uncomfortable questions + action

[takeabow]

Who: Nova + U
Broadcast: Video
Action: On SS First Breath or planetside
When: now

[ a video pops up. Nova is looking mmmmore rested than she has in previous videos, but thoughtful and slightly distant ]

I have a weird question... have you ever met someone in one of these places who's supposed to be dead? Or... I guess, are you? How do you know?

[ she's also available to be found just outside of town on the dusty moon, or back on her ship later ]

Comments

[takeabow]

Enough to stay alive, mostly.

[truthvalue]

Do you want to learn more? I can teach you, if you want.

[takeabow]

Sure. Couldn't hurt?

[ she doesn't sound entirely skeptical, and she's willing to give it a go ]

[truthvalue]

Have you ever had croquettes before?

[takeabow]

No. It sounds very fancy.

[truthvalue]

Not really. They're pretty easy to make, and you can add whatever you like.

[He motions for her to come a little closer as he moves about the kitchen, collecting mixing bowls and ingredients from the pantry and food machine.]

I think ... let's make chicken and curry flavored, to start.

[takeabow]

Okay.

[ will watch him as he does things ]

[truthvalue]

Do you want to try? [mixing some dried vegetables into the protein paste] It's OK if you just want to watch ... but some people learn better by doing.

[takeabow]

Oh, sure, I can give it a go.

[truthvalue]

[He hands over the bowl to let her try out mixing.]

Go ahead and just mix everything together until you think it looks even.

[Meanwhile, he's getting out one of the baking sheets from the cabinets where they're stored.]

[takeabow]

[ doing so ]

How did you learn to cook?

[truthvalue]

Trial and error, mostly. My parents work a lot, so I was usually home alone after school.

[So he had to fend for himself. Survival, in a manner of speaking.]

I had a lot of time to practice.

[takeabow]

Well, being left alone isn't nice but... it's good you could pick up the skills.

[truthvalue]

I didn't mind too much.

[He didn't know any different.]

The quiet was nice ... made it easy to study.

[takeabow]

Yeah? You enjoyed school?

[truthvalue]

It's not bad. [He shrugs, but gives her an easy smile.] It's what's expected. You go to high school, you go to university, you get a job. Get married, eventually. Have a family.

[takeabow]

Sounds boring and annoying.

[truthvalue]

[Souji falls silent, staring down at the baking sheet in front of him for a long moment, thin-lipped as he remembers how wrong things can go when they deviate from boring.]

Boring isn't always a bad thing, [he finally says, quieter than he has been.]

[takeabow]

No, I know, but it's better for things to be quiet when you enjoy them.

[truthvalue]

[He nods, then looks up at her and the bowl, a small smile fixed back into place.]

How's the mixing going?

[takeabow]

Is this good enough?

[ shows him. she can mix things! she can sense the awkwardness of the situation, though ]

[truthvalue]

That's perfect.

[Better to focus on the task at hand than let his mind drift into the past.]

Next, we'll need to press all this into patties, then let them sit in the refrigerator for about an hour, then fry them. I have some others in the fridge already that I made earlier, so we can work on those first.

[takeabow]

Okay. Sounds good. I can fry things, at least.

[truthvalue]

Good.

[Souji quickly washes his hands and starts pressing handfuls of the mixture into flattened ovals, which he places on the empty baking sheet.]

The important thing to remember about frying croquettes is to get the oil hot enough, so they don't fall apart.

[takeabow]

Okay, I can manage that.

Are we making these for everyone?