A Strange Afterlife

[ginger_firebird]

 It had to be impossible. He could feel his skin. A pulse beat under his neck. He stood in front of a store window and regarded his reflection in the glass. Same black leather outfit. Same brown trench-coat. The fabric weight down on him and he rubbed his arms as he tried to figure out what was going on. A wandering spirit had doors to enter and exit when it came to the world of the living, but he'd never achieved something like this. It was alien and wrong and he had no idea where anyone was.

Mantis sighed, marveling quietly at the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing. It didn't matter. He'd keep moving and hope for the best. If this was some punishment for a misstep, he knew exactly who to take it up with.

"Sorrow!" Even his voice carried an echo. Mantis pointed himself into a new direction and began to walk. "What did I do this time, old man?"

Comments

[ginger_firebird]

"The best hospitality is food and drink. I haven't eaten in a while, but I want to do a real mincemeat pie. It's filling and can potentially be healthy as well." He already has aspirations for preserved herbs and jars of fruit. There's much he can do again, but the options swirling through his brain are of simple things. He wants to eat and just...sense things again.

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I could use something filling." Ben eats small meals most of the time, though he's guilty of the occasional burger at Lord of the Fries. Pie would make a good change of pace. "It's one of the good things about being alive, even if it's something very simple. When you come back from the dead, you don't take things for granted."

[ginger_firebird]

Mantis himself hardly ate enough in life, but he at least aimed for nutritionally balanced. Here, there was no thought of that except in passing. Something fatty, flaky, tasty. "I'll get groceries together. A bit of beef and pork, chicken for texture..." He counts off the meats on one hand. "There are many senses that eating used at the same time. It's easy to miss."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can't say I'm a good cook, but I could use practice." It's one of many things Ben's trying to learn, and one of the reasons why he's seen lurking in Nexus restaurants and taverns rather than eating at his own home. Even moody introverts have to eat. "But consider me willing to try anything you make. The Nexus is good for trying new things."

[ginger_firebird]

"I got by with what skills I had. The trick is learning to use herbs and spices to make things taste better." A couple of leaves ground into pieces did wonders for improving less than quality meat, although Mantis wouldn't mind eating out a bit more often. "Good. I need a taste tester to make sure that my cooking isn't lethal with lack of practice."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"Well, send me a message once you're set up and I'll see what I can do for you." Ben doesn't usually eat with company, but exceptions happen. "There are some good restaurants here. I'd suggest the Crossroads Cafe - most people find their way over there sooner or later, in my experience. But there's something about eating at home."

[ginger_firebird]

"Crossroads Cafe. That's an appropriate name given how this place seems to work." Mantis looks around a bit and makes a thoughtful noise. "I'll spend days in this place just exploring. No one can accuse this place of being boring."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"It's peaceful, but not boring. Well, peaceful most of the time. " Ben can tolerate peaceful more than boring. He's tired of violence. "Also, they have some delicious pastries. If you want, I can teach you about a few of the sights and what I know about the Nexus."

[ginger_firebird]

"I can handle most of the time." Mantis is likewise getting too old to really get into the fray the way he used to. Not that he can't, though. "Could you? There seems to be a lot going on here, especially with how things shift and change."

[chiaro_oscuro]

"I can teach you about the basics here. The geography, some of the quirks, and the few dangers there are. Everything's got a dark side, this place included." Ben holds up his own copy of the pamphlet. "I had to be told about that myself."

[ginger_firebird]

"I got one of those from a man named Sigma. I'll have to read it fully when I'm ready to sit down. This place is a little too new and disjointed for me to stop moving just yet." There was a lot to explore. He's going to be busy for a while yet.