Valence and Juniper had been friends from a young age. They grew up playing in the streets while their parents worked, much against their parents demands not to. Valence's mom worked in the diner down one of the alleys, and Juniper's worked at the laundromat. They'd spend much of their days playing in the clothes that hung outside the building, an idea that Juniper thought of himself.
Every day the damp clothing would traverse on the automated line, making full use of the draft from the Fans. While it was their parents' rule that they couldn't play in any of the draft alleys, the kids quickly found the limits. They learned to pay attention to the activity in the upper sectors of the city, and unless there was something special going on, anything out of the ordinary, power consumption would remain steady, and likewise would the fan power.
Regarding the diner, well it wasn't hard to cook food down in the Sink. The diner instead focused on making the overcooked meat more palatable. This was generally done with plenty of spices, chopping the meat small, and serving soups or stews. Some miserable residents ate them plain and whole. Valence once admired that feat and tried doing it herself. She learned from that lesson quickly.
Valence's father was a chemist, working as he was able on various alloy research contracts. Juniper's worked in the Sink's network and engineering department, which sounded fancy, but it mostly consisted of keeping the facilities running for the residents at the very bottom of Nexus. Valence was always eager to learn about the chemistry her father worked on, and he'd teach her what he could. During the day she'd pretend the kitchen at the diner was her laboratory, and practice everything her dad taught her. And sometimes it worked. Most people weren't fond of the flavor of vinegar, or baking soda, in their meals though, so her mother had to limit Valence's experimentation.
Juniper on the other hand saw problems everywhere in the Sink, and his dad taught him how to look at those problems and figure out how to solve them. His use of the fans drying power saved the laundromat fifty percent of its energy expenses, and he applied the same engineering anywhere he could in his life.
Every day the damp clothing would traverse on the automated line, making full use of the draft from the Fans. While it was their parents' rule that they couldn't play in any of the draft alleys, the kids quickly found the limits. They learned to pay attention to the activity in the upper sectors of the city, and unless there was something special going on, anything out of the ordinary, power consumption would remain steady, and likewise would the fan power.
Regarding the diner, well it wasn't hard to cook food down in the Sink. The diner instead focused on making the overcooked meat more palatable. This was generally done with plenty of spices, chopping the meat small, and serving soups or stews. Some miserable residents ate them plain and whole. Valence once admired that feat and tried doing it herself. She learned from that lesson quickly.
Valence's father was a chemist, working as he was able on various alloy research contracts. Juniper's worked in the Sink's network and engineering department, which sounded fancy, but it mostly consisted of keeping the facilities running for the residents at the very bottom of Nexus. Valence was always eager to learn about the chemistry her father worked on, and he'd teach her what he could. During the day she'd pretend the kitchen at the diner was her laboratory, and practice everything her dad taught her. And sometimes it worked. Most people weren't fond of the flavor of vinegar, or baking soda, in their meals though, so her mother had to limit Valence's experimentation.
Juniper on the other hand saw problems everywhere in the Sink, and his dad taught him how to look at those problems and figure out how to solve them. His use of the fans drying power saved the laundromat fifty percent of its energy expenses, and he applied the same engineering anywhere he could in his life.
The two kids would spend much time coming up with cool ideas they could do together with what they knew. An acid gun, rocket shoes, and an automatic spoon were some of their ideas. Two of those were immediately shut down by their parents, and the other just confused them.
Valence and Juniper were lucky to have such good friends in each other. Life could be bleak in the Sink, but they made it great, and it gave those who noticed much hope as well.
Valence and Juniper were lucky to have such good friends in each other. Life could be bleak in the Sink, but they made it great, and it gave those who noticed much hope as well.
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