: : : : Vora turned her attention to Johann and grinned. “They’re disgusting? The texture is awful and the are so… bland.” She shuddered.
: : : :
: : : : “I’m so not inviting you to the family holiday party,” Deacon said, trying not to laugh.
: : : :
: : : : “Which holiday?” she asked.
: : : :
: : : : “Any of them,” Amherst quipped back. “My mother makes the best mashed potatoes at every one of them and it might break her heart to hear you talk that like.”
: : : :
: : : : That just made Vora laugh even more. “Awww, I suppose I should be sad, but then again, I will happy if I make it through the rest of my life without eating mashed potatoes ever again.”
: : : :
: : : : She looked at Johann. “Are you a mashed potato lover?” Vora asked seriously, though there was a glint of amusement in her maroon eyes.
: : : :
: : : : Lt. (j.g) Zorell, Sciences
: : :
: : : “Only when they’re made right,” Johann answered. “This might sound obvious, but you need to actually need to mash the potatoes yourself if you expect to have good mashed potatoes. ‘Instant’ mashed potatoes always come out terrible, even in the modern age of matter-energy replication. The programs never have the right amounts of salt and butter.”
: : :
: : : “Plus, if all else fails, you can ~load~ the mashed potatoes…”
: : :
: : : – Johann Dvorak, CO
: :
: : She looked skeptical. “Load?”
: :
: : “Lots of toppings, I think he’s referring to,” Deacon chimed in.
: :
: : “Huh, like the fires, right?” Vora asked Johann.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

: Shaking her head as she pondered the merits of what might be dubbed ‘good’ mashed potatoes, Vora rose to her feet. “I’ll be back shortly.” She waggled her finger at Deacon “You keep those tuber roots away from me plate.”

:

: “No promises,” Deacon tossed back before popping one of the tuber root fries into his mouth with a grin. Vora just shook her head and walked away.

:

: After watching her walk away, Amherst focused his attention on Johann. “She’d tell me the details if she could, so I get that she can’t. But… is she okay? Truly?” he asked with clear worry.

:

: ~Vora & Deacon

“She will be,” Johann said cautiously. “I have to be careful about what I say about it, but… it’s not entirely her. She’s upset about the situation, and she has reason to be. But I think she’ll be okay.”

– Johann Dvorak, CO

: : He nodded and poked at tuber root fry with his fork. “You know, every time I talk to her, all I can think is just how far she’s come. And not just in the obvious ways. She hasn’t just changed her life around ad made something with it, but she’s thriving. And in the last couple of years I’ve seen her gain more confidence. I’d just hate for something to dent that so badly she feels like she gone backwards, you know?”

: :

: : ~Deacon Amherst

“Yes,” Johann said, knowing exactly what that might look like. “Again, I have to be careful about what I say, but… I think the worst case is that she gets a small dent and then feels like she’s stuck for a minute. Which… well… not to trivialize anything, but really is kind of how she gained a lot of confidence in the first place.” Deacon nodded. “I mean, I don’t need to tell you about her memory, and how never forgetting means she doesn’t always perceive the difference between who she was and who she is. This is another one of those times, and she works these things out when she realizes she’s the latter and not the former. Then she gains the confidence from it. It’s only complicated this time because it happened on a mission.” It was technically true as far as the record was concerned. It was even mostly true even if one were to include the information that Johann knew but wasn’t going to talk about. – Johann Dvorak, CO

“Yes, that has certainly been true in my experience with her too. I can see how her memory taking over on a mission would be distressing for her though.” Deacon sighed slightly. “I have a hard time remembering some days to step back and allow her to figure it out. We’ve been friends for so long and she’s been fighting for her future so long that I think I forget that she doesn’t need my help as much as she used to. And now she’s got other people who can help her as well,” he said with a genuine smile.

~Deacon Amherst