(video) un: laurel

[lightinside]

[ The feed clicks on to reveal a blonde woman with green eyes staring into the camera. It takes a few moments before she adjusts the angle to give a better view of her face, one that it isn't so close up. She gives a warm smile. ]

Sorry about that! Still, getting used to this, uh, device.

[ Her accent is unmistakenly American. ]

Anyway. I'm Laurel Lance and I've been here for a little over a week now. Not going to lie, it's been a lot to take in, but I think I'm getting there. I just have a couple of questions for people.

Firstly, where has the best coffee?

Secondly, is there a gym or something like it around?

Last but not least, I'm wondering if there's a need for legal advice in this place. I'm a lawyer back home.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

[ With that, Laurel ends the feed. ]

Comments

[lightinside]

[Will is the second kid that Laurel has seen here. Making her wonder what kind of place would take kids from their home? But she doesn't show that. Instead, she gives Will a warm smile.]

Hey. No need to apologise. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

But, mushrooms? I'm not sure how'd that taste.

[deadboywalking]

[Will is old hat at the interdimensional abduction thing. He's practically a veteran at this point.

He scrunches his nose, raising and lowering a shoulder.] Most people I've talked to say it kinda...sucks. I don't drink it. I don't like how it tastes normally.

[lightinside]

Yeah. Mushrooms aren't really my thing either. [She makes a face.] It's okay though. Someone has already offered me some hazelnut coffee.

What do you like then? Doesn't have to be a vegetable, just whatever.

[deadboywalking]

Oh. Is...that a thing? [How do you make coffee out of hazelnuts? He thought they came from beans.

Very promptly:] Pizza. I don't know if they have it here, though.

[lightinside]

Sorry, it's hazelnut flavoured. Shoulda clarified that. [Maybe someone out there has managed it, but who knows?]

Oh, pizza is the absolute best! I like pepperoni the most. [ A pause. ] All you really need is to make a basic dough for the base and then you can add whatever toppings you can find here.

[deadboywalking]

Oh! Yeah, that makes more sense. [A beat.] What's hazelnut?

Me too! Back in Deerington -- uh, that's the place a lot of us were before Trench -- there was a pizza place that my. Uh, my friend worked at. But there isn't one here. [A heavy sigh.] I think he wants to try and start one, but I don't know how to make dough or anything.

[lightinside]

A hazelnut is a nut that comes from a hazel tree. It can be used in desserts, coffee and well, most sweet things.

[She's more than happy to explain.]

Sounds like your friend has the right idea. But maybe you could teach yourself how to make dough first or have a friend help you out?

If I remember, you need water, flour, yeast and salt. Someone must have those ingredients around.

[deadboywalking]

Ohhhh, cool. [Nuts and stuff! Will guesses that'd be good stuff to know in a place that apparently hasn't even invented pizza yet.

Then he nods, shifting over and -- yep, he's writing this down. Only four ingredients, but it's important.] Okay. What do you do with them? Just....mix it?

[lightinside]

[Probably a good idea for him to write it down.]

You should mix all of the dry ingredients first, then add the water slowly until you get a soft dough. There are some more steps afterwards.

[Laurel pauses for a few moments to give him a chance to jot down what he needs to before continuing.]

Okay, so after you get your dough, you have to knead it. Put some flour on a kitchen counter and lay the dough out, using your hands to push and stretch it out until it's a bit more flexible and smooth.

Still with me?

[deadboywalking]

...soft...dough. [Yup, he's writing it all down, intently. This is happening, he is going to bring pizza to Trench!]

Okay, cool, need the dough. Knead? Need. I need dough, that's why I'm making it.

[lightinside]

[Oh no, that was cute. Laurel doesn't laugh at his 'knead' comment, but she offers him an encouraging smile.]

'Knead' basically means working it out with your hands. Different to the other word. [She explains, still smiling.]

Now, the next part will require some waiting. You have to put your dough in a bowl, cover it with a cloth and then wait about ninety minutes until it's risen to double in size.

When that's done, you take it out and work it out again with your hands before rolling the dough into a ball and letting it sit for another thirty minutes.

[Again, she pauses to give him time.]

[deadboywalking]

[He's scribbling this all down furiously, every word she's saying, but then he pauses and looks up at her over the paper.] How do you know all this?

[lightinside]

It's a mixture of watching online recipe videos and many, many attempts of trying to make my own pizza dough.