06 | video

[oceanthief]

[the feed is set to video, but Lapis seems only nominally interested in achieving a steady recording of her face. she's turned it on for another purpose, and the quality of everything else up until that point is really unimportant to her. at least gems don't have naturally shaky hands, even if the camera keeps trailing off into nothing now and then before she rights it, almost absent-mindedly.]

How long are you supposed to wait to be sure that someone's been ported out? I've seen people say stuff like 'a while', but humans and gems don't really seem to have the same idea of what a long time actually is.

I haven't seem someone who lives in this house with me for - [shit, fuck. Lapis' expression stutters into hesitance as she realizes that she has no idea how long she's been not seeing him, nor does she remember any useful earth calendar terms beyond month and year.] - I haven't really seen him lately. But he's kind of stupid and scared of me, so I don't know if that's on purpose or not.

[she gives a lopsided shrug, as if to say 'what can you do?' humans were a crazy weird little species, and she's given up trying to fix their misconceptions on a lot of things. if Hyunsoo wanted to think she was out to kill him, let him. he was the one looking dumb, not her.]

...I've got something else to ask, too.

[this is the reason that she'd switched the video on. Lapis' nose scrunches in a cross between disgust and bafflement before she swings the camera around to zero in on - the fridge?

without further ado, a little blue hand sneaks back into frame to swing the refrigerator door open. have you ever seen food left to its own devices for a little over a month, imPorts? if not, here's your prime chance to some front row seats because that is exactly what this fridge is full of.

clearly it's been a while since Hyunsoo was last here.]

Is food supposed to look like that?

Comments

[oceanthief]

He'd probably care more about me touching it than it being gross.

[she says as she draws some water from the nearby faucet to manipulate into starting the cleaning process while she chats on the comm. thank god for multitasking powers.]

[sasaeru]

That sort of attitude is unproductive and unwelcome in a communal space and can be objected to without question.

[oceanthief]

I don't really care, honestly. It doesn't really effect anything I do whenever I'm here.

[sasaeru]

... That may be true, but it's more of a reflection on him.

It may not affect you but his attitude will if he comes back. If he gets mad, it should be made clear he had it coming.

[oceanthief]

He won't get mad, he'll just get scared. He's already terrified of me.

[you know, as you do. Lapis doesn't seem to be particularly bothered about it.]

[sasaeru]

... Why?

[her eyes drop to the water she sees Lapis manipulating on the screen]

You might squirt him with tap water?

[oceanthief]

Because I didn't lie when he asked if I could kill him.

[she says like that is...a normal thing to happen to housemates. you know.]

[sasaeru]

[Ulvida's first thought: Who even asks that?

Her second thought runs along the lines of how stupid it sounds to ask someone what they're capable of if the answer they gave was going to scare him like that.]

Didn't quite think through that interview, did he? I'm tempted to say, it's not like that ability is exclusive to you.

[oceanthief]

[you want even dumber, he asked her that out in public. poor sweet Hyunsoo...]

Every Lapis can manipulate water; they'd be pointless if they couldn't.

[she shrugs blankly]

There's probably even more people who can do something similar in a world like this. He just expected me to say whatever made him feel better even if it wasn't true.

[sasaeru]

Oh no, I mean--

[she shakes her head.]

It's just a pointless question to ask. I could probably feed someone enough of that "food" in the refrigerator and it'll be just as dangerous as you using that water.

[oceanthief]

[she looks over at the food again, lips pressing into a flat line of confusion.]

It must work a lot faster than normal food.

[it'd have to in order to be faster than crushing somebody with a giant watery hand.]

[sasaeru]

It's possible.

Although, I suppose it depends on the person. Some people are sturdier than others so a little mold might not do the trick.

[oceanthief]

[she knows for a fact that nothing like this would come even close to destroying a gem, so...]

It probably wouldn't do much to most imPorts.

[sasaeru]

Probably not. Still, there's nothing wrong with a clean house. The first thing I did when coming here was clean out the kitchen, too.

[oceanthief]

I think that he was the only organic in this house for...almost the whole time. The kitchen didn't really get used all that much.

[sasaeru]

That is... not surprising to hear.

You don't require sustenance to survive?

[oceanthief]

Not from outside sources. My gem produces all the energy I need to do things.

[sasaeru]

It seems very efficient, at least.

Can you eat?

[oceanthief]

Sure, if I wanted to.

[and she does, occasionally, these days. whatever image Lapis may project to the contrary, she's actually quite curious. and maybe a little fond of sweets.]

It's just not something that I think about all that much.

[sasaeru]

I see...

Is there anything you like? if you've tried.

[oceanthief]

[she considers this, rolling the question to and fro in her mind with more seriousness than it rightly requires. eventually she answers, solemnly:]

...candy's pretty good.