tushanshu | video;

Entry tags:

video;

[Alcuin had sat down at his console to ask his fellow Foreigners a perfectly innocent question, only to be greeted by Malicant. He's shaken, though it only shows in the way his voice carries a little more asperity than usual.]

Whether it was ignorance or malice that caused someone to summon that here, I hope they have learned better- though indeed, such knowledge would seem to come too late.

[He shakes his head. Never mind. There's little to be done about it now.]

But that was not the matter I intended to speak of. I seek someone with the knowledge of how to care for young trees, for I have found one and know little of their husbandry.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The smoothness of his reply twitches the first and faintest of smiles in return, though it fades as she looks at the tree.

That... looks nothing like the trees she knows.]

Okay. [A breath.] It's no conifer, I'd keep it warm. Let it tan for five hours daily and see how that goes. [Her brow furrows -- this is a rare moment when she kind of knows what she's talking about.]

How many stones've you got in the bottom to drain the water?

I didn't know that was necessary. I'll put some in- what kind of stones would be best?

[He doesn't know anything about trees, but at least he can accept instruction gracefully.]

And you mean I ought to put it out in the sun?

Gravel'd work. It keeps the water from clumping up and drowning the roots.

[It's okay, Alcuin, she'll help. And, for a marginal fee, she'll even keep the sun shining for it's daily doses!]

Yeah, sun's best. UV lamps are a total scam.

Yes, that makes sense. I'll take care of that.

[Well, he's now significantly wealthier thanks to all those coins...]

UV lamps? I do not know of any lamp with the brightness of the sun.

[Excellent. Ororo does like the clink of coins in her pockets negl.]

Seriously? What age are you from?

[Her bad, but she assumes that people are all from about the same era still -- aside from some futuristic assholes.]

I am from Terre d'Ange, which has few of the modern conveniences Keeliai boasts.

[He talks like a fantasy novel, Ororo. It's not hard to guess.]

[Hey, he could totally be a RenFaire type of guy!]

Terre d'Ange... [That sounds familiar.] That's where Favrielle was from, right?

[aka her favorite former fashion designer.]

Yes, we are both d'Angeline- though not of the same time. She came from a few years later, but she knows my foster-sister.

[It reminds him how much he misses both of them, but brooding does no good.]

[Whoops, her bad. She hates being reminded of people going home and should really know better.]

Cool. Guess that explains the lamp thing -- she wasn't too in the know about BSB and all.

[Kind of her way of agreeing with his prior comment.]

Sorry about the era comment. [Odd apology = uttered.]

BSB? [He doesn't know that either.]

Think nothing of it. I took no offense.

[He's pretty sure he knows what the apology is really for, so he offers a friendly smile to reassure her that he's not that upset.]

It's a really lame band and--

[Ororo waves it off because let's not admit that we listened to them or N'Sync, okok?]

Still, you're pretty chill about it. Been here long? [To be shrugging off the whole era-to-era differences and all.]

I believe it must be more than six months now. I would say I've grown used to the strangeness, but it seems that every time I think so, things change again.

[He shrugs. It's part of the charm of Tu Vishan.]

That's the joy of turtle hell.

[Her view's a bit more jaded.]

Look, I never really said anything before, but I'm Ororo. I've been here about a year now, so I get the whole angle about everything being all new when you least expect it.

I would not call it hell, though it certainly is less of a pleasant afterlife than I expected.

[Seriously, he still wants his Terre-d'Ange-that-lies-beyond.]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Ororo. I'm Alcuin. I imagine that even after a year, there are still surprises.

The shopping sucks, take-out's a dud, and there's no MTV. I don't know your standards, but that's hell to me.

[Because, seriously? She has been without and it's terrible. What am live without convenience?]

And, yeah. This plate is great about the random surprises. Like the zombies. Those were a blast.

[Excuse her sarcasm.]

I don't know what MTV is either, but the food is better than I can cook for myself and that's all I ask for.

[Alas, poor Ororo. Modern conveniences are still pretty great six months on, so Alcuin loves them.]

I heard about those. They do sound... awful.

You like finding the silver lining?

[An eyebrow goes up; Ororo can't count exactly how many she's asked the same question of, but it still triggers her curiosity about it. Optimism's not her deal, being more of a pragmatic cut herself.]

I mean, the food's okay, but you don't seem much distraught about the rest of it.

[Except the zombies. Alcuin passed the things-suck test on that.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only