I'd sit there and look at the deserted lakes and I'd sing

[singmod]

MARCH 2024 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — EXIT STRATEGY: With the way via the main road a no-go, Methuselah finds a potential and very dangerous way out of the Milton area: the Milton Mines. During the Aurora, the Interlopers must find a way to safely navigate the mines and find a way through.

PROMPT TWO — BRAVE NEW WORLD: Interlopers make their way into the Lakeside area, and are free to explore the more of the Northern Territories: a place of both industry and leisure.

PROMPT THREE — THE ECHO: On Aurora nights, the aftermath of the Darkwalker's attack on the Interlopers continues to ripple through the community — with a painful affliction.

EXIT STRATEGY

WHEN: Mid-month.
WHERE: Milton Mines.
CONTENT WARNINGS: claustrophobic situations; potential injury/maiming; potential electrocution/electrocution injuries; potential burn injuries; hyperthermic situations; exploration horror;


Unusually, Methuselah returns to the town around the middle of the month. He is looking pleased and will ask that the Interlopers gather in the Community Hall. Once gathered, he climbs onto the small stage at one end of the Hall and explains that following last month’s Feast, he set out to try to find a way out of Milton, and he believes he may have found a way out.

He goes on to explain that although the Milton Mine has been closed for many years, there may still be access through the mine. The mine had two entrances through either sides of the stone, one on the Milton side since many of the residents worked the mine back in the day, but there was also an additional entrance on the opposite side, which led to a railway track that allowed easier export of coal and precious materials towards the coast. Having gained access, he believes the mine seems to mostly remain intact, but not easy to get through. However, he discovered that during the Aurora, the old mine and its electronics came to life — meaning a way through is certainly possible during those times with the added electronics in play.

It is not much, and it is certainly incredibly dangerous, but it is something. There is certainly no way out towards the south; towards the north might be the Interlopers’ best chance of finding a way out of Milton.

Methuselah will ask for any volunteers to join him in trying to find a way out via the mines, taking them up north and then waiting for an Aurora to happen before they can then make their way through and explore the mine system. Anyone is free to sign up, and he suggests someone drawing up a sign up sheet so that Interlopers have an idea of who is leaving the town on the journey.

The hike towards the mines is a long one, taking a few hours on an incline to reach the northern mountains. Waiting on the Aurora may take time, so setting up camp is the next step — waiting for night and hoping the skies fill with night soon. Interlopers are free to explore the mine beforehand, but will find a lot of it locked up tight. With areas unreachable without power and the darkness suffocating, they won’t get very far.

When the Aurora does finally come, the mine will come to life: the system’s lighting will come on throughout, albeit flickering and a little unreliable. Machinery and track systems whir and groan as the mine slowly cranks itself into functioning once more. While there are maps of the system to help Interlopers navigate the system — showing a second entrance labelled as ‘Lakeside Entrance’ — the true difficulty in getting through lies in wait.

Interlopers will find that parts of the system have been partially flooded: with the frigid water in places mostly ankle deep and others reaching no higher than knee-high on an average-height man. What’s worse, is the half-destroyed electrics ravaged by both time and the Aurora mean plenty of loose wires hanging here and there. It’s possible to accidentally catch yourself on them, meaning burn injuries and mild electric shocks — but care should be taken in checking if these wires may have fallen into these flooded parts. Stepping into these live waters will be far more deadly. They will also find that the electronically-powered gates that open through into areas may not function, with the fuses having been blown.

Gaining access through the mine is not impossible, however. It will simply require a little bit of legwork. One of the larger caverns of the mines houses a fuse board. Characters can switch off sections of the mines in order to traverse them safely, find new fuses in toolboxes scattered through the mines in order to open the gates and make their way through to gain access to the elevator of the mine — which will also require new fuses, in order to power the electrics to get it to function.

It is perhaps, most frustrating, that once Interlopers get the elevator working and head downwards into the final section of the mine, that they will come across hand-cranks — allowing them to use the elevator without the need for electricity. But at least the hard part is over, and the Interlopers now have a way through from Milton that doesn’t require relying on the Aurora to power the mine’s electrics.

On the lower section of the mine, there will be a handful of more gated rooms to get through before reaching the Lakeside Entrance, and more wires and flooded areas to traverse. But you can taste it: something on the air. You’re close.

You’ve made it, Interloper.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

WHEN: Mid-month, onwards.
WHERE: Milton Mines (Lakeside Entrance); The Ravine; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; themes of peril; acrophobia; potential character/npc death from falls; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk;

Coming out of the mines, you will be greeted by a small mining camp and railway track enclosed by mountains on both sides. It’s incredibly sheltered here, with little wind chill and not as much snow on the ground compared to some of the more open areas of Milton. It may be best to rest here for the rest of the night. There are several portacabins that were used to house some of the former miners, along with additional cabins with one being some kind of foreman’s office, one that served as a kind of mess hall and one for bathing/toilet needs.

While there is little in terms of supplies left in there, some scraps may be found here and there — plus the cabins will provide decent shelter from the cold, which may be the last Interlopers will get ahead of the long walk down through the mountain track and into Lakeside. There is also plenty of coal left lying around, too — allowing for Interlopers to craft fires to keep warm. Even with it being sheltered, it’s still cold out.

In terms of where to go from here, the only way seems to be to follow the track. It’s a long walk, but rather straightforward if you keep to the tracks. A good few hours of it, but it’s quiet — and there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of wildlife or windchill here. It almost seems too easy, or as easy as it could be in regards to a long walk through thick snow.

Until you come face to face with the ravine.

The world opens up to you, with the tracks stretching over a huge valley via a… mostly sturdy-looking wooden and steel bridge. There doesn’t seem to be any way around it, no alternative route of getting over to the other side. Crossing the bridge is the only option. Care should be taken, with Interlopers now being vulnerable to the wind and the snow-laden tracks. As sturdy as the bridge looks, it seems to creak and groan under the weight of a single footstep. There even appears to be the remains of fall train-carts in the depths, from some unfortunate incident years ago. It’s probably fine.

Crossing the bridge and continuing down the tracks will eventually have the world opening up even more — you’ve finally reached Lakeside. Thick boreal forests crowd around the tracks, and in places, Interlopers will note that the tracks have buckled and become badly damaged. When they find roads, they will also find them in similar states of disrepair from beneath the snow. Following them for another hour or so will eventually lead to Lakeside’s Maintenance Yard. From here, there is a road, with directions: signs pointing towards Milton, the Coast, Lakeside Resort and the Carter Hydrodam.

For those interested in searching the Maintenance Yard, they will be greeted by a large, fenced in building. Fortunately, a great deal of the fencing has been damaged with the bad weather and it is easy enough to gain access. The place is a bit of a mess: scrap metal, wood, and dissued trucks and cars litter the yard, along with wood that can be used for kindling and firewood. Inside the Maintenance Yard, it is a little bit of a mechanic’s dream. There’s plenty of tools in this place, and even a forge which could be used for crafting if someone has the patience to fire it up and keep it hot for long enough. There’s plenty of stores of coal, at least. But in terms of a living space, there’s not much else other than a small break room with some comfy chairs to catch some quick shut-eye. Searching the Yard for any letters or such will reveal a similar theme to that of Milton: difficulty in reaching the Mainland with postage and correspondences, the lack of staffing, and the problems with wildlife. There are also complaints and concerns over growing dangers of small quakes causing damage to the roads and rail system.

Following the road towards the Lakeside Resort is a mostly quiet and pleasant enough trek, as long as one keeps close to or on the road there as much as possible. The Resort is largely secluded, even if it is around the actual lake itself, and it’s easy to see just why this place would have been a popular vacation place.

The resort is a collection of a dozen luxury cabins dotted around the edge of the lake, each of them with a decent amount of space between them for privacy. The cabins themselves are sturdy and well built, but look far more modern and almost designer in terms of style - with huge almost floor to ceiling windows and spacious porches for that perfect lakeside view, and open plan rooms and balconies. Each of the cabins contain multiple bedrooms, suitable for vacationing families and mix both modern technology and more rustic means of heating homes — making them ideal for all weathers.

A couple of the cabins are not completed, appearing to be a kind of expansion of the resort that was not finished. Build materials still remain here. Some of the cabins on the furthest side appear to have become victims of vandalism, having been broken into and completely trashed with windows smashed, furniture missing and broken, and any goods completely ransacked from the place. There are perhaps five cabins out of the twelve that remain fully intact and may contain useful items such as food, basic medical supplies and tools, and will certainly be excellent shelters for those looking for somewhere to stay.

There is also a Camp Office, situated at the east side of the lake. Used as a kind of main office of maintenance for the cabins, along with an office or tourist centre of sorts. It has a decent stock of hiking and outdoor essentials. The Camp Office does also have a small living space upstairs — presumably used by Lake staff or rangers, with a wood stove and kitchenette, along with a bathroom and several bunk-beds. It appears that the Camp Office wasn't abandoned until a short while ago — no more than a couple of months.

Following the road to the Hydrodam is a trickier one than the one to the Resort. There is a higher volume of predator wildlife here, with wolf howls closer and more frequent. With the current state of wildlife’s behaviours, it is likely to face attacks from wolves on the way there. The Carter Hydrodam has clearly seen better days. It seems to have fallen into disrepair and may have only been run by a small skeleton crew. While the Hydrodam is gated and locked up tight, it’s possible to break in through the gate and gain access.

While the lower dam is currently out of bounds, Interlopers will be able to get into the upper levels of the main building of the Hydrodam, which consists mostly of offices, maintenance rooms, a medical bay, and rooms banked with control panels, plus staff areas. The med bay is relatively well stocked, but might need a little forced entry with certain medical lockers and cabinets. Tools and other useful items can also be found here, along with bunk rooms, a small canteen and bathrooms/showers. It might be possible with some work to get access to hot water here — the showering systems run on a back-up furnace system, and while some of the pipes are broken, it might be possible to fix them to get the hot water system up and running again.

Following the road to the Coast will find a dead end. The bridge that heads over towards that direction has been damaged beyond repair, and there looks to be no way of getting around it. Perhaps, much like with getting out of Milton, there may be an alternate way of getting further south, but time will tell.

But for now, here is an entirely new region, ripe for the picking. While it appears some places have already seen minor scavenging (with the exception to the vandalism and looting of some of the resort cabins), Lakeside is largely untouched. It is full of game to hunt, an expansive lake to take up ice-fishing in, and indoor locations to search through for supplies. Some Interlopers may decide to stay here permanently now that it’s easier to travel between Lakeside and Milton.

THE ECHO

WHEN: Aurora Nights, the month of March.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural/otherworldly afflictions; themes of grief; themes of loss

There are roughly no more than ten Aurora nights during the month of March, and everything occurs as usual: the insanely bright colours swirling in the skies before you, the crackles and pops of static in the air providing percussion to the strange, ethereal chorus of almost-electrical sounds. The electrics of the world around coming alive with its usual sputtering and falters. There is much mystery to these strange, almost supernatural phenomena — but they almost feel like a kind of staple in the Northern Territories.

But on these nights something different happens.

If you listen closely, the sound of weeping can be heard on the air. Those with the Aurora Call Feat will be particularly drawn to the sound, and will hear it more clearly compared to their fellow Interlopers. It is the sound of a woman, and those paying attention might be able to recognise the voice it belongs to: it is the same woman heard over the static of radios and televisions in December and early January. The same woman that spoke to Interlopers, telling them to sleep, with the promise of help — thus granting some of them powers. It is the same voice that screamed out the night La’an Noonien-Singh died, and the night of those recently killed in the church.

She is… grief-stricken. Her weeping is a raw and anguished thing, and the more you listen, the more it seems to grip at you. You feel her pain, maybe it echoes within your own. Those you have lost, those you have failed or hurt — a reverb that grows stronger as the night continues. It is an all-consuming pain, its depths endless. It brings tears to your eyes.

You carry this pain, as she does.

You feel it in your very bones, in your flesh and sinew. It’s an exhaustive pain, and as the night progresses, you find yourself incredibly weary. In a strange state of fatigue that won’t even allow you to sleep.

You may find yourself going in search of comfort amongst friends, or loved ones. To hold a hand, to embrace them — to not be alone in this pain you feel.

But it is a pain that is too great.

On these nights, you will find yourselves alone, without the comfort you would otherwise lean on. You will not be soothed by that comfort of others. For as long as the Aurora lasts, reaching out and touching others will bring real physical pain to you. It will hurt to touch others, and physical contact will produce a sharp biting pain, even for those who may not feel pain otherwise. Too much. It’s… too much.

Some of you were told once, in a dream: “Don’t you understand it now? We are all connected. The Aurora connects us.”

Once the lights in the sky fade, that pain will finally ease and the woman’s sobs will go quiet — but it will return once more, when the next Aurora comes.

FAQs

EXIT STRATEGY

1. It is entirely possible for NPC Interlopers to die in the mines due to electrocution, and players are free to use NPCs — we ask that players give mods a heads up so that the masterlist can be updated accordingly.


BRAVE NEW WORLD

1. The lower dam is currently completely physically impossible to access. The door that leads there is jammed shut. Characters will notice half-frozen water leaking on the floor around the door.

2. It is possible to find bodies in Lakeside, however there is a... suspiciously low amount of them, and the rare ones found by characters will have been there for some time. They will have appeared to have died of exposure.

3. Wolves can be found in Lakeside, and their tracks are incredibly common. Interactions with wolves can happen in the exploration of this region, and they will behave much like they did during the September event and be incredibly hostile to players.

4. Bears are also common in Lakeside, and their tracks can also be found. They technically should be still hibernating, and much like wolves — they will be aggressive towards Interlopers. Keep your distance!

5. Lakeside unlocking comes with a Companion Event of an Interation with a new NPC!

THE ECHO

1. Essentially: physical touch with others will bring Interlopers physical pain. Sorry about that.

2. It is possible for Interlopers with Aurora Call to attempt to reach out to the woman. Those interested can inquire into what that interaction may be like! They can find out what that entails here.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[load_aim_shoot]

"Mm." It's a soft noise and Raju takes a slow breath right after, bracing himself. In, the smell of soot lingering, this close to Francis' skin. Then out, breathing against his hand. Then he gives a decisive nod and rolls to lean on his forearm, a grimace at the movement flickering over his face. His head hangs, no matter how the muscles in his neck complain. He feels heavy, his body still soaked in the relaxation that'd cradled him a moment ago. Feeling like that, he isn't going to be able to do this gradually; he pushes himself up to sitting hard and all at once.

The grimace comes back and fights him as he leans back against his hand, letting his head tilt back toward the ceiling and then rolling it around his shoulder forward. He feels the movement down his back. He takes a breath and sighs it back out, then looks into Francis' face again with a warm, tired smile, free hand moving to the back of his neck absently. "Thank you. At least one part of me feels clean, now. After I finish with the comb, do you want me to..."

He nods toward the cloth and the soap and the meltwater, used once but only on his hair, so still probably clean enough, then moves his gaze meaningfully to Francis' head. "For your hair?"

But then— The question had felt natural when it'd been coming out of his mouth, something he might offer to Seetha, or... or to family, in another life. Who else would have done something like that for Raju? But outside that Raju doesn't know the rules for this, does he, what the expectations are. Uncertainty takes over Raju's expression as he looks back to Francis' face and Raju takes it back with a polite, friendly smile, free hand sliding down to his lap and thumb rubbing circles against the side of his finger.

"Or would you rather wash yourself all at once, later? Now that we're rested you'll have plenty of time to."

[goingtobeunwell]

Crozier is even less sure of the rules or expectations. Realizing that he was the one who pushed this boundary first, he should be the one to politely decline the very enjoyable-sound request. Because honestly, it’s been a long time since he’s been cared for just for the sake of it.

But decline he must, because he’s the one who should be caring for Raju, and not the other way around. He smiles gently and shakes his head. “I’ll bathe later.”

And by himself, without the kind and patient touch of a man who isn’t repulsed by him, as it should be.

“You need to lie yourself back down and let me finish cooking.” He can insist on this much, he can turn his attention back to being the caretaker and not the center of attention.

[load_aim_shoot]

“Mm.” Raju shakes his head and leans slowly forward, testing the feeling of sitting this way, with his forearms over his thighs taking his weight. This position probably won’t be very comfortable for long either, a part of Raju’s mind thinks absently, while another part of him thinks: of course he was only being kind. It wasn’t…

Wasn’t what? He doesn’t know what word to use for it. Francis doesn’t want it, whatever it is. Raju had only asked because their conversation had still been moving through his head, and feeling the echoes of Francis’ touch over his face and his hair, and the relaxation heavy and floating through him, he hadn’t been thinking. One hand moves up to rub clumsily over the side of his face and his brow. He’ll finish waking up soon, then his thinking will be more clear.

At least there’s one thing that he still knows. “If I lie down now I’ll fall back asleep. Oh— the comb,” he remembers as clumsy fingers brush against his damp hair, and looks up to look around for it. “Where…”

[goingtobeunwell]

The comb’s been placed down by Crozier’s legs somewhere, and he pats around the furs and the floor until his hand brushes against it. He holds it out to Raju. “After you eat in that case. More sleep couldn’t hurt.”

And then after he finished his chores for the day, checking a nearby trap and gathering a little more to eat, melting some snow, gathering firewood, perhaps he could just curl back underneath the furs and enjoy a little more warmth and a few more lazy hours dozing. He wouldn’t normally indulge, except —-

Well.

[load_aim_shoot]

"Mm." This time the noise sounds distinctly doubtful. He takes the comb and sits up perfectly straight, unconsciously, as he uses it, frowning as his other hand feels his hair. He's used to a mirror for this, but he'll do his best. The movements of his hands are very practised but slow and careful, aware as he is of how heavy they feel, how much he'd like to let his arms drop and lay back down. Every movement is precise, important. It puts parts of him back in order. "I don't like to waste the day. It's already late enough, isn't it? And, um—"

His gaze focuses to frown over at the food Francis had been about to make, the pan he'd put at the fire. Francis is doing it for Raju as much as for himself, has said he wants Raju to eat so that he'll heal. He remembers Francis' shoulder solid underneath his head, his hand over Raju's hair more than once, and on his face. He doesn't want Francis to feel badly if the meal doesn't go the way he wants it to. "I might not eat much anyway. I don't know how it'll sit."

He looks from the food to Francis' eyes and shrugs, deliberately casual, before his gaze unfocuses so he can pay proper attention to his hair. And so he can assess himself, the way that he feels. Everything all emptied and strange emotions, unknowable thoughts, happening somewhere at the edges of him, just out of reach. A tether pulling his awareness toward the man in front of him, exhaustion and his will a set of strong walls constructed around it to keep the exhaustion at bay, a feeling of fraying edges being carefully cleaned and cared for. He considers the way he'd felt when he'd woken up, and the way that he feels now.

"Maybe a little better now than it would have be— before." The yawn he'd held off at that last word comes back and he tries to cut it off before it's done, speaking around it as his hands slow, focus too divided for a moment to be trusted with precise movement. "But I don't want you to waste too much food."

[goingtobeunwell]

“It’ll keep,” Crozier replies simply. Whether Raju wants to eat now or worry at his sore muscles instead, the food will keep.

He shuffles his way back to the fireplace and pulls a crate as a makeshift chair while he ‘cooks’, or in this case throwing some crudely-cut, cubed root vegetables into the pan to fry up like a hash. He found some salt and the remains of a pepper shaker in a home and almost greedily grabbed them up — he’s grateful every day for the Netsilik and the care they showed him, but salt! Seasoning. A real cooked meal. It wasn’t often that he thought of food - whiskey, always, that nagging little voice in the back of his head - but when he did it was something crisp and salty. He’s sure Raju would like something with seasoning for a change, even if it doesn’t come close to the food he’s used to at home.

“There’s really not much to be done anyway,” he adds a moment later. Raju is a man who likes to be kept busy; he can’t exactly blame him there. Resting is a chore in itself. “I’ll gather more wood for the fire, a little more snow, and be done with it.”

He pauses, then glances away from the fire, locking eyes with the other man in what he hopes will ring significant to his friend. “The day isn’t wasted if it’s for your health.”

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju's hands pause again as Francis locks eyes with him. Then Raju snorts and looks away, smile faint and then fading. "I didn't even do anything. Just talked at you for a while and then went to sleep. My health should be just fine. I didn't even feel my damned feet."

Mentioning them makes what he feels from them now harder to ignore and he shifts his legs around, grimacing a little and huffing out a sigh as he glances down at them. He looks ahead again and focuses on his hands, on keeping their movement steady and controlled, their effect precise. Once he finishes it'll be harder to tell how he's done without a mirror, but feeling at it will have to be enough. It isn't really worth leaving this room, warm with a man in it who cares enough for Raju to cook for him, just to go and make sure of something he's already practised doing thousands of times. Maybe he'll get up and look once Francis goes to get firewood.

"And the wood could take you a while. Unless you don't mind it more damp. Even the old wood in this place is covered in all that blasted snow."

[goingtobeunwell]

“I’ve a store of dried firewood in the back, I just like to keep my supply up in case of catastrophic storms or wild animal maulings.”

Or lights in the sky that drive friends half-mad with grief that’s only half their own.

He flips the vegetables with a flick of the pan and throws in a little salt, because he can, damn it all.

“I’m tired,” he suddenly adds. He shakes his hand and sits forward, rubbing at aching knees. “I’d hoped that if you slept then I could lie down without guilt.”

Maybe this angle might work. Raju wouldn’t be so horrible as to deny a man his sleep, would he?

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju looks up from what Francis had been putting in the pan, looking surprised and, as his hands lower toward his lap again, a little ashamed, frowning as he watches Francis rubbing at his knees. Francis hadn’t wanted much attention on the problem of his aches earlier, had he? Some older men are that way. Raju’d seen it in some who’d been grown and training beside him when he himself had been a boy and who had grown older and slower and more pained and all the while insisting they would still be able to hold a gun and fight, when the time came. Needing more sleep than you used to need is probably the same as that, and as the aches. If Raju keeps moving and pushing forward maybe all the things happening inside him will sort themselves out while he’s busy, but he hadn’t intended to take away Francis’ excuse and make him admit it.

“Guilt over what?” Raju spins the comb back and forth in his hand, his smile small, fond and hopefully encouraging. “If your firewood is just out there I can get it for you. And the snow for melting. You won’t be leaving anything undone if you lie down now.”

[goingtobeunwell]

Ah, damn him, he should have expected that Raju would meet a personal humiliation with generosity. He’s playing chess instead of checkers and didn’t even know it.

He returns the fond smile with something soft and amused. “Ah, I couldn’t possibly, especially knowing you were on those feet. No, no, I’ll get it done and then perhaps I can convince you to lie back down with me.”

If there’s something to read into there he doesn’t hint it - in fact, he barely even thinks it. It’s an innocent offer after all.

Another flip of the handle, a slight sizzle as he adds in a little lard from a jar he’d found in an abandoned pantry. Rabbit’s too lean for much fat, but a jar of grease apparently’ll do the trick nicely.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju's warm smile widens a little, and he blows out a soft breath. Being asked to rest this many times reminds him of home, of when he'd been young and still when he'd been older, teaching himself everything he was going to need taking more precedence than Seetha had been happy with sometimes, even though she understood why things had to be the way they were. She'd understood better than anyone. But there's nothing to stay awake for, now, nothing outside of himself, and Francis needs to sleep, too. Maybe Raju can lie down until Francis falls asleep, and if he's still restless, figure something out after.

The pause in the movement of the pan as Francis' hand adds something from a jar distracts Raju from thinking more about it. Any cooking more extensive than 'put it over a fire until it's edible' seems rare in this place, or at least it is for him. If he's honest, that part isn't much different than things had been before. But this being something elaborate from someone who isn't him is new and Raju leans forward to see it, then scoots himself closer to get a better look, grimacing at the movement but wanting to see too much to stay in one place.

"That was salt earlier, wasn't it?" he guesses. "And now..."

He watches it sizzling in the pan, then tries to peer into the jar it'd come from. " That isn't ghee, is it. Wha—"

He has to pause for a long yawn against the back of his hand, then starts again with a quiet, annoyed noise at having had to wait. The question isn't important, he knows it isn't important, but there's something about how unimportant it is, how normal it feels in the wake of everything to sit here near to this man asking him questions about nothing at all. "What is that?"

[goingtobeunwell]

“You’re changing the subject,” he teases, but readily pushes the jar closer to him to inspect. “Lard, tallow. Some sort of rendered animal fat. Not entirely what sort of animal, but if I’d had to guess I’d say pig?”

He pushes around the roots to rid them of that remaining starch, then switches the pan handle for a spoon and scoops up enough for a little taste. He holds out the spoon to Raju, eyebrow lifting in a silent question. It’s not much, but maybe it’ll taste halfway decent?

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju looks surprised for a moment, then obviously unsure what exactly to do with the food now that it's been offered. He starts to lean forward, but Francis only has the one spoon, doesn't he? That would get it dirty. He leans back, picking something out from the spoon instead with the tips of his fingers and then pausing while he chews.

He makes an appreciative noise, then another one, then laughs at himself, the side of his hand covering his mouth. "I've never been this excited over just salt and fat. Is this what the English feel like when they eat? Ah—"

It's a little too late to catch the insult to Francis' cooking implied there before it comes out and Raju's eyes curve with his smile, looking caught out and amused at it. Strange, how easy it is just now to smile this way. "But your cooking is wonderful, of course. Thank you."

[goingtobeunwell]

Crozier snorts a laugh through his nose. There’s no part of him is offended by this very true condemnation of English cooking, and Raju’s amusement at it is almost beatific. “No need for flattery, my cooking is passable.”

But he is endeared by the smile, the quick laugh and the hand to his mouth, the joy at something so simple. If passable food is the cause he won’t mind a few more slights or having to figure out how to make what he cooks halfway decent.

He switches the spoon for the handle of the pan once more to finish off their little indulgent meal. Fat, salt, a little pepper, something hot - it’s a veritable feast in comparison to cold rabbit or raw leaves, but it’s certainly not good.

A few moments later and he’s removing the pan from the fire altogether, setting it down between himself and Raju on a frayed rug on the floor. “I have a spoon and a fork, which would you like? Or we could eat with our hands.” Because why the pretense?

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju watches him finish the cooking, paying attention too to the way the little taste he’d gotten of it feels now that he’s swallowed. It’s almost too small to tell anything, but he’d been honest when he’d said that sick feeling in his stomach, a little stronger than usual when he’d first woken up, feels a little better now than it had.

It should be alright, he’s deciding, when Francis sets the pan down between them and asks how Raju would like to eat it. Besides, he really is excited at the chance to eat food that tastes of more than just itself. Even in those early days living on his own in Deli, he’d still sometimes used salt. Not so, since he woke up in Milton.

He looks at Francis, smiling a little, considering. Then he leans over, smile overtaken for a moment by a grimace and a quiet, pained noise as he reaches for the water Francis had used for his hair and picks it up, setting it beside them. There’s a little soap in it, but that should make their hands even cleaner in it, won’t it? It’ll do.

Raju settles himself again in front of the pan and feels… But he doesn’t need to put a word to it, does he? He’s done enough of that already. He can enjoy the meal, the man in front of him, the moment. So he does. The little smile comes back. Raju aims the look at Francis for a moment, watching him, then dips his hand in the water to wash it off and quickly flicks all the excess at Francis’ face, looking down at the pan afterward and holding his hand near to its side to feel the temperature. If they’re eating with their hands it probably isn’t cool enough to touch it yet.

“Fat probably can’t keep very long, can it?” he asks as if he hasn’t done anything unusual at all, gaze down at the pan and smile lingering. “Or does the cold here keep it good longer? That must have come from whoever lived here before, if you aren’t sure what it’s made from.”

[goingtobeunwell]

His hand extends as Raju lets out that small, pained noise, but drops it when he rights himself. He hates that his friend is suffering, but he hadn’t been insistent on his care without good reason. In this place a minor injury can turn into a major one at the drop of a hat.

He’s glad he’s at least trying to eat, even if it’s only to get the nagging to stop. He’s patient as he waits for his turn to wash up, looking down at the meager meal they’re about to share and imagining having something like it on King William Island. His mind drifts a little, but he’s quickly pulled back to reality when he feels the flick of water on his face.

Crozier stares back at Raju and the feigned innocence on his face and finds himself laughing under his breath in surprise and a little embarrassment. Not the bad kind this time, but the good sort of embarrassed that can leave a man flustered.

“Oh, a lot of things can keep for years if stored properly,” he says, casually dipping his right hand into the water and scrubbing in the awkward way he’s invented since losing the left. “But the cold always helps a great deal.”

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When Francis starts laughing under his breath Raju looks back up, watching him again. From Francis’ answer to that idle curiosity, Raju could ask— well, all sorts of things. There’s too much that Raju is unprepared for in this place, and he needs to learn about all of it. But he…

It’s good. The smell of the food, sitting across a meal from a man who’s heard things out of Raju’s mouth that no one living or dead ever has and making that man smile. And when Raju thinks about asking one of the million needed questions so he can learn and do the million needed things none of them come out of his mouth at all, and he doesn’t need to think about why because he feels good somehow, in a complicated, exhausted way. And aside from the things that he needs to know are the things that he wants to.

“Is this anything like what you used to eat?” he asks instead, the hand waiting to feel the pan’s heat drifting idly closer to the hot edge of it than he intends it to. “At home, with all your brothers and sisters? Or did you all eat something else?”

[goingtobeunwell]

Ah, what did his mother make? Sarah? Rachel? Times were never too lean, but they were never extravagant. "Bread, so much brown bread," he answers, idly glancing down at Raju's hand. "With fresh-churned butter. We'd eat that every morning, but it's not exactly something you can find here in Milton."

He reaches into the pan and tries a piece of arrowroot to see if it was cool enough to not just stare at but actually eat. It burns his tongue slightly, but in a nice, hot meal kind of way. He waves his hand in the front of his mouth, looking away from Raju with a little chuckle, and then nods his approval to his friend.

"What did you eat as a child? I'm going to admit my total ignorance and hope that you forgive the inadvertent slight."

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"Mm." That nod means it's probably not too hot to eat, even if it isn't cool, and Raju watches himself scooping up a little bit of the food while he answers. "I don't know anything about Irish food either. Someone here is raising rabbits, aren't they? For the meat? It's a shame we don't have anything someone can milk. I'm sure we could make butter fresh that way. But I used to eat, um..."

He looks up, hand with the food in it pausing some place near his chest and gaze unfocusing as he thinks over it. "I don't know what you're used to. Lentils, rice? Fish? I must have had everything a human hand can do with a fish. No brown bread, not like you're thinking. But it's the seasoning I really miss. Spice, herbs. I used to think I didn't, but I could have gone and bought anything I wanted, even if I wouldn't have known what to do with it once I had it."

He focuses again, smiling at Francis, a little amused at himself. "I didn't even know the dried stuff I used to see at the market were things I'd already had. I thought it all had to be fresh."

[goingtobeunwell]

“The things we take for granted,” he says, returning his amusement with a wistful smile. “I was used to going without on those long expeditions, but I always imagined myself returning home to where the butter and bread were. Then I resigned myself to eating like the Netsilik - frozen seal blubber, whale and caribou, char, the occasional blood soup.”

He smiles at himself - little ruefully. He owes everything to the generosity of the Netsilik; even now he feels a little guilty for not wholly enjoying seal liver and chunks of fat.

He chooses another bite and then twists to retrieve a tin mug and a wooden bucket containing even more water. It’s river water though, not the usual melt, and he’s found it cool and clear and absolutely delicious when parched. He fills the mug and passes it to Raju first to drink his fill.

“What was your favorite dish?”

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju makes a wordless, appreciative noise as he takes the water, finishes chewing, swallows and takes a drink. Like everything else that he eats with, Raju remembers, he thinks Francis might only have the one mug. So maybe they're only sharing like this out of necessity. But it feels warm anyway, relaxing, sharing food and drink this way. It's been a long time.

"I think..." He takes a moment, gaze briefly distant again as he sets the mug back down between them. "There was this one curry sometimes. Fish with, um... the tamarind, and the chillies..."

He probably hadn't even noticed everything that had gone into it when he'd been eating it, back then. "I don't remember everything in it. But I liked anything that was so spicy it hurt to eat. I probably would have thought this was the blandest thing anyone could make."

He takes a little bit more food from the pan and snorts out a soft breath, amused at himself. It's good when he puts it into his mouth, he licks at his thumb when he finishes to get that extra little bit of salt and pepper off of it. It's hard to imagine, right now, tasting this and not feeling that way.

"But it's bread you miss though, still?" he asks, looking up from his thumb. "Fresh butter and brown bread?"

[goingtobeunwell]

Crozier watches Raju lick salt and fat off his thumb beat or two longer than he probably should, but he can think himself in circles to justify it. Raju’s obviously enjoying his cooking, it’s only natural he’d look for signs of his approval!

“Coffee at times too, with cream and sugar,” he says with a soft shrug, holding his hand out to take the mug of water back. “Hot coffee, nearly scalding. Nothing lukewarm, but only in temperature. Your penchant for spice could probably kill me.”

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"Then it's a good thing we haven't found any of it here, then," Raju smiles, putting the mug into Francis' hand. "Because I'd insist on using it on something, and then you'd have to have some too."

He starts to reach for more of the vegetables and then stops, tapping the back of his hand against his thigh. His stomach feels alright, mostly. But mostly, so it might be better to let it sit for a minute. He taps his knuckles against his thigh some more, focusing on Francis instead. "Coffee, though? Some of the officers used to say they enjoyed it; I always thought that must be their bodies crying out for something with some flavour in it, even if that flavour was awful. Every morning, and it never tasted any better. Maybe I should have been buying cream for it, but that always seemed like a waste."

[goingtobeunwell]

“You’d kill me that way,” he jokes. “Death by spice.”

He drinks and idly licks his lips as he sets the mug down between them. “It’s like fermented fish, an acquired taste.”

Like whiskey, unpleasant at the first taste, but once it gets into your veins you’ll never look back.

Crozier picks up another mouthful of salted and peppered roots, sitting back as the warm food fills his belly. It’s only a few bites, but it’s more than enough.

“What else did they force you to consume? Those awful biscuits? The hardtack?”

[load_aim_shoot]

"Not us." Raju shakes his head. "The army uses them. But we're stationed in one place most of the time, so there's no need for anything that keeps that way. I've heard about them, though."

Raju leans one one knee toward Francis, curious. It doesn't bother his stomach more than a little to move that way; that's probably a good sign. He'll eat a little more when he can focus on it. He has a question first. "I've heard your hardtack gets so old that insects crawl inside and live there, and then you have to eat it anyway."

His tone is a little bit disgusted, in the fascinated sort of way that says he's enjoying it. He has to know. "Is it true? I can't imagine it. The men I used to work with would riot."