video. | un: z.hyrule

[hylights]

[The video opens on Zelda sitting in her office at Gramarye. She smiles once the video begins, a little subdued.]

Hello. I hope everyone's faring better after the events of a couple of months ago.

[She considers saying more, only to shake her head slightly. Best to let terrible memories lie. Besides, that's not the point of this broadcast.]

This is going to sound like a strange question, I'm sure. But I was wondering if anyone had advice on what sort of things are useful to buy when moving into a new home? I'm looking at apartments at the moment... they have furniture in them, but I'm not sure what else usually goes into a living space, especially here in Riverview.

[There are just a lot of gadgets that seem useful. And fascinating. But how many of them are practical? That's the real question. After a moment, Zelda has to smother an awkward laugh.]

It's probably obvious that I haven't done this before. [She looks down for a moment before holding up a magazine, folded open to a page advertising a dehumidifier.] And... I’m interested in how these work, but how necessary are they? How humid can a home really be?

Comments

[11calls]

Yep! That's what they do. They normally work pretty well too!

[And then Alex chuckles softly.]

For me it was a knife. I didn't remember to get a new, sharp life and ended up like...trying to use a butter knife for things that didn't work with a butter knife.

[hylights]

I can just imagine how frustrating that was... but not wanting to give up and go buy a new knife in the meantime.

[Well, that's how Zelda would look at it. At least for one day.]

[11calls]

Oh yeah, I definitely refused to get dressed and go to the story after I had just spent all that energy moving! I swear, I ended up practically ripping off pieces of cheese more than actually cutting it!

[hylights]

[She has to laugh at the mental image Alex is giving her.]

That sounds like a formidable piece of cheese! Do you have a proper knife for it now?

[11calls]

[Alex laughs, she can't help it.]

Oh yeah, my partner is much better equipped to deal with these sort of things than I am, actually. We've basically got every yuppie gadget you can think of. And he normally handles the whole cooking thing. Something about me being likely to burn down the kitchen when I try and make toast.

[Look, Alex is entirely hopeless in the kitchen and knows it. More than that, she's definitely not ashamed by it.]

[hylights]

Yuppie...?

[It's not a word she knows. A specific type of gadget, perhaps.]

I have to admit, cooking isn't something I did much of before I came here. It's been a learning experience like that.

[11calls]

It's sort of hard to explain. It kind of has to do with someone having a lot of money in some ways.

[And then Alex just chuckles.]

If you're learning you're better than me. I'm hopeless at trying to cook.

[hylights]

Oh, I see. So expensive sorts of gadgets.

[That must be it. She smiles in return, a little embarrassed.]

I'm all right, but I was usually with someone who was much better at it when I was at home. I've been fending for myself these last few months with new technology as well. ...I don't think I've done too badly, really.

[11calls]

Yeah, that's definitely one way to think about it.

[There's an audible grin in those words, and Alex couldn't deny some of the things that were there in the house.]

But learning how to do it and stuff? That's definitely something to be proud of, I think.

Also hi, I'm Alex. It's nice to meet you.

[hylights]

You too, Alex. My name is Zelda. Have you ever tried learning to cook?

[11calls]

It's nice to meet you, Zelda. And yeah, I've tried but after my third attempt of burning toast, I was sort of forbidden to cook at the house I share with my partner.

[Alex is so not kidding about that can't cook thing.]

[hylights]

Isn't toast made just by putting it into the toaster machine?

[Alex, how did you manage this.]

[11calls]

Yep!

[The word is just chirped before she adds:]

No, I don't know how I did it either.

[hylights]

[She can't help it - she laughs.]

Oh no! At least you can use the bread without toasting it first?

[11calls]

[Honestly, Alex doesn't mind the laughter, instead she greets it with an audible grin. She knows how ridiculous this is.]

Oh yeah, that's definitely true.

[hylights]

[At least Alex's good humour is evident in her voice. It makes Zelda smile in turn.]

To be honest though, my first experience with cooking was accidentally dropping an apple into a fire.

[11calls]

Did it end up becoming a coal or did it turn into an amazing baked apple-thing?

[hylights]

It was much closer to the first one. [She huffs.] It was annoying too, because my friend can throw such things into the fire and come out with wonderful food. Maybe he's just better at it.

[11calls]

Or he just had more practice. Practice I'm told is the way that people get better at stuff like that.

Not that I'm testing out that theory with cooking. I like our house.

[hylights]

He did do it much more often than me, it's true.

[An amused huff follows.]

What about the microwaves? I've managed to, well, explode some things in those. They're a bit hard to get used to at first.

[11calls]

I'm okay with microwaves mostly. I can do like... those prepacked meal things. But sometimes it's hit or miss. You know, either your hot pocket is frozen in the middle or it's... splashes of cheese and red sauce and bread all across the microwave in the office breakroom.

[Alex has had experience with that before.]

[hylights]

Um. [There's a pause, hesitant, before she asks.] I'm assuming that's a food, not something to do with clothing.

[Pockets, y'know.]

[11calls]

[And that makes Alex laugh. She can't help it.]

Yeah. It's a kind of enclosed sandwich thing that's frozen and then you throw it in the microwave. Convenience food.