Aziraphale's bookshop (open post)

[sohoangel]

A.Z. Fell and Co.'s bookshop has stood on the same corner in London's vibrant Soho district since it was established in 1800. The hours posted in the store window seem more like a deterrent than anything, but to anyone who was formally invited, or simply has uncanny timing, the store will miraculously be open.

The shop smells like old books, pleasantly so to welcome visitors, and occasionally like baking. If Aziraphale is not behind the till, then he will come find you soon. Seeking him out, especially if you are trying to buy something, will prove fruitless.

Comments

[sohoangel]

"I understand, dear. You can always experiment in my kitchen, if you so desire. It's in my flat upstairs, I just use the kitchenette here for making hot drinks." Aziraphale has already given another angel a baking lesson, and he suspects that Nike would be even better at following directions than Balthazar. There'd be far fewer bawdier sidebars, at the very least.

The powdered milk gets a quiet 'ah' from Aziraphale, as he has read a few recipes that call for it, although he has yet to make one of those himself. His expression brightens considerably at the mention of dashi, and he returns with the kettle and a hot pad to set it on the table so they have plenty of hot water available. "I've had dashi as well, it makes a delicious base for ramen and many other soups. I think powdered milk might be the only exception to being combined with hot water, I can fetch you a glass if you're curious."

Taking another brief trip to the kitchenette for more clean mugs (all white and angel-winged like the one he gifted Nike), he sits back down and gestures to the items Nike has set on the table. "Well? Which would you like to try first?"

[magnetite_plz]

A kind offer.

More generous that she'd expected. Aziraphale seems to do that a lot--being so much more than Nike expected. The offer lacks the implicit urging for her to take him up on it that she's grown accustomed to dealing with others both in the Last City and in the Nexus. It's simply an offer and dropped just as quickly.

Something to mull over later if her curiosity gnaws at her too fiercely.

"Please." A glass for each of them, all lined up as if they were performing a bizarre set of science experiments. So many contrary options brewing all at once are going to flood the room with competing smells, not all of which play nicely together. Nike's expression doesn't change much, though a particularly strong whiff of the diluted mushroom stock has her brow furrowing ever so slightly. Some of this stuff is downright pungent. But...

"I've smelled some of these in the city before. I can recognize it now, when it's got the water added." She's reaching for the glass of milk first, mostly because she was cautioned it wasn't to be taken with hot water like the rest. For so dainty and graceful a creature Nike isn't accustomed to food and drink much. She rasps a bit the way people who inhale soup from a spoon do when she tastes the milk from the glass, only to hold it away from her quickly while her mouth works. Her frown is immediate when a little sloshes over the rim and splashes her hand.

"Why does it linger? It coats the tongue like a thin wet blanket..."

[sohoangel]

Aziraphale simply isn't the pushy type, either for an angel or the humans he lives among, but his offers are always sincere. Besides, he knows how much courage it likely took Nike to come here in the first place, he's not about to scare her off by being too insistent.

The line up of glasses and mugs reminds him a little of a beer flight, although that's where the similarities end. Gamely, he takes a sip from his glass of milk, his nose wrinkling a little before the liquid even touches his lips. Oh, that is really subpar compared to a fresh glass of milk, but he tries to school his expression, not wanting to influence Nike's opinion.

"That's the fat, although there is not too much of it. Here -- " He offers her a plain glass of water that has somehow appeared among all the others. "Water should wash that sensation away a little if it bothers you."

[magnetite_plz]

It's the very first time Nike has reached for a food or drink with full eagerness and taken more than a tiny taste while doing so. She closes her hands round the glass of water and nearly spills it down the front of her dress to wash out the lingering milk from her mouth. She's all calm and grace once more when she pulls away from the glass to daintily set it aside. Her expression sours when she spies the innocuous glass of rehydrated milk.

"I do not think I wish to have more of it by itself. It was...it made the tea better before. But alone...." She shakes her head. "How strange. To be good in one way but not another."

[sohoangel]

Wow, someone really doesn't like milk. Not that Aziraphale can blame her, if this is her first experience of the stuff on her own.

"You aren't the only one to feel that way," he says reassuringly. "In fact, there are entire human cultures that rarely, if ever, drink milk regularly. But what you've discovered is true with many foods. What might taste undesirable on its own can be quite nice when combined with other ingredients."

He sets the offending rehydrated milk glasses aside. "Now, what should we try first? I'm curious about the mushroom stock, I don't think I've ever had that on my own."

[magnetite_plz]

A ripple of unease washes over Nike now. If the milk was that bad, how much worse could some of these other mixing scents taste? The milk didn't smell terribly strong compared to the others though. Maybe the more pungent odors will yield better results?

"I don't know that I've ever seen it served as a drink before, though I never paid much attention to it." The stock clearly isn't made to be taken by the glass. The instructions on it will advise for how many grams to be added to a Soup Pot. She shifts a little in her seat before sitting up straighter to reach for the mug Aziraphale will point to her as the right one.

"I did ask. I will drink it." Though now it sounds more as if she's resigning herself to a sentence more than anything. She takes a timid little sip of what is effectively a broth before setting the mug down while she ponders its contents. "Is this a kind of tea then? Drink made from plant matter?"

[sohoangel]

"No, it's usually used as a base for soup. It's a nice alternative to beef broth, I find I prefer the flavor in some dishes as it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors."

Aziraphale picks up one of the mugs, leaving the other for Nike. It is a little strange to be sipping the stock on its own as if it were a savory tea, but hearing the resigned note in Nike's voice, he lifts his mug and sips gamely, wanting to be a good role model for her curiosity. And... it's not bad! A little too salty to just sip on its own, but he's impressed that the stock has retained its complex flavors despite having been dehydrated.

"Technically, tea is a drink made specifically from the leaves of a tea plant. The definition has been expanded to include beverages brewed from flowers or pieces of dried fruit. There is such a thing as mushroom tea, but it's not the same as mushroom stock."

For one thing, mushroom tea frequently uses psychedelic mushrooms. Aziraphale only needed to make that mistake once.

[magnetite_plz]

"And soup is...any liquid meal? Some of them contain solids though, as I recall." So many different words and terms for what appears to the angel to be only minute changes in the edible dishes. But then, when consumption is so integral to the Human experience she supposes a robust variety of words must be necessary for efficient organization. After a moment's consideration she does take a second small sip of the mushroom broth.

It is deemed acceptable for consumption.

"Much of the fruit we see in the Last City is dried or preserved in some way. There are greenhouses where some specimens are cultivated for the greater populace's consumption but rarely are such fruits used fresh. The Dawning celebration is really the only exception to this from what I can tell."

"Rediscovering Golden Age food production data and vegetation samples that can be turned to human consumption is one of the more sought after side jobs the Guardians take on when they're not fighting off hostile invaders."

[sohoangel]

"A soup is any meal where the liquid portion is a broth or broth-like, but it can contain any number of other foods," Aziraphale explains patiently. It's not the most technical definition, as it doesn't allow for certain exceptions, but 'liquid meal' is far too broad a term. The angel remembers one evening in particular in which he and Crowley drunkenly argued whether cereal was a soup or not and he doesn't want dear Nike to go through that same nonsense.

At any rate, he's glad to see the mushroom stock is acceptable to her palate.

"That used to be the way of it here, too," he remarks after Nike explains the fruit situation in the Last City. "Fresh fruit only lasts so long without proper refrigeration techniques. Well... outside of Eden, anyway. The fruit was always perfectly ripened on the tree or vine, never rotting. But, you know, some fruit tastes even better preserved. It concentrates the flavor."

[magnetite_plz]

May Nike be spared the fate of discovering a meal where Milk alone is the liquid responsible for carrying the rest of the dish. She might cause some kind of a scene or repulse right out of her seat and that rather would give the game away where pretending to be human is concerned.

"Ridding extraneous water provides a richer flavor, but then reintroducing water brings it out?" This seems complicated. Yet she was advised not to consume any of the samples she has here as-is so some water must be necessary. "I did not realize that flavor was a factor in the preservation process. I assumed it was simply to make things last longer."

Humans, while perishable themselves, do rely on even more perishable nutrition to sustain themselves. The whole process seems rather fraught in Nike's eyes.

[sohoangel]

Aziraphale is not really a cereal with milk sort of angel, so Nike does not have to worry about such an unfortunate surprise here. Breakfast is the time for scones, or a good fry-up, in his opinion.

"Well, yes, extending the shelf life of a food is the driving force behind most preservation techniques, but it's pointless if no one wants to eat it afterwards. There's also the matter of convenience." He gestures to all the full mugs before them. "Imagine having to carry everything fresh with you wherever you go."

Not that it's a burden for him, but not everyone can snap their fingers and miracle up something from their icebox.

"Are you done with the stock, dear? Would you like to try something else?"

[magnetite_plz]

Nike is sniffing curiously between the mushroom stock in the mug nearest to her and the bonito-dashi steeping in another. Similar scents but such different origins. Do they taste the same? She's reaching for it almost before Aziraphale asks. Her gaze flits up at the question.

"I never considered people Wanting to eat anything. It is a function of survival. The energy I sustain on does not Taste and I have never craved its absorption beyond a...fear of perishing." Other demons though, Nike has seen their depravity all too often. "I never gave thought to humans being any different."

Perhaps it makes more sense to learn their sustenance serves secondary functions. Aziraphale will have to show her how to remove the strainer from her mug lest she attempt to drink the broth through it. But once done, she takes a sip unprompted this time. Similar indeed to her extremely untrained palate. "Does the high sodium content serve a function? This is not bad but..." She has to clear her throat a little. Strange how one drink makes her wish for another, just of water instead.

[sohoangel]

"The angels here never consider that, either, and the demons just take advantage of it, perverting a human's pleasure of food and drink into gluttony. Perhaps it's because of my corporation, but I've learned to understand why humans enjoy food so much. It's a major aspect of humanity, like their desire for companionship, or their seemingly unquenchable curiosity. I think the more time you spend with them, the more you'll be able to understand them, too."

Aziraphale always thought that was the biggest problem for most angels, that they barely spent any time on Earth, and when they did, it was all Wings and Eyes and Spinning Wheels on Fire while they issued proclamations. Not exactly getting to know the natives.

As soon as he sees Nike lifting her glass of broth, he's quick to instruct her to remove the strainer so she doesn't end up with a mouthful of soggy fish flakes and seaweed. He does the same with his own mug and takes a small sip. It is indeed salty, but also rich with umami, a good base for a hearty noodle soup.

"Oh... well, salt adds flavor, but I think sodium is also important for human health... something to do with their electrolytes? I'm not sure, exactly." Nutrition is not really something that Aziraphale has ever concerned himself with. "It could probably stand to be diluted a bit more."

[magnetite_plz]

"Do the demons themselves not gorge on more than they need as well?" Interesting. They seem more focused on subverting Humanity here than on their own internal struggles for power. It seems more civilized, but she's wary of such trains of thought. Aziraphale has so far been the only celestial or fallen she's been able to approach without a constant terror gripping at her core.

She is reminded of it when she thinks too hard like now. But her panic is short lived and easily stifled. Aziraphale has learned to live among humans and indeed among the more dangerous types of demons she's seen in the Nexus and yet he uses none of the power he must have to do this. He gives off no malice, no pressure of radiance that would threaten to swallow her up.

Nike does not understand it. But she does appreciate this quiet hospitality.

"For health, and for flavor." The two things seem to be somewhat intertwined. A matter of survival again perhaps, making things the body needs more enjoyable to consume. "I apologize for asking so many questions. Yours is a rare experience that I am gratified to be able to tap."

[sohoangel]

"I don't actually know the answer to that," Aziraphale admits. "You'd have to ask Crowley, he knows more about what the other demons get up to. Crowley enjoys food, too, although he has less of a sweet tooth than me."

Hopefully the thought of talking to Crowley doesn't make her anxious. Although far flashier than Aziraphale (and more dramatic, the angel would argue, despite being a bit of a drama queen himself at times), it's almost all for show. He certainly doesn't toss his power about, and in some ways he's even better at living among humans than Aziraphale is.

He gives Nike a warm smile. "Yes, exactly. And you can ask as many questions as you like, my dear. That's how we learn." Aziraphale didn't always feel that way, but human curiosity has given him such insight into how the world works, he doesn't think of it as a vice the way other angels might. "Now, then... I've lost track of our mugs, I'm afraid. Is there anything left for us to try?"