driftfleet | video | SUPER TOUGH

Entry tags:

video | SUPER TOUGH

Who: Takeshi
Broadcast: Fleetwide!
Action: Marsiva!
When: NOW!!!

[Takeshi wakes up with bad cotton mouth and a moment where forgets things -- forgets he was in a jungle last he saw, forgets the Tranquility had crashed, forgets that the people he saw as parents were long-since gone. He rolls tiredly, his baggy (now perfectly mended) sweater dragging on one hand, the sleeve still a bit too long. First thing he does is try to grab a glass of water that would have been on the desk in his room. Aboard an entirely different ship. A ship that no longer exists in space.

He blinks wide awake, sitting up straight.

The first thing he notices is that he's barefoot.

The second thing he notices is that his powersuit is gone. He pulls his sweater practically over his head in his haste, gasping aloud at the pale belly and its pal, the belly button, that greets him -- it' gone! It's gone, it's gone, it's gone! Where? When? Who, how? He looks around wildly, anxious. Was he... kidnapped? All over again? No... it couldn't be.

It's like when they kidnapped humans, on earth. But hopefully less blood.

There were people trying to kidnap them off the Tranquility, too. He remembers that.

Summoning his courage, he does what he learned from his adoptive mother. He bullshits, live on camera, at the screen. He's familiar with how network devices work enough, after all. He knows everyone should be able to see this. He puts on his most serious expression, which is admittedly pretty good for someone who is the size of a five-year-old.]

The person who kidnapped me.... they'd better show their face!

I-if you try to mess with me... I'll... I'll...

I'll kick your fucking ass!!

[Thank his adoptive parents and weird uncle for the choice of words. He puffs out his chest, making a fist. But really, he's kind of scared. Like, a lot scared. He only went without his special superhero powersuit when he broked his leg fighting in the ship before. He couldn't wear it over the cast, then. But now... now he's just... he's normal. He's not a good teammate. He's not good at fighting like this. And it's...

Terrifying.

But he'll keep a straight, determined face. He won't let them know he's scared.

He used to always show how scared he was, when he was living with his real mom. But not no more.

Even if he doesn't have his strength and speed... He's a fighter. He'll... He'll figure out something!]

If you're aliens... then... then my dad'll come find you, too!

And then we'll both kick your ass!

[... Anyone on the Marsiva, feel free to see him peeking around the corner to suspiciously watch you just about anywhere on the ship. That, or find him making himself a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich in the kitchens. All that threatening made his nerves convert to hunger.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Laura figures out Takeshi is following her maybe thirty seconds after he starts. When you could smell people approaching, it made things a lot easier. Young, judging from his footfalls, frightened from his smell and his heart rate. A child, probably. She doesn't say anything, not at first, just continues her quiet exploring of the Marvisa, looking in various rooms, pausing sometimes when she thinks she hears other people nearby.]

[Finally when she's found another of those large viewports and is looking out it does she turn to peer directly at the corner he is hiding behind.]

I know you are there.

[Takeshi freezes for a moment, surprised. He needs to practice being sneaky.

But what should he do now...? His dad never ran away. He doesn't want to, either. Even if Heather would have told him to run as fast as he could... He steps out, hands fists at his sides, and he stares evenly at her. Frightened, but just slightly. Just at the thought that he's not sure what kind of person she is yet.

... Quick, Takeshi, think of a reply. A tough one.]

And I know you're there!

[He points at where she is, serious as sin.]

[A child, as she had suspected. Younger than she would have thought though, but then, who knew why whomever had kidnapped them wanted them. Perhaps younger was better, really. But she didn't know what to do with him pointing at her like that, since...yes. Of course he had. He had been following her. Ugh. Confusing children.]

[Instead she just ignored his hand, studying him instead. He didn't seem dangerous, but people might have said the same thing about her, and how wrong they would have been...]

Why were you following me?

[He flusters a little.]

I wasn't! I was... just walking the same direction...

[Partly true. He wanted to explore the ship more, but he didn't want to get too close to the people also stuck on board with him. Just in case. Who knew if they were bad people? Not him, and now that he's without his suit, it's an even bigger crisis.]

You are lying.

[She didn't say it accusingly, more like stating a fact. When you could hear someone's heart beat and smell the changes in their chemical nature, being trained to spot when someone was lying was pretty easy.]

[He frowns deeply at her, still flustered, but then he carefully begins a slow and widely spaced walk around her.]

Now I'm not. Now I'm walking in front of you.

[He unmade the lie. His stomach gurgles a bit as he crab-walks in the direction of -- wherever they were heading, and he puts a hand to his stomach, all too familiar with the feeling. The lady was rude like Nishi, but she wasn't attacking him, and that's a good thing. Maybe she's good. Maybe.]

[Her eyes narrow at that girgle, ignoring whatever justification he was using about his lie. She genuinely didn't care. He was about the age when she had first started...well, becoming who she was. It triggered something inside her.]

Are you alone here?

[... He stands straight, looking up; the difference in height is tragic, here.]

I shouldn't talk to strangers about that kinda' thing.

I knowed that even before I went to space.

[Made extra sad by the fact that Laura wasn't exactly tall herself. She just frowned thinly.]

I am not going to hurt you. But you are hungry. Who is taking care of you?

[... What to say. What to say. Well, it's obvious he doesn't... have someone.

So he won't lie.]

I take care of myself. I - I can get food myself. I do it a lot.

[She knew that look. She'd probably had it on her face a few times herself. And it was true, she was sure of it, but that didn't mean he should have to. She glanced around, listening, trying to determine if there was anyone else nearby, and then finally looked back at him. Fine.]

My name is Laura. I found a cafeteria earlier, I can show you where it is.

[He glances with a slight frown toward the opposing hallway.

Well... If she knows where the food is...

He should be careful. But she seems nice. Even if she's serious.

Mr. Ned was like that.]

... That's where food is?

Yes.

[She gestures towards one of the hallways.]

It is that way. I will show you.

[And she'll start waling, assuming he will follow.]

[... He should be careful. Very careful.

But he also remembers how kindness has helped him before. Even in a kitchen. He remembers making pasta, helping with soups. All from people who helped him just 'cus they could. People can be so good.

He follows.]

Are you kidnapped?

Yes.

[She slows once she is sure he is following so he can catch up.]

I woke up here two hours ago.

[He frowns, looking quite serious. Not so much afraid the longer they walk as focusing on the information at hand. He's learned very young to digest what the adults tell him, try to connect the dots. As best he can, anyway.]

Then they tooked you, too.

Do they hurt people here? We should find out...! So we can help the people.

Yes.

[Laura shook her head.]

I don't know. No one I have spoken with has said anything about injuries, but it is possible.

[Oh hey, is that the smell of food getting stronger...?]

If people are getting hurt, we gotta stop 'em. The kidnappers! We gotta do our best.

[Even if he's scared, he's learned not to let it hold him back.

Not anymore. If these people are here... even if he doesn't want to care about them and lose them all over like he did Heather and Mr. Ned... he's their teammate. They're a team! And they gotta stick together and try to win this game.]

We will.

[She looked down at him. It was strange for anyone to be shorter than her...]

Are you a fighter?

[He nods firmly.]

Yes, miss! I'm from a team in Japan. I had fights there, and I had fights on a ship called the ... the Tranquility, too! [Look, he's just glad he doesn't trip over that name as much as he used to; five-year-old him had a field day trying to do some proper pronunciation.] I got kidnapped before. It's not fun.

No, it is not. I have also been taken before. [Her whole life was a series of being taken, really.]

Hopefully you will not have to fight here.

[He looks around, a little uncertain.]

I hope I don't gotta, neither... But I think we're gonna.

It always happens, when you think it won't.

Edited 2016-03-14 07:01 (UTC)

[She let out a breath through her nose at that, because it was a sentiment she echoed all the time in her mind. But it was not a pleasant thing to hear from the mouth of someone so young.]

How were you trained?

[Assess if he can actually do anything useful/should be fighting, first off.]

[He considers it for a moment.]

I... I kinda learned from my dad! He does a lot of fighting stuff. But I never got trained before that! They sent me to fight, but I didn't really know how.

I got lucky, 'cus my new dad kept me safe.

[That was not reassuring, training wise.]

...I am certain there are people here who will watch out for you.

Do not fight if you do not have to.