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[It had taken awhile, but Tohko had finally managed to get everything made and had fond out just how to get the video settings to work. She'll be standing there, smiling, with a table behind her and a pile of presents on it..as well as a basket of fruit. A small mailbox sat on the corner of the table, separate from everything else.]

Good morning! Would the following people please come to the third floor: Rei, Romeo, Saber, Wilhelm, Tetra, France, Prussia, Lancer, 'Azazello'-aka The Brown Testament, and 'Behemoth'-aka The other Testament.

It may be a little late, but I still want to hand you guys Christmas presents, so please do show up!

[Filtered to Rei Ayanami and Rise Kujikawa]

Oh..and would Rei and Rise please meet me here as well, together? There's something I want to ask the both of you.

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[Another small nervous chuckle.]

Well, I describe books that way because writing and cooking are quite similar, if you think about it!

[At the questions, Tohko sighed.]

I really don't know. He never told me why..all I know is that was the result of the majority of the story prompts I gave him.

[~~ohhhhh no, NO NO NO, don't mention cooking around Rise...! D8~~]

...Ah! I guess that's kinda true, isn't it? A good book is like a good meal, with a lot spice and heat to it, and a real mature flavour that asserts itself strongly! A taste you won't forget!

[...Not that Rise ever had all that much time to read as an idol, and she's been reading mostly manga since she quit, but still...manga kinda counted as a book, right? And she'd managed to read a handful of romance novels here and there...]

That's not very nice, coming with stories like that when you're just trying to help inspire him! [The former idol gives a thoughtful hum.] Maybe he's the kind that doesn't do so well with that kind of prompting--the super-stubborn kinda who has to think completely for himself!

[Yes, someone who finally understands! Tohko just grinned at that.]

Exactly! Each book has it's own unique taste, and like cooking, when you're writing, there are certain rules and preparations you have to go through!

[Usually, people didn't get Tohko's comparison, so to finally have someone get it makes her day.]

And no, it wasn't very nice of him..but I think he's just the type who likes to brush people off at first if they annoy him. He started writing sweeter stories before I came to the Tower.

[...Well, it's not that Rise understands the book/reading/writing aspect of it so much as the fact that she's reeeeally passionate about cooking. Even though she is terrible at it. But she can see how they're similar!]

Hmm, I never would've thought of it that way, but you're right! And oh, so he's that kinda guy... Well, at least he started getting better about that sort of thing later on! Were those better stories still written off your prompts, or did he come up with the ideas all on his own?

[The best food in the world would be similar to Rise's cooking, as far as Tohko's taste buds are concerned. However, the fact that someone is actually getting it is a new thing. A good new thing.]

Of course! There are a lot of other similarities too, if you really look at it carefully.

And Konoha's better stories were still written off my prompts..but at least they did taste better than the ones he had written before.

[Rise's food is definitely something made with passion and feeling...and tons and tons of spices, even when the recipe calls for NONE of them. |D But yeah, Rise can see how creating anything can be a passionate thing that you put a lot of yourself into, be it food, music, a story, or anything else really.]

I think I can already see some of 'em, but go ahead--like what?

[This is clearly something Tohko's passionate about, so Rise'll give her a chance to go on about it a bit. :]b ]

And there's nothing wrong with having a little help coming up with something to create. That just means that you're a team! And it kinda makes you his co-author, doesn't it?

[Giving Tohko more chances to gush and compare writing to cooking was always a good thing in her book. However, she tended to drag on a little.]

Well, if you're a beginner at cooking, it's best you follow the recipe and get better before you alter it! The same can be said with writing. You also can't cook something for too long or rush it, and you have to be careful of how much salt and spice you put into it, and you can't do silly things, like put cherries in curry, or else you'll screw up the taste!

[Hopefully Rise won't be able to guess Tohko's secret from that.]

Well, that's true. A little help never hurt anyone, but I'm not his co-author. He wrote his first book all by himself, and it's his choice to how he uses the prompts I give him.

Recipes can be kinda boring, though--sometimes you just have to add whatever feels right! And cherries in curry...huh, I wonder if that would kinda work, actually. I've had pineapple in curry before, and that was really good! So sometimes adding unexpected or unusual things can really just make it better--like a plot twist you'd never have seen coming in a million years!

[...lolNOPE, Tohko's secret is still totally safe. |D]

Hmm, unless you did some of the actual writing, I guess you're not really a co-author, are you. It's more like you'd be that person in the opening credits of a TV show or a movie who's credited with "Original Story Idea By". But yeah, I can see why you wouldn't wanna help him too much. It still has to be something that he can call his own.

Well, some recipes can be boring..but that's why they're usually not used, except by the people who want to use them, like story prompts. And I've never had pineapple in curry before..but it's good to hear that it came out great! And you've got it! Things like that are exactly like an unexpected plot twist!

[Finally, someone Tohko can bounce comparisons off of without looking suspicious!]

Well, I probably wouldn't even get that title, since the author can take the story prompts however he wants. I'm just a su chef to the main cook. But you've got the idea..even if he gets his prompts from somewhere else, the content has to be something he came up with.

Some people are REALLY stubborn about using recipes, and ONLY using exactly what it tells you to use! [Naoto-kun, she is totally thinking of you.] But that's really no fun, so I follow the recipe some, but then spice things up to give it my own personal flavour! That's kinda like how different writers have different styles too, just like directors and actors, right?

[Yeah, Rise's pretty great about adapting to whatever the situation may be, and to an extent, to whoever she's talking with; she will be excellent for comparison-bouncing!]

So what kinds of things do you give him for prompts? What's a normal prompt from you like?

Edited 2013-01-26 09:13 (UTC)

[At that, Tohko chuckled. Rise, you were just making her day.]

Well, that's true! But as long as they make good stories with the recipes, that's fine too. But you're right, that is how different writers, directors, and actors have their own style and ways of doing things. I myself tend to stick to the recipe until I know enough about what I'm doing. Then I start messing with things.

[Tohko then scratched her head.]

Well, each time I would give him five minutes to make a story out of three things I gave him. Like Christmas Day, blue snow, and a stapler!

...Wow...well, those things are pretty different. I think it would be pretty hard for anyone to make a good story out of them in just five minutes. It would make sense that those stories wouldn't be very good, if he was rushed like that. But that's just something you'd have him do for practise, right? Like his warm-up before a show!

[...Back to the recipe discussion!]

..Hmm...I guess that makes sense...

[...Has Tohko done the impossible and convinced Rise that RECIPE FIRST is the way to go...?]

...Buuut...if it's written down in a recipe book, doesn't that mean that's the way a lot of people have done it already? So you already know what works, and can go from there!

[...NOPE, looks like we're still doomed to be hopeless when it comes to cooking. |D;]

Well, it wouldn't be hard to cook up a decent story with those prompts..but he would always write it well-until he got to a certain point where he would introduce a terrible plot twist and make the story terrible.

[Tohko then chuckled.]

Well, just because a lot of people have figured out the way it works doesn't mean that you have figured it out perfectly, if at all. So, practice is important.

...Sounds like he needs someone like Kanji-kun or Chie-senpai to knock some sense into him. I mean, if he's really that good at writing, but just messes it up on purpose after a while...

[Ugh, that's REALLY annoying! What a waste of talent!]

Practise is important, in all sorts of situations...but that kinda practise still sounds kinda boring.

I guess that sort of practice is a little boring..but, for some reason, Konoha hasn't quit the club yet, so I guess he enjoys it, somehow.

And I'm not sure if beating him up will do any good..but who are Kanji and Chie? Friends of yours from back home?

...Oh, I meant that following the recipes all the time would be boring, but...yeah, he must like it, to keep coming back for more! Maybe it's kind of a challenge?

And yup, Kanji-kun and Chie-senpai are two of my friends from home! ...And actually, they're both stuck here in the Tower, too.

Edited 2013-01-28 08:21 (UTC)

Oh, I knew what you meant..but maybe he does see it like that. I'm not quite sure, to be honest..but I am happy that he keeps coming back! He's a good friend of mine, even if he does write terrible stories sometimes.

[Tohko will then nod at the second part.]

Ah, alright then! That's good to hear. It's a little lonely at first when the people you know from home aren't here with you, so it's good that they're here with you.

You two do sound pretty close. I bet he's glad to have a friend who cares so much about his writing, even if he's having a hard time with it right now...maybe especially since he's having a hard time with it. It can really mean a lot to know that someone still believes in you, even when you've given up on yourself...

[Rise's remembering a certain letter sent to her by a certain fan... She almost wishes she still had it here in the Tower with her--all of them from that fan, really.]

...I am glad that my friends are here with me, because I feel like no matter what, if we're all together, we can face anything! Plus I love those guys! I really do want to be able to see them whenever I want! But...at the same time, I feel like that's a little selfish. I mean, I shouldn't want them to be stuck in a terrible place like this...

[And since she hasn't taken a trip home ~~yet?~~ and doesn't believe her world has been destroyed, it feels even more selfish.]

[Tohko lightly chuckled at that.]

Well, I'm not sure if he looks up to me like that, but I know that he has to appreciate the fact that he has a wonderful club president looking out for him whenever he needs help or advice! Or anything else, really!

[Sometimes, Tohko's position went to her head. This was one of those times. However..upon hearing the second part of what Rise said, Tohko couldn't help but pat her on the head.]

Rise..that's not selfish. That's normal. When we're separated from the people we love and care about, we always want to see them again, especially if our settings change for the worse. Plus, in stories, even Hell itself can be like Heaven if you have your friends with you, and you can stomach Purgatory if you have someone you love right beside you. So you don't have to worry. You're not being selfish.

You're just like Margarita, and that's a good thing!

[..Yeah, only Tohko was going to get that reference.]

[Rise couldn't help smiling at the pride in Tohko's tone, but she shook her head a little.]

It's not necessarily looking up to the person...it's just knowing that they really care, even though they really don't have to. That you have at least one fan who will always cheer for you, no matter what!

[...She has to think about it being normal, not selfish for a moment or two, and she's really not all that convinced (she's seen some terrible things in this place, after all), but that comparison prompts a question.]

Who's Margarita?

[And, at that, Tohko smiled back.]

Right, I understand! As long as you have one person helping you out and cheering you on you can breathe a little easier and keep going!

[And get ready to have that question answered in full detail for you, Rise!]

The 'Margarita' I'm referring to is the main heroine of The Master and Margarita! In order to stay with the man she loves-as he's been tossed in a mental asylum for going against the government-she makes a deal with the devil and, while helping out a few people, gets to be with the one she loves in Purgatory. But..the two don't care, as long as they can be together. They even redeem Pontius Pilate!

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