SPACE COAST: PRIVATE CONVO: SHOMA

[murdergate]

[ sometimes i am mean to children ]

Comments

[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.

[solesuccess]

[ me as nodd, frankly. it's probably better that he's not crouching, if only because shoma would be irritated. this alone is actually helping, and he considers this comment for a moment. ]

I think all of us were kind of stressed out Saturday. Besides, it's not like I can really blame anyone for being wary when none of us really know each other still. [ it also helps that shoma has lied to the police a few times himself so he's really like "no i get it." ] But thanks. I just...really wanted to make sure we were doing whatever we could to figure stuff out.

[murdergate]

[ so practical. the lack of hurt feelings is a relief, but also, again, why is this emotionally mature person a literal child? ]

I get that, but--also. You know you don't have to stand up like that. There are a lot of older folk here who should have taken over.

[ ugggh does this mean NODD has to step up if there's a next time? ]

[solesuccess]

[ sometimes you simply do not see yourself as a child... ]

...I know. [ he knows. believe him, he knows. ] But "should have" is also the word here. None of us really knew what to expect, and...I kind of figured I could do that much. I don't want the fact that I'm younger to be a reason not to do things.

[murdergate]

You put a lot of adults to shame, yeah. Do you know anyone in the crew? From before.

[ do all earthlings know one another? ]

[solesuccess]

[ our like 10 versions of earth. the question does not surprise him by now, though a lot of people haven't actually asked since that first day. ]

Just Mizuki. But I didn't know she was here when we first woke up. I found her a few hours later. [ shrug. everyone asked before and he said no but he hasn't super bothered to correct anyone since his answer changed. ]

[murdergate]

Mizuki! Smart kid. Could probably kick my ass the way I am now. Nice.

[ pause. ]

You don't care if I swear...?

[ half question, half powerless attempt at suggestion ]

[solesuccess]

Yeah, she's like that. [ he has just accepted mizuki is way too strong for her own good. but he can't help but laugh a little to that. ]

I think it's going to be easier on both of us if you don't treat me like a kid. [ so no, swearing is fine. ] Don't worry about it.

[murdergate]

[ this made me wheeze--me, sae, not nodd, but he probably also does a short wheeze. ]

Genuinely? Thank you. Let's go with that. But if you need a break and want to ditch some responsibility, I won't hold it against you, either.

[solesuccess]

[ nodd help. it's not emotion-share anymore but he may get the sense that shoma does, genuinely, find this funny albeit a bit exasperating. ]

Don't worry about that either. I know what I have to do here, so...I'm figuring it out. Besides, with everybody else on the crew somebody has to be a little responsible sometimes.

[ it is monday and we've already had two kisses involving a goat and a fish prince and then tuesday is a worm. responsibility is nonexistent in this godless land. but, before nodd can object: ] But I do take breaks.

[murdergate]

[ this kid is reminding him of the ambassador's son he used to travel with. that's a good thing. good boy. he won't immediately mess shit up by ruffling his hair.

the temptation, though. ]

You know, at your age, I was causing trouble all the time. Acting out's regular.

[ you know. biting. stabbing. ]

[solesuccess]

[ thank you, no ruffle. his headphones are probably in the way but thank you no ruffle. there's something about that though that causes him to grin, but this is a little less amused and almost more...melancholy? thoughtful? it's difficult to say what the vibe is on that. ]

I guess I can't say I haven't before back home. [ less biting and stabbing, more yelling and running away from home, but it's fine. ] But we are in a different place. It's harder here.

[murdergate]

Yeah? Are you sure you don't want to scream a little bit? Just fill your chest with as much air as you can then let it out?

[ what is nodd encouraging anymore ]

[solesuccess]

Oh, yeah, all the time. [ is this a joke? is he serious? it's hard to say. ] But I mean if one person starts screaming don't you think it'll make everybody else start screaming?

[murdergate]

[ must be serious, that's the most real answer possible. ]

Wolves howl together. Same principle. I'm on the side of a good scream now and again.

[solesuccess]

[ yeah. legit. ]

Not the analogy I would've taken but I also can't say that's inaccurate. Maybe we should all save the collective screaming for later. [ if (when) someone else inevitably dies, he thinks. ]