A prisoner's action

[stupidhonor]

[1]
[Sielje's cell is littered with books. Books that she was reading - because she made a promise to. And in the middle of it all, the knight standing stoically while pondering her available moves, another book in hand.]

Trapped in enemy territory, sworn not to cause trouble to my own captors as is required of a honorable prisoner... what may I do?

Earth is even more dangerous and tumultuous as a place than Ankaia. The planet has been ravaged by wars and invaders, even invaders out of this world.

I... I wish to see. It is too much to ask of a prisoner, but I wish to see how the ordinary people of Earth manage to exist. I find it impossible to believe that they can eke out a living with a constant threat of demise over their heads.

[She closes the book. It's written in ancient Greek. As a matter of fact, the books around the cell are written in all kinds of languages, presently used or classical.]

[2]

Hmm.

Hmm...

[The vending machine outside Sielje's cell roused her curiosity for a while now. As soon as she had a chance, she went out to pick up a few items it had available - probably certainly with assistance of others who needed to explain how it worked.

And now it's time to further inspect her rewards.]



This is Earth food, is it not? How do you... open yourself! Aah!

[She rips a bag of chips open, scattering most of them on the floor to her own surprise. Sielje pretends not to be embarassed about it at all.]

Such difficulty...

[She mutters while picking up a canned drink, then immediately puts it back down. Too hard to open - and the knight does not seem too impressed with the chips' taste upon carefully eating one.

Lastly, here comes the chocolate bar. The wrapping is easy enough for even someone like Sielje to remove on a second try. As for the taste...]





...!



It is sweet! How is it possible? How did they make the flavor so sweet?

Comments

[stupidhonor]

[Sielje opens the can. Once she knows how, it actually goes really quickly. A clumsy kijin, she is not.

She sniffs the drink inside carefully.]

This one does not seem trapped.

[majestic_keiki]

That would be a pretty bad business practice. You want people to buy more of them.

[With the can opened, Kei finally takes a sip from her own soda.]

[stupidhonor]

Yet the previous one's contents exploded in my face.

[majestic_keiki]

The drink contains an acid that makes it fizzy. If you shake it, it'll expand.

[stupidhonor]

Acid? It is acid I am drinking?

[Sielje takes a suspicious sip.]

...


It is sweet! How did they make it so sweet?

[Here we go again.]

[majestic_keiki]

There's acid in your stomach as well. And in oranges. It's a mild one that doesn't hurt you.

And the sweetness is also sugar.

[stupidhonor]

Ah, sugar. Of course. I should have suspected such.

[majestic_keiki]

If something is sweet, it's probably due to sugar.

[stupidhonor]

There could also be spices. Ankaia may not have sugar but we have those at least.

[Clinging to it to the end!]

[majestic_keiki]

I just meant on Earth. Mostly things are made sweet with sugar.

[stupidhonor]

It really is a useful commodity, is it not?

[Sielje is already making plans to smuggle large quantities of sugar to Ankaia. As soon as she learns what form it takes.]

[majestic_keiki]

It is. Or at least a tasty one. I'll get you some the next time I bake a cake.

[stupidhonor]

If you are offering, I will accept. A cake it is then.