Ruby City Mailbox/Inbox

[oathshackledbird]

You have found the Mailbox/Inbox of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, owner and teacher of the training school, Spiral. If you have business with him or the school, please feel free to leave a message and he will get back to you as soon as possible. Considering his abilities, that might be quicker than you think...

Comments

[earlybird]

I'll definitely let you know. It was fun, getting out of the city for a while. Except for Pendragon catching us. That wasn't so fun.

[ How does she know everything? ]

And no, not really anything wrong. I just.

I mean.

She's really nice, isn't she?

[oathshackledbird]

Yes. That was...not so fun. I suppose next time we should just ask her to come with us...

[And hope she doesn't but a stop to the whole thing.]

Alice is very nice, that is true, but so am I. At least, people tell me that a lot. Is there something wrong with being nice?

Or...do you mean a different kind of nice?

[earlybird]

Nah. I like it when it's just us.

[ It's obvious who's the favorite. ]

Not like that.

I don't. Really know. How to talk to normal kids my age.

[ Super-powered peers? Fine. Fellow crime-fighters? No problem. But an honest-to-god civilian child? (Especially a girl?)

He freezes up. Out of his league. ]

[oathshackledbird]

[Ah, that makes sense. Damian hasn't had time to interact with people much normally, let alone people his age. Still, if he is going to be here a while, the boy should learn and it's not like Alice wouldn't like to help.]

Do you think it would help any if it was the three of us getting together?

[That way Diarmuid could always help smooth over rough patches.]

I am sure Alice wouldn't mind sharing some of her stories and treating us to the cake and tea that is sold in the store down below.

[earlybird]

Maybe.

[ He's too proud to admit he'd like the buffer. But it might be helpful. ]

She lives in the cafe, right?

I like their Turkish coffee.

[ That's as close to an agreement as Diarmuid is going to get. If the opportunity arises, and he is invited to cake and tea coffee at the cafe, he will show and try to be a regular ten-year-old for the meeting. ]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid is happy to take that knowing how hard it must be for Damian to agree to even that. He will have to have a chat with Alice.]

You mean the tea shop, Le Café Anglais? Yes, she lives above it.

Turkish coffee? I have never had it. What is it like?

[Time to move onto a safer and more comfortable topic for Damian.]

[earlybird]

It's really just coffee prepared in a specific way. The beans are boiled in a pot first, with sugar, and then served with the grounds by a cezve--

[ He doesn't have a translation for that. A cezve is a cezve. A special pot for the coffee? ]

--usually. It's a lot smoother and less bitter than other coffees. Stronger, though. Meant to be eaten with desserts or breakfast cookies.

[oathshackledbird]

So it would be good to have with cake?

[This pleases Diarmuid since he remembers how very good the cake he had when he visited Alice before was.]

I wonder if it would be good with honey.

[Diarmuid, not everything has to have honey in it...]

[earlybird]

Yes. It goes well with cake.

Honey? It goes well with it. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is maple syrup.

[ That was a mistake. Never again. ]

[oathshackledbird]

Maple syrup? I've never had that. Too sweet?

[He has found a few things that are too sweet...at least for him.]

Better to leave it for pancakes and such, hu?

cleared inbox, you said? /twirls moustache weheh

[earlybird]

Too sweet. Can't even eat it on pancakes.

And the flavor's too strong.

Conflicts with the spices.

[ Kid takes his coffee seriously. ]

LOL! My inbox never stays clear more than a few seconds anyway...

[oathshackledbird]

I'm glad I have you to help me out with this. Coffee is something I don't really know much about.

[As in nothing. Zip. Zero.]

Any other warnings you would like to share with me?

[earlybird]

Don't drink a lot of it.

It's not good.

[ So much hypocrisy. ]

[oathshackledbird]

I take it you have been there?

[Poor kiddo...]

Warning duly noted. Thanks.

[earlybird]

Heart palpitations.

[ Yep. He's been there. ]

You're welcome.

[oathshackledbird]

Heart palpitations? From the caffeine?

[Diarmuid has to wonder if that would even affect a servant. However, he doesn't wonder enough to actually want to try it out.]

I suppose when they say that too much of anything is not good, they really mean it.

[Though, if he was going to go overboard on anything, it would probably be honey...]

[earlybird]

Yep.

[ He'd slept for an entire day after downing that much. The crash had been bad. ]

But so worth it.

[ Can't stop, won't stop. ]

[oathshackledbird]

[If this was a video conversation, Damian would be getting an eyeful of raised eyebrow right now.]

I thought you just said I shouldn't do it. How can it be worthwhile then?

[Double-standard, Damian. He's calling you on it.]

[earlybird]

I hadn't had good Turkish coffee in months.

[ Wow, get your judgment out of here, Diarmuid. ]

It's French-made, but it still reminded me of.

Where I came from. Before Ruby City, and before Gotham.

[ Damian would never admit to having been homesick. But the rare taste of culture had been unexpectedly comforting. ]

[oathshackledbird]

Ah...

[Suddenly, Diarmuid understands completely what is going on. Damian doesn't have to explain a thing.]

Much like how honey reminds me of my home. I should ask Alice if she has any Irish-themed teas...

[earlybird]

Exactly.

[ They all have their comfort foods; even child assassins and legendary heroes. ]

Irish-themed - like Assam and Ceylon teas, or do you mean whatever you drank way, way, way back when?

[ So far back. ]

[oathshackledbird]

Assam and Ceylon? Those names aren't familiar to me. I guess I would need to taste them to know for sure. Names have changed a lot since I was first alive.

[It a little frustrating, truth be told.]

Of course, experimenting is kind of fun. Finding something I remember from back then is always a pleasant surprise.

[earlybird]

And new flavors can become fast favorites, too.

[ Damian is one of those rare, few kids who will taste everything. But he still prefers his usual. ]

I'll keep an eye out. In the general store. Sometimes loose-leaf tea mixes will appear in some of the smaller bins.

[ (He'll help you find the flavors you miss, Dia.) ]

[oathshackledbird]

Thank you, Damian. Is there anything I can keep an eye out for you?

[Because he really does appreciate the effort.]

[earlybird]

[ There's a pause, as he thinks, before replying. ]

My birthday tends to fall close to the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, so we usually celebrated it with mooncakes, when in the area.

The season's coming up, so if you see anything lotus seed related, let me know. I'd like to try and make some for it, if I'm still here.