three ○ video / action

[mylegacy]

Who: Caesar & u
Broadcast: Fleetwide!
Action: Iskaulit & waystations!
When: 8/17 - 8/22

I was just hailed by a shuttle on the way from the Tourist to the Iskaulit . . . I understand this has been happening regularly? Do we have any idea who these shuttles belong to? Or are people just racing strangers with no information whatsoever?

[He sounds moderately pressed about this. But an important thing to note about Caesar is that, while he acts mostly responsible most of the time, if you dare him into something hard enough, he will pretty much always do it.]

[When he isn't passive-aggressively complaining on the network, he starts hesitantly exploring the Iskaulit, poking his head into its empty rooms with the (fairly irrational) fear that he'll see one of the bugs around any corner. Eventually he'll get to moving a little bit more slowly, studying the way the ship is built, how it's different from the Tourist and the Marsiva and the other ships he's been on.]

[Later, he makes his way to the nearest waystation, which is, naturally, a huge disappointment. He can be found loudly sighing in pretty much any location on the station, but especially over the clothes, which are all a few sizes too small. And there are no backwards suspenders anywhere.]

Comments

[mylegacy]

They could try to kill you. Also your "practice" is terrifying.

[nextlineis]

They could try, but they'd have to catch me first. I'm getting really damn good at this, Caesarino. You should come with me and see for yourself.

[mylegacy]

You want me. To get in a shuttle. With you.

[are you insane]

[nextlineis]

What's the matter? [He leans a little closer to the communicator, a challenging sort of grin starting to grow on his face.] Scared you might have fun?

[mylegacy]

No. I'm concerned you might crash us into the Marsiva.

[Don't you look at him like that, you motherfucker.]

[nextlineis]

[He legitimately would have no idea what you're talking about. And really, Caesar's resistance is just making it worse.]

Well then we'd find a new part of the ship we weren't allowed on before. But that's not gonna happen. I've won nearly every race since I started. I know exactly how to handle this thing.

Hell, I could probably start winning races with the Caprine herself if my crewmates wouldn't complain so much.

[mylegacy]

[Maybe he's aware of that. Maybe he's doing this a little bit on purpose. Maybe.]

Please don't crash your ship, either. You'd have to sleep in some other ship's kitchen and you'd never stop complaining.

[nextlineis]

What? Are you saying you'd let me have nowhere to sleep? [Joseph, you'd maybe sound more offended if you stopped smiling.] That's cold, Cici.

i literally do not have an icon angry enough for this moment

[mylegacy]

[....... WELL NOW HE'S DEFINITELY NOT LETTING YOU SLEEP ON HIS SHIP.]

Clearly you deserve it. [FREEZING FUCKING COLD.]

u luv it tho, caesar

[nextlineis]

[He snickers that annoying mischievous and very self-satisfied snicker. It's the exact reaction he was fishing for. But he lets up for now. He doesn't want to make Caesar too angry too fast.]

So, are you coming or what?

N O

[mylegacy]

Not if you're planning to call me that again.

(づ￣ ³￣)づ

[nextlineis]

I promise: no more calling you Cici.

[FINGERS ARE CROSSED BEHIND HIS BACK.]

[mylegacy]

[He knows this. He does. And yet.]

Fine, then. If it's that important to you.

[nextlineis]

Excellent! [Now the competitiveness is getting very apparent on his face.] Be ready in five minutes.

[He hangs up and will be by to pick Caesar up. ...Probably before five minutes.]

[mylegacy]

[Joke's on you, motherfucker, Caesar was born ready. . . . By which I mean he spent forty-five minutes getting himself to look this presentably ridiculous, but that was this morning. Now he's waiting in the bay and looks up when Joseph arrives with a bored expression.]

What took you so long?

[nextlineis]

[Joseph ain't bovvered by your bored expression in the least bit, Caesar. If anything, he's looking more smug because the harder you try to act like you don't care, he's pretty sure you do.]

Uh-oh. Are you starting to look forward to it? You know, if you watch me close enough, I'll let you have a turn flying it.

[mylegacy]

No, thank you.

[Very prim and polite. He does not want to be in charge of this mess at all. It's just that he has things to do. Stuff and things.]

I'll mostly be watching you to make sure you don't steer us into any planets we happen to pass.

[nextlineis]

Fuck you. [But he isn't even a little bit mad. He's still smiling and motions for Caesar to follow him back onto the shuttle.] You're gonna feel really stupid when you see how good I am.

[mylegacy]

[God, stop being so good-natured, it's super annoying. He sighs, long-suffering, and follows after, slipping into the front seat of the shuttle while wondering to himself how the hell he got talked into this.]

I'll honestly be grateful to get out of this with all of my limbs still attached.

[See how good he's being? He didn't say get out of this alive.]

[nextlineis]

[It's so much better. But, of course, because he doesn't make that particular joke, Joseph doesn't notice that restraint on a conscious level. He plops down in the pilot seat.]

Keep talking shit, Caesar. You're just gonna end up eating all of it.

[And Joseph does actually have a handle on operating the shuttle. Aside from the racing around, he has been committing himself to practicing every now and again. He hates hard work, but this is something he wants to do, not something he has to do. He can put the time into it and it's paid off. It's almost like he's been doing this his whole life.]

[mylegacy]

You really don't need to be that disgusting.

[But he is relaxing a little bit, now that he's getting some evidence of the fact that Joseph probably won't crash them before even leaving the the hangar. It stands to reason, probably; even Joestar-level incompetence can't withstand the mental adjustments of an augment glitch.]

[He does see, too, that Joseph has clearly practiced. But he's not going to mention that. Joseph's ego is already dangerous enough.]

[nextlineis]

[How dare you, Caesar. Flying is in his blood. You know, as far back as his father anyway. Point is, he'd consider himself a natural at this. The augment just gives him a leg up is all.]

[He looks over at Caesar with a crooked grin.]

Sorry, I don't know where the limit of what you'll put in your mouth is after the pigeon. [BECAUSE HE HAD SUCH A CHOICE IN THE MATTER??] Would you put that above or below the bug?

[mylegacy]

[The look Caesar gives him is so dirty it's buried underground.]

I don't want to hit you, Jojo, because I'd prefer we fly straight. But I will.

[He will turn this shuttle around, he swears to God.]

[nextlineis]

[Joseph tries hard not to laugh at the face he's getting. He purses his lips as tight as he would if he'd been made to pop a whole lemon in his mouth. But he snorts and then it's all downhill from there.]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. [He shakes his head and gives more of his attention back to what he's doing.] You're so full of shit sometimes.

[It's going to be a few minutes probably until they receive a hail to start a race. So, Joseph, naturally, fills it with chatter, saying more or less whatever comes to mind without thinking much about it.]

You know, I'm serious, Caesar. If you ever wanna learn how to fly one of these things, I can teach you. It's not that hard. If I can do it, you can. I don't think you can technically take these things off autopilot yourself, but it could come in handy to know how.

[He's not trying to bring the mood down, but shit can happen. They both know that better than most people. At least most people where they're from.]

If I'm honest though, space is neat and everything, [he shrugs a shoulder,] but I think I like flying planes better still. I always loved 'em as a kid. I had a ton of toy planes and books about them. Not that I actually read them much. They were boring as hell, so I just liked looking at the pictures.

I probably get all of that from my father. He was a fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force, [he looks over at Caesar,] did I ever tell you that?

[mylegacy]

[It's true. He's completely full of shit. No matter how much Joseph irritates him, he's happy to be with him. More now, maybe, than before, even though there's no way to explain why, and he's perfectly (mostly perfectly) content to keep everything about the shift to himself.]

[The offer . . . he doesn't entirely know what to do with it. He's not wholly comfortable with the idea of flying one of these things, sure he'd feel entirely oh of his element. But talking with Ino made him think a little bit about taking advantage of opportunities when they're offered, when you're not confined by your own capabilities. Besides - he'd offer to teach Joseph how to use the weapons he's found himself able to use thanks to his augment. In fact, why hasn't he?]

[Well, that answer's easy, anyway. He's been very distracted.]

[He glances up when Joseph starts talking about - things Caesar didn't know, things he feels he should've. He finds he's able to envision Joseph as a child very easily, a big book on his lap, flipping through the pages in search of illustrations and the rare photograph. He can't imagine Joseph's father: there are too many gaps in his knowledge there, he has no idea what the man might have looked like, acted like, sounded like. But he can imagine Joseph idolizing him. Boys and their fathers are always boys and their fathers.]

You never told me that. [His voice is quiet, a little curious.] But I'd like to hear about him.

[Joseph would probably continue with or without prompting. But Caesar wants to be sure he keeps hearing his voice.]