Sibling Rivalries: Chili Edition

[brave_heart_verity]

Flyers have been going up around the Forum and Commercial District for the last week or so. This morning,the lights in the VSW Meadhall came on. By noon, anyone getting close enough to an open door would know: chili's on!

Inside, everything's set up and waiting for the hungry and the curious: Clint's cooking in one corner, and Verity's in the other. Between them, tables are laid out with the necessities: bowls, plates, spoons, and plenty of napkins. There's beer and iced tea, some lovely tres leches cakes provided by the Nexus' favorite Japanese detective, and various toppings for the chili: bottles of sriracha and sweet Thai chili sauce, red pepper flakes, green onions and red, lime wedges, diced bell peppers and jalapeños, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Cornbread and tortilla chips round things out.

Long tables with a mix of benches and chairs fill the hall on either side of the fire pits. One has board and card games stacked neatly at one end (they were neat when they were put out, at least). Another has two boxes, one wrapped in purple paper and one in pink, for depositing voting slips.

Poll #17301 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

View Respondents

Who gets your vote?

View Answers

Clint--Avengers Assemble!
3 (42.9%)

Truthfully? Verity.
4 (57.1%)

The fire pits are lit, the food is waiting, and there are games in want of players. What are you waiting for?
((There will doubtless be further Cupid-based shenanigans, but this weekend, it's all about the platonic relationships. Bromances, BFFs, and family ties rule the day! Let's celebrate! Threadhopping, tangents, games, and mischief are all encouraged. Just don't start a food fight or Verity will have to yell.))

Comments

[brave_heart_verity]

But she didn't say it, and that's progress for her. Plus, that's given her something new to be curious about: "Micrograv?"

While Samus tastes, Verity considers the toppings to suggest to her friend. "You do. In Mexico, there's a sauce called mole, which is chilis, tomatoes, spices, and chocolate. So I guess you could sort of call this a mole chili."

[onemorebounty]

Micrograv--what you get outside a planet's gravity well, if you don't have any sort of artificial gravity? Grav-dependant species like humans get up there, and their sinuses clog up because there's no proper direction for them to drain. It's like a head cold all the time. You only taste really strong flavors. That stuff would clear sinuses, and maybe strip paint.

*She smirks; the latter was a joke and Verity knows it. Hopefully, she isn't too sensitive about other people taking digs at her adopted brother.*

Mm, mole chili. You've got my vote.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Ooh." That makes sense. Some people get to make digs at her family sometimes. Samus gets away with so much because she's been such a good friend. "That makes sense. The part about draining your sinuses, I mean."

The approval gets a smile, but she holds up a finger. "Ah, we've only just begun. One of the best things about chili is how customizable it is. For you, I'd suggest a scoop of sour cream to smooth out the edges of the spice, some crumbled tortilla chips for crunch, and some red onion for a little bite."

[onemorebounty]

Micrograv's... interesting. I don't recommend it, long-term, but it's interesting for a visit. And it is nice to soar.

*Samus gives a thoughtful sound, then modifies her chili as recommended, stirring it all together before taking another bite.*

Mmm! Even better! That's a good profile.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Maybe someday I'll get to enjoy it." She may have been through it, going to the City, but Blaze wasn't giving her time to goof around. Plus, the views.

Her grin is slightly smug. "Glad you like it. All that situational awareness pays off."

[onemorebounty]

I've got a ship, I could take you up sometime.

*Samus smirks, but Verity's smugness is well-earned in this case.*

Yes it does. Nicely done.

[brave_heart_verity]

Oh, look at how excited she gets by that prospect. "Really? That'd be great!" That sounds like a proper adventure.

Well-earned and rare enough to be cute, if she's lucky. "Thank you."

[onemorebounty]

Sure. You've had your shots, just let me know when works for you.

*They're friends, meeting outside their usual context of teacher and student, so Verity gets a fair bit more leeway. But then again, so does Samus.*

You're welcome.

[brave_heart_verity]

That's what friends do: give each other extra space and extra grace.

"Later this week, if you don't get a mission?"

[onemorebounty]

*Both of which are welcome, indeed.*

Later this week. Are you going to want your first trip to be somewhere public, or somewhere private?

[brave_heart_verity]

That's a tough call. She's going to have to think about it. "Um... I don't know. I would kind of like to see how people live where you're from."

[onemorebounty]

Well, you've got time to think about it, and this doesn't have to be your only trip ever. I will warn you, if you want somewhere private, we can PINpoint straight there, but if you want somewhere public, there's a several-hour round trip.

[brave_heart_verity]

"No PINpointing in public. Gotcha. I don't mind a trip, I like looking at the stars." It's not something you see much of, growing up in a big city like New York. "I'll need a costume to blend in with the locals, too."

[onemorebounty]

I don't want to take the chance that someone in my Facet could reverse-engineer a Nexus portal if they were able to get a reading of its energy signature. There are corps who could exploit this place to a terrifying degree, even before they got the idea to start mucking with history to improve profits and market share.

*Verity's concern over wardrobe gets a nod; wardrobe is important.*

How do you feel about a vacsuit like mine? Maybe a himation over it?

[brave_heart_verity]

"That's fair. I could do that if I put my mind to it, and I'm not half as devious as a corporation." Probably not even a quarter. Wait, are we counting Roxxon?

"With something over it, yeah, that'd be fine. I'm not sure where to get one. Is there a shop around here?"

[onemorebounty]

I've got fabbers that print them out. There'll be a decontam shower on the way there, and you'll get your vacsuit then. I'll also have a visor and earbuds for you.

*There are corporations in Samus' era that could give Roxxon a real run for its money.*

[brave_heart_verity]

Fabbers she can guess. Decontam shower, she gets. But... "Visor? Earbuds?"

She'd rather not know about that, thanks.

[onemorebounty]

Well, do you read or speak any dialect of Galstan or Translingue?

[brave_heart_verity]

"Uh... no. But I have a magic translating necklace." See? It's rose gold and opals and pretty, once she pulls it out from under her shirt.

[onemorebounty]

*Samus' expression blanks for a moment, then she chuckles as she reproaches herself.*

Of course you do. And I knew that, because I asked you a while ago how you were speaking Chozo. Unless you'd like to be able to scan things, then, we can skip those.

[brave_heart_verity]

"It's okay, you've probably gotten used to it by now. It's easy to not think when something feels right." Nobody Ver knows is immune to that. "Scan things?"

[onemorebounty]

I have to admit that I have. It's been nice, thinking I hear it again.

*Her smile is a touch wistful for a moment, but her trip down memory lane isn't long.*

Look at things to get more information about them, or interact with devices around you. There's also options of visual censors, to block out things you don't want to see or that might be actively harmful.

[brave_heart_verity]

"You are hearing it again." It's factual as far as Verity understands these things, and is hopefully also a kindness.

"There are things that are dangerous to look at?" Oh, Samus, you have so much future to explain to Ver.

[onemorebounty]

Good point. Thank you.

*Her smile grows. Then is set aside, as she needs to explain some of the hazards of her Facet.*

If you're exposed to harmfully bright light, a good visor will opaque the affected area and display a safe visual representation in its place. Also, if you had augmented eyes or neural upgrades, and someone showed you an image meant to mess with them, the visor could be programmed to put a censor screen over it. Less harmfully, some people also program them to censor things they consider immodest. Although some claim it's easier to fight an addiction when you can't see your drug of choice, or ads for it.

[brave_heart_verity]

"...huh. Sounds like that would mess with the curse rather painfully," she points out. "Not getting blinded would be nice, and the modesty settings sound like a wash, but... I'll need to think about that."