Nadine Cross (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nadine_he_loves) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2021-12-09 12:33 pm
nadine_he_loves) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-12-09 12:33 pm
Open December Catchall
WHO: Nadine and OPEN
WHAT: Horizon and Nott catchall for the month
WHEN: December
WHERE: Nott and The Horizon
WARNINGS: Will add as needed!
Nott
When not working - and with the weather turning, she's working more hours - Nadine can be found in the common room of the inn with a warm drink and a book, or at the lake's edge with a basket and heavy boots and cloak, gathering ingredients for the herbalist she works for, or behind the inn practicing with her fire magic. And of course she can be found at Nan Maeda's Tonics and Tinctures, the herbalist healer's shop where she's found employment. She mostly collects and prepares ingredients for her elderly employer, but she's learning and that's as important as the money.
Horizon
With the coming of the cold months, Nadine's domain reflects the season. Gone are the autumn leaves and the blue skies, snow covering the little slice of New England town that she's created for herself. The sky is overcast and white string lights and garlands have begun appearing. There's a towering Christmas tree in the square in front of the white wooden church, and the shop windows have old fashioned holiday displays in them. It bears a striking resemblance to something Norman Rockwell would have painted.
Nadine herself is often in the square, at the gazebo by the skeletal carousel, or in her own little cottage at the edge of 'town'. Easily identified as hers, as it's the only home with a shoveled walk and puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney. Sometimes the smell of baking or sound of music wafts out...
(Specific starters in comments, hit me up if you'd like one!)
WHAT: Horizon and Nott catchall for the month
WHEN: December
WHERE: Nott and The Horizon
WARNINGS: Will add as needed!
Nott
When not working - and with the weather turning, she's working more hours - Nadine can be found in the common room of the inn with a warm drink and a book, or at the lake's edge with a basket and heavy boots and cloak, gathering ingredients for the herbalist she works for, or behind the inn practicing with her fire magic. And of course she can be found at Nan Maeda's Tonics and Tinctures, the herbalist healer's shop where she's found employment. She mostly collects and prepares ingredients for her elderly employer, but she's learning and that's as important as the money.
Horizon
With the coming of the cold months, Nadine's domain reflects the season. Gone are the autumn leaves and the blue skies, snow covering the little slice of New England town that she's created for herself. The sky is overcast and white string lights and garlands have begun appearing. There's a towering Christmas tree in the square in front of the white wooden church, and the shop windows have old fashioned holiday displays in them. It bears a striking resemblance to something Norman Rockwell would have painted.
Nadine herself is often in the square, at the gazebo by the skeletal carousel, or in her own little cottage at the edge of 'town'. Easily identified as hers, as it's the only home with a shoveled walk and puffs of smoke coming out of the chimney. Sometimes the smell of baking or sound of music wafts out...
(Specific starters in comments, hit me up if you'd like one!)
no subject
In the end, every world is just filled with people trying to survive and protect their own. And sometimes there's a cruelty that is birthed out of the fear that grows from that desire. That never changes. Whatever his thoughts, he seems to be finished sharing—though he's said more to her about himself than he has to most. He doesn't mind her knowing, exactly. It's just a lot. Long story.
Instead, he joins her by the jars, peering inside.
"Food's very different. We're not so complicated as yours. Or so variable."
Even a royal banquet wouldn't have as much as what he found at Sam's gathering. It's a level of plentiful he's never seen before and he's gotten the sense that for Sam, it's perfectly common.
no subject
The words are said quietly, just an adage being repeated as it pops into Nadine's head. He's right, she's sure, there will always be commonalities when talking about people. No matter where said people come from.
But Geralt offers an easy distraction.
"Oh, yeah, we love our food. And will try almost anything. Deep fried turkeys are a thing. That's an entire turkey that's been coated in a breading and dunked in boiling oil." She laughs a little bit.
"Do you want to try anything? It's all candy and sweets in here...your world doesn't have much in the candy department, does it?"
no subject
"Uh." Somehow the question catches him off guard. He wasn't expecting to be offered anything. He considers it, not because he's got a particular sweet tooth but because he's not really about to turn down the gesture in another's home. Which, this sort of is. Her home, that is. "Surprise me."
He's certain whatever she gives him, he'll have no idea what's even in it. Which for him continues to be a strange sensation. It's not often he can smell something and not recognize what it is.
"Depends on what you can afford," he says. There's some. Not near as plentiful as what's in this place, but it isn't nonexistent. "I spend most of my days living out of the woods and merchants aren't fond of us. Little room to acquire sweets."
no subject
She moves behind one of the counters, bending to retrieve a display box from the glass display cabinet beneath.
"And that's all the more reason you should indulge when you can. Here. This is fudge. It's a staple where I grew up, every little town had at least one old fashioned fudge shop." From Maine down to Rhode Island, New Englanders loved their old fashioned fudge.
She picks out a two-toned square, cradled in a little wax paper holder, and offers it to Geralt.
"It's dark chocolate peanut butter swirl."
no subject
He's expecting it to be exceptionally sweet. Even so, it surprises him, the flavour: sticky, almost cloying, and with a richness he isn't used to. His eyebrows go up. Hm.
"That's—" He licks a bit off his thumb. He doesn't dislike it, exactly, but it's clear he's got no idea what he's actually consumed and part of him is still processing this. "Unique." He looks at what's left of the square. "We haven't got chocolate."
no subject
It can be a shock, to a system not used to it. Nadine knows she's used to a lot more sugar and rich flavors than people from other, non-US places. And by Geralt's own admission, he doesn't eat much sweets.
"But fudge was always one of my favorites, as a kid. We'd usually have it around Christmas, as a special treat."
no subject
He breaks off another bit of the fudge and pops it into his mouth. Still sticky.
"We didn't celebrate holidays." He knows of them, occasionally spends time in a village where they have their customs, but it simply wasn't part of his upbringing. He sets the rest of the piece of candy down on the counter. "Mostly, we found blackberries in the spring. Chestnuts in winter."
After the keep fell, that was. Before that, he'd been locked underground with the rest of the other boys, so. Not a lot of room to explore the outdoors.
no subject
Nadine turns back to the jars of candy, checking each one before finding the jar she had in mind.
"Holidays, I mean. We...had a lot of them. And about half of them were meaningless and created so someone could make money." Valentine's Day, for one. President's Day. At least there was usually discount candy.
"Here, try this instead. It's black licorice." She opens the jar of licorice whips and offers it out to Geralt. It's hard to get less sweet than licorice, without going to sour.
no subject
He takes the licorice. The smell is pungent enough he can scent it the moment she opens the jar. He takes it, curious, and bites into it.
She's right: it's nowhere near as sweet as anything else. He chews thoughtfully, with the look of a man who's not often, if ever, asked for his opinion on the taste of food and is not quite sure what to really say beyond: "Not bad."
He bends the stick a bit, watching it fold in his hand. It's the texture more than anything he's getting used to.
"One day, I'll need to find something you've yet to experience in return. Other than a monster."
no subject
"And...I'd like that. To experience something that doesn't exist in my world. And isn't a monster." That isn't something Nadine needs to see. She imagines there's probably some running around out in the world, but she sticks to Nott and doesn't go wandering in the wilds.
"I think the scariest animal I've ever seen outside of a zoo is probably a bear. And that's okay with me. But...I'd like to try some food, from your home, sometime."
no subject
No monsters, either, apparently. So at least there's that.
"I can't promise it'll be a novelty," he replies, "but if you like, come by some time."
To his, he means. His domain. It's not an invitation he extends often—folk either stumble onto his mountains or they do not, but he never explicitly asks anyone to come, unless they need to speak to him. The one exception has been Sam. But Nadine has opened her home to him twice now. Once in Nott, and now here, in this little town she's built for herself. Three times, in truth, if he considers their first meeting, too. Feels only right to return the gesture.