And we're all adrift together through the cold mist, 'til we're lifeless together

[dokkalfheimr]

[The preparations hit differently this time.

Last weekend was at least an attempt at being festive, even with the light supplies they have; at being joyous, at giving people at least one nice thing to look back upon before things inevitably took a turn for the worse. And now two people are dead, and instead of trying to figure out structure placement and how best to keep everyone entertained and occupied and well-fed, the preparations now are given to much more practical purposes.

Large amounts of bottled water from the machine. Bagels and bread and muffins, light starchy things to avoid forcing anyone to keep meat or seafood down after seeing a corpse. Fruit for the sake of providing energy. Avoiding including bananas for any reason. Quietly pulling aside one of the first people she sees with any experience in the matter and asking them to help her make tea.

Once she's got one of the tables at the party zone set up and the tea is on its way to being prepared, she'll set around letting people know; the invitations are simple, written in Freyja's broad, elegant handwriting:

I think another gathering tonight would be beneficial. Not to celebrate, but to remember; perhaps more importantly, to ensure that no one is alone if they don't want to be.

Tonight is hard. There is nothing further to do but get through it.]

Comments

[silentscout]

[Oh. Now there's a word he's familiar with. And despite Lalli's usual habit of staying away from others, Allenby suddenly has his undivided attention.]

You're from Sweden?

[He's not even going to protest her going through his stuff to get the plug suit.]

[ignobel]

Hmm? Yeah! Neo Sweden, but it's based off the old Earth one. What, I didn't mention it?

[She says that very offhand, because she's busy giving a little whoop of vindication when she unearths the plug suit proper. It's all kinds of ridiculous bright colors, has strange antennae all over it, and moreover it's made of some kind of crazy rubbery material that looks pretty strong... Also there's like, a bow on it?

That's some magical girl shit. Going to line it up against herself, but considering it's one of those skintight deals, it's pretty hard to size.]

We're still technically neighbors in space, too. Neo Finland, I mean.

[silentscout]

You didn't.

[Honestly, he never really asked either. It's hard for him to really get interested in other people, usually others have to push him to interact with them at first until he warms up a bit. But that isn't really working here, or so he's finding out.]

You're in space. So you're not on Earth anymore? You're up in the heavens?

[ignobel]

Sometimes I forget this isn't the same Earth. Then again, I don't think they had as many cruise ships going there. Maybe they all got lost?

[Who even knows the state of the Bermuda Triangle in weird crapsack Gundam world. But hey, it's a new experience either way -- Allenby seems a bit more rejuvenated now than after the trial, it's nice to have her suit back and she spends a lot more time in the sea breeze than strictly necessary.

Speaking of skies and outside though, there's a bit of a laugh as she joins him on the floor.]

Space, yeah! That's a pretty poetic way of putting it, though. They just put together big whole hunks of land and rock and metal in space. Whole lot bigger than space stations.

[silentscout]

I wonder if my world could have managed that.

[If not for the zombies.

But moving on!]

I know a little Swedish.

[Like this is important here.

Btw the DVD is in the pile too, she can find that as well.]

[ignobel]

What, space or cruise ships? Or the Bermuda Triangle?

[It's a little cheeky, given that it's probably space, but look when you come from entirely disparate universes sometimes it pays to ask. Now if only she bothered to do that with something other than ridiculous conversations.]

Hard not to pick up a little of everything -- I've got a few words in Finnish, German, pretty sure I learned some Russian curse words... Oh, and I know how to order a few dishes in Cantonese. [this is mostly distracted prattle as she squints at that elusive DVD and then just nabs it] ... Does that say Gundam Fight? Did it come with the suit??

[silentscout]

Space. Humans can't fly anymore, in my time. I've seen the ruins of what used to be large machines that let humans fly, but things like that haven't actually flown in decades.

[He looks over at the DVD.]

It came out separate. Is that yours too?

[ignobel]

Earth's in pretty bad shape back home for you too, huh? Think we would have hit that if we didn't escape to space first. It's hard to tell when that happened ages before I was even born.

[Wow tfw you come from mirror crapsack universes. Huzzah!

She's suspiciously perusing the DVD, which is dual-labeled in English and Cantonese, with a few other languages thrown in for good measure.]

It's got Gundam on it. Actually, it's got the name of mine on it. Huh.

[silentscout]

Your 'Gundam'?

[This is way more interesting than talking about fucked up worlds. He's coming over to look at the DVD cover.]

That's a movie. Did you make a movie?

me realizing they don't have a DVD player so F

[ignobel]

The thing I fight in. Giant robot, lots of ribbons, real beauty.

[There's a quick pleased note in her voice talking about the robot itself, specifically; there's not much else to the DVD but there are two names there: Nobel Gundam vs. God Gundam, 13th Gundam Fight, Neo Hong Kong, Victoria Peak Ring.

She sets it up on its edge and spins it a bit, looking around... For real, though, they don't even have the X-treme Teen Zone yet at this stage.]

I didn't make it, though -- they just televise all our fights 'cause they're supposed to affect all the colonies. And they can make a quick buck off the popularity.

none movie for them

[silentscout]

So they recorded your fights.

[Weird, but he can kind of get it. It sounds like writers following someone impressive while getting information to write a book.]

Why were you fighting?