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甲辰 003: 冬至

[video transmission]

Greetings, Crimson Corsairs.

[As usual, the elegant woman appears with a beaming smile amidst the warm steam rising from bowls of... something or other in her kitchen.]

I understand you come from many winter traditions, both in this land and in your homes. If you would allow me a brief intrusion... In Yan, it is customary to celebrate the Winter Solstice, the 'dong zhi.' As it is the longest night of the year, we give thanks that the light will return and the days will soon grow long once more. In the depths of midwinter, it is a reminder that balance and yang will be restored, no matter how dark the nights may seem. For those of us in agrarian communities, we give thanks also to the animals who have brought us through the hard times.

[A mischievous glimmer shines in her eyes.]

Of course, it is also the day that the venerable master of the stove, Zao Jun, reports to Tian on whether or not your house hold has been 'naughty' or 'nice,' which I understand is a part of some other traditions as well.

Please allow me to offer prayers to Tian on your behalf. What is it that you hope for when the sun returns in its full splendor?

[in person, all around]

[Shu appears at your door on this cold, long winter evening, knocking politely and awaiting an answer. Whether she sought you out specifically or whether she's never met you at all, she stands and waits in her warm coat holding an extraordinarily large soup bowl in her hands. Somehow, it does not seem to trouble her.]

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Old enough.

[The true power of a Feranmut is on display as Shu manages to cradle her giant pot under one arm, ladle a bowl of sweet soup into one hand, remove a thermos from the pockets of her coat, prod the release catch with a pinky, flip it in mid air so the cup portion falls into her other hand while the thermos handle is caught on her horn, and pour a steaming mug of something that smells definitely (mildly) alcoholic and thrust everything towards him while bowing.]

Today is an important day in my country. It is a day when we gather with our family, so I wish to celebrate with you all here, my family in Esthere.

Happy Winter Solstice, Donnie.

[It's quite the display, and since Donnie isn't sure what to expect, all he can do is watch as his bowl is filled, and then the bit of an acrobatics display that follows. He takes the cup, blinking again before he looks down at it.

At least it doesn't smell quite like what the Corsairs seem to practically inhale whenever they're at the bars in Flotsam.

Something in his expression softens at the mention of gathering with family, a brief touch of sadness that he shoves away hopefully before anyone can see. He smiles faintly at Shu. He may not have his brothers and his father here, but he's not alone. And Shu and so many others are without their own family, worlds apart. But she's here. So...it's something, isn't it?]

Happy Winter Solstice, Shu.

[He raises the cup in toast like he's watched people do, before taking a sip.]

[It is possible this would all be much less necessary if they moved away from a doorway towards a table, but then, how would she show off / chide Donnie for trying to go outside in the cold????]

Rice wine. 'Jiu niang.'

[She explains as he takes a sip. As inconvenient as it was to have to make everything from scratch here, at the very least, the universal truth that all peoples will eventually create alcohol out of Everything has remained unchallenged here, and rice wine was available in the stores. She has altered this variant so it is quite mild and sweet.]

The cloying sweetness pairs with the soup.

[The bowl of fragrant white and pink balls is provided next.]

And this is tang yuan. In the main Yanese dialect, it is pronounced almost the same as 'togetherness.' And so when we eat together, we have the promise of reunion.

[His brows lift. He'd been bracing for something stronger, like the first gulp he'd ever tried of...wow he can't even remember, or maybe they'd just never told him after he'd spit most of it out. How anyone could drink something that could double as a disinfectant is beyond him. But this is surprising in its flavor, and while he can still get that hint of...something- probably the alcohol part? It's not entirely terrible.

It's something of a balancing act in itself as he readjusts things so he can sample the soup. Normally he's not much of a fan of things that are too sweet, but the flavors aren't bad at all.]

The promise of reunion, huh...

[Donnie tilts his head at her.]

Have you eaten any yet, or have you been bustling around making deliveries?

Me?

[Shu blinks at him for a moment as a cold wind blows across her face. It takes her a full beat to recover.]

...My. I do seem to have missed the main idea. Perhaps I got carried away...

[She laughs in a faintly embarrassed fashion.]

At times, I like speaking more than I like listening to what I actually say. But, ah. [She glances surreptitiously at her various utensils and serving crockery.] Shall we sit, then?

[Donnie smirks a little. He'd suspected as much.]

Be my guest.

[He steps back and to the side to let Shu in. His room's warm at least, a heater being one of the first things he'd made in order to make it tolerable during the cooler months. The furnishings are otherwise standard, save for perhaps an extra shelf or two to house any number of projects or boxes of salvaged materials and tools. The table has a few things on it from whatever he's been working on, along with sketches for designs, his bed is at least made although who's to say he's made use of it recently. All in all, he keeps things fairly neat.

Donnie pulls over a couple of big cushions for them to sit on since he only has one chair and it's currently inhabited by books.]

[Shu steps inside and hesitantly removes her shoes. Come to think of it, she has always done the hosting. This would be the first occasion she shared food with someone inside their own quarters. Setting the large pot on what appears to be the dining table or possibly the tinkering table, she lowers the bowls and the thermos into position as well. The steam rising from the food brings a pleasant warmth to her extremities as she doles out a bowl of tangyuan for herself.]

Thank you, Donnie.

You know, this is one of my favorite times of year.

[She bites a small circle out of one of the larger balls and allows the black, sticky filling to ooze out.]

The land sleeps. Everything is... waiting. Waiting for their time.

[Donnie plops down with his own bowl, carefully setting the cup on the floor beside him so he can enjoy more of the soup.]

It'd kind of be missing the point if all you were doing was handing out food and telling people about it, right?

I've never been really...that crazy about this season. It gets harder to do things.

[The land sleeps and everything waits, huh? He's never been big on sleep in the first place, but he has to wonder what ...traditional turtlekin actually do during the cold months. If he stays out too long in the cold without being at least somewhat bundled then he starts feeling sluggish, but being unproductive is just unthinkable, especially not when the Corsairs have so much to prepare for.]

What else did you do back home, during this time of the year?

[Besides probably accosting people with food. He grins a bit, pausing to chew.]

What's in these..?

Sesame paste.

[She smiles, for she has been told in the past that the color is off-putting. It is nutty, earthy, and sweet. Faintly gritty in texture, in contrast to the soft, palatable chewiness of the glutinous rice wrapped around.]

It reminds me of home.

The winter harvests wrapped up on the solstice. Barley and brassica, root vegetables. We stockpiled feed for the animals and settled in to ride out the cold nights together. Long long ago, when I was very young, I remember. My -- [here she pauses, for she does not know what to call her] ...teacher.

She said, "Farm, farm, farm. For as long as you farm, there will always be hunger. This is the life of our people. What is the meaning of what we do?"

[She looks at Donnie as if she expects him to answer.]

Mm.

[He's not sure if he likes the added texture but overall, he's pleased with the flavor. Polishing off one, he chases it down with another sip of the rice wine.]

Uh...

To. Survive?

[Laughter as light as a ripple of water through a pond.]

Well. Yes.

But what she was trying to say is that there must be more meaning than simple survival. She very rarely explained herself, so I did not know what she was getting at for many years.

[She takes a spoonful of the sugar broth.]

The pink ones are nicer.

[They are exactly the same. They're just pink.]

[Shu has the gentlest laugh. It's almost musical in a way. And it doesn't make him feel like she's laughing at him, most importantly.]

Oh.

But it's still at the most basic point, for survival, isn't it?

[Donnie looks down at the pink lumps in his bowl before fishing one out with his spoon, popping it into his mouth. ... Yeah, it really doesn't taste any different.]

Of course. You aren't wrong. What Shennong meant --

[She holds the bowl and stares into the depths of the tang yuan as if she could divine a message.]

Well, what I think she meant. Was... we survive for each other. We can spend our whole lives farming and work the land until our fingers bleed to the bone and... one day return to the dust of the earth. And what will the purpose have been?

Or... we can spend our whole lives farming and work the land until our fingers bleed to the bone but... if in that time, we have made each other's lives a little lighter, a little brighter, then --

[She trails off thoughtfully.]

This time when there can be no farming, when there can only be 'togetherness.' I sometimes enjoy it being harder to do things.

Hm.

[He chews on another sesame paste-stuffed ball as he lets Shu's words sink in.]

Using it as a time of...what was it- reflection?

[Donnie sets the bowl down, a bit surprised that it's empty. He rubs his hands together before picking up the cup to sip from.]

I guess in that way it makes sense, in an overall sort of way. But for me...it's more like a weather thing. If it's too cold, it's harder to think and move. Feels all too easy to just want to fall asleep.

[He wrinkles his snout at that.]

[Her solemnity immediately reverts back to its harsher tones.]

That is the absence of yang qi in your body. Doubtless you are going about undernourished and underdressed. You must eat replenishing, bulking foods to ward off the detrimental effects of the chill.

[So saying, she is ladling him more sweet soup in the blink of an eye, which seems to suggest that dessert soup is 'nourishing.']

...Or it is because you are a Petram.

[The reptilian races did not enjoy the cold much. His alcohol is also refilled.]

More likely the first theory, though.

[That eye-roll slips as Donnie supposes he can't be surprised that that's the conclusion Shu jumps to.

-he also did not mean to leave his bowl unguarded, no! He looks down at it as he gauges whether he can finish it all or not. Sweets for dinner isn't really...great.]

I'm pretty sure it's the second and not the first.

[The turtlekin scowls a bit as he insists this, taking another gulp from his cup.]

[Don't worry. She has six younger siblings and they all behave exactly the same way on the rare occasions she sees them, if they choose not to hide from her in a closet somewhere. Eye rolls are a badge of honor.]

No matter. Regardless of the reason, that is why I have brought you warmer clothing, as I said I would months ago.

[Shu will neglect to mention that she said this to herself in her head in September and not to Donnie.

How much is it possible to fit in one coat? If this conversation continues, Donnie might find out as Shu digs around in her pockets and comes out with various packages, including a scarf, hat, gloves, and what can only be described as a Snuggie for Shelled People, which she seems very tempted to pop on him straight away, if her eyes flicking back and forth is any indication.]

I did not know your sizes, so I could not get anything more form-fitting like woolen shirts or pants. But we can rectify that.

[Here comes a tape measure.]

I noticed you liked shades of purple.

I... Wha?

[Did she? Donnie squints at her, blinking as she starts rooting around her coat. Wait, she's carrying everything in...]

What, do you have a magic coat like Link's magic bag?

[No fair, why's everyone have magical space to hold things in? The tang yuan is forgotten for the moment as he can't help but stare while Shu pulls packages of all things, the cup in his hand a convenient distraction as he mindlessly sips. ...funny, he's sure he'd been almost finished with it. Curse those rapid-refills!]

That's... a lot.

[Not the most acute of observations from him, but better words seem a little slippery at the moment. But he feels pleasantly warm and full, and probably shouldn't try finishing that second bowl...]

Ye....s? [Donnie eyes that tape measure.] I'm sure that's all more than enough.

Don’t be ridiculous.

[She responds, without explaining how she stuffed everything into her pockets. (It is remarkable what one can do with efficient folding after a thousand years of thrusting presents on people unasked for.)]

That bag is an absurdity. One day he will fall into it by accident and we’ll have to mount an expedition to rescue him from an incomprehensible interdimensional space, but it will be so filled with mushroom risottos that we will be unable to breathe.

There was a sweater I thought would suit your general pallet perfectly. But I suspect your proportions would require tailoring.

[For as overbearing as Shu is, she at least has good taste (apart from the Snuggie) if Donnie extracts himself from her tape measure and examines the offerings. Her closest brother is the god of weaving, after all. If he does not extract himself, the tape measure slips around his waist and shoulders in the blink of an eye.]

…As I thought.

[This is pronounced as if it were a moral failing.]

[He's often wondered if anyone could actually get stuck in it, and Shu's explanation of the potential mission that would arise from Link's bag has him blurt out a laugh, both so ridiculous but not entirely impossible.

It's unfortunately enough of a distraction that Shu manages to sneak in her measurements. -he'd swear she's a ninja if he knew the term.

Donnie only notices and nearly falls off the cushion he sits on in his delayed evasion right as she pulls away.]

What.

[He arches a brow, wondering what sort of secrets that measuring tape could have possibly told her, pout interrupted as he licks his fingers from where the rice wine had sloshed over his cup.]

Skinny!

[what did he expect]

You need more protein.

[…then, more kindly]

But well within normal expectations for your age. I’ll bring in the waist.

[Shu settles back on her cushion, satisfied with her meddling.]

Try the scarf. It is spun from pure cashmere wool.

Wh-

[Should he be offended? He has no idea what he expected, no one's ever been so judgmental about all of this before! Dad let them roam like feral little animals!

Shu's proclamation is baffling, more so with the tone she uses. Was that bad?? Sure he skipped meals but he otherwise ate pretty healthy things! He stares at her like she's grown another head, her addendum not doing anything to disperse that confusion, taking another distracted sip as he tries to work out what all that had been about in the first place.

His eyes drop down to the scarf, his free hand reaching out to run his fingers over it. Eyes widen at how soft it feels under his touch, and he sets his cup down so he can pick the scarf up for closer inspection, a fascinated smile pulling across his lips. It's not at all like those itchy things he's come across in the markets.

He winds it around his neck, rubbing the end of it against his cheek.]

Wow... This is wool??

[It is unconscionable that Donnie has never been privy to this kind of aggressive familial affection. He wouldn't last a day in Yan. Arguably, it was mentally healthier not to be subject to this kind of... love, but ten thousand years of culture will be somewhat resistant to change.]

It is the downy undercoat of a specific kind of woolbeast. It retains heat well. In Yan, we breed them in the mountains; I was glad to see there was an equivalent here in Estheme.

Here, put it on properly.

[She gets up again so she can take the ends of the scarf and help him if he doesn't bat her away.]

[Their father's method of parenting was very hands-off, and not exactly the best for a growing child desperately seeking attention and approval. Still, Donnie and his brothers loved their father all the same.]

It's soooo soft.

[Probably something Imperial nobles would use. He supposes he's never had a really good look inside their closets to know for sure, but he can still tell the quality difference just pawing at this scarf.

Briefly he looks like he might fuss, but he kind of likes the attention and might be just a touch giddy about getting such a nice scarf that he allows Shu to fix it for him.]

[Shu scootches behind him to affix the scarf and tie it in a neat, fashionable knot around his neck. Then she backs away and makes gestures for him to pose.]

You look very handsome.

[She claps in childish pleasure, the way one might after they have dressed up their favorite doll.]

And it will keep your yang qi from depleting.

[Is this how qi works? If you wrap it up tight enough, you can keep it inside? Given there is no one from Yan to question her, she has the absolute power to say whatever she wants, which is quite freeing.]

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