Inigo is honestly still kind of unsure on the whole recipe discourse. He has no clue. Logically following a recipe sounds better and easier, but.. from where he's standing, it sure does look like Li Lianhua knows what he's doing. And if he does, then who would Inigo be to question him on this one?
So there's not a single critical note to be found there. No, instead Inigo seems to obediently be going along with what's expected of him here. At first he doesn't fully get it, but after a second he does realize Li Lianhua probably expects him to copy him. Which-- Sure. Okay. He can do that. He is totally smooth here, and not awkward at all, and he totally knows what's going on and what's expected of him!
Inigo leans in, smelling the spoonful, and then moving back to how he was originally standing.
There's a pause.
A pause that is clearly not awkward. Not at all. He is definitely not trying to think of what Li Lianhua expects him to say here, h-he totally knows! Totally!
[Inigo already has a tendency to seem like someone who's wandered into the Imperial Harem by accident and is struggling to look like he's meant to be there while desperately trying to find a way out. But apparently being accosted with a spoonful of sauce is too unexpected even for him. It's like he's never been asked to sample food before! Which is maybe not so ridiculous in a country ravaged by some sort of disaster, but the boy has been in this realm longer than Li Lianhua has. And no one's involved him in cooking yet? Unbelievable.
In fact, Inigo's air of baffled compliance suddenly reminds him of someone else, and those two having anything in common at all is so absurd and endearing he can't help but laugh. Incredulous for a moment, before he plays along like Inigo just told a funny joke:]
Hah, well we'd really be in trouble if it smelled like a dog's breath, right? Young man, be serious now and tell me how it tastes. Do you like it? Would you make adjustments?
[Ready or not, here the spoon comes again. This is now educational, and one can't succeed without first being pushed to one's limits.]
[ Oh no. It's like here comes the airplane dragon, except with so much more pressure added on top of it. Still, it's that exact pressure that doesn't allow Inigo to protest in the slightest. Instead he does take the spoon to taste what's being given to him here. Inigo takes the spoonful into his mouth, swallows it, and then he's..
Well, he's quiet for a moment. Still looking awkward though. ]
No, it's fine.
[ Good luck trying to figure out what's going on in this guy's mind right now, Li Lianhua. With the way Inigo said that, it's not obvious whether he really thinks that or if he's just trying to please Li Lianhua..
(Even though the truth is that Inigo definitely does not really taste any difference if it's good or bad. It's just food!!) ]
It's.. uh..
[ Awkward pause. Inigo has absolutely zero idea of how to describe anything. ]
[Li Lianhua does not need luck to see exactly what's going on here. This is more serious than expected, in fact. Not everyone can be the capital's Number One Food Critic, obviously, but Inigo's pitiful reply goes deeper than not knowing much about flavor and fragrance, or wanting to appease Li Lianhua. It's like he's struggling with the very idea of enjoying food or having opinions at all.
Although Inigo lacks a certain feline attitude of disdain for the whole thing, this challenge is still amusingly familiar to Li Lianhua. How had he fixed it the last time?
He smiles, and Inigo would be forgiven for thinking he's pleased with that answer and not something else entirely.]
Ahh... I see. I think we're going to need a second opinion.
[Without giving Inigo a chance to protest or even taking his eyes off the boy, Li Lianhua then raises his voice to call out:]
[The second opinion haver is remarkably prompt, enough to disturb some garlic paper (and no recipe papers) with the wind of a brisk arrival, but punctuality is all he has to offer on such short notice and with such wariness. It hadn't sounded like a serious summons. It sounded like some bullshit, without even getting into statistics. The summons works best, in his opinion, if the problem is more pressing and unmistakable than this tableau of a horse-nervous boy being stared down by a lunatic of inscrutable intent, both now being stared down by a reservedly curious A-Fei.
He isn't sure if he's about to be corroborating a cooking fact (he cannot do this) or removing Inigo unharmed like a spider in a cup (he can). He could also be persuaded to pestle some garlic, but this is sadly lower down the list of possibilities (in his reckoning) than the more troublesome options. Something here is fishy and it is not, at this time, the food. He addresses Li Lianhua with a kind of neutrally warning air, and Inigo not at all:]
At first Inigo isn't entirely sure what's going on. He's just staring at Li Lianhua, like he might be able to tell from some small sign in the other's face what is happening or about to happen here. But it doesn't take much more than a moment before said thing has already happened with Di Feisheng's much too swift arrival.
And it's not like the young man isn't a warrior. It's not like he hasn't dealt with things out of nowhere before. But there's a difference between a terrible future or a battlefield and just someone else's kitchen. He wasn't prepared, and so Inigo physically flinches, taking a step back with a small yelp that he would claim was totally cool and did not at all sound pathetic and kind of terrified, thanks.
His gaze travels quickly back and forth between Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng, now even more unsure of what's happening here. ]
What-- What is--
[ ????
Even more pathetic-sounding: ]
Are you going to put me into the lasagna? [ The mind palace is thoroughly at work, apparently. But who can blame Inigo when he is receiving so very little context here as to what is going on in these guys' minds? ]
[As always, A-Fei's shockingly prompt arrival is deeply satisfying and does not leave anything to be desired about the impression it makes on the other person in the room. Di Feisheng's always known how to make an entrance indeed.
Though Li Lianhua's amusement is briefly curtailed by A-Fei immediately trying to be difficult, he doesn't even get to finish rolling his eyes at that warning before Inigo comes to some truly unexpected and very funny conclusion. Li Lianhua can't help but laugh out loud, unreserved but not mean-spirited at all.]
Inigo, don't be silly! I told you, it's a vegetable lasagna.
[Maybe a little mean. Kids today, really. Still shaking his head, he's quick to get another spoonful of his sauce and then turns to Di Feisheng.]
Let's worry about favors later, eh? [Negotiations should be done behind closed doors, after all.] Here, try this and tell us how it is.
[That's exactly what someone who should be worrying about favors NOW would say, but Di Feisheng doesn't have a spoon in this fight. Because kitchen hobbies aren't fights, as he's expressly been enlightened before. And he still isn't quite clear on why this is an A-Fei problem. Inigo has just yelped in terror and believes himself to be a potential ingredient; he can't possibly be arguing with Li Lianhua about the quality of the goop Di Feisheng is apparently here to judge. He is growing more and more wary with every passing second, which has not a single time stopped him from being hand- or spoon- fed some bullshit by that horrible man.]
[The misgivings are clear in the pre-emptive wrinkling of his nose, in the stiffness of his back which he nonetheless bends to this task, in the horrible insistence on sniffing the sauce (which Li Lianhua accommodates) before the inevitable acceptance. It has the solemn air of ritual, which can't be good for Inigo in basically any way. It also reveals a most unfortunate and perturbing truth, but to Di Feisheng specifically and, with any luck, only.]
[Sauce isn't bad. Di Feisheng is going to deliver a more challenging verdict, with a side of full eye-contact, anyway.]
It's too sweet. [He's about 40% sure of this. It might be too sour. Too something, anyway, but not by nearly enough to be worth the fuss.] Good for covering poison, though.
[ The upside here is that Inigo doesn't say anything - let alone starts shrieking again, though he's definitely still half-convinced he's going to end up in the lasagna, no matter what Li Lianhua might be saying to try and reassure him here.
The downside is.. well, that Inigo is quiet. Who knows what's going through this guy's mind whenever he's being quiet.
Especially as he's watching this display. Di Feisheng sniffing the food. Then allowing himself to be hand fed by the other. If Inigo knew what a zoo was, he would definitely be mentally comparing this to watching animals go at it in a zoo.
As it stands, he has no idea what to compare this to. Other than that it feels.. a little awkward, almost? Inigo wonders if maybe he shouldn't be in the room right now to witness this. ]
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no subject
Date: 2025-02-25 04:12 pm (UTC)Inigo is honestly still kind of unsure on the whole recipe discourse. He has no clue. Logically following a recipe sounds better and easier, but.. from where he's standing, it sure does look like Li Lianhua knows what he's doing. And if he does, then who would Inigo be to question him on this one?
So there's not a single critical note to be found there. No, instead Inigo seems to obediently be going along with what's expected of him here. At first he doesn't fully get it, but after a second he does realize Li Lianhua probably expects him to copy him. Which-- Sure. Okay. He can do that. He is totally smooth here, and not awkward at all, and he totally knows what's going on and what's expected of him!
Inigo leans in, smelling the spoonful, and then moving back to how he was originally standing.
There's a pause.
A pause that is clearly not awkward. Not at all. He is definitely not trying to think of what Li Lianhua expects him to say here, h-he totally knows! Totally!
U-Um-- ]
It.. [ ... ] It sure smells like.. [ ... ] .. food!
[ Nailed it. He smiles. Like he's hoping the smile will magically render him able to get away with this. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-03 12:17 am (UTC)In fact, Inigo's air of baffled compliance suddenly reminds him of someone else, and those two having anything in common at all is so absurd
and endearinghe can't help but laugh. Incredulous for a moment, before he plays along like Inigo just told a funny joke:]Hah, well we'd really be in trouble if it smelled like a dog's breath, right? Young man, be serious now and tell me how it tastes. Do you like it? Would you make adjustments?
[Ready or not, here the spoon comes again. This is now educational, and one can't succeed without first being pushed to one's limits.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-09 02:14 pm (UTC)airplanedragon, except with so much more pressure added on top of it. Still, it's that exact pressure that doesn't allow Inigo to protest in the slightest. Instead he does take the spoon to taste what's being given to him here. Inigo takes the spoonful into his mouth, swallows it, and then he's..Well, he's quiet for a moment. Still looking awkward though. ]
No, it's fine.
[ Good luck trying to figure out what's going on in this guy's mind right now, Li Lianhua. With the way Inigo said that, it's not obvious whether he really thinks that or if he's just trying to please Li Lianhua..
(Even though the truth is that Inigo definitely does not really taste any difference if it's good or bad. It's just food!!) ]
It's.. uh..
[ Awkward pause. Inigo has absolutely zero idea of how to describe anything. ]
You know. Good. Food.
[ Nailed it. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-29 09:42 pm (UTC)Although Inigo lacks a certain
felineattitude of disdain for the whole thing, this challenge is still amusingly familiar to Li Lianhua. How had he fixed it the last time?He smiles, and Inigo would be forgiven for thinking he's pleased with that answer and not something else entirely.]
Ahh... I see. I think we're going to need a second opinion.
[Without giving Inigo a chance to protest or even taking his eyes off the boy, Li Lianhua then raises his voice to call out:]
A-Fei!
no subject
Date: 2025-03-30 11:32 pm (UTC)It sounded like some bullshit, without even getting into statistics.The summons works best, in his opinion, if the problem is more pressing and unmistakable than this tableau of a horse-nervous boy being stared down by a lunatic of inscrutable intent, both now being stared down by a reservedly curious A-Fei.He isn't sure if he's about to be corroborating a cooking fact (he cannot do this) or removing Inigo unharmed like a spider in a cup (he can). He could also be persuaded to pestle some garlic, but this is sadly lower down the list of possibilities (in his reckoning) than the more troublesome options. Something here is fishy and it is not, at this time, the food. He addresses Li Lianhua with a kind of neutrally warning air, and Inigo not at all:]
You're running low on favors.
no subject
Date: 2025-04-05 12:23 pm (UTC)At first Inigo isn't entirely sure what's going on. He's just staring at Li Lianhua, like he might be able to tell from some small sign in the other's face what is happening or about to happen here. But it doesn't take much more than a moment before said thing has already happened with Di Feisheng's much too swift arrival.
And it's not like the young man isn't a warrior. It's not like he hasn't dealt with things out of nowhere before. But there's a difference between a terrible future or a battlefield and just someone else's kitchen. He wasn't prepared, and so Inigo physically flinches, taking a step back with a small yelp that he would claim was totally cool and did not at all sound pathetic and kind of terrified, thanks.
His gaze travels quickly back and forth between Li Lianhua and Di Feisheng, now even more unsure of what's happening here. ]
What-- What is--
[ ????
Even more pathetic-sounding: ]
Are you going to put me into the lasagna? [ The mind palace is thoroughly at work, apparently. But who can blame Inigo when he is receiving so very little context here as to what is going on in these guys' minds? ]
no subject
Date: 2025-04-13 09:40 am (UTC)Though Li Lianhua's amusement is briefly curtailed by A-Fei immediately trying to be difficult, he doesn't even get to finish rolling his eyes at that warning before Inigo comes to some truly unexpected and very funny conclusion. Li Lianhua can't help but laugh out loud, unreserved but not mean-spirited at all.]
Inigo, don't be silly! I told you, it's a vegetable lasagna.
[
Maybe a little mean.Kids today, really. Still shaking his head, he's quick to get another spoonful of his sauce and then turns to Di Feisheng.]Let's worry about favors later, eh? [Negotiations should be done behind closed doors, after all.] Here, try this and tell us how it is.
no subject
Date: 2025-05-30 10:33 pm (UTC)[The misgivings are clear in the pre-emptive wrinkling of his nose, in the stiffness of his back which he nonetheless bends to this task, in the
horribleinsistence on sniffing the sauce (which Li Lianhua accommodates) before the inevitable acceptance. It has the solemn air of ritual, which can't be good for Inigo in basically any way. It also reveals a most unfortunate and perturbing truth, but to Di Feisheng specifically and, with any luck, only.][Sauce isn't bad. Di Feisheng is going to deliver a more challenging verdict, with a side of full eye-contact, anyway.]
It's too sweet. [He's about 40% sure of this. It might be too sour. Too something, anyway, but not by nearly enough to be worth the fuss.] Good for covering poison, though.
no subject
Date: 2025-06-09 06:21 pm (UTC)The downside is.. well, that Inigo is quiet. Who knows what's going through this guy's mind whenever he's being quiet.
Especially as he's watching this display. Di Feisheng sniffing the food. Then allowing himself to be hand fed by the other. If Inigo knew what a zoo was, he would definitely be mentally comparing this to watching animals go at it in a zoo.
As it stands, he has no idea what to compare this to. Other than that it feels.. a little awkward, almost? Inigo wonders if maybe he shouldn't be in the room right now to witness this. ]