video, un: j.k. [post-butterfly effect]

[aeturnus]

[ On the screen is one Cain, also known as Romulus, commonly known in the city as Jacob Kane. He looks normal. Normal as he's ever looked, really, but the confidence that he lacked during the recent event is back in full force and he's very nonchalant about it all. He's at a flimsy-ish table with a laptop off to the side where the camera is obviously his propped up phone instead. ]

Hey! Long-time no talk, Riverview Quarantine. Just a few things. If you met me over the last week and a half or so, that was... technically me but not. You know that thing that was going on? Yeah, that. Don't worry about it. Forget about all that.

Quick catch-up for those who have (or haven't!) met me, I go by Jacob Kane nowadays. [ Not Romulus. Nope. This total 180 is completely normal considering he hardly looks any older or different at all. ] My job while I'm here is designing phone apps. I've been here for about two months now and I think this is my first actual post on the network. Anything interesting happen while I wasn't looking?

to Doom; Still good for lessons?

to Shai; Thank you. For everything you did.

to Natsume; Seen anything like our colorful friend lately?

Comments

[greyjane]

Well, I was planning on takbrigan. Shivanas dish. Pickled -- beats, I think, is the closest approximation here. Bunch of spices, served with greens and nuts.

[Her dad would add fish to the pickling mixture, but she'll forego that.]

[aeturnus]

I like the sound of that. Where do we start?

[ He'll eat pretty much anything nowadays. Growing into variety has helped, and even things he dislikes are more of him just choosing not to eat it when there's other options. ]

[greyjane]

With the brine.

[She finishes up with that braid, twists her hair up and makes a construct clasp to hold it well back from her face. It's the only bit of her appearance she takes any especial care with.]

Care to learn how to make it?

[aeturnus]

[ Well now that brings up the question of if she has to maintain her constructs or if they're good to go until she dismisses them. He doesn't voice it, just turning and following her lead. ]

Yeah, absolutely. Let's see how other worlds do it.

[greyjane]

[Then I guess you'll never know, will you!!

Shai sets out the ingredients, explains each of them when they're not of any earthly origin (every time she finds something from Janirak she buys it, regardless of cost) and walks him through the hows and whys of the recipe.

Her father was an avid cook, forever spoiling his wives with elaborate, lavish meals. She has none of his finesse and there are only a few recipes she actually remembers - she was a teenager who didn't have much time for her parents - but she embellishes what she's forgotten until the tastes approximate. It's the best she's got.

Once everything's set and ready to marinate, she rinses her hands in the sink and heaves a dramatic sigh.]

Whoo. Forgot how much work this one was.

[aeturnus]

On the other hand, I'm pretty sure it's going to taste fantastic with everything going into it.

[ Even the stuff he doesn't know, he still sniffs at it or sneaks a taste during the whole process to get an idea. From necessity, skill was born and Cain is definitely good at cooking. Turns out he enjoys it, too. This whole experience with brand new tastes and preparations makes his culinary imagination start whirling around in delight but he keeps it quiet and to himself for now.

He keeps most of his thoughts quiet and to himself, really. Those deeper ones.

He follows her example and rinses his hands, turning to watch where all their work is relaxing as much as they are for now. Time is the next ingredient. ]

At least it's fun work. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

[greyjane]

[Cheerfully enough,]

No clue how it will. Haven't made this in years. My girl doesn't have much in the way of kitchen amenities.

[Is she talking about her ship or a girlfriend? Who knows, with her.]

[aeturnus]

So it'll be an adventure. Or an experiment. [ His head cants just to the side. ] Which one sounds more exciting?

[ Science is cool, but so is trying out new things. Maybe it's equal. ]

Some things you just can't lightning-up?

[greyjane]

Adventure. Certainly that.

[Just sounds nicer that way, overall. She stretches up, brushes her fingers against the (fairly low) ceiling and then heads in the general direction of the living room.]

Oh, I probably could make a fairly decent kitchen if I needed to, but the Ephemera doesn't have the room.

[aeturnus]

[ Cain follows behind her easily, no hint of that uncertain boy before. He brought a deck of cards in case the time allowed for it and if she was willing, but he wasn't planning on being any kind of pushy, either. ]

All ships like that, or is the Ephemera just small?

[greyjane]

She's small, my girl. Ten man crew at the most, and that's two to a bunk.

[Well, why not. She makes a small construct of the Ephemera in the air, she's a sleek thing, smooth lines, no drag, form like a diving falcon.]

Ships her size aren't economical to run, mostly. Not big enough for cargo or significant manpower, any regular fleet tried to run her and they'd bankrupt themselves on fuel costs.

[aeturnus]

[ That's still one of the cooler things Cain's seen, even with his restored years and experience here in the Quarantine. Where he'd been too anxious to reach out before, now he raises a hand to try and run the tips of his fingers along the outer hull. ]

Like the sports car of space. I'd say SUV but those have room. What's someone do with a ship too small to transport, too costly to keep?

[greyjane]

[The construct is solid beneath his fingers, crackling with that same gentle energy as before. The ship dips. Showing off a bit, and Shai flashes a smile that's all teeth.]

Whatever needs doing, sweetheart.

[She has a rather terrifying reputation, and it's not unearned. She doesn't just have a crew, she has a strike force.]

[aeturnus]

[ Oh, yeah. That's cool. He grins lightly and traces it more, definitely entranced by the design and the idea. Maybe someday he'll be making spaceships in his garage to stave off the days ahead of him. Maybe he'll make one like this.

At her comment, he inclines his head in her direction. ]

Point taken. What do you do around here if you don't mind me asking?

[greyjane]

[The fact he's not pushing earns him points, at least. In all honesty, she'd have been much more willing to discuss things with Romulus than with Jacob Cain -
but it's nice not to be pressed just the same.]

Electrical engineering. It's what I would have done with myself if I hadn't entered the military.

[Since... you know. Energy manipulation and all.]

[aeturnus]

Oh?

[ Now he pulls his hand away to regard her. Something like an innocent look on his face. ]

Why's that?

[greyjane]

[Blandly,]

I like math.

[aeturnus]

Oh, right, perfect sense.

[ He lets the look fade and smiles instead. ]

I've noticed they're pretty good about finding jobs for people here.

[greyjane]

Mm.

[It's a noise of agreement, mostly. They placed her after an extensive interview, but--]

In all honesty, I'd rather be knocking heads together. Guess they're shorter on engineers than they are on soldiers.

[Shai doesn't like to really Think in her day to day life. It's why she runs until she's exhausted, why she doesn't like to sit idle. Violence is simple, mindless, easy, and much preferred to any alternative insofar as she's concerned.]

But computer programming? You liking it?

[aeturnus]

It's not any great fulfilling reason for my being or anything... but it works. [ He shrugs, not really bothered by apparently having a boring job. ] Between you and me, I may have thrown the interview to try and get something that would be easier than the usual 9-5.

I mean, there's too much here to be stuck behind a desk all day or chained to a paycheck.

[ That insatiable curiosity still seems to be in tact, at least. Funny for a guy his age. ]

[greyjane]

[That gets a laugh and a wry shake of her head. Must be hard to stay innately curious when you've probably walked the circumference of the ever-changing globe a million times over. It's the first real thing that takes her back to Romulus. Is it weird, to miss someone who's still standing before you?

(That's a dumb question to ask, when she knows Winterlace.)]

You'd like the Lattice. Twenty-nine worlds. Different cultures, half a million different languages and dialects - not counting the dead ones - space travel, the works.

[Lots of war. They've not yet entered their age of serenity. Space travel's only been a Thing for a few hundred years, and losing Janirak destabilized the carefully held peace agreements that had tentatively been put in place after the last interplanetary mishap.]

[aeturnus]

[ That's a question Cain asks himself every day. He'd started seeing Abel every day once they actually met again... but there's only brief sparks of Remus left in him. It doesn't change anything, though, they're still brothers and he knows Abel feels the same even without memories. Only problem is that right now they're fighting and being stuck here and having no chance to fix it is vexing. ]

Half a million? And I thought my forty-something was impressive. I'll have to work on that. Not sure how I feel about the space travel myself.

[greyjane]

I could always teach you mine.

[She says that in the tone of someone obviously teasing, but Tangau was a small country, and she hasn't heard anyone speak its tongues aloud in years. Orpheo will sometimes step across dimensions and space and use it in her head, which is a comfort - but a small one.

She misses him, in too many ways to name. He was always a good fortification against loneliness.]

Space travel's a breeze, honestly. Only scary if you think about it too hard.

[aeturnus]

Hey, I'd never say no to learning a new language. We could even trade.

[ A dead Earth language for a cool space language. Even exchange, right? Totally. ]

Oh, I don't know. I've had my feet on the ground for almost three thousand years. Might just go slow if at all.

[greyjane]

[Shai sucks at languages that Orpheo hasn't just dropped into her brain, so good... luck with that... She laughs.]

You're welcome to try and teach me one, but I'll warn you that I'm the worst student you could ever have.

[Maybe that's an exaggeration. She used to love learning once upon a time.]

How do you process time? Days seem more like minutes?