[muffled spooky scary skeletons playing in the distance]

[geonomy]

Who: You! Me! Everybody!
Broadcast: idk but we've sure got a pretty broad cast of folks eh, eh
Action: HECK YEAH PLANET MINGLE
When: 10/7 until plot update or recaptcha

It's a deep, deep forest filled to the brim with fungi, mysterious life forms, and pitch black darkness. Explore if you dare and discover all these things and more! Just don't get lost...

Comments

[exothermia]

[He looks at her, not arguing the point but not accepting it himself either.]

Maybe not all the time.

[noprophecies]

[she has no rebuttal to that, so she just hums quietly and nudges his shoulder again before letting her hand drop]

In any case . . . I understand where you are right now.

[exothermia]

[He sighs, more at himself than anything Aurae's saying. When her hand drops away he reaches out to pinch her little finger lightly.]

It means a lot.

[noprophecies]

[she quirks a brief smile, shifting to push to her feet. Sitting for so long was making her legs numb]

I know. [she leans over to press a kiss to the top of his head, before heading over to one of the plants Erik was taking cuttings from] Do you need more of these?

[exothermia]

Ah - just a few of the nuts. I want to see if I can store them.

[noprophecies]

[she leans over to pull her knife out again]

You likely could. They are just nuts, yes?

[exothermia]

As far as we can tell. Hank tested them to make sure they were safe.

[noprophecies]

Who is—. . . oh, the skinny boy.

[she brushes her fingers over the plant with her free hand with a curious frown, before she cuts some free]

He did some kind of rubbish science thing?

[exothermia]

[Erik snorts, amused.]

Yes, exactly that.

[noprophecies]

Rubbish.

[she mutters it loud enough for him to hear, but turns her attention to using the knife to get the nut open] These look like the kind you'd find in my world, perhaps a shade or two lighter.

[exothermia]

They're fairly similar to my own as well... [He works on separating a few more clusters.] Hopefully they cook the same.

[noprophecies]

Cook? You can cook nuts?

[exothermia]

You can bake them into things, or sear them. Grind them into powder and mix it with other ingredients.

[He pauses, dropping the cover of his bag shut.] I haven't really thought that far ahead.

[noprophecies]

I see . . . I have had them roasted before, but - I did not think you could cook them into things.

[which isn't a surprise, considering her aversion to the kitchen]

[exothermia]

I've done it before... a long time ago.

[noprophecies]

Ohh? It is good that you are getting into doing it again, then.

[exothermia]

[He doesn't say anything at first, turning his attention to sheathing his knife. He had brought it up almost automatically, but he had no real plans to cook... it had probably been obvious in the Heron that no one was really doing it anymore. He sticks with the protein gels himself these days, and even that is less.]

I haven't, really. I'm just thinking about it.

[noprophecies]

[she tilts her head curiously at the brief silence, before she hums a little in understanding]

It may do you some good, getting back into it. You used to bake often, yes?

[exothermia]

I did, but that was quite a while ago. I didn't do quite so much of it when I lived with Magda.

[It wasn't so much a lack of desire or some preconceived notion of who did what tasks, as practicality. Magda spent more time in the home than he did, and he was always last home after finishing at the factory. It made more sense for her to cook. He still did his part on weekends.]

[noprophecies]

Did she do most of the cooking, then?

[exothermia]

On most nights.

[He wipes his sleeve across his forehead, considering what the nuts could be used for.]

Depending on how it works out, I could powder them and use it as a flour replacement.

[noprophecies]

[she makes a noise, but doesn't ask any further about Magda. That he even volunteered information about her without prompting was enough for her]

Is that not what corn is for? I didn't know you could do it with nuts as well.

[exothermia]

Yes. But I don't have any corn.

[noprophecies]

I'm just asking. I don't know a lot about this sort of thing, as you know.

[exothermia]

I don't either, really. I've never had to make things like flour from scratch before.

[Even in Poland, that was a level of self-sufficiency they hadn't needed to get to.] If you like, you're welcome to test the results of whatever I make.