[ Right, he's a military man of many skills. But it is nice to see that he had taken it up as a hobby, not just as a necessity. That requires a different sort of interest and dedication as well as a window into some of Eliot's preferences that G'raha wouldn't have guessed.
He smiles as he listens and watches. ]
A "scheme" for veterans? As a means to redirect your energy to something else?
[ He doesn't want to say "something more productive", but former military members losing their purpose outside their previous position is well-known across many nations. If only there was framework in place more often to address the consequences. ]
Your own place?
[ His eyes widen a bit. Like his own restaurant? Spencer's Gifts may have been a lie, but maybe that stall in the mall should have been Orange Eliot's instead. ]
It already smells delicious. What do you usually like to cook?
[ And does it all smell this tantalizing? Or is G'raha just easy... ]
Oh! Yes, of course.
[ G'raha quickly grabs the cutting board and hands it to the resident chef. And after a moment of hesitation, he ventures— ]
Is there anything I can do to assist...?
[ The kitchen can be a sacred space, so he knows that he might just be a hindrance. But it still feels only right to offer. ]
these potatoes will Not be cooked but it's fine. it's Fine
[ As a means to redirect your energy to something else? Eliot smiles but it's pretty mirthless. ]
On my star, in my country, the government is really fucking eager to get people— to get kids to sign up to go to war. But once you're done and you get to go home... they wash their hands of you. These types of schemes are there to— [ stop them from killing themselves ] —reintegrate them back into society. Help them get jobs. That kind of thing.
[ He stops there, because he has a lot of opinions about the way veterans are treated, and if he doesn't stop he's gonna end up yelling about it and that's gonna ruin their nice dinner.
He takes the cutting board G'raha hands him with a quiet Thanks and lays the piping hot beef out on it so he can slice it up. His mouth twists a little at the offer for help—G'raha's a guest, what do you mean is there anything I can do to assist—but he also knows that G'raha doesn't do all too well sitting idle so: ]
Yeah, can you grab me some plates out the cupboard and put some cutlery on the table? Thanks.
[ He puts the rest of the beef in to cook. ]
Well where I grew up we had a lot of fried foods, lot of meat. Barbecue. Good, filling food. Lotta comfort to be found there. But, well. As much as a cop-out it is, I just like cooking. If people are around to enjoy it then that's even better.
[ G'raha believes he understands to some small degree, if only from the sidelines. For all the battles he's fought in, he participated either as a scholar at first, or later as a leader of the military itself. He doesn't know what it is like to be sought out, to be used and discarded. And however simply Eliot puts it, it's clear there's much more behind it. Something nefarious.
So while he can conceptualize it, he really can't understand. And what G'raha does understand is that he's lucky for that. ]
I'm sorry.
[ No one deserves that, Eliot least of all. And he can't presume to know how deeply Eliot has been affected by it either, even though he seems very put together from what G'raha can tell. ]
People are never disposable, but it seems that the notion is a common thread no matter where you are.
[ Just because G'raha tried to model the Crystarium in his vision of how a society should be ran means he is acutely aware of how often people are failed by their government. But even then, the Crystarium wasn't perfect.
G'raha is, however, glad to go about setting the table. He doesn't need another suggestion and immediately goes to open a few of the cupboards until he finds out which one has the plates. ]
I would hardly call it a "cop-out". If you found something you enjoy, that's a lovely thing, isn't it?
[ Or someone?
He sets out the plates and then goes to find the cutlery. Two of each? One of each, maybe. Just in case. ]
I've also found that frying tends to elevate most things, though I speak entirely from the perspective of a consumer.
[ He wants to ask G'raha about it. That it seems that the notion is a common thread no matter where you are seems like it might be personal and Eliot feels like he doesn't get a lot of that from G'raha. But they're having a nice meal. No sense in ruining it with that kind of talk. He makes a note to return to it though. He knows G'raha is some kind of academic, he knows that G'raha knows how to fight, that he's relearning how to live after some event that saw him hooked up to some massive power source or weapon or something, but Eliot wants to fill in the gaps. He can't help but get the feeling of still waters hiding something immense.
So he turns his attention on what's important, which is: ]
A man after my own heart. If you like frying then you gotta let me cook for you again. I'll see about making you some dishes from home.
[ He slides the beef on the cutting board onto the first plate, and then slices and dices the second round of beef on the board before plating it. Takes the potatoes out of the oven and tosses them into a bowl to lightly smash them before plating them too. Takes the homemade coleslaw, as well as some pre-grated cheese and sour cream out of the fridge and hands them off to G'raha to put on the table, before following him out with the plates. Sets them down, and then runs back to grab the jar of picked onions and peppers that he almost forgot about to set them down on the table too. ]
Alright. I'm sure you know beef and potatoes. [ He says this with a smile to show he's joking. ] Over here we've got coleslaw, which is shredded cabbage and carrot in a creamy sauce, sour cream and cheese to go on your potatoes as needed, and then some pickled onions and hot peppers in case you want some bite to your meal.
[ He gestures, taking a seat the table himself. ] But give it all a try, in every configuration you can think of, and let me know what you think.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
it's perfect i see no jank
He smiles as he listens and watches. ]
A "scheme" for veterans? As a means to redirect your energy to something else?
[ He doesn't want to say "something more productive", but former military members losing their purpose outside their previous position is well-known across many nations. If only there was framework in place more often to address the consequences. ]
Your own place?
[ His eyes widen a bit. Like his own restaurant? Spencer's Gifts may have been a lie, but maybe that stall in the mall should have been Orange Eliot's instead. ]
It already smells delicious. What do you usually like to cook?
[ And does it all smell this tantalizing? Or is G'raha just easy... ]
Oh! Yes, of course.
[ G'raha quickly grabs the cutting board and hands it to the resident chef. And after a moment of hesitation, he ventures— ]
Is there anything I can do to assist...?
[ The kitchen can be a sacred space, so he knows that he might just be a hindrance. But it still feels only right to offer. ]
these potatoes will Not be cooked but it's fine. it's Fine
On my star, in my country, the government is really fucking eager to get people— to get kids to sign up to go to war. But once you're done and you get to go home... they wash their hands of you. These types of schemes are there to— [ stop them from killing themselves ] —reintegrate them back into society. Help them get jobs. That kind of thing.
[ He stops there, because he has a lot of opinions about the way veterans are treated, and if he doesn't stop he's gonna end up yelling about it and that's gonna ruin their nice dinner.
He takes the cutting board G'raha hands him with a quiet Thanks and lays the piping hot beef out on it so he can slice it up. His mouth twists a little at the offer for help—G'raha's a guest, what do you mean is there anything I can do to assist—but he also knows that G'raha doesn't do all too well sitting idle so: ]
Yeah, can you grab me some plates out the cupboard and put some cutlery on the table? Thanks.
[ He puts the rest of the beef in to cook. ]
Well where I grew up we had a lot of fried foods, lot of meat. Barbecue. Good, filling food. Lotta comfort to be found there. But, well. As much as a cop-out it is, I just like cooking. If people are around to enjoy it then that's even better.
they cooked when they saw eliot he's so hot
So while he can conceptualize it, he really can't understand. And what G'raha does understand is that he's lucky for that. ]
I'm sorry.
[ No one deserves that, Eliot least of all. And he can't presume to know how deeply Eliot has been affected by it either, even though he seems very put together from what G'raha can tell. ]
People are never disposable, but it seems that the notion is a common thread no matter where you are.
[ Just because G'raha tried to model the Crystarium in his vision of how a society should be ran means he is acutely aware of how often people are failed by their government. But even then, the Crystarium wasn't perfect.
G'raha is, however, glad to go about setting the table. He doesn't need another suggestion and immediately goes to open a few of the cupboards until he finds out which one has the plates. ]
I would hardly call it a "cop-out". If you found something you enjoy, that's a lovely thing, isn't it?
[
Or someone?He sets out the plates and then goes to find the cutlery. Two of each? One of each, maybe. Just in case. ]
I've also found that frying tends to elevate most things, though I speak entirely from the perspective of a consumer.
[ Do not let him around a deep fryer. ]
o///o
So he turns his attention on what's important, which is: ]
A man after my own heart. If you like frying then you gotta let me cook for you again. I'll see about making you some dishes from home.
[ He slides the beef on the cutting board onto the first plate, and then slices and dices the second round of beef on the board before plating it. Takes the potatoes out of the oven and tosses them into a bowl to lightly smash them before plating them too. Takes the homemade coleslaw, as well as some pre-grated cheese and sour cream out of the fridge and hands them off to G'raha to put on the table, before following him out with the plates. Sets them down, and then runs back to grab the jar of picked onions and peppers that he almost forgot about to set them down on the table too. ]
Alright. I'm sure you know beef and potatoes. [ He says this with a smile to show he's joking. ] Over here we've got coleslaw, which is shredded cabbage and carrot in a creamy sauce, sour cream and cheese to go on your potatoes as needed, and then some pickled onions and hot peppers in case you want some bite to your meal.
[ He gestures, taking a seat the table himself. ] But give it all a try, in every configuration you can think of, and let me know what you think.