[ She pauses and breaks a bit of bread off what she's brought him. Consider it her carrying fee. She swipes it across the butter pat and considers as she eats. ]
That's true... man, I'm not great at this. Unless... we spin it as a good project without just laying it all out there. Like, okay, scrap my idea. It's a shitty idea. But maybe instead have a little tagline at the bottom of the survey saying "This survey was made to assist you by Base Operations." Or something more eloquent. Whatever. But see, then it's like an ad for the project, right? And the Rifters see how cool we are to take the time to create a survey to help them.
[A mild horror crosses Salvio's face--not at the bread sharing, but at her assessment of her own suggestion. Did he make it sound as if he thought it was shitty?
He counters, quickly--]
No, it wasn't. [Um. Now what.] Shitty, I mean. Merely that-- uh, what is the word? To think while you are speaking. It is useful. Which, yes, you have proved it, your second idea-- That is to say, yes. I see what you mean. It would be a subtle suggestion. One that demonstrates our intent and, and cooperative abilities.
Oh. No, I mean, it's cool. Like, I'm not... great at this stuff. [ She tries to laugh it off. ] Been out of school for awhile now and all that critical thinking's sort of gone out the window.
[ And it's weird to be here in Medieval Fantasy World where she should have a leg up because she knows about flushing toilets, but instead everyone is a master swordsman, or expert blacksmith, or Head of This or That. She just... knows how to read a computer screen and hand people their change, or write down a dinner order, or knows what cleaning chemicals to use on what. And she knows the best way to bash a zombie's brains in. But this stuff? It's like writing an essay for English Composition or something. ]
But um, yeah. That suggestion's free of charge if you wanna use it.
[ She shoots awkward fingerguns at him because that is what she does. Help her. ]
To the contrary. I think that you fine at--this stuff. There is something to be said for having any care at all as to, to how this might be improved. As a Rifter, your opinion in the matter is--you know. Good.
[A little lame, but invaluable seems too strong.]
I will use the suggestion and give full credit should it receive compliment or result in a particular rise in the-- in participation.
[Necessity moves him to turn his attention to extracting the stew from the basket so it can be eaten, but Salvio can still observe--whatever strange gesture she is doing with her fingers. What does it mean? He can't ask outright, only wonder.]
Yeah, it's weird. Like normally I'm not very, um, active in job related stuff? [ Holy crap; way to make yourself sound lazy, Tessa. Now she backpedals like crazy to not sound that way. ] Like I'm a hard worker and all, but I just mean I do the job I'm told to do and everything? Um, so yeah, I don't really do extra stuff, but it's... it's hard to explain. Like back where I'm from you have your work and then you have home and your whole social life, right? But here the base is home and work, so I feel like just helping to make it easier for people like me.
[ Maybe the whole zombie apocalypse thing has sort of been a crash course in being more responsible. Maybe it was Mike's influence since he wanted her to be able to take care of herself. Maybe it's a bit of both? But she recognizes she's doing a lot more than she would have at home. ]
Anyway, that better be good stew or I'm going back there and telling that cook off.
[ Nah, not really, but it was really hard to carry! ]
[Salvio listens as he works to free the stew. Listening is something he is good at--in his moments of calm, that is, when he isn't poised on the precipice of a breakdown. An office is his preferred terrain, a place of sanctuary and order. Even with all of the inherent strangeness that comes of conversing with a Rifter (often confusing, occasionally nonsensical, objectively pretty, unknown and thus slightly terrifying), he is a little more prepared to respond.]
There are, likely, lives that are in this way. In Thedas. People who--live, and work, separately. It is the nature of an organization such as the Inquisition for such spheres to intersect. I prefer it. And I think that-- that you are managing admirably, despite your-- unfamiliarity.
[Stew freed from the basket, Salvio gives it a once-over. It looks good, and it has kept warm enough in transit to still be steaming slightly. He leans in to sniff at the stew, hopefully. It smells good, too. Good signs.]
[ It's nice that Tessa has the excuse that she's a Rifter, which makes her confusing and nonsensical. Imagine if she was a native and still had that reaction from people. ]
Yeah, that's true. Regular people out there just farming or... doing medieval stuff. [ What did they do in medieval times again? Besides dying of the plague? ] I think the goings on back home sorta prepared me for this. Or at least prepared me for the unexpected.
[ She watches him sniff his stew, smiling fainting. ]
I used to, but I got over it. Now I'll eat anything. Had to do a lot of foraging before dropping into Thedas.
Ah. Foraging. A skill--somewhat beyond me. I have not spent much of my time outdoors, or--you know. I have lived somewhere with trade, at the very least.
[Which is probably not surprising in the least. Anyway he's busying himself with getting a spoon now so he can try the stew.]
You came here from-- some sort of war? Or a famine?
It was beyond me too, but you pick things up fast. I'll bet you could, if you suddenly had to. If I could, anyone can.
[ There's a pause as she tries to think of the best way to word this without getting into too much detail. He's about to eat, after all, and nothing says "lost appetite" like a zombie devouring brains. ]
It was... a plague. Some people, like me, were immune, but the rest turned... like, feral? And attacked healthy people. So society screeched to a halt. We'd bust into abandoned homes and take supplies, so that's mostly the type of foraging I'm good at. A lot of stuff like meat and whatever went bad, but our society made food with lots of preservatives too, so I ate a lot of cereal, granola bars, snack cakes. And stuff out of cans.
[ Because of course Mike had a Swiss Army knife. He was all Captain Prepared with his guns and everything. Meanwhile Tessa had just had a backpack of clothes. ]
So... yeah. That's why I'll eat anything. And I'm still alive.
[ She gives an exaggerated thumbs up with both hands that's meant to read as sarcastic. She knows she was in a shitty situation and she can really only half-joke about it. ]
But that's why I don't want to go home. There's nothing back for me there. Well, I mean, I wish someone I knew back there was here, because it's better than being stuck there just trying to survive. I hope he falls through a rift too.
[Nooooope would be the correct answer to her assessment. Absolutely nope. Even the thought of it makes him want to hyperventilate a little. Instead of articulating any part of that, Salvio ducks his head and gives a quiet and non-committal mghrfp in response.
Listening to her story is a much better use of his time. So is eating the stew, which is really very good. Preservatives. He can guess at that word. Cans, less so, but contextually he more or less understands. And a thumbs up is blessedly universal. Salvio even picks up on a measure of its sarcasm, with a small smile of appreciation.]
Though of course it is-- good, that you are alive. [Yes, that's what sarcasm is, well done. Anyways.] I do not know that, um. I think there are only a small few who would share the, sentiment, that they would not wish to return home. Or that they would wish to see a friend fall through a rift.
Yeeeah, I found that out while talking to other Rifters. We're a small minority. The ones who don't want to go home, I mean. Though Rifters in general are a minority too. But anyway, I guess we can't control whether we stay or go. At least not yet.
[ She should probably join the Rifts and Veil project if she wants to stay up to date on the status of controlling these rifts and ensuring she doesn't get sucked back home, but she figures it'll involve a lot of experiments and poking at her hand, and she's really not about that life. ]
But believe me when I say that this place is way better than home is. Every day it was just trying to survive. And remember when I said I have paranoia with people? I was trapped in a place where people were experimenting on me to try and make a cure. And they were really going overboard and were real shitty about it. Plus zombies attacked the place and we were all trapped anyway. Oh, zombies are what we call the feral people. Point is, if I go back, I'm... you know. [ Does she really have to say it? ] I'm not gonna make it.
[ She frowns, feeling her stomach twist a little. The only thing between her and certain death is the whim of some green light phenomena that she can't control. ]
So, now that I've totally been a downer, how's the stew? How's life? Let's talk about literally anything else now, okay?
[Please forgive the stammer, but that was not what he expected to hear. Not that he expected anything in particular. Prison and experiment are then perhaps slightly more shocking.]
That is, um.
[Miserable at conversation even when it's centered around topics he feels slightly equipped to handle, Salvio turns over all of this in his mind.]
A-- desperate circumstance. Is what it, uh, is. Obviously you are--aware, of that. I would, ah-- [Like to offer hope? Condolences? Reassurance? Every option feels a little false. Salvio looks down into the stew.] Be pleased. If your friend were to-- and, of course--if you were were, um. Are able to avoid, such a...
[Right.]
Um. The stew is-- it is quite good. You are--skilled at foraging. Certainly.
Well that'd make two of us who'd be really pleased, then.
[ There's a tiny smile there, not even forced, because man, he's trying, isn't he? The two of them are a dangerous combination: she with her awkward conversation topics and he desperately trying to say something neutral and nice. ]
Guess I've got an eye for the good stuff, huh? I'm glad you like it. Just gonna give myself a pat on the back here.
[ And she does, because who else is gonna do it, right? ]
[An actual pat on her own back. Salvio's smile flickers, quick--a little bemused, a little amused. It's corny. He likes corny.
But--]
Oh. Ah--yes, as a matter of fact, yes, there is--uh, I will, just--
[Umm. He sets down his spoon with great care, letting it come to rest half-submerged in the stew without splashing. Carefully, he wipes his fingers off before he goes to the cupboard and starts looking through some of the papers there.]
There is a disused section of the Gallows--a little less than a dozen rooms--that have been requisitioned. By the Inquisition, of course. In preparation for, uh, additional recruits. Not that we have them just yet, and in fact the rooms are quite-- that is to say, there are several unoccupied.
Better to start early, yes? On the--preparation of these rooms, I mean.
[ It's Tessa's way. She's pretty much the Queen of laughing at her own jokes and being ridiculous looking. ]
Yeah, for sure. So they need the cobwebs swept out n 'at? Do the walls need painted or we going for the bare walls look? Is there furniture in them already, or do those need to be moved in?
[ Already she's making a checklist in her head of what's required. The only downside to cleaning tasks is she doesn't have an iPod so she can listen to music while cleaning. Bummer. ]
Sweeping and clearing out cobwebs would be first priority. We will get new numbers for our budget for Justinian and will be able to make the decision on, um. The purchasing of paint, at that time.
[Ah. Here is the requisition form that he was looking for, with the requisition form for the materials included. Salvio flips to that page as he brings it back to the desk.]
Essential furnishings can be found in-- well, some of the rooms. I believe. You will need to list what is missing as part of your final report. Is this-- acceptable? To you? As a, uh, assignment?
Got it. And yeah, it's fine. I'm pretty sure I'll have what I need for the first steps anyway. And you can let me know about the paint.
[ Well, nice. Now she has something to do. Hopefully no one minds her singing while doing it because she has to make her own music here. ]
Hows about I go find these rooms and give them a once over to see what supplies I'll need, and I'll turn up later to take your bowl back to the kitchen?
Oh. Yes. That would be an efficient use of-- time. Very good. Here is the, ah-- location of the rooms that they are looking to have--
[Prepared? Is there some other word? Never mind, he's not going to risk it. Instead, Salvio simply hands over the map, with each rooms selected by a series of small stars located in the corner.]
Nice. And yeah, I'll totally take some and a pencil if you've got it.
[ She looks over the map, squinting for a second in thought until she's sure she knows how to get there. Then her face smooths out and she looks up at him expectantly. ]
[He shifts around some larger stacks of parchment and files, rooting around for-- yes. There it is. A pencil, probably a little more crude than she would be used to, but essentially the same. And, after some additional searching, a sheaf of paper with a loose binding holding one end together. Ye olde scratch pad.]
Here you are. You may keep these, if you like. I will request replacements, they are-- a little freer, with some of the, um. Cheaper items. That is to say, the quality is good, it is only-- inexpensive, by comparison. To other requests.
Yeah, I get that. [ And he seems like the kind of guy who might enjoy ordering office supplies. ] Thanks, dude. I'll be back in maybe an hour? To get your bowl. And I'll hand in a report when I've got the rooms spic 'n span.
[The momentary look of confusion (largely manifested by a slight crease between Salvio's eyebrows) clears as she defines her strange Rifter terminology for him. Now he can instead be tentatively pleased, to have been given some new knowledge.]
Very good, yes. That is the, ah, spirit. 'Spic and span'.
[ She gives an awkward half wave goodbye, because she's still like, right in front of him, then turns and heads out of the room with one last smile back at him.
She'd tell him not to work too hard, but that would fall on deaf ears. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2018-05-12 04:40 pm (UTC)[ She pauses and breaks a bit of bread off what she's brought him. Consider it her carrying fee. She swipes it across the butter pat and considers as she eats. ]
That's true... man, I'm not great at this. Unless... we spin it as a good project without just laying it all out there. Like, okay, scrap my idea. It's a shitty idea. But maybe instead have a little tagline at the bottom of the survey saying "This survey was made to assist you by Base Operations." Or something more eloquent. Whatever. But see, then it's like an ad for the project, right? And the Rifters see how cool we are to take the time to create a survey to help them.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-15 08:57 pm (UTC)He counters, quickly--]
No, it wasn't. [Um. Now what.] Shitty, I mean. Merely that-- uh, what is the word? To think while you are speaking. It is useful. Which, yes, you have proved it, your second idea-- That is to say, yes. I see what you mean. It would be a subtle suggestion. One that demonstrates our intent and, and cooperative abilities.
It is a good idea.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-15 11:19 pm (UTC)[ And it's weird to be here in Medieval Fantasy World where she should have a leg up because she knows about flushing toilets, but instead everyone is a master swordsman, or expert blacksmith, or Head of This or That. She just... knows how to read a computer screen and hand people their change, or write down a dinner order, or knows what cleaning chemicals to use on what. And she knows the best way to bash a zombie's brains in. But this stuff? It's like writing an essay for English Composition or something. ]
But um, yeah. That suggestion's free of charge if you wanna use it.
[ She shoots awkward fingerguns at him because that is what she does. Help her. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-16 09:09 pm (UTC)[A little lame, but invaluable seems too strong.]
I will use the suggestion and give full credit should it receive compliment or result in a particular rise in the-- in participation.
[Necessity moves him to turn his attention to extracting the stew from the basket so it can be eaten, but Salvio can still observe--whatever strange gesture she is doing with her fingers. What does it mean? He can't ask outright, only wonder.]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-17 06:28 pm (UTC)[ Maybe the whole zombie apocalypse thing has sort of been a crash course in being more responsible. Maybe it was Mike's influence since he wanted her to be able to take care of herself. Maybe it's a bit of both? But she recognizes she's doing a lot more than she would have at home. ]
Anyway, that better be good stew or I'm going back there and telling that cook off.
[ Nah, not really, but it was really hard to carry! ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-18 08:39 pm (UTC)There are, likely, lives that are in this way. In Thedas. People who--live, and work, separately. It is the nature of an organization such as the Inquisition for such spheres to intersect. I prefer it. And I think that-- that you are managing admirably, despite your-- unfamiliarity.
[Stew freed from the basket, Salvio gives it a once-over. It looks good, and it has kept warm enough in transit to still be steaming slightly. He leans in to sniff at the stew, hopefully. It smells good, too. Good signs.]
I am not one to complain about food. Ever.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-19 03:44 am (UTC)Yeah, that's true. Regular people out there just farming or... doing medieval stuff. [ What did they do in medieval times again? Besides dying of the plague? ] I think the goings on back home sorta prepared me for this. Or at least prepared me for the unexpected.
[ She watches him sniff his stew, smiling fainting. ]
I used to, but I got over it. Now I'll eat anything. Had to do a lot of foraging before dropping into Thedas.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-21 06:58 pm (UTC)[Which is probably not surprising in the least. Anyway he's busying himself with getting a spoon now so he can try the stew.]
You came here from-- some sort of war? Or a famine?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-21 11:19 pm (UTC)[ There's a pause as she tries to think of the best way to word this without getting into too much detail. He's about to eat, after all, and nothing says "lost appetite" like a zombie devouring brains. ]
It was... a plague. Some people, like me, were immune, but the rest turned... like, feral? And attacked healthy people. So society screeched to a halt. We'd bust into abandoned homes and take supplies, so that's mostly the type of foraging I'm good at. A lot of stuff like meat and whatever went bad, but our society made food with lots of preservatives too, so I ate a lot of cereal, granola bars, snack cakes. And stuff out of cans.
[ Because of course Mike had a Swiss Army knife. He was all Captain Prepared with his guns and everything. Meanwhile Tessa had just had a backpack of clothes. ]
So... yeah. That's why I'll eat anything. And I'm still alive.
[ She gives an exaggerated thumbs up with both hands that's meant to read as sarcastic. She knows she was in a shitty situation and she can really only half-joke about it. ]
But that's why I don't want to go home. There's nothing back for me there. Well, I mean, I wish someone I knew back there was here, because it's better than being stuck there just trying to survive. I hope he falls through a rift too.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-22 06:30 pm (UTC)Listening to her story is a much better use of his time. So is eating the stew, which is really very good. Preservatives. He can guess at that word. Cans, less so, but contextually he more or less understands. And a thumbs up is blessedly universal. Salvio even picks up on a measure of its sarcasm, with a small smile of appreciation.]
Though of course it is-- good, that you are alive. [Yes, that's what sarcasm is, well done. Anyways.] I do not know that, um. I think there are only a small few who would share the, sentiment, that they would not wish to return home. Or that they would wish to see a friend fall through a rift.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-22 09:19 pm (UTC)[ She should probably join the Rifts and Veil project if she wants to stay up to date on the status of controlling these rifts and ensuring she doesn't get sucked back home, but she figures it'll involve a lot of experiments and poking at her hand, and she's really not about that life. ]
But believe me when I say that this place is way better than home is. Every day it was just trying to survive. And remember when I said I have paranoia with people? I was trapped in a place where people were experimenting on me to try and make a cure. And they were really going overboard and were real shitty about it. Plus zombies attacked the place and we were all trapped anyway. Oh, zombies are what we call the feral people. Point is, if I go back, I'm... you know. [ Does she really have to say it? ] I'm not gonna make it.
[ She frowns, feeling her stomach twist a little. The only thing between her and certain death is the whim of some green light phenomena that she can't control. ]
So, now that I've totally been a downer, how's the stew? How's life? Let's talk about literally anything else now, okay?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-24 07:07 pm (UTC)[Please forgive the stammer, but that was not what he expected to hear. Not that he expected anything in particular. Prison and experiment are then perhaps slightly more shocking.]
That is, um.
[Miserable at conversation even when it's centered around topics he feels slightly equipped to handle, Salvio turns over all of this in his mind.]
A-- desperate circumstance. Is what it, uh, is. Obviously you are--aware, of that. I would, ah-- [Like to offer hope? Condolences? Reassurance? Every option feels a little false. Salvio looks down into the stew.] Be pleased. If your friend were to-- and, of course--if you were were, um. Are able to avoid, such a...
[Right.]
Um. The stew is-- it is quite good. You are--skilled at foraging. Certainly.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-24 09:15 pm (UTC)[ There's a tiny smile there, not even forced, because man, he's trying, isn't he? The two of them are a dangerous combination: she with her awkward conversation topics and he desperately trying to say something neutral and nice. ]
Guess I've got an eye for the good stuff, huh? I'm glad you like it. Just gonna give myself a pat on the back here.
[ And she does, because who else is gonna do it, right? ]
Since I'm here, got any tasks for me to do?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-25 08:49 pm (UTC)But--]
Oh. Ah--yes, as a matter of fact, yes, there is--uh, I will, just--
[Umm. He sets down his spoon with great care, letting it come to rest half-submerged in the stew without splashing. Carefully, he wipes his fingers off before he goes to the cupboard and starts looking through some of the papers there.]
There is a disused section of the Gallows--a little less than a dozen rooms--that have been requisitioned. By the Inquisition, of course. In preparation for, uh, additional recruits. Not that we have them just yet, and in fact the rooms are quite-- that is to say, there are several unoccupied.
Better to start early, yes? On the--preparation of these rooms, I mean.
no subject
Date: 2018-05-26 12:19 am (UTC)Yeah, for sure. So they need the cobwebs swept out n 'at? Do the walls need painted or we going for the bare walls look? Is there furniture in them already, or do those need to be moved in?
[ Already she's making a checklist in her head of what's required. The only downside to cleaning tasks is she doesn't have an iPod so she can listen to music while cleaning. Bummer. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 03:57 pm (UTC)[Ah. Here is the requisition form that he was looking for, with the requisition form for the materials included. Salvio flips to that page as he brings it back to the desk.]
Essential furnishings can be found in-- well, some of the rooms. I believe. You will need to list what is missing as part of your final report. Is this-- acceptable? To you? As a, uh, assignment?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-29 08:45 pm (UTC)[ Well, nice. Now she has something to do. Hopefully no one minds her singing while doing it because she has to make her own music here. ]
Hows about I go find these rooms and give them a once over to see what supplies I'll need, and I'll turn up later to take your bowl back to the kitchen?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-30 09:50 pm (UTC)[Prepared? Is there some other word? Never mind, he's not going to risk it. Instead, Salvio simply hands over the map, with each rooms selected by a series of small stars located in the corner.]
Will you need paper, on which to make notes?
no subject
Date: 2018-05-30 10:17 pm (UTC)[ She looks over the map, squinting for a second in thought until she's sure she knows how to get there. Then her face smooths out and she looks up at him expectantly. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-05-31 09:23 pm (UTC)[He shifts around some larger stacks of parchment and files, rooting around for-- yes. There it is. A pencil, probably a little more crude than she would be used to, but essentially the same. And, after some additional searching, a sheaf of paper with a loose binding holding one end together. Ye olde scratch pad.]
Here you are. You may keep these, if you like. I will request replacements, they are-- a little freer, with some of the, um. Cheaper items. That is to say, the quality is good, it is only-- inexpensive, by comparison. To other requests.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-01 03:56 pm (UTC)[ A pause. ]
That means clean.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-04 05:56 pm (UTC)[The momentary look of confusion (largely manifested by a slight crease between Salvio's eyebrows) clears as she defines her strange Rifter terminology for him. Now he can instead be tentatively pleased, to have been given some new knowledge.]
Very good, yes. That is the, ah, spirit. 'Spic and span'.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-05 12:46 am (UTC)[ She gives an awkward half wave goodbye, because she's still like, right in front of him, then turns and heads out of the room with one last smile back at him.
She'd tell him not to work too hard, but that would fall on deaf ears. ]