Bourbon

So... how we doin'?

Thorn Campus Calamity (5 posts) Total = 5 x 2 (new player bonus) = 10 2PP

Nick looked around as he heard sounds of consternation from nearby. What in the world? he thought. Did someone disturb some ground bees or something? Don't start yelling and flailing, you'll only upset them more... "Casey, can you see what's going on over there? Somebody get carried away with some water balloons or something?"

Am I seeing/hearing anything besides the outcry from the backpack-bereft students?

Initiative roll

Ah, there we go.

Gotcha. Let's see if I did this correctly...

Notice check

So... I looked around for a "how to post a dice roll" tutorial and failed to find it. How do I do that?

Do I do that here or in the IC?

Hah! Totally.

"Awp," Nick said, strongly resisting the urge to rub his leg. Holy crap, her volleyball spikes must be devastating, he thought. Somehow he had decided that she must be a volleyball player; to Nick, she just, well, she looked like a volleyball player. The mention of Fleur de Joie caught Nick up. She was the ultimate plant controller, almost like a dryad or something. "Man, it'd be great to pick her brain for an hour or three. Is she really cool? Have you met her?" 'Real life superhero,' he grinned to himself. "With a major like that, it sounds like you plan to do some serious traveling."

“Nice,” Nick nodded at the photo. “I can't imagine controlling a monster like that. I have a hard enough time driving,” he laughed. “Yeah, I'm a Pac-northwest guy. I'm a college brat. Even worse, I'm an only child.” He chuckled around his last bite of sandwich. “But I decided it was time for a change, and once I knew what I really wanted to study, I came here.” Nick sat up straighter and steepled his fingers, something he unconsciously did when warming up to his favorite subject. “Definitely aiming for my doctorate long-term, but I have to get my master's thesis squared away. See, I'm studying plant mutations, particularly mutations caused by exposure to exotic energies. And frankly, what better place is there to study that than around Freedom City? I've started taking samples of plant life near places where supers have battled, and growing them in the greenhouse to see if they show any signs of mutagenic changes. Who knows? Maybe someday bull-thistle or mayweed will get altered by a blast from, I don't know, Thunderbolt or Deadealus, or anybody, and that could lead to a disease cure. And then there's the possibility of xenobotanical crossbreeds from stray seeds that – “ Nick rolled his eyes at himself and began folding up his beeswrap. “Sorry, I can get a little nerded up about these things. So what, um, what are you studying?

"Oh, no offense taken," Nick replied, wincing inwardly. "Healthy is as healthy does, right?" He raised his sandwich as if toasting to her. "I hope you'll forgive my nosiness." Glad for the turn of subject, Nick brightened. "Yeah, that's it. There's only a handful of companies growing algae farms right now, but it's a start. 80% of the water they use is reclaimed and used again, which beats the heck out of traditional agriculture." In between bites he added, "Mm. Really impressive you can go meatless, with your requirements and all. I'm always impressed when an athlete goes the veggie route. That's dedication." He laughed when Casey pegged his accent. "Spot on, Sherlock. I went to Oregon State. Funny, I never think of myself as having an accent. I guess maybe nobody does? So how about you? Are you a native of this wacky city?"

Nick's eyes widened for a moment, and he couldn't suppress a grin at seeing the bountiful spread Casey laid out. “That is certainly impressive,” he chuckled. “Do you need that much, or is your body just inefficient at processing food?” He took a bite of sandwich and suddenly realized that might have been kind of a personal question. Alarmed, he chewed quickly and washed down the bite with a gulp of water. “Sorry, I don't mean to pry,” he said hurriedly. “Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of my social skills. Forget I asked. Although... have you ever used algal protein? Dried algae is like 60% protein, and it's naturally in powder form, so you can really up the protein levels of a smoothie by just dumping it in there. Pretty good vitamin load, too. It's a food of the future.” Ooookay Nick, he thought. Maybe ramp down the nerd talk...