capeandcowllogs | We chased our pleasures here

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We chased our pleasures here

WHO: SHADE and YOU
WHERE: Around the City!
WHEN: UHH The week of 11/30 - 12/06
WARNINGS: None likely!
SUMMARY: Classy gents moving around the City like the classy gents that they are!
FORMAT: Tagger's choice!

[A]

[ Frequenting farmer's markets and local butchers was a pastime of the Shade's. It shouldn't be surprising, really, considering how often he was found eating in public. Even when he was there he was often purchasing food to eat as he walked -- sauntered -- through the aisles, almost like a bazaar, half the time. And when he was visiting butchers, it was the other way around, he engaged with them, asked questions, sampled the cuts, and purchased with the eye of an expert gourmet. His voice was always low, but excited, calm and chill, even while he discussed the positives and negatives of the different foods he selected.

They always seemed to like the odd gentleman, when he was around, even if he did only sample the local foods. If Shade wanted something that wasn't grown locally, after all, he just took it from somewhere a little closer. Why bother with shipping when you could walk from one land to another, after all?

The Shade was something of a spoiled man, after all. He didn't think he could live if he couldn't operate the way he did. ]

[B]

[ Although he also haunted other places as well, the museums were a favorite, although there was often a look on his face, like he was thinking. Even if he were retired, he often couldn't help but think about how easy it would be to simply take what he wanted. Oh, was that a Renoir? A fine one at that, too. He could take it easily, was the thing. Temptation was great when you could simply come in the dead of night and simply take it, and not worry about the consequences.

To be a supervillain again.

The worst part was, there was nobody quite like the Flash for him to stand against, and taking a few pretties was only going to go so far. He could take and take, but what good would it do? Something to hang on his walls again? He could simply order something, but it was hardly the same, now was it? It was, at the end of the day, terribly depressing.

But he would live, even as he walked pristine halls and admired works of painters he may or may not have met at some point. ]

[C]

[ Then, of course, there was the damn bar. The bar that Cross had left him, that Shade had no place owning or running. Which meant that he often came and drank, and that the place had taken on an air of extreme class in the time since Cross had left, but Shade barely had anything to do with it. If anything, he owned it, but there was someone else running the damn place. Which was for the best, honestly. Shade was hardly an interested paty. It wasn't like he needed money, either. He practically lived to laze around, after all.

So some evenings, he was found lounging on one of the booths, a glass of his most expensive wine in hand, chatting with whomever came by, and the bar was starting to get quite the collection of usuals. Artists, writers, the sort that were painfully pretentious, and yet Shade truly enjoyed their company, as he chatted, or mingled.

It was good, to get him out and around people, he knew. It reminded him that he was still at least a little human. ]

[D]

[ Free Space! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Gold eyes gaze past Shade, at the fresh vegetables laid out. There aren't a great many deal of things Gilbert Nightray takes pleasure in, yet a good sale is something one of the odd things he does.

(Really, he's a weirdo.)

He shakes his head before his eyes fall back on Shade. ]

When there's a sale. As winter's approaching fast, that means certain produce won't be as cheap until it's the season for it and if spring alone has reasonable weather. You never know what good deals you might get out of markets like this, which is why it's best to take your time. The produce is usually of excellent quality and it tends to stay surprisingly fresh even after several days in the fridge.

[ He could ramble forever about it. ]

[ Shade wasn't one of those sorts that particularly looked for sales, but then again, he was generally edging towards wealthy, thanks to his long lifespan and acquisitions in payment over the years (and his stolen goods as well). He'd even found in the City that it was surprisingly easy to make use of his skills for funds, and that was barely necessary.

After all, the greatest expenses were the home, and he always seemed to have one somehow. ]

I see. [ No, he didn't. ] These days, I suppose it pays to be frugal, doesn't it? I'll admit, I came here for their selection of Rouge Vif d'Etampes pumpkins is rather nice, for the area, and I can't resist having them grown locally.

[ He held up one of the red pumpkins, small and squat in his hands. Shade was the sort that would use a "proper" (read: more pretentious) name for them, and make it sound perfectly natural. ]

I prefer buying the proper, fresh ingredients as opposed to buying all that... "fast food". I can't believe they have the nerve to serve such ill-prepared foods in the first place! I'm also surprised no one's gotten sick from the barely cooked meats and the soggy vegetables. And the amount of oil and sauces they use...!

[ Nobody asked for his opinion or why he buys fresh produce, but there they have it.

He peers at the pumpkin curiously then. ]

I don't usually buy pumpkin. I've never tried to bake anything with it, though...

[ And it's slightly tempting suddenly. ]

Who said they haven't?

[ He asked, with a touch of wry humor, but Shade had a terrible opinion of fast food. Smelling them had been enough to turn him off from their wares, but thankfully, he didn't need to eat. ]

But if you would like a recipe, I'm sure I could provide.

I've had a long time to acquire some noteworthy recipes, and pumpkins tend to make hearty meals, as well.

[ Cue his genuine surprise once more. ]

You can bake?

[ He stares at Shade now, half expecting him to tilt his head back and laugh and state he's really joking with Gil. ]

Of course I can.

[ He looked mildly surprised that he was even questioning it. It wasn't that he suspected that Gilbert should know better, but the way he asked it, the way he was staring at him said that it was more surprising than it often was.

Then again, most people from his world were familiar with Shade's...eccentricities. ]

One can't be a gourmet and not know how the food is prepared, after all.

[ Shade has apparently lived longer than most. Gil thinks back to all their previous conversations; he's adapted to the times, but there's an air of antiquity to him that Gil can oddly appreciate and when he mulls over it, it all begins to make sense. ]

I admit it's a little surprising... I always thought you could use your powers rather than prepare a meal from scratch.

I could, yes. I could step into Beijing and eat at the best restaurant in the entire city, but I would hardly appreciate it if I didn't know the work the chef went into.

I find that when you understand the food, you come to appreciate the complexity that comes with each flavor.

[ He paused, before tipping his head, as if he's amused by a thought. ]

And honestly, there are evenings when a night in would be accompanied best by something a bit closer to home, and nobody quite makes pork pie the way I enjoy it.

[ Again, surprise is painted on his features, however; this time he tucks away that little tidbit of information in a corner of his mind. Traveling a great distance, potential interdimensional traveling, is a great asset to have. ]

Of course.

[ If they aren't allowed back home just yet, they can always attempt to have a piece of it here. ]

Are you self-taught?

[ Shade strikes Gil as the kind of person from nobility and/or wealth, but perhaps that isn't the case. ]

Somewhat. I had to start somewhere, after all.

[ And being a bachelor in the days he'd grown in, it was important to learn how to cook. He'd never been particularly rich, more of the intellectual vein in his day, but he'd had some money. Enough that he hadn't had to particularly worry too much about where his meals were coming from.

It had been a luxury, in those days. When the soot and filth of London could blanket everything, where people lived out in the cold, and men like he and Dickens were comfortable in their beds and hot meals and full bellies. ]

Eventually, I took to learning what others had to teach. They have a lot of knowledge to spread around, but often a few kind words can bring more knowledge than a few dollars.

[ He tilts his head as he moves toward the table with the pumpkins, but his attention is mostly focused on Shade, his gaze steady. ]

You ... were human once?

[ He's still uncertain what Shade is, after all this time. ]

Don't I look human?

[ It was something of a rhetorical question, he knew. There had been plenty of things that even Shade had seen that had never been human. ]

But yes, I was once human, a few centuries ago.

[ Of course, Gilbert may not know what Shade was, but even Shade didn't really know what he was. A creature of shadows, but what beyond that? There was hardly a bestiary that covered this. ]

Centuries?

[ Nope, the surprises never end with Shade. ]

Even though the world I come from likely differs from yours and everyone else's, it's possible for something nonhuman to take a human shape.

[ Like Alice, but she had once been human herself, not unlike Shade. ]

As it is in mine. I've found that there's very little that isn't possible. There was a man who preserved his immortality by trapping souls in artwork.

[ The Picture of Dorian Gray, as his dear friend titled it. ]

The fact that they look human is hardly the most terrifying thing in the universe, I can assure you.

Isn't that just a story?

[ He's almost certain he's heard of such a story before, but in fiction, not history.

His comment gives pause. Alice's appearance had greatly disturbed him for a long time. She had been nothing more than a parasite, stealing his precious master away, and she "dared" to take the form of an innocent, young girl. How wrong he was proven down the line. ]

I suppose a physical form isn't always what makes something frightening either.

[ HABIT. ]

Aren't all stories born from a grain of truth?

[ He shook his head, but understood what Gilbert meant by that well enough. After all, physical form hadn't been what Culp had, in a way, or at least, he hadn't had his own.

Insidious and terrifying, even when working inside of Shade. ]

The form is just the form. It's what makes the being that you really have to watch out for...rather, who or what they really want.

[ His long fingers slip around one of the pumpkins, carefully lifting it upwards so he can inspect it thoroughly. Then his fingers begin to press against the surface, feeling for any potential soft parts.

He does pause for about a second, listening to Shade's warning. ]

... I know.

[ But he's often caught blindsided anyhow. ]

I think we all do.

[ He laughed softly, and started selecting a few more. Perhaps he would cook for someone else, tonight, he thought. ]

And yet...it does seem to keep happening, does it not?

[ He's clear over-thinking it when the pumpkin slips away from his grasp and rolls back into the pile on the table. He swallows, clears his throat, and reaches back for it before taking a good look at the price listed. ]

Anyway...

[ He decides to take one of the pumpkins. He can make something small, maybe a pie or cake. ]

Are you shopping for yourself? Or are there others living with you?

Myself, of course. I live alone.

[ He looked down at them, and watch Gilbert take one, his eyebrow quirking a bit curiously. ]

That one would make nearly anything you could imagine. You said you haven't baked with it before?

[ He shakes his head and then peers over for another pumpkin, feeling around for the firmest one. ]

I'm sure I could make something small with it. I wouldn't want to have too much pumpkin left over.

To some, this is the season when one can never have too much pumpkin. I find that if there are leftovers, they can compliment baked goods easily, and effectively.

[ Really, Gilbert, he was something of a foodie, if he were into blogging, he would likely run one.

Good thing he didn't. Ex-supervillains shouldn't have blogs. ]

I'll keep it in mind. I would prefer to bake something from scratch than buy all those sweetened desserts they're selling lately. There's so much frosting and sugar in them...

[ Never mind he has a small bad of pastries with him, but it's not for him. ]

[ He laughed. ]

Sweetened for public consumption, yes? I will admit, a dessert that is well-made and filled with more than just sugar tends to taste better than whatever it is they're selling these days.

[ Shade waved a hand. One of the advantages to not having to eat was that he could choose to eat. Then again, he didn't really have to exert too much effort to show up at just the right bakery. ]

I know a few bakeries that do not overdo it, perhaps sometime I will show you where they are.

There's one I frequent, but I wouldn't mind the names of the others. Some variation isn't so bad.

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