[closed] it's not a nutritional dinner

[kokuyoyo]

Who: Chikusa, Ken, and all the people invited to Hakkai's temple
When: October 12
Where: Li Tieugai's temple in the Central District
What: Having recently lost their other god, Ken is sad by yet another loss.... so Chikusa is fixing this with his dog's favorite things: people he likes and copious amounts of meat.

Unless people actually ask, Chikusa.... doesn't exactly tell what time the dinner is actually going to be at. At least he'll probably tell them that Hakkai's temple moved? One would hope.

The temple of Iron Crutch Li doesn't really seem all that impressive upon approaching it, despite being in the Central District. The walled gardens are certainly large and lovely enough, if a little wild, but the building itself is rather plain at its two stories. There's a small sign attached to the front door that simply says 'come in'. Chikusa isn't going to bother answering the door for visitors. It's not like Hakkai locks that thing anyway.

The inside of the temple is about as sparsely decorated as its outside, but, today, the overwhelming smell wafting from the kitchen has overtaken any medicinal smells that might normally be about. It adds a certain warmth to the room.

Until dinner will be served a little later into the night, people are free to do whatever- hang about the gardens, go bother Chikusa in the kitchen, or otherwise find the other residents of the temple. Chikusa won't care to stop anyone, although Hakkai might.

As for dinner? Chikusa is serving so much meat: rabbit stew with olives and rosemary, swordfish, curried chicken, veal marsala, and a more traditional spaghetti served with meatballs. Fortunately, at least there's garlic bread and stuffed mushrooms, so there's something that isn't meat.... And for dessert? Zeppole, cannoli, and an apple ciambella with almond cream.

Comments

[junkyarddog]

[Ken jolts a little as his head snaps over to look at Adrien, sizing him up warily.] Who're you? [For a moment, that there's a stranger here takes precedence over what's actually being said to him, and his brain only belatedly processes Adrien's actual words.

But, a moment later, process them it does, and he blinks. Then he frowns.] I can't protect 'em from everything, byon. [He looks back to Chikusa; he's in the kitchen, for now. He hasn't shown too much preference one way or the other as to whether he's watching Chikusa or Hakkai, but when he does it's in Chikusa's favor. Whether this is because he's closer to Chikusa, or perhaps a bit more base in his interest in the food Chikusa is cooking, can be argued.] I can't protect 'em from disappearing. A lot of people I liked have disappeared already...and now Roy-sama is gone, too...

[purr_ince]

[Adrien holds his hands up. Is everyone here so jumpy?] I'm Adrien. My goddess, Marinette, brought me with her. Take it easy. I'm not some shady stranger here to do harm. I promise. [He gets it. He does. He'd be same way at home. Protecting his goddess and their home comes before being a good host - always.

He's watching Ken as he seems to understand what Adrien had said. Good.] No, sadly we can't. But pacing and driving yourself into the ground won't help them either. [He doesn't even want to think about where he would be if Marinette vanished so he's shoving that aside to a darker deeper corner of his mind he can ignore it in.] That's unfortunate and it.. sucks I'm sure but-

[Adrien pauses before gesturing with his hand.] If you exhaust yourself when there is no danger that you can save them from you'll be too tired when they really do need you to fight ayakashi. Do you understand what I'm saying? Endlessly prowling around like this isn't good for any of you.

[junkyarddog]

[Ken relaxes a little. He remembers Marinette, and vaguely likes her - although admittedly, he's interacted with her so little that most of his basis for fondness is still resting at 'she's a pretty girl'. But between her seeming nice, and Adrien's offer of both reassurance and explanation, he's willing to believe in Adrien's good intentions.

Also...Adrien's kind of talking sense. Appealing to a more practical aspect of not wearing himself out with paranoia is a lot easier for Ken to grasp than, say, abstract emotional concepts. He certainly seems to be paying attention, anyway...although that's not to say that he has no issues to raise with the advice.] It's not really ayakashi that take people away from me, though. It's 'cause they vanish, or lose their memories. Or both.

[purr_ince]

[The blond nods. He's never had to deal with that but he can see why it would make someone alarmed and on edge.]

But you can't stop those things from happening, can you? It's best to enjoy the moments we have - the time we have with the people that matter. If you run around waiting for something to bad to happen you're not doing that.

[He offers a smile.] And even if memories are forgotten new ones can always be made. Sometimes better than before.

[junkyarddog]

[Ken studies Adrien out of the corner of his eye. The other boy's talking in terms of practicalities, in a way that Ken both understands and logically appreciates. It's not often that people give Ken advice that he understands both on a practical and intellectual level.

Maybe it's because Adrien's closer to Ken in age than most people.

Of course...recognizing advice as good, and being able to apply it, are different things. Ken's paranoia is at a pretty high level at the moment; it's hard to tear himself away from supervising Hakkai and Chikusa, even when recognizing that it's not particularly healthy or useful.

He momentarily distracts from his inability to follow through, though.] How come you care? [With Ken's background, the experience of people caring about him without having some kind of ulterior motive isn't exactly common.]

[purr_ince]

[Adrien is watching him then he blinks at that.]

Because I was like that after that announcement at the party. Anyone who got too close to my goddess made me anxious and she could feel that. It wasn't good for either of us because seeing her feeling my anxiety and watching her worry about me... only made me feel worse.

[He gives a little shrug.]

Honestly? I'm just trying to help you out. Friends do that. If you're friends with Marinette you're kind of friends with me, too - in a round about way I guess? You can either take my advice or not that kind of thing is up to you.

[junkyarddog]

[Ken hadn't considered that aspect of it. Is his being worried and sad making Hakkai worried and sad? How would one even tell? He reflexively glances at the door, through which somewhere is Hakkai, mulling this over.]

I think she knows Kakipi better than she knows me. [You can be entirely forgiven for not knowing who 'Kakipi' is, Adrien.] It's weird how much people care about other people here, though...

[purr_ince]

Kakipi?

[The word falls clumsily from his lips and he looks extremely confused but he shrugs his shoulders.]

Still, she knows you both and wants you to be happy. Marinette is the kind of person that will do everything to make the people she's friends with happy. Case in point she let me adopt four kittens and bring them home to her temple because they were too cute and I couldn't leave them when they looked at me with the big pleading kitty eyes.

[He gestured with a hand.] Point is! Mari wants you guys to be happy and doing well and if I can give a little help and a nudge the direction I think would help? I'm going to. It's ultimately you choice what you do or even if you do anything.

[junkyarddog]

Don't call him that. [Ken's response is kneejerk, but not overly hostile; it's almost like it's too reflexive to even have had time to gather any emotional weight. The 'him' in question is made obvious by Ken's eyes moving to Chikusa.] Only I get to call him that.

[In the meantime, though, something else has caught Ken's attention. He's perked up a little, looking at Adrien with more alert interest than he's shown thus far in the conversation.] Kittens?

[Ken likes animals. Even cats. Doglike as he's inclined to be, he's got no less than two cat channels; he's got a fondness for felines, even if his passive feline traits aren't nearly as prominent as his canine ones.]

[purr_ince]

Call who what? [He's following where that gaze goes and it clicks.] Oh! Oh no no. I wasn't - I just didn't know what that word was so I was repeating it to try and figure it out. [A little smile tugs at his lips. That's kind of sweet actually.] Alright I won't call him that.

[His head tilts then he nods slipping his hand into his pocket for his phone. Proud cat dad of course has pictures of his little babies, of course. He's moving closer to show Ken. Naming them each in turn as he scrolls through their pictures :]

This is Luna, Snowball, Joli, and Fleur. Aren't they cute?

[junkyarddog]

It's my nickname for him. [Ken sounds a little proud.] I've been calling him that since we were kids.

[Ken is a shinki who's recovered some memories of his former life, something Adrien may be too new to have encountered much yet.

He looks at the kittens with interest.] Can I play with 'em? [The good news is, for how canine and occasionally feral Ken can be, he likes animals a lot and certainly would never hurt kittens. Should Adrien agree, it'll be no more dangerous than letting kittens play with a big friendly dog.]

[purr_ince]

Oh! No wonder you're possessive of it. Got it. [ He understands that. He's pretty sure he'd be mad if someone started calling Marinette the same things he did. Though he's blinking at this. Yes, he remembers Kairi telling him you can remember things but he's not really ran into many people that have.] You just remember that far back? Can I ask when you first remembered it?

[Because he's curious. Adrien can't help but want to know when he might start to remember things - if ever. It doesn't bother him but he can't help but think he'd be more useful if he did.]

Huh? Oh sure! You're welcome to come over to the temple and play with them anytime. I'm sure it'd be nice to have company. You can bring Chikusa too if you want to and he feels up to paying us a visit. Marinette'll likely stuff you with cookies or something though.. [It's obvious to him they're close and likely tend to go together like a set so might as well just accept it. Besides Chikusa isn't a bad guy.]

[junkyarddog]

He might come...he likes cats better than dogs, anyway. [Well...with one notable exception.

At the mention of cookies, though, he perks up further. Free food is always a welcome prospect to Ken, especially when it's meat or sweets.] Where's your temple?

[purr_ince]

Well, you're both welcome since you had us over and we're all friends.

[Because Adrien sees no reason why they wouldn't be. Seeing Ken perk up he laughs softly. He's the same way so he's not judging.]

The Western District. It looks a bit like a bakery black and gold signing all that and has four floors? [He's digging out his phone to pull up a picture showing it to him.]

[junkyarddog]

[Adrien, you had his attention; now you have his interest.] Is it an actual bakery, or does it just look like one? [Cookies are nice enough, but a whole bakery full of sweets? If Ken were channeling, and had a tail to wag, he'd be doing it.]

[purr_ince]

[He blinks then laughs.] It looks like one outside - not so much the inside. But Marinette is always baking snacks and making delicious food. You'd have to come see it for yourself sometime and try all of it.