hearthwarming | inbox 🌙 songerein

Coming right up!

[ As Thoma moves about his small kitchen, putting the kettle on, tending to the soup, cleaning up some of the mess left over from prep, it becomes pretty clear that he doesn’t think of this as work. This is his natural habitat, and he does every little thing, no matter how menial, with a bright smile.

The warmth in his house has as much to do with Thoma’s emotions as it does the things happily bubbling away on the stove.

Soon enough, he sweeps over to the table with a tea set on a little tray - he managed to find an Inazuman-style tea set, which was something of a happy coincidence. Though, since he’s not sure how Ori takes her tea, there are little containers of sugar and cream on the tray as well. ]

Here you go. Is there anything else I can get you?

[ For someone who has expended a lot of effort over the years to make herself as small as possible in most situations, Ori does find herself feeling so cozy and warm in just these few moments that she's spent in Thoma's home - far better, actually, than the caramel delight she'd had at the cafe - and she finds herself smiling just as warmly as she takes a seat at the table and watches him prepare tea.

It's... really nice feel, genuinely, like a welcomed guest in somebody's home, for once.

She tilts her head as the tea is placed before her. The set he's found is really quite nice and charming, she thinks, and she gives him a nod of thanks. ]

Please, this is perfect. Thank you. This tea set is so lovely! I'll have to find something like this, too.

[ Ori will pour a bit of the tea into her cup and try it as it is first before she'll make any kind of move for cream or sugar, but it is still quite hot, so she's content to simply hold the cup in her hands for warmth and take in the aroma of the tea for the moment. ]

I was surprised to find an Inazuman set here, but I guess anything is possible in a dream realm.

[ With the Sakoku Decree in place, one does not typically find Inazuman, well, anything outside of Inazuma. Things like that probably don't matter here, though, and it was likely Thoma's desire for the familiar that made the tea set manifest as much as anything else. ]

The tea is pretty close to one of the kinds we serve in Inazuma, so you'll have to let me know what you think.

[ As she looks down on her cup of tea, Ori notes the details in the pottery and its glazing. She's never really seen a design like this before, but she thinks that it's really quite beautiful in the way that it's simple, unlike a lot of the other fancy tea sets she's seen (none of which were hers, of course). Her voice takes on a wistful tone to it when she remarks, ]

It must have been really comforting to find something from home in this place. I wonder if I'll find something like this from my home, too? Though honestly, I don't know if I'd be able to tell if something was from there or not...

[ It may be a small blessing that Reverein has, so far, not felt too unfamiliar, but still, it might be nice to find something and know for sure that it had been from Wyvell, or Duskvale, or anywhere she knows.

Perhaps, though, she won't - maybe there's a part of her that's relieved to have essentially run away into this dream realm, even if it wasn't by her own choice, and thus her desire for the familiar might not be strong enough. It's a train of thought she's actively been trying to avoid since she arrived here, yet one that keeps coming back.

Ori closes her eyes and blows on the tea before taking a sip, after which she sighs and leans back in her seat a bit. ]

Ah, that's... really nice. The herbal flavor really comes through.

[ As if in response to Ori’s thoughts, the light in the room dims just a bit. The golden glow of Thoma’s warmth isn’t snubbed out or anything so extreme, but there is a… hint of melancholy that seeps into the air. The small frown he casts at his friend as she contemplates her teacup is rife with understanding.

The moment is there and gone quickly enough, Ori’s attentions focused on her drink. Thoma smiles at her assessment, though the prior seconds have not been forgotten. ]

I’m glad you like it.

[ He steps away back to the stove, giving the contents of the pot a stir. ]

Looks like it’s ready. I hope you came hungry!

[ Ori was lost enough in her own thoughts that she hadn't quite noticed the way the room grows a smidge dimmer, but the warmth he exudes, and the smile she sees on his face when she looks back up at him are just enough to fully pull her back into the moment - and to keep the flowers in her hair from wilting.

She gives him a nod and hums in anticipation. ]

Even if I wasn't hungry, I really am looking forward to trying out your soup, Thoma.

I’m glad to hear it.

[ He’s said it before and he’ll say it again, a meal is always best when shared. This particular twist on miso soup is nothing fancy, of course, but it always seems to bring a smile to the faces of those he shares it with. Perhaps he thought Ori could use a bit of that.

He spoons the soup into bowls – a pair that matches his tea set – and adds a few finishing touches, garnish and veggies and the like, before sweeping over to the table and placing a bowl down for each of them. Thoma spares a moment to remove his apron and drape it over the back of an empty chair before taking a seat himself. ]

There you go! Please, dig right in!

[ Fancy or no, Oriphi rarely gets to have the joy of a friend cooking for her, so she watches him set the bowls down for them with great anticipation and a genuine excitement. At first, her gaze is fixed on the delicious-looking soup now in front of her and she says, ]

This looks so—

[ but then she looks up when he takes his seat across from her and— oh. There's something about seeing him like this, lit by the glow of the fire and in the absence of even the quiet bustle of the town or other people, that bids Ori to notice Thoma's features and most of all - how kind he always looks, but especially so in this moment. Her last thought, the would-be end of her sentence, just seems to lazily fall from her lips at length. ]

... good.

[ She feels her cheeks growing a little warmer, but she looks back down at her soup and grabs her spoon before she can really give any more thought to how Thoma looks. And thankfully, before she says something embarrassing again.

Careful so as not to destroy the beautiful garnish, she takes a spoonful of the soup and blows on it to cool, all the while doing her best not to look at his face again lest she drop her spoon or worse, accidentally blow hot soup across the table. When it's finally time to taste it, she closes her eyes and this... is so yummy, she thinks, and so comforting. She hums in approval at her first taste, savoring it... so much that more flowers begin to bloom in her hair and in the potted plants that Thoma has been growing by his window. ]

[ The second their eyes meet, something passes between them. Something that makes his heart to a little flip in his chest and robs the breath from his lungs for the barest of seconds. He’s already quite aware of just how pretty Ori is, and there’s no doubting that he enjoys her company. Already his life feels richer for having her in it but—

He can’t be developing a crush, can he? No, surely not.

Thankfully, her gaze darts away, breaking the moment before anything else embarrassing can happen. Still, he can’t help but watch her, curious as to what she’ll think of the meal he’s prepared. The magic in this place almost guarantees an honest answer, and it’s an answer he gets without her having to speak.

The flowers in her hair unfurl in a burst of color and life, and over her shoulder, the plants in his window do much the same. Thoma can’t help but laugh, the sound accompanied by little motes of light that take to the air, like fireflies on a summer night. ]

I’m really glad you enjoy it.

[ Her eyes flutter open when she hears him laugh. It's a sound which - along with the warmth of the place and his company and now this delicious soup - seems to just put her mind and body at ease. It's a nice feeling.

She catches the way that lights flicker in the air, and they indeed remind her easily of little fireflies, so she can't help but smile at the sight even though... she has no idea what made him laugh. After a slow blink or two, she asks, ]

Yes, it's delicious! But wait, why did you laugh?

[ He lifts his hand to point to his own head, indicating the flowers in her hair. ]

You have a built-in mood detector with those. They bloomed right away when you started eating. I’m really flattered, actually.

[ He’s always been told that his cooking is good. The Kamisato siblings in particular have no end of good things to say about it, but this is the first time he can see just how it makes someone feel. It feels like he’s just been given a priceless gift, and he has Ori to thank for it. ]

[ With a quizzical look on her face, she mirrors the movement of his hand and, sure enough, she feels delicate petals at her fingertips. With a soft gasp, her cheeks redden. Ori has always been an open book when it comes to her emotions— but to have her dreamotion energy respond so readily to what she feels and then to have it be on display in this way makes her feel self-conscious. She has to spare a thought to wonder if she should stop wearing flowers in her hair, but when she looks at Thoma and sees the smile it's brought to his face, feeling the warmth that envelops them in his home... it somehow doesn't seem scary, to have her emotions on display. At least not with him around.

At length, she finds herself chuckling with him, albeit a little bashfully, still. ]

Oh, gosh... The flowers really just give me away, don't they? I-I'm glad if it makes you feel flattered. I really haven't had anything like this soup before!

They do, but if I had to guess, I’d say you’re not really one for hiding your feelings, are you?

[ She might downplay them sometimes - something he is exceedingly familiar with since Ayaka is much the same in a lot of ways - but her emotions have ever been worn on her sleeve. In a place like this, it might work against her sometimes, but Thoma finds it endearing. ]

Miso is pretty common in Inazuma. This is just my personal spin on it. So, thank you for the honest review.

[ And on her end, Ori has always felt as though her inaptitude at concealing her emotions continuously works against her and made for some rather poor performances as a mercenary in the past... but what she doesn't realize is that her very nature makes people want to trust and rely on her, and that in itself is a strength. She would never think of herself that way, though.

She nods at Thoma before she looks back down at her soup. She's going to lean in and continue with the meal in earnest, but before she does— she realizes her hair might get in the way as long as it is, so she reaches over and tries to brush her hair to pull it behind her shoulders as best as she can. Before she has more of the soup, she quickly adds, ]

I would love to learn how to make this sometime. Oh— but only if that's alright with you.

[ Thoma does find her openness refreshing and even inviting. If he were asked, he would certainly count it as a strength, even if Ori herself doesn't see it that way.

He watches her fuss with her hair a moment, a fond smile that he doesn't even seem to realize is there curving his lips. ]

Oh, it's not a secret or anything. I'd be happy to teach you.

[ But they should both dig in before it gets too cold. He takes up his spoon to start in on the meal in earnest - they have delicious dessert waiting for them, after all. ]

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