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srwu Aug. 16th, 2016 11:51 am)
actuallyselfish posting in srwu Aug. 16th, 2016 11:51 am)[Pre "Story's End"]
[1]
There's no rest for the wicked or the righteous. As the final military operation against the Lady shifts into high gear, Project Unification staff and civilian volunteers are streaming in and out of Saikhama to donate memory imprints to the crystalline weapon.
Dido Sybil has been hovering around the hanger bay where the Anti-Lady weapon is store. Observant people might see her take a few steps toward the memory copying station, then turn around and walk away, looking at something on her phone.
Finally, she sees and approaches you. "Hey," she says with a weak smile. "If you've got a free evening next week, could you do me a favor?" She chuckles nervously. "It's a doozy."
[2]
"I, Alexia Sybil, ask of you all!" Dido's mom proclaims. "In the world of Italian cuisine, what is the mightiest dish? Calamari? Chicken Alfredo? No, it is bell peppers; the spicier the better! Those who can eat these peppers whole are shining champions of taste! Those who cannot stomach them...should just order from the children's menu!"
You've tagged along with Dido to have Italian dinner with her billionaire mother. More specifically, you're dining in a zero-g Italian restaurant, located in the central torus of a space colony, where all the the food is broiled in raw sunlight focused by skyscraper-sized solar mirrors.
For an utterly posh restaurant, it's rather messy.
"Anyways," Alexia Sybil says, turning toward you. "Wont you tell me what my little Dido's been up to?" She grabs a stray pepper floating through the air and wolfs it down. "She never talks about her work at the Unity Group...or is it Project Unification now?"
[1]
There's no rest for the wicked or the righteous. As the final military operation against the Lady shifts into high gear, Project Unification staff and civilian volunteers are streaming in and out of Saikhama to donate memory imprints to the crystalline weapon.
Dido Sybil has been hovering around the hanger bay where the Anti-Lady weapon is store. Observant people might see her take a few steps toward the memory copying station, then turn around and walk away, looking at something on her phone.
Finally, she sees and approaches you. "Hey," she says with a weak smile. "If you've got a free evening next week, could you do me a favor?" She chuckles nervously. "It's a doozy."
[2]
"I, Alexia Sybil, ask of you all!" Dido's mom proclaims. "In the world of Italian cuisine, what is the mightiest dish? Calamari? Chicken Alfredo? No, it is bell peppers; the spicier the better! Those who can eat these peppers whole are shining champions of taste! Those who cannot stomach them...should just order from the children's menu!"
You've tagged along with Dido to have Italian dinner with her billionaire mother. More specifically, you're dining in a zero-g Italian restaurant, located in the central torus of a space colony, where all the the food is broiled in raw sunlight focused by skyscraper-sized solar mirrors.
For an utterly posh restaurant, it's rather messy.
"Anyways," Alexia Sybil says, turning toward you. "Wont you tell me what my little Dido's been up to?" She grabs a stray pepper floating through the air and wolfs it down. "She never talks about her work at the Unity Group...or is it Project Unification now?"
From:
no subject
[The inspector's taking a deep breath and suddenly looking really uneasy.]
I don't do well with posh stuff that well and... things are kind of difficult... not to mention I thought I'd visit my parents...
From:
no subject
Dido frowns. "What are your parents like, if I might ask?"
From:
no subject
[Calvin shakes his head with a small smile.]
Mom and Dad were pretty happy to let me and my siblings figure out what we wanted to do and where we went. Moira met her husband Ansel doing some reviews for a magazine she works at overseas.
One of my brothers -Victor went into Aerospace engineering, said he wanted to follow in my cousin Connor's footsteps. My other brother Jeffrey went into Marine Biology.
Then you've got me. The kid brother.
[Calvin sighs.]
Lost my job, have a terrible reputation and they all still think the world of me.
From:
no subject
She leans back against the wall. "It's strange. On paper, we've got the exact same family setup...but I honestly envy you right now."
Her face turns solemn and contemplative. "I hope this isn't forward...but what was it like, having a dad?"
From:
no subject
[Calvin's filling up a cup of coffee, having decided to spoil himself a bit with a better brand. With what was to be the biggest and most decisive fight for the world, he figured he could live it up a bit.]
Nah... its fine. Its like... having a safety net I guess. Mom might've been the one who encouraged me to find my dreams but Dad was the one who helped me back to my feet the most whenever things got bad.
He cooks a mean barbecue too. Probably why my sister Moira decided to be a food critic, loved his cooking and it sparked something off.
He didn't take kindly to people giving his kids grief either. I remember when I was a kid... there was this one jerk of a teacher, about just as nice as my old boss...
[Ah yes, the former head of the OSI who turned out to be a horrific abomination from times most ancient. Yikes.]
Wasn't mine though - the guy heaped a bunch of abuse on Jeffrey.. I told dad about the whole thing, my brother wasn't happy at first... but I heard from Jeff that dad walked into class one day, no phonecalls no nothing and just decked the asshole before getting all the parents whose kids got it just as bad and had the school have to pull of a lot to avoid a major stink.
From:
no subject
Dido sighed. "It took me a while to realize everyone was scared stiff of my mom. Either that, or she'd send vaguely threatening messages to ensure they gave me just the right amount of respect. I'm in no position to complain...but none of the relationships I had during that time felt real..."
Dido suddenly snorts. "Plus, there was that time I asked mom who my father was, and she showed me a pair of cloning tanks in the biology lab."
From:
no subject
[That or there's even more weird science going on. Calvin takes a deep whiff of the contents of his cup and it felt like his neckhairs were standing on end. This might just be the best cup of coffee he had in a long while.]
... and I think its probably alright to complain. Not knowing if anyone actually wanted to reach out or if they actually cared about you is honestly the worst. At least with people who treat you badly out in the open are honest with things-
[There was a squawk from down below. Should Dido look down she'd notice that it was the Polarion Raptor hatchling that Calvin had been taking care of. It was now roughly the size of a beagle and chirping curiously at Dido, scampering on all fours as its wings flapped and fluttered with a leash clamped in its beak.]
-...Oh damnit I knew I forgot something.
From:
no subject
She reaches for the raptor's leash...only to get her fingernails chew. "Ah! Get it off! Get it off!"