SPACE COAST: PRIVATE CONVO: SHOMA

[murdergate]

[ sometimes i am mean to children ]

Comments

w1; monday

[murdergate]

[ nodd had been meaning to catch up with shoma, but his preference would have been on the ship, not on the mean streets of vampire world. fate's rude like that. ]

Kid! Hey.

[ he's changed clothing and continually snacks off a sharing-sized bag of gummy bears. ]

[solesuccess]

[ everyone is so fashionable... anyway shoma's apparently not at all bothered about being on this vampire planet which is maybe its own set of issues, but it's fine. he does, however, look up upon being addressed and gives a slight nod. ]

Hey. I can't say this was what I was picturing for our first stop, but...better than still being stuck.

[murdergate]

[ how is this child so fucking calm about things? that's very questionable! nodd was a terrible, feral child. none of this put together bullshit. ]

I agree with you there. The balm is nice. These, too.

[ opens mouth wider to show the fake fangies. ]

[solesuccess]

[ yeah! sure is! but it's fine, we do not talk about it. instead he's peering up at nodd curiously and frowning thoughtfully at the fangs. ]

Wearing to blend in or just for fun? [ he does not know nodd at all, but he is thinking that perhaps it could go either way. ]

[murdergate]

A little fun.

[ fascinating tech! they latch right onto his teeth and blend in seamlessly. creepy-cool. ]

By the way, I wanted to, uh. Catch up with you about trial.

[ awkward arm crossing ]

[solesuccess]

[ honestly? he approves. you do you, dude. he would be lying if he said he wasn't equally curious, and he's about to comment on that when nodd continues. ]

Oh. [ oh? he just pauses himself. ] Yeah, sure. What about it?

[murdergate]

[ nodd barely survives talking to the teenagers, preteens are terrifyingly new territory. should he be crouching? he's not. ]

I was rough with you during searches.

[ kinda margaret, too, but she's an adult. ]

I didn't mean anything by it.

w3 monday or tuesday your preference

[solesuccess]

[ you find yourself at home, under the kotatsu and tinkering away with the remote control for your robot. it's working better now. you figured out how to make the gyro work in your favor, and your creation can easily move around now with your guidance.

and yet...you feel discontent and largely annoyed. you're home alone and you think you probably shouldn't be, but what option do you have right now? you have time. what would you like to do first? there's the tv perhaps. your smartphone is on the table. you have a book, too, plus some scattered things around you can waste time on. ]

let's do monday teehee

[murdergate]

[ nodd takes a few moments to settle within the memory, his new form and life. the concept of living with a television because the concept of that is, itself, pretty fun. he has no idea how to handle a robot, but this him seems to have sure enough hands.

books, nodd knows well. what's the book? is it math? he isn't good at math. ]

[solesuccess]

[ it's a book on robotics! it's a little more advanced than what is expected for your grade's reading level, but it's easy for you to understand. the book isn't anything special, but you do feel a sense of warmth and love when you look at it. like someone important bought it for you.

you can try to read it if you want? ]

[murdergate]

[ the actual content isn't calling to the true nodd, but he will open the cover to see if there's a dedication or anything. it was a gift, so maybe?

with a bit of concentration can he remember why he's alone? is this how it always ends up or is it a particular day? ]

[solesuccess]

[ sure, he can remember. it's hard to forget, actually. your family broke apart a few years ago, and ever since then things have been different you're alone often, trying to fill your empty days with different things. it's part of why you build so often, isn't it? it gives you a sense of accomplishment and allows you to stay busy.

there's no dedication, but upon opening the book nodd will get to see what the real contents are (or at least real in this dream-like memory that's embellishing a little.)

How To Build a Better Father.

thumb through? or do something else? ]

[murdergate]

[ this is fine. nothing weird or wrong here. what a title. is this a true memory or a dream? nodd can't quite tell. and he can't contain his curiosity, either.

yes, he will read the first chapter of this ominously named book.

if this is a true memory, it's not as if he couldn't use the advice. ]

W5 ; Tuesday

[murdergate]

[ it's cold, so fuck the pool or the megapark, but hello to bundling up in the rec room. nodd has copied owner and is be-comfortered. his poor bed.

... he has bongy in a baby bjorn so it can feed off his warmth.

hi shoma! ]

[solesuccess]

[ it's cold!! shoma has taken to wandering the ship solely to try and keep warm, though it's a slow process. he does decide eventually that maybe the solution is to sit down and bundle up for a bit, and it's for that reason he veers off into the rec room.

except. well. this is a sight. ]

Hey, Nodd. [ why is bongy in a baby bjorn help. ] Babysitting?

[murdergate]

It's not babysitting when it's your own kid.

[ nodd is many things but not a deadbeat dad, okay? this was his idea. rodya may have even given him a look, like, it's okay if the chicken gets cold. ]

I don't think this temperature's good for him.

[solesuccess]

[ sometimes you really have conflicting feelings about parenthood, honestly. but that's fair. ]

...well it's a chicken, right? [ he. thinks. ] It can't be as bad for him as the rest of us.

[murdergate]

What if it's worse for him because he's the way he is? No feathers.

[ bongy makes some terrifying bongy noises. nodd pets him fondly. there, there. ]

[solesuccess]

[ stares at bongy... ]

Have you tried asking him? Maybe he has an opinion on it.

w6 ; thursday

[murdergate]

[ he's here to deliver snacks and water bottles immediately to anyone that feels well enough to leave a pod. hovering and worrying. seems like just yesterday, he and shoma were having a fun time diving! AND IT WAS! ]

Hey, kid.

[ get hydrated :( ]

[solesuccess]

[ EVERYTHING WAS FINE YESTERDAY! he even told nodd he could take care of himself??

which is kind of true. by the time nodd arrives shoma is out of the pod to give someone else a turn. there's minimal healing, enough that he's not bleeding and the chest wound is closed, and his burns and bruises are healed to a minimal degree. the area around his eye is healed the most, but it's currently shut. he's probably going to have to pod himself again later, but that's later. but he does wave a little. ]

Hey. Just...another Thursday, right? [ there is definitely still a pile of petals in rust, plum and olive colors on the floor next to him but he's ignoring those. ]

[murdergate]

[ nodd's expression wasn't hard, before, but it certainly softens for shoma. yeah, shoma looks out for himself fine. doesn't change that he's the youngest crew member, nor that, in general, nodd would rather not see a good person hurt. ]

Wish Keith had mentioned who'd be on the mission with him.

[ froooown. possibly at the pod keith is still in. ]

[solesuccess]

I'm not sure if any of us mentioned it, to be honest. Probably all figured it'd be standard procedure. In and out and back. [ gazing at the pods with his singular eyeball. ] ...and I get it. It's hard to mention when you think it'll just worry people.

[murdergate]

[ it's not very fair, is it? on nodd's cyoa, yuri took the majority of the end game damage and even that was nowhere near what others have suffered. ]

Yeah, but I think you're allowed to worry people sometimes.

[solesuccess]

I think people have been worrying about me this entire time probably more than most. [ and he knows it's because of his age. ] I don't know if I want to give them more reasons to when that was...bad for everybody. Including Io.