driftfleet | Heron May mingle

[At first, Erik only gives the sign a passing glance, thinking it's not something he needs. When he comes back for lunch later and seats himself across from it, though, he finds himself considering what he could use that isn't listed as a suggestion. Eventually he settles on something, and heads down to Shinji's room.

He knocks first, rather than enter unannounced.]

Hello. Too fancy for what, if you don't mind my asking.

[The door to Shinji's room is slightly ajar, for once. He wanted to make sure that people know it's okay to interrupt him during whatever he's doing. Looking up at his visitor, he reminds himself to smile, and then he says,] Hey. I was thinking about making a carrying pouch for my communicator. But this is the kind of fabric you use for... expensive tablecloths, I guess. I don't know.

[His room is a lot messier than usual with the rolls of fabric stacked everywhere. Some of it is plain in color, while the others have floral patterns or geometric shapes.]

How's it going?

It does look a bit conspicuous. [That's the first thing that comes to mind, for him: how much the gold would stand out to anyone looking at it.] But if it's thicker, that makes it more functional.

[His gaze roves over the collection of fabrics, growing slightly surprised. He hadn't thought this much colour was holed away in here.] I'm all right, thank you. Hoping we can move on soon. Yourself?

Edited 2016-05-17 09:37 (UTC)

Functional... [Shinji seems to savor that word, or the thought that comes with it. He nods once.] That's a good point; it's not like I'd want it to tear open. [Losing his communicator--his day-to-day lifeline--would be a very bad thing. Maybe he can line the pouch with the sturdy gold fabric and cover the exterior with something else.

He reaches for a pair of scissors.] Yeah, I'm okay, except for the whole stuck on a polluted moon thing. I can't wait until we get away from here. Just one planet with a real beach, that's all I want...

[He has to snort in agreement at the hope of a planet with a beach. As much as terrible things have happened to him on a beach, he would gladly spend a month on one rather than here.]

We do seem to have been here a long time, considering what others have said about previous stops. Maybe they actually expect us to do something.

Do something? [Shinji's disbelief is there in the tone of his voice.] I heard about their terraformers breaking down, but like... that seems like something above our paygrade, doesn't it? I don't know how any of that stuff works.

[A pause, and then a concession:]

I guess other people might be able to help...

I'm sure some people are falling over themselves in the attempt. [A waste of time, in his opinion. This moon should sort out its own problems.]

I wanted to ask you about your notice, actually. Your offer to make things.

Good luck to them.

[Shinji has had enough of trying to save other people. Every time he tries, he ends up making things a lot worse than they were before. Honestly, knowing him, he'd go down to that terraformer and cause it to explode somehow. The entire moon would get wiped out, along with the nearby planet. He's just that much of a walking disaster.

But he brightens considerably at mention of his sewing service. He sits up straighter, the fabric clutched tighter.] Really? [he asks, maybe a little too eager.] What did you have in mind? I'd be happy to make something for you.

I was thinking of some kind of utility bag. I have a lot of scrap metal in my room, and I should keep it somewhere more organised than the floor of my locker.

A utility bag for scrap metal... so it should be made of something sturdy, like canvas or burlap. [Shinji decides not to ask why he has scrap metal lying around. Maybe it's an engineering thing.] How big do you want it to be?

Not too big, since I want to put it in the locker. Maybe half the size of the shelves in those?

If you'd like something in trade, I can make items out of metal.

Yeah, that sounds doable. I'll get started on it right away. [... and if he royally fucks up, he can just discreetly buy a utility bag from a vendor on the moon. Same difference.

Then, earnestly:] You don't have to repay me at all! [But...] But... if you're looking for something to do, it'd be nice if... for the sake of the garden, on the Iskaulit, we could use a new hand trowel over there.

Thank you.

[He nods to that.] A trowel should be easy enough. It won't have a wooden handle, but I'll make sure it has a decent grip surface. [Grooves or crosshatching should be enough. If that fails, they can wrap it in fabric.]

That sounds good. The material doesn't matter as long as we're wearing gardening gloves. [A thoughtful pause, and then he asks,] Have you ever been to the garden? I think it's a nice reprieve from the ships and the moon's... mooniness.

I have, yes. I go there a few times a week. [More often, now that he's starting to feel the weight of the ships around him more and more.] I read there sometimes.

Heron May mingle

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