[VIDEO]

[dust_of_life]

[This little field trip has been good to Fatima. She's been indulging in every pair of boots and every pretty blouse her eye finds. Shopping for the soul. It's almost like being back home again and it's almost enough to assuage the survivor's guilt she's feeling every time she allows herself to stand still.

And since standing still isn't an option, it's time for a new project.

She's on the network, looking pretty and made-up, with a large, red flower in her hair, just over her left ear.]

So if unlimited credit really means unlimited, this seems like as good a time as any to possibly get to work on a hydroponics bay. I mean, the garden we have is pretty and all, but it's not necessarily efficient for large-scale farming. And I wouldn't want to disrupt that shrine thingy.

I was thinking now would be the perfect opportunity to pick up supplies. I know there are some people on the crew interested in plants. And while I'm a great big-idea person, I gotta admit that I don't know about the logistics of setting up a hydroponics bay. Other than seeds, of course. And I've already got a list of good crops.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Comments

Video

[allyisun]

Oh my god, I was just thinking about this!

[If she sounds a bit over-excited it's because Allison has been doing her best to keep herself perpetually tipsy since they arrived.]

Like, the café could seriously use more fresh fruit than what I get in the mail sometimes. Frozen fruit smoothies are good and all, but fresh is better!

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima smiles slightly. She more than understands the need to self-medicate. And she's definitely been drinking more rum than her liver probably appreciates.]

Yeah.

Plus, scurvy totally isn't sexy.

[allyisun]

[Allison lets out a little 'pfft' of amusement.]

You mean you're not attracted to bleeding gums?

This place is for space tourists, though, right? So it should definitely have stuff for people to buy for their space gardens.

[dust_of_life]

That's what I was thinking.

I'm planning on surveying the options later.

[It pains her to have to cut into her R&R, but she has to think in the long term.]

Got any shops you would suggest I check out?

[allyisun]

None to do with plants. I've been busy getting stuff for the café upgraded and stocking up on supplies.

[There will be so many crates of coffee, tea, and nonperishable snacks in the cargo bay by the time this trip is over.]

[dust_of_life]

[Fatima laughs softly.]

Well, speaking as a declared caffeine addict, I'm good with that.

[allyisun]

I am a generous and benevolent coffee overlord.

[dust_of_life]

All hail Overlord...

[A pause.]

I think I need a name.

[allyisun]

Overlord Allison, the Queen of Caffeine!

Heh, I kind of like the sound of that.

[dust_of_life]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Overlord Allison, the Queen of Caffeine.

[allyisun]

[Allison puts on her best royal airs.]

I greet you, loyal Caffeine Pilgrim. I demand tribute of, uh. Tribute of thanks, lest the Coffee Coffers run dry!

[Then she ducks her head sheepishly.]

Hey, I don't think I caught your name, by the way.

[dust_of_life]

[She laughs again.]

Fatima. Fatima Merali.

I'm from Los Angeles, if that means anything to you. 2009.

[allyisun]

Oh hey! Good old US of A. You know, I know there's plenty of Earthlings here, but somehow I keep expecting everyone to be from another planet.

American here, too, just... a little later.

[dust_of_life]

[There's a comfort in the familiar. Fatima smiles.]

What part?

Also, please tell me there are flying cars.

[allyisun]

Heh, sorry. The twenty-teens don't have a whole lot more going on on the flying car front than the Noughties did.

[dust_of_life]

Well, that's disappointing.

[But she'll get over it. Anyway, she never really liked The Jetsons.]

[allyisun]

Yeah, unfortunately the near future ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[dust_of_life]

What do you mean?

[allyisun]

Still full of jerks and crippling student debt and shitty tippers and we don't even have an outrageous advances in technology to show for it.

Got a few new good movies I guess.

audio; dumb 90s teen with dumb questions

[springlocking]

What does hydroponic mean?

[dust_of_life]

Basically, it's a fancy way of saying that we're using water instead of soil.

[That voice sounds young. Of course, you never know in a place like this but... Kids, man. They should not be getting caught up in this.]

(video; private)

[chaostic]

I'd be willing to try my hand at it, especially with all the resources I've already stocked up on planetside.

[ Having a steady supply of plant life, along with most extractions, is very much of interest to him. Plus, it's something to do in his spare time that won't be dreadfully boring. ]

Augmenting it to be more efficient shouldn't take much effort with unlimited credits.

[dust_of_life]

[A team player? That's kinda nice. Although there's something...weird. About his face.

She can't quite figure it out.

All the same, Fatima smiles.]

What kind of resources?

[chaostic]

Anything the bay doesn't come equipt with. Heating lamps, maybe a few tools to build an area that can mimic a tropical setting for specific kinds of fruit and flowers, and probably some medical equipment for dealing to toxins and such. I'm aware he have a medical bay but it might be smart to keep natural alternatives around if something does ever go down.

[ That's a short list but he's giving her examples. ]

And, of course, whatever is needed to actually take care of the gardening work.

[ Hey, if she recognizes him somehow and doesn't want to punch him? That's a good day in Loki's book. ]

[dust_of_life]

You're really on top of things.

[Which is a good day in her book.]

I've been investigating nutrients that we could use hydroponically. In case it's hard to replace the soil with something viable.

I wonder if we could find something on the surface that would work as a substitute. Maybe some kind of mineral powder.

[chaostic]

Dealing with plants is an old hobby of mine.

[ It's relaxing in it's own way. ]

Mineral powder might work, but we'd have to be able to replicate it assuming the Moira won't be stopping by this planet again any time soon. [ Which is really the issue when bring perishable supplies on board. Once they're gone, they're gone. ] It's possible, at least in my universe, but I can't say I'm very familiar with everything here yet.

[dust_of_life]

Yeah, me neither.

I guess some kind of duplicator isn't the sort of thing you'd find in a gift shop on a pleasure planet...

[Although there are...interesting implications there.]

Oh. Wait. Sorry. Manners are a thing.

My name's Fatima.

[chaostic]

Who knows? Maybe they might have one. They sell weapons.

[ He tried to keep back his impulse to look disappointed. He was hoping they could skip right on over introductions. Time will tell if the fastest way to end of conversation is by giving out his name given an incident a few days ago. ]

You can call me Loki. [ However he doesn't dwell, and quickly changes the subject. ] At any rate it's worth looking into what AS3H, or any of the others, has to offer aside from the typical tourist aspects.

[dust_of_life]

Loki? Like the Norse Frost Giant?

[Someone's parents had a sick sense of humor. But seeing as she met the "real" Loki in Zelien, she lets him graze over the topic.]

Well, I'm up for a field trip, if you feel like stretching your legs.

[chaostic]

[ She's lucky someone already mentioned his myths or he might have yelled at someone he doesn't even know. How is it he seems to be the only person who never knew his true parentage? ]

Something like that.

[ Better to have her thinking he has a horrible name than actually having ammunition to press his buttons. ]

I haven't left the hotel on AS3H since I arrived. I can search around with you later in the evening, if you'd like.

[dust_of_life]

Sounds good.

I like having a direction to move in, you know? Standing still isn't for me.

[And being on a space ship is starting to make her feel like a tiger in a cage.]

[chaostic]

[ Continued over here! ]