driftfleet | (no subject)

[it happens every single Halloween... and while Coil may have only known Zhas for a few years out of his life, those years have packed more than enough punch to seem like eons. and he feels like he's lived through this particular tradition enough times to make his hair turn grey.

once a year, the world turns on its head. today is Zhas' birthday, and all the rules of Coil's reality run backwards until it's over.

this means that it is also a rare day in which Coil doesn't have the option of hiding in his room or disappearing into the shadows of the planet... because he has some babysitting to do.

tonight, Coil is out in the open, camped out in the corner of whatever room Zhas happens to be in. and while his partner may currently have a naked, human face, Coil seems to have taken up the slack--for once, Coil is the one with a skull painted on his face. and because of the paint, it's hard to tell what he thinks about this whole thing, but by the way he's mostly ignoring the cup of something inappropriately strong in his hand, he doesn't seem to be particularly thrilled.]

[ Remembering dates hasn't been much of a concern for two years, so it's still odd to be able to have a calendar or a clock to be able to keep time. His dad had always worn a watch, but the battery had long since died.

The past few days on the Red Fish have been a little more active than the first few days of Carl's arrival, so it's been a bit more difficult to go unnoticed. He'd come out of his room for food and something to drink, and was met with a kitchen full of people. Well, better late than never to get acquainted.. Although with so many unfamiliar people, there's still that notion of unease at the back of his head.

He sees Zhas without his skull makeup and Coil with, and it doesn't seem right, though he's only seen both of them in passing. Though he had met Zhas earlier. Captain one of three. Carl sidles over to Coil to at least introduce himself. ]

Hey, I'm Carl. I was just assigned here.

[for very certain reasons, Coil has recently been making it a point to ignore newcomers to the ship. it might have something to do with getting in trouble for throwing someone out, but whatever. since then, visitors have just not been his problem.

and this is why he doesn't even bother glancing out of the corner of his one good eye until the boy states that he's more than just a visitor.

Coil doesn't say anything, but Carl at least has his attention now. it's hard to tell with all that paint if his expression can really be called surprised, but his eyebrows do raise.]

[ He watches Coil, but the non-answer doesn't really rub him the wrong way. There are a few people in their group who don't have much to say where it doesn't count.

It's hard to tell what this guy is thinking through the skull paint. ]

I guess I'm maintenance. So if there's anything I need to look at, I'll try to fix it?

[ Try being the keyword. He doesn't know how successful it'll be, even with the augment. ]

[that does answer his most pressing question, really. wanting to know where the kid's skills will fit among the others (and hoping those skills don't land another person cluttering up the lab) had been his biggest concern.

so, he nods--looking a little awkward as he realizes there is yet another crewmate that he likely can't communicate with easily. and after a minute, he tries anyway. raising his free hand, he spells out 'C-O-I-L.']

[ It dawns on him pretty quickly that this guy is using sign language, but it's not one that he knows, really. Most of the letters are easy enough to understand, but there's one in the middle that Carl isn't familiar with. ]

Okay.. I got most of those. What's this one? [ He imitates the 'I'. ]

[if there is one thing that usually lightens Coil's mood even the tiniest bit, it's someone knowing (or even attempting to understand) his language. perking up a little--a subtle but important shift in his expression, looking slightly more open--he answers by pointing at his own eye.]