Mingle - Emergency Potluck

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WELCOME POTLUCK

Greetings, residents! Those more observant sorts among you may have noticed a large influx of very crowded ferries. In order to welcome our new residents en masse, Town Hall is holding a potluck in Town Square. Please bring a dish if you are able and make a new friend!

All of our newest arrivals need only bring themselves. We look forward to welcoming you all into our community, and may your lanterns always be lit.

This event is open to all! In light of our new influx of prospective players following the Great Sail Migration, we've decided to offer a small public event to tide everyone over until the TDM this weekend.

Comments

[maximumcake]

"You'd think that, but there's a reason I'm over here behind the table even though I'm new. I'm a doer. I can't stand being idle. I like helping people, it helps me too. So, we'd be doing each other a favor believe it or not."

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart bites briefly on the inside of his lip, considering. It makes him look that little bit more pouty.

"Perhaps when you aren't busy here. It's...hard, to talk to some people here."

[maximumcake]

Max is trying so hard not to notice how cute a pout looks on Bart. Don't make it weird, Max, come on.

"Sure. I'm not really on the clock. I just volunteered on my own, so I'm done being busy whenever. Who are you looking to talk to?"

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart may be a bit dense about people looking at him that way anyway, having no experience with it in the first place. Max is safe from scrutiny (for now.)

"You're doing what you enjoy to help other people," he concludes, and he softens further around the edges. Of course, it's short-lived when Max asks that, and he shakes his head. "I... it's complicated. If we talk, could it perhaps be somewhere quiet?"

[maximumcake]

"That's exactly it." Max answers brightly. It's nice to have that understood without constant questioning.

He comes around from behind the table and motions for Bart to walk with him. "Sure. Let's get a little air, huh?"

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart steps back and waits for Max to walk, before following along at his side. He's not a particularly short man, average at best, but next to Max he feels utterly dwarfed. His hands lace together and fidget, eyes down in front of him as he tries to put words to his thoughts.

"Thank you. Have you been to the beach yet? I know it's been cold out, but it's still nice to sit and watch the waves. Soothing."

[maximumcake]

"I've been a few times to check it out. You're right, it's really nice. It reminds me of the lake I used to live next to. I'd go down to think by the dock because the way the wood creaked slightly in the currents was soothing, too."

Max starts walking them in that direction now. It's a pretty day so the wind probably won't even be that cold.

"Did you live by the water where you came from?"

[theresalwaystheview]

Bart is happy to fall into step beside him on their way down to the waterfront.

"Actually, prior to where I was before I ended up here, I hadn't seen the ocean in a very long time and never had time to get particular attached to it. It was only within the last couple of years that I really gained an appreciation for it. There isn't much opportunity to take it in when you're on an interplanetary transport vessel bound for a colony ship."

[maximumcake]

"Wait, you lived on a spaceship?" Max's eyes go wide with wonder. "Wow, that's incredible. What was it like? The closest thing I ever experienced to that was being on a really weird fake cruise ship."

[theresalwaystheview]

"A couple of different vessels, yes. The first ship was larger, it housed a lot of us when we were preparing to make the move into other ships. I got a lot of my education offworld actually. It was easy to forget we weren't still at home, until we had to eat things from the fabricators rather than anything that was made in the kitchens. When I and a couple of classmates were slated for the Degasi under father's orders, it almost solely became purely reconstituted, nutritionally complete, utterly boring fare. Everything was clean and sterile, sleek, rounded about the edges, beds only just comfortable enough to get enough sleep to function on, clean white lights and not a trace of dirt to be seen. Even the growbeds were hydroponic and supported root latticework with foam blocks, all in vertical stacks. Lettuce a storey high. It was a technique for food production pioneered in Shandong in...I want to say around 2017?"

[maximumcake]

"Fabricated food sounds awful." Max is glad it didn't come to that on the cruise ship. He probably would have had a breakdown about it.

"I mean, the efficient way to grow food sounds really cool, and I wouldn't mind seeing some of that here but the rest sounds like living in a prison. No wonder you're having a hard time adjusting."

[theresalwaystheview]

"The infrastructure here wouldn't be able to support it or I might like to try and start on a facility that would allow large-scale production of staple crops. Something that would take the workload off of our farmers." Bart has clearly put a lot of consideration into this sort of thing, and ended up frustrated by the lack of resource to let him even start such projects.

"I'll learn sooner or later how to get by. I like to think I've done alright so far." His tone makes it clear that he thinks otherwise.

[maximumcake]

"I bet you could still help them in smaller-scale ways. Hey, if you can figure out an efficient way for me to make larger quantities of powdered sugar without having to grind it every day forever, I'd pay you for that." He's not even joking.

"You look like you're doing all right to me. You might not be the star of the party, but you showed up and you made a new friend, didn't you?" Max nudges him lightly on the shoulder. "That's me, by the way."

[theresalwaystheview]

"Something to facilitate automatic grinding perhaps, or a simple hand machine that will convert less effort into more product," Bart muses, trying to remember enough of the food production side of his degree to nail something down. "I can get back to you with a plan and see what you might prefer. There is electricity available here, so that will make it a bit easier, it's just a matter of getting the parts together to try and put it together. I may need to outsource the labor to put it together, but I'm sure that it will be done it if means that you'll be able to provide something the village will enjoy." He actually looks more animated as he thinks all of this over, especially considering that it meshes his own skillset with the opportunity to expand what he knows how to do, with the promise of helping someone else.

He looks back at Max at the reassurance, and not for the first time he's rather blindsided by the up-front, earnest statement that he's made a friend. He colors faintly around the ears and looks back down the road instead. "I'd much rather be a background player anyway. I certainly wasn't built for being the center of attention."

[maximumcake]

Max props his chin on his hands a listens with a contented smile on his face as Bart goes on about his potential plans. Isn't it wonderful to see people talk about their passions? He can't wait to see what they come up with together.

"You know that's a good thing, right?" Max answers just as earnestly. "We need support people just as much as we need the center stage people. You're obviously a really capable guy. I think you have a lot to offer even from the background or maybe especially from the background."

[theresalwaystheview]

Get him talking about wildlife and he'll absolutely talk Max's ear off. Especially about observations that he'd made on previous worlds, in the forests here, or even out in Paradesium.

Bart's posture softens, shoulders going slack, expression a combination of embarrassment and pleasure at the earnest praise. His hands twist together, long fingers lightly calloused with the lab work that he does near constantly when he's not forcing himself to be social. "When I got here, I vowed to myself that I would put everything I knew to good use, to help the people around me with no mind toward ever asking for any kind of profit in return. I gain enough simply by being able to do the work that I care about. I want to be able to improve others' lives here however I can, whether it be by the antibiotics I've been synthesizing from the efforts made by the doctors and farmers before me, or making batteries for radios and food processors for kitchens. You will keep me abreast of whatever you might need, won't you? Even if it's just a checkup at the clinic that I assist at."

[maximumcake]

"I think that's a really noble cause. So many people will be grateful to have your help. I know baking isn't as grand as making antibiotics, but I feel the same way about it. All I want is to open up a cafe here so I can feed people good things that might brighten their day.

"Baking is a kind of chemistry. I might just have some requests for you to help me perfect my craft." And while he knows Bart won't want anything in return, Max's conscience can't let kindness go unanswered so... "I know how workaholics like us can get pretty wrapped up in the work, so you can expect me to drop by with some bread or other snacks to make sure you're staying fed. And maybe you can give me a checkup some time, too. It's actually been a while."

[theresalwaystheview]

"'Not as grand'? Feeding people is just as important, if not more so. How are their bodies to fight off the things that antibiotics assist in killing if they don't have something good in their bellies? Add to that that baked goods have a terrific effect on morale, and that a positive outlook does statistically show at least a small impact on a person's wellbeing. I really honestly think that you will do just as much good here as I try to, if not more. It helps that you seem very likeable, which is more than I can confidently say for myself."

The offer to come by with little snacks from time to time is met with a sweet smile, and he nods, though he does have to add, "after so much of my life was spent on those foodstuffs designed for space travel, I'm afraid that I'm having to limit my intake of certain things. I'm afraid that I've always been lactose intolerant, and glutenous foods need to be rather few and far between. But I'm sure you would be able to come up with something!" Can't crush the man's dreams, after all.

[maximumcake]

"I really can't argue against that. I um. I know exactly how bad not eating can be for a body." He worries his bottom lip between his teeth while he forces those memories away.

"But I don't think you should count yourself out like that. I don't see any reason why you'd be seen as any less likable than I am. Being a little shy isn't a crime." And Bart is being really, really cute right now letting his passion show so Max can't imagine anyone thinking he's unlikable once they get him talking.

"Understood. Lucky for you, I do know low-sugar recipes, too. And I happen to know where I can get a huge supply of sweet potatoes. I got you covered."

[theresalwaystheview]

He makes a soft sound and nods. "That's why trying to set up a stable source of food is always one of the first things that you have to worry about when it comes to the viability of a population, regardless of setting. This place is certainly no exception, and why I needed to know what the local farmers were able to produce when I arrived. Having enough for everybody is extremely important. I want to try to introduce proper hybridization and long-term genetic modification to ensure that anything produced here is sustainable."

Bart's fingers twist together, a conflicted look on his face at the assurance that he is actually likeable. He's been very unsure about that in the wake of everything that's happened. At least the offer to figure out something that could be made within his dietary restrictions, he smiles once more. "If there is anything that I can do to assist in this, please do let me know. I don't have much of a refined palate, but I can taste-test easily enough. It'll be good if we get others with similar limitations."

[maximumcake]

"It has been a real concern. I heard there was a food shortage for a while because of all the extra people that keep showing up here. I think it's better now, but we should all do what we can to make sure it doesn't happen again or get worse." Max has his own ideas for what he can do. If his powers to keep food fresh are still active, then there's a lot he might be able to do about it. He has a plate of meat he made earlier today sitting up in his room. He's going to watch it and see what happens.

"Hey," Max says gently as he notices the way Bart's fingers worry together. "You're worth the effort. It's no trouble for me to work on alternatives, honestly. Think of how you feel trying to innovate on one of your projects and that's kind of how it feels for me, too. You're giving me a challenge to rise to. That said, I'll definitely take your help in the food-tasting department because I'm used to eating sweet things so you might have to help me make it more to your tolerance."

[theresalwaystheview]

"Coming into a lot of new people on the tail end of a massive blizzard certainly didn't do the food stores any favors, but all in all, I really think it could have gone far worse."

Bart makes an effort to cover up the way that Max's assurance that his help is appreciated, and that he himself is as well, hurts something in his chest. It isn't that he doesn't think he's worth the time and kindness, but that a pattern of behavior in those around him seems to contradict the idea in others' eyes. It's a problem that he has no idea how to address without sounding terribly petty. So he just offers an unsteady little smile, and nods. "I would like that very much. If you'd like something to start from, I do like fruit sweetness, and there was this grain-based biscuit that I quite liked when we briefly stopped in a place known more for its unleavened fare. It was made with berries in the meal."

[maximumcake]

"I think you're right. It wasn't pleasant, but no one actually starved." A fate he's all too happy for others to avoid experiencing.

Max can still see the hesitance, but he doesn't want to push too hard and make it awkward. He'll just make a mental note to keep checking in on Bart to see how he's acclimating.

"That gives me plenty to work with. Now, when you say biscuit I'm assuming you mean something in the sweet variety that's similar to a cookie? I always have to ask because Americans have a different idea of what a biscuit is than a lot of other places. That can cause some interesting confusion when you offer someone biscuits and gravy, haha."

[theresalwaystheview]

He's right there with Max, having experienced near-starvation himself before now. He'd remedied that himself, but it's a relief not to have to do so again.

It takes a second for the gears to click into place when it comes to the idea of biscuits and gravy. Switching away from the decidedly cookie-centric idea of them, to the fluffier, more scone-like savory fare that some of the arrivals have folded into the local cuisine, and Bart finally lets out a quiet laugh when it all lines up. "Yes, that's right. I must say, I have my doubts that gravy of any stripe would be particularly good over a blueberry cookie."

good place to wrap?

[maximumcake]

"Nnnno," Max agrees, laughing, "I can't see gravy and blueberry working together no matter what you try with them. Some combinations just aren't meant to be."

This is nice, he thinks to himself as he smiles at his new friend. This is what I've been missing all along, people. More people to share the world's wonders with.