Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning

[entertainheir]

Who: First Breath crew
Broadcast: Nope
Action: SS First Breath
When: After the Shuffle

[Another week, another Shuffle and there's been a few new additions to the First Breath lately! What's everyone up to? Hopefully nobody's allergic to chocolate-flavored dessert cream.]

Comments

[summerschild]

[Bran's face flushes once he realizes he's been spotted, and he pauses, trying to square his shoulders and look bigger beneath the winter cape.]

I'm not hurt.

[entertainheir]

[Yuya can see the kid react and he says he's not hurt, but the fact that he's still on the ground isn't all that comforting.

He squats down next to Bran to get closer to his level and to get a better look at him. He's definitely young, maybe around Tatsuya's age, and with that thought his next question is said more quietly.]

Can you get up?

[summerschild]

[He just shakes his head, already weary of discussing it on the Marsiva.]

Where am I? I was just on the Marsiva.

[entertainheir]

You're on the SS First Breath. It's another ship, and you'll probably be here for a while.

[He wants to say "sorry" for that since being kidnapped is never good news, but that's probably too depressing. Instead:]

...Do you want me to help you up?

[summerschild]

[Ah, the "regular" ship Ino mentioned. He looks around at the bridge, eyes wide as he takes everything in. Then - ah, the question.]

No, I can't stand, sorry.

[entertainheir]

[Yuya's not sure if that means at the moment or permanently, but either way that's sort of a problem. He tries to be more upbeat for the kid's sake, and he takes on a more casual tone like he really is talking to one of the junior kids from You Show.]

Then can you sit up, if I help you? That position doesn't look too comfortable.

[summerschild]

[Bran nods, but doesn't accept Yuya's help. He twists over onto his back, and uses his elbows to get himself into a sitting position.]

I'm sorry, I don't want to be a burden on your ship.

[entertainheir]

What? No!

[Crap, he messed up somewhere. This was not how he'd hoped things would go. Yuya frowns for a second, wondering if he hasn't made things worse, before he smiles and places a hand on Bran's shoulder. It's tentative, so hopefully Bran will understand he can tell Yuya to back off if he's uncomfortable, but Yuya wants to try and communicate that he's welcome.]

Now that you're here, you're part of our crew. You'll never be a burden!

[...Granted, most of the current ship population has been here less than a month at present, but it's hard not to spend time together on the same ship and not feel any bond.]

[summerschild]

A part of your crew?

[Bran suddenly remembers his augment, and his eyes dart around again at his surroundings. Being entrusted with a job is both thrilling and terrifying, and he wonders again how he's going to manage it.]

I'm supposed to maintain your ship. They all said the information is in my head, but I'm still not sure if I can do it.

[entertainheir]

Maintain the ship? So you're another engineer?

[He scratches his head. Nothing against Bran, but they've already got two engineers; what are they thinking, sticking three of them on the same ship?]

[summerschild]

No, not engineering. [Whatever that means.] Just maintenance. Fixing things.

[entertainheir]

[...He doesn't see the difference, but okay. Atroma does as Atroma wills, he gets it. Gotta be encouraging for the kid, though, so he squeezes Bran's shoulder lightly for a second and thinks positive.]

No matter, then, we'll figure it out! Adam and I are engineers, so we can probably help.

[summerschild]

What does an engineer do?

[The augment may have given him the basics of his station, but the concept of this "engine" is still baffling.]

[entertainheir]

They, uh...they understand how the ship works and they fix things, I guess. I don't know what the difference is.

[Yuya's actually not much of an engineer outside of the augments himself. Unfortunately.]

[summerschild]

Our ships back home aren't anything like these. I can't imagine knowing how to fix them.

[Not that he's actually seen a ship in Westeros. He's lived his life far from the sea.]

[entertainheir]

The stuff they put in your head should help. It's kind of creepy, but...I didn't know anything about ships at all, and now I can fix them if I really try for a while.

[Still creepy though.]

[summerschild]

Have you had to fix this one often?

[He's hoping the answer is no. That would mean less danger.]

[entertainheir]

Not really, this one isn't so bad. But have you seen the one with all the bugs? It's a wreck.

[Is that thing even visible from the Marsiva? Beats him.]

[summerschild]

No, I haven't.

[But his eyes go wide, because that sounds fascinating.]

Did bugs destroy it?

[entertainheir]

They're behind at least some of the damage. Maybe something else hit it too, I don't know. But they're all over the ship now - giant crab-bugs this tall, crawling everywhere and doing bug weird things. Like this!

[He takes his hand off Bran's shoulder to indicate a height and then uses both his hands to wiggle his fingers around in a vague imitation of creepy-crawlies, which isn't very demonstrative of giant crab-bug behavior but might get a smile out of Bran. Yuya's hoping to make the kid start smiling, it's his thing.]

[summerschild]

[He may not all out smile at Yuya's antics, but the description of the bugs lights up something in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turn up just a bit. He's picturing the giant spiders Old Nan told him about, from the Land of Always Winter.]

Do they eat people?

[entertainheir]

Uh...

[The reaction is encouraging, the question is not.]

Not that I've heard of...

[And hopefully not at all!]

[summerschild]

[Bran gives a little hum. That makes them less interesting, but it's also good that they haven't eaten anyone.]

I hope I get to see one. They sound... "cool".

[That's how he's supposed to use that word, right? Or since the bugs are interesting but not necessarily good, is it wrong? Bran seems to be looking for validation.]

[entertainheir]

[Yuya nods - they're more slightly intimidating to him because he's seen enough people coming back injured from fighting them, but Bran doesn't know that. Makes sense that he'd think they were kind of cool.]

I'll see if I can get a picture for you. Or maybe a video, if it's safe enough.

[summerschild]

A video? Is that like these communicators?

[He holds up the device and taps the screen.]