Fogging and Catching up (LC11)

[15:46] <stanzicApparati> [>Cyma: Get to Scott's Spire. He's already expecting you, so you don't do more than ping him as you're about to head through the Gate to his place.]
[15:48] <@esoRem|online> [You're in your admittedly large kitchen. The oven already going with what looks like a roast in it. You're in the process of chopping up onions and peppers, garlic already frying lightly in a pan, the scent permeating the warm room. Your computer is playing music on the raised section of the counter when you get the ping.]
[15:48] * @esoRem|online PMs Timewolf (Come on in.)
[15:53] <stanzicApparati> [You pass through the gate, looking around the room and then PMing him when you don't immediately see him.]
[15:53] * stanzicApparati PMs "Scott" : (In. Where are you?)
[15:53] * @esoRem|online PMs Timewolf (Bottom floor, kitchen.)
[15:55] <@esoRem|online> [You stir the garlic before going back to chopping the peppers. Damn you love the smell of garlic.]
[15:56] <stanzicApparati> [It doesn't take you too long to get down to the kitchen. "Hey." Mm, garlic. Not the same as hot sauce, but still a lovely smell.]
[15:56] <@esoRem|online> [You pause in the cutting, looking up as she enters. "Hello." You give a small nod before turning your attention back to the cutting board.]
[15:59] <stanzicApparati> ["Anything I can help with?" You spent most of your time aboard the S.S. Fuck This Shit blind, but you still did your fair share of the cooking.]
[16:01] <@esoRem|online> ["Theres zucchini that you can cut up and remove the seeds from. In the fridge, bottom shelf. They're kind of big, shouldn't be hard to find." You finish the cutting and slide the chopped up peppers into the frying pan, onion won't take as long so that stays out for now.]
[16:04] <stanzicApparati> ["Okay." You retrieve the zucchini and then wash your hands before retrieving a knife from your sylladex and starting on that.]
[16:05] <@esoRem|online> [You take a peek at the roast before going back to the frying pan. "So what can I do you for?"]
[16:07] <stanzicApparati> ["Well, figuring on fighting you to get you to take proper care of yourself and make you quit it with the Exile chicken." You keep  working on cutting up the zucchini, removing the seeds as you go.]
[16:09] <@esoRem|online> [You grimace. "That was a bad day, I'm sorry you had to see it. And no, don't cut it like that, going to bake it. Cut it half, length-ways." You demonstrate with one of the extra ones. Your hand showing her the cut.]
[16:12] <stanzicApparati> [A nod and you slice the zucchini like he's showed you. "How many bad days like that have you been having? And if I hadn't seen it, would you have /told/ anyone that you need help?"]
[16:14] <@esoRem|online> [You stir the contents of the frying pan, the onions joining in with the peppers and garlic. You're silent for a while before answering. "A few, less if I work myself hard like I have. It /is/ why I'm working myself hard. If I stop too long I'll never get going again."]
[16:18] <stanzicApparati> ["...for fuck's sake, Scott. You're Space, not Flow. You /get/ to relax and unwind. And there's /no/ Class or Aspect that has to do things all by themselves - even Hope /can/ ask for help." It's harder to pick the seeds out, this way, but you're patient.]
[16:18] <stanzicApparati> ["And if you're having trouble, then you ask for help. You don't have to do things all by yourself - I don't think /anyone/ could cope all on their own. It's one of the reasons why loose Replaying's hell, after all."]
[16:20] <@esoRem|online> ["This is my relaxation." You gesture around the kitchen. "And theres a problem with that, what I need help with no one can actually help me. I don't like bothering people with a problem that they can't help with."]
[16:23] <stanzicApparati> ["So talking with people doesn't help? And hugs don't help? Because gosh, I think those two things are usually /pretty/ /helpful/."]
[16:24] <@esoRem|online> ["Talking? No, not really. Hugs help, but not for long."]
[16:26] <stanzicApparati> ["Mmph. And how many hugs have you had? And who've you talked to?"]
[16:28] <@esoRem|online> ["Recently? Not many. And as far as people I've talked to, theres been three friends." You spear a piece of pepper with a fork, and finding it done slide the contents of the pan onto a plate before captchaing it.]
[16:36] <stanzicApparati> ["Mkay. You comfortable talking to Sarai? Or...mm, no, I think she's probably the only one of my dead you'd be comfortable talking to, really. Or getting hugs from, for that matter." You finish cutting up the zucchini, picking the last few seeds out of them.]
[16:37] <@esoRem|online> ["Not really. I don't know her." You check the timer on the roast and pull out a baking sheet, putting the zucchini on it and sticking in the over on a seperate rack.]
[16:40] <stanzicApparati> ["Well, she'd like to know you, I bet. And she was always good at hugs. Good at fussing over people, too." You lean back against the counter and watch Scott quietly.]
[16:42] <@esoRem|online> [You look back, impassive. "I don't think we have near enough time for me to trust her or you to the point where I'm just going to spill it all." You distinctly remember her telling you not to call her Cyma, it being too 'familiar'.]
[16:48] <stanzicApparati> ["Well, we gotta start somewhere, right?" And before he can argue, your form is blurring into that of Sarai's.]
[16:51] <@esoRem|online> [You lean against the counter and wait to see what shes like, mildly curious.]
[16:56] <chaQuo|online> [You smile at Scott. "So - you're Scott, right?" You're shorter than Cyma, clearly human and you look as maternal as one would expect of a Life native off a recent reroll. "How are you feeling?"]
[16:57] <@esoRem|online> ["Thats me, and I'm fine. You're Sarai then?" You give a cold smile back, but you don't move.]
[17:01] <chaQuo|online> ["Sarai Peterson, yes. And it's nice to meet you." You don't seem bothered by his reaction - you coped with Riley, after all. You don't seem to really believe him when he says he's fine, either - but you never believe /anyone/ when they say that.]
[17:01] <chaQuo|online> [A moment later, you're pushing off the counter and going over to hug him.]
[17:02] <@esoRem|online> ["Scott Mas-" You're cut off as she hugs you. "Uhm. Do you mind asking?" Your tone is patient, but decidedly cold.]
[17:04] <chaQuo|online> [You pull back a little. "Do you have a moirail then? Or not want hugs?"]
[17:05] <@esoRem|online> [You sigh. "Look, I just met you. No offense to you, but I don't like hugs from people I don't know."]
[17:07] <chaQuo|online> ["Ah." You smile at him. "I guess we'll have to get to know each other, then! Because I'm /sure/ you haven't been getting nearly enough hugs."]
[17:09] <@esoRem|online> ["mmm." You don't look convinced. "Is there something you'd like to eat or drink while you're here?"]
[17:12] <chaQuo|online> ["Do you have any tea?" You're patient. You're willing to take your time winning his trust. He clearly /needs/ someone to take care of him.]
[17:13] <@esoRem|online> ["Do you have a preference?" You put the kettle on while you wait for an answer.]
[17:16] <chaQuo|online> ["If you have it, green tea would be nice. But I'm sure whatever you have is lovely." You go back to leaning against the counter for now, watching him.]
[17:17] <@esoRem|online> ["Green tea it is." You open one of the cabinets and pull out some tea leaves. Putting enough for two in the teapot, filling it with the hotwater from the kettle. You have a very full kitchen.]
[17:21] <chaQuo|online> ["Thank you!" You look around the kitchen in admiration - it's a /nice/ kitchen. "How are you finding your Role so far?"]
[17:22] <@esoRem|online> [You shrug non-commitally. "It'll be nice to do the frogbreeding for once as something I'm suppose to do instead of something I've picked up from a corpse." The mental timer for the tea goes off and you pour two mugs, offering one to Sarai.]
[17:27] <chaQuo|online> [You accept the mug and blow gently at your tea, giving it a little time to cool off before sipping at it. "And you're getting along okay with everyone?"]
[17:28] <@esoRem|online> ["Not really." You cup your hand around the mug, nice and hot under your fingers. "Some of them are idiots, some of them are insane and some are broken."]
[17:28] <chaQuo|online> ["Oh? And which are which?"]
[17:29] <@esoRem|online> [You give another cold smile. "Ah, that'd be gossip, and if I'm going to be complaining about coplayers behind their back, its going to be to friends."]
[17:31] <chaQuo|online> [That gets a raised eyebrow. "Ah. You don't believe in gossip, then? I thought sb.org ran on it, though. Certainly, Pits does."]
[17:33] <@esoRem|online> ["Yes, well. Excptions to everything." You take a careful sip of the tea, still a little on the warm side, but not by much. You're not sure if you like this person. Too inquisitive and acting far too familiar for your liking.]
[17:35] <chaQuo|online> [You sip at your tea and consider. "Don't worry about Cyma - she's always a little...mm. Well, she's young, and she's always more worried about quadrant purity when she's still low on maturity."]
[17:37] <@esoRem|online> ["Ah, I see." You file that away. Still taking this person in.]
[17:38] <chaQuo|online> [Another smile, "What was your native?"]
[17:39] <@esoRem|online> ["Guide of Fate. Be nice to roll Fate again." You look a little pensive, so far its been the only aspect you really liked.]
[17:41] <chaQuo|online> ["Ah - I thought you might be a fellow Life native. Cyma tells me you're as good at doctoring as I am."]
[17:43] <@esoRem|online> ["Nope, and it would seem I'm unlikely to ever roll it despite wanting to. As for doctoring its been a very...extensive learning process." Been very long, and a lot of it has been learning on the go.]
[17:45] <chaQuo|online> [You nod. "We rarely get anything we'd actually /enjoy/ rolling. Just what we need to learn from." Your thinktop is pinging. Why is it pinging? Oh hey, Riley is talking to you!]
[17:47] <@esoRem|online> ["mmm." You take another sip of the tea.]
[17:48] <chaQuo|online> [You sip at your tea. "What's your favourite part of the game?"]
[18:23] <@esoRem|online> [You consider. "The lands, all the different varieties and such. I didn't move around much before my native, part of the reason I got Guide. Its interesting to see all the different types. And you?"]
[18:30] <staApp|online> [You nod. "The consorts! They're such dears, you know - and it's so nice to see how what we do helps them out."]
[18:32] <staApp|online> [You blur around the edges as Riley [Taps the Glass] and you don't manage to hold the fogging for very much longer. Which leaves Cyma where Sarai was, holding a half-empty cup of green tea and looking like you have a headache.]
[18:32] <@esoRem|online> [You give an actual smile at that. "I think my favourite consorts were for my second. I had little geckos and all of the escort quests they just curled around my shoulders. Even beyond those quests."]
[18:32] <@esoRem|online> [The smile disappears. "Ah, welcome back."]
[18:36] <staApp|online> ["Hey." You offer a weak smile. "Sorry - didn't mean to...someone pinged me and decided to [Tap the Glass]." You sip at your tea - green tea isn't your favourite, but you've learned to cope with it. It reminds you of Sarai, although not as strongly as her own tea blend does. "Geckos, huh?"]
[18:36] <staApp|online> ["They sound adorable."]
[18:37] <@esoRem|online> ["They were, they were also the only company I had for six months. Glad they weren't something horrible."]
[18:37] <staApp|online> ["Oh?" You blink at that. "NTPK, or your coplayers were just assholes?"]
[18:38] <@esoRem|online> ["NTPK?" You tilt your head slightly, curious.]
[18:42] <staApp|online> ["Near-total party kill," you explain. "Can't be a /total/ party-kill if at least one person survives, after all."]
[18:43] <@esoRem|online> [You nod. "Yeah, Knight of Doom went and started offing people. I was the only one left two weeks in. I..." You stop yourself and take another drink. Its not her problem.]
[18:46] <staApp|online> [It isn't, and yet it is. "I'm sorry." You look down at your tea. "I was on my own, second session, too - 'though my coplayers were just assholes."]
[18:47] <@esoRem|online> ["What happened?" Not comforting, but not harsh either. Your tone is neutrally inquisitive.]
[18:48] <staApp|online> [A bitter smile. More than eight years now, and you /still/ have not forgiven them. "They all decided to ignore me. Fuck if I know why - I never /did/ find out."]
[18:48] <staApp|online> ["But Knight of Time, and they all decide hey, we can manage /just/ /fine/ without listening to the Time player. Fuckers."]
[18:49] <@esoRem|online> ["Ah, sorry. Mine was..." You stop yourself again.]
[18:50] <staApp|online> [You look up from your tea, "Was..?" You attempt to prompt him to go on.]
[18:50] <@esoRem|online> [You give a cold smile again. "In the past. Don't worry about it."]
[18:53] <staApp|online> [That gets a raised eyebrow. "How 'bout this - I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Fair?"]
[18:55] <@esoRem|online> [You give a humourless chuckle. "If you want to share yours, by all means, I will listen. I don't really feel in a sharing mood tonight though." Or ever.]
[18:56] <@esoRem|online> [Well thats not quite true, you admit to yourself. But you don't feel like sharing it with her.]
[18:57] <staApp|online> [You give him an annoyed look in return. "Fine. I'll take a rain check from you, then."]
[18:58] <@esoRem|online> [You incline your head in acceptance and finish off your tea. "Another day."]
[19:01] <staApp|online> ["Doesn't mean I'm not telling you mine, though. Just that you get to tell me yours later." You sip at your tea.]
[19:03] <@esoRem|online> [You gesture, mug in hand, for her to continue. "By all means."]
[19:04] <staApp|online> ["So. Second session. I rerolled - which sucked and was confusing. And I couldn't get on to the memo, either, which was worse."]
[19:04] <@esoRem|online> ["mmm." You are listening, and mildly interested.]
[19:05] <staApp|online> ["I had the dongle and all, just...couldn't get on. Don't know why, never found out why. And, because first-session me was a twit, I was deaf on top of that."]
[19:06] <@esoRem|online> ["Oh? How'd you fix that?" Learning how to fix deafness is something you'd like to know how to do.]
[19:06] <staApp|online> [A wry smile. "Walked through the door and ended up in my third session. Went deaf 'cause I listened to Glog sing wrath."]
[19:07] <@esoRem|online> ["mmm." You have no idea what that means.]
[19:07] <staApp|online> [He could ask! You'd explain it. Or someone on the memo would.]
[19:07] <staApp|online> [You still have very fond memories of Glog, but you're kind of stupid like that.]
[19:08] <@esoRem|online> [You're not going to. If its important to the story, you figure that she'd say. If not, its just another useless piece of information.]
[19:09] <staApp|online> ["He warned me not to, but..." You shrug. "I was stupid and figured that the buff Time gets against Other corruption would keep me safe." A sip of tea. "At least it gave me an easy way to tell if there's corruption around."]
[19:10] <@esoRem|online> ["I see." You've never had anything to do with corruption save saving coplayers from it. The Faith didn't like either.]
[19:11] <staApp|online> ["Yeah. I start bleeding out the ears? Corruption abounds."]
[19:12] <staApp|online> ["Anyways. About a month or two into the session, my coplayers decide that the best thing for them to do is to utterly ignore me. Unless I'm scheduled to quest with them or I'm throwing corpses at them, they will not even /talk/ to me."]
[19:12] <@esoRem|online> ["mmm." You'd think people'd clue in that both the Host and Others are /bad news/, but too much to hope for it seems.].
[19:12] <staApp|online> ["Which is compounded by the fact that I'm deaf at that point, so all they really need to do to shut me out is just turn their backs or talk soft enough or fast enough that my speech-to-text can't catch it."]
[19:14] <@esoRem|online> ["I'm sorry." Theres a hint of sympathy in there, but you're not making any moves to comfort her otherwise. You messed that up already, not again.]
[19:14] <staApp|online> ["So. I spend the session throwing corpses at people and end up having to kick myself out of Knight Syndrome, and have to cut down a Splinter-self who utterly lost it and went PK." Your hands tighten around the mug at the memory. Second session was not good to you.]
[19:15] <staApp|online> ["And I mostly end up talking to myself and consorts and carapaces. Mostly just myself."]
[19:16] <staApp|online> [This would sound more insane than it was, if you hadn't been Time.]
[19:17] <@esoRem|online> ["I'd hope it would have gotten better, but if you had to do a ring journey I'd say that wasn't the case."]
[19:22] <staApp|online> ["Mm. That was third session, actually."]
[19:22] <staApp|online> ["And that...mostly wasn't as bad as it could've been? I mean, we didn't starve to death or anything."]
[19:22] <staApp|online> [You all came very close, though.]
[19:23] <@esoRem|online> ["So this is only your fourth?" You're kind of surprised at how few sessions she has if thats the case.]
[19:24] <staApp|online> ["Yeah." You act a lot older than you are, sometimes. Perhaps getting Time so often is part of why.]
[19:24] <staApp|online> ["Time, Time again, then Law, and now Mist."]
[19:25] <@esoRem|online> ["Ah. Fate, Might, Doom, now Space."]
[19:27] <staApp|online> [You nod. "Dunno why I got Time twice in a row. I mean, I get why I got it the first time, now? But the second time..." You shrug. "I dunno. Maybe the Game just needed someone who knew what the fuck they were doing with time loops."]
[19:28] <@esoRem|online> ["Maybe." You think anyone would be better than Desmond at this point, but don't say it.]
[19:29] <staApp|online> [He's not the only one who feels that way! In fact, the whole session probably feels that way, with the exception of Desmond.]
[19:30] <@esoRem|online> [The timer for the oven beeps and you check the temperature of the roast, pulling both it and the zucchini out. "Did you want any?"]
[19:30] <staApp|online> [You look up from your tea, blinking - and then blushing as your stomach growls. "...yes please."]
[19:32] <@esoRem|online> [You season the zucchini and cut up the roast. "Mind grabbing two plates? Cupboard two over from the fridge."]
[19:33] <@esoRem|online> [You bring both the zucchini and the roast to the table, and uncaptcha a loaf of bread you made earlier. Still warm as you cut into slices, butter already on the table.]
[19:36] <staApp|online> [You get the plates, captchaing your mug of tea so that you've got free hands. "I made peach pie earlier, if you want some for dessert," you offer - a little shy. You're not sure if he likes peach pie, after all. You don't retrieve cutlery, so the table is a little lacking when you set it.]
[19:38] <@esoRem|online> ["That'd be nice, thank you. Anything you want to drink?" You go grab cutlery and a couple glasses. Stopping in front of the fridge.]
[19:39] <@esoRem|online> ["Have a chocolate chip Khalua milkshake if you want some."]
[19:40] <staApp|online> [You consider. "Umm....juice if you ha--ooh, milkshake. Milkshake, please." You will not bounce, you will not. You manage not to, mostly. Milkshakes got a little tiring, but chocolate chip and Khalua is tasty.]
[19:41] <@esoRem|online> [You chuckle and pull out a container and pour it into the glasses. Bring them and the cutlery over, setting half at Timewolf's spot at the table.]
[19:43] <staApp|online> [A happy squeak, and you sit down at your spot, blinking at the cutlery and then at Scott. You don't seem to quite know what to do with it.]
[19:44] <@esoRem|online> [You don't notice right away, sitting down and serving yourself. "Hopefully everything is alr-" You only now notice the look of confusion. "Something wrong?"]
[19:46] <staApp|online> ["...no?" You've never really /understood/ why everyone else feels the need to use forks and knives. And no one's ever sat you down and tried to make you learn, either, asides from the occasional carapace during the Etiquette quests.]
[19:46] <@esoRem|online> ["Looks like somethings wrong? ...have I done something stupid again?"]
[19:47] <staApp|online> ["No? I just..." You're blushing again, why are you blushing? "...'ve never really gotten why knives and forks are a thing."]
[19:49] <@esoRem|online> ["...oh." You look at her curiously. Not commenting on the blushing. "Would I be acting unnecessarily pale if I helped you understand it?"]
[19:54] <staApp|online> [You gnaw on your bottom lip which, considering your dentition, is not especially good for your lip but it'll heal. "...no, I don't think it would. I mean, it's like helping with a quest or something, right?"]
[19:56] <@esoRem|online> ["Mmhmm. a-" You catch yourself from telling her not to chew on her lip. Have to retain that distance. "Well lets start somewhere simple then. Do you use a spoon to eat soup?"]
[19:57] <staApp|online> ["Yes? 'Cause otherwise it gets down my front. And it's too runny to eat with your fingers. You can eat stews with your fingers, though." And you have.]
[19:59] <@esoRem|online> ["Its the same sort of concept." You demonstrate with your own fork and knife on the piece of roast. You struggle with yourself before speaking again. "...From a...western world Earth point of view, its viewed as more polite and less...messy than eating with your hands."]
[20:01] <staApp|online> [You blink and then cock your head to the side, not unlike a large dog. "...is /that/ why Aelf keeps giving me funny looks every time I eat around her?"]
[20:04] <@esoRem|online> [You chuckle, despite yourself. "Probably." You spear the piece of roast you cut off and eat it. Swallowing before continuing. "No mess on your hands or face this way."]
[20:05] <staApp|online> ["Oh." You always figured you were just more of a messy eater than everyone else you knew.]
[20:05] <staApp|online> [Technically, this is true.]
[20:07] <staApp|online> [You serve yourself and then do your best to imitate Scott. You aren't /used/ to using forks, but knives are fairly familiar. And you're stubborn enough to keep trying.]
[20:08] <@esoRem|online> [You sigh. "You don't have to use them if you don't want to. I'm trying to be less...humanocentric." You butter a piece of the warm bread and take a bite.]
[20:13] <staApp|online> ["No, no - there isn't any reason I shouldn't, I guess. 'S just that I...never have before." Your blush is taking a bit of time to fade, but being focused on something helps.]
[20:15] <@esoRem|online> [You nod. "First time for everything I suppose. Theres two ways you generally eat. The first is for when you're cutting something, you hold your fork in your less dominant hand and your knife in your dominant one." You show her, its how you've been eating the roast. "You hold down the piece you want to eat with the fork, and cut it off with the knife." You demonstrate.]
[20:17] <staApp|online> ["'Sides, less messy is better, right?" You watch closely as he demonstrates, imitating when he's done. You're a fairly quick learner when motivated - and delicious, delicious roast is one of the best motivators out there.]
[20:19] <@esoRem|online> ["Thats the point. The other method is when you have looser thing, like peas or rice. You hold you fork in your dominant hand and scoop it in a way. Sometime using your knife to guide the food on." You demonstrate, but both the zuchinni and the roast use the method you describe before. "I'll show you with the pie."]
[20:24] <staApp|online> ["Okay." You always ate pie kind of like pizza. Except that this does not always work and is rather messy. You're getting the hang of this, though - you're showing a lot of improvement over a very short period of time. Food is a good motivator, though.]
[20:26] <@esoRem|online> ["See? Not that hard and a lot less messy." You take a drink of the milkshake. "Everything okay?"]
[20:29] <staApp|online> [You nod, eating happily. "Mhm." It's a bit rude to speak with your mouth full, after all. "'nk you."]
[20:30] <@esoRem|online> [You give a smile, warm this time. "Anytime. Like I said, cooking and baking is one of the things I do to relax."]
[20:31] <@esoRem|online> [Still have to be useful, but nothing saying you can't enjoy it while being useful.]
[20:36] <staApp|online> [You smile back at him, sipping at your milkshake. "I knit, myself. Made Riley a sweater, last session - he still has it, too." A sweater covered in dicks, of course, because it would be bare without them.]
[20:39] <@esoRem|online> ["Knitting eh? Never tried it myself." You finish off your meal and make a very content sound, nursing the milkshake.]
[20:41] <staApp|online> ["I could teach you," you offer. You're not quite as quick to finish - you've learned to stretch out your meals, and figuring out how to use a fork and knife was rather distracting. But you're nearly done.]
[20:43] <@esoRem|online> ["I think I'll pass, thanks. Cooking and music is enough for me." You don't mind her being slow, and the good meal has put you into a relatively good mood, a small smile still on your face as you stare out into space.]
[20:51] <staApp|online> [You shrug, "If you say so. It's nice to have something that doesn't have to be actually useful though, y'know? I mean, I can't imagine me knitting is ever gonna solve a quest." You finish and then retrieve the pie from your sylladex.]
[20:53] <@esoRem|online> [You have mixed feelings about that and don't respond, taking another drink of your milkshake.]
[20:55] <@esoRem|online> ["So you said peach pie?" You go and grab a knife to cut it.]
[20:57] <staApp|online> [It's still hot and fresh, thanks to the wonders of game technology. (Sylladecks - how the fuck do they work?) You set it on the table, "Yeah. Made it this morning. I was in a mood to bake."]
[20:58] <@esoRem|online> [You cut it into quarters and serve Timewolf first, then yourself. "Can't wait to taste it." You smile at her. "Thanks for dessert."]
[21:02] <staApp|online> [You smile back, "Hey, you were nice enough to let me stay for dinner. It'd be damn rude /not/ to offer dessert. Rude not to offer to help clean up afterwards, too. An' I try hard not to be rude." You murmur a thank you as he serves you, attempting the whole 'eat it with a fork' thing this time instead of just picking the slice up.]
[21:05] <@esoRem|online> ["You're always welcome for dinner if you want it. My door is always open." You take a bite of the pie. "Oh that /is/ nice."]
[21:09] <staApp|online> [You perk /right/ up at the compliment. "I was /hoping/ I did good, but it's always a bit tricky to be sure 'till you taste it." You consider, "Should we have a potluck or something? Seems like we oughta have another session meeting sometime soon..."]
[21:09] <staApp|online> ["Now that the zombie space plague's passed, I mean."]
[21:10] <@esoRem|online> [You always give compliments when they're warranted. "Thats an idea. I don't know how much everyone can do, but I'll probably be bringing my share and then some." You're glad everyones better from that sickness.]
[21:11] <staApp|online> [You nod. "And I'll bring my share, too. Probably more than my share, come to think of it. I dunno if the others /can/ cook. Pretty sure Aelf can't."]
[21:13] <@esoRem|online> [You shrug. "Different people have different talents." You continue eating the pie, finishing it off fairly quickly.]
[21:17] <staApp|online> [You return his shrug and eat a bit slower - forks are tricky bastards! - and glance at the remaining pie. "You can have seconds if you want. There's plenty left, after all. And 's not like I can't make more." Heck, you can /alchemize/ more - even if food does need to be made with the alimentator to taste right.]
[21:18] <@esoRem|online> ["If you don't mind, it /is/ rather nice. Show me how you do it sometime?" You take another slice.]
[21:20] <staApp|online> ["Sure. Teach me how you managed to get that roast so perfect?" You chase a piece of crust around the plate, working on getting it onto the fork. This would be simpler with fingers - but also messier and you're supposed to be learning how to actually use forks.]
[21:20] <staApp|online> [Bluh, growing up sucks sometimes.]
[21:26] <@esoRem|online> ["Of course. I can show you how to do the bacon wrap too if you want. I think I haven't found a single person who didn't like it." You start on the second piece, a bit slower this time.]
[21:27] <staApp|online> [A happy squeak, at that. "Yes, please!" This is because bacon is universally adored, Scott. And it's one of the things that alchemizes best. The bacon hack came /first/, after all. You work on finishing your first piece, humming happily.]
[21:33] <@esoRem|online> ["Heh, I...hmmm." You ponder for a second. "I might make a tutorial video or something, put it up on Pits. If you wanted to help with that."]
[21:38] <staApp|online> [You grin. "I would. I mean, I'm /decent/ at cooking and baking? But I /know/ I could do better. And it'd be fun to do, too."]
[21:41] <@esoRem|online> [You smile. "I'll let you know when I do it. Of course theres the problem of what we do afterwards with the examples we make." There really isn't.]
[21:41] <staApp|online> [You snicker. "The heck you say. If we don't have room for 'em, I'm sure everyone else will be happy to try some."]
[21:42] <staApp|online> ["All else fails, we can invite the Consorts over and feed them."]
[21:43] <staApp|online> ["It'd do our Land rep good. But I don't think that we're gonna run out of room."]
[21:44] <@esoRem|online> ["Heh. Probably not." You start clearing the dishes, captching the left-overs before having a second thought. "Did you want to take any of the leftovers?"]
[21:47] <staApp|online> [You help clean up, considering, "If you don't want 'em? I mean, I wouldn't wanna take something you were planning on having later..." Leftover etiquette, how does it work?]
[21:47] <@esoRem|online> ["Well look at it this way. You want me doing more...relaxing. If you take the leftovers, I have no choice but to take more time off to make more food."]
[21:48] <staApp|online> ["Heh. You make a convincing argument, sir."]
[21:49] <staApp|online> ["I'll have to take it upon myself to ensure that you get plenty of time to relax, then. Such a hardship, I'm sure." Yep, so very onerous and tasty.]
[21:49] <@esoRem|online> ["Clearly a difficult job." You sigh. "But someone has to do it, right?"]
[21:51] <staApp|online> ["Yep. And heck, the Page's role is all about doing the difficult job, right?"]
[21:53] <@esoRem|online> ["mmhmm." You hand over the cards with the leftovers.]
[21:54] <staApp|online> [You captcha the pie and trade him cards.]
[21:55] <@esoRem|online> ["Cheers." You quickly load the dishwasher with the dishes before starting it up. "So."]
[21:56] <staApp|online> [You were going to help with the dishes, but...dishwasher. Hm. "So, anything you want me to help with, cleaning up?"]
[21:57] <@esoRem|online> ["Don't think so?" You look around the kitchen, everythings pretty neat.]
[21:58] <staApp|online> [You shuffle your feet a little. You're not sure what to /do/ now. Habit says to make tea, head for a comfy spot, and then knit and listen to Riley code.]
[21:58] <staApp|online> [Except you can't.]
[21:58] <staApp|online> [This is not your Spire. This is not the ship. And Riley is not here.]
[22:00] <@esoRem|online> ["Hmm." You think. "I was thinking of having a fire, playing some guitar before I slept. If you wanted to join."]
[22:05] <staApp|online> ["I...usually knit, for a bit. But playing violin with you sounds nice." It's not the same, but that's okay.]
[22:09] <@esoRem|online> [You head out back, you already have a large firepit built and a lot of logs off to the side. An axe buried in a stump shows you did it all by hand. You take some kindling out of the box and go about starting a fire.]
[22:13] <staApp|online> [You're not sure how to offer to help without being rude. So you settle for pulling out your violin and making sure it's tuned properly.]
[22:15] <@esoRem|online> [You have a fire going in no time at all. Making sure its well and truly going before you sit down. "I suppose I should ask. Are you still as concerned about me as you were at the start of the day?" Your tone is conversational.]
[22:16] <staApp|online> [You lift your bow to the violin, but answer the question first. "Page is all about uphill struggles. But I'm confident I can help." ...that was not an answer at all.]
[22:17] <@esoRem|online> ["You didn't answer my question."]
[22:20] <staApp|online> ["Did so. Battle's not won yet, Ward. But I'm hopeful that there's some definite progress as of tonight." You start to play, selecting the Land Song for last session to start with.]
[22:21] <@esoRem|online> ["So thats a no, you're not /as/ concerned, but thats it." You tune your guitar before joining her in the song. The fire crackling in front of you.]
[22:25] <staApp|online> ["Well, put yourself in my shoes, hmm? Would /you/ stop being concerned at this point, if our positions were reversed?" This is...nice. It'd be nicer if he would just let you play, instead of continuing to poke at things.]
[22:30] <@esoRem|online> [You look at her, gauging things. "Objectively? No, no I wouldn't." You look into the fire and go quiet, just playing along.]
[22:37] <staApp|online> ["...and subjectively?" Weren't you just wishing he'd stop poking at things? The narrator is facepalming at your hypocrisy, Cyma.]
[22:39] <@esoRem|online> ["Subjectively. I've gone through two session where I was effectively alone one right after each other, and just got out of six months in a war zone. I'll be fine, I don't need help." You're not angry, just tired. "What you saw was a bad day after stopping for too long."]
[22:40] <staApp|online> [You don't stop the music right away. But you can't /look/ at him while you play, not properly. "Scott, if the problem were that you needed to be on the go, all the time, you'd have been handed Flow. Not Space. You know that, right?"]
[22:41] <@esoRem|online> ["And if it was truly a problem, I'd have Rhyme and not Space, yet here we are." You haven't stopped either, but you don't meet her eyes, just keeping an eye on your finger work.]
[22:43] <staApp|online> ["...d'you know what Ward's lesson is?" You keep playing, for now. You doubt he'd be willing to look you in the eye anyways.]
[22:44] <@esoRem|online> ["To accept things for himself." Keep playing.]
[22:46] <staApp|online> ["Mm. And...that's clearly something the game things you have an issue with, or you wouldn't have been handed the Class." Focus on your fingering.]
[22:49] <@esoRem|online> [You wrestle with yourself internally. Your words carefully spoken. "Is it so wrong to keep pushing for perfection? I don't like settling for...mediocrity."]
[22:52] <staApp|online> ["Considering my Class and what my career goals are? I can't gainsay perfection at all. But do you have any time set aside for /you/? Anything that you do just because it's fun to do, and not because there's a reason for it?" This is more worrying than you'd thought it'd be.]
[22:53] <@esoRem|online> ["What do you think I'm doing here?" You stop playing and finally look at her. Your expression flat.]
[22:54] <staApp|online> [You stop as well, looking back at him. You are no good at hiding your concern. "Music's useful though, isn't it?"]
[22:56] <staApp|online> ["Any hobbies you have that aren't something that's /definitely/ gonna be useful somehow?"]
[22:57] <@esoRem|online> ["I already play well enough for the game. Anything beyond that isn't by the strict definition "useful"."]
[23:05] <staApp|online> ["I didn't get to dodge your question, how come you get to dodge mine?"]
[23:05] <@esoRem|online> [You sigh. "Anything can be considered useful. What would be something sufficiently useless to satisfy you."]
[23:07] <staApp|online> ["Painting. Drawing. Sculpture. Anything that's something that would be hard to put to a use, except to entertain yourself. If you wanted, I really would teach you how to knit."]
[23:08] <@esoRem|online> ["Woodworking sufficient?" Not something you've done a lot of recently. Not much spare wood in North Africa.]
[23:10] <staApp|online> ["Yes. I'd love to see some of your work, when you're willing to show it off." It's fairly easy to alchemize wood, though - even if the grain is eerily regular. Obtaining 'natural' wood will be tricky.]
[23:12] <@esoRem|online> [You briefly think about showing her one of the staffs you've carved, but you think that might make her rethink the 'useless' part of it. Instead you take out a well worn piece about the size of your fist in the shape of a bear. "Catch."]
[23:15] <staApp|online> [It takes only a moment to captcha your violin and bow - better than letting them fall, after all - and you catch the bear, turning it over in your hands. "Wow, it's /beautiful/."]
[23:17] <@esoRem|online> ["Thanks." You've done better, but they're not here.]
[23:19] <staApp|online> [You offer it back to him - you're not about to be careless with it, it's clearly treasured if it's made it through the Door with him.]
[23:20] <@esoRem|online> [You lean and take it back, captchaing it again. "Sufficiently useless?"]
[23:21] <staApp|online> ["Yeah. Promise you'll spend some time each day working on it? 'S not like we're in a rush or anything - and we've got a Creative, it's gonna be a long session." You pull your violin out again.]
[23:22] <@esoRem|online> [You sigh. "Fine, I'll spend a little bit of time on it." Not like you can keep questing as your dreamself.]
[23:23] <staApp|online> [You offer him a smile. "Thank you. And there's nothing /wrong/ with striving for perfection. But you've gotta take time to look after yourself too, yeah? Otherwise, you'll fall apart. And then the game eats you."]
[23:23] <@esoRem|online> ["I look after myself just fine, thanks." But you do smile back.]
[23:25] <staApp|online> ["By the end of the session, I'll actually believe it when you say that." You lift your violin and set your bow. "Now, I think we were in the middle of something before we started arguing?"]
[23:29] <@esoRem|online> ["Right..." You start playing again. Old songs now, seems fitting.]
[23:30] <staApp|online> [You follow along, letting him pick the tune this time.]
[23:33] <@esoRem|online> [[Scene]]