[log] Screambini's soul child [closed]

[devoutish]

Characters: Alfie Solomons, Angel, Rhys, Vaughn
Location building 126
Date: evening of 131
Summary: two men and their screaming robot descend upon a recovering gangster; hilarity (????) ensues
Warnings: n/a; will edit if anything comes up

126: A mostly ruined house--at first it looks as if it won't provide any shelter, but a closer inspection reveals a musty bedroom still seals up properly. There's a mattress to sleep on, but decorations are sparse.

Catch-all! Top-level and tag as you see fit.

Comments

[devoutish]

[Even though he's itching to get moving and start making progress again, Alfie decided it was best to take at least one full day to rest. He's still recovering from severe dehydration, and he's only just been able to start eating regularly again. He's not in absolutely terrible shape anymore, but he doesn't want to overextend himself. He's slept on and off throughout the day, and even when he's been awake, he's stayed on the mattress. He's fully-dressed - hat on, boots on, and coat on, with Watson and Haurchefont's jackets spread over him like blankets. The rest of his stuff is packed away in his bags and piled up around him, both for easy access and so he can protect them from thieves, if any should arrive.

He'll be dozing when everyone arrives, but will wake up quickly when he hears others in the house. For most of the evening and into the night, he'll be his typical self - not completely unfriendly, but not overly sociable either. He'll chat sometimes, but he'll also be content to keep to himself a lot, letting the others do whatever it is they do (as long as they keep that screaming robot quiet and under control, that is). At some point in the evening, he'll excuse himself to go stand in the corner and pray.

All in all, if being crammed into one room for the night bothers him, he doesn't show it.

[headjacked]

[ To his credit, Rhys keeps his fanboyishness at bay and lets Alfie rest.





For, like. Twenty whole minutes. SUCH RESTRAINT.

He leans into the man's field of vision, checking to see if he's nodded off, and waves enthusiastically. ]

Hi! Hey! Do you, uh. Do you need anything? Like, an extra blanket or something?

[devoutish]

Nah, I'm warm enough. You keep it.

[He is a bit chilly, like always, but overheating is a danger. He doesn't want to sweat.]

Getting used to the missing depth perception, Rhys?

[headjacked]

[ Warm enough?? Such a state exists? Rhys shrugs lopsidedly, giving Alfie a very If You Say So expression. ]

Oh, you know, it -- I can only get better and better, right?

[ Nice non-answer, kiddo! ]

The arm's a bigger problem. I felt a little safer with a metal fist.

[devoutish]

Mm, yeah.

[The idea is still really, really strange to him, but Alfie can at least see the benefits of having something like that. Very good for punching!]

Glad to be out of the twenty-four hour lockdown, eh?

[headjacked]

A little lock-up never hurt me any.

[ Ha. HAHAHAHAHA. ]

What about you? You, uh. You hold up okay?

[ Rhys sits one the very corner of the bed, posture fidgety and unsure. Alfie doesn't like fussing, but he can't help himself. ]

[devoutish]

[The question is sufficiently not-fussy enough that it doesn't bother him. He props himself up on his elbows - gingerly, with a little groan.]

Be all right in a few days, yeah. I didn't walk today. We'll see about tomorrow.

Your shoes have been helping.

OOC

[devoutish]

This is just to note that I AM STUPID and I should not have made references to him having his regular clothes and bags yet; he's not getting those back until day 132! Please disregard; he's totally wearing Rhys's bright yellow sneakers.

[moneyman]

[ ...oh. there sure is a new person in here. well, technically he's the new person, but it seems Rhys and Angel already know this guy. and a friend of theirs is a friend of his!

you know. maybe.

at some point when Alfie looks at least mostly awake, he'll awkwardly shuffle over to say hello. ]

So, uhh... hey! I'm Vaughn.

[devoutish]

Yeah.

["Mostly awake" is a good descriptor. He's drowsy, but alert enough.]

Alfie Solomons. From the same place as these two, then?

[moneyman]

Yyyep. Or, uh, I knew Rhys. Angel was...

[ dead, apparently. whoops. let's not go there. ]

...I just met her here, but yeah. Same place. Kind of.

[devoutish]

You wouldn't've heard of where I'm from then.

[He props himself up on his elbows, just a little.]

Another planet, yeah?

[phaseshifter]

[ Angel is a woman with a mission. Once everyone is settled, she gets comfortable on the floor - assisted by her trusty throw pillow - and gets started on her Super Important Project™.

Said project apparently involves her pulling the pendant off the silver locket that she's been wearing and wrapping the chain in macaroni-patterned duct tape.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Her newly-returned glowy tattoos help with illuminating her work, but it's still a pretty tricky process when you're trying to keep things neat. And you only have half the fingers left on one of your hands. And that hand is kind of really freaking painful. CONCENTRATING IS HARD, GUYS. It's Angel, though - she's not exactly going to mind if anyone would like to ask what the heckie she's up to. ]

[devoutish]

[There sure are a lot of things going on here. Alfie doesn't know what he wants to tackle first!

As usual, he'll start with the strangest.]

Those things, right, on your skin - what are those?

[He's not sure if they're tattoos, or something that's naturally-occurring. Maybe she isn't human? Who the fuck knows; Norfinbury is weird.]

[phaseshifter]

Hmm--?

[ She looks down, startled, half-expecting to see robospiders partying it up along her arms or something. Then it clicks.

Herp. ]

They're just markings, is all. To show that I'm a siren - are they bugging you? I can pull a blanket over me if you like, it's no trouble.

[ NOT EVERYONE APPRECIATES NIGHTLIGHTS, IT'S TRAGIC ]

[devoutish]

Nah, they're all right.

[He holds out his right hand, knuckles tilted towards her so she can see the little crown tattoo there.]

Not used to seeing 'em glow, that's all.

What are you doing?

[phaseshifter]

[ Thankfully, she manages to not say oh that's cute. She does make an appreciative little noise as she leans over to look, though, before picking her duct-tape-chain-thingummy up again and offering it for inspection. ]

Makeshift wiring. The chain is silver, or at least a high enough proportion of it to be able to conduct electricity - I checked - but if I'm going to be able to use it it'll need to be insulated. So. Duct tape!

Does your tattoo signify anything? Just curious. It's pretty cool.

[devoutish]

I had it done when I took over my gang.

[He sits up on his elbows, trying to get a better look at her work.]

And what are you gonna do with it, when it's finished?

[phaseshifter]

Gang? As in bandit gang?

[ Huh. He seems more... coherent than most of the bandits who run around in gangs, if so. Bandit diversity is neat. ]

Um, and - it's for potentially charging Dumpy. It might fail, since I'm not exactly used to fiddling with Atlas tech, but the worst that can happen is some minor scorching on my scalp. Or... or I guess if it backfires really badly I could set my hair on fire.

[ ... ]

I'll - I'll have to remember to insulate the area with duct tape, too.

[headjacked]

[ What's a good cure for restless, jerky sleep?

Sleeping pills.

But he's not willing to take them, so the next best thing is Messing With His Friends For Fun And Zero Profit. This time, it's googly eyes. He has so many.

Do you own spectacles of any kind? A hat, perhaps? If you're a really deep sleeper, one is being stuck to your forehead.

The terror of the night, folks. BEWARE. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie is asleep, but not so much that he's completely dead to the world. He has spectacles, a hat, and a forehead (though only the latter two are within easy reach; his hat is on his head, but his pince-nez is tucked away in his bag), and when he senses a hand reaching towards him, he quickly goes to snatch it around the wrist.

It's Rhys, which is... a surprise. He hadn't pegged him for the thieving-in-the-night type, and he's still not entirely convinced that that's what's going on here. But clearly he'd been trying to do something sneaky. Alfie raises his eyebrows, waiting for Rhys's explanation, and letting the actual question (What are you doing and why did you think it was a good idea?) go unspoken.]

[headjacked]

[ Rhys yelps, which has the bonus effect of rousing Dumpy. The tiny robot spins a few times in confusion while Rhys stammers, trying to jerk his arm back to freedom. He only has the one, dude, and he's rather protective of it. ]

I was just -- I wasn't -




I couldn't sleep.

[ No, that's not an explanation, and he seems to be aware of that with the way his eye darts around frantically, looking for Words. Dumpy finally dives between them and trills, shining a yellow light into Alfie's eyes. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie groans, throwing an arm over his eyes.]

Doesn't explain those, mate.

[He sees the googly eyes in your hand, Rhys. What now.]

[headjacked]

Dumpy, shh.

[ PEOPLE ARE STILL SLEEPING. Dumpy does shh and starts orbiting Alfie's head. He's watching you, Tom Hardy. ]

I was just gonna put a couple on your hat, and then it would've been like your hat had. Eyes. And. I wanted to see how long it'd take for you to notice.

...it was meant to be funny.

[devoutish]

[Rhys. Rhys, really. That's so... childishly innocuous that he isn't even annoyed.]

-- You should keep trying to get some shut-eye, mate. And don't reach for a man when he's sleeping, yeah? It's not safe for you.