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WHO:

slappingchick
WHERE: Ari’s room at the MAC
WHEN: Feb 6
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: Ari’s invisible, Keiko goes to give him some company and restock his fridge.
FORMAT: Para to start, but whatever Fran wants will do

After getting a text from Ari during another one of her attempts to sneakily watch soap operas, Keiko headed for the MAC. She took a side trip to the grocers, figuring that the poor boy could use a little homemade meal to cheer him up. Currently, she stood in front of his door, her bag of dinner ingredients clutched in one hand, and knocked rapidly. She wasn’t really sure what to expect, but since he had contacted her she worried that his condition hadn’t improved. She hoped that she’d get some better idea of what to do when she saw, or rather she wouldn‘t be seeing, him.

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The door opened to let her in... but with no sign of who had opened it, or sign of the apartment's occupant, making it fairly clear that no, his condition hadn't changed.

She did get a text a moment later. "Thanks for coming."

The apartment itself looked almost unlived in. The main signs of occupancy being some trash in the garbage bin.

It was pretty easy to keep clean when you kept all your items in your inventory.

Keiko sighed lightly when she got the text. "No luck this morning, huh?" She walked into the apartment, giving it a once over. She wasn't very impressed by how empty it looked. She was used to staying with several teenage boys and it was shocking to see one lively in a place that was actually clean.

"I brought food over. I thought you might me to cook you something." She held up the bag awkwardly, not really knowing which direction she should be facing. It was a little unnerving to be talking to nothing, but Keiko tried not to let it show on her face. "Chicken and rice okay with you?"

Edited 2011-02-06 03:21 (UTC)

The door closed behind her before there was a pause and she got another text. "No luck at all. And that's fine. Thanks."

He hadn't been expecting her to actually cook for him, and for the first time was a little glad for the invisibility since he looked a bit flustered.

The kitchen looked as if it hadn't been touched with just some more trash in the bin, mostly wrappers from things like beef jerky, deli sandwiches and other premade foods and a mostly empty bag of sliced bread on the counter.

Clearly, someone was not at all used to this taking care of himself thing.

Another text: "Need me to help?"

He was using to being suckered into doing Annie's part of helping mom out cooking, so he may as well offer to someone who was being nice enough to help him out.

Keiko suppressed the urge to jump when the door shut. No matter that she knew Ari was there, it was still a little creepy to see. She walked into the kitchen area, raising an eye brow at all the jerky wrappers. "It's no trouble, really."

She put the bag down on the counter and set the comm beside it for easy reach. She started pulling out packages of food, and arranging them. "Well, I don't know where your cooking supplies are. So if you could get those down for me?"

There was a long pause before the text. "I don't know if I have any."

It was only then the cabinets one by one opened, then closed as Ari searched.

Thankfully either by design of the MAC or a previous resident, the kitchen wasn't completely bare. There was a pause before a bowl materialized on the counter as Ari let go of it. A minute later, it was joined by a frying pan.

She looked up and frowned. "I need to take you shopping. You need to keep those things around." She watched the cabinet doors with interest, picking up the bowl as it appeared near her.

"Thank you. If you'd like to do anythings else, why don't you wash off the rice for me?"

A pause. "I don't have much money. Food's expensive and there aren't any ghosts."

There was another awkward pause before the rice vanished. Then reappeared, having only moved a little. Then vanished again. Then reappeared.

A few moments later, a text arrived.

"How?"

Keiko sighed and gave him a long look. "The money allotted to us imports isn't very much. Have you thought about getting a job? One that didn't deal with ghosts, I mean."

She watched the little rice display, hiding a smile when it became apparent the invisible boy didn't know what he was doing. "Here." She took a bowl and the rice, cutting the top of the package and pouring it into the bowl. "Run water over this a few times, make sure to stir it to wash all of it. Than drain the water off."

That, he could do. The bowl vanished as he took it, water turning on a moment before pouring back out, slightly cloudy. The now-washed rice reappeared on the counter and a short while later, a text arrived.

"I'm not sure how I could." The problem was rather obvious. Or invisible, as it were.

She picked up the bowl, still frowning. "I meant when you've learned to shut your power off." She set about getting the food ready for cooking. She worked in silence for a few moments, mulling over Ari's problems.

"You could always get an internet job. Or work for an import. As long as they knew the situation, I mean."

Ari wasn't sure if there was a way to turn this stupid "power" off. But he wasn't about to bring Keiko down saying that. So instead he focused on the more important question.

"What's the internet?"

She stopped what she was doing to stare in what she thought to be his direction. Keiko was having a hard time wrapping her mind around all these imports who didn't know anything about modern culture. She supposed she shouldn't find it so strange Ari didn't know about the internet, when she was trying to teach one of her housemates about TV.

"It connects computers and allows information to be sent between places." She tapped her chin. How exactly was she supposed to explain the internet?

Ari was still standing near the sink, so she did manage her target.

"Computers being these things?" he guessed.

His world was just emerging into steampunk land after discovering the ancient technology and trying to copy it. The information age was sadly beyond him, as much as he was trying to figure it out.

"Well, I guess the communicators are a type of computer. Most are bigger than that." She went back to cooking, wondering if this was what it would be like to be a teacher around here. At least working with the imports she knew was giving her some practice. "Have you been by a library around here? They have computers. And if you decide to go to school, computers will be there."

"Not yet." Ari really wasn't one for libraries. They were quiet, which was nice. But he always felt even more out of touch when he emerged. He was trying to avoid that feeling as best he could. Which was hard in this place.

She nodded. It wasn't like it was that important. "You'll see computers eventually. This place relies a lot on technology." It relied more so than where she was from. She supposed that had to do with the sheer level of tech here compared to many other worlds.

"I've noticed. There are a lot of things here I've never seen before. Not even in Madril."

And Madril was the big technologically forward city with the Gear Heads and the two levels and the constant motion of the gears.

"Once you're visible,I should show you around. So you can get to see some more of those new things." Keiko smiled, putting out an invitation. She thought that the guy might need a little fun once this was over. "I could show you some of this world's technology."

"That'd be great."

A little fun would be a big help and help keep him more firmly visible. As would just leaning how to even function in this strange futuristic world. One could only live on jerky and deli sandwiches for so long....

The chair by the table moved, turning to be facing where Keiko was working as Ari sat down, not wanting to be in the way.

"It's really nice of you to do all this stuff for me."

He'd have to get Keiko something nice in thanks.

"Good. We'll schedule something the second this is over." She didn't look over as the chair scraped against the floor. Instead she bustled about the kitchen, humming quietly. Keiko felt at ease when at the stove. It reminded her of long afternoons in the family restaurant, getting reprimanded by her dad on her skills.

"It's no trouble, really. I don't mind helping out." She didn't need any sort of thanks for what she did. Keiko just liked being able to do something for she'd meet.

It was sort of nostalgic for Ari watching, thinking of his mother bustling about in a similar fashion, with an "Ari, get me this" or "Ari, I need you to run into town."

Idly, he wondered how Marlene was doing and if she was saying with his mother again while he was gone. Maybe when he got back home, she'd be waiting there and be more like a real girl than the brat she thought she had to be. It was a nice thought.

"It's still really nice of you."

And unexpected. Rosalyn's way of "helping" him was always... questionable and she had been the only one who had ever offered to, really. So this was really a very nice change.

"Thank you. But it's really nothing." She shifted, starting the rice and measuring spices. She looked over her shoulder at the empty chair and gave a small smile.

"The people here are kind, for the most part. You'll probably find that there are several people who'll be willing to help you out when you need it. Just takes some time to meet them."

"Really help like you help? Or just say they'll help for their own ends?"

It was a valid question. After all, the rag tag crew of "friends" he had back home was more the 2nd sort.

"That's a pessimistic way to think about it." She remarked, giving him a pointed look. "I'm sure there's people like that out there, but I'm also just as sure that most people would really want to help just to help."

She took a step back from the rice and came closer to the table. "Everyone I've met has been genuinely kind. I'm sure you'll get to know people like that too."

"Most people I know are selfish," Ari texted. Roslyn wanted Stan to turn back her shadow and then wanted to suck up to Marlene to get help dealing with Stan, Kisling wanted to...study... Roslyn, Marlene just wanted her way and did everything on her whims, Stan only did what he thought he could get something out of, Linda just wanted to be with Stan... Big Bull was really the only member of that crew who just was there to be there. Or for the fights.

And let's not even get into Julia. That was a dream well shattered!