driftfleet | bishop mingle

Oh--uh, it... I'll show you.

[if she doesn't know what it does she's not going to understand the coils heating up and toasting the bread just from him explaining the science behind it.

[he approaches the counter with a smile and goes for bread. that much, at least, they have, after the last planet. groceries were easier than he thought they'd be.]

Nice to meet you, Adelina. I'm Hiro, I'm the captain here.

[She watches with curiosity as he goes to get the bread, but at his introduction she pauses with surprise.]

I hope it isn't rude to ask, but... How old are you, and what duties does the position of captain entail?

[he grins at her in a way that says "i've heard that doubt before."]

I'm fifteen. I was fourteen when I made captain, and... it entails being in charge of the ship. Especially during times of crisis. I'm the engineer here, so I keep the place running smoothly, and since I'm here, the ship has shields. Plus I'm a robotics engineer at home, which means I was making stuff like this even before I got here.

[he isn't too much younger than her, just three years, but she feels uncertain all the same even after his explanation. she also doesn't know what an engineer is, but that isn't what she takes issue with.]

If your experience is primarily with, ah, engineering... I mean no disrespect, but what leadership experience do you possess?

[true to her word, her voice is curious rather than disrespectful or derisive. she was sixteen when she first went into battle, so she'll be satisfied as long as he has a good answer to that question.]

I'm the leader of a superhero team back home. We fight crime around our city, and we've stopped some pretty bad stuff from happening.

Plus, the fleet's been attacked before. Before I was a captain, even. When that happened the first time, I ended up in charge of a lot of repairs around the fleet, and did a lot of directing supplies. That, and I've been in the fleet for about a year, which is a lot longer than most people.

[and hiro is more than happy to brag about all of this.]

I see. May I ask what a superhero is? I assume it's someone even more exceptional than other heroes, but I'm curious about the distinction.

[that reply is more relaxed in tone than the others; it seems like she accepts that answer.]

I may not be well versed in being in this kind of environment, but I do have battle experience. If we happen to be attacked again at any point in the future I would be glad to assist you with anything you might need, Captain.

Uhh, in my world, most people don't try to fight. They're just normal civilians. Superheroes are people with cool abilities or cool inventions that help them stop criminals, and usually they hide their identities to keep their families safe from being targeted by the enemies.

[he seems pleased enough with her reaction, though.]

That's good. We got attacked a second time, but we had a security officer at the time, and she covered us really well. She left, though, so it's good that you're here.

They don't try to fight? What do they do when monsters attack, do the superheroes take care of that as well?

[she's heard that they all come from separate worlds, but the threat of monsters is such a large part of her life that it doesn't occur to her yet that there might be worlds without them.]

She left? I was informed that such a thing was impossible.

Usually there aren't monsters to have to fight. The enemies, most of the time, are just people with some misplaced anger. And we take them in alive so they can be put in jail, or at least get the help they need.

[he pauses, a little awkward about that question.]

Well, leaving because we want to is. But sometimes, Atroma just... takes people. We don't know where they go.

Are the monsters mostly extinct, then?

...I don't understand the purpose of taking people away if our purpose is to be observed. That would be like ending a story in the middle of a chapter in a book designed for many people to read.

I guess you could say that, yeah.

[he shrugs]

... Well, the point is to make a good show for people watching, not just to be watched. Taking away people we care about makes us upset, and drama makes for good entertainment.

How lucky.

[a small nod]

I suppose I can follow that logic. It's awfully cruel, though.

Well, I won't argue with you there. A long time ago, one of my best friends from home was here, but she disappeared. Everyone I was working with to figure out where Atroma took her left, too.

[he shrugs]

But this place gives us a lot of chances, too.

I'm truly sorry to hear that. I hope you're able to meet her again soon.

May I ask what you mean?

... Well, when it takes people from their homes, they can be from different times. And sometimes, that means giving a person a second chance to live.

[he smiles, a little fondly.]

Sometimes you get to see people you never thought you would again.

[she... doesn't know how to feel about that, and her expression grows skeptical.]

That's impossible.

I'd say it was, but...

[he hesitates.]

Someone from my world died. I was there, I saw it happen. But I also got to see him here.

That's...

[she doesn't think he's lying, necessarily, but it's hard to believe all the same.]

Does that happen often?

I wouldn't say "often," but enough that people know about it.

I see.

[she still has very mixed feelings about that, so she's going to try to shift the conversation along.]

May I ask who this person was? The person from your home you mentioned a moment ago.

Uhh.

[he hesitates again.]

My brother. Tadashi. He's our lab support, actually. I wouldn't ask him about it, I don't think I should be telling everyone.

[she looks surprised for a moment, and then sympathetic.]

I'm so sorry. I didn't think it would be someone that close to you...

bishop mingle

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