Week 5.

[trustmods]

WEEK 5 Two more are gone this week. Luna and Chie Hori have joined those who are present only in memory now, and their passing seems to have left a lot of emotions raw and exposed. But as usual, the group has at least a little bit of time to recover. Saturday can be dedicated to rest and sleep; on Sunday morning, the clock chimes the hour at seven o'clock. The stairwells are clear of bodies; there's no more death to be dealt with for the time being. Unless, of course, you happened to recover something particularly unfortunate in your dreams... Once again, there's a new floor to explore; your reward for doing your job well. And since you've survived for a month now, you are doing your job well. However, the new floor isn't the only thing that's changed; there are a few things about the building that seem a little...off. A few things that weren't there before might be, or a few things that should be there aren't; you'll just have to see what the week brings, won't you? That is, if you're not going to be investigating all the goings-on personally... PARTICIPANTS REMAINING: 21

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week five of Trustfell! Save your threads for coins and the coming week's activity check; don't forget to check in to this week's activity check and submit your memory regains as well!

The Letters and Switchboard posts are still active to be used at your leisure, for the sake of contacting the jerk who's keeping you here!]

Comments

[forcegalactic]

Like a soda? There's some more the back shelves if you can't find anythin' to you liking out front.

[Mordecai dutifully walks across the room to another set of shelves and opens them up. As he pulls out a cherry-flavored soda, he wonders why he's even bothering to do this for Jean. Bartender's instinct? Nah, can't be.]

Reckon you never had soda before you came here. Which ones have you tried so far?

[openterrain]

[ Damnit, Mordecai. Jean was all ready to get lectured and here you are being considerate and helpful. ]

No... not a soda. [ Mordecai is right about one thing, though, and it's enough to make him abandon his initial search. ] I've never even heard of it, actually. What is it?

[forcegalactic]

[He likes you, Jean. You're smart and well-behaved, and he can't but help to be favorable to someone who aims to prevent trouble.]

It's this fizzy sweet drink. Usually takes like fruit. You can't chug it down like most things, or else the bubbles'll get up your nose, but it's popular 'specially among the younger crowd.

[He fills half a bottle with soda, and the foam rises to the top before dropping down.] Here. take a small sip and see if you like it.

[openterrain]

[ Forget beer, this is was more interesting. Jean rises and accepts the offered bottle, staring at it in puzzled interest. Beer from his time is a little fizzy, be he's never seen anything to this extent.

He manages to avoid doing anything as embarrassing as choking or sputtering when he finally takes a sip, but he does wrinkle his nose a little. ]

It's really sweet. [ ... He doesn't sound displeased, at least. ] And kinda... spicy? [ He feels like that may not be the right work, but he's not sure how else to describe the tingling buzz the carbonation left on his tongue. ]

[forcegalactic]

[It's clear that Jean reacting to soda like a five-year-old means he's never tried it before. It's funny to watch the stoic teen react to strongly to a common drink in his time.]

Yeah, they used to make 'em even sweeter when they were first invented, but it's good the Conductor picked out the ones where the sugar don't overpower the flavor.

And that spicyness? That's what carbonated water feels like. You can drink it on its own if you don't wanna have fun, but it tastes better with syrup. And you know what? [He walks behind the bar.] I think I have the supplies to make sparklin' drinks for you young folks. Can't leave you out of the fun.

[openterrain]

[ 'Even sweeter' sounds kinda gross. Jean's got nothing against sweetness, mind, but sugar isn't super common and he's used to much milder flavors.

The deluge of information is a little overwhelming but Jean latches onto it eagerly. For one, it's simply interesting. For two, it's nice to see Mordecai relaxed and happy for a change. ]

Are most drinks in the future fizzy?

[forcegalactic]

Nope! This is just one of the many things we invent in the future that everyone's heard of.

[He pulls out a bottle of sparkling wine and pours it in a smaller glass.]

Now this-this is less sweet, but kids usually have it at parties so they don't feel left out from the wine drinkin'.

[openterrain]

[ The mention of substitute alcohol for kids gets a look that's both bemused and amused from Jean. He finishes up his soda before speaking. ]

Usually we just give them watered down wine, if they want some. [ Kids in the future sure are coddled - though Jean's getting used to not thinking of that as a bad thing. He peers at the new drink. ] So is this just fizzy grape juice?

[forcegalactic]

That ain't a good idea. [He wipes the bottle.] They probably don't know it in your time, but it turns out drinkin' alcohol at a young age can stunt your growth and cause a whole lotta health problems later in life. That's why we got a legal drinkin' age nowadays. It's to keep you safe.

[Now he's glad he got Jean to break out of that habit. He's a soldier and needs his strength.]

Pretty much juice and carbonated water, yup. You can get far with just a few ingredients, so long as you follow the proper recipe.

[openterrain]

Woah, seriously? [ That kinda sounds like something Mordecai just made up, but Jean knows he's right about too much drinking leading to health problems.

... there's just one thing that stands out, though. ] Should that makes you a lot taller than me, though?

[forcegalactic]

[....

His mouth literally becomes a straight line.]

That's because of genetics. ...My dad's side of the family's all short.

[openterrain]

[ Sorry, Mordecai, but your annoyed reaction is kind of funny. Jean doesn't poke any more fun, though.

... or at least, that's not the intent. ] Better than being a lush.

Besides, the greatest soldier my world's ever seen is the same height as Weiss. [ You can be short and awesome. ]

[forcegalactic]

[His son is too tall. Just how big would he be if he wasn't drinking beer so often while growing up?]

Meanin' he was your age or he was average height for an adult in your world?

[openterrain]

[ Jean's not even that tall. Mordecai should be Erwin. Or Bertolt. ]

Nah, he's gotta be at least... [ Jean trails off. How old is Levi, anyway? ] 30 or 40, I guess?

[forcegalactic]

Dang, you folks were short way back then.

[Not that Mordecai should talk...]

Least you don't have to worry about not eatin' well as long as you got me and Sukuyo around. [There's not a lot of people who can cook here, thought...] Jean, you're taught how to cook at your age, right?

[openterrain]

Not that short. I'm not even the tallest guy in my class.

[ Or even the second tallest, or the third! He comes in squarely in 4th place. ]

I can cook, but I can't make anything fancy. It's more for survival than anything like home cooking.

[forcegalactic]

[Stop making him feel tiny.]

Reckoned that'd be the case. I'm more of a fancy cooker, but you gotta start with small things for home.

...So by "survival", you mean campin', right? We do that a lot on Mars, but we also got modern food preservation, so eatin' ain't that hard out on the road. [They're pampered in the future, even on the frontier.] You know, since we can't depend on just two folks to do all the cookin', it might do you some good to learn how to. Don't wanna live on cans forever, only when you're stayin' in your room.

[openterrain]

Sort of. It's more that there's no telling when I might get pinned down somewhere dangerous for a while, so I better know how feed myself until help arrives.

[ He sees the point Mordecai is making, of course, so the offer is met with a nod. ]

That's a good idea. Morale is better when the food is good, even if we won't starve either way.

[forcegalactic]

I've been workin' on some old recipes recently. Next time I cook dinner, you can help with preparin' the ingredients while I tell you how it's done. There's a particular way each vegetable has to be chopped, and one kinda meat is different from the other.

Followin' a recipe's easy, knowin' the tricks is harder.

[openterrain]

It sounds pretty complicated.

[ That's not a complaint, of course. Just an observation. ]

How long did it take you to learn all that stuff?

[forcegalactic]

Well, growin' up helpin' my parents in the kitchen was how I learned. Once I had the basics down, I practiced cookin' nearly every day.

It's how learnin' how to do anythin' works. Might be a few years until you become an expert, but you're always findin' out new things.

[openterrain]

[ Jean can't help but smile at that, a little rueful. ]

I only started to really learn a few years ago. I've got a while before I catch up.

[forcegalactic]

You're only fifteen. I only knew how to make breakfast and follow my ma's instructions at your age.

[In the wonderful future where you didn't have to worry about surviving to the next day, you could rely on your mother's cooking for most of your adolescence.]