Entering the office room after returning from the prison John immediately gravitated towards the wall where a patchwork of papers and documents where neatly tacked up. With a critical eye he began looking over each and every one of them, plucking some down to examine more closely while others were torn up with little care. Alice and Ash watched, a mix of bewildered confusion as shredded paper fluttered to the floor. Satisfied with his initial purge, John then advanced to the wooden desk where the assortment of 'liberated' books rested.
"Uhm, why did you rip those up?" Alice finally managed, her voice filled with confusion. "Weren't they important? I mean, I'm pretty sure one of those had a long list of cheat codes for merchants or something. Like, discounts or even free stuff!"
Ash's head snapped towards Alice, a look of surprise crossing his features at the mention of potential freebies now becoming just as confused as Alice about his action. He seemed to pause mid-reach at that, turned to them, an amused grin playing on his lips.
"Nope, I'm pretty sure the ones I just tore up were pure trolling and just nonsense," he explained, shaking his head. "'80085' and '1337' and all those other nonsense strings of words? There schoolyard jokes and a good way to mess with people, I guess. I'll give them a try later if we ever meet a merchant though, just in case but my hopes aren't high and I'm all but sure I will be looking like a fool when I do it. We'd probably have more luck just saying something absurd like 'Salami on a sesame seed bun' and hoping for a reaction." He chuckled, then leaned in conspiratorially. "As for the other papers..." He shook his head, seemingly debating if he should tell them what they really where or not before deciding to be honest as Alice would no doubt pester him for the truth if he tried to lie or hide what they really were. "Well, those were long strings of numbers designed to bring up all sorts of anime hentai."
Alice's face bloomed a brilliant scarlet as she processed his explanation, realizing the legitimate reason for his actions only to realize something, before she could as though Ash seemed burst into uproarious laughter, instantly forgetting the disappointment over lost discounts as she seized upon Alice's discomfort, eagerly demanding to know John's specific preferences within the genre well calling him an expert if he could instantly tell what the lines of numbers where.
Ash, seeing this as a way to improve her image and standing began to list various genres of hentai, his descriptions growing more outlandish with each one, much to Alice's utter mortification and John's growing embracement. Alice's blush grew deeper and deeper with each word Ash said, her face practically glowing until she looked on the verge of passing out from sheer embarrassment. John, despite his own embarrassment couldn't help but feel a bit amused by what she was doing, occasionally chimed in with his own absurd suggestions, all while playing along and declaring himself a "man of culture." The moment was surprisingly pleasant, a brief respite of lighthearted fun at Alice's expense proved to be a much-needed break and brightness.
As the banter continued, his hands remained busy, sifting through the books and papers he had scattered on the desk. Most of the pages he found in the books where oddly blank, their surfaces smooth and devoid of any inscriptions or even marks, not even a single stain could be found before his fingers brushed against the small, unassuming booklet. Its cover plain and unadorned but the moment he touched it, a peculiar sensation washed over him. The booklet didn't just fall apart; instead, it dissolved like ancient dust caught in a sudden draft that suck into his palm with an almost ethereal quality. Simultaneously, a searing jolt of pain shot through his skull with a sudden, blinding agony that made him instinctively bite back a scream. His mind reeled as it was assaulted by a torrent of unknown words, symbols and concepts, an influx of foreign data that threatened to overwhelm him but as quickly as it began, it was over, leaving behind a dull throb and a lingering sense of disorientation but having completely destroyed the playful atmosphere that had built up.
Alice and Ash had both went quiet as soon as it began where looking at him with alarm, sensing the shift in his demeanor and even noticing how he seemed to be in pain no matter how brief it lasted. But before they could voice their concerns he held up a hand.
"Before you ask, no, I have no idea what the hell that was or what just happened," he stated, rubbing his temple. His voice was steady, betraying little of the internal shock he felt as the lingering pain began to slowly fade. "But I felt a very sharp pain in my brain that lasted a few moments. And from my vast, vast media experience, that usually means something important just got forcefully shoved into my head. Something that probably won't have any relevance right now but could be a skill needing a trigger, or a passive ability that's dormant, I can faintly feel it there and I think I could copy down some of the symbols and marks I felt shoved into my brain but I don't know what they might cause or even are so I'd rather not risk trial and error until were ready. Or, you know, it could even be some kind of sleeping possession, waiting to either create a spirit that'll try to take over my body if I ever have another moment of weakness or it could manifest as a helpful guide before they eventually need us to rescue their physical form from some ancient evil." He offered a fleeting, somewhat strained smile. "Either way, it's not worth worrying about right now but I think it would be a good idea for us to take a breather. I'm actually starting to feel quite hungry after whatever that was. I don't suppose we managed to scavenge any noodles or ramen from the Marauders when we freed the prisoners?"
He'd asked in hopes of lighten the mood and by the slight quirk of their lips it seemed to have worked. Seeing their still concerned but somewhat more relieved looks even helped him feel a bit better.
"Lucky for you Lesh managed to gather some ramen to take with us, those marauders had quite a variety of nonperishables, but no real good food and he wouldn't let us take any meat since there were bodies hanging with them, probably a good idea but I do wonder what a ghost would taste like, or possessed meat." Alice offered as she slipped slightly back into her madness. "It's in the storeroom. I can have May make you a pack if you want, put those cooking skills to good use."
John simply shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks. No offense to her, but my ramen is my own. I make it a certain way and that's just how I like it." He told them with a small smile as he rubbed the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, "Also, I tend to eat at least two packs at a time, not just one to ensure my gut is truly nourished." The girls burst into laughter at that, the tension fully broken once more by his joke.
And just like that, the trio left his makeshift heading to the small, makeshift kitchen/canteen that had been set up. As they approached, they could smell the aroma of simmering broth and freshly cut vegetables. Inside May seemed quite busy, moving with a practiced efficiency well humming a little tune, a smile on her face as she chopped and stirred practically gliding from prep area to pot. Lacy, smaller and more nimble seemed to be trying to diligently help wherever she could, bringing various vegetables and cuts of meat as May requested them, moving with the eager readiness to try and be helpful.
John surveyed the area with an impressed gaze. It was a marvel of resourcefulness, the tables featured solid, smooth stone tops, cleanly polished. A large wooden sink area occupied one side, fed by a wooden pipe capped with a piece of wood and string, suggesting a clever gravity-fed water system. A few gas stoves were neatly lined up a fair distance from what seemed to be fire pits, the fuel bottles for the gas stoves secured within custom-carved stone blocks behind them. Utensils, from spatulas and whisks to sieves, some slightly battered but still clean and usable hung from thin, hook-like roots that seemed to organically protrude from the ceiling, no doubt provided by Elena. Open cupboards and shelves, shaped directly into the walls held an array of pots, pans and even wooden plates and bowls. Along the counter, various bowl-like indents neatly segregated wooden knives, forks and spoons of all sizes, crude yet far better than nothing at all.
"Sorry to bug you both," John said, drawing their focus. They looked up, their faces immediately softening into welcoming smiles. "I was hoping I could use one of the gas stoves. Oh and a bowl, a pot and a sieve please. I'm craving some ramen like you wouldn't believe."
May and Lacy gladly, almost eagerly, sprang into action, retrieving the requested items with a warmth that belied their earlier nervousness around strangers. As they gathered his cooking implements, John took the opportunity to send Alice and Ash on a mission. "While I get my meal sorted, I need you two to go and inform everyone about what we learned from the imp" he instructed.
Alice and Ash exchanged a look of apprehension. They seemed, possibly for the first time in agreement and that was that they were against the idea of sharing what they had learn't, feeling it should remain a secret and perhaps only to be known by his inner circle once he formally formed one. "Won't it cause panic?" Alice asked, a furrow in her brow. "Perhaps it's better if its… just us for now?"
"No," He began, "If the people are trusting me to look after them, especially since I'm entirely new to them and will do things my way, I'll first try by I will playing open cards with them in hopes of showing they can trust me and expect the same in return. Only if it were something truly extreme would I keep it from them." He held their gaze, conveying the gravity of his decision. The pair though, well still uncertain, understood his point of view and choosing to trust him but also hoping this wouldn't end up as a learning experience for him began to leave in order to share the unsettling news, but quietly swapping ideas on what He would consider extreme if this wasn't.
After they had left, he let out a small sigh, seeing them talking without insults felt like a good first step in hopefully creating a friendship between them, if he where honest he couldn't handle their constant barbs well wondering how Lesh had managed to cope with it. Shaking his head he turned his focus back onto making his meal, the familiar ritual of making ramen a comforting anchor to the past, from a time before everything changed. As he waited for the water to boil, he started talking with Lacy and May. At first, they seemed extremely nervous, their responses clipped and hesitant. Lesh was the only person they truly had extensive experience with and John's way of speaking and acting where extremely different along with how he seemed to interact with everyone including them. But as he tried talking about their passions, May's incredible skill for cooking a large part of why she claimed her class apparently, Lacy's fascination with anything mechanical or technological, something she claimed had always fascinated her. His slow coaxing and honest interest seemed to work in having them open up, they slowly began to relax and even open up to him ever so slightly. To their surprise, they found him to be a bit more approachable than Lesh, despite his authoritative presence he seemed to carry.
He was quite glad about it, easily noting their softening expressions and slowly growing talkative nature. This was the exact reaction he had been hoped for. He was, as cold and manipulative as it may seem, hoping to use their growing positive impression of him as a way to spread a good image to the others, allowing him to cultivate a good image in the minds of the others. It also served a secondary, more strategic purpose of finding out what had changed and had missed. Once they seemed comfortable with him and he explained with a touch of feigned embarrassment that he hadn't received Lesh's memories, only notes left behind, they happily began to tell him more about the others in his camp. They spoke of people's thoughts, their actions, their aspirations and even their grievances. Something he was more than a little aware of was the fact how often people underestimated and ignored the "wallflowers"—the quiet, observant ones who are often there but go unseen. And that was precisely what John had hoped for. These two seemingly innocent girls, without even realizing it were becoming his eyes and ears in his camp, providing the things he wouldn't find out easily, to unknowingly keep tabs on everyone for him.
Having long since finished his ramen and having meticulously cleaned his utensils and all the items he used, he bid them a good day with an honest smile, having learnt more than he had thought. He promised to see them around and more importantly, promised to try and help in the kitchen whenever he found some free time which they greatly appreciated, commenting how an extra pair of hands would be a great help during supper. With another promise to try his best he slowly left, making some mental notes to try and find some machinery and technology for Lacy to make the best use of her class and to see how what uses he could get out of it, he couldn't keep back the smile at seeing the spark of pure joy in her eyes at his words. This small meeting had further cemented his image in their minds, reinforcing his belief that first impressions truly were the most important. Admittedly he wasn't used to it, playing to other people to create a good first impression and image but if he was to use Saya's recommendation of "faking it" around others then he would need to get used to it, even if this was probably not quite what she had meant.