The Centrality (6-21-17)

> Cook something.



Elli decided that since one of her domains was apparently food, she ought to try it out. As soon as she made the choice, her device showed a new location: the kitchen.



The kitchen itself was spacious, had every cooking implement Elli could dream of, and - most importantly - she was the only one in there.

She scoured the pantries - there's more than one pantry, and they're all fully-stocked!, she marveled - for food and came up with the ingredients for pasta. While putting it all together, she was struck by inspiration - and began shaping the noodles into rings.

When it was all said and done, she'd come up with a fairly passable spaghetti dish with a pretty decent meat sauce. Plus, the rings were, in her professional opinion, cute.

"Now then," Elli muttered to herself, "where am I supposed to take this?" She looked at her device for a moment. There didn't seem to be any indication where this Asanema person who requested the meal was. This fact didn't change the longer she watched her device, either. Elli sighed and said "I don't suppose you can show me where Asanema's room is?"

The map lit up with a destination.

Elli concluded that she could visit people's rooms as long as she knew their name, then went on her way.



The door was open, so Elli tentatively poked her head inside. "Hello...?" she asked in a small voice. The inside looked more like an outside - the sky was rife with stars, there was grass underfoot, and there were large structures in the distance.



"Hello? Who're you?" the person Elli assumed was Asanema asked.

Elli swallowed. "Elli, er. I mean, I'm Elli. I saw you wanted something cooked...?" She held out the plate of spaghetti by way of explanation.

"Well, isn't that just a lovely surprise! I'd heard rumors that there was a new member of the pantheon, and you even went to the trouble of cooking for me. I suppose you figured it out, by the way, but I'm Asanema. Goddess of fertility and the heavenly bodies. Come in, come in!"

Elli glanced around the hallway, then accepted the invitation. "It's nothing special, just spaghetti," she said quietly.

Asanema shook her head. "Nonsense. We don't eat often, so any food is a lovely experience. I'm sure you saw the state of the kitchen."

"It was... pristine, really."

"Exactly," Asanema said. "Nobody ever uses it. I'm pretty sure you'll have the run of the place any time you want it. Now why don't you and I set in on this delicious-looking meal?"

"Uh, well, if you insist." Elli took a bite as Asanema did the same. It tasted all right enough, she supposed.

Asanema, however, had a big grin on her face. "How exquisite! The rich flavor of the sauce! The hint of spice! I made the right call in putting that request up."

The two of them sat and chatted for a little while, up until Elli started yawning. "Ah," Asanema said with a smile, "I know that feeling. We don't technically need to sleep, but it's easy to get worn out if you push yourself too hard. If you ever want some help squeezing more into your day without getting tired, let me know. My username is RiseAndFall in case you can't track me down."

Elli stood up with the empty plate. "It was, uh, nice to meet you," she said.

"Lovely to meet you too," Asanema said. "I hope your respite is restful."

After a detour to the kitchen to wash the cookware and to the solarium to erase Asanema's request, Elli headed back to her room to rest for the night. It sounded to her like, since she made friends with Asanema, Asanema could sometimes help her do more in a day.



Elli barely remembered falling asleep, but she felt significantly more well-rested when she woke. Nothing felt any different, and Diza and Dia hadn't come to find her or anything, so she assumed she had some more free time. She thought about it a moment. She could meet up with a friend, visit the Help Board, check her messages, or something else entirely.