Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 11, 2014 0:44:50 GMT -5
Jaelyn watched Luka closely as she worked, as though hoping that she could pick up a few things about cooking from her. She was a horrible cook, and her mother had been even worse, so there had been no opportunity for her to learn. Of course, even if she could learn by doing, she would still have to be able to afford the ingredients. That was a stumbling point that wouldn't be going away any time soon. But there wasn't much she could actually pick up. Luka was too fast and worked as though she had done it a thousand times before. Jaelyn couldn't even be sure of all the ingredients that had gone into it. And by the time she finally asked about Luka's family, she was already done.
Her face was blank for a moment when she answered. Just her, huh? So she really was alone. Jaelyn wasn't sure what to say to that...although, drawing some similarity couldn't be too far off, right? "Neither do I. Not anymore," she said. Then the girl asked how long she'd been in the city. It seemed like an easy enough transition, for a subject change at least. "Two years," she answered. "I lived in some no-name town in America before that."
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 11, 2014 15:16:38 GMT -5
Luka began stirring the pot slowly as she thought. This girl didn't have a family either it seemed. And from the way the girl worded it, that hadn't always been the case. It may have been a bit more recent than Luka's family loss too. This girl was somewhat like her in that regard.
Of course, Luka opted to not go further down that path. Instead, she had changed the subject to something a little lighter. America? I've never been there before. What's it like? America seemed like some sort of foreign place on the other side of the world to the girl. While she was quite sure about the "other side of the world" part, she had heard that America wasn't all that much different than Mosaic. To name a few similarities, the residents spoke English, there were a lot of different races found here, and both were pretty modern technology-wise. Nonetheless, Luka was quite curious about the overall lifestyle there. Surely there had to be some differences between the two. As for me, I was born in a small village in Japan. She decided to go with where she was bornrather than the different places she lived for simplicity.
Meanwhile, the stew seemed to be coming along quite nicely. She could likely serve it up pretty soon if she wanted.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 11, 2014 23:23:36 GMT -5
What was it like? Hah. Like Jaelyn would know much about what America was like. She barely saw more than a few towns of it. The largest and busiest part of America she had ever been was the airport she left it from. All she could answer was what little she actually knew. "I didn't see much of it. I lived in small towns all of my life, and I was eight before I even knew what state I lived in, but...hmm. I guess if you take away all the Chinese and whatever influences this place wouldn't be too far off. But it's strange. I went from a town where everyone knew each other to a school in a neighboring city where nobody cared what you did unless you failed a class or broke someone's fingers. Then I come here where suddenly I'm expected to know everyone in my class and care about what they're doing outside of school. How is that any of my business?" Okay, so she may have gotten hung up on some of the oddities of the culture here. Influenced by the region, she was sure.
"Japan, huh?" she said, hearing Luka mention where she was born. "I don't actually know anything about it." She had known someone before moving here who was a fan of Japanese...something or other, but that was hardly a good indication of anything. And while there were plenty of Japanese people in the city, she'd rarely had reason to interact with any of them. Not until now at least.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 12, 2014 15:12:59 GMT -5
So America was likely not much different than Mosaic? Luka could see that being the case, really. America was supposedly influenced by a lot of different cultures much like Mosaic. And the girl wouldn't have been surprised if Mosaic received some influence directly from America. As for the girl's concerns regarding the customs, Luka felt that she couldn't really comment. A-Ah, is that so. She was completely anti-social for the majority of her four years in the city. She hardly knew anyone aside from the people she was just getting to know following the events of the lockdown.
She wasn't really surprised about the girl not knowing much about Japan though. It wasn't a big central area like Mosaic or America was. Well, a lot of the cities in Japan aren't far off from Mosaic. However, a good portion of it is quite rural like the place I was born. The school was a small building with only a few rooms for various grades in each. Everyone knew each other too. Her memories of her birthplace were far off and hard to remember, but she knew that much.
The stew seemed to be ready, now that she noticed it. Turning off the heat, Luka stirred the bowl a bit more. The stew is ready now. Taking out two bowls and some spoons, the girl moved back over to the table and placed 2 sets down. Returning back over to the bowl, the girl grabbed some cooking mittens and lifted the pot over to the table for the two of them. There. . . feel free to help yourself. She smiled as she sat down in her own seat.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 12, 2014 16:02:43 GMT -5
Well, just from that description at least, Japan didn't seem all that different from what Jaelyn was used to. At least, close enough that she could picture it, oddities she had experienced in Mosaic aside. A small town much like her own where everyone knew everyone whether they liked it or not...of course, there were plenty of differences too. "My town didn't even have a school. I had to go to the nearest city for that," she said. Maybe if she had gone to a school in her town, it would have been less strange to be expected to know and care about everybody. But then, if she'd never left home she might never have survived the city itself. Give and take, she supposed. "But otherwise, that doesn't sound far off from what I grew up with."
While they were talking, the stew finished cooking. Jaelyn watched Luka retrieve it and set out a couple bowls, then tell her to help herself. She eagerly spooned some into her bowl and tried a bite. The broth was thicker than she was expecting, but all the better for it. It didn't burn her mouth, and it gave more substance to the whole thing. Everything else blended well enough that Jaelyn could taste it all, but nothing stuck out above everything else. She stopped after the first bite, blinking and wondering if what was happening was even real. It was, she had to admit, the best thing she'd ever tasted. "Ah, this is wonderful," she said, before quickly helping herself to another bite.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 12, 2014 23:14:11 GMT -5
It would seem that the girl grew up in a situation much like she had in her hometown. Though, the girl couldn't exactly relate in that regard. Her life in her hometown was very short-lived. Following that was a long, painful life in an orphanage where she spent the majority of her life. Many memories began to go through her head at that moment, but she simply put them back into the recesses of her mind. I see. She didn't really have much to say. I'd imagine that must have been a long walk to school then. Or did you take a train or something akin to that?
It seemed that the girl was also eager to enjoy some of the stew too. That was good, considering that Luka might not be able to finish it all herself in the first place. Regardless, Luka began to fill her bowl once the other girl was done filling hers. After one bite, she seemed to compliment the food. A-Ah. . . That's good. The girl blushed a bit at the comment. Especially since she didn't know the girl very well, a comment like that was a bit self-esteem boosting. From there, the girl began to enjoy her dinner herself. I make this stew all the time, mostly because its simple and quick. Sure, the girl knew how to make much more complicated foods, but she stuck by what she knew how to make easily for the most part.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 13, 2014 2:50:23 GMT -5
"Walk? No way," Jaelyn said. She took another bite of the stew, trying to think of how long it would have taken to walk between towns to get there. Even with how small her town was, it took half an hour just to get to main street on foot. And that wasn't even close to the same distance. That was another difference between where she grew up and this place, she guessed. There was actual distance between thing. "That would have taken hours. No, I rode the bus. There aren't much in the way of trains out there either." Actually, not including the tram at the airport, the only trains Jaelyn had ever even seen were freight trains. Anything else just wasn't that common outside of big cities anymore.
She took another bite, as Luka explained that it was simple and quick. "Can you teach me then?" she asked suddenly. "I don't know how to cook pancakes, much less anything like this."
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 13, 2014 16:35:50 GMT -5
Taking a bus to school seemed like a normal alternative. Only, it seemed rather bothersome to Luka who had become accustomed to simply walking a few blocks over to the school building. She only had to wake up early enough to wake up and get ready. The actual commute took less than a few minutes.
Taking another bite of her stew, the girl blinked at the girl's request. She had wanted to learn to make stew, it seemed. And judging by what she had said regarding her cooking ability, it seemed that the girl could really use the lesson. As she had mentioned before, the girl lived alone. How did this girl get by if she didn't know how to cook for herself? Sure, I don't mind. Honestly, Luka felt sort of sorry for the girl. She could relate to her. If it was possible to help her out in some way, Luka felt that she should take that opportunity. Though, I don't believe I have enough ingredients to teach you right now. Perhaps I could teach you another time? She had only bought enough for one dinner, naturally. And rather than cooking a second dinner tonight that would likely go to waste, it would probably be better to do it another time.
Last Edit: Feb 13, 2014 16:37:26 GMT -5 by Luka Kurokawa
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 13, 2014 17:16:12 GMT -5
Jaelyn blinked, staying silent and giving Luka a look of surprise for several seconds. She didn't mind? Really? After she'd already fed her already and any hopes that she would actually do so were wishful thinking until it actually happened, she'd do more for her? Did Jaelyn even hear that right? Her first coherent thoughts after Luka answered were that she had to have misheard her. But then Luka followed it up by saying that she didn't have enough leftover ingredients and that it would have to be another time. There was no way she could have misheard that. But still, Jaelyn could hardly believe it. Maybe the whole thing had just been one elaborate dream.
"You are an angel from on high," she blurted out, before quickly catching herself and returning to eating her stew. What kind of thanks was that?! She didn't even believe in angels or anything like that. She was just going to sound weird like that. But then again, it seemed like there was already plenty of weirdness to go around.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 13, 2014 18:34:31 GMT -5
. . .Eh? Luka blushed a bit as the girl blurted out a very enthusiastic equivalent of a thank you. She was certainly not used to getting thanks at all. But to be compared to an angel? That was something else for the girl, having been called the equivalent of a demon all of her life.
The girl continued to eat her stew with a slight look of embarrassment. How was she supposed to respond to that? She thought for a bit, then realized that she should probably find some sort of way to get in contact with this girl should they follow up on this agreement. Ah. . . so do you have a cell phone or something that you could use to get in contact with me? Though she didn't exactly have what one would call a tight schedule, Luka would at least like to plan a day to do something like this rather than it being presented to her on the last minute.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 14, 2014 18:16:25 GMT -5
Well, whatever Jaelyn had sounded like to the girl, she was clearly embarrassed by what had just been said. Great, she did sound weird, then. Fortunately, when Luka finally talked again she changed the subject, saving Jaelyn from accidentally making herself sound even weirder. But a cell phone...hah, the last time she had a cell phone she threw it against a brick wall after some boy back home broke up with her. She didn't even remember his name anymore, just what happened to the phone. It had broken almost in half the moment it hit, and she'd been told they wouldn't be able to afford a replacement.
So she didn't have a cell phone. But now that she thought about it, her place did come with a phone line, and she had a cheap corded phone that had once been her house phone she could hook up there. "I have a phone, but it's not a cell. And I'd have to hook it up, but I think I remember the number." After racking her brain for a few seconds, she pulled out a pencil and a scrap of paper and wrote it down. "There. I can't guarantee I'll be in all the time, but if I am I should be able to answer."
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Feb 14, 2014 21:17:01 GMT -5
It seemed that the girl didn't own a cellphone of her own. It wasn't a convenient situation, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Nonetheless, the girl took the number that she was presented and placed it in her pocket to input into her phone later. In response, the girl shook her head.
It should be fine. Also, I should give you my number so that you can let me know when a good day is to teach you. Luka wrote down her own number on another sheet of paper and handed it to the girl. I shouldn't have too many days that I'm busy, aside from school days of course. It was probably better that this girl had her number anyway. It was her lesson, after all.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Feb 19, 2014 4:26:02 GMT -5
Huh. Luka made a good point. Jaelyn should have been the one doing the calling. It was more convenient that way, too, since Luka would presumably have her phone with her at all times. Meanwhile Jaelyn couldn't take hers with her when she was at school, or shopping, or taking increasingly dangerous trips into the outer circle, or just plain taking long walks while trying to shake the oppressive feeling of being haunted. Her room was too confining anyway, even with almost nothing in it. ...She needed a damned cell phone.
"It's not like I'd be free on school days either," Jaelyn said. "But I'll keep that in mind." She took another bite of stew, then another, and very quickly realized that she had already reached the bottom of her bowl. She gazed disappointedly at it, but tried not to let that show as she looked back up at Luka. "Um, thanks again for all this," she said. It was rare that Jaelyn sincerely thanked anyone, but Luka had already done far more than she could have ever expected out of someone. This time, she really did mean it.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Mar 1, 2014 22:53:11 GMT -5
Ah, no problem. Really. She smiled at the girl in response. It was interesting how such a small meeting turned into something big like this. Was this perhaps the start of a friendship? That was what it seemed like to the girl At least, going by what she had learned during her social lessons with Akira.
I think I have a few recipes for us to try out as well. We should be ready for that day when it comes. She nodded at the girl, thinking over the few recipes that she had in mind. From the sound of it, meals that were filling seemed to be the most important in terms of teaching.
Post by Jaelyn Callahan on Mar 6, 2014 21:51:32 GMT -5
Hah...so this was really happening. And it sounded like the girl had a few more recipes in mind too. Hopefully, they would be for things Jaelyn would be more likely to be able to afford the ingredients for than stew. Not that she thought learning to make the stew was a bad thing, but she also wanted to be able to make things on a more regular basis.
"Actually, now that I think about it, I may have a few old recipes as well. My mother tried to teach me a few things once, but...she wasn't very good either." She definitely remembered bringing them with her, back when she thought she'd be able to handle herself just fine on her own. Who even knew where they would have ended up after that, though. "Anyway, I guess I shouldn't waste any more of your time," she added, bracing a hand against her chair in preparation for standing up. "Unless there's any more stew left?"