(no subject)

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Sure!
Action: Everywhere!
When: Until the end of the month!

[hey droot flooters! how are those new augment glitches going? how's your crew? what fresh trouble have you been getting into? how are those jobs paying off? whether you're in your ship, on one of the moons, stuck on Marsiva, or hiding out on one of the waystations in-between, your audience wants to know what you're up to!

note: there are an unusual number of shoes on sale in the shops today. the ones on Abeo are pretty ugly.]

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[noctiphile]

a. insert famous song lyrics about booknerds

[Mattias lives in the libraries, only leaving when they kick him out. Food, water, bathing is forgotten in the promise of learning new information. He's a bookworm, through and through and it feels good to go back to his roots, poring through books and flitting from shelf-to-shelf. Settling at one of the tables, he builds himself a mountain, devouring every page of every book and, often, collapsing on them. Even he can't put off sleep.]

b. i'ma take your grandpa's style

[Surprisingly, there are other things in the world more important than books. And though reluctant, he does leave the libraries occasionally to patrol the rest of the moon. More often than not he ends in the shopping district, staring longingly at the clothing in the window and only wishing he had the funds to afford them.]

no for real ask your grandpa

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[let's be real, Mattias is the most interesting thing that Robin has met in months. when you're like a billion years old, good conversation is one of the most valuable things in the world.

Mattias is also very easy to find. he just has to follow his frequent texts and ask a couple of librarians if they've seen a book-obsessed vagrant running around... he eventually spots who he thinks is him, staring at some clothes up in a store window, and walks right up to tap him on the shoulder.

heeey buddy.]

[noctiphile]

[Mattias had been secretly hoping for a cameo if not a full appearance. Despite his own precautions, his conversation with Robin had burrowed deep and sprouted into, well. An addiction. He wanted more and his barrage of texts and calls might have been a bold attempt at trying to coax him out.

He was delighted to see it had worked.] Robin!

[With a broad smile, he claps his hands on his shoulders. Then rethinks and backs away.] You look even better in person-[ah. Shit.] More healthy, I mean. Real. It, ah. I had my, um. -What are you doing here?

[Nervously, he smoothes back his hair. Fixes the collar of his shirt.] I hope it's not to come down and scold me. I did warn you.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he does look a little surprised when there are suddenly hands on his shoulders--but the follow up just makes it funnier and funnier until Matthias has Robin laughing through a wide grin.

it's good to see him in person, it really is. he doesn't answer his question, but he does say:] You're much cuter in person.

[noctiphile]

[Ah. His heart stopped. How was it supposed to work? He seemed to have forgotten. All he can remember is how to smile and how to hold it, though it wavers slightly when even that information flees.

He sounded like him.

The thought is enough to sober his body into functioning again although it makes him painfully aware of the heat on his cheeks.]

Right. Well, um. Thank you.

[It's already playing back in his mind. Stupid, stupid boy. Was he really going to fall for that trick again?] I'll take that as encouraging?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he decides to break up Mattias' awkward mood by giving him a hearty clap on the back.]

Ease up, little Nightjar! I came down to say hello. I couldn't just sit still on my ship and let you have all the fun, after all.

[Robin seems just as friendly and smiley in person. something about him seems a little strange, of course, but no stranger than an alien world and a bunch of other magical weirdoes crammed into spaceships. he seems very relaxed, dressed well, speaks to Matthias as if he was a good friend rather than someone he met a couple of days ago.]

And I heard there was a sale on shoes? Which... Might as well... [a little shrug.]

[noctiphile]

[A clap on the back works like magic, even if it does knock him forward. Laughing, Mattias relaxes, easing into a natural smile.]

Shoes? [He glances down at his own boots, newly fixed by the Atroma.] I suppose looking couldn't hurt. But I didn't take you for that much of a shopper, Robin. I'm afraid I might be... a little out of place.

[Words fade as another window distracts him. A luxurious garment similar to a sherwani heavily embroidered in silver thread catches his eye. His gaze lingers on it. A little out of place, my ass.] I wonder if they have anything in gold...

option a, baby

[heresyandlace]

[though Tek isn't quite as committed to the libraries as Mattias is (there is plenty of showering and sleeping and shopping to do, after all), he does frequent them quite a bit. he's intelligent and old and gets bored easily, so of course he's a formidable reader in his spare time.

so, he's spending some time wandering the bookshelves today... and strolls on over when he recognizes a familiar face napping on an open tome.]

...You're drooling.

[noctiphile]

[He peeks an eye open at first, vision blurred by sleepiness. Mind too tired to process, he turns his head away with a slightly rude slurred dismissal. Really, people these days, disturbing a man's sleep.

-Wait. Person?

In the span of a minute he's jerking awake, wiping the drool from his mouth and slamming the book he was reading-some type of illustrated alien kama sutra-closed. And pushing it away. Under a pile of other books. That he forms on the spot.] Tek! H-Hello. I-[He pauses, fumbling with one tower of books while bracing up another.]-I wasn't expecting to see you. How... long have you been there?

[heresyandlace]

Long enough.

[he calmly waits for the fumbling to stop, fighting down a smirk over the man's chosen reading material to keep his expression pleasant and neutral. and then he picks up some nearby book from the pile to go paging idly through.]

...Did you know that you talk in your sleep? [he lies,] Whatever you were dreaming about must have been... stimulating...

[noctiphile]

[Mattias' paleness rivals translucency, eyes rounded in horror. His mouth flaps uselessly before he's able to speak, throat suddenly very dry.]

I-[He chokes on his own word, coughing.]-I do? Wh-What did I say?

[Please don't let it be incriminating, please don't let it be incriminating. The prayer becomes a silent mantra as his hands fumble for something to do. They settle on a book that he then grabs and opens to cover his face, hoping to hide the blush that threatens to burn off his cheeks. He didn't remember any... stimulating dreams but that was hardly a reassurance.]

[heresyandlace]

[oh, it's almost too much. as much of a handle as he has over his own expression, it's still difficult not to crack. somewhere in his chest, there is a giggle that is just desperate to escape.

but this is just too good to ruin. he stays the course and pretends not to notice Mattias' desperate floundering, continuing to flip through the book in his hands.]

I may be mistaken, but I could have sworn you said something about 'tentacles.' ...Were you reading something about deep sea creatures, perhaps, before you dozed off?

[noctiphile]

I-That is... Oh goddess.

[He slumps down in his seat, defeated. Tossing the book onto the table he allows the full redness of his face to be shown. Digging through his incriminating pile of tomes he fishes out the kama sutra and hands it to him.] Here. This is what I was reading. I'd hardly say I was into it though. Part of their activities involves regurgitating one's partner. I don't think there's any way to find that stimulating.

B!

[lord_wizard]

[Felix is in similar straits, as it turns out. He absolutely refuses to be seen out in public in the fleet-issued clothes, and his outfit has already been hand-laundered once or twice. Just thinking about the closets full of outfits left behind in Paradisa makes him want to sob. So of course he's torturing himself the same way Mattias when he comes across his new crewmate.]

It's monstrously unfair, isn't it?

[noctiphile]

[The man's arrival comes as a start. He starts with a yelp before settling into a sigh, rubbing his mouth with his hand.] Goddess, Felix. You scared the demons from me.

[Smoothing back his hair he repairs his composure piece by piece, turning back to the window.] What's worse, I hear clothing shops are rare. This might be our only chance. [He quirks a brow, deflating as he speaks.] And, I'm broke.

[Dismay clear, he glances down at his own clothes, inspecting the vest.] Do you think they'd accept trade-ins?

[lord_wizard]

I rather doubt it, reports of our dubious celebrity not withstanding. And I'd prefer to add rather than subtract all the same.

[He looks Mattias over before returning the look to the window]

Our only chance appears to be either to find a way to make a large sum of money in a few days, or to approach others in the fleet for a favor. Sadly, I happen to know one person here rather well, but he isn't disposed towards charity.

[noctiphile]

We may not need a large sum of money. Maybe just a bit? [He leans forward, examining the cost on the price tag. It's near impossible to equate it to the currency he's used to, he's got no idea how much it is.]

I suppose we could get a job. See where tha gets us. But... [Straightening, he frowns. Mutters:] You know, I don't think I've worked a day in my life.

[lord_wizard]

[Even without a frame of reference, Felix has never been especially good at managing money. He's almost already spent what pittance they were afforded this week.]

I am suffering from a similar lack. In my case, my work might have been far too specific to find a market. [Disregarding certain other skills that probably DO have a market, but he's not that desperate yet]

[noctiphile]

[Canting his head, he gives Felix a pitying look.] Now, you can't say something like that and not expect me to be curious.

[He shifts both attention and body to him, curiosity overcoming necessary needs.] What was your work?

butterfly in the sky--I mean a

[devilsinthedetails]

[The only reason Cole was wandering around the library was to look for his wayward son because Cole was far from being the type to sit and read when he could be out doing things like murdering demons and saving innocents or whatever proactive heroic good guys do. He's still not sure of that yet.

So when he sees Mattias sleeping on a book, he stops and thinks only for a moment that he should wake the guy up politely before continuing on his merry way. And then decides screw it, it's more fun to mess with people than to be nice, so he quietly sneaks up behind him and--]

It's a trap! IT WANTS TO EAT YOU!

[...good job, Cole. This is truly how you help people out when they're sleeping.]

[noctiphile]

[Mattias shouts. Loudly. So loud that it rings through the rest of the library in startled echoes. Lurching awake, his hands slam down, crinkling the page he had been reading. Dismayed, he looked down at the ruined page with a sorrowful frown before whipping his head around, attempting to look threatening and failing. Blushing has a way of defeating intimidation.]

Do you need something? [He scowls, then pauses with realization. Pulls back, his expression shifting to something timidly fearful.] ... You're not a librarian, are you?

[devilsinthedetails]

[He can't keep himself from laughing at the shout and laughs even more at the attempt at intimidation. Cole was the former Source of All Evil and is still the mighty Belthazor. He doesn't get intimidated, especially by blushing guys who were snoozing in books.]

Not really, I was just wandering past and thought you could use a wake up call before you caused some water damage to that book. [He peers over at the ruined page and chuckles.] Good thing I'm not a librarian or you'd have to pay for that. I wonder what the fine is for damaged books here.

[noctiphile]

It's not ruined. [He smooths out the wrinkled page best he can and finds it... still crumpled. Tilting his head, he sniffs.] Just... dented. Slightly.

[Oh, who was he kidding? Slamming the book shut, he tosses it into the mountain of books that surround him, waving a hand at his rude as heck intruder.] The fine is irrelevant. I'll blame it on you if I'm found out.

[devilsinthedetails]

Looks ruined to me. [He waits until the book has been tossed before he apports the book into his hand and flips it open to the damaged page, letting out a low whistle.] Yeah, this is pretty damaged. What's this supposed to be about anyway?

[There's a roll of his eyes as he snaps the book shut and it disappears from his hands, having been sent back to book mountain.] That's going to be a story to tell. "Oh excuse me, but the book got damaged because this gentleman woke me up while I was sleeping on it!"

[noctiphile]

[The book snaps into his hands and that's it. There goes Mattias' attention. Gone. Utterly shocked, he stares blankly as the book snaps closed and disappears again. Determined to find it, he clamors onto the table and rummages through the pile before finally finding it. In the exact place it was before. Opening up to the crumpled page, he stared at it, then back to the culprit, gaping wide.]

How did you do that?