revivalproject | Vacations Aren't My Cup Of Coffee

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Vacations Aren't My Cup Of Coffee

WHO: Reeve Tuesti, OTA
WHERE: Risa
WHAT: Vacation? But he's only just arrived!
WHEN: During the Risa Visit
WARNINGS: None

Steam Pools

This isn't the first hotspring like thing that Reeve's experienced. In fact, he had grown quite familiar with them. They had been part of life in the Village, and he'd made many a friend walking all the way to the hotsprings, stripping down, and slipping into the waters. For now, though, he was just welcoming the familiar warmth after two days in that strange city. A means to get clean is nice.

When another joins him the man offers a warm and welcoming smile. This, after all, is familiar.

"Good day. Nothing quite like this, right? Beautiful."

The Markets

There is only so much time one can spend relaxing. And knowing that there was a chance that what was acquired here could be taken back, Reeve intended to indulge in the ability to shop. It didn't seem, from what little he had seen in Temba, that there were care packages often sent to the people kidnapped to that place. Not like the boxes of wine or drafting tools or clothes that Reeve had grown used to. So he takes his tour through the city with these 'credits' he had heard they had while here, and moves through the markets.

"Excuse me," he says to the nearest person as he comes out of yet another shop without satisfaction. "Have you any knowledge of a place around here with art supplies?"

Something tells him a resort planet won't have drafting tools.

Poolside Study

In the end, Reeve must do the best he can with the time given him in this place. And, given what he had experienced the last place like this that he had been before this, well... He supposes there isn't a harm in starting with a touch of relaxation. And thus Reeve found himself settled at the side of a pool, under an umbrella, with a wide brimmed hat on to shelter his face. The lounge chair is comfortable, and he has a large sketchpad out on his lap. His drink is abandoned at his side. Already he's managed a pretty fair sketch of the abandoned shops in Temba, and is clearly working on some ideas for reworking the inside to be workshops and residences. He's good like that.

And so enraptured in his work that it would take nothing short of someone bumping him or splashing him to stir him from his work.

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This nearest person happens to be hardly paying attention to where he is going, too focused on the little tablet in his hand. In his other hand he carries a bag filled with an assortment of items he has acquired himself and under that same arm he carries a book.

Being drawn away from his current text by some unfamiliar voice that for some reason is directed at him, Jon looks up to the stranger with a puzzled expression "-what?"

He just stares up at the other man for a few seconds while the question registers at last. Art supplies? Whether he knows where... Oh. Oh.

"I... Ah-..." Jon stammers for a moment, then turns around halfway to look over his shoulder and back the way he came from before finally giving a coherent answer "A little down the street." He doesn't remember having passed that shop, obviously. He hasn't paid attention. But he knows it's there. Not that Jon himself has much interest in anything artistic himself, never having had much of a creative side.

Ah, a book and a bag of purchases. Reeve definitely appreciates him briefly. Still, the man has an answer and Reeve offers a brief nod and a smile.

"Ah, thank you. Which was it? Going in and out of every shop in hope of finding what i need."

This inquiry for further details catches Jon a little off-guard. Mostly because he doesn't know which shop exactly he is even trying to refer this stranger to. The look of puzzlement along with a frown is back on his face as once more he turns to look down the street behind him.

"I... I should know it when I see it." He assumes and makes a short gesture with the hand still holding the tablet for Reeve to come along "What is it you're-" Jon begins, but then bites back the question and quickly restructures his words "I assume you are looking for specific items."

"I am indeed. However I doubt I will be able to find a store here that caters to engineers and architects. So instead I'll find myself confined to a normal art store to get the supplies I need for... a project."

Vague. From his understanding the people of Risa, as well as many of their guests, are not aware of the Agrii or their captives. Therefore referring to the situation sees quite fruitless.

"You're an architect?" The question is out before Jon is even aware of it and he does cringe a little despite himself.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He doesn't finish that sentence but instead quickly mutters on while scanning the shops they pass with his eyes "Pencils, paper, rulers. That sort of thing, yes."

Reeve catches the question and smiles, shaking his head. That's quite interesting.

"Yes, I am. I'm an architect, as well as an engineer and I build robots. I'm a man of many hats. Though I find myself moved away from the work that once called me to instead work on restoration of the world. But with the situation I find myself in, I find myself using my art again."

Interesting, Reeve hadn't expected to say that much, but he does anyway.

Jon wants to feel bad, but much rather finds himself fascinated. Not merely an architect and engineer, but also robots? Speak about talent. And while Jon's initial interest about the other man's expertise in architecture naturally fell back to everything Jon has been learning about Robert Smirke, that mental connection is being pushed aside. For now.

"World restoration..." Jon repeats instead, looking over and keeping more of a thoughtful tone rather than outright inquiring when making his own assumption a suggestion "Agra 10."

Oh. Reeve stops, and he smiles.

"Ah, meeting a feel... guest of their kind graces," Reeve muses. "How interesting. But I admit, this is not my first instance of these... unwilling projects. But there are many things I might do here, and I will not deny what skill I have to them."

"You are saying that as if it were normal for a planet to get utterly destroyed only to kidnap people from other planets to rebuild them." Jon says with a grimace of disbelief. If this were a thing, shouldn't there be statements of such experiences in the institute? He has read and recorded thousands of them and can put names and case file names to every single one of them, but he does not recall to have ever encountered a case of being kidnapped onto an unknown planet. Wouldn't people come in to report that sort of thing?

Shaking his head against those thoughts, Jon sighs.

"At least it appears they don't exclusively kidnap people that are useless for the task." There's a short pause. "I'm Jonathan Sims, by the way."

"I don't know that it's normal," Reeve admits. "The last place, the Village, I don't think it needed us. It was studying us. Very different. But I'm in the process of rebuilding my world. Temba will be harder, with no people to assist. But the city has more infrastructure intact than I expected. Or so my brief overview said. So..."

He has to hope he isn't completely useless. Only moderately so.

He offers a hand over Mr. Sims.

"Reeve Tuesti. It is a pleasure to meet a compatriot."

Jon accepts the hand with a nod "The pleasure is mine. And while I doubt you will be alone at rebuilding Temba, I don't think I can claim to expect much help if it comes to building anything. The last time I held a tool I... Well. I destroyed a table. Which turned out to have been a terrible idea." And his assistant never returned that axe to him.

Though something else has caught his attention and Jon does incline his head in an interested way "Would you be willing to tell me what happened to your world?"

He isn't asking directly about what happened, so in theory the other man should be well able to simply deny the request. At least that's what Jon hopes.

"Depending on the tool, destroying the table may have been your purpose. But I do respect your point."

He definitely chuckled in amusement at that suggestion that the man can't be used for anything. Trust him, if Reeve needed to and Jon offered, he'd find a thing for the man to do that wasn't destructive.

As for the question... It brings Reeve to a stop and he frowns.

"I think I would prefer you not to dislike me for what it would say about me."

"Well, it was intended, I'll admit that." Jon replies "But I didn't think that through. At all. It nearly killed me." At least the Not Them he released made a valid attempt at it. Jon still has the tapes.

"No, I... I think I'll try doing some research on them. The Agrii, I mean. Their culture and... Maybe I can gain some insight in what they even expect of a new city. What their needs are. I've spend five years in research and I think I can still do that even outside of a library." Though of course he would prefer a library.

He then looks over to Reeve for a moment, contemplating where to put in that comment, before simply raising a brow "I don't think I'm in any position to judge anyone for their actions, to be fair. Though I will admit that I'm curious now."

"I am not certain that they are aware of what their needs are. For the city to be in the state that it is, they have been gone for a very long time."

Given the materials of construction, Reeve wouldn't be surprised if the people had been gone for generations. Those that are gone that long may not know, any longer, what a city looks like. Just their ship. Though Reeve would ADORE a library, to try and make things to their desires and needs.

"Curiosity, as they say, killed the cat," Reeve counters, with the tone of a man who was used to living by that adage.

"If they forgot themselves, then just the more reason for us to try and figure them out by what they have left behind." So far he at least knows for relative certain that their kidnappers must be tall. Or have long legs. As some of the stairs they left behind gave him a bit of a troublesome climb. Jon is well aware that he isn't a tall man, but Jon still likes to consider himself somewhat average in height. And yet reaching the first floor of the one building he explored proved to be... Interesting.

Reeve's last comment earns the man the hint of a grim smirk "Curiosity certainly tried. More than once. And when it came close... I chose to live." He chose to change. And to this day Jon isn't sure if he has made the right decision.

Right now, however, he doesn't give it much thought, his need to know getting the better of him as his gaze fixates on the other man and he makes a slow, very deliberate demand "Now, tell me. What happened?"

Oh Jon, haven't you been up tens of floors yet? Dear man, work those thighs. He does have a mental pause at the idea that the man is putting himself into the position of the cat. Strange. Very strange.

Then there is the question, and for all that Reeve doesn't want to say it, he's opening his mouth.

"I nearly killed my planet. Before I created the process to refine and improve on burning mako for power systems the consumption rates were far lower. Because of my work we burned the very lifeblood of the Planet, we left the ground rotted and dying, the Planet on the path to being consumed. And therein I left enough gaping wounds in the planet to render it vulnerable to Jenova and Sephiroth. I served an evil corporation because I was too foolish to understand what was happening. I was an instrument of mass destruction and wouldn't see it. And now I live my life trying to restore the very world I had so great a hand in nearly killing."

Of course he considers himself the cat. He likes cats. And he's well aware that he tends to be too curious for his own good at times. But that's just another aspect of the Eye, isn't it.

Jon remains silent as he listens intently to the answer he receives. The concept of a planet as a living being is an unfamiliar one, but it does make the phrasing of nearly killing it understandable. It's a foreign world for certain. Different from his own.

There may not be an account of actual terror in this brief answer, and yet Jon can see how this scenario of careless destruction would feed into the Desolation. The powers of dread may not be manifesting in Reeve's world as they do on Jon's, but still he doesn't doubt that the people there share the same primordial fears.

From the man himself, though, Jon senses mostly guilt.

"Interesting." He says, once Reeve finishes "It is admirable that you decide to take responsibility even though I would hardly blame the fate of your planet solely on your actions."

At least they are both cat men? Though Reeve misses his own. Well, as much as Cait Sith could be considered a cat.

Still, he's frowning when Jon speaks, confused. Why... did he share that so freely? It had taken time in the village to admit that, and he had admitted it to so few people. This man he barely knew at all.

"Solely, no. But I had a very large hand in it."

If Jon notices the frown, he opts to ignore it. Mentally he is pondering just what a statement of someone not directly involved but directly affected by all of this might look like. Certainly less guilt, but more filled with dread.

It's hard to think of it without acknowledging his hunger.

"You didn't know the consequences your actions would bring. No one of us can see into the future." Jon says, making a genuine effort to sound understanding. He doesn't usually comfort people or offer much in regards of reassurance, but this man clearly regrets his actions, so Jon will at least try.

"From what I can tell your intentions were to do good. You didn't plan to weaken your planet or have it... Attacked?" It sounded like it was attacked.

Had he but known Reeve would have put his efforts instead int very different means of power. So Jon is correct. That didn't change what he had done.

"Jenova. The calamity from the skies. The had mostly been contained by the Planet before.. Well, before a mad scientist created a child from her DNA."

The calamity from the skies... Jon can't help but look up at those words, partially expecting to see a massive eye covering most of it and partially reminding himself that this only happens in his dreams. Though he can't help but wonder - And scowl deeply at Reeve's words.

"So just another fool meddling with powers he could neither understand nor control. Why does this keep happening again?" There's a sharpness to his tone and clear disapproval. The artifact storage is filled with the remains of dozens such stories. Jon harbors a certain disdain reserved for morons who believe these artifacts can simply be used without repercussions.

Fortunately none of them have destroyed Earth. Yet. But that still seems to be the job of the rituals.

Though it is then that his eyes catch something not too far ahead and he points ahead, actually looking a little surprised himself "There. That's the store." And truth be told, it doesn't really look like an art supply store from the outside. More like a toy store, really.

A store with stuffed animals in the window? Including a black and white creature that looks vaguely like a humanoid cat. Oh Reeve’s going in there one way or another, his eyes lighting up.

“Oh my. I don’t think it’s going to have what I need, but I must have the toy. Thank you very much for your assistance, sir.”

HE’s going to have that little stuffed animal out and acting in very short order here.

Jon won't enter the store himself, his eyes resting on a small display of dolls, though. Luckily they don't move.

"You want to check further in the back." he pints out without shifting his attention away "Down the stairs. They have the art supplies down there. I hope you find what you seek."

And he does turn away then, grasping his tape recorder in one hand and willing all his focus on the device. There are some thoughts he needs recorded and he is certain Reeve will be able to find his way around from there.

"Thank you, Jon. May your time here be kind to you."

And that's about as much as he can say about it. With the man already heading off it's not like Reeve has anything to do except keep moving.

The heat didn't agree with him entirely too much, but Aden wasn't one to pass up a chance at relaxation- he honestly needed it, considering what had happened before he arrived and then arriving in the middle of a storm. He could stand it, if only for a little while, and though he likely would be in need of an ice bath once he was done, he still wished to enjoy whatever comforts Risa had to offer him.

There were things he needed to do, but... Real life could wait. Just a while longer, at least.

Dark blue hair up in a bun, and with a cold drink in hand, he slipped in to simply relax for a little while, soft little sigh escaping him.

"Nothing quite like this, indeed," The Chiss agreed, as he got comfortable. He didn't want to get used to it, given that he was sure it was a rare thing, but he did want to enjoy it while it lasted.

Interesting. Reeve has been exposed to so many aliens here. And so many in the place place he had been a... 'guest' of. So really, he doesn't even blink at the newcomer. Just nodded.

"Where I am from the pleasures of such places as this are oft forgotten."

"Work always, play never? I feel like that's common for a lot of cultures."

Even he could fall into a bit of that tendency- how long had it been since he went somewhere special just to relax? Even when he'd visited some place like Nar Shaddaa, it had been to work. Not to enjoy the nightlife. Not that he didn't take his breathers where he could get them, but still.

Relaxing in places like this, he supposed it was only really for the super rich normally.

He sipped his drink as he leaned back with a hum, "If places like these weren't forgotten and people actually de-stressed, I'd be out of work."

Out of work? Reeve considers him thoughtfully for a long moment.

“What do you do then? Personal masseur?”

"Wow, aren't we being derogatory towards aliens today. Not every alien works on a kriffing pleasure-planet as a personal masseur, regardless of what humans may think."

A bit defensive perhaps. Still, how own world wasn't exactly kind toward people who looked like him, though admittedly, it was the sort of comment he'd normally hear directed at a Twi'lek rather than a Chiss like himself.

"If people de-stressed, then maybe there'd be less fighting, I mean. Should that happen, should there be no need for people who can handle things. And perhaps then I would have to look into a job as a personal masseur, actually."

Just a touch of humor with a slight quirk of the corners of his lips up into a smile, to make up for his initial instinct to bristle and hiss.

Really? Reeve keeps a level expression, and he doesn’t seem impressed by the Chiss’s bristling. Not in the slightest.

“I am not intending to be derogatory, and if you believe I was, perhaps you are reading into things I saw and attempting to stereotyping humans. You indicated that if people were less stressed you’d be out of work. The first thing that came to mind was an industry that profits from the tension that people carry. Massage therapy is very reputable work. In addition, you do not look like the natives of this planet, so I did not assume you worked here, much less that you’d be as focused upon the sorts of... attention they seem to enjoy giving here on Risa. And finally, perhaps you are in need of destressing yourself.”

Short tempers do not even remotely phase Reeve. After all he’s been through, he knows how to deal with them.

"Yeah I got it. Jumped to conclusions, and I am s- sor- nope, can't do it. Still, shouldn't have assumed the worst."

Not being able to say he was sorry seemed to be a joke too, at any rate.

"And I very much am. Relaxation and enough drinks for at least a party of ten."

He sighed and drained about half his drink, before holding his free hand out for a handshake, very much a gesture of reconciliation, "Cipher Nine, by the way."

"I am certain there will be a place here that can happily provide you with enough drinks for that and plenty of quiet to consume them in."

HOwever how healthy that would be will remain a question Reeve does not intend to answer. Or even seek to know the answer of. He will, however, take the hand without comment over the strangeness of the name and shake it.

"Reeve Tuesti. The pleasure is mine."

"Probably," Aden agreed, with a soft huff of laughter.

"I jumped down your throat about being xenophobic and you say that the pleasure is yours? Did you hit your head on the way in?" He asked, his tone of voice entirely humorous, even pleasant, as he shook his hand briefly and then let it go.

"No, I believe the pleasure's all mine for meeting someone so forgiving," He said, with a smile and a playful- and perhaps just a tad flirtatious- wink.

Oh, he’s met far more troublesome personalities than the one being flaunted before him now. So yes, definitely the pleasure is his. And when your job is half political, you learn to be... diplomatic a all times. The wink, though, does earn a brief blush. Very brief. Barely there. Probably just redness from the steam. Totally.

Reeve pulls his hand back and focuses on it and not the stranger.

“Forgiveness is easier to extend by those who understand its value. But no, I did not hit my head. Perhaps the euphoria over being around actual technology again has made me kinder.”

"Perhaps. Can't say I'm looking forward to going back to Agra 10."

He'd only been there a moment, but it wasn't exactly a place with a lot of comforts. Nothing beyond what they made for themselves, at any rate, and no real technology, beyond what they could actually fix. The storm had been bad, for the time Aden had been there, but he didn't see it looking any better on a good day, either.

"I'm no stranger to having to scavenge. But I'm not looking forward to that just being life when we leave here..."

"It does not have much to recommend itself, beyond that it is quite the interesting problem to be remedied."

That being said... Reeve thinks briefly about the situation.

"It is entirely possible I can contrive, if not a hotspring, at least a sauna for Agra 10."

Small things to make the work more pleasant.

"I'm sure people would appreciate it if you did. I'd probably die though."

This was manageable, though his temperature was rising rather rapidly- thus the cold drink, to keep him from overheating. And he didn't intend to stay long either, only long enough to relax some, before finding a place to cool down.

"I can stand this for a little while and enjoy it much like any other species, but my people evolved on an ice world. I foresee having to take an ice cold shower after this."

He wouldn't complain, but it was true that he didn't handle hotter temperatures as well as others did.

"There are already cold bodies of water which one can use for cleaning," Reeve muses, but he does look concerned. Was there a way to ensure there were spaces cool enough for the other man to contentedly operate within? He will have to look into that, learn how any heating or cooling systems might function, and determine how to keep them at optimal levels. It will be an interesting problem.

"That being said, have you been to Agra 10 yet? If so, have you selected a place to live? I would want to review the site and ensure we could keep it at temperatures suitable to you. If you welcome an engineer in your space that is, even for a short period of time."

Of course Reeve worries. The man always concerns himself on the needs of others.

"I was there for a little while. Last bit of a storm, not exactly the time you want to go looking for a home."

Selected a place to live though. He figured he was going to have to do that, once they returned to Agra 10. Doing so, thinking about doing so, made it all feel rather permanent, and really hammered home just much he didn't want to go back. Permanently stuck in a place that looked like it had suffered a few too many orbital bombardments.

That seemed like his own personal version of Hell.

"You're awfully worried about a man you've just met," He commented, "I appreciate it though. Your willingness to help is cute."

Whether or not that was a bit more flirtation, was hard to tell. His smile might suggest as much, but he was relatively quick to speak again.

"If I find a place I'll contact you. If I end up not settling down anywhere, I'm sure there's a pond or ocean to throw myself into to escape the heat."

Cute? Reeve definitely looks away, trying not to flush a little at the compliment. He just likes to help people. Don't make a big deal out of it.

"I attempt to help people whenever I can. That is all I can do, and all I wish. And I could use the practice at restoring a world. But I've heard tell of water sources. Perhaps we'll find something useful."

"You're not helping your case, you know. Getting all embarrassed by a compliment like that. It's charming."

That was definitely flirting. But Aden's in a decent mood and it's just what he does when his mood isn't awful.

"And kindness is endearing."

It's difficult to believe that kindness exists with no strings attached, but. Aden knew one other person like that. It was a quality in others that made him want to protect them, even though it was obvious that the galaxy had more bad people than good.

"And perhaps. But at least we know there is a pond or ocean for me to throw myself into and hope to grow gills."

It's not his fault he's forgotten how to gracefully take a compliment. Or perhaps it is. Perhaps it is indeed. And the guy just keeps laying it on. How is a man supposed to deal with that?

"I'm assuming from your tone that growing gills isn't likely? I expect it's a joke, but frankly I've met few other races and so assuming what they are and aren't capable of seems rude."

And rudeness is something Reeve does not wish to exhibit.

"Not likely at all, no. No more than a human suddenly growing them," Aden replied, shrugging a shoulder, "Nothing really special to my species, really. I suppose the only thing would be our eyesight going into the infrared range."

There was technically more, but- nothing Aden thought of as all too unusual. Nothing he thought of as particularly relevant.

"You say you've met few other races though, not none. Is it that aliens are simply uncommon where you're from, or did different sentient species evolve on the same planet, and humans are just the majority?"

He was curious- and the other man was pleasant company. The earlier hiccup that had been his own fault aside.

Infrared vision? Reeve's eyes light up with that sort of look that speaks of envy. He would love to have had that ability. Goggles to see into the range were always bulky and uncomfortable.

"There were three sentient species on my planet. Humans, Cetra, and... Well, Nanaki never told us the name of his species. Jenova, of course, does not count. She was an invader from space. Humans are, though, the majority. The Cetra were nearly wiped out by Jenova, and I don't know what led to the diminishing of Nanaki's people."

So humans were the main power of his world. Reeve sighs and sinks into the heat a bit more.

"Though the other races I met were mostly in the Village. The place that took me before this place has."

"You were in another place before the Agrii decided to sink their hooks into you then? Mind telling me about it?"

It was valuable information to collect, he thought. He was still trying to make sense of things, and even if it wasn't relevant now, maybe it would be in the future. Seeing things from many different angles was important.

At least he thought so. And information would be good to keep his mind busy.

Oh, well, no, that's an interesting question. Reeve is quiet as he considers a few things and how to best arrange the answers.

"It was a village, low tech. Barely even any electricity. We had to grow our own food, and sometimes boxes were delivered. We had electronic bracelets that we could message each other through, and gave us... powers."

And it had been strange.

"Toward the end, it started to unravel. There were doppelgangers attacking. And at last it released us, telling us we could go home to whatever world we wanted that someone there had come from. I chose home, and woke up here."

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Vacations Aren't My Cup Of Coffee

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