[Video — Both Accidental and Not]

[heritrix]

[Backdated to March 2, early afternoon.]

—n't be right. [A mumbled voice, scarcely heard. A flash of... Something red, it's hard to tell.] Wasn't it thi—?

[The video blinks out as soon as it started, nothing but a static feed. It stays like that, too, for a good 12 minutes: a video entry to the network of absolutely no substance.]

---

[—until unexpectedly it turns on again! Rin's face is visible in the frame this time, too close and blurry. Her head bobs away slowly, seemingly looking at something on her phone but not directly into the camera.]

Steady. Steadyyyy... Just like that— [The angle slides and loses her, topples towards a stone surface.] Ah!

[Thunk, crack! The feed cuts again, whoops.]

---

Hi, hi. Rin Tohsaka here.

[Third time's the charm? Framed perfectly in the shot and wearing a yellow apron, Rin stands behind a countertop in the kitchen. Hands on her hips, she beams at the camera.]

It's been a boring, uneventful couple of days, hasn't it? Normally, this time of month we'd be welcoming a fresh batch of soldiers into our ranks, but as of today, no new faces have shown up yet. It's strange for sure.

[But not too strange. New arrivals were late by a few days in January, after all, so this isn't the first time the routine has been broken. Head turned and tapping her cheek innocently, Rin considers saying as much, or asking if there have been other weird incidents like that, but...

No, that isn't what she meant to do today. Pressing that finger a little more deeply into her cheek, it creates an artificial dimple when she smiles brightly again.]

Strange, and more importantly than that: dull! Which is why I'll be in the kitchen all day today. [She snaps her fingers, pointing at the camera.] That's where you come in!

I'm challenging myself. Name a food or ingredient, or even several, and I'll try to make something yummy that incorporates all of them. Anything in stock in the kitchen goes!

[With this she grabs her phone, so she can turn it and record all the various different foods and ingredients they have here, both what she's laid out on the counters (eggs, frosting, butter, strawberries, among other things), as well as what's in the fridge and pantries. FEEL FREE TO MAKE UP WHATEVER YOU WANT YOUR CHARACTERS TO SEE HERE.]

Bonus! [She turns the camera back on herself.] Anything I make you can stop by and help yourself to eating, too. Sounds fun, right? So fire away or come visit. You know where to find me.

[A little wave, and video end.]

Comments

[heritrix]

[Rin maintains a serene expression the entire time, munching on asparagus tempura as Sakura works through it all.]

Leo?

[Her expression brightens suddenly then. SAKURA. Did you finally meet another person in this castle?? Before her delight becomes too out of place, however, Rin disguises it with a laugh.]

Despite the way he speaks, I think he's actually American.

[imaginex]

[Ah, Rin knows Leonardo, too? Sakura doesn't appear fussed by this revelation and the resulting smile brightens up her eyes. Apparently, the turtle made a decent first impression on her - or at bare minimum, he's not rooming with her sister. Time to throw Masaomi under the bus.]

Oh? ... He's so polite. [SAKURA that was a little too barbed. Time to scale it back.] Mmm, it wouldn't be fair to use him, then.

[heritrix]

Right? And he doesn't have a cowboy hat, either.

[But that's probably because he doesn't wear clothes altogether, Rin's certain. You know those Americans.]

This would be easier to arrange if we were trading one Japanese for one Western, but at that point we're probably losing track of things in the joke.

[Laughing, Rin shakes her head and straightens up, turning a perfect smile towards Sakura.]

You meant recipes before, yes? I'll agree to that trade.

[imaginex]

[She'd likely bounce on the balls of her feet if she thought it wouldn't make her happiness too obvious.

The glow in her cheeks and the immediate smile probably give her away, regardless.]

Okay! Please let me know if there are any specific recipes you'd like!

[Especially as she lied through her teeth - her miso soup is amazing.]

[heritrix]

[Well, it is her birthday. That only seems right. Brimming with happiness and affection, Rin manages to keep herself restrained with a simple smile and a hand on her hip, the ever-polished school idol.]

Naturally, and you do the same. Do you have any specific requests, then? Or perhaps our first trade should be our favorite simple dish?

[imaginex]

[A favorite dish...? Sakura stills on that question, mouth pressed into a thoughtful line. Already she's probably doing this wrong, trying to feel for what dish Rin might like to attempt instead of choosing from her own preferences, but eventually:]

How about I trade you gyūdon? It's not very complicated -- oh, and Senpai taught me how to balance the sweetness of the sauce so it doesn't overpower the other flavors.

[heritrix]

It's a start! At the least, I already know how to crack an egg, so you won't have to show me that.

{Hehe. She jokes with a smile on her face. That aside, she's not much better than Sakura. What dish would she most like...? She doesn't know her sisters tastes too well.]

As for me, it's probably too much if we both picked rice dishes so... How does beef lo mein sound? [Oh wait. She raises a finger.] Or, we could start with a chicken and snow pea stir-fry?

[imaginex]

[That's a dish she's never heard of before, though it's pretty self-explanatory from the title. All the same, Rin could insist they'd be making mud pies and Sakura doubts she'd care. She gives a quick, eager nod of acceptance and folds her hands behind her.]

Stir-fry sounds delicious!

[heritrix]

Then that's our plan. Let's make an event of it, once every week.

[Sounds like a great idea to her! If they tried every day, they would probably run out of ideas quickly. Rin is no fool, either. Certain traumatic incidents aside, the two of them have had... A nice relationship here. The pretense of an alliance has made that possible. If they met every day, it might test the limits of that excuse.

Turning aside, as if that settles things (and she won't take no for an answer), Rin moves towards the pantry.]

I'm going to make tea. I think that would pair nicely with the tempura. Would you like something else to drink too, Sakura?

[Besides the water, that is.

Meanwhile, where he's been sitting on the counter playing with the egg, Koo's head perks. Drink? Wait wait, he was supposed to do something when his trainer said that...]

[imaginex]

[No arguments here. True, the more selfish part of Sakura's heart would take any day without complaint, but once a week is more than fair. Safe, even. It won't strain them past the boundaries of a proper alliance.

Her expression still sunny, Sakura answers Rin's question with the same level of eagerness that's starting to become a little too honest. She'll need to scale it back, soon]

Yes, please. Any tea is fine.

[She'll hold back on stuffing the last of her tempura into her mouth, then, and waits patiently by the island counter]

[heritrix]

Alright. I'll make a black tea.

[She glances at her pokemon as she passes him on her way to the pantry, the epitome of casual.]

How about you, Koo? Would you like a snack?

[RIGHT, that was his cue! Koo nods enthusiastically and pulls himself up, turning around to stabilize the egg when it starts to wobble. Satisfied it's safe, he slides off the counter, holding on to the edge to lower himself down, but... Oops. His wispy legs run in place, still a good two feet off the floor. He was a lot higher up than he thought.

Grip slipping he turns his head towards Sakura who's closest at the moment, making distressed noises. Help please? D:]

[imaginex]

[Sakura is certain she was put on this Earth (or at least in this castle) to rush to any pokemon in need, and Koo isn't an exception. When he cries out, she immediately abandons her post and turns her attention to him.]

Koo-kun, you need to be more careful. [A very light chastisement because the sight is adorable, for one, and for another, she doesn't want to prolong his distress longer than necessary. Gently, she puts her hands around his middle and will lower him to the floor once he lets go of the counter.]

Here you go! See? You're okay.

[heritrix]

[Usually he is! Usually he's soooooo careful (as fitting of a, well, careful natured pokemon). But trainer had said that would work, and wow, he didn't doubt her of course, but he's impressed it sure did!

Sakura's hands tickle against his sides, making Koo giggle into his hands as he's set down. Then he waves his arms in the air, thanking her before running after Rin so he can get his treat.

Rin is turned towards them both, as if she had moved when she heard Koo calling for help, and is waiting from him to catch up and make sure he's alright. She smiles gratefully towards her sister.]

Thank you, Sakura. [Then she turns her eyes to the Ralts.] Koo, really, you need to think these things through. What if one of us hadn't been there to help you?

[—whaa? But that's what you told him to do! D8]

I know, I know. [Rin steps for the pantry again, Koo following along in confusion. HE DOESN'T GET IT. Rin will have to explain the art of selling the deal later.] It's alright. Show me what you'd like for a snack...

[They chatter on a bit, talking back and forth — or squeaking and pointing out things on Koo's part. Basically, giving Sakura plenty of berth to discover the plate at the end of counter, which she should be in front of now.

It was hidden before, Koo and the Pokemon egg he had been babysitting obscuring it from Sakura's direct view, but if Sakura looks back at the counter she'll see a cake. Adorned with a ring of blueberries and a twist of lemon, it would look picture perfect if not for a divot in one side, where it looks like a little hand scooped into the cream cheese frosting.]

1/2

[imaginex]

[Her eyes chase after Koo with quiet fondness, hung on a moment's wish that she'd brought Happy and Casper along after all. More playmates for her little "nephew", ha. With a smile, Sakura folds her hands behind her and turns to wait patiently by the counter again, until Rin sees to Koo's snack and returns with tea.

It would be impossible to miss the sudden appearance of a cake, and indeed, Sakura's eyes rest and freeze on it. Well made, meticulously frosted, look at those berries -- she'd keep ticking off compliments if not for how her heart had jumped into her throat and made it that much harder to breathe.

Frozen in place and with an almost automatic desperation, her hand comes up to her throat as she tries to reason away the one thing she wants most, just in case she's wrong-- because she doesn't think she could bear Rin's scorn right now if it were a mistake. If it were just something the other had made to go with the tea, don't get any ideas, Sakura. And really, if it were any other day...

But it's not just any day. Sakura knows the date of her birth, has learned to mark it as the herald of another miserable year. Shirou and Fujimura, the two lights of her life, had been the only wants to give her anything last year. As far as family members went...]

[imaginex]

[She doesn't know how long she stands there. Probably long enough to look a fool with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, and her eyes trembling to keep the tears at bay. As if convinced that the cake will disappear at her approach, Sakura keeps her ground, head bowed. A hand comes up to scrub at her eyes.]

Um-- [Nee-san, she wants to say, Nee-san, thank you -- and nearly bursts into tears when the words are instantly walled off. Nothing follows. A day's kindness can't offset what's been trained into her (their) blood.

But she's brought attention to herself, and so straightens after wiping her face once more, determined to be gracious and enthusiastic. The heaviness in her heart isn't from bitterness today.]

... Thank you. [It's what she finally settles on. And she would bow like she always does, the picture of distant politeness, except for once, the formality wouldn't suit this moment between them. Instead Sakura brushes the hair tied in the ribbon behind her ear, and smiles to herself] I'm glad you... knew.

[I'm glad you remembered.