Maslov's pyramid

[jianai]

[1]
[Ren notices that others enjoy their Unity Group meals with less enthusiasm than usual.]

Would you like to have mine? The portions are small recently but if we pile them up... and don't worry, I didn't touch it yet.

[But they got the reason behind it all wrong.]

[2]
The truth is, I'm worried.

[Ren has a confession to make - directed only at people who'd accept this kind of thing, and don't have a lot of problems on their own plate.]

I'm worried because such tragedy happened, and now our friends were captured by Zentradi. I was even there, I was there to see it... but sometimes even if you do your best, it's not enough and you can't do anything. It only makes you feel more guilty.

I can only pray for their safe return.

[3]
[Be it as a result of one of the other prompts or it happened offscreen, but either way Ren wants to do something to put worried minds at ease - and asked you to come. You have a way to travel - down Star Rose's space elevator to Earth, then towards the seedier parts of the city founded at its base. Just where exactly is Ren going?]

[To a soup kitchen. Where the horned individual (horns in question cleverly hidden under a hat and hairnet combo) waves at the staff and immediately joins them at the counter.]

Hello Maya. You're looking shining today, did something good happen? Did anyone see Carl today? It'd be bad if he started hitting the bottle again... me? No, don't worry about me! A little thing happened that stopped me from coming for a few days, but I'm fine now, really!

[And it looks like Ren knows a few of the patrons by name, too.]

Comments

[brought_it_back]

...Right.

[More people filter in, and Eva looks around nervously.]

...Is it okay if I...help in the kitchen? I can do a little cooking...

[jianai]

Of course. There's not much to do, this place gets most of its food premade. But I'll show you around!

[When Eva feels like going to the kitchens, Ren will swiftly follow.]

Is something the matter?

[brought_it_back]

[Head into the kitchen she does, and speedily.]

I'm not a...'crowds', person.

There are too many attack vectors. I have not had anything bad happen in a place like this before, but...

...I'm not like you, I cannot trust people easily.

[jianai]

There's nothing wrong in preferring smaller groups or being alone. Everyone has their reasons.

[Even if Eva's is being afraid of a sudden ambush, apparently.]

Still... I'd like to ask you a question, Eva.

Everything you see around us could easily have been automated. Instead of a kitchen you could have machine food dispensers, or something similar. And yet it's not like this at all. Do you know why?

[brought_it_back]

Yes. The cost of automating such a facility is more than that which society is willing to bear for people like this. And...if it were automated, people could not bear it. They are dehumanized enough already.

...When they're not crowded, these sorts of places were very...nice.

[jianai]

We have reached the stage where automatization might be cheaper than live, human workers. But you are right - we're almost all volunteers here, which means we get paid nothing.

And the second part is even more important.

This is a place not just to eat. It's a place to spend time and socialize. Even if you are down on your luck, you are still a part of society. For all those people, being here helps remember that.