Soup Chef (Dime)

[Dime Price]

“Thank you Adelaide, I’ll see you in the near future.” She chuckled. “Not going to lie your father might actually be better at naming than my former king. You take care.” It was a compliment to the girls name. Dime would admit it was a lovely sounding name that rolled off the tongue easy.

[Adelaide]

"Uh... Actually, before you go. I was wondering if... well would you mind showing me around?"

She would ask.

"I... My friend really likes everything to do with Meta's and... maybe if I got a tour, I would feel more comfortable with her coming by herself."

[Dime Price]

“Neither if you have powers do you?” Dime gave a thought kind of already assuming the answer was a no. “Well for the time being a tour is not such a bad idea I have some time before I need to prep for the dinner schedule. I can show you around if it will aid you. Anywhere in particular you’d like to start?”

[Adelaide]

"Not so far as I'm aware."

She chuckled obviously, they were both from this world, no powers what-so-ever.

"If Shiloh has powers that just means shes been lying to me, and our friendship is stronger than that."

She would say with a confident nod.

"Wherever you suggest, I don't know this place very well at all, last time I was here... was the day of the attack."

[Dime Price]

“Well we do get a few of yours coming and going. None are seemingly causing too much trouble they seem to leave us alone so long as we stay in the wreck site.” Dime walked out the door of the broken restaurant she was using as their own soup kitchen. “Some have decided to make use of what is left, no one seems to be telling us otherwise. Someone over there, a normie from our plain actually, has set up a kind of workshop there. A few other examples like that are beginning to sprout up.” Dime was pointing a few buildings down where the building itself had metal shudders and the concrete walls were mainly intact but certainly leaning and cracked. “She seems... harmless, secluded but harmless.”

[Adelaide]

"A... Normie? What is that?"

She had never heard that term before.

[Dime Price]

“It was our occasional term for the Qi-less. It’s short for normal.” Dime walked down the street a bit in the not so far distance was the Ark as most called it. “Some visit where we crashed and mourn, pray,... or simply cope with our new situation. We have erected statues of some of our leaders faces who sacrificed themselves for our survival.” She pointed in that direction for Adelaide to see.

[Adelaide]

"I see..."

She murmured.

"I had heard of the 'Ark' that you all had arrived on, I foolishly thought it was some kind of ship or vessel... I wasn't expecting it to be an actual building..."

[Dime Price]

“We were attending a ceremony and memorial for a previous massacre that happened during a festival. A massive riot and a whole city burned you see. Some were receiving rewards to commemorate their strength and aid after. Though I know very little of the whole story it was like we were suddenly lifted and tossed into a void on our way without our planet all together. I really couldn’t tell you much I hardly kept up myself. Holes ripped open and Qi was just being vacuumed out from the weaker ones and normies first. Until our leaders offered their immense powers to spare us.” Dime folded her arms and stared at the distance trying to make sense of it in her head.

[Adelaide]

"I... can't even imagine..."

She stared.

"Can I... I mean... would it be alright if I saw the statue of you're Raikotsu?"

[Dime Price]

“Sure.” Dime looked to the girl searching for a full confirmation in her stance to judge of the girl was ready or comfortable to see a face that was a true doppelgänger of her own father. Dime just trusted if she asked she was ready instead and and lead her down the beach and nearing the dome where a few different things were erected along side the rulers. Memorials of home many might have felt needed to be honored. From kings, family members, and friends all around.

“You recognize Raikotsu Sudeki of our world and next to him was probably the most powerful of the Big Five territory leaders Strike.” Dime breathed deep and bowed her head in respect. “This is what is left of them once their Qi was drained. They solidified and cemented their own graves somehow, probably to remain here until time has long forgotten who they are.” She introduced Adelaide to their statuesque forms and allowed the silence for the girl to process the moment.

[Adelaide]

Adelaide walked forward and paid her respects to both men before turn to look at Rai... He, was nearly identical to her own father. Only difference being that her father had more scars... strange since she was under the impression that their world was always at war. She held out her hand reaching for his face only to stop herself. She didn't want to accidentally disrespect anyone.

"He... doesn't have any scars..."

[Dime Price]

“He controlled his own blood a lot of that was hardening it solid to protect himself. That and advanced healing Qi and technologies from Prota can erase long aged scars.” It was a simple answer no doubt something everyone thought was normal given the world Dime knew. “Prota was Strike’s territory, Blood was a protected territory under him. Many of our people as soon as they were inducted to the military went under basic Optimization.”

[Adelaide]

"Basic... Optimization?"

She asked.

[Dime Price]

“Optimization is a procedure of artificial power created to Optimize or specialize your body, Qi, and mind to conform to the Protaen Empire and its Protectorates.” She explained flatly. There was an apparent flat note in her voice as if she just read that off a pamphlet which was not wrong. “The powers they gave were quite impressive but... it had its side effects that were less than desirable I will admit. Everyone coming out of it... became different... some say brainwashed.”