For somebody who don't drive, I've been all around the world

[continuousgroaning]

WHO: Tina Belcher and you
WHERE: Mostly in Maurtia Falls, though she'll be visiting other cities
WHEN: Throughout February
WHAT: Tina's dealing with the trauma of last month's events by throwing herself into working and planning her birthday party. Why not say hello?
WARNINGS: Mentions of character death, grief, etc. If you would rather do action format I will match. If you'd like a starter, send me a PM or hit me up at shurimon!

Tina's been up and down ever since the events that resulted in Archie's death a few weeks ago. Sometimes she feels OK, other times she feels like punching things because she feels so useless, and sometimes she doesn't feel like doing much of anything.

However, life goes on, as it always does, and she looks for ways to distract herself, ways to keep going and, as everyone keeps telling her she should do, just being herself and taking care of herself. She still doesn't feel 100% right doing so, but for lack of any better answers, it's what she's doing.

At home in Maurtia Falls #003, the residents and visitors will notice she's trying out a lot more new dishes, including baking several different kinds of cake, in an effort to decide what she wants for her birthday next month. Or else she's looking at party decorations on the internet, or trying to invent ways to have an actual horse show up to the party somehow. Tina will also gladly make a burger for any visitors who want one.

Or she'll stop by the Maurtia Falls Endeavour Center once it's open after the swear-in, setting up a table with a griddle and other cooking implements to peddle her wares. She's quit her jeans factory job finally and has decided to try being a cook in her spare time to earn some money instead. She also has a sign up with various punny burger and food names, such as:

Cod Only Knows (cod sandwich, friendly for Lent!)
Pigtures Of You (burger topped with pulled pork)
Smackwater Pepperjack (burger topped with pepperjack cheese)

Tina also visits Heropa to see her friends there, and shop and get ideas for decorations.

Or is there someone else you'd like to run into her?

Comments

Heropa

[breaks_pots]

Link is a small child. Barely three feet tall. He's a curious child as well, but he's also new to the city. Very new. New enough that he hasn't actually been to his assigned housing yet. But it's only been a day so it's not that bad, right? And he can't read so he doesn't know where he's supposed to go yet, but details, details...

Instead of doing all the things expected of him by the engorgement, he is out looking around and getting the free food people seem to ply him with every so often. This, while keeping an eye out for a 'princess' which he isn't sure what is, but there's so many people around he has to find one eventually, right? Right!

As he's passing Tina, he recognizes she has the same marking on her wrist as he does. That's kinda new and exciting. He'd only seen a few, much bigger, people with it and most of them had moved off and disappeared in the crowds before he could catch their attention. This girl was smaller, shorter, maybe a child? It was hard to tell when she wasn't as small as he was. But hey, worth a shot.

He caught up to her and grabbed her hand with his, tugging on it lightly to get her to stop. Once he had her attention, he waved hello.

[continuousgroaning]

Tina was shocked when a small child suddenly grabbed at her hand, but she saw the familiar marking on his wrist and smiled, a little sadly. This kid looked to be Louise's age, perhaps, or even younger. What was the Porter thinking? It was bad enough that she'd been brought here at 13.

But she's good at dealing with kids... she thinks, anyway. So she squats down a bit so that she's more at his level, returning the wave.

"Hi, there. Did you just get here?"

[breaks_pots]

Link nods his head enthusiastically at her question. He'd gotten to this place like, yesterday an it was a lot different than the Kokiri Forest or the Lost Woods. But with this many people the princess was bound to be here!

He kept smiling and reached around behind him, pulling out one of the paper kids mats from a restaurant that had handed it to him with a bunch of colored wax sticks. The front where all the activities were was pretty much empty save for some coloring in of the restaurant's mascot. But the back had a crudely drawn picture of a person wearing a dress and with what looked like shoulder length hair. Beneath it, as though the figure is supposed to be riding it, was an equally crude horse and next to them a castle with the drawbridge down.

Link held it up and then pointed with his free hand to the figure, tilting his head to the side in quiet inquiry. Had she seen this person?

[continuousgroaning]

Oh, this kid was adorable, even if he hasn't spoken yet. Tina feels a little tug on her heart as she's reminded of Gene and Louise when they were younger- and herself, too. She hadn't been very chatty until she'd gotten a bit older.

Tina studies the drawing intently, taking a moment to figure out what it is he was asking of her.

"Hmmm... person on a horse... near a castle... I'm afraid not. Believe me, if there were any horses around, I'd be right there with them."

[breaks_pots]

This news was disheartening, but not surprising. Link was having a hard time finding the castle and princess on a horse, too. At least, he assumed that had to be the princess, why else would the Great Deku Tree send him to find one right after having another dream about that girl and the horse and the dark night she road away in?

Nodding in understanding, he tucked the picture behind his back. It disappeared under his shield as if it had never been there in the first place. Then he put his hands behind his head and stared at Tina. Waiting to see if she needed anything from him. A favor for a favor.

Most people were ignoring him - other than to ply him with food and drink and he was full - so he had nothing much else to do and no real leads. Continuing to look for the Princess was important, but he could try to help other people at the same time, too. Especially one who took the time to listen to him.

[continuousgroaning]

It takes Tina another moment to figure out what the boy wants next; perhaps he wants to know if he can help her in some way? He does look like a proper hero, with a shield on his back and everything. He must be looking for maidens to rescue, Tina thinks; that's pretty romantic. She smiles and shakes her head.

"I think I'm good... I'm just looking around to get ideas for my birthday party next month. Do you have a name? I'm Tina."

[breaks_pots]

One of the few questions he could answer! He grinned and rocked back on his heels, "Link!"

He was a little confused about the birthday thing, but that was hard to ask about. So instead he reached out and took her hand. Maybe he could help even if he didn't understand what she was wanting, exactly.

[continuousgroaning]

"Nice to meet you, Link!"

She gladly lets him take her hand, and she begins leading him down the street, sometimes pausing to look in shop windows. However, her heart's no longer in shopping, not when this kid needs help looking for someone.

"Of course, if you're on a quest to find your maiden... we could stop and do that, too. Maybe there will be someone to rescue, if not that exact maiden."

[breaks_pots]

Link is a polite escort, not swinging his arm where it was attached to Tina so he didn't distract himself or her with it. But instead kept them both aware of each other and easily able to tug the other in whatever direction needed.

He honestly had no real idea where to start other than to keep asking around. And though it was important, if he had nothing to go on, doing anything was just as good as looking for the princess.

Besides, he'd agreed to help her on her quest.

At her question, he looked up and shook his head 'no', smiling confidently and contently. He was good.

Home sweet home

[symphonyinme]

If the kids had learned anything over the course of their and their father's birthdays (and Linda bet they'd learned plenty), it was Lin wasn't really the baker of the family. She could grill as good as the kids, but when it came to telling sugar and salt apart, or remembering to add either, she wasn't the best. Or the second best.

Okay. She was just the worst. Move on.

So it's with pride she samples all of Tina's cakes, grateful (though maybe slightly, just a little, jealous-angry) that someone had taught her this part.

"So what do y'want for your party, Tina? Another dance night? Birthday boogie?"

[continuousgroaning]

Tina gives her mom a hug around the waist before replying.

"I guess it might be too much to ask for a horse," she grins. "... Honestly, I haven't thought much about what I want. If it was summertime, I'd want a pool party, but it's too cold for that..."

[symphonyinme]

Linda knew better than to engage on the horse comment- she'll get her another nice stuffed one or a poster or something. Even if she'd magically had the money for one, she still didn't trust any of her kids with a living animal. No matter how long they'd survived in a weird upside down world with their magical friends.

"Oo, maybe a spa day for you and your girlfriends? Or it's gotta be girl-boy?"

[continuousgroaning]

"I'd like it to be boy-girl," she replies shyly. "Just because I'm sure the guys will want to come, too... Though, now that you mention it, I don't think Magnus, Taako and Merle would mind a spa day. Ango I'm less sure about."

[symphonyinme]

"Or we could let you loose in the woods first, see how long it takes for you to come back! Birthday survival mode."

Yes, Linda will be keeping up with her new birthday tradition here, thank you. It kept her young and perky, no matter how high her number may get. But for Tina she laughs after, making it clear that, no. She's not gonna ditch her with no money or phone.

Not until she's 16.

"And, yeah. Boys need soft skin and mayonnaise hair, too. We can get 'em all. If that's what you want."

[continuousgroaning]

"Oh!" Tina thinks about that for a bit. "... I'd have to rely on all of my Thundergirl skills. If I can remember any... and hope I don't run into any bears..."

Yeah, she totally thinks her mom's being serious, despite the little laugh. Sorry, Linda.

"I'm still thinking about it. I've got so many options here, it's hard to decide."

[symphonyinme]

"What're those kids on the network saying? There some new kinda sweet fourteen thing they all do here? Get their own super costumes? Oooo, that could be part of the make-over day."

Linda maybe getting a little more excited about Tina's upcoming birthday than is healthy- but what's new there? Vicarious living was still living!

[continuousgroaning]

Thankfully, that's enough to distract Tina from the prospect of being left alone in the woods and possibly encountering bears. It's been a long time since she's been to a Thundergirls meeting or camping trip, so she's not sure she remembers enough survival skills anyway.

"I haven't heard anything about sweet fourteen parties, but we could start a new trend," Tina muses. "I'm not sure why kind of costume I could wear, though. Oh, maybe I could have a wizard hat. And a robe."

Endeavor center!

[kanyounot]

Kanan is really pleased with the new Endeavor Center. Working with kids as much as he does, through NeoJedha, it's good to see other organizations helping out in Maurtia Falls.

So he frequents the place, offering his services as an instructor, and the smell of food leads him to Tina's booth.

"What's Lent?" he asks once the menu has been read to him.

[continuousgroaning]

Tina smiles up at Kanan, before remembering that he can't see her.

"It's a religious thing back in my world," she replies. "You're not supposed to eat red meat on Fridays during the 40 days of Lent. ... come to think of it, though, I'm not sure why. I just know about it because our business definitely goes down."

Aside from all the other reasons it could be down, of course, Tina thinks to herself.

[kanyounot]

"That's certainly a... unique rule," Kanan comments lightly - hopefully not offending anyone in the near vicinity. "Is this the same religion that does all that Christmas stuff?"

[continuousgroaning]

"Uh-huh... well, a version of it, anyway," Tina replies. "My mom was raised that way, but she doesn't practice much any more. Still, I thought it would be nice to have the option... and some people just like fish instead of burgers, either way. Plus it gave me an excuse to come up with a pun."

[kanyounot]

"Oh, so it's god only knows," Kanan says, just now getting the pun. It's not funny if you have to explain it, Kanan! "Most of these don't make much sense to me, but then again I think humor tends to be pretty culturally specific."

[continuousgroaning]

"Yeah, that's true," Tina agrees. "A lot of the puns Dad made were based on songs and TV shows and the like. And even then, most of the time he was the only one who found them funny."

[kanyounot]

"Maybe that's just a Dad thing," Kanan adds after a moment. Ezra sometimes does that with his jokes, and Sabine, too. Not that he's comparing himself to a father or anything...

"Let's try that cod sandwich, then," he adds, smiling faintly.

[continuousgroaning]

Tina laughs softly as she prepares the food.

"It could be," she admits. "I think puns like that are even called Dad Jokes sometimes. And in any case, they make him happy, so I do try to laugh at them every now and then."