days of future past;

[venatoris]

Who: everyone, you're all invited
What: Grand opening of Rocky's
When: March 1 - or whenever, feel free to future date if you want
Where: Rocky's Bar

Content Warnings: Will be placed in subject line if necessary

© tessisamess

Dean will toss a post up on the network that is visible to all. It's just an ad for the place - a huge blinking gif that says ROCKY'S BAR, and a text under it that says 'GRAND OPENING MARCH 1, 7:00pm - ?'. There is a list of information available in the post, as well as normal opening times (12 noon), and closing (2am-ish). This is an open invite for the entire community to come check it out. All ages will be permitted into the arcade (and offered soft drinks/water from the bar) until 10pm, after that, they will be asked to leave the premises, and it becomes adult only.

Admission: Admission will be local 'currency'; a shiny rock, quartz or gemstone (or something similar) will pay for a night of drinks and games. Spices and things like salt/pepper are also acceptable.

Or, if you want to work a shift then throw down, same gig.

The place will be set up for a proper party - streamers, music pumping from a jukebox in a corner, though there is a playlist that is on shuffle unless someone picks something else. At the far end of the bar, through scattered tables and chairs, there is also a karaoke stage. Two microphones are set up, but there are more if there are enough in the party to warrant digging them out. For now, a Trench citizen is running the karaoke rounds (and will be doing so every Friday night until the position is otherwise filled), and should you want to sing, just write your name down in her little black book along with the song title, and she'll call you up when it's your turn.

There's a long banquet table of food against one wall that is being refreshed as needed by various Trenchies. It includes the following:

French fries
Onion rings
Nachos
Wings
Mozzarella sticks
Quesadillas
Chicken Sliders
Artichoke dip

Traveling downstairs and into the basement will take you to the arcade - there are tons of games lit by neon and blacklight, their siren song luring you right in. Pacman, DDR, Galaga, Asteroids, Frogger, etc are all there, as well as several pinball machines, ski-ball, a foosball and an air hockey table. If you dream it, it's probably there.

If none of that is your style, you can hit the bar, where Dean himself (and another Trench citizen) will be serving drinks - there's a Squid Special (a tequila shot and a beer), and three craft beers on tap - Cosmic Cowboy IPA, Fox Rye Lager, and Blue Ghost pale ale, all from Dean's own microbrewery.

(( ooc; this is an open/party style log where everyone can interact with everyone else. Don't feel the need to wait for Dean to serve you a drink, there is another Trench bartender helping him out until he hires someone else.

There ARE bouncers, but if your character is being a jerk, do let me know because Dean will step in and toss them out :3 If you have any questions, hmu pincurls! otherwise, have fun, mingle, and enjoy! ))

Comments

Re: Works for me! ❤

[imaglyphwitch]

"Maybe someday! A girl can hope!"

She knew it'd have to be someone she got to know overtime anyway. Something that was all magical and sweet, you couldn't just have it drop in your lap no matter what anime tried to tell you. It had to be special, and it had to be earned. She could tell that Rose was probably missing someone too, but considering what she's just found out about her friend, knew better than to start probing where she might not be wanted.

The Titanic, after all, had been a tragedy. No point in dredging all of that up.

Luz nodded. "I'm glad you survived. It must have been awful, seeing all that stuff happen in front of you. But we don't have to talk anymore about that if it makes you uncomfortable."

Luz, after all, had been around enough death in the last few months, whether up close or in someone's memory, that she knew that were certain things that made HER uncomfortable.

At the mention of her magic, the girl brightened. "It is, it is! I was pretty scared I wasn't going to be able to perform magic at all, and then one day I was able to see the glyph, and then I cast it myself! I can always show you later!"

You definitely didn't have to twist Luz's arm for that!

"It was accidental, actually. All the Palebloods that month weren't able to sleep, which was pretty much a nightmare, right? I was so tired I just sort of closed my eyes, and then I realized I was moving but without an actual BODY. It was really weird, and I've only done it one other time. For the most part I've been way too busy to even think about it!"

There was way too much going on, between her household stuff and actual craziness.

And that was a good question. "I think we're both the same me, I just diverged from my path back at the Isles. I think if I ever go back, we won't be separate again, it'll just be, well, ME. It's really odd to think about though."

So she didn't!

And here, of course, is where they duet.

"ACTING ON YOUR BEST BE-HA-VIOR
TURN YOUR BACK ON MOTHER NATURE

EVERY-BODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD!

(CW: allusion to suicide, mass death event)

[everyrosehasits]

"It will. When you least expect it."

At least that had been Rose's experience. When Jack saved her from herself, she knew he'd be a part of her life, but she didn't know how important. Not at the time. Now she wondered how on Earth she'd gotten through all of those years without him. And now she has to go on without him. He'd expect nothing less.

It had been terrible. But the worst part was just after the ship had completely sunk. She'd briefly gotten separated from Jack and all she could hear was the cacophony of men, women, and children screaming for help. Ear-ringing at first, then slowly but surely trailing off.

Rose was grieving still. She knew her mother was safe and they'd parted on such bad terms she hadn't been sure she'd have been welcomed back, even if she did announce her survival. She'd never miss Cal. But not just Jack had died, Thomas Andrews, the ship designer, hadn't even tried for a lifeboat. In the short amount of time they knew each other, he almost felt like a father to her.

But she brightened at the news that Luz would be willing to show Rose magic. "Really? it wouldn't be an intrusion? I'd enjoy getting to see what you can do."

"Oh, my goodness. No sleep for a month? How did you get by? I get cranky if I sleep less than six hours a night, I think no sleep at all wouldn't work at all. Unless the dreamwalking was as good as sleep? But it seems as though this place does have a knack for keeping us busy."

She was studying as much as she could, given that there was no set order to the books. She'd been told to trust her instincts, but that wasn't always easy for her. She'd been trained to ignore them and shaking off the remnants of that policy was proving not as easy as she'd hoped.

"I can only imagine what it would be like..." she trailed off. Uncertain of what the right thing to say was.

Hooray for karaoke!

It's my own design
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most

She sang those lyrics full of heart, able to see something of her own struggle in them.

Re: (CW: allusion to suicide, mass death event)

[imaglyphwitch]

Maybe. One day. Luz could hope, right?

"What? Oh, not at all! Heck, I can at least show you one now, though the others will be better done outside, since they're better that way. Check this out!"

Luz took one her papers, then drew out the glyph for light and gave it a tap. Instantly, it turned into a little ball of light, then slowly ascended to the ceiling.

"I can customize it so that there are several, but that was what my first spell looked like. This one is actually pretty special to me."

For obvious reasons, like it being proof she could be a witch without needing a bile sac on her heart, but also because it literally resembled namesake.

She shook her head. "Oh no, it was awful. Couldn't have peace for days. I had to go wandering Trench just to find something to do. I'm glad magic kept me going, because on a regular human body, no sleep would mean instant death!"

It was funny, in a pretty disturbing way.

"Nothing I can do about that now though. For right now, I'd say I'm still in a pretty happy place. I live in a pretty nice house with several other people, and I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Of freedom

and of pleasure!

Nothing ever lasts forever!"

[everyrosehasits]

Without hope, we're nothing.

"Really? Then, I'm all eyes. Though, not entirely eyes, that would be grotesque," she says, lightness and anticipation in her voice.

And Rose gasped at the sight of the glyph, the light slowly rising upwards. The only comparison she can think of is fireflies but this was far more than a simple firefly. This was done by human hands and human will. The thought left her nearly breathless.

"I can--I can see why! It's extraordinarily beautiful, it truly is. I'm so grateful you chose to share it with me."

Maybe...maybe if Luz could do that, Rose could embrace the powers which came with being a Paleblood. Instead of shying away from them, terrified of what they might mean about how long she may be here.

Besides, dream-walking sounded fascinating. She'd likened her Picasso paintings to being like in a dream, one with truth but no logic. Now she'd get to actually be in a dream, try to find her own truth or logic in what she saw.

But Rose groaned, "oh no, really? Ugh. Why is this place so intent on bringing us here, then even more intent on trying to kill us? What good does that do for anyone? Us or the. The Pthumerians? Unless we're all here because we provide them sport?"

She can't help but wonder why her. Why her and why didn't they bring Jack with her?

"I'm so glad," she said genuinely. "It's the ties to each other that make everything...well I won't say 'worthwhile.' But bearable."

Everybody wants to rule the world! Sung as a challenge.

"Now, together!" There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do I'll be right behind you!

[imaglyphwitch]

Who could argue with that?

"Pretty sure I've seen something like that in actual person, and they're not as bad as you think! The sounds from the blinking takes some getting used to, though."

Luz couldn't help beaming a little here though. While she wasn't one for showing off, she WAS still pretty proud of what she could do when it came to magic. While she loved all the glyphs she could accomplish, light magic would always hold a special place in her heart.

"I'm glad you appreciate it! There are actually more accomplished witches and magical people here, don't get me wrong, but I'm still learning! Besides, I'll never sell short what I can do, they've come in handy more than once!"

She had managed a "no kill" record somehow, and a lot of that really had come down to the magics she'd been able to harness.

When it came to her Pale blood magic, Luz was still sorting that bit out. It had a stranger application than her glyphs and was a bit more cerebral. It was still a whole process, particularly when it came to dreams.

Luz shrugged. "Wish I could answer that, but I honestly have been dealing with that since Deerington. There was a more direct reason, being in the DREAM of a dying Pthumerian, but this is a whole thing altogether. Somehow this world has taken shape around these beings, and then it has even more complications when it comes to blood and the sort of magic and mythology that weaves around that. That'd be an answer to explore if you were going to Academic route around here."

To Luz, most of it didn't make sense in a conventional way anyway. You had to sort of figure out how you could best use your magic, and sometimes you had to use something more than that. Emotion. Inner strength.

"You're right about that! It's honestly saved me more than once!"

Literally.

SUCH a good song, and Luz gladly joined her in duet!

"So glad we almost made it!
So sad we had to fade it!

EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD!

And now awesome guitar!

(CW: allusion to suicide)

[everyrosehasits]

And Rose's eyes widened in amazement. "Honestly, I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised at what's out there here and in other worlds."

If Rose had that kind of magic, she'd be pleased as punch. And Cal would have been in trouble long before the Titanic. She could only imagine his reaction and it would have been hilarious.

"I've heard that the philosophy here is to never stop learning, at least for Arcane Scholars. Of which I am one, though I'm focusing on the scholar part more than the arcane, at least for now"

Rose would have been horrified to learn that people here did kill others. She'd considered dying before, but Jack had talked her out of it and proceeded to save her in every way. Sometimes, she missed him so much, her bones ached.

She needed to consult with other Palebloods who'd been here for a while, but every time she thought about sending over an Omni message, she lost her nerve. She knew she had to do it eventually for fear of her powers asserting themselves too strongly without her knowing how to control them.

"It's all right. I've heard about the dream, that in the end she died and everyone arrived here. Though, perhaps the better way to put it is arriving when. And I am. Going the academic route, there is. I always loved reading, I read Freud in the original German, but mother didn't really approve. She wanted me studying the skills necessary to oversee maids and other staff and how to throw gala events for the 'right' families."

Inner strength she had in spades. Emotion, too, but she'd think that emotions would be too easy for another to manipulate to their own purposes.

"I wonder, should I make a post reading friends wanted? That would be silly, but I've never really had friends before. Not real ones."

Karaoke was turning out to be high on her list of favorite things here!

She grinned and did her best to dance to the guitar, even though it mostly involved tossing her long red hair around and grinning widely.

Then, what followed, I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world!

Re: (CW: allusion to suicide)

[imaglyphwitch]

"That's something we can both agree on!"

For all that Luz had seen, she was sure that there was still more to behold, and that it would come to show itself in the coming months.

"I think that's a good place to start! I'm more of a Nightwalker person myself: I like making other feel happy, though how I'm going to do that as skill I'm not sure of yet, so for now I'm sticking to my part time job of confectionary delivery girl."

It worked, and Luz has access to treats, so really, she wouldn't complain.

"That's the long and short of it, yes. It might be a little more complicated, but that's really all you need to know, since this place is sort of its own thing. You seem pretty smart and reading in another language too! I only know two myself, and internet speak doesn't count!"

Luz figured she should really learn another language, and technically, performing glyphs was its own decipherable language.

"No way, really? I figured someone as worldly as you would make lots of friends! Of course, you're pretty new here, so maybe you just have to get your bearings. If you want, I could help you put a post up?"

Real friends? Oh right, high society. Probably no opportunity for making besties.

Karaoke never failed to put Luz in a better mood, and was especially fun with another person!

"More solo!" Luz air guitared and even did a split, and her eyes widened.

"Right! Right. I need to not do that again."

[everyrosehasits]

Rose wished that she wasn't so terribly new to all of this. That soon enough, she would be able to settle down and take things which before had been something out of stories in stride. She'd met Snow White for heaven's sake. After that, anything seemed possible.

And Rose smiled. "Just be yourself. You're already a charming young lady. And confectionaries? May I ask which kind?" Because Cal never let her have dessert, didn't even like it when she put sugar in her tea. She feels she's overdue for some sweets.

"Then I'll stick myself to whatever comes here and try to not worry about the rest. When I was from, ladies were expected to speak French at least. I learned that when I was fairly young and I taught myself German using a book I kept checking out at the library. I don't speak it very well, but I can read it just fine. And, thank you. May I say that you seem terribly smart as well?"

Rose assumed that both French and German would be relatively useless here, unless some gut instinct led her towards a book in either language. She'd heard that was the best way to use the library, stop looking for what you think you need and let your gut lead you to what you actually needed.

"Unfortunately, it's not so easy. When I was in finishing school, every girl there was determined to outdo the other. How they dressed, how they carried themselves, how pleasing they could be to others. Who was best at climbing the social ladder by any means necessary. All of it was unpleasant."

Rose mostly kept to herself and volunteered as little information to anyone as she could. They called her stuck up, but she'd been willing to live with it in that environment.

It put Rose in a much better state of mind, that she could truly let go and enjoy herself for its own sake.

And she grinned at Luz. "Perhaps not so quickly if you do do it again?"

[imaglyphwitch]

Ah yes. Snow White. Wait until Rose met Rapunzel!

Though honestly, Luz couldn't think of Rapunzel as anyone but Varian's friend from his home. Her happening to be part of a story was just a small oversight.

"Aw, thanks! Well, all kinds really. Cookies, cakes, different sweets from around the world, and trust me, you won't find any better than Lysithea's! She's super meticulous about how they're baked and how they taste. She makes nothing but the best!"

Was some of that shameless promotion for her friend? Sure. Did Lua absolutely believe it? YES.

"Aw, thanks! I'm Dominican American, so I speak Spanish and English, but I do want to learn Japanese someday. I'm sure I can pick up on some other languages too!"

Not that she was going to put that over her learning magic of course: that was going to have to take top billing besides all the other things she had to do.

"Aw, that sounds sad. If anything, you guys were being made to be pitted against each other, so it'd be way harder to be friends.

And much easier, unfortunately, to control, she imagined. It sounded awful.

"Nope, I think I shouldn't try that again. The only reason I'm not in more pain is because I ride the staff."

[everyrosehasits]

She'd be both enthralled and aghast, wondering how much of their stories were true and how much the Brothers Grimm had elaborated on. The old fairy tales as she'd read them were much darker, bloodier, more violent. Heaven help them if a Cinderella arrived.

And Rose couldn't help but groan in food-related anticipation. "I'm going to have to place an order. A rather large order. Does she like shells and geodes? I have a fair number of each."

"Spanish! My tutor told me that Spanish would be in greater and greater demand as time passed. And I think Japanese would be a challenge, yet a worthwhile one. And you're terribly bright, if you'd like me to tutor you in French or German, I'd be more than happy to."

And Rose imagined that her own quest to find out as much about the origins of Trench as possible would be a difficult one. But tutoring...that she'd always enjoyed.

"We were. All of us were trying to make the greatest impression in our debuts into society, so there was always someone prettier, more pliant, thinner, richer. And university was out of the question unless one failed to find a husband on the society circuit."

Rose didn't let herself begin to start to really rebel until she'd been talked into her mother into accepting Caledon Hockley's suit. After that, she started quoting Freud in whatever circumstances would embarrass him most and insisting on buying art by...something Picasso. Cal hated it, but Rose found beauty in its both sense and nonsense. Cal hating it was a bonus.

"Thank goodness for that much at least! I hope you don't mind if I don't try and imitate what you did."

[imaglyphwitch]

The Brothers Grimm weren't the creators of some of the stories but interpreters who put their own spin on things, from what Luz knew. Rapunzel was actually a much more wholesome in HER way, though her captor Mother Gothel was something else entirely.

It would better for Gothel if she never appeared, otherwise she'd have to deal with the whole houses' wrath.

"Oh, she'll be fine with those! I'll fly the order personally to you, ok?"

It was the least she could do!

"It makes way more sense now. The United States close to the border of Mexico has plenty of Mexican Americans, the east coast you have an influx of Puerto Ricans and Dominicanos, and then Florida has all the Cubanos! It honestly makes a lot of sense."

Luz could speak both, and each language resonated with her anyway.

Oh wow. Luz wrinkled her nose at that. "I would definitely not have fit well in your time, for several reasons! If you find someone here, you can do it without all of the drama of some other woman trying to snatch them up. I think."

She was pretty sure that wouldn't be a thing. Rose seemed to smart to get caught up in all of that kind of nonsense.

"No, no, that was pretty dumb of me, especially since I tried to do that before and was in MORE pain that time."

(CW: noncon, babies, nursing, early 20th century medical treatments, early 20th century ignorance)

[everyrosehasits]

She remembered reading a version where Rapunzel was woken up by twin babies nursing, a version which horrified her and made her want to throw the book at the wall, although back then she still attempted some kind of decorum. And a ghastly version of Cinderella she couldn't even think about.

Unfortunately, there was no way to control that. Rose had realized that when Jack hadn't washed up on the beach alongside her. But it made her wonder...should she be at the beach when others arrived? Just in case?

"Wonderful! I'll look forward to that."

"I'm afraid that something I'd never even thought to consider. My society was...not particularly enlightened, but I'm trying to learn more, to be better. Perhaps...I know that all of the old world is gone and this is all that's left, but maybe the library would have books on the subject? So I could educate myself?"

She doesn't want to stay stale and snobby like the society she had come of age in. She hadn't wanted it since before Father's death, but Mother's manipulation of her made it feel stifling, like a humid day in the height of August's heat without a breath of wind.

"It's for the best. My society...thought it owned the world and back then, they were mostly right. They had no use for those who questioned their ways, even less for women who did. We were being hysterical or had wandering womb. Which now I know was ridiculous, but such things were used to inflict inhumane medical practices on defenseless girls and women."

She was. She'd let her peers wrangle over which man had sent who flowers, who asked whom for a stroll in the sunset. It all seemed so terribly dull and pedestrian.

"Oh, no! Do you need ice? Or a hot water bottle?"

[imaglyphwitch]

She could probably deal with the idea of Cinderella's very violent story more than Rapunzel's, as sexual violence as a concept horrified Luz much more, enough that she never even thought of such a thing.

"Great! I'll make sure to tell her when I see her!"

Luz shrugged. "Things were likely to have been changing to be that way at the time anyway, I don't blame you not knowing. You could, but considering we're all here now, the point for that would probably be moot. It's this world we have to be concerned about now."

Something Luz was very much still learning about. She'd be grateful, of course, if Rose DID look that up.

"Oh, I can guess. We did learn a little about the way that early well to do Americans looked at, well, anyone that wasn't like them. Some of that really hasn't changed, but here, well, it's a little harder to keep to those distinctions. Now everyone just worried about blood."

And have disagreements about the job they should have, which was dumb.

"Personally, I prefer to have agency over what I think. It's a little sad it took so long for us to move away from that way of thinking."

Luz giggled. "Nope! I'm honestly way more durable than you think!"

Luz had WAY worse aches and pains and wounds than this one.

[everyrosehasits]

It horrified her, too. That was what had worried her about Cal, ever since his display of rage on the Titanic after she'd spent the night enjoying the Steerage party.

"Thank you. I appreciate it, I do." Rose smiled warmly and sincerely.

"Maybe, but my curiosity gets the best of me sometimes. What am I saying, it gets the best of me all the time. It's simply that there are times when I can hold my tongue better than others," chuckling as she recalled the look on Bruce Ismay's face when he was bragging about the what the size of the Titanic represented, only to be deflated when she brought up Freud's thoughts about the male preoccupation with size.

"That, and the bartering system. I can't embroider worth a damn, but I do have luck finding other things. And there's a house in Gaze I have my eye on. If no one moves into it soon, I'll claim it as my own."

Incredibly dumb as there were so many options to choose from. Or one could not choose any and live a well enough life, or at least that's how things seemed.

"So do I. And, how long did it take? I assume that women eventually got the vote. I supported the suffragettes, although Mother would have had kittens if she knew."

Rose also giggled. "Well then! I suppose I'll have to become durable, too!"

[imaglyphwitch]

Don't get Luz started on that. If there was anything that the girl thought highly of, it was having one's own agency.

"She'll appreciate the new clientele!"

Luz smiled. "No one is going to try and tell you how to be here. The thing is, sometimes things are better left unexplored, because the other option can be worse. As far as talking though? There are some people who really should do that less since they have no idea when the things they say make them look silly."

Luz was a victim of this herself, if she were being honest.

"Well good luck in getting that house! After this, promise to keep me posted on what happened with it? I want to make sure my friends aren't sleeping in a ditch and not telling anyone!"

Luz would adopt all of Trench if given the option.

"Oh, uh. I think the nineteen twenties? I'm pretty sure. It was lucky not that long, but seeing women as equals can still be a struggle depending on where you are."

Giving up the notion of superiority was hard for most, Luz had learned.

"Oh, trust me, you'll learn! It took me a little bit, but I can safely say I am a hard girl to kill!"

[everyrosehasits]

Rose has that now. Even if Cal came here (God forbid!), he wouldn't be able to pull her from the path she'd set herself on.

"I'm sure I'll become a loyal customer."

"Thank goodness. I'd imagine it's not a good idea to probe too deeply into the lives of others. For one thing, it's rude, and for another, back home it seemed impossible to keep secrets for very long. And Mother was a fine example of someone who should have kept her mouth shut." Asking if the lifeboats were seated according to class! As though nonsense like that mattered when the ship was sinking out from under them.

Luz was still a young lady who had plenty of interesting things to say. Rose would hear no other argument on the subject.

"Absolutely. If I were a better cook, I'd throw a housewarming party once I got everything settled. But as it is, I'll still have company. But no food."

Such a feeling spoke highly of her, just so long as she took plenty of time to take care of herself, too.

"Ugh. You'd think that things would have been settled years ago. Women are just as smart and capable as men, it's just that we're rarely given chances to prove it."

"I'd rather go with impossible, but that's probably asking too much."

[imaglyphwitch]

She'd love to know that!

"She'll be happy to have you! I'm not surprised about all that though: if you were a woman in those times whose asset was to be pretty, what else would you have to do but gossip and find out who's who? I'm not saying I can relate, since I'm poor but come from modern times, but if I had to guess, that'd probably be a thing I'd do to pass the time."

Lies, really. Luz would have to be pried from a library with a crowbar.

"Oh, I can help with that...if you want, that is! I know how to cook some dishes, and I learned even more once I had to rough it on my own. I can even try and get you some things to start with!"

Luz was very VERY bad at taking care of herself at times.

"It's really funny how slow of a time THAT took, when in just a few decades, what human beings can do as far as communication and learning and understanding changed pretty rapidly too! It'd be a lot to take in, if you ever choose to sit down and find out!"

Luz giggled. "Oh, I wish! I just am very good at dodging! Still have to work on making a good magical shield, actually."

[everyrosehasits]

"That was almost literally what all the women talked about. Everyone knew everyone else's business eventually, so gossip was like a competitive sport. People kept trying to know more than everybody else, so they could pretend like nothing was shocking to them. I suppose it could be interesting, but I felt like my life had already been decided for me. I felt...stifled, I guess?"

The library was a far better option.

Rose smiled in relief. "That would be wonderful. Snow White has taught me some, but the stoves here and the ones back home are entirely different. No worrying about burning wood or coal to keep the fire going."

And Rose was entirely bored with fish sandwiches. Tuna, salmon, cod, sturgeon, bass, catfish, no more fish! At least for a while.

"I suppose that there's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to seeing women as their own, authentic selves. However, technology tended to grow in leaps and bounds. When I was a girl, I never would have dreamed of travelling anywhere by an automobile, but by the time we took our tour of Europe, we took the train on many occasions, but I think Cal liked showing off what he could buy." See also: the Heart of the Ocean, squirrelled away in her undergarments drawer.

Rose blinked in surprise. "Really? How does one build a magical shield?"

[imaglyphwitch]

"It does sound a little superficial, if that was what you had to do day in and day out. It would drive me a little crazy, now that I think about it! There are little circles like that in just about every institution you go to, even in school! Some can be pretty mean, now that I think about it."

She didn't really have to think about it though. Time on earth and even Boscha's crew on the Boiling Isles were a lot like this.

"I'll bet they are! Good ol' Snow White, she would be the type to teach people how to cook! But that's true, more people tend to use electric or oil than actual coal or wood now. It's more convenient."

Not that Luz hadn't watched more than a few mewtube videos on how to cook in old fashion style, for fun. Too bad she had no idea that Rose was only eating fish, she would have made some recommendations!

"That's the thing: when technology thrives and gets better, people all want the opportunity to use it! Social change might be something that the powers that be buck against, but not only is it hard to keep those people down, they want the opportunity to exploit the potential money they can bring!"

Isn't capitalism great?/sarcasm

"Cal sounds like a real winner," Luz said, shaking her head. "Hopefully you won't miss him too much."

Oh, that was a really good question. "Well, it's all about amassing a competent cone of power, then taking that power and directing it around a certain spot. It sounds easy in theory but is WAY harder in execution. If I'm being truthful, I haven't had much practice making it happen yet. I'm better with my glyphs."

[everyrosehasits]

"It was awfully superficial. All anyone could talk about what who'd taken a stroll with whom, who was wearing the ugliest dress and describing how ugly it was, then laughing about it, and which new money family was trying to rise above their station. An endless parade of gala events, cotillions, and polo matches with the exact same people you'd been with at the previous event. And the event before that. It's small wonder people resorted to cruel gossip, what else could one do when being surrounded by the exact same people all the time. Yech. But, people are still just as cruel?"

It can be hard to keep things interesting with the same group of people in close quarters. Granted, it seemed as though this place had a way with creating interesting circumstances.

"Yes, she's very kind. Though, I still don't know how to use most of my kitchen appliances. The icebox was sensible enough, so was using the burners on the stove, but I haven't the faintest idea of what the little box with the options even is!"

She knew enough to try and get seasonings for it, but those seemed to be few and far between.

Rose looks endlessly disappointed. "...is that so? Then I suppose our cultures aren't that much different--I was only lucky enough to be born at near the top of it." And she finds herself wondering about the crew on the Titanic.

Not the officers, but the men working in the boiler room, the legion of stewards and stewardesses, her maid, Trudy. She hadn't seen Trudy since Mother had sent her back to turn on the heat on those rooms and get tea ready. How long had Trudy waited before she realized that not only were they not coming back, but that the ship was sinking?

yes, capitalism is wonderful!/sarcasm

"Oh, God no. I've never been so glad to be rid of someone in my entire life!" Though she couldn't help wondering why Cal went to check among the Steerage passengers. Did he simply want his bauble back or did he honestly think he might find her safe?

And Rose raises her eyebrows. "It sounds hard to me even in theory! I can't imagine how it must be to try and put it into practice."

[imaglyphwitch]

"Yup, depending on your friend circle and who you're hanging out with, you're likely to find that kind of conversation. Maybe it's always BEEN that way, the moment human beings were able to make something that other people couldn't get themselves. It's sad, but the good thing is you can always find friends that don't care, and then you don't have to either! I guess there are probably pockets like that here, but since everything runs on barter system, it's harder to be wealthy, and extravagance is kinda look down on by at least half the population because of the fear of blood pollution."

So there were just new things to worry about instead of the regular kind of gossipy bunch of people. Also, there was whatever Trench would throw at its Sleepers.

"Oh, you mean a microwave! I can help you out with that, although I can only imagine what they look like here. I don't know if anyone has them. We just use a stove back at our place. Most of us come from a world that have them!"

Besides, Reaper cooked for them anyway, so most of the time they didn't have to worry about it.

"People sometimes don't want to change because that means losing their comforts, and unfortunately, it is easier for poor people to be content when they have small comforts. Effecting change means, well, rebellion, and those in power have ways of stopping that."

Luz's mom had given her enough stories about that, sadly.

"Glad to hear it! You seem way too awesome to be saddled to someone that overbearing!"

She hoped Rose found someone who would treat her well. And sing with her on Karaoke night.

"Oh, it is! But any of the magic I did was hard. It all takes practice and work. So I might not know how to get it perfect now, but I will soon, mark my words!"

[everyrosehasits]

"I suppose the very first cavewoman who was wearing an animal fur looked down on the ones wearing grass skirts. And men are no exception, really. They have their own pride, they simply express it in different ways. And I'd like to think I can find lots of friends here who don't care about wealth, no matter how it's accumulated. But...why does it lead to blood pollution?"

Rose had assumed that the incidents on Valentine's day were an isolated incident, likely due to the holiday. Granted, March saw the end of winter, but Trench certainly didn't seem like the kind of place where people would indulge in old pagan traditions she'd read about in a book she'd had to hide from mother.

"A micro...wave?" A little confused line formed between her eyes. "It doesn't look like it has water in it?"

Rose had burned the first couple attempts at cooking she'd tried. Then she'd tried to recall what she read in a book about Japan, that they ate raw fish with rice all the time. She could do that.

"Yes, it seems as though nothing less than that would turn the world on its ear. And in rebellions, there are casualties." And she's seen more than enough death in her seventeen years already.

"Thank you, it's kind of you to say so. I'm sure he'll find someone new soon enough, likely someone easier to lead."

She honestly wasn't looking. She was still too heartsick for Jack to consider anything more than a polite, but meaningless flirtation.

"I hope you'll demonstrate it for me when you do, truly your magic is wonderful"

[imaglyphwitch]

"Oh sure, everybody has pride, and you're going to learn it's not just us humans. There are people who are here from other dimensions and other worlds, and they have their own version of pride. However it's shaped, it has a way of affecting all the things you do."

Who could Luz possibly be talking about? Darth Maul

There was so many crazy things going on in Trench that at this point, Luz was not surprised by any of it. Thank you, Deerington.

"Water?" Now Luz was confused. "What does that have to do with it?"

Oh sure, you COULD eat raw fish, but between the descaling and gutting and deboning, it was going to be a whole process no matter how you went about it.

Unless of course Rose obtained the fish already prepared for her, in which case Luz would consider her SUPER lucky, since she was usually fishing for Luca. Luckily, he had fish boy teeth that he didn't need Luz to prep it. If she wanted to eat fish though? Out of luck.

"Exactly. In the 'civilized' world, you don't have rebellions. Protests maybe, but most of the time, people want to be left alone to try and live their best life."

Luz always thought war to be pointless and life consuming, but sometimes it was necessary to HAVE a peaceful life.

"I hope not. That sounds awful, to have a life like that."

Luz wouldn't know this, having no knowledge of Jack. Be advised you would have a sobbing little starry-eyed teen if she did find out.

"Of course! I mean, outside of course. I don't want to start a fire or make ice indoors. Buuut-"

Luz took a glyph and scribbled the fire and ice glyph in separate circles but joined together through two loops on each side, and now there was a small bit of billowing steam all around them that slowly dissapted.

[everyrosehasits]

"I would hope to avoid bruising the pride of others, if only because I know what it feels like and it's awful. I suppose that in the absence of any real laws, one must follow the Golden Rule. Treat others how you would like to be treated?"

Who indeed? Scary guy!

And she comes from an era where the only real fantasy stories were fairy tales, generally thought of as only being suitable for the nursery. But she'd gotten a book of the original versions and they'd been terribly violent. So she has...some frame of reference?

Rose cocked her head to one side slightly. "You said it was a microwave, so there must be waves involved somehow. Small waves, I assume?"

All of which she'd never done before. So she usually held her nose through the degutting and skinning, then sliced off small pieces. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it worked well enough?

Even though she felt really silly about eating pieces of raw fish. The book had pictures of what the fish and rice were supposed to be like and what she did didn't come close. For starters, she had no rice. And no idea of how to cook it even if she did have it.

"Who would have thought that the future would be so...very similar to my present," she says despairing. "But surely some progress must have been made?"

Because she doesn't want to think of growing old in a world that didn't grow, too.

And Rose would be the first to hug her and tell her that her final promise to Jack was that she'd hold on. She'd live. She'd lead a good life. And that was exactly what she was going to do, she owed him nothing less.

"You could always make shaved ice? Everyone likes shaved ice...in a warmer climate than this."

And Rose exclaims in surprise and amazement and can't help clapping. "That was wonderful! Really, it was!"

[imaglyphwitch]

"That would make sense! The problem usually is knowing what it is that offends people. It can be different stuff! But the longer you stay here, the easier it'll be to figure out."

He was scary, but also much nicer than he wanted anyone to find out.

That was a good way to find out exactly how bad things were going to get.

"Oh no, not...waves in the sense of water! It's more like, well, electron waves that are produced in the oven that cooks the food. You know, I should probably find you a book about it and read it myself since I actually don't know how the process works myself. Most people don't know its science but DO know to use it."

Though even then, some people could still mess things up with a microwave. Luz made a mental note to tell Rose to not EVER put anything metal in a microwave.

Oh Rose. Please. Please tell Luz you can't cook so she can save you from your struggling existence and help you to eat right.

"There's plenty of progress! It's just, well. People just become jerks in new ways instead of the old one, and even then, not that much more? They're still pretty bad. But there are lots of things we've gotten better with too. Music! Communication! Cooking! Art! And people of all different races and orientations working and trying to make a living in these new kinds of jobs! Prejudiced people don't make it easy, but it can be possible with the right mind and energy!"

Luz has not lost her enthusiasm for humanity!

Again, see Luz with tears of appreciation and love for how amazing you and Jack sound.

"That IS true, but how would I do the flavoring?"

She'd have to ask Dean.

Luz was beaming, because of course she was. "Isn't it? I learned THIS outside of my world through experimentation! I found that if you were able to combine and direct glyphs while also linking them together, you could use both abilities to create something new!"