| ACTION |

[waitingforhope]

I. - Brief/Son household

[With a current outdoor temperature of 106 degrees, it was no wonder Mai was spending the better part of her early afternoon in her room.  On the cool(er) floor, a small fan sitting on a nearby table blowing directly on her.  Dressed in shorts, a light tank top, and with her hair uncharacteristically pulled up in a loose bun atop her head, she sat cross-legged with a small pile of books around her.]

[All of them about mechanics and engineering.]

[Every so often, she would cross-reference something with another book before jotting down a few notes in a small notebook.  There were some rough sketches of two-wheeled vehicles highlighted in the page corners, but beyond that, it appeared to be mostly mathematical equations and part references.]

[Her door was open, simply because it was better to allow air to circulate, should anybody be walking by and catch a glimpse of her in that state.]

II. - Out & About

[She waited until much later in the day, when temperatures lowered to a more tolerable 101 degrees, before venturing out.]

[Sunscreen and a couple new hats were on her list, but one of the first unexpected purchases of the day came when she saw a small shop promoting umbrellas.  Slightly confused at first, she agreed to try it, and realized the immediate difference when one was under the uv-blocking shade.]

[From there, she happily carried around her umbrella over her head as she made her way through the shopping district, stopping again when she caught sight of a place selling something Italian Ice.]

[Perhaps the only thing she enjoyed more that day than the umbrella.]

Comments

[Action] Prompt #2

[light_of_willpower]

[Earlier in the day was also a good time to head out, before it got beastly. That's what Trunks had done, then just stayed where he was until it was later and cooler again. Not that the temperature seemed to bother him as much. (Compared to the extremes he'd been through before, especially in the room of space and time, this was not fun but bearable.)

No umbrella, no sunscreen---perk of being half-saiyan maybe. But the weather still wasn't fun, and he was out exploring again. With a smile coming to his face, when he recognized Mai under her umbrella.]

Mai!

[Called in greeting, and then quickening his pace to catch up to her.]

[waitingforhope]

[Catching her mid-bite, Trunks would have to wait for her to properly swallow before receiving a smile and greeting in return.]

Trunks! [She turned to face him fully before indicating towards the Ice.] You have to try this. It's like ice cream, only it's just ice and flavoring. It's so good!

[And she held up her spoon with a small amount of the delicious cherry flavor, offering it to him if he wanted.]

[light_of_willpower]

[There's a blink, and he pauses... It's not as if they haven't shared food before--it had been a necessity. But he's had some thoughts turning in his head, and they're interrupting and putting more significance on the gesture than Mai probably means. Which means he's politely waving it off, with a shy smile. Please don't let him be blushing already...]

I believe you, and probably should get my own if it's that good. You don't have to share anymore...

[waitingforhope]

[It was almost ironic the things that Mai had grown accustomed to in the Future. Things that would have otherwise seemed far too bold in another life. Like seeing him shirtless. Or sharing food--as he said, previously a necessity that had become so routine for them that she'd long forgotten the concept of an indirect kiss.]

[...though his reaction gave her a long enough pause for something vaguely similar to sink in. Causing her to mirror his expression soon after.]

...right. [Oh, look, her ice was starting to melt a little. Better focus on those little drips around the sides before they got everywhere!] I mean...I don't mind, of course, but...if you really want one, they're not very expensive, either.

[light_of_willpower]

[He's still trying not to blush, and the smile is still a bit shy, but also genuine.]

Give me a minute to go get one, alright? And don't let yours melt. You deserve to enjoy it, Mai.

[Before he's jogging off to get one for himself. It shouldn't take too long, and when he does come back he has a slightly larger, dark-purple one in his hands. And holding it out, in case she wants to try some of it herself.]

[waitingforhope]

[There was no way she would let this delicious treat go to waste; in the brief time that Trunks disappeared to get his own ice, she made a significant dent in her portion.]

[And, of course, when he offered a taste of his, she hardly thought twice before using her spoon to take a small sample, letting the flavor melt on her tongue as she contemplated the difference in flavors.]

Mmm. [A small hum of approval.] Which flavor is that?

[light_of_willpower]

[Despite the blush a few moments earlier, and caution, this time it goes unnoticed or cared about, when she shares from his. Instead there's a small smile, as he moves to keep pace with her walking.]

Grape, or some kind of berry mixed with it. I figured I'd try something different.

[waitingforhope]

[Embarrassment aside, it was...nice to be able to still share things. One of the few cherished memories of the last year she had was the look in his eye as he would hand her a solid half of his rations.]

It's nice. I think I still like the cherry better, but I might get it another time. After I've tried some of the other flavors.

[light_of_willpower]

[Small moments and things, like watching her with Scratch. Or the shy smile when he persuaded her no--she had to eat too and accepted the rations. Those had made the year less hellish, more bearable. She'd helped keep him going, even when he'd felt the weight of it all crushing him.]

We'll have to do this again then.

[He wasn't thinking about what he said. And when it hit him, he was glad he had his spoon in his mouth, and flavored ice too. At least it kept him from blushing again.]

2

[la_matrona]

[Imelda is also interested in the something something Italian Ice. It reminds her a bit of the chamoyadas they used to have in the summer. These are not chamoyadas. The color is too vibrant and she's not even entirely sure if she can taste them.

She glances at the woman who also seems intrigued]

Have you ah-- had these before?

[waitingforhope]

[Mai turned towards the sound of the voice and--]

[There was a slight jerk of surprise as she did a literal doubt take at the woman's face. She was fairly used to being not entirely human, but this was...still unexpected. To see a...living skeleton? Was that who she was looking at now?]

I... [Once the initial shock wore off, she vaguely remembered something about a question, and glanced down at her icy treat.] ...oh! This. Umm...not exactly. We had something similar back home, but this is my first time eating flavored ice.

[la_matrona]

[she's used to it by now and doesn't take offense. It is a shock to see the dead, even when you're prepared.]

What does it taste like? [even just hearing something about it she could perhaps get some sort of hint of memory? It's difficult. She's unsure of how to process anything here]

[waitingforhope]

[Mai had encountered the dead before. She had even encountered people who had been dead. As in, past tense. No longer dead. But every dead person she'd ever known had looked like their living selves, only with a halo on top.]

[...well, the ones who returned to Earth after dying, that was.]

I think it depends on what flavor you order.

This one's cherry, so it's very sweet. But you can get flavors like lemon or orange or even chocolate.

[la_matrona]

[she's tempted to order one. To test it out. But so far she hasn't tried-- even if the memory of hunger is beginning to get a little presumptuous]

Gracias. I'm Señora Rivera... It's nice to meet you.

[waitingforhope]

[There were some words in there that took a moment for Mai to register. For the most part, language barriers seemed non-existant in Genessia, and she'd encountered very few in her universe of origin. Still, context was clear enough for her to figure out the expression of gratitude.]

You as well, Señora Rivera. I'm Mai.

Are you a recent arrival to this city?

[la_matrona]

Si. It's... a difficult place to get used to, isn't it? [It's something almost entirely new for her, really. She's gotten too used to how things were in the Land of the Dead and here everything is too... too bright. Among other things]

[waitingforhope]

[Difficult wasn't quite the word Mai would have used.]

It's certainly different than the world I came from.

[In all but a few of the best ways possible.]

But I'm afraid I might be a bit more fortunate than many in that case. When I first woke up, I had somebody dear to me by my side. And several of our friends and his family are here. So it wasn't...quite the adjustment it might otherwise have been.

[Ignoring the fact that she and Trunks had technically traveled to different 'worlds' before, if only through time.]

[Action] Prompt 1

[fashionably_strong]

[Bulla may not be a genius like her mother, but she's still bright enough, and growing up around cutting edge technology and hearing it discussed around her rubbed off on her enough that math, physics, programming languages and the like were all pretty easy for her in school. Her worst subject in school had been history, hands down. Biology had been unappearling simply because of dissections.

She peeks in Mai's room, spotting the pile of book, and what looks like a bunch of equations. Not wanting to startle her, she knocks quietly.]

Hey. Am I interrupting?

[waitingforhope]

[Not startled in the least, Mai looked up at the sound of knocking and smiled when she recognized the face in the doorway.]

[...although, admittedly, she needed to do a quick double-check to make sure she had the right Brief.]

Bulla! [A light shake of the head followed.] No, not at all. I was just doing a bit of research.

Was there something you needed?

aah sorry for the delay! this got buried in my tags

[fashionably_strong]

[Age, height and hair length all help as far as making sure she's spesking to the correct Brief]

I just wanted to say hi and check in on you. What are you researching?

Not a problem! It happens.

[waitingforhope]

[She shifted just enough so that Bulla would be able to get a better look at the sketches and texts. Everything completely out in the open.]

Just trying to brush up on my mechanics. It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of access beyond hands-on work, and I accepted a part-time position at one of the local shops.

[It had taken her a while, yes. Far longer than the usual provisional month given, but she’d had other things on her mind and was fortunate enough to be invited to stay with Bulma and the others. Meaning housing was of little concern.]

Are you into any type of engineering?

[fashionably_strong]

Oh, that's cool. I've got an interview for an esthetician position at a yoga studio in a few days.

[Much as Bulla is a girly-girl, she's been exposed to this kind of stuff since she was tiny. What's complicated for those with no background is easy enough for her to get.]

Well...math and physics were always easy for me at school, and I'm technologically savvy, but I never got into it enough that I'd want that to be my actual job. I think I'd do better on the business side of Capsule Corp.

[waitingforhope]

Teaching?

[Which...Mai supposed she could picture, after she thought about it some. The strength and metal discipline required to master yoga would no doubt come easy to someone with warrior blood in them.]

[fashionably_strong]

Oh no, the esthetician job is giving people beauty and spa treatments. So things like manicures and skincare. Stuff that makes people both look and feel good.

[Truth be told, she doesn't even know the names of all the yoga poses. She's confident that she could manage most of them without much difficulty, but she'd have to be shown and then practice first. She does get to do the yoga classes for free and gets a generous discount on all beauty treatments as a workplace benefit, though.]

[waitingforhope]

[Her brows rose slightly in pleasant surprise.]

Oh. That sounds...quite nice, actually.

[A moment of contemplation followed. Her mind a whir, and so deep in thought that she ended up inadvertently voicing part of it.]

I haven't gotten a manicure since...honestly, I can't even remember when. Let alone visited a spa.