodded to. “We can save the seeds in that. And everything else I think we can find a good place to fertilize,” he suggested, and looked around to try and see if there were any patches of soil in need of some extra nutrients, but he would just have to figure out where to put everything later.
“Okay, so now we get messy I think,” he said as he referred to the ComTech instructions once more, before carefully removing the bracelet from his wrist so he wouldn’t get it covered in orange mush, and reached in to scoop out a pile. “Oh, it’s colder than I expected. And wet.” It wasn’t the most pleasant feeling, but this was part of the process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:09 pm
Caedus watched him carefully for a few seconds, taking it just what he was doing so he could replicate it. He rolled up his sleeves and adjusted how he was sitting to make sure he was less likely to spill anything on himself. Showing more skin was uncommon for Caedus but he seemed to be taking his appearance very seriously and didn’t want to disappoint Lyndin by showing up covered in vegetables and dirt and grass stains. He had a few old scars up his arms, and a few patches of skin that looked like they might have been trying to crystalize. He seemed to have filed them down mostly but his attention was on the pumpkin and not himself. He stuck one hand in and scooped out a handful. His face contorted briefly into one of disgust but he reeled himself in and deposited the gooey innards. “Oh, that is a strange sensation. I do not like how moist it feels. Like I am putting my hand into a mouth. This is not pleasant.” But, it was a necessity, and he wouldn’t make Aliez suffer alone. Besides, he wanted to get to the next step, that part seemed so much more interesting. He hurriedly scooped, mindful to keep out of Aliez’ way and work around them so they could complete the task effectively and swiftly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:46 pm
Seeing scars of any kind was not common for Aliez. On Velencya they had ways to heal. Easily. Completely. There was no reason for anyone to have scars, even if they were seriously injured. Not with the outpouring of donations of energy from everyone when someone was hurt. From Velencya itself. They all looked after each other and protected each other. It was what made Aliez want to be a healer like his parents.
The scars across King Caedus' face was alarming enough, but the scars on his arms made Aliez wonder just how much suffering Caedus survived through.
But he did laugh quietly at the King's reaction to scooping out the orange gunk from the inside of the pumpkin. He couldn't help but smile, and he reached in to help scoop more in alternate time to make the work shorter.
"It is very unpleasant and cold," Aliez observed with a face of his own. He took one of the tools he'd been given and offered it to the King to help with scooping everything out. It was like a giant flat spoon, but it was efficient enough in pulling out the stringy innards of the pumpkin.
"Next we decide on a face," he explained, hoping that the King saw the instructions before, because looking at them now would mean getting his ComTech covered in pumpkin guts. "I have a pen if you would like to draw the shapes?" he offered, picking up the towel he had to pass to the King so he could wipe his hands dry. They would have to wash them more thoroughly later, but this would be sufficient for now.
"I'm sorry you had to face such hardship alone," he said after a moment, and then nodded to King Caedus' arms and his face with a sad frown. "I am glad you were able to escape whatever hurt you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 7:56 pm
Caedus paused for only a second, like he had to process what Aliez said to him. He looked down at his arms and looked like he was about to tug his sleeves back down before he stopped himself. The whole purpose of rolling them up was to keep them clean, and it was impractical and vain to do anything about his arms, especially now. “Oh.” Silence hung in the air for a few seconds before he nodded. “Thank you. It is in the past,” he assured, even if it wasn’t all in the past. He carried the scars on his skin and in his heart, but after a few seconds more he just smiled. “I am not alone now. It would have been nice to have company before, but I think everyone was in a better place so I would not wish any suffering on them. It is better now.” He smiled again, more convincingly now. “What sort of face should it have? I think he should be smiling. Unless he is supposed to be mad that we have taken his innards? But he is so round, I think he deserves to be happy.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:09 am
He felt a little guilty for bringing it up, but Aliez decided that keeping secrets like that wasn't going to help anyone. They needed to learn from each other, and while they had the Commodore to learn from their whole lives, they had a lot they could still learn from King Caedus.
"I think a happy face," Aliez agreed with a smile. "They are traditionally triangle cuts, I believe. Just eyes and a mouth, but we can do whatever you would like," he said as he leaned closer to inspect the pumpkin and where they would be carving.
"What about here, and here?" he gestured to the eyes and mouth position, and then offered King Caedus the pen he had for the purpose of drawing where they would then cut. Or at least drawing as well as the flesh of the pumpkin would allow them.
"We'll make sure nothing like that happens to anyone again. We are better now. We won't let anyone suffer," he insisted quietly, not wanting to upset the King, but also wanting him to know that it won't be like that ever again. No one else has to have scars if they don't want them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 10:54 pm
“Oh, this is a lot of pressure,” he said once he was holding the pen. And yet, he had a steady hand as he carefully drew the triangle eyes, though had great pause when it came to a triangle mouth. So, he drew a smile with a few triangles for teeth and imagined that it must have been an adequate decision. He looked at Aliez for approval with his markings as he contemplated his words. The idea of this little vegetable smiling was enough to summon a smile on his own face, but if he were being honest with himself it was more that Aliez had just done such a good job of reassuring him and easing away his worries. “I am very glad you came to Earth, Aliez. You are very easy to be around, and you give me faith for a better future. I believe you when you say that. That is the type of future I want, too. I hope we can come together soon to achieve it. But, I think we are very much on the right track.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 4:47 pm
Aliez smiled, his cheeks colored pink as the King offered him reassurances right back. He was happy to be able to get to know him, and happy that King Caedus might have someone to talk to, especially with how busy Commodore Lyndin had been recently.
He nodded in agreement when the lines were drawn, and very carefully with the tool that Commodore Lyndin would probably scold him for giving to the King (if his story was true about not being allowed to handle knives when he was younger), he helped to take turns cutting open the different shapes in the pumpkin until a face was made.
"I think he looks very nice," Aliez said proudly as he took a little battery powered light and placed it in the still gooey inside, and then placed the top back over the opening. It wasn't perfect, but he felt very proud of it.
"Thank you for helping me," he smiled, pleased to see that the King looked like he was enjoying himself a bit. "I look forward to doing this again with you next year."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
