(no subject)

[imthepilot]

Bodhi's room is simple and narrow. Nothing more than a bed, a locker, a fresher and a writing desk.

There's nothing personal here. He has nothing. Owns nothing.

Is nothing.

Comments

[imthepilot]

"I enjoyed cooking for-" He cuts himself off and then starts again, "For Galen."

"What's it like? India?"

[cook_the_rude]

"Hot and dusty," Hannibal says. "With great deserts and deep green jungles. A country of over a billion people, very traditional in many parts, with incredible riches, crippling poverty, bright colours and amazing scents and stenches. There are beggars and temples everywhere, and many different languages spoken."

[imthepilot]

He nods, thoughtful as he eats a little more, carefully taking a slice of tomato. "Sounds a lot like Jedha, only with less people, less riches and no jungle."

[cook_the_rude]

"Do you have religions, pilgrimages and a mix of many different tribes and castes?" Hannibal asks.

He pours an aromatic herbal tea into the mug.

"Dairy animals roaming everywhere? Large, extended families sharing traditional homes?"

[ostro_goth]

There is a scratching at the door, a small but insistent sound.

[cook_the_rude]

"I wonder what they are bringing now," Hannibal says, going back to open the door.

[ostro_goth]

It's not rats, though, but the little black cat Myrrh, who rushes towards Bodhi.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi opens his arms to Myrrh, setting the bowl aside. "My little friend, I'm sorry. I lost track of you." He scratches behind her ears, hugging her gently.

[cook_the_rude]

Hannibal smiles at them.

"What a pity that cats only eat meat and fish," he says. "At least theoretically. I have known cats who disagreed."

[imthepilot]

Myrrh purrs and head butts Bodhi's chin, before arranging herself around his shoulders.

She gives Hannibal an harsh look.

"Meat and fish." Bodhi nods, glad to know that. "Thank you. At least I know what to feed her now.

[cook_the_rude]

"They like milk and cream as well, some even cheese or bread or olives," Hannibal says. "Olives are small, savoury fruit. Some cats react intensely to it."

[imthepilot]

Bodhi nods, scratching Myrrh softly. "Thank you."

He reaches out for a slice of red vegetable, careful not to dislodge Myrrh. "Tomato?" He asks, wanted to confirm he has the word right.

[cook_the_rude]

"Yes, that is right," the doctor with Galen's voice says. "They even gave you a special tomato knife to cut it. It cuts the cucumbers as well, of course. It's not that specialised "

[imthepilot]

You can almost hear the cogs turning in Bodhi's head and he examines the slice, looking at the structure of the seeds. "What makes the blade specific to this vegetable? The skin isn't particularly tough."

He takes a bite, pulling a slightly fact at the acidic flavour but chewing thoughtfully.

[cook_the_rude]

"But the inside is soft," Hannibal explains. "If you have an unserrated and slightly blunt knife, you squash the inside before you break the skin."

[imthepilot]

"Ah, I understand." Bodhi nods, seeing the sense in that. He doesn't go back to the curry just yet, letting the flavour of the tomato settle. "They must grow in water rich worlds, to be so soft skinned and full?" He muses the question more to himself than to Hannibal.

Talking about food, Bodhi becomes more engaged, more alert. As if lights are coming on behind his eyes, neurons firing.

[cook_the_rude]

"They grow in water rich places in our world," Hannibal says. "There are many different environments and habitats on our planet, and hence many different foods and ways to grow them. In some places, the main staple starchy food is rice, which needs flooded fields for parts of its growing cycle. For irrigation, people build terraced fields, covering whole mountains in some places."

[imthepilot]

"Flooded mountains." Bodhi blinks, trying to imagine it.

[cook_the_rude]

"I can show you pictures," Hannibal says. "Funny to imagine that the truly alien landscapes of our own planet will be terrassed mountains."

[imthepilot]

"It's the only way I could picture it. There isn't enough water on Jedha for such things"

[cook_the_rude]

"But you have been flying all over the galaxy, haven't you?" Hannibal asks.

[imthepilot]

Bodhi shrugs and holds Myrrh to his chest. "I went where I was sent. Supply runs mostly. Imperial depots look much the same everywhere."

But then there was Eadu and the relentless rain. "I rarely got more than a day's leave anywhere."

[cook_the_rude]

"Did they at least pay you well if you didn't get any leave at all?"

[imthepilot]

"Well enough." He nodded. "When you come from nothing, a little goes a long way." He sniffs softly, food forgotten. "I got my sisters off world before things got bad. Somewhere they could get an education. They have a better chance now."

[cook_the_rude]

"Don't let your curry get cold," the doctor with Galen's face says. "How many sisters do you have?"