[Truthfully, the only real noteworthy aspects of the coffee are that it is plentiful and cheap, and that it tastes the same anywhere he goes. But Clive wants coffee, so for that purpose:]
In the aviary, one can hardly see where one ends and another begins. Or understand how they could come to be, one way or another.
Edited 2024-07-11 03:31 (UTC)
he's gonna be so proud when he lifts his first 5lb weight
[Because they do have plenty of days, and they can make plans for those days. Plans that don't involve careful placement of resources or calculating the risks of losing one set of soldiers so that another group could live.]
[A true luxury.]
[More than enough of one that he's willing to bask in it in silence, walking side-by-side with his brother--his smiling brother--until they make it to the coffeehouse.]
[The coffeehouse is only a short walk away, and Clive busies himself with ordering for them –– a black coffee for him, and some sweet thing with iced coffee and whipped cream and other such nonsense for Joshua. He'll be bouncing off the walls until late but it'll be worth it for the look on his face when he tries it. Clive hands it over from the barista's counter with a little smile.]
Do not drink it too fast. You'll get "brain freeze."
[Joshua accepts the drink with a murmured thanks and examines it at first. The cup is colder than he could ever imagine. Not even the rare frosted mug could make his fingers tingle from such a chill. Even without Clive’s (much appreciated) warning, he’s not sure if he’d want to drink it quickly.]
[But there is that cream swirled on top. That should be a good place to start.]
[He maneuvers his straw so he can dig in from the hole in the plastic dome and shovels some into his mouth.]
[His eyes light up.]
[Then, he goes for another mouthful. And one more thereafter, just for good measure.]
[Finally, he sticks the straw into the drink proper and cautiously sips at it.]
[Something about how that bitter note tames what would be a near overwhelming sweetness triggers something in Joshua’s mind. Frigid as it is, he wants more.]
[Scratch what he’d thought just moments ago. Clive was right to warn him. If he hadn’t, he would’ve easily slurped up more than he probably should have.]
This is exquisite! Have you tried this before? You must if you haven't!
[CONGRATULATIONS: caffeine and sugar addiction unlocked!]
[Watching Joshua discover simple little things like this is about as close to unspoiled joy as Clive ever gets. He could pull up a chair and watch his little brother do this all day, and he intends to soak up every minute of it he can, knowing the surprise will fade in the coming weeks, when Joshua is just as prone to complaining about the wait for a car or the slowness of the communication devices as the rest of them. Such wonders. Clive has half a mind to make toast tonight just to make Joshua jump when it pops.]
I had some of Jill's, once. You enjoy that one, every bit of it is yours.
[If Clive wants him to enjoy his drink, then Joshua, ever in congruence with his brother's suggestions, won't give him any pushback. It has absolutely nothing to do with how delicious said drink is.]
Is that so?
[Joshua looks over his shoulder at the menu, curious, and also tempted.]
[No. One is enough. They'll just have to come back.]
[But his eye does catch something bright, pink, and covered in a smattering of other colors, perched on the edge of a stick. Joshua squints at the sign.]
[Clive shifts over to see what Joshua is looking at, peering in at the treats. They're colourful, that's for sure. He chuckles under his breath and gives Joshua a brief pat between the shoulder blades.]
Cake made like a lollipop. On the way back, we'll stop by a bakery for Jill, and perhaps take home a proper cake for dessert.
[He gives an overly sober nod, but he can't help but smile again a beat later as he heads for the door, holding it open for Joshua to pass.]
The abundance is a little overwhelming at times. Sweets and confectionaries are often less expensive than more standard fare... I could buy you two or three "sodas" that are just sugar and syrup mixed with water for the same price as that drink you're holding.
[Joshua steps through the door with a grateful nod and then out into the sidewalk, where he once again falls into step besides Clive. He sips away at his drink, eyes darting to and fro as he takes in their surroundings. His pace starts to quicken.]
If sugar is the common denominator, then there must be a cheap way to process it. Mayhap through automatons… but that would imply that there is a plentiful reserve from which to source. Honeybees would be out of the question as a single source, especially given the relative lack of space to house them. Unless they were to put them inside one of the larger buildings?
No, that can’t be right, they require opportunities to forage. That would leave import as the primary option, but from where? Unless there is a nearby place such as Dhalmekia that specializes in spice trade?
[That smile keeps tugging at his mouth as he has to walk the slightest bit faster to keep on pace with Joshua, nursing his coffee at a reasonable clip.]
I have no idea.
[But he loves Joshua's mind, his childlike curiosity and enthusiasm for the world. Clive has never once questioned where all this food comes from, just that the abundance of it all must promise that there is bountiful nature beyond this bustling city. He can try to keep up:]
There should be farmland beyond the city. Perhaps there are thousands of fields of flowers for the bees, or perhaps sugar can be found in plants or rocks.
[Thankfully the Brothers Rosfield are equitable in the length of their legs and their corresponding strides. Especially since while Joshua’s mind moves a mile a minute, he’s decidedly not thinking about how he has no idea where they’re going. It’s all his instincts can do to subconsciously work to continue to follow Clive’s direction.]
The amount of farmland necessary would be astronomical to not only feed so many mouths, but to also offer a surplus. However, it certainly isn’t impossible for a realm that claims to be the afterlife. One would have to assume that the available space is infinite. Or as close to infinite as one could imagine.
The same would be true for harvesting sugar from any other source, vegetal or mineral.
[He sips at his coffee again.]
Of course, all this conjecture hinges on the assumption the food supply is gathered and processed as it would be in the realm of the living. Thus far, most evidence indicates that the world of the dead is but a mirror image of the world of the living, albeit with luxuries unheard of in Valisthea. Then again, wherefore would there not be exceptions for as universal a must needs as food and drink.
[Another sip.]
But therein lays yet another question of the dichotomy of the very makeup of this land. There are dangers afoot that suggest a recompense mostly associated with making up for one’s living transgressions, yet we are offered opulence that one may consider to be a sign of paradise. If aught is manufactured as we would find back home, albeit upscaled to an exponential degree, then there is relatively little that separates this realm from any other outside of what it takes to arrive.
[Joshua goes to take another sip, but stops himself as a realization hits. He nearly spills his coffee as he gestures with his arms.]
A paradox, Brother! ‘Tis a paradox all around! We enter Valisthea through the rite of birth and we conversely enter Limbo through either the rite of death or via cosmic error, but the differences between the two realms are cosmetic at best. Naught but window dressing! A thin veneer meant to fool the eyes at first glance, but that will crack and cave upon more thorough inspection.
[Founder, that is so much to follow. Clive just lets their path meander as Joshua goes on and on, figuring there is no way being an extra block over is so terrible a fate as to interrupt such a respectable rant. How good it is to hear his brother's voice going on and on.
He laughs.]
Infinite, or at least far more productive, yes... [After all, there is no Blight here to wilt the crops for years before they stop growing at all, and there are presumably machines to reap in an hour what a hundred Branded could take in a day.]
I think you're right, though. There is little rhyme or reason to anything once you look too closely.
[There's a garbage can just up ahead, so he drains the last of his coffee so he can get rid of the cup, which he does with a little toss.]
I've been on hunting trips on the outskirts of the city. It makes little sense out there. Nothing like the real wilds –– every terrain with its own creatures, its own flowers and herbs and whatnot, trade roads, stretching on for days before reaching something different. Not here, though. Canyons, the sea, a desert and lush woods within a day's walk? To say nothing of what happens when you go further out.
[Joshua listens intently as Clive describes the peculiarities of the world outside the city. The concept of disparate lands so closely packed together sparks a flurry of thoughts in his mind, each one more tangled than the last. He furrows his brow slightly, mulling over the implications as he takes another (slower, he's trying to savor what's left) sip of his coffee.]
It’s almost as if the land itself is a patchwork quilt, stitched together with fragments from countless worlds and times—each square its own unique ecosystem, with little regard for natural order or continuity. A veritable kaleidoscope of biomes, all within a single breath.
[[He pauses, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the coffee cup, lost in the whirlwind of his thoughts. His voice quickens, the caffeine further fueling the pace of his speech, already growing rapidly.]
And what if this incongruity is not just a quirk of the landscape but a reflection of something deeper—something fundamental to the nature of this realm? Limbo may well be a confluence of realities, a nexus where the laws of one world bleed into another, creating these strange juxtapositions. It would explain how people like us, from different worlds and times, find ourselves drawn to one single afterlife. Perhaps this place isn’t just a mirror of the living world, but a shattered one, its pieces rearranged by forces we barely comprehend.
[The taste of his coffee has grown more familiar, more comforting. His mind, however, is anything but at ease.]
And consider this, Clive: if the world itself is so malleable, so prone to these peculiar overlaps, then might we not find a way to use that to our advantage? To unravel the mysteries of Limbo, perhaps even find a way to navigate—or manipulate—its anomalies? If the local governance will not allow us to leave, mayhap we can create one ourselves.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[A pause, a reflection on the alternative.]
There used to be a bus that ran underground, too, the “subway”, but it is overrun with monsters now.
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Then eradicating them is all the more important.
That is part of your work, yes? Separate but similar from Dion's?
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It's very similar work, just a different chain of command.
[Which is to say: Clive has none.]
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[He grins.]
I imagine such an arrangement must be freeing.
[Which reminds him--]
Much like your hunts back home. Grisly work, yes, but done with the knowledge you were serving the greater good.
They were... I cannot say enjoyable endeavors, when I was allowed to accompany you, but it was a privilege to assist.
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I never supposed you’d become more fond of hunting, now that you’ve grown.
[There’s a fondness there, impossible to cut through despite the seriousness of his feelings about hunting’s value.]
A good hunt serves all, I say. Protection for the tender, materials for the artisan, meat for the table, and satisfaction for me.
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I’m glad you’ve found that satisfaction here as well, Brother.
[Joshua claps a hand on Clive’s shoulder, barely a tap against its breadth, but the sentiment is there.]
Now, to where are we absconding? I am at your mercy.
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A coffeehouse, first. Then, the aviary.
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[Joshua returns the look with one of his own, and it quickly settles into something that sits between quiet excitement and expectation.]
I imagine both will have influences from the myriad worlds present here.
Godspeed lil bird
In the aviary, one can hardly see where one ends and another begins. Or understand how they could come to be, one way or another.
he's gonna be so proud when he lifts his first 5lb weight
Even if we were to spend the entire day there, methinks it will not be enough.
[Not a bad thing. That just means they'll have to go out again.]
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[Because they do have plenty of days, and they can make plans for those days. Plans that don't involve careful placement of resources or calculating the risks of losing one set of soldiers so that another group could live.]
[A true luxury.]
[More than enough of one that he's willing to bask in it in silence, walking side-by-side with his brother--his smiling brother--until they make it to the coffeehouse.]
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Do not drink it too fast. You'll get "brain freeze."
no subject
[But there is that cream swirled on top. That should be a good place to start.]
[He maneuvers his straw so he can dig in from the hole in the plastic dome and shovels some into his mouth.]
[His eyes light up.]
[Then, he goes for another mouthful. And one more thereafter, just for good measure.]
[Finally, he sticks the straw into the drink proper and cautiously sips at it.]
[Something about how that bitter note tames what would be a near overwhelming sweetness triggers something in Joshua’s mind. Frigid as it is, he wants more.]
[Scratch what he’d thought just moments ago. Clive was right to warn him. If he hadn’t, he would’ve easily slurped up more than he probably should have.]
This is exquisite! Have you tried this before? You must if you haven't!
[CONGRATULATIONS: caffeine and sugar addiction unlocked!]
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I had some of Jill's, once. You enjoy that one, every bit of it is yours.
[He takes a swig of his coffee.]
There are teas that taste like candy, too.
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Is that so?
[Joshua looks over his shoulder at the menu, curious, and also tempted.]
[No. One is enough. They'll just have to come back.]
[But his eye does catch something bright, pink, and covered in a smattering of other colors, perched on the edge of a stick. Joshua squints at the sign.]
And what is a... cake... pop?
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Cake made like a lollipop. On the way back, we'll stop by a bakery for Jill, and perhaps take home a proper cake for dessert.
[A pause.]
But if you can't wait...
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[He's seen some fancy meals, both as nobility and on his travels (even if he couldn't afford them during the latter).]
[That makes them all the more tempting, and Joshua gives Clive's offer some serious thought.]
[He looks at his cup.]
...I'll refrain for now. Although I agree that we should bring home a cake.
For Jill, of course.
no subject
[He gives an overly sober nod, but he can't help but smile again a beat later as he heads for the door, holding it open for Joshua to pass.]
The abundance is a little overwhelming at times. Sweets and confectionaries are often less expensive than more standard fare... I could buy you two or three "sodas" that are just sugar and syrup mixed with water for the same price as that drink you're holding.
no subject
If sugar is the common denominator, then there must be a cheap way to process it. Mayhap through automatons… but that would imply that there is a plentiful reserve from which to source. Honeybees would be out of the question as a single source, especially given the relative lack of space to house them. Unless they were to put them inside one of the larger buildings?
No, that can’t be right, they require opportunities to forage. That would leave import as the primary option, but from where? Unless there is a nearby place such as Dhalmekia that specializes in spice trade?
[The caffeine might be starting to kick in.]
no subject
I have no idea.
[But he loves Joshua's mind, his childlike curiosity and enthusiasm for the world. Clive has never once questioned where all this food comes from, just that the abundance of it all must promise that there is bountiful nature beyond this bustling city. He can try to keep up:]
There should be farmland beyond the city. Perhaps there are thousands of fields of flowers for the bees, or perhaps sugar can be found in plants or rocks.
[Salt comes from rocks, right......]
no subject
The amount of farmland necessary would be astronomical to not only feed so many mouths, but to also offer a surplus. However, it certainly isn’t impossible for a realm that claims to be the afterlife. One would have to assume that the available space is infinite. Or as close to infinite as one could imagine.
The same would be true for harvesting sugar from any other source, vegetal or mineral.
[He sips at his coffee again.]
Of course, all this conjecture hinges on the assumption the food supply is gathered and processed as it would be in the realm of the living. Thus far, most evidence indicates that the world of the dead is but a mirror image of the world of the living, albeit with luxuries unheard of in Valisthea. Then again, wherefore would there not be exceptions for as universal a must needs as food and drink.
[Another sip.]
But therein lays yet another question of the dichotomy of the very makeup of this land. There are dangers afoot that suggest a recompense mostly associated with making up for one’s living transgressions, yet we are offered opulence that one may consider to be a sign of paradise. If aught is manufactured as we would find back home, albeit upscaled to an exponential degree, then there is relatively little that separates this realm from any other outside of what it takes to arrive.
[Joshua goes to take another sip, but stops himself as a realization hits. He nearly spills his coffee as he gestures with his arms.]
A paradox, Brother! ‘Tis a paradox all around! We enter Valisthea through the rite of birth and we conversely enter Limbo through either the rite of death or via cosmic error, but the differences between the two realms are cosmetic at best. Naught but window dressing! A thin veneer meant to fool the eyes at first glance, but that will crack and cave upon more thorough inspection.
no subject
He laughs.]
Infinite, or at least far more productive, yes... [After all, there is no Blight here to wilt the crops for years before they stop growing at all, and there are presumably machines to reap in an hour what a hundred Branded could take in a day.]
I think you're right, though. There is little rhyme or reason to anything once you look too closely.
[There's a garbage can just up ahead, so he drains the last of his coffee so he can get rid of the cup, which he does with a little toss.]
I've been on hunting trips on the outskirts of the city. It makes little sense out there. Nothing like the real wilds –– every terrain with its own creatures, its own flowers and herbs and whatnot, trade roads, stretching on for days before reaching something different. Not here, though. Canyons, the sea, a desert and lush woods within a day's walk? To say nothing of what happens when you go further out.
no subject
It’s almost as if the land itself is a patchwork quilt, stitched together with fragments from countless worlds and times—each square its own unique ecosystem, with little regard for natural order or continuity. A veritable kaleidoscope of biomes, all within a single breath.
[[He pauses, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the coffee cup, lost in the whirlwind of his thoughts. His voice quickens, the caffeine further fueling the pace of his speech, already growing rapidly.]
And what if this incongruity is not just a quirk of the landscape but a reflection of something deeper—something fundamental to the nature of this realm? Limbo may well be a confluence of realities, a nexus where the laws of one world bleed into another, creating these strange juxtapositions. It would explain how people like us, from different worlds and times, find ourselves drawn to one single afterlife. Perhaps this place isn’t just a mirror of the living world, but a shattered one, its pieces rearranged by forces we barely comprehend.
[The taste of his coffee has grown more familiar, more comforting. His mind, however, is anything but at ease.]
And consider this, Clive: if the world itself is so malleable, so prone to these peculiar overlaps, then might we not find a way to use that to our advantage? To unravel the mysteries of Limbo, perhaps even find a way to navigate—or manipulate—its anomalies? If the local governance will not allow us to leave, mayhap we can create one ourselves.