thebastion | Day 123 [OPEN]

Day 123 [OPEN]

Who: Everyone
Open: Open
When: Day 123
Where: All over the Bastion
What: Obligatory "We just got more people/survived a hellish experience" mingle log!
Format: Your choice!
Warnings: Shouldn't be any?

[So the past few days in the Bastion have been very hectic and a little more than emotionally stressful for everyone. About two days have come and gone since the last very large batch of arrivals have come in to the Bastion, and thankfully since then it's been relatively quiet. It's a good time to compress, meet some new people and maybe have some good food at the distillery courtesy of Rin.]

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Some, yes. Not a lot, about the same as in a chocolate bar. The caffeine is in the seeds.

And the seeds aren't quick to give it up unless they've been roasted.

[Colin's used to people not being smart. You're in a popular group that way.]

But the fruit is tasty. And I'll be harvesting a lot of it once the plants are producing.

Ohhh...

[She did know about chocolate containing caffeine, so there was that.

Her tail twitched curiously over the hem of her skirt, blinking a few times as she thought about it.]

Weeeell... we finally have an electric oven, which is gonna make it roast a lot more evenly. How much are you gonna need?

[Colin thinks for a couple of seconds, finally consulting his computer for the information.]

I'll probably need eight seeds per day. Three or four seeds per fruit, lots of fruit on each tree, easily harvested.

If other people want caffeine, I'm sure I'll be sharing it. That's fine, hopefully we'll have plenty. Most people won't need more than three seeds' worth of powder total.

I'll be happy to do the powdering, myself. I can also show you how to brew an interesting tea from the plant, once we've got a crop...

['Tea' actually made her perk up quite a bit, so much so that her tail even came up and started wagging excitedly.]

You could make tea from it?

[Now you have her attention, Colin.]

You can make tea from the leaves of the plant. It's light caffeine, a little bitter. But if you add a pinch of the seed powder, you've got a highly caffeinated tea, popular across the galaxy.

[Okay, he gives her a grin now]

It's close to a miracle plant. The Psilons have been cultivating it for almost two thousand years, perfecting it. Almost every part of the plant has some use.

I... don't know the EXACT procedure for preparing the leaves, but I imagine it's the same for most teas. Dry the leaves, steep them, and drink.

I haven't had tea in so long...

[Rin's eyes practically lit up at that. She would have even settled for Shiemi's questionable herbal tea by that point, but if Colin could work with her to make something far more passable, she was completely on board.

Of course it didn't escape her that moments ago she'd been calling him an idiot and 'assface', so she tucked the smile away and looked away, letting out another huff through her nose.]

You're still a pain in the ass!

[Buuuut...]

But... if you're gonna make somethin' like that and share it with everyone else then I guess you can use the kitchen.

Heh... Like I said, this topic of discussion was worth the risk of being bludgeoned with a spatula.

[Leaning his head back against the cupboard, he gives her a quick wink, then closes his eyes and seems to relax.]

And I'll take that pain in the ass comment as praise. I'm not doing my job if people are relaxing around me.

So... I hear I have you to thank for the Onsen. Thanks for that. It's been keeping me sane for the past few days.

Also, you given any thought to a gym for this place? Ippo and I were discussing it yesterday. With the new arrivals, we could probably use a place for the injured to rehab, to say nothing of a place for the rest of us to keep in shape.

I'm gonna be saving up for a workshop next, but I'll probably devote at least a third, maybe half of what I find for a while to that project.

I'd hit you with way worse than a spatula.

[Careful, Colin.]

Yeah, well... I got sick of washin' in the river. I'm sure there's other shit we could use here but a good hot bath makes dealin' with this place a helluva lot easier.

[The gym question got a raised eyebrow. She had been thinking about starting her training again, but it had been something she was waffling on about terribly. After all, candles could only do so much, and she still wasn't sure about sword training with Night.

But that aside, she didn't really have a use for a gym herself, but it still might have been nice to put the option out there for others.]

I don't see why we couldn't...

So you're saying the tea isn't worth a momentary peace treaty?

[His voice is just this side of sing-song innocence]

[You are such a jerk, Colin.

But that sure is a hand extending to him.]

Truce.

[Colin reaches right back to grasp her hand without a moment's hesitation]

Thank you, Rin. And seriously, I am sorry. I have trouble with my words a lot of the time, unless I'm dealing with machines.

[But boy, that ground sure is comfortable. Or he's just totally tired. He's just gonna lean his head back against the cabinet now.]

Yeah, well...

[After hands released, she picked at a bit of fuzz on her skirt, rolling it around in her fingers as she admitted quietly:]

I still ain't all that used to dealin' with people at all. Tryin' to get better at it.

[The dust was flicked away, and she rose to her feet finally.]

... you ain't gonna fall asleep in my kitchen are ya?

Hey, at least with me, the risk of offense is practically non-existant.

[Colin gives Rin a tired smirk]

Maybe. I want you to imagine drinking the same thing, loaded with caffeine... twice a day. Every day. For almost 300 years.

And then getting cut off from it entirely.

[But that is enough of a reminder for him to start standing up.]

I haven't been this whipped at any time I can ever recall. This past week has been a brand new level of hell, and a reminder that my survival kit is not completely loaded with what I need.

... yowch.

[Wait a second--]

300?! ... you're... you're not a demon, are you?

Elf, actually.

[He points to his pointed ears]

I'd have thought the smug sense of superiority would have given it away, but then I realize, that's a demon trait too...

But elves aren't--

[Rin, stop. Think for a second. Just one.]

... wow that would have been really stupid of me to say.

Oh, you would never have lived that one down.

[He chuckles quietly and beams]

Who else do you think makes Santa's toys, though?

Forgive me for still dealin' with what is and isn't real! A year ago demons were somethin' outta the Bible to scare kids in to bein' good!

[Whoops there's the tsun again.]

Oh haha. You're a riot.

Well, if you must know...

[He pauses and considers what he's saying for a moment]

Wait. Back up, let me preface that.

I am not mocking you with this statement.

That said? Everything is real. EVERYTHING. Maybe not everyWHERE, but there is someplace in the multiverse where every single thing exists.

[Rin huffed a bit, air blowing her messy bangs up out of her face. She did have work to do, not that she couldn't do that and talk at the same time.]

No, I know. Or... I'm startin' to see that. This place shows me that every day, and knowin' what my own world was like...

Let's just say there was a lot under the surface most people never saw. They were the lucky ones.

The unseen world is unseen for a reason, or so a couple of my mage friends say.

[He studies her for a moment, then shakes his head]

I won't pry, or stick my nose where it doesn't belong. At least for now.

[At least he's honest about it.]

If you need to talk about anything, I can't promise empathy, but I can always promise to listen.

... That came out wrong.

[He rubs his hand over his face]

I think I'm gonna head back to my place and lay down for a bit. I still need to head out back to the scrapyard. Those crashed transports are a gold mine, and I need to inventory what I need to bring back here.

I'll catch you later?

[She smiled a bit at that, just a little, memory floating back to some of the things Mephisto had said to her. She didn't understand most of it, and didn't ever care enough to figure it out, but the woman didn't always speak in riddles and certain things made sense from time to time.

Her tail flicked as she looked up at him, lacking annoyance in her expression for the first time since meeting him.]

Thanks. And yeah, I'll talk to you later.

[There was a hesitance at the end of that, but she offered in spite of her own worry over things like just how much help she'd be out there, and how shaky her control still was.]

If you need any help...

Hey, I can always use another pair of hands out there. Maybe I'll get to see you kick some ass without worrying about it being mine.

[He gives her a warm, albeit tired grin]

I'll come and stick my head in before I'm ready to go. If you wanna take me up on it, great, if you're busy, no worries.

Safe cooking!

[You almost got her to laugh, Colin.

Almost.]

Alright.

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Day 123 [OPEN]

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