'I feel like... I'm missing something.'
"You know when you have something, a thought, right on the top of your tongue, but it won't come out, and you give up and forget, and when you try and remember you know SOMETHING bothered you, but you can't recall at all?"
Matt blinked at Simon. "No. What? That sounds way too complicated! I know what it's like to have something on the tip of my tongue, yeah. What was all that other stuff?"
Simon shook his head. "Never mind, I just feel like I'm forgetting something... or somethings? I don't know."
Simon shook his head harder before popping back up brightly. "Doesn't matter! This is your big day Matt, so let's get one last good meal in, eh?"
Simon froze. "Shit."
"What?"
"I totally forgot to grab some food before I came. I don't want to eat that bland-ass nutrition shit, I was going to pick up some canned meat!"
Matt rolled his eyes. "Good thing you didn't! Meat is expensive as hell man, save it for your own marriage! And I know, I know, not going to happen anytime soon with your current employ, but even bl%£&#¥¢• gotta get matched eventually."
Simon blinked, once again completely confused by a word he couldn't make heads nor tails out of. 'I think it started with a Blah or Bleh sound?' He quickly refocused as Matt laughed and said, "Besides, Corey already brought meat to celebrate, so it would've been a waste."
Simon gaped. "She what?!"
He turned and looked at Corey. "Holy shit, you're loaded with credits! What exactly is your employ level?!"
Corey laughed. "Not that high to afford this easily, I brought it myself so it's mine to sell for credits or share."
"Ohhh..." Simon nodded, turning away as Matt lifted a white plastic crate, opening it to reveal chunks of ice keeping a chunk of ribs frozen.
Simon frowned after a few moments passed.
'Hunt? Since when can you hunt the cattle to within the Hive? It's all raised and kept for the gas emissions as fuel and meat for the littles and high-level employs... right?'
Something wiggled in his brain, like a fish about to escape the net, it was so CLOSE-
"So how do you like your ribs Simon?"
Simon blinked. "Uh... no idea. Never had anything but the ground-up kind."
Corey nodded thoughtfully, and looked at Matt. "Same goes for you Mathew?
Matt nodded. "Honestly this is my first time seeing meat with..." he poked a bit of yellowed white coming out of the meat. "Bones."
"Well... I'll cook a small bit medium-rare, get you to try it, and see if you boys like it or want something a bit more cooked."
Simon and Matt nodded dutifully, the former already drooling at the thought of what actual fresh meat must taste like.
Matt chuckled as he saw Simon. "Houston to Si? Are you there?"
Corey looked puzzled. "Your name is Houston?"
"No, it's a reference to one of the vids the Board has available for standard education. It's one of the many they've recovered, but only the ones that make sense are shown to the littles in education."
"Littles get to see vids of the Old World?"
Corey seemed so surprised it almost surprised Matt and Simon.
"Uhh..." they looked to each other. "Just the appropriate ones, some are only shown at higher ages. You can download them to your comm at the rec center probably, if you want to see." Matt said, trying to be considerate.
"The vid Matt's referencing is from when people of the Old World went to the moon." Simon sighed, looking upwards. "From the vids, the moon sure does look cool doesn't it?"
"Wait they went to the MOON?!" Corey nearly dropped the pan she was putting into the oven, fumbling to catch it and readjusting the ribs on it to put in, swinging the oven door closed as she turned around. "Okay. People went." She struggled for a moment with the very idea. "To the MOON?!"
Matt nodded. "Yeah, they used to built rockets that didn't explode, and you could put people in them because they were the size of buildings! They'd use the non-weapon rockets to fly off the planet and go to the moon and other planets!"
Corey shook her head in disbelief. "That... wow. The Old World... really was quite the different place huh?"
Matt looked off into space for a moment. "Yeah... but it was a beautiful place, wasn't it? The night and the stars, the moon... their sky must have been beautiful, unlike our ceilings."
Corey nodded. "I've seen a few pictures and scraps of what night used to look like... the moon seemed to be way bigger back then. It's like, a third the size of the one in the pictures I've found in r$%@s."
Matt and Simon stared at her, and she awkwardly added on, "If they're even accurate, I mean."
Simon rubbed his ears in mild annoyance as he leaned back. 'What's wrong with me today? I keep not hearing things... it's like my own senses have been censored!'
Corey shrugged and laughed as she looked to Matt. "But you know, I'd say the night is still very pretty in this world! Bit more colorful."
Matt blinked. "Huh?"
"Don't worry about it Mathew, maybe you'll get to see it someday for yourself. I don't want to spoil it."
Simon stared off into space dazedly, and Corey went back to the oven to open it and check how the meat was doing.
Matt sighed, leaning back. After a minute of silence, he looked at Simon. "Si? You okay?"
"Huh?" Simon's eyes returned to the present. "What was that?"
"Asked if you're okay."
"Yeah, why?"
Matt chuckled. "Cause I was sorta expecting you to bug me about letting Corey cook and being a misogynist, and how much of a disappointing role-model I must be."
Simon frowned. "Okay you say it like that and it sounds rude. I'd probably say something better."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, like what kind of example are you setting Matt! You're supposed to be an Easley educator, you have to teach the littles proper values! What kind of example do you set, making your wife cook! You trying to bring back the antiquated patriarchal systems? You're truly scum!" Simon spoke with great justice, pointing an accusing finger as he lifted his chin solemnly, standing up as he put a leg on the stool!
And then both he and Matt burst out laughing after a few seconds of him holding that pose.
"That... wow." Matt chuckled, wiping a tear. "You never disappoint."
"Nope, I leave that to you, disappointing the Board's morals."