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[Lacey starts a video feed with a bright smile.] Hello? Can you see and hear me? [She waves.]

Gosh! This really isn't a prank! It would have been the best one ever. A lot better than gulli-bologna. Hi! I'm Lacey from Dog River, Saskatchewan. Any other Canadians here? It's good to know we're not considered too polite and reserved to be imported heroes. [She gives a small, nervous giggle. That's a joke. I knew some people back home who did not fit either of those stereotypes at all. [Her smile falters.] I miss them. It's a lot to take in, you know?

[She grows quiet for a moment. Self-pity is not the first impression she wants to make. Her smile quickly brightens again.] I've been reading this information they gave me. It is very helpful and hard to believe at the same time. Porters, nanites, superpowers. It's like something right out of the movies. To be honest; it's not really the type of movie I'd watch. It would be appeal more to Brent and Hank. Maybe Davis. Those are friends of mine. Brent owns a gas station attached to my cafe and always has lunch at my counter. Davis is a cop that stops in often for coffee. And Hank, well, he hangs out at the cafe too.

[She has to take another moment to drive away the home sickness and get herself back on track.] Anyway, they'd go to see a movie with superheros, other worlds and everything else. I'd decline; I'd think it was all too far-fetched to watch and tell them to have fun. Yet here I am and they're back home. Isn't it strange how things work out?

I've been given a job here at Harold's Heart Attack Diner as a chef. That's kind of funny - you see, one of my powers is nutritional manipulation. I can make any meal low in calories, full of vitamins, all of that and not affect the taste. I'm hoping I'll be allowed to decide the menu. I have so many wonderful ideas. Please stop in for a bite. I'll see if I can get discounts for my fellow imports!

I'm going to be living in Jeopardy 003. Are any of my roommates hearing this? Hi! Nice to meet ya. Can't wait to see you in person. We can have so much fun. Movie nights, card nights, maybe a cocktail party, or give each manicures.

I hope I get to meet all the rest of you imports too!

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[ Have a nine year old, scrawny kid whose limbs are too long for his clothes. ]

You're my neighbor. I'm in Jeopardy 002.

Get prepared for weird.

Nice to meet you, neighbor.

It gets weirder?

I mean, they give everyone superpowers. And there are mythical creatures just appearing whole cloth from other universes at random. And that's just what's been going on the past month or so.

My goodness! Like unciorns, mermaids and dragons? At least it must never be boring around here.

More like sharks with octopus tentacles.

But you're right about it never being boring.

Sharks with tentacles? Swimming pools must be very popular here.

It'll be the opposite of my home then.

Hey. Has anyone given you the FAQ yet? If not I can send it your way. I work at a diner, too! Part time waitress. Sounds like they gave you the sort of work you're familiar with.

Maybe.

[Lacey looks through a file.]

I don't see the F.A.Q. Everything's happened so fast. Please send me it.

Yes, I think they did. Do you used to work at a diner on your world too?

[ There are a few taps and Lacey will find a message in her inbox. The subject is a series of ramen bowls, and there is a link inside. ]

Nope. I, uhhh. I was a child soldier and former spy. Basically. I like that this job is around food though. I'm pretty fond of food.

[Lacey glances at her inbox.]

I'm getting a message. Oh! It's the F.A.Q. You're so quick. This is a lot of info.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

[She's not sure what else to say. In her sitcom world, problems were very minor.]

I like food too. I won an eating contest back home.

[ Ruby grins a little. ]

I have the link always available. Some people helped me by linking to the FAQ and the history, and I figured I'd pass it along. The papers they give us don't really teach us a whole lot about what's going on, you know?

[ Ruby just glides over further mention of being a child soldier - she can tell when people don't know what to say, and isn't going to press the point. ]

I bet I can eat more than you can.

[ She says this with a massive grin. Even without being able to see her body, based on her location in comparison to the things around her in the video she was probably pretty small. ]

Oh, I know it's like being dropped in the middle of...there's not even a way to end that sentence. Nothing compares to this. They should include this F.A.Q. with the papers.

[Lacey grins back. She does love a challenge and she did manage to eat forty pierogis in mere seconds.]

Ha! Bring it on! I can even make the food. Do you like pierogis?

They should, but since it wasn't put together by the government, and has information they disagree with - like Jeopardy, that place just didn't exist a year ago but none of the locals realise that - so they wouldn't. We have to send it to people ourselves.

I have no idea what a pierogi is, but I am so down for it. How does two contests sound? One with food you make, and one with food I make? Maybe we could get Tina to prep the food for a third.

[ Ruby just really likes food. ]

I'm living in a place that's only been around for a year? And the local people don't even know it? That's so odd and good too. I can really make my mark.

[Lacey mouths opens in surprise.]

You've never had a pierogi? They're dumplings, usually filled with potato and cheese back home. There are so many things that can be added to them, bacon, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, onion, and different kinds of cheese. You can even have them with fillings other than potato. There's even dessert pierogis.

I'd love to try your food. Three contests sounds great. No chance for a tie. Not that there was a chance. [She gives a little grin to let her know she's kidding.]

Who's Tina?

[ Oh now that gets a chuckle. Ruby is immediately of the opinion that she is talking to a supreme optimist. ]

Never in my life have I knowingly had a pierogi, but it sounds awesome. Have you ever had shrimp doria? I figure if anything I'm learning to make has a western presence it's that.

[ Ruby can't help but grin back at that. ]

Tina Belcher! She's around my age or so, and she basically grew up in a burger joint. She teaches people how to cook things, and she makes punny burgers that taste great. [ From the way Ruby is talking, she clearly thinks highly of Tina. ]

I sort of have. I made a seafood doria back home once. I was always trying to get people back home to try new things. I thought the bechamel sauce and cheese would sell it. [She chuckles.] We weren't light eaters in dog river. We had a lot of farmers; they work up a hearty appetite. [And Brent who simply loved to eat.] I'd love to try your shrimp doria. I'm sure it's much more authentic than mine.

It's so good to hear about a kid into cooking. I had a job shadow for a while and he was brilliant. His parents didn't approve of him being a chef though. It was a real shame. [She's never one to dwell for long.] I hope I get to meet Tina. She sounds amazing.

How did its acceptance go? [ She looks and sounds very interested in that moment. ] The recipe I'm using is one from a website, so I don't know for sure. But I know it tastes similar enough to the few times I got to eat it at Saizeriya.

Before I came here I didn't really get the chance to learn a lot about cooking, except over an open fire. I mean, I was allowed to help with boiling water and cutting things up, but all of the actual cooking was done by adults. Coming here meant I had somewhere stable enough to be able to just sit down and learn and not have to worry about being poisoned. [ She actually sounds very happy about this! Not really remembering that normal people don't worry about being poisoned. ] it kinda feels odd to learn it so late in life, especially when kids in elementary learn how to make things like hamburg steak and I haven't been brave enough to try making it yet. But it's also good to have so much control over what I eat. I hope you get to meet Tina, too. She's great!

It was slow to be accepted at first. Then I started calling it classic seafood doria and it became much more popular. My own little marketing trick. [She says it with a giggle. It was satisfying to be the one playing the trick, especially when in the end, everyone liked it.] Saizeriya? That's a [a small pause where she almost says city.] restaurant?

When I was a kid, I didn't get many chances to cook either. Except when my Aunt Ruby used to visit. She was amazing. You should never have to worry about being poisoned. Get to know food safety rules really well and you'll be fine. [Accidental food poisoning is the only place her mind wold go to.] So late in life? You look so young! I knew a retired couple back home that were trying new things practically every week. It's never too late. If you know how to read, you can follow a recipe. Once you get the basics down, you can be make your own recipes for hamburg steak or anything else you like. Maybe you'll be running your own cafe someday. I'll keep an eye out for her on this network. Or an ear out.

It's pretty funny how simply reframing something can get everyone to think they're tasting something local. I approve. [ There's that grin. ] And yeah, Saizeriya is a restaurant. It has really good prices for food and drink, and it specialises in italian-inspired things, though probably with a Japanese touch.

[ She smiles when she hears that Lacey's aunt shared her name. It really went to confirm that she'd chosen a name that wasn't too weird. ] Most kids learn in elementary or junior high, or at least have classes to learn. So learning when I'm sixteen instead of ten feels like a big delay. I'm pleased to know it's not something that you grow out of, from a social standpoint I mean. I'm not likely to go into owning a cafe when I'm older - I'm thinking firefighter or something that involves working with animals, since not only do my powers help with both, but I also just really like animals - but I know I'll keep an eye on things in case you decide to own another diner here.

Oh, like an Italian Japanese fusion? There's a place like that in Toronto. Or at least there was on my world. They made a dish that was like a lasagna sushi. I love creative places like that.

We had classes like that when I was growing up, but they've been cut in schools back home. Money reasons. Some of the big cities still have them as an elective in high schools, but Dog River couldn't afford anything like that. [She frowns slightly, thinking of the financial problems back home, then smiles again quickly] Oh, you should never grow out of anything. [She chuckles.] Unless it's something with a maximum height limit. Oh, wow, a firefighter! Protecting the community and keeping people safe is very noble. You'd be a real hero. Helping animals is very important too. What kind of animals? I just might open my own. It'd be nice to have a version of the Ruby here. That was the name of my place back home; I named it after my aunt.

Sort of. More along the lines of local ingredients instead of ingredients from other sources. Kind of like how in Japan we have mayonnaise, but it's sweeter. And the best mayonnaise has rice vinegar in it. Hmmm. I'm not sure how you'd make lasagna sushi, but I know I'd try it. I'll eat anything at least once.

I mean, people sometimes grow out of being jerks [ she laughs ] Growing out of things isn't always bad... I don't really think I'd be a hero, not like most people in that job. I'd be doing it because it's a benefit to society, which is in line with my code and all that, not because I have emotional investment. Also because I sometimes need danger in order to not go crazy. [ There's another laugh, implying this is a joke, but it is actually not. ] as for animals? I'm not sure. I like basically all animals, since I can communicate with them. You should totally make a version of it here. ImPort-ran businesses are absolutely a thing.

Oh, that is the best. Fresh and local is the way to go. It was one of the best parts about living in a farming town back home. Like a kewpie mayo? The lasagna sushi is definitely worth a try. They used sheets of nori and layered them. In between the layers, there was seasoned rice, avocado, salmon and more. It was very good. Maybe I'll try making my own version of it someday.

Good point. I guess growing out of learning things is never bad. I know I'll have a lot to learn here. Maybe that makes you more heroic. Doing it for reasons other than it making you feel good. [She frowns.] Needing danger's not good. You might end up hanging out at the wrong end of a driving range, getting pelted with golf balls. Or something worse. Is it the adrenaline rush you like? There must be safer ways to find it. [She pauses for a moment.] Gosh. Are you a vegan? Or do you avoid farms? [She can't imagine talking to her dinner.] Maybe I will. I could use my import status to draw people in.

I miss being able to get good fish. Even some of our worst fish is better than the fish you get on average here. Well. It's probably more of an acquired taste thing, but I think I'm allowed to have opinions! And yeah. Kewpie mayo. I think I'd eat that lasagna.

I think that heroes are people who do it because they want to save people on an emotional level a lot of the time. It doesn't have to make them feel good, but they usually have an emotional investment. I just have standards for myself that I can't meet in other ways. [ She then chuckles a little. ] I mean, that's way better than the type of danger I'm most likely to hop on into? I'm not sure exactly why I need it though. I mean, Adrenaline is a factor, but it's not the only one. As for farms and stuff, no. Not really. It doesn't bother me being able to communicate with my food. I've done it all my life, and really, animals eat each other, and we're just smarter-than-average animals. [ She grins. ] You'd make a mint.

Of course, you'll allowed to have opinions. Opinions are like noses. Everyone's got one Fresh fish was easier to get in the prairies than people thought. The lakes were full of them. I wonder if I can get fresh water fish here. [She gives a smile.] That makes up my mind. I will try making it sometime.

I appreciate that having standards. I had a tight balance back home. Everyone wanted the classics and I wanted to expand their culinary horizons and my own. It was tricky. [She thinks for a moment.] Ever play hockey? You could be a goalie. A puck flying at your face at 160, can get the adrenaline flowing. Or if you're playing full contact, any position can be a thrill. It might help you figure out what the other factors are. Sports are a great way to clear the mind and gain focus. [She raises an eyebrow.] Oh gosh, I couldn't think like that. I'd have a really hard time cooking. There might be nightmares about giant animals in farmer's clothes chasing me. [She grins.] I'll definitely have to do it then!

[ The voice that pops up next belongs to a little girl, a very perky one from the sounds of it. ]

Hello! I think we might be neighbors. I live in Jeopardy 002. My name is Nightfall, and I hope to meet you in the future!

What a lovely name. Nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll have a chance to meet, living so close.

Your name is really pretty, too! I really look forward to that.

[ Oh, this one is almost too chipper to be real. ]

Ah, another new housemate. This house is getting quite the regular turnover lately.

[Lacey can't help a moment of surprise at his appearance. She manages to recover quickly.]

Nice to meet you, roomie. Have people been sent home?

[ Well, she gets points for not freaking out at him. ]

That, or people moving out. A little of both categories.

It's nice to know people actually do get to go home. It's very interesting here, but I do miss my friends.

Already? You just arrived. You fleshies are so impatient with everything.

I'm used to seeing them every day. Brent would already be on his fourth chili cheese dog by now.

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video; un: Julian Delphiki | Bean

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Video; un: Ruby Nakamura

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Re: Video; un: Ruby Nakamura

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(Sorry I'm late, health happened. Feel free to ignore)

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Voice; un - Nightfall

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