action ; open base mingle

[octoroom]

It’s been about a month or so since people started arriving to this world and onto the base—a month of shenanigans, exploration, danger, angry sealife and other things. In this still-small base, there’s all kinds of things that characters can do so, therefore, consider this an all-purpose base mingle post.

prompts:

→ i. it’s a fixer upper
[In the wake of the Aurora explosion, there were quite a few things that needed repairing. Even then, the base itself is by no means complete, with limited room and not even rooms for each and every person. Luckily, there aren’t all that many living in the base! Yet.

But, there’s always something to do. Are you helping with repairs? Trying to decorate the base somehow? Building something new that can add to it? Perhaps you’re one of those in the laboratory, researching what species that this ocean has to offer. Hopefully nothing else is blowing up.

Or are you just standing around, staring wistfully out at the ocean and not contributing at all? I mean, that’s fine, but…]


→ ii. catch of the day
[How’s that seafood? What? You have no idea how to cook it? Well, then.

It’s probably like sushi, where you can eat it raw, right? Or maybe you’re one of those bringing back fresh supplies to the base. Possibly still wriggling around fresh supplies. Can you actually (miracle of miracles) cook some of the fish/other things that are probably fish so that they don’t taste half-bad?

If all else fails, just munch on some seaweed. I hear it’s nutritious.]


→ iii. it’s like a giant sleepover
[Surely there’s nothing awkward about cramming yourself into one of the ‘free’ rooms around the base with your air mattress and curling up there. Have you set out a space for yourself? Found a nice spot where you’re usually alone but uh-oh don't count on that for too long?

Perhaps you’d rather just sleep in the hallway to avoid drifting off near others.

Maybe you just don’t sleep at all or you prefer roaming the base when it gets dark. Nightmares about sea creatures can be a doozy.]


→ iv. choose your own/wildcard option
[What else has your character been doing? Go wild!]

(These prompts are loose so you can make your own prompts for people to tag out of them. Make headers, tag around, use this post for whatever you like!)

Comments

[upcard]

Um... if you're hungry, I wouldn't mind getting something to eat.

[But only if you're hungry!!]

But there's no rush, so...we can do it whenever.

[maserannas]

There may be one more important question on if either of us are hungry, at the moment.

[ A pause. ]

Are either of us any good at cooking?

[ Her lips pull up into a sideways smile; it's a joke, but a semi-serious one. She's not an inspired cook, and she's a fair hand at making provisions and supplies, but all this underwater nonsense is one she's still adapting to on the "cooking" front. There are many far more capable than she! ]

[upcard]

Well... I can cook--um, a little.

[She does work in a cafe, after all, even if her abilities tend towards the more cutesy food items on their menu.]

I might be able to come up with something for us.

[maserannas]

Mm, then let's see what we might come up with together, yeah? I may well learn something from you in the process.

[ Brightside! She's really still getting used to an only seafood diet. Before now, she's only had seafood on occasion, and it's been an odd turnover, though she's been enjoying some of the plants. Fish isn't bad at all, either.

Everything they do manage to catch here is super fresh, for the most part. ]

[upcard]

[Super fresh is true... Mai's not particularly incredible at making seafood, but she knows some recipes, so that helps. She'll nod simply at that, offering a bit of a smile.]

Okay... I'll need your help too, so... I'll appreciate the assistance. Let's try to find some fish that hasn't been cooked yet.

[maserannas]

So we're going hunting first?

[ She teases, considering she's not turning toward the airlock (wetlock... lock... LOCK???) but the kitchen. Then again they're not living on a very large base. She could be taking the long route. ]

I believe there should be some left over from this morning's catch. We'll know soon enough.

[ Know what the best invention ever is? Refrigerators. Or anything that keeps cool without needing magic or ice, that's pretty rad. ]

[upcard]

O-oh, no, I couldn't...!

[Mai is the Pure, Lover of All Animals sort... she could never go catch a fish herself, what do you take her for. To the kitchen it is.]

I...think there should be some left over too...

[maserannas]

[ ... At this point, a vegetarian if left to her own devices. A fairly decent way of getting by! With no objections from Ellana, to the kitchen it is. Once there, she heads to the fridge, giving a casual look through for what's stored in there. Selecting two fish she'd brought in from earlier (electric shock can be a great tool in water — some of the time) she pulls them out, bringing them to the counter. ]

Left over or "in stock," really, it's a little of both. Let's see... what else will you need?

[upcard]

Um, it depends on what kind of fish they are, but...

[She knows some simple recipes, so she pokes at the fish for a moment (ugh look at their dead eyes staring) before nodding.]

I think ith these we could maybe make some Karei no Nitsuke... we don't really have soy sauce, but I saw something that smelled like ginger earlier, and I know there were some sweetener substitutes...? Then I would just need...salt, I think, and...

... I wonder what we could substitute for mirin...

[this is harder than she thought!!]

[maserannas]

... To be honest, I'm not sure what you're asking for, or I'd offer some suggestions.

[ She's amused, letting it show in the crinkling by the corners of her eyes. ]

There's something that adds a touch of sweet, like honey... here.

[ She pulls out... whatever it may be, setting the container on the counter. ]

What should mirin taste like?

[upcard]

Oh...! I'm sorry!

[She doesn't always think about that sort of thing. But she wrinkles her nose a little at that, thinking.]

It's... like rice wine? We'll use it to cook the fish in.

... I wonder how rice wine is made.

[maserannas]

I'd guess the making would involve both rice and some sort of yeast, but I have no idea.

[ She's presuming rice doesn't have a natural yeast of its own, but admittedly, she's also not had all that much rice in any form in her life. ]

Alcohols of any sort are something I believe is under investigation.

[ She has hopes. Also one dream. It may be this hope and dream. ]

Might we be able to use something else as a base for cooking the fish in?

[upcard]

[Under investigation, huh... Mai's underage so she's never wanted to drink but. She'll take your word for it. But using something else...]

Well... I suppose we could use anything, honestly. It will taste differently, but I think it should be okay...?

[SHE HOPES.]

Let's see...what do we have?

[maserannas]

[ Rifling through the cabinets produces... ]

... Kelp, a sand shark egg, and those jelly plants that don't burn?

[upcard]

[.............. she has no idea what the hell to do with any of that.]

... Maybe we can try just... boiling it.... [Good old water.]

[maserannas]

Boiling works.

[ The fish isn't so fresh anymore that she feels like eating it raw, so why not? Boil it and... proceed from there! ]

Do we have enough water on hand, or should I fetch more from the contraption in the other room?

[upcard]

No, this should be fine.

[Mai just nods quietly, furrowing her brow a little over the remainder of the ingredients.]

Um... and I suppose we don't have any rice either...

[This dish is not going to look right at all!!]

[maserannas]

Ah... there might be an egg or two we can use. Looks like sand shark ones from what I saw?

[ No rice that she knows of, however. Simple meals? Works for her, as it is. ]

[upcard]

[........ She just...sighs a little.]

... This isn't going to be the right dish at all...

[AND YET.... she has no other choice. She squares her shoulders, taking a deep breath.]

R-right... Ellana-san, we're going to have to be creative to make this dish work. Are you ready?

[Time to FIGHT HARD.]

[maserannas]

[ This is the face of an elf prepared to fight hard for dinner.

... Which she'd probably have eaten fresh caught and raw if needed, so this is already pleasantly up the ladder of possible dinners, and Mai has a one armed helper ready to go! ]

Ready as ever. [ Why the... san... it's probably a nickname. Yeah, she's got this! ] I'm yours to direct, Mai. What will you have me do?

[upcard]

[We're doing great here!! But she'll just poke around for a pot, thoughtful.]

Let's see... first, we need to fill a pot with water and boil it...and then from there...

[...this is going to just be an adventure, isn't it...]

We'll try to use some of these plants to season it, I think...

[maserannas]

I'll fetch the water. I'll leave you to deciding which of what we have on hand might be useful for seasoning.

[ Here's another jaunty grin, but it's all part of Ellana deciding to relax and just go along with this. Easier to do that and let them both make their own errors along the way than stand around like she has any clue what she's really doing. Blessedly, no one's asking her to pretend these days. It's a relief.

Which means she pulls out the pot and balances it against her hip, heading toward the fresh water dispensary and checking that it is, indeed, on the water setting before getting the pot in place. She returns with it cradled against her chest instead of her hip this time, her one good arm wrapped around it. ]

One pot of water to boil, as you please.

[upcard]

Thank you!

[She smiles brightly at Ellana at that, pleased as punch; she's poked at some of the plant life and herbs and while she's...still not entirely sure what she's doing, they're going to wing it and hope for the best here. Besides, there's something nice about doing something like this with a friend.]

So...we'll boil the fish with these herbs... maybe we should cut them up first. [KNIFE TIME--this is the only time she'll ever properly handle a knife, for food cutting.]

Then we'll put them all in together and [hope for the best] see how it turns out!

[maserannas]

[ Ellana doubts they'll make it so repugnant she won't be able to choke it down, so she's easily biddable as far as this goes. Double checking that the water is actually set to boil (she still doesn't know if she trusts this whole system, but that's more for not fully understanding it and being a bit envious that it's so much easier to work with than the methods they have back home), she straightens again, inclining her head to Mai. ]

Bone in or out of the fish?

[ She assumes in......... but she glances toward the fish either way. ]

I may leave the fine chopping up to you, if that's all right.

[ If agreed on, she'll look to pull out plates for them after the fact. What are they making! It is a mystery, but also probably edible! ]

[upcard]

Mm... I think we can leave the bone in.

[They're just boiling it anyway; maybe they can scrape the meat from the bone after... she'll have to decide later, but for now it's fine. Instead, Mai just nods simply, reaching for the veggies and herbs.]

Of course! I think after this, we should be fine... we just have to let it cook.

[Busily chop chop chopping! They're doing good work here, even if it turns out that it tastes a little odd. Mai will just dump the chopped up greenery into the pot as soon as it's cut up, though she leaves the fish out until the water properly begins to boil.]