[network] @standardissue; Day 40 (evening) How To Open Canned Food [open/video]

[deus_ex_phs]

[When the video comes on, it isn't focused on a face, but rather on the floor. There's a chunk of concrete rubble, likely picked up from outside, along with a can of creamed corn, a tin of cat food, and a butter knife.]

I'm willing to bet most of you are like me, and that you didn't come here with a can opener. [He says that just a little bit wryly.] I'm also willing to bet I'm not the only person who's found canned food, or will find it in the future. So, how do you open one of these without a can opener? You could use a rock to bust it open, but that could make a mess and waste food. Instead...

[The camera moves as he sets his tablet aside, keeping it positioned so it can see the items on the floor as well as his gloved hands. He picks up the can of corn and the butter knife. Pretend the link shows a butter knife. It works with a butter knife, too.]

If you have a knife or a spoon, or something with a hard, thin edge, you can use this method. Put the tip of the knife at the inner rim of the can like this, then start rubbing while pressing down hard. The lid's pretty thin, so it shouldn't take you long to punch a hole-

[Right on cue, his knife goes through the lid.]

And then you just work your way around, like so. Alternately, you could punch through the lid with the tip of your knife and pry it open from there, but that's assuming you have a knife.

For those of you who don't have anything at all that you can use, you can still open a can of food with that rock. Instead of bashing it in, though... [He sets aside the creamed corn and picks up the tin of cat food. Turning it upside down, he places it on top of the piece of concrete.] Turn the can upside down and place it on your rock, then start rubbing it back and forth, hard and fast. Like I said, the lid's pretty thin, so once you wear down the rim, you should be able to pop it right off.

[He flips the can back over, showing the camera the worn down rim, then squeezes the can to pop the lid off. At that moment, a brown, black, and white cat pushes eagerly in front of the camera, eyes intent on the can. Kunsel laughs and sets the cat food down in front of it, giving Mochi an affectionate rub between the ears before straightening up. And yes, he managed all that without showing his face once.

That done, he reaches out to turn the video off.]

[Action]
[Closed to people in building 77.]

[Once the video is off, Kunsel calls out to his group.]

Hey, guys! I'm sharing my corn! Anyone else want some?

Comments

action;

[heroproceeding]

[ Zack's been doing some pacing in the house. Not that it's been a rough day, but he's been a bit on the restless side ever since the day he'd been out of it. Reliving something similar to what he'd lived for four years straight if even briefly- nope. Not something he enjoyed.

At least when Kunsel occupies himself with his tablet and starts doing demos, Zack decidedly figures better to do something useful. And by useful, that means he's currently digging through his pack. It takes him a minute, but he does eventually find what he'd been looking for and yanks it out, holding the package of spoons up. ]

Hey, this would probably help, wouldn't it.

[deus_ex_phs]

Perfect.

[Kunsel already has a plastic spoon that he got from Zack a while back, but the others will no doubt appreciate a utensil. With his own spoon in hand, the SOLDIER Second dishes out a small portion on his plastic elephant plate, then hands the can over to Zack.]

Here. Just save some for the others.

[It won't be much for any one person, but it'll still be a welcome change in diet from convenience store food.]

[heroproceeding]

[ Only after taking out a spoon and setting the package of spoons down does Zack cautiously takes that can, peeking over the brim to gauge just how much he should take between the rest of the crew and himself. What would be filling for one or two people isn't so much with six, yes, but it's still something. And yes, it's something different. He can appreciate different. Peeling out his own plate, he plops a little portion of his own before setting that down with the spoons. If no one comes over to join them soon, he figures he'll go pester them about it.

For now, he's poking his own corn. Never been a big fan, but. It's certainly better than dog biscuits. He just has to wonder how the texture's gonna be. Likely cold... He braves to bring the spoon to his mouth and licks it. Winces afterward. Yep. Cold as expected. But at least tolerable. ] I gotta say. This still beats a ration bar.

[deus_ex_phs]

Zack, the cat food would beat a ration bar.

[Except in terms of nutrition. Whatever else can be said about military food, at least it has that much.

Creamed corn isn't exactly Kunsel's favorite either, though, so he doesn't spend much time savoring his bites. In fact, after a couple, he sets his plate aside.]

Hang on, I'll be right back.

audio; @LELRIC

[armoured]

[He hasn't spoken to Kunsel since the impromptu lesson on Mako and Materia, but he's at least heard enough from Zack to assuage any worries about his safety. Still, it's nice to actually hear from him directly again, even if the message is a slightly bizarre one.]

Um, thanks.

[Best just to go with it.]

I've mostly just been pulling the cans apart.

[Strong metal hands are a blessing in some cases.]

audio; @standardissue

[deus_ex_phs]

[Be fair, Al. It's only bizarre to someone who's forgotten what it's like to be a normal human.]

Pulling them apart?

[If Kunsel sounds a little bemused, it's because he's not certain if Al is making things up, the way eight year old boys tend to do, or if he's found a device that he's managed to work like a can opener.]

That sounds a little messy. How are you managing not to spill things everywhere?

[No harm in humoring the kid, is there? Besides, it's been a while since they talked.]

[armoured]

I'm not pulling them in the half, it's more like I'm holding the bottom tightly and then twisting until the top pulls off.

[He can put his whole strength into it because he thinks his metal hands don't have to be protected against being cut.]

It doesn't always work, and it sometimes takes a while, your way is probably better.

[deus_ex_phs]

[Yeah, he's leaning heavily toward the "little boy's wishful imagination" idea now. Even with SOLDIER enhancements, opening a can with just his hands would be a pain. Either he'd risk making a mess and losing half the food on the ground, or he'd end up cutting his hands. For someone who sounds like he's ten at the most...]

You must be pretty strong if you can do that. How old did you say you are?

audio | @crescent

[lancingintherain]

[even though logically she knows tilting the tablet won't let her peek at more of Kunsel, since it's a screen and not a window, she can't help but try it a couple times anyway. She does pay attention to the demonstration, though, just happy for the sign that this dude she talked to once is doing okay. When Mochi wanders into the shot, though, she smiles broadly at his familiar face.]

Mochi! Hello, cat! Ah—and hello again to you, too, of course, um...

[oh. Oh god damn what is this guy's name. Did he ever tell her? She can't remember oh no]

...Standard... Issue. Glad you're alive and well.

[smooth]

audio | @dreamsnhonor side-threadjacking like an asshole /punted

[heroproceeding]

[ And a voice that might be just a little familiar at this point... might be chuckling on the side here. ]

I see you're a fan of big, round, and eats us outta house and home. [ Coming from an ex-SOLDIER though, that's pretty rich. At least back when his metabolism was more intense. But that's not exactly what he's laughing about. ] Man though... This is a new one.

aww ye

[lancingintherain]

[she laughs, taking herself by surprise.]

Of course I am! Mochi was one of my first companions. We're battle-forged friends, now. [she regards the cat fondly while he's still got his face in the can of food. She's joking, but she's also genuinely impressed that he's apparently managed to stay the healthiest out of everyone in this whole town. And as for what Zack's laughing about...] ...With our history, is my greeting really so strange?

BEEN A WHILE FREYA BB /PETS EARS!?

[heroproceeding]

[ If she was looking to make him laugh some more, that operation's a success. A soft snicker, but there all the same before- ]

Ah- Nah. That's not what I meant. [ He shakes his head although she won't see it. ] Just thinking that's a first that Kain's been completely ignored for a cat of all things. [ And thus Kunsel's luck with woman keeps its grand track record... of full tilt failure.

...Zack's fully expecting to get hit for this. ]

audio; @standardissue

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel makes an amused noise in the back of his throat, not so much at Freya's expense as just understanding what the problem is. He never did introduce himself to her, too paranoid to trust anyone that day after being freshly kidnapped to this world.]

Standard Issue works, but you can call me Kain, if you want. If it makes you feel better, I didn't get your name either. Either way, it's good to hear that you're fine, too.

[A beat.]

You know Mochi?

[lancingintherain]

[she's a little disappointed that she can't see her fuzzy bff anymore, but she does prefer audio, still. Too much video makes her feel kind of dizzy.]

Kain it is, then—and thank you. My name's Freya. ...And yes; he's an old friend of mine. We were traveling companions, for a while. ...Tadashi hasn't mentioned me?

[deus_ex_phs]

Freya. Nice to meet you a little more officially, though I'd still wish the circumstances could be better. I think Mochi says hi, too.

[Depending on how good her ears are, she might still be able to hear Mochi purring as Kunsel settles himself down next to pet him.]

If Tadashi's talked about you, it's not been in terms that I'd recognize as you. Probably more to do with the fact that we've been a little... preoccupied recently.

[You know, given the whole day of mass sickness, and the monster before that, and their search of the wall, and just this place in general.]

Did you see Zack's warning about setting monsters on fire?

@newangle; text _> action

[baymaxing]

the things you take for granted back home. it's so sad that even basics like can openers are elusive around here. i'll keep the lesson in mind though.

[Says the kid who has never had to fend for himself for more than a few hours at the most, if Tadashi and Aunt Cass ever left him alone that long even. But still, he then wanders on down when he hears Kunsel calling. Corn may not be anyone's favourite exactly, but it's food. And Tadashi nags him when he forgets to eat and gets too distracted in his projects and all.

So he saunters over after switching off his tablet.]

I heard the call of food. How are we doing with that, anyway?

action

[deus_ex_phs]

[Kunsel knows exactly what Hiro means. There's not a day that goes by that he doesn't lament the lack of technology here, too.

But he can hear Hiro approaching, so he doesn't bother to answer via text. Instead, he holds out a plastic spoon, courtesy of Zack, and the elephant head plate that he used for his own portion of corn. Not washed, sorry Hiro, but at least he put the corn in a different spot. Shouldn't be too much risk of sharing Kunsel's germs.]

I think we've got about a week's worth of food still, maybe a little more. Water's more of a concern, actually. Everyone should have about five days left with their water, plus the extra gallon Jim has. So, maybe six days. We can extend that a little, if we melt snow in the bottles we empty, but with only our body heat to melt it, that's slow going.

[And he'd still prefer not to drink snow melt if he can help it, but he won't bring up concerns about dirty snow right now. He had that conversation once with everyone already.]

Overall, unless we find something to change the circumstances, we'll probably need to think about heading back again in about three days.

action

[baymaxing]

Hm. If there were....

[A pause as he has a mouthful of the offered corn with the spoon, trying not to make a face. But it's something. They can't afford to be picky with such limited supplies.]

There were a way to figure supplies without needing to double back all the time. That'd speed things up way more. But I'm not sure how, exactly. Unless only say a couple of us double back, which might be quicker but still dangerous.

[deus_ex_phs]

A supply train is a good idea. It is more dangerous, but eventually we're going to get to a point where we can't safely explore any farther without running out of supplies. Up until recently, though, we didn't really have much to carry any extra food in. Between the shower curtain, the pillow case, and Jim's gas tank, and if we take everyone's empty water bottles, it's starting to look more feasible. We might need to borrow your bucket, too, if you're okay with that.

[Yeah, he's talking like he's already decided that he'd be one of the people on that team.]

action; sometime after the not-a-ribbon stuff has calmed down?

[rattlingthestars]

[ Jim totally wants some, that's why he's hovering around and acting cool about it. Because that is how you get things you want, obviously. ]

Winter survival, hacking, opening random cans - is there anything you don't know how to do?

[ It's teasing, yeah, but also curious. Kunsel was a little weird about the hacking program thing, and combined with the weirdness over showing their faces on the network and the cyborg eyes, Jim's wondering exactly who he's been hanging out with. Now's a good a time as any to pick at that. ]

works for me!

[deus_ex_phs]

[Jim gets to share the elephant plate, too! Though at least he gets his own spoon. Have fun trying to look cool with that, Jim.]

There's quite a lot I don't know, actually.

[Kunsel shrugs affably, having no problem revealing that.]

I'm not a doctor, not a scientist, not an engineer. I only know the basic stuff there that most people learn. I don't know how to dance, can only cook basic food - though I'm better at that if I have directions - and my singing is doubtful at best. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

[He holds the plate out with a wry smile.]

What kinds of things aren't you good at?

[rattlingthestars]

[ Well that's both very pleasant and completely unhelpful. See, this is why Jim doesn't try the whole 'getting to know you' thing too often. It gets weird, and nobody tells him what he wants to know. ]

Uh.

School, I guess? Pretty bad at school.

[ Not a lot else is coming to mind, though judging by the way he shoves a spoon in his mouth 'social skills' should probably be on the list.

Also: gross food is gross. ]

@TOTALLYANATION; video

[bydefacto]

You sound like one of those infomercial things! [That's not an insult, just pointing it out. Actually, Sealand likes it. Reminds him of TV.]

I think I'll be okay because I have these - [He holds up two very sharp kitchen knives (one a steak knife, the other a paring knife).] - but I'll remember in case I lose them!

audio; @standardissue

[deus_ex_phs]

Uh, thanks? I think?

[Really, he's not certain how to take that comment.]

How are you using those to open your cans?

[He's not questioning that it can be done, because he knows it can. He's just curious.]

[bydefacto]

You're welcome. You should do it more, I miss TV.

[More videos here should totally be like TV or YouTube. It would make things seem less horrible.]

I don't know, my brother mostly... does it for me. [This is all very theoretical for him...] But it's just like... cutting into it to make a hole?