lingeringlegacy | 07 ☆ Returning Returner

The Tree has seen fit to greet my return from the elevator with a flashy getup I cannot change out of and alterations to my personal effects. I suppose it confirms that one thing has not changed since I last wrote.

Youth, 00, Smoke, Mindelan, Gene, Huo & Hawk - My gratitude for your concerns. I am safe and sound. It was difficult to tell apart day and night back there, but from the cycle of eating and getting hungry, I estimate 1-2 days have passed. Yet, the number of journal pages filled suggests a longer period. How long have I been away? I ~~mis~~ would enjoy meeting you over a cup of tea or coffee. Or pie or pasta. Or anything, really. Foodless is fine too.

Dr Valeth and [Housekeeping NPC supervisor] - My apologies for the absence. I shall report for duty on Monday if it is acceptable to you. By acceptable I also refer to the long fringe trims on my jacket. They look awfully easy to get caught in things.

How did post-hurricane cleanup go for everyone? My house got through just fine, but the humidity seemed quite severe, judging from the state of my components rack. (Unlikely but) does anyone have a proper chamber oven for baking PCBAs? Otherwise I'll have to use a toaster oven but... not sure if the heat distribution's even enough.

-Stellaris

[ooc: Mun feels like going local. For the Rockstar event, Stellaris is dressed as Anggun from her 90s 'lady rocker' days [1][2], meaning: red beret & garish fringe jacket, with black top, denim shorts and suede boots. Accessories include xbox hueg digital watch, at least 3 necklaces and enough bangles to compete with an Indian bride.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Going step by step is not a bad idea. I would vouch for that shop's salmon and tuna, though. Even though it does make me curious where they keep the fish without a sea.

[She turned her eyes at his, tilting her head.]

So... you told me about other people's happenings, but what about yourself? Did anything interesting lately?

You bring up a good point about where they get it. The only body of water I know of around here is the freshwater lake.

[Said point really just served to make him more suspicious of the food, despite the glowing reviews.

The question about his own activities caused Gene to pause for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was the argument he'd had with his brother... and he hardly wanted to get into that.]

I'd told you that a good bit of repair work went on after the hurricane, right? Unfortunately, I had to spend a decent amount of time on my own place. It didn't fare well. [He sighed and shrugged.] It's a kick in the pants, but it gave me an excuse to do something about the insulation before winter came.

There was also an odd little incident involving the food in the Sphere. [Gene's expression cooled considerably at the memory. He wasn't easily offended, but the implications made still pissed him off.]

A fishtank, maybe? Like the farm? [It was yet another curious matter about their lives, like when asked a question she could not answer about where the rubbish chute in Housekeeping HQ lead to. If she would proceed with her plan of making a record of Sphere-related information, such questions would have to be addressed eventually.]

The sections seem to have been patched up nicely, when I passed them on the way here. Yes, wood alone doesn't really suffice. Have you got any idea how to do the insulation?

And you mentioned something earlier about food. That they were shaped like people? ...don't tell me the likes of gingerbread men came alive like Wilderness mannequins.

I suppose it's possible. Someone might have harvested the fish from a Wilderness that did have seawater.

There are a few places in the scrapyard that actually have slabs of walls. I've scavenged some insulation from that. It's a pretty piecemeal method, but better than nothing.

[He chuckled a little, amused at the suggested possibility.] No, but I wouldn't be surprised if that happened at some point. These were ordinary pieces of food shaped like real people in the Sphere. It was less than appetizing.

They'd need a cryogenic freezing system to keep the fish that fresh, though.

[She nodded along as he explained. He seemed to have it thought up well.] Section 3 has insulation, but no thermal control. I'm not sure how cold winter here would be... do you think I'd need to prepare something?

[The next bit got her to pause and frown.] Sounds like a bad joke.

Well, I meant more that they'd need to get the fish from the Wilderness in order to set up those tanks you mentioned. Though a less sophisticated form of freezing probably isn't out of the question.

It can get pretty damned cold. We had an ice storm last year and my space heater became my new best friend. I'd definitely recommend finding one at Stuff Inc, if you can.

[Gene let out a sardonic snort.] You should have seen the punchline. Little aprons that said "Second Annual Edensphere Barbecue".

Hmm, good idea. Perhaps I'll stop by tomorrow. If not space heater then at least an electric blanket.

[Her smile turned wry, but something in his sentence did not register to her.]

Second? So last year you had a similar event?

[Close was she to saying 'last year it mocked us the same way', but remembered where they were.]

Sounds like a plan.

Last year had a large fire put the Sphere in a really bad way. Took place on the same day, it seems. [Shakes his head. He was hardly the most tactful or reverent man in the Sphere, but that little joke pushed even his buttons.]

It hit worse than the hurricane? What caused the fire?

[Though it was not at all hard to imagine how bad a fire can mess up a megastructure built mostly on wood.]

There was no warning and people died. So yeah, worse than the hurricane. As for the cause--[He thought back to the mysterious coded hint they received over the journals. "Fugue did it. Fugue did it." Though he believed it, the informant admitted they had no real proof, only an inkling]--no one really knows.

[He hitched one shoulder upward in a shrug, then took a sip of his now room temperature coffee as a means of masking his expression, which he was sure came off as none too charitable at the moment.]

[She sighed. It was like a scientific law that sooner or later any ponderance hit the wall of "no one really knows".] The people... did they come back?

I know some did. Probably even most, but I doubt that everyone was accounted for. It was a lot of people.

[The sigh caught his attention. This... likely wasn't the sort of conversation she was looking to have right after getting back to the Sphere.]

I suppose we're lucky, in a way. Despite the tacky commemoration, we didn't really have any repeats of the situation. [He waved a hand to indicate the general area around them.] After that, it's been pretty tame, really. A few weapons missing, some language censored, and an odd costume change. [He tapped at his armour-like shoulder pads for emphasis.]

So now you're up to date.

Just looking at people going at their everyday lives, I wouldn't have guessed something like that has happened. Perhaps in a way we grow... stronger. I don't know if that's the right word.

[Natural disasters taking many lives was not something extraordinary, but on a small community the effect would be more severe. And no one could guarantee it won't repeat, she thought. How easy it was to slip into negative thoughts in this place, even when the weather was nice, the wind was comforting and the latte tasted good.

Yet she would still prefer it to being alone in that space station.] I guess I am, now.

What can I say? We're a resilient bunch.

[If only because they had to be. She was right, they became stronger, adapted to their surroundings... it wasn't all bad. Not all good by any stretch of the imagination, but not all bad, either.]

07 ☆ Returning Returner

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