We're kinda bad at sharing our feelings

[forsometimenow]

Who: The crew of the good ship Wonderduck and visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: SS Wonderduck, planetside
When: The whole month of July

[IT'S A WONDERDUCK MINGLE.

Say hello to our new shipmates, play with fluff slugs, do what you wish.]

Comments

[feathery]

Curry that you knocked me into in the first place.

[Just gonna point that out first. There is still probably some orange mixed in with his feathers.]

[frigidaire]

Okay, yeah, you caught me. Knocked you into it on purpose. Probably a secret villain after all.

[ Oh my god get over it, Davesprite, it was an accident. ]

You got some in your feathers still, dude.

[feathery]

I knew it.

[Look, this is a much safer reaction than uncomfortably acknowledging the fact he has fucked up multiple close friendships already.

He chucks a pillow at Isaac, before he glances around at one wing. He picks at it.]

I'm probably gonna have curry in my feathers until the day I die. [Again. No, wait, that's definitely way too morbid.]

[frigidaire]

Yeah you will. That stuff reeks, too. And don't taste it. I don't even want to know what aliens put in their curry.

[ No, really, the look on his face is a pretty disgusted one at the memory alone. He chucks the pillow back at Davesprite. ]

[feathery]

[Wow, now who needs to get over a thing.

The pillow hits Davesprite in the head because he's still too busy picking at his wing. His fingers don't come away orange, but he does pull a couple feathers loose.]

You say that like it's worse than what Atroma's already been feeding us.

[frigidaire]

Dude, it's disgusting. My throat burned for like three days.

[ Because woofs jump into curry mouth open, apparently. ]

Did you just pull your feathers out? [ It looks painful and gross, okay? ]

[feathery]

A bird's gotta do what a bird's gotta do.

[He keeps scratching at it, though.]

I still don't get how you swallowed curry. It's not like the vat was that deep.

[frigidaire]

You were covered in curry and I had to save your feathery hide. That stuff got all over me.

[ Isaac eyes his friend's wing. ]

Dude just take a shower or something, scrub it out. It's gross you're picking dried curry out of your wings.

[feathery]

You make it sound like I haven't tried. I must've taken like three fuckin' showers in succession right after I fell into that sauced up cesspool.

[He was a wet, unhappy bird that afternoon. But he stretches out the wing, feathers spread, even as he keeps plucking at it.]

See? That's not curry.

[Sorry about the gross keratin sheath coming off these feathers, Isaac.]

[frigidaire]

[ Isaac sits up so he can lean closer to the spot Davesprite is picking at. When it's clear that it's not curry coming off his wing? Isaac frowns. ]

Yeah, great, thanks. I wanted to see that. That looks awful, dude.

[ Maybe he threw up in his mouth a little, maybe he's just being really dramatic. He's being dramatic. ]

[feathery]

[Davesprite responds by buffing Isaac in the face with said wing and flopping over. How the hell that's comfortable with one wing bent beneath him is a mystery, but he does it often enough.]

You're the one throwing around accusations in the first place. Respect my right to look like total shit.

[frigidaire]

[ Rude, birbsprite. Isaac makes a few spitting sounds, because he really doesn't want those gross wings in his face, okay? ]

You can look like whatever you want, dude. I don't care. Dye yourself curry orange for all I care.

[ Whatever makes his friend happy, after all. ]

[feathery]

Pass. I already spent three years like that, I don't need a redux.

[But he's quiet for a moment after that, just staring up at the ceiling.]

How long do you think they're gonna keep us.

[Wow, that wasn't out of nowhere or anything.]

[frigidaire]

[ Davesprite can never get on Isaac for his weird topic changes ever again. Isaac laughs. ]

You think I know that answer? Dude, I don't know. Could be a week, could be another year. One of us will leave before the other, though, probably. That's how it seems to work around here.

[ Which is kind of a weird thought. Never mind the existential bs he went through not too long ago. ]

[feathery]

I didn't ask if you know, dude. Just what you think.

[But he sighs and looks over at Isaac, before he looks away again after a moment with a stilted shrug. It's hard to shrug when you're lying down.]

It'll probably be you. [He says it like it's no big deal.]

[frigidaire]

I don't know that there's any real logic or whatever.

[ Isaac has known Davesprite long enough now to know there's probably more to that statement. They've had a lot of conversations like this recently, haven't they? ]

So who knows. We'll probably end up back here, our luck.

[feathery]

Maybe. Guess now's the time to start placing bets on who forgets what. I'd say whoever remembers gets to collect on the loser, but I'm not dumb enough to make a wager I'm guaranteed to lose.

[It's irreverent.]

But who knows. [Just gonna echo Isaac's own words right back at him.]

[frigidaire]

So can I get the bet in writing, though? Cause when you come back and don't remember shit, I'm going to have your signature or something. You're not gonna believe me. Maybe I'll tape some of your curry feathers to it, too.

[ Hey, he's gonna try to keep it light even if the concepts of existence and memory have come up again. He's just not gonna give it much thought. ]

[feathery]

I'll think you're talking about some other Dave.

[He says it offhand, almost like a joke, and sits back up.]

Just 'cause one of us signed a contract don't mean the rest of us are beholden to any pacts of dubious veracity. Or at least that'd what I'd tell you. Probably.

[frigidaire]

Are we still having that conversation?

[ They're just gonna play the 'how many times can i annoy my best friend' game. Isaac props himself up on his elbows, looking over at Davesprite. ]

Pretty sure I don't care about whatever other Daves, because you're my friend. Why do you always act like those other ones are better or whatever?

[feathery]

[Davesprite shoots a look at him, a little taken aback.]

I didn't mean...

[He inhales and looks away, guilty.]

Forget it, dude, it's not important. You wanna change the topic, or should I.

[frigidaire]

[ Isaac shrugs, even though it can't really be seen with the way he's sprawled out on the bed. ]

Pretty sad we have to actually ask for a topic change, huh? [ He sucks in a deep breath before swinging his feet, pulling himself into a sitting position. ]

I'm tired of being cooped up on a ship.

[feathery]

Kinda tired of the Fleet in general.

[It's bland.]

We can always go raid a waystation if you want, though.

[frigidaire]

Yeah. Same.

[ He feels a little antsy now and stands, pacing to the other side of the room. ] The waystations are all kind of the same. And we'd just have to come back here, anyway. Just feels a little small sometimes. Which is hilarious because we're in space.

[feathery]

Dude.

[He reaches out to halt Isaac's pacing.]

Keep up the restless shtick and you'll get me doing it.

[But he stands up.]

Come on, we can check out that dock that's open on the Marsiva.