003 - commencing countdown, engines on

[geonomy]

Who: Clay Terran and YOU!
Broadcast: eyyyyy yeh
Action: On the Vanquish!
When: Today, July 30th!

[Clay's lounging in the pilot's chair, though he's still wearing his swimming trunks. Not only does he plan to go out to the beach soon after this, but gotta keep those ratings climbing, you know? With the camera on, Clay grins and gives his little two-fingered salute, then leans forward to talk more directly.]

You know, it was December before I came here. For anyone here who doesn't know about Earth's calendar system, December is the end of the year, and one of the coldest months. Later, when I woke up here, it was April, four months after December. Crazy, huh? Here I thought I actually went through with my mission after all! [Granted, he thought he must've been heavily sedated if he forgot four months of the mission, but that misunderstanding was later cleared right up.] Anyone else suddenly jumped forward or backward in time when they were brought here?

However, that's not the reason I'm broadcasting. Back home, my birthday would've been seven months from then, but now it's today. I still feel like it should be months away, but here we are, I guess! [He bends down, his hair still visible on the feed, then back up, this time with a fishbowl in his hands that houses one (1) red fish with googly eyes, and occasionally glows an orange color.] So I got a present for myself! Meet the newest member of the Vanquish crew: Apollo. He's just like my friend back at home. He's red, he tiny, and his eyes bug out like when he's doing that perceive ability of his! [And he ends up laughing a little about it. IT'S THE BEST THING EVER he hopes he can tell Apollo this someday, just to get that flat, unimpressed look in return.]

Also, we got something from a sponsor! [HIS FIRST ONE EVER if we don't count the pottery soda. Carefully setting Apollo aside, he instead drags over a box, where he pulls out one of several visors that look a lot like his, only with a sponsor's logo on it instead of the GYAXA one he has on his (and also less well-made than his).] Anyone want one? There's plenty in here!

Comments

[geonomy]

Uh... what is what? [The visor? The fish? The birthday?]

[iamawaited]

[...Yes.]

The Apollo thing.

[geonomy]

Oh, that's my fish! [He pulls the fishbowl back over again and holds it closer to the camera, giving Nux a better view.] The locals call it a glowfish lantern. I named him Apollo!

[iamawaited]

It's alive?

[geonomy]

Yeah! [And, indeed, Apollo swims in a circle as if to demonstrate.] He breathes underwater; see the gills on his sides moving? That's how you know he's breathing.

[iamawaited]

He--

[--breathes underwater??? Nux presses closer to the screen, staring at the thing.]

He lives in there?

[geonomy]

Haha, yeah! [Clay sets the bowl down in front of the screen so that it takes up pretty much all of it.]

Fish take in water through the mouth, which is why you see him opening and closing it a lot. He's gulping down water when he does that! Then the water's forced out through the gills on his sides. Did you know the air you breathe, oxygen, is in water, too? We don't have the equipment in our bodies to separate oxygen from water, but fish do. That's what the gills are for! They dissolve the oxygen from water and absorb it into their blood. And that's how a fish breathes underwater.

[iamawaited]

[Glory be for Clay, breaking all that down into something Nux can even remotely comprehend. Even so, he still looks astounded.]

Do they all live in those little bowl things where you're from?

[geonomy]

[It's pretty obvious the kid's never seen a fish before, so might as well break it down right away rather than confuse him with a more complicated explanation!]

The planet I came from has a lot more fish, and people can either keep them in these or in bigger tanks! It's generally better to keep them in the latter, and I plan on finding one for this little guy later. Just need the resources, is all.

This planet I'm on now, though? They have these available to buy in the shops! If you manage to stop by there, you can probably get yourself one too!

[iamawaited]

[He still can't imagine how much water there must be on Clay's planet for that many things to be living in it. The most he's ever seen was in the Citadel's aqua-cola-ducts, but if anything had been in there, it would have been eaten long ago.

Speaking of which--]

What do you do with 'em when you've got 'em?

[Is it edible? It looks edible.]

[geonomy]

For me, it's company. There's someone back at I'm missing a lot, and this little guy helps fill that black hole a bit!

But. There's also this.

[Clay pulls his jacket over from the back of the chair, then drapes it over the camera and Apollo. Barely a second later, an orange glow comes from the fish, light up the feed once more.]

So he's not only a friend, but he's also a nightlight. Isn't that cool?

[Granted, Clay likes darkness, but he can live with some light, especially if it's from a little guy like this.]

[iamawaited]

[Nux doesn't mind the dark, but he has to admit, that is pretty--]

Shiny.

[--and also probably not edible. Things that glow usually aren't.]

Does he talk?

[geonomy]

He may be shiny, but nah. He's not a talker.

[Clay pulls the jacket off after that, though he still keeps the fish bowl in sight.]

I can talk enough for the both of us, anyway! [He leans over to give Nux a grin.] I'm Clay. You?

[iamawaited]

Nux. Does he talk like Coil talks?

[He holds up a hand, mimicking some of Coil's sign.]

[geonomy]

[... Nux? It takes Clay a moment to realize that's his name, and another to realize that he's signing.]

Oh, you mean like sign language? No, he doesn't do that either. He doesn't really communicate at all, really! They can't understand what we're saying, after all.

[iamawaited]

...How's he keep you company, then? Does he fight with you?

[Like his blood bag-- like Max before the muzzle had come off, silent but helpful.]

[geonomy]

Think of it like this: He's silent, and he doesn't do much of anything. Not talk, not fight or anything. But he's another living being, and I bought him, so he's mine. He doesn't talk, so when you tell him your deepest secrets and fears, you know for sure he won't tell anyone. It's kind of like... relieving some stress? Just talking it out with something that won't judge you for anything, and is just... you know, nice to look at. That's how he's my company.

[Fishes aren't for everyone, he knows that. If he were back home, he probably wouldn't go for a fish as his first choice of pet. But hey, it's his here. And he likes the new little addition to his room.]

[iamawaited]

[Okay, so, Nux pretty clearly thinks Clay is a crazy person now.]

Does he eat?