estoria | We Built This City

Entry tags:

We Built This City

Who: EVERYONE, literally everyone
When: THE ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER. This can take place any time from IC 2/28 to 3/16.
Where: ALL OF THE COLONY
What: The log to go along with the reconstruction player plot! Everyone is still welcome to join in, even if they had no prior knowledge of this.
Rating/Warning: shouldn't be anything to warn for! please poke me if this changes

[Not too long ago, a monstrous tsunami toppled the colony of Cerealia and left the city in ruins. Today…. the city is still in ruins. Watch your step! Hopefully you weren’t headed anywhere important today because--]

You there! Where do you think you’re going?!

[-- you’re about to be dragged into something much bigger than getting a sandwich or your CyBuddy’s hair appointment.

You’ve been spotted by Natalia and you are about to get an earful.]

Once Natalia gives the spiel to whatever poor bystander was walking about, they’re given a hardhat along with their instructions. Then they’re set off to work and they have quite the range of places that they can see to attend to.

I » THE RUBBLE The Residential District took the hardest toll after the tsunami. Where a block of apartments once stood, there’s now only rubble and ruin – as well as fallen pieces of the platform that had just added salt to the wound. Those in this area will be given face masks as well, to accommodate for the dust, and are tasked with moving the rubble over to a sectioned off area that will be considered a new scrapyard. Take a look at the fallen tech if you’d like, just be careful not to exhaust yourselves too much!

II » THE SCHOOL Plenty of the water has receded from the school area, but it would appear that the remains of flooding are still in effect. Try not to turn the halls into a slip and slide just yet! Even though the whiteboards beg to be written on, you’re obviously here to do work…. right? Well, there’s probably something about visiting a school that can make people itch to feel young again anyway.

III » THE APARTMENTS What apartments remained have a high chance of dealing with water damage, especially those on the bottom flowers. They’re just begging to be revamped. Maybe you even find an empty one that you like and decide to claim it for yourself! Aside from that, Natalia’s left paints upon paints for a mural on the outside of the building if you feel like doing some benevolent vandalism. Please don’t draw any genitalia.

IV » THE SKYBRIDGES High above the city, others are still put to work. The standing building in the residential district (and those that are eventually rebuilt) need a more convenient way of movement, Natalia’s decided. So here’s where people are building sky bridges to connect the apartments – but for the love of god, watch your step up there or else we’ll be dealing with cleaning you up off the cement too.

V » THE GYM The once magnificent place for ~~GAINS and and PROTEIN and BROSEPHS~~ honing one’s strength and maintaining the temple of one’s body unfortunately caved in during the disaster. Entirely. The place is another pile of rubble and rock, but if nothing else, exercise equipment has been ordered and people who hopefully know their way around a gym have been placed in charge of restoring the gym to its former glory. It’s like its own workout just to fix it!

VI » THE SANCTUARY Hidden away in the Residential District, there’s a new, nondescript building. Upon even stepping into the premises, you’re asked to leave your CereVice at the door. However once you’re determined unbugged by CERES, there’s much hustle and bustle in here. Wire work is being done to maintain generators, tests are being run, and then there are some people making sure that the curtains match the color scheme of the couches. At least there’s apparently a buffet provided inside for all volunteers! Chill during your break time. You’ve earned it.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It is interesting. [He might not think it's exciting, and really it isn't since she can't see everything he's doing, but that doesn't mean it's terrible or anything. She seems inclined to bolster his self-esteem every chance she gets or something.] Will you have to stay here for long time?

[Her brow furrows somewhat, concerned, imagining him stuck sitting here for days just powering the generator up...]

Hm? Oh. Was supposed to help. Clean and the like. [She makes a sour face[ That woman does not take 'no' for answer. She is very... [Oona pauses, trying to think of a word to describe the experience] Forceful.

...Is it safe to touch you when you do this, or are you all-- [she wiggles her fingers to indicate 'electrified'] again?

[ He fancies he can hear the underlying question behind the first one, whether or not he'll have to be stuck to a machine for a prolonged period of time, so he starts with clarifying that point first. ]

No. I'm just charging this. It can run without me for a while. [ Surely Natalia can't be so cruel as to suggest otherwise. Which he expresses with: ] ...Our 'leader' is forceful, but probably means well. [ He hopes!! The tone here is dry, almost offhanded.

Speaking of meaning well, though. He answers her with a flick of a finger, a subtle movement that sends a spark of blue-white into the air, and then another; his palm opens, still lightly crackling with electricity, until he quells it with the curl of his fingers inward. A demonstration to show that he can control it, unlike before. ]

It's safe. [ A beat. ] No kissing. [ Adolf?! ]

[A huff is what answers him. Means well? MAYBE, but Oona's stubborn enough to not want to concede that point right now.]

Uwah! [She leans back in alarm at the sudden spark of electricity and sends him an accusing look, like maybe he planned to startle her like that. But she settles back down to watch the mini-light show with growing delight. She loves watching him use his power, even if it makes her a little jealous that her own is so reliant on an actual water source being near-by. Ah well.

Her pleased expression quickly goes to shock again at his comment, but it outright startles a laugh from her at least] Ah, so cruel, that is the most fun part! My kiss was not so bad! Would a kiss get me shocked?

[She doesn't kiss him though, instead reaching out to touch his hands and follow the paths where electricity had raced. It's fascinating to her, but beyond that she just enjoys touching people. Touch is a big thing to her people, and she enjoys being physically close to people. The fact that someone like Adolf indulges her in this just makes her like him even more.]

Ah, I like your hands. [A random, murmured compliment and she smiles to herself before lifting her gaze] Will you be doing this much longer? [charging the generator, she means.]

You should be doing those kinds of things with someone you like. But no, I won't shock you.

[ As someone who made it a point to keep people at arm's length for a while, Oona's eagerness to take every opportunity to touch him is still something to get used to. His wife gave him back his heart and his humanity, but ultimately, that didn't turn out so well— he almost wishes that warmth from others is a lie, that it doesn't hurt to think about things like that.

But, ah. How endearing, he'll never win. He pulls his hand back after a bit, only so he can stick it back into the generator and let the machine hum through his fingers for a few seconds. ]

—I'll be done in a minute. If you want me for something, just say so.

[ Aka: "I guess I have time to spend". Tsun. ]

[Pout.] I like you. [Jeez!!

Once upon a time, though, she would have agreed with him. Back when she was young and her head was full of romantic fluff. When humans were mysterious and awe-inspiring, when she had dreamed of finding some One True Love and getting married and living Happily Ever After. Now... Well. Now she couldn't afford to live such a fantasy.

She rests her hands on her knees, content to just watch him, but after a moment she seems to remember something with a soft, 'oh!' and rather abruptly leaves. #byefelicia

But never fear, because Oona returns only a couple minutes later with his coat in her arms and a plate of brownies she totally stole from the buffet table. She carefully sets the plate aside and holds the coat out proudly]

Brought it back! Cleaned it too! [And apparently attempted to patch a couple tears in it very poorly. The thread doesn't even match the coat--it's black. The strings are left dangling. An... an attempt was made... Maybe. But she looks so damn proud of herself.]

[ Ah. when she leaves, it is a bit like a big fluffy cat bouncing up and away... but then she returns with even more fervor than before, with...

...well. It's not a dead mouse, thank god. But it is his coat, a little mangled, a little worse for wear. Is that...? Did she...? Are there more holes in the hem now than when he gave that coat to her? So many questions, so little time.

There's a stretch of silence here, an elastic silence that extends from one corner of the room to the other, covers it in a full blanket. He's not quite sure what to say, she looks so... accomplished. ]

That's...

[ You can do this, Reinhardt. ]

...Didn't you have white string? [ Nailed it. ]

[The longer the silence stretches, the more anxious Oona gets. She shifts her weight from one leg to the other and fidgets with the coat, pulling it to her chest uncertainly. She looks down at it with a frown, like somehow the meaning behind his silence will burst forth from the coat itself.]

Ah-- [Oh. Her expression screws up, completely aware of the holes she'd attempted to fix here. Painfully aware, even. She pulls the coat up to look at the holes in dismay.] N...No....

[But instead of staying all upset about it, she gets mad instead, huffing rather forcefully] Holes would not stay closed and thread kept falling out! Looped and looped, but it would not stay! Stupid... [Clearly this is the thread's fault, even as she begins blushing darkly] Looked easy, but...

[Oona quickly pulls the coat against her chest again and gives him a sullen, stubborn sort of look] It is bad, yes? Will fix it. Eh-- somehow... Will fix...

[ It isn't his intention to make her feel awkward about the attempt— if anything, he's flabbergasted that she tried in the first place, with her ill-colored string and her clumsy attempt at doing something that she's clearly not accustomed to. It reminds him a bit of his subordinate back in his world, her hands folded over her chest, apologizing for something that'd barely inconvenienced him at all.

As always, he's glad for Oona's stubbornness, for that pout that suggests that she could do better, just you watch. His attachment to his coat is purely sentimental— the final relics of his old life— but that matters less for now than it probably should.

Instead of asking for his coat back, he closes his eyes and offers Oona his hand. ]

That doesn't matter. [ He'll fix those holes up on his own, later, without removing the initial effort. His index crooks once, twice. ] Let me see your hand.

[ Did she prick herself? Does she need band-aids?

More pressing issues. ]

Eh? Of course it-- [Ah. She looks at her hands. Though she never bothered bandaging them, there are still pinprick wounds around some of her fingers, and she frowns. It's not like they really bothered her or anything, but he certainly seemed to care a lot more than she did.

She was starting to see that that was just like him, however. Despite his stoic exterior, he seemed a lot... fluffier inside. It was cute. He tried so hard...]

I am fine. [But she sighs and gives him her hand anyway, full of exasperated amusement.] Learned to avoid sharp end after a few times. Ah, but, was careful! Did not bleed on your coat.

[ Note to self: Oona isn't proficient in menial human tasks, but then again... why would she be, it's not something she would have been taught. That's a little sad to contemplate.

The rudimentary examination is done and over with quickly, with Adolf taking Oona's hand and pulling it up to eye-level to make sure none of the pinpricks are big enough to get infected; he lets go once he's done, gently, and with a mild tinge of similar exasperation. ]

The coat isn't my concern. [ Just saying. But that's all he'll divulge, because saying 'don't do things for me at your expense' sounds awkward, even to him. ] It's fine.

[ A few lingering moments of silence, and he adds: ] ...Thanks.

[ That comes with a pat to her head!! Good job, Oona. He's vigorously looking away, though... he doesn't do this with his subordinates, it's been a while. ]

You are welcome. [If she looked pleased before, the pat on her head makes her practically glow. And because she can't contain herself--or rather, because she doesn't have to and Adolf's said it's okay--she throws her arms around him in delight. She presses her cheek to his, mindful of the metal and scars, and hums happily.

She didn't often get praise anymore, and he did this a bit more naturally than Sousei (or, at least, without having to be directly asked for it like Sousei did), so forgive her if she gets a little caught up in the moment]

You said no kissing, did not say no hugging. [A sly reminder and she laughs before pulling away to sit by him again, carefully handing the coat over again. The near-forgotten plate of brownies is picked up and she holds it out invitingly.] Took these from table. Want one? They are good. I do not usually eat human sweets, but these and cookies are not bad.

[ Again, he balks— this isn't something that happens to him often, if ever— and one hand hovers over Oona's head before she pulls away. She's going to give him a heart attack one of these days...

The coat is retrieved, but he doesn't immediately pull it on because his face is already half-covered by a scarf. Or, well. Was, because it's slid down to his neck thanks to all this hugging. Gosh. A bit of adjusting has it come back up over his chin again, over the worst of the damage. ]

—I don't need any. I already ate. [ Not that he thinks Oona will be bothered by his awkward eating (an exposed jaw is really inconvenient during meals), but. Best not to test it.

Instead, he's somewhat curious, so he asks: ] ...What do you usually eat.

[ What constitutes as a meal for mermaids...?! This is mildly fascinating. ]

[She shrugs and nibbles on a brownie-- whatever, more for her, then!! She makes a slight face-- these brownies are more fudge-y than cake-y, and the texture is a bit strange to her. While Oona wouldn't say she was a picky eater, the varying textures of human foods sometimes made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

Well, the brownies weren't awful, so she could deal with it, hopefully.

His question has her looking up mid-bite and pausing like she's not sure why he'd ask] ...Fish. [Alright maybe Adolf should've expected that one, broad though that answer was.]

Usually eat it raw, but most people here cook it so I have gotten used to it. I like other things too, like shrimp or scallops. All seafood, mostly. [Which also probably isn't too surprising.] I like Korean food. [That might be tho.] There was boy here who would cook for me often. Ah... he is no longer here, however... So I have stuck to eating fish again, mostly.

[ Okay, he's not one to judge a mermaid for her eating habits— he assumes that fish is her primary diet in her natural habitat, but. Still. ]

So you live wherever and you eat raw fish when you can.

[ AGAIN...HE'S NOT GOING TO JUDGE... but at the same time, he's absolutely going to look mildly concerned because is that healthy, is this her just making do and doing the 'enough' thing that she seems to stick to?! At least with his subordinates, he was assured that all of them got a nice room with U-NASA and got fed three meals a day. One less thing for him to worry about.

So. With another dubious half-glance, he gets up and... walks towards the buffet table where he'd set down a discreet plastic bag full of random food that he didn't bother removing from their containers. He'd felt a little foolish for bringing leftovers from his work, but now he's a man on a mission.

When he comes back, it's with a tupperware full of ceviche. Please Oona... take care of yourself, girl... ]

...Take this. At least try to incorporate more into your meals. [ Thanks, mom. ]

Yes...? [When he says it like that it makes her sound like a hobo or something and she shifts self-consciously. She missed her apartment and her bed, but she'd have to wait a while longer for things to get cleaned up enough to re-claim it. For now... Well, it fell under that "enough" blanket term she had for her life right now.

Nothing was awful, nothing was spectacular, it was just... enough. She'd settled for resignation for now, but it didn't mean she wasn't looking for opportunities to make things better. Perhaps she'd simply fallen into a vague sort of apathy?

Things like that required more introspective thought about her life than she was comfortable doing right now though, so she pushes the thought away and watches him walk off with open confusion and curiosity.

When he returns, she stares in open shock and belatedly takes the leftovers.] I, ah...Why...?

[Not that she's complaining, because free food! But she's already got this perfectly acceptable plate of brownies here...] Thank you, truly, even if I do not understand why this is happening so suddenly.

...Oh. [Sudden realization] Are you worried about me...?

[ Must she phrase it in this way... there's an unsteady few seconds where he doesn't exactly struggle for an answer as much as he reflects on the fact that he's being asked.

He pulls his scarf a little higher over his mouth. ]

It would be good if you didn't give me a reason to be.

[ Worried, he means, but he sets that aside and gives her one of his vague 'yes'es. He's fine with the notion of being content, with the word 'enough'— he's not someone that asks for much— but still.

Meals, somewhere warm to stay. He'd like for Oona to have that, at least. ]

[Oona watches him for a moment before making a small noise of acknowledgement, smiling fondly.]

Yes, alright. Will try.

[She gestures for him to sit with her again, because surely there's still work for him to do that didn't involve mothering her, and stares down at the leftovers] ...It is strange, being worried about. I do not like it, really, but also... It feels nice to know there are people who will. Can not remember last time had so many people who cared so much. [But the expression on her face is-- amused, a little, but bitter.] Ah, no. Can. Hmm.

[Saying otherwise would be a lie and she drums her fingers against the tubberware. Back before she was captured by humans... Ah, she missed her family.] Still, it is nice. [Oona lifts her head and grins at him] Ah, but, do not like it so much that I will do it on purpose. Even if it is cute to see you try to be stubborn about it.

[The tsun is so strong with him]

[ Settling down is fine, especially since his medication still hasn't worn off and he might as well continue keeping himself vaguely useful. He puts his palm back onto cool metal, listens to it hum under his fingers in time to Oona's talking. ]

Things are different here. People here are more willing to recklessly stick their necks into other people's business.

[ Which is what he's doing too, he supposes. There's an exhale here that borders on slightly self-deprecating, but it comes and goes; he knows better than to Make It Weird right now. ]

Guess you can say that they'll be paying attention, whether you like it or not. [ 'They', as if he's not part of this headcount/talking about himself... what a loser. ] —And don't use the word 'cute'.

[ Another near-silent huff. He'd tell her that she might still have a chance of getting her world back, of going back to her family and being truly free, but he's never been a fan of making guarantees that he can't back up, so he doesn't. ]

Is that what you call 'worrying' or 'caring'? ["recklessly sticking their necks into other people's business" indeed... Her tone is teasing still nonetheless, and she moves to lean and rest against him while he works.]

Ah, well. Am too old to be mothered, but suppose it is inevitable when one has those types for friends. [She pauses abruptly, and if startled by her own admittance to having friends. It's not as though she didn't know or acknowledge that she had friends, but to remember that, for the most part, those friends were human... It was a little strange.

'Don't say cute', he says, and Oona laughs, nibbling on another brownie (and makes another slight face before moving on. Oona if you don't like it stop eating it...??)] Why not? Should I say 'adorable' or, eh... [She doesn't really know any other synonyms for cute] Something else?

[ He keeps forgetting that Oona is like 60 years older than him... smh. It's because she's always bumping into him like an insistent cat; when he looks away and focuses on the generator, instinct almost kicks in and one hand almost moves up to root for something to pet.

Instead, he shifts so she can lean somewhat more comfortably. He might as well, he knows she's not going to move until she's satisfied, which is surprisingly fine with him, even if he tells himself not to get comfortable with this arrangement.

ALL THESE ACCUSATIONS, THOUGH... mother?! Cute?! What is this, what is Oona doing?! ]

Nothing. Neither of those. [ Why is this happening... ] I'm not mothering you, and I don't... [ A long exhale. ] ...Oona.

[ That's almost an exasperated threat underlying the syllables of her name: 'don't do this'. He's just embarrassed, though. People don't say this kind of stuff about him?! ]

[He can probably feel her shaking from the effort of restraining her laughter, and eventually she just gives in to it. Poor Adolf. She has to wonder how much he's regretting striking up conversation with her in the rain all those nights before; it's not like he'll be able to get rid of her now.

So she laughs and nestles against him, completely pleased and content with the world at the moment.] You are too funny, Adolf. I like you. [She says this often enough, but she means it. He cracks her up, even if it's mostly at his expense.]

As I said, I do not tell lies! So, if I say you are cute, it must be so. [Her tone is teasing again and she laughs. Oona stop before he shocks you or something...]

Do you want to talk about something else? [GEE OONA, DO YOU HAVE TO ASK....]

[ Danger, danger. He knows this feeling, it's the slow crawl of affection that worms its way into the cracks in his heart, the silent and deadly wind of warmth that reminds him that he has it in him to feel human. An internal defense mechanism whispers the same warning that it's whispered every day since the discovery of his wife's continued infidelity— that it'll hurt if he loses this— and the pit in his stomach says more of the same: you couldn't even save your subordinates, could you?

It hurts, to have someone be kind to him. But he's still foolish enough to feel saved by a warm smile, feel marginally less lost when he says something and Oona laughs in return. Even if it's at his own expense.

He thinks about all that, and that's enough for the fluster to leave his expression, only to be replaced by something...contemplative? Evaluative. Searching. Appreciative? Even he doesn't know. ]

I'm not too good at talking. [ So, yeah, he returns her truth with a truth of his own. ] ...Someone once said that even animals have a difficult time holding conversations with me. And they don't even talk.

[ That's an old memory, a bitter one, and it's actually a small miracle that Oona got him to admit that at all. ]

Edited 2015-09-24 07:37 (UTC)

[Oblivious to his internal screaming and contemplation, Oona just snuggles up against him without a care in the world. She hadn't realized how much she missed the more physical side of friendship and intimacy until it had been lost to her. Tactile by nature, Adolf's indulgence of it was a relief, and just what she needed to feel more comfortable in human skin again.

But she pulls away slightly to give him a strange look at his comment, like she can't believe she's hearing it.] I do not have any troubles talking to you. People are stupid, and people who say that are stupider. [Huff.]

Talk to dolphins or to octopus. Whales are okay, but they like to sing. Dogs are stupid and cats are too, eh... aloof. Would not be fun to talk to anyhow. [Belatedly she realizes that he meant it as more a metaphor, and not literally that animals have a hard time in conversation with him. Whoops. The tips of her ears turn red and she shakes her head]

Anyway, those people are stupid. Do not listen to them. If people mind that you are quiet, than they are stupid too and waste of time. [Oona pauses for a moment and then heaves a sigh] Speaking is still difficult, at times, for me. I do not often know how to express the things I want to say, like now. [Her pep-talks would go a lot easier if she could speak like a 'normal' person, is what she's trying to get at]

[ He realizes that his own joke came across sounding more self-deprecating than anything else, so he makes an internal note not to do that so often— it makes Oona obliged to peptalk him, which isn't something he wants.

Not that it isn't endearing, watching her stumble a little. Let it never be said that he's above being kind of petty at times.

While she talks about animals she's spoken to (something new to remember), he reaches out and wipes a bit of fudge off of the corner of her mouth with a thumb. Goodness, Oona. ]

Don't worry about it. I probably understand. [ Dryly, maybe with a hint of warmth. The 'probably' is there to be somewhat mean, but on a good day (today's a good day) it's also his form of teasing masked behind bluntness. He flicks another crumb off of Oona's chin. ] ...For someone who has a hard time with talking, you do a lot of it.

[ Adolf?! DON'T BE RUDE.... again, he's trying to be offhandedly teasing, but do mermaids understand dry humor... is this a thing?! ]

[The touch startles her into silence and the blush of her ears begins to creep over her cheeks as well. Look, there were important discussions going on, no time for wiping her mouth here!]

Probably, [She echoes him with a look, pouting as he continues. When he brushes more crumbs off she grabs at his hand with both of hers' and clings to it, huffing. Stop that!!!]

How else am I to get better if I do not practice! [It's said indignantly, but the corner of her mouth twitches as she fights a smile.] Besides, someone must talk for two! Would you really prefer I was silent? Could be quiet for long while!

[Is that a challenge? Sure she could be quiet, but at what cost...]

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