lusi | [Catch-All] Rain and Robots (And More)

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[Catch-All] Rain and Robots (And More)

● WHO: Melfina, Presumably You
● WHAT: June Events / Catch-All
● WHEN: June
● WHERE: Wherever we need to be.
● WARNINGS: Unlikely.

A. Rains, Showers, and Clear Skies
[It pours. For so long that for some time, the only sound Melfina thinks of is the pitter-patter of droplets. Off of masonry. Off of metal. Off of glass. And for the most part, it doesn't stop her from looking around. From trying to find anything that might be of some kind of practicality to her. To Aisha. To Starwind and Hawking Enterprises, which is only just beginning to find its proverbial legs.

She moves from building to building, one shelter after another, eyes glued to the sky between cracks of lightning that line the sky above them. Will it ever end?

Perhaps it's that she sees you in passing. Perhaps you've had enough of the rain yourself. She's inviting you to join her with a hand. She's wet, so maybe she hasn't been here long herself.]

There's enough room for us both. You can stay with me.

B. Unable to Send; Try Again?
[Melfina taps at her Augur. Tips it to the side. Shakes it back and forth. And for as technologically knowledgeable as she can be (when it comes to ships, anyway), she finds herself both perplexed and agitated that she can't seem to solve the issue.

This is the second instance so far where the devices have not functioned as they more properly should.

She suspects the renegade robots may have something to do with it. Or whatever network is more properly controlling the grid of communication the Augurs share. That in itself is conjecture. There may not be such a network. Although she hasn't yet figured out what the alternative would be.]

It still won't work.

[She's been moving locations as carefully as she can to avoid attracting the robots exterminating residents. Even though she is a construct and not technically human, she still looks human. That's probably all they need. She obviously means to contact someone she knows.

But you're the one she stops with a gentle touch to the forearm. Or perhaps the shoulder. Either way, she's picked you.]

Uhm. Could you help me with this? Mine isn't working.

C. Wildcard
[Do you want to ~~build a snowman~~ hash something out different? I'm very much open and happy to write closed starters for anyone who may need it. Some ideas include if you want to play hero (as Melfina isn't a combatant), this is a good opportunity to do so. Melfina is good at taking care of people, so if you're in need of some nurturing comfort, she can be good at this.

Feel free to either send me a PM or contact me at ofthesky.]

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( Peter considers himself a pretty tech literate guy. granted, the tech around here is like nothing he's ever seen before. still, though, he likes to think he's got a decent handle on it... maybe...

though, with the robots going haywire, he hasn't been paying attention to his. in fact, he's decidedly twitchy when Melfina approaches and gingerly touches his arm, and stiffens a little in surprise at being touched.

a second after, though, he tries to bite back his squirreliness to try and answer. he can go try and throw down with more robots later. time to help a cute girl! )

Yeah, uh... sure. I mean, I can try. What are you trying to do?

[Everything Mel does is with a careful consideration. Even as subtle as it is, Peter's reaction doesn't go unnoticed. Melfina gives him a little space. Rather, as much as she thinks he needs. Wants.

She offers up her device to him.]

I was trying to contact someone I know here, but I'm having trouble getting it to do so. I know a little about technology, but whatever is going on here I haven't found out yet. Something like this happened when I arrived, too. It might be linked to that original issue.

[Come to think of it... Melfina never has figured out what originally happened either.]

( it's not personal. he's never been great about being touched, though it's safe to say he's even worse about it in the past six months. accidentally murdering your girlfriend will do that to you. he relaxes a little in the distance, which is a little sad.

Peter accepts her bracelet, immediately looking it over to see if there might be any obvious defect. sort of like the checking if it's plugged in first step of any tech support. it seems fine, though, maybe that doesn't mean that much. he really has no clue how this thing works, even though he's taken his own apart once. )

So it isn't sending out messages? Or it is sending out the wrong message? Or going to the wrong person? ( he was sure there for that, and thank goodness it seems to have calmed down a bit. though, Mel is right that they never really figured out how the robot crew had been hacking devices en masse. which meant it wouldn't be too odd if they got up to the same antics sooner or later. )

[Some could say that there's naivety in Melfina accepting his assistance without much of a second thought. To be fair, that may be anticipated for an individual who hasn't really had much exposure to others. It has not yet occurred to her that there may be others in this world who wish to do unto her harm. She may not learn of that for quite some time.

Patiently she waits, intently watching him, taking the time to really look him over. Older than her? She cannot tell just by looking alone. Perhaps around the same age as Gene. Age is such a strange concept, admittedly, and being a construct, it feels a little too human for her to begin contemplating that.]

The first. [She points to it indicatively.] I couldn't send anything to her. I thought I might have done something wrong, but I don't think that's the case. There hasn't been anything I've been able to test it with. [That is, without Gilliam and his encyclopaedic knowledge, Melfina can't exactly have him run diagnostics for her.]

( a little older, sure. 19, he'd been going on 20 before he ended up here. Peter is determined not to think about how time might be different here, or the idea his birthday might pass with him here. does he seem that much older? really depended on who you asked and what he was up to at the time. sometimes he acts a hell of a lot older than his 19 years, but...

sometimes he's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a teenage boy. )

You wanna try mine? ( he digs it from his pocket and offers it to her, while he obligingly messes with hers. she's right, anything he tries to do with it seems to fritz out. ) Maybe there's something up with the network... what's your message, are you trying to find your friend and check on them, with the... ( he waves his hand wildly at their surroundings, ) the... everything. Going on here.

O-oh, you don't mind?

[She can't help the wait she stumbles a little over her words. Perhaps it's because of how kind he's being. Or perhaps it's because Melfina knows she has been told, in the past, to be wary around those who have seemed too kind. Either way, his invitation is... surprising, to say the least.

She does manage to muster up a smile as she eyes him, seemingly content to trade hers for his. Perhaps the issue isn't with whatever network is responsible for the overall function. Perhaps it's only hers having the problem. That would be... Well. It's inconvenient either way, but a temporary fix is better than no fix at all.

It would do no harm to simply let Aisha know she's safe.]

And yes. You're right. I just wanted to let her know that I was safe. I was hoping I could have her come home. She can... handle her own, and I know that. I just... I worry.

Sure. ( usually Peter is the one nervous and stumbling in conversation, it's a nice change to be the almost confident one for a change! it helps that he's easily fascinated by technology and troubleshooting... he'd let a stranger borrow his cell phone, this isn't that much different.

and to be fair, Melfina does not look like the type to run away with his stuff. and even if she was, he has her stuff. this would be the weirdest mugging he's ever been in, and actually he has been in a few. which sounds terrible, but that's just part of being a super vigilante.

he frowns at her bracelet, trying to fumble through any kind of troubleshooting he knows that might translate to bracelet tech, and getting nowhere fast. at her confession she's worried about a friend, though, Peter pauses. ) Yeah, I know. The worry thing, I mean. Things are kinda crazy right now, it's hard not to worry.

[As he fiddles with hers, she doesn't seem to have much difficulty navigating her way through his. Where some might be a bit nosy, and there is no doubt that Melfina is a curious kind of creature, she seems with laser focus on the situation at hand. This is no time to start pushing herself into his private affairs.

To be fair, she never would.]

Yes. It is... something.

['Crazy,' he's said. She puts that away for later consideration. She isn't sure how she'd describe it at all, and Melfina has seen some strange things. Robots on the renegade... Well.]

Are you here on your own? [...Although to be fair, even if he is, he seems perfectly capable. But the truth is that everyone who isn't Melfina seems perfectly capable. That too is something worth considering.]

( there's... not too much to find, if she did try. a few messages sent in error. some panicked responses that he did not mean to send that auspicious acts card!!! sorry!!!!!!!! and other than that, not much. he hasn't been branching out too much. honestly, any snooping would just reveal that he isn't really talking to others that much, at least as far as his sent messages are concerned.

Peter has the vocabulary of a teenager from 2015 so referring to things as "crazy" is pretty par for the course. an odd turn of events being something isn't a strange way to put it, either, and he huffs a half laugh. ) Yeah, it's something all right. It's always something around here.

( they haven't even been here that long, and Peter has already noticed the trend. whoops, something went wrong! wow, now everybody wants to bone. the revolting robots are a new one, actually, and give him a lot more to do than the usual problems around here. he's avoiding boning, but punching robots? punching robots he can do. )

Oh. Uh. Yeah. I don't recognize anyone from home here. ( not that he'd know for certain, being from a city of millions... still, he's pretty sure. )

[ Sure, why not. Soaking wet and a little disgruntled, but not overly so now that Lelouch has found a flimsy umbrella practically on the verge of breaking, he acknowledges her by summarily handing it off. Here, take it. ]

No other place to be? [ Save for drowning and drowning in the rain, beneath a shelter that won't hold for very long. ] The building up ahead appears to be more structurally sound. You'd be better off taking refuge in it for now. It's what I planned on doing.

[ He's got people to find and places to be, but he's courting a cold wandering about in the rain like this, so he may as well wait until the weather lets up. All the better if it's with company, rather than busying himself with being overly cynical at any given moment. ]

[An umbrella? That's kind of him. With only a breath of hesitance, because she isn't sure she really wants to be an imposition, she accepts it. After some examination, it dawns on her that it might not last long, but it really is better than nothing.]

Thank you.

[Some moments pass as her gaze moves from him onto the building he means. Yes. They'll need to move eventually. That seems to be an ongoing trend here. Many of the places are shabby at best and not likely to provide much in the way of prolonged shelter.]

It wasn't that I didn't have somewhere else to be. Just that it seemed safer to wait this out until I got there. A friend of mine and I have a little place. It's not too far from here, but better safe than... sorry?

[Her eyebrows knit together. That's the saying, right? Yes. That must be it.]

Yes. That's how it goes, isn't it? Better to remain secure than attempt risks. But this isn't a safe area. From what I've seen, it's prone to flooding. You're better off braving the rain than allowing yourself to be swallowed up.

[ Everything and everyone is a danger or risk to someone. Nothing is truly safe. But it isn't an admonishment when he lends this girl his hand. Whether she takes it or not, his offer is the same. ]

Let's go there, then. To the home you and your friend share. I don't intend to impose beyond seeing you off. I've got places to be myself.

[ A knight and a witch to find, mainly. ]

Will you lead the way?

Edited 2020-06-22 20:29 (UTC)

[He calls it a home, but... Well. It's as close to one as they've got for the time being.

Melfina nods, though it's a little uncertain. With careful manoeuvring, she opens the umbrella he's offered her and it doesn't take her long to find her way back into the downpour. Except she's less wet this time around. There is that, at least.

It dawns on her as she leads him that if she were ever to actually explain where she and Aisha have holed themselves up since arrival that she wouldn't know. She's only ever used landmarks to find her way there and sometimes... that has required her reaching out to Aisha for help.

This really is like a test.]

Oh, you didn't have to come with me if you need to be somewhere else.

[For some breaths of a moment, her pacing pauses and she draws her attention back onto him.]

You already gave me something for the rain, after all. I don't want to be a burden.

That umbrella won't last much longer in its current state. [ And, much like her, it might just be swept up in the flooding streets and dour weather. ] It's no burden. I'm in no particular rush. I doubt I'd be able to find either of them so conveniently.

[ Onward they go. Lelouch takes meticulous care to always remain in her line of sight— he's not trying to pose any particular risk, and isn't that very intimidating from the outset regardless, reed-thin and mirthful, if his expression is any indicator. ]

... You don't suppose your friend is out in this rain as well, do you? Have you attempted contacting them?

[ Despite his own distrust with the network the Augur assumably hosts, a simple message goes a long way. ]

[Melfina smiles apologetically. She didn't want to say anything about the shoddy umbrella, but he's right. If it's not the rain, surely it will be something else that sweeps her up unforgivingly.

He asks about Aisha and she looks over to him.]

I tried before, but I couldn't get anything to her. I even tried using someone else's. Knowing her, she's... probably fine. She always is. I don't think there's anything that's ever kept Aisha down. Where we come from, her people are considered to be some of the strongest in the universe.

[A pause and she laughs.]

That we know of. I've never seen anyone best her myself. I only wanted to let her know that I was safe. In case she's out there somewhere looking for me. But maybe she'll come home soon. Then neither of us will have to worry.

If she's that strong, you have nothing to fear. You won't lose her to a mere rainstorm.

[ Even if the streets are currently flooded a boast a hazard to anyone loitering around far too long in the interim. Lelouch contemplates it, familiarly acquainted with someone who boasts a strength that borders inhuman. ]

What should I be keeping an eye out for?

[ So he can properly escort her to the entrance of her home, or at least to the building in question. ]

[It's true. Melfina doesn't really have a reason to worry about Aisha. That she does at all is not really something she fully understands. Is that genuine or is it a part of some kind of additional trait to her construct status?

Gwen Khan is not exactly here to ask and perhaps that is for the best.

Before she can travel further down that path, Melfina is distracted by his question. Oh. He means Starwind and Hawking. Rather, the embarrassing little place she and Aisha have. Maybe he won't judge much.]

Oh. Uhm... We have a sign out front. Or it'll be a sign. [She pauses with a sheepish smile.] Sometime. Right now it doesn't have anything on it. I don't think I saw anything else like that in the area.

[Her place with Aisha is not far from where they'd taken up temporary residence. The space around it hasn't been fully cleaned up either. Considering the amount of time they've been there, however, perhaps this is not a big surprise. The sign out front is blank so far, but it's clear it'll be used for something eventually. Everything else...

Well. It's certainly not what Melfina's accustomed to.]

It should be distinguishable enough.

[ She's very timid. That, or reserved. He considers extending her a hand— extending her some aid, in whatever way he can grant her it— and then just as swiftly places the idea aside. It's enough to at least see her on her way, before returning to search for Davina and Suzaku, and Lelouch wanders about with her through the rain-sodden streets until something matching that descriptions comes into view, deceptively blank but no less identifiable for it. ]

Is that the sign? [ Seems so. It looks to be the place, ramshackle and rundown, but certainly standing up against the battering rain. ] ... Will you be alright here?

[ He'd be inclined to take her to the church, a refuge from these flooding streets, but he'd rather avoid her burning to death thanks to Davina's barrier, and so he loiters just before the entryway, gauging her reaction. ]

How were they to get anything done with things as they were? It seemed yet again that the area they'd come to was more or less at the mercy of something technologically gone wrong. Melfina had endured the rains. She had travelled with more than one new face and had even gone so far as to actually make friendships. At least, the very start to them.

But in the end, finding Aisha was the greatest thing she could have asked for. With no lack of relief, she fought the temptation to wrap the Ctarl-Ctarl up in embrace. It wasn't a very easy thing to refrain from either. Yet the relief was palpable. Not... that Melfina had ever been particularly good at hiding her feelings. Especially not around those who knew her well.

"I've been looking for you forever!" She managed to air, a little breathless. Perhaps from relief. Perhaps because she'd rushed right back to their little shoddy settlement that would eventually become Starwind and Hawking. "Where have you been?"

"Where have I been?!?"

Arms wrapped around Melfina, embracing her in a hug that said it all. Picking the other girl up, she twirled her around before gently setting her on the ground. Guilt wasn't something Aisha felt often, but she knew she'd been inconsiderate.

The thing was she was a mess, soaked in rain, a little filthy. Blood stained her clothes.

"Aisha... doesn't know. I ate some fruit and I just just kind of lost track of everything."

It seemed Mel had thrived in her absence. It wasn't a surprise at all to Aisha, she'd always known she could bloom with any chance for them to rest.

In the moment that Aisha swept her up, it did not matter what she was wearing. It did not matter that she had been soaking wet. It did not matter that she had been missing. All that did was that they had been brought back together. Melfina knew very well how codependent she was and how much she practically thrived on Aisha's presence. What more could she possibly ask for, from someone who took such unquestioningly good care of her?

As Aisha set her back down, Melfina was all smiles, a rare and precious commodity for someone who often questioned the idea of sentiments like joy.

"I know you can handle yourself—" she began, though uncertainty edged into her tone. And I know that there's nothing I could do to help you. It's always you and the others looking out for me. But I want to try, too. "—But I worry. I was afraid you'd gone."

I was afraid that I'd be alone. I don't know how to be alone.

"I wouldn't leave ya! I won't make promises I can't keep but... no, I can! There's nothing a Ctarl can't do!"

They were crew and partners in this new life. That was more than enough to make her want to want to make sure things were okay. Taking a beat before letting go, she looked down at herself and man, that was more laundry to do.

But maybe she could help with something, even if that thing was probably not washing.

"Aisha's sorry for scaring you, though. Are we okay on food? Anything need patching up?"

What can I do for you, Mel?

Melfina found herself eyeing the Ctarl-Ctarl with no shortage of awe, a similar expression she'd held for many of them as they found strength in their pursuits (and not always the literal kind). The features in her face relaxed, knowing very well she had no want to become a burden to her dear friend.

Yes. They were friends, weren't they? She hadn't really used the word before, but it seemed fitting. Unless Aisha thought of herself only as a protector of sorts. Melfina... didn't want to think that was the case, however. Just the mere notion of it being so professional between her and anyone on the Outlaw Star made her heart threaten to contract.

"I got us some food," she answered with a short little nod. "At least, anything I thought seemed familiar enough to us." That was the upside to travelling space, after all. They all seemed to have open minds. "It might be a little bare, though. I hope that's okay. We still don't have much in the way of money and there isn't... exactly a grocery store we can visit."

Melfina looking at her that way pleased her. Was satisfying, in the same way a fist against an enemies's jaw was.

Of course they were friends. She'd never had a friend before, as she'd never considered anyone as her equal before she'd run into the crew. Everyone was either a superior, way below her, or an obstacle to the way to her goals. Gene was still very much her lesser, but it didn't mean the red-headed bastard didn't matter to her.

Unfortunately, they was a question that his absence left wide-open.

"It's fine! And I'd like you to show me how to cook a bit when we get the chance, but I think we should talk about what they want us to do here."

And because subtlety wasn't her strong suit:

"Has anyone asked you to help with the card stuff?"

She nodded at first and had a thought to encourage Aisha's cooking (though Melfina knew that Ctarl-Ctarl meals could be difficult for some to handle). Her attention became quickly diverted, however when Aisha made mention of the card.

Melfina knew she had one. Knew how to read the contents. Didn't truly understand what it was all about. It had hardly ever seemed the time to research it either. Too many things going on.

For several moments, Melfina considered her various run-ins with some of the others who had also been brought and after a beat or two, she shook her head. "No. Not that I can think of. Were they supposed to? I didn't know I was supposed to be looking at any of that. Things have been... a little all over the place." Never a dull moment, really.

It was definitely for the best that people had left Mel alone about their tasks. Would have been fun beating some sense into anyone that would put her into an uncomfortable situation, but...

"They weren't."

In reality, Aisha didn't want to have to bring up the subject either. It would be best for Mel to learn at her own pace, but this place was unpredictable.

"If there's anything you're curious about, Aisha can answer! I was surrounded by pigs way before I met Gene, and I wouldn't want anyone to surprise ya in a weird way."

Gwen Khan had been bad enough, and she was pretty sure he wasn't even getting off on it in a way that didn't involve data.

"Or take advantage of ya."

She hopped on the nearest surface, sitting cross-legged.

"I know you can handle yourself! I'm not trying to baby you..."

But she worried, sometimes. The world wasn't always a kind place, even when not being hunted down by half of space.

Curious. It was a strange word to use to describe it, but it wasn't really wrong either. Melfina, who still often questioned the line between humanity and construct had sometimes wondered about the nature of relationships between beings that weren't created. Given that she didn't always know if her feelings were actually her own or if those too, were a construct, it was often hard to figure out where her place was.

The card concepts had not helped. Transparently, Melfina didn't know exactly how to have such a conversation. Awkwardly she shifted before she beckoned Aisha to follow her in from the rain. No sense in either of them catching cold or getting sick. Besides, she could get her closest companion a bowl of soup. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would do for the time being.

"No. I understand," Melfina replied, obvious in how thought weighed her down. "I don't... think I'd be comfortable letting just anyone be so close to me." She wasn't even sure if she was comfortable trying to think of Gene in such a light. Were machines even allowed to think like that? She had oft thought she wanted to, but...

It was all so complicated.

"Pretty much every feeling you could feel about this kinda stuff is normal."

Melfina led, she followed. Soup would be great, but somehow this was more important than getting what would no doubt be a delicious meal. She shook herself off, looking more puppy-like than feline, in an attempt to rid herself of the uncomfortable feeling of wet ears.

Speaking of which, this topic was a little bit uncomfortable too. Aisha wasn't capable of shame, but it was just kind of a bummer that this would involve some pressure on Mel no matter what she did.

"Aisha's got an idea! If it doesn't work out that's fine, but would you mind holding hands with me real quick?"

Slowly, she held both out palms to her friend and smiled. Man, was she brilliant or what?

"Hold hands?"

Melfina raised her eyebrows, realising that the truth was that no one had ever really asked her that before. Well, Gene. Once when they had first met. Anytime after that, it had simply happened. No questions asked.

"Oh. Are your hands cold?" Because it was a little chilly outside. Soup could wait.

Melfina turned to face her a bit more properly, taking Aisha's hands into her own carefully. "I'm sorry. I had you out for too long. I'll be more careful in the future."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Catch-All] Rain and Robots (And More)

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sorry i died!!

Take your time! No worries! ♥

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a.

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Closed - For Aisha

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