compnetwork | 4. Text, Action

Hello, everyone! You may have already noticed from the stores, but tomorrow is a holiday called Valentine's Day. I know not everyone is from Earth so I thought that it might be good to explain it.

Valentine's Day started in the West as a religious holiday, but it's turned into a holiday for showing people you love them! In some countries, you mostly give gifts to your girlfriend or boyfriend. In Japan (and Hinoto-ri) though, it's different. On Valentine's Day, women give chocolates to the men they know, and next month, on White Day, the men give gifts in return. Giving a guy fancy chocolates means you really like them! (o⌒.⌒o)♡

[If this were voice, this is where it would turn more serious.] A lot of us are waiting for people to come home, and we don't know how we can help that to happen yet. The people you love the most might not even be in the city at all. But we can still have fun for a day. And who knows... they might even show up tomorrow in time to celebrate.

...Anyway, if there are any girls (or boys, even) who want to learn how to make Valentine chocolates, come stop by the Iwatodai Dorm today. I have some ingredients ready. [attached: directions.txt] And if you have a recipe of your own you want to try, bring what you need and we'll make it, too!

[Action, Iwatodai Dorm]

[As promised, Minako has a good amount of chocolate and related materials getting ready for use. She's got the door to the kitchen open and the stoves working melting the chocolate, but a lot of the ingredients are spread out on the large dining-room table in the lobby. She's not sure how many people will take her offer, after all.

It may seem odd to do all of this when she doesn't even know if her intended chocolate recipients will be home tomorrow. But keeping busy has always been her trademark. When she's focused on other things, or other people, she doesn't have to worry about herself. So really, this level of activity isn't strange at all.]

[Note: Feel free to threadjack in the action part! Everyone probably won't be working individually the whole time, after all.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm sure it was an important reason. Who'd want to miss school on purpose? It's a lot of fun!

[Important reason being traveling the world. To fight people.

And things.]

Have you been going to school then, Labrys?

[Her enthusiasm sounds a lot like Aigis' when she first decided she wanted to be a student. Or, well... not quite, since back then, Aigis hadn't sounded nearly as human.]

...No. Not yet. But I want to! I met another girl like me, and she gets to go to school here. I wanna go too, and see what it's really like. Maybe even run for the real office of student council president!

[Aww, Labrys...] Then you should definitely go. And I'm sure you'd make a great student council president, too! I bet Mitsuru-senpai would help you campaign. She was our student council president and she's great at writing speeches.

No doubt Mitsuru-san's got the chutzpah to run student council. You're right, I'll ask her to help with my campaign! Maybe she can fill me on these school festivals too...

I think you'd be a great student council member too, Minako-san.

Well, I was a member before because Senpai asked me, but I'm not sure about running for an office.

[...that and she'd also have to go back to school? Maybe it's time, but...]

Get outta here! That's great.

I'm just happy to hear people are willin' to give their time to help out their fellow students. You really don't need to be in student council to do that.

[But it kind of helps. And getting to help with projects sounds like a blast.]

No, you don't! It just gives you some extra chances.

[Extra chances? Labrys doesn't quite understand the use of the term, but shrugs it off for the time being.]

[More chances to help people, Labrys. Of course that applies more if you're like Minako and fill every waking moment with Social Links.

Anyway, back to the real task at hand, which is making these protein brownies.]

I think we have our ingredients ready. Let's mix them up and get the bars in the oven!

You got it!

[Have a bowl of perfectly mixed protein bar batter, Minako.]

I wish I could taste'em.

[aww Labrys, don't say sad things...

Minako likes to look on the bright side, but it's hard for her to think of a bright side to not being able to eat.]

The best part of cooking is getting other people to taste. And this batter looks great already.

Great! I'll put it in this pan, then.

[She can drink stuff, at least. It'd help her blend in. But that lacks taste as well. But she's seen people in Hinoto-Ri react badly to some tastes, so there must be an art to preparing food suitably.]

If you follow the directions, food'll always taste good, right?

[...hmm...] Well, most of the time. Even when you're following a recipe, sometimes you make mistakes, especially if you're worried about making them! [Prime example: Fuuka and her thousands of notes.] But the more you cook the better you'll understand the process and ingredients, until someday you can just improvise. Like Shinjiro-senpai can.

[Truthfully, she can too to a small extent, but she wouldn't put herself even close to Shinji's level.]

I think get it. There's more than one right way to do stuff, then. [Labrys kind of understands. Humans naturally make mistakes...but she's made some of her own as well. Does that make her more human? The Plume of Dusk is capable of so much.]

Shinjiro-san, that's your scruffy pal with the knit hat who frowns a lot, right? I bet he smiles when he cooks food, just like we are.

[She has to laugh, imagining Shinjiro frowning even more if he heard someone describe him that way.] He can smile other times too, but yes.

[As long as Fuuka isn't in the kitchen at least.]

That's good to know. I haven't seen anybody as glum as him in...a long time.

So, uh, how long does the book say to wait for them to bake?

[poor Shinji, unable to defend himself from these cruel words.

Although she has to admit he does do a good job of looking grumpy.]

About twenty minutes! Then we should check and see if they're done.

[That's not too long at all!]

This was really fun Minako-san. Thanks for letting me help out. I'm learnin' about my friends little by little.

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