video/action. one hobo and a baby

[theroadwarrior]

Who: Max Rockatansky and a small kid.
Broadcast: Fleetwide.
Action: Corona, Starstruck.
When: From now to a few days, until the panicked fam is found.

[VIDEO.]

[Max starts the feed looking entirely uncomfortable, and it's abundantly clear in no time at all why that is. He's standing in one of the halls of the Corona, and there's a brunette toddler a little over two clasped to his neck like a legitimate barnacle; she's not exactly afraid, and she seems to have sandwiched a teddy bear between her cheek and Max's chin, and furthermore, she's not remotely concerned about her current predicament. Balanced on one of Max's forearms, she's smiling a thin-lipped and impish sort of smile. One single messy braid hangs down her back.



Did no one teach this kid about stranger danger? Nope.

She's wordless, though — dark-eyed and wordless and not at all ready to unleash her claw-grip on the poor man. He'd been walking her around the area already trying to figure out where she'd come from, but it's really to no avail. She can't do anything but signal her age with two fingers, as if perhaps she's incapable of conversation — and he's found her sign language is mildly understandable in the way sign language is, though nothing at all from any place from Earth. Also, she says a lot in the fact that he can't set her down without her demanding him mule her around; he'd tried to leave her with other people, and even considered, for a moment of blind panic, to just leave her somewhere and figure someone else will do something about it.

... He's a pushover, really. And his paranoia over the safety of a kid in any world trumps his desire to never hold another sprog ever again. If he left and something happened, he would never forgive himself, and that's just the nature of his life. Leaving behind the small and needy is a constant battle, with this one. And he's totally failed the leaving part. Again.]

Erm.

I found a kid.

... S'not my fault; she knocked on my door.

Need some help finding where she came from. Dunno, must've wandered off. She doesn't talk.

[He looks pretty nervous about the whole thing, thinned lips and worried grimace telling.

For good reason. It makes him think about the past. Makes him wanna bolt.

He considers dumping her off on someone for the hundreth time.

She just taps her stuffed bear's nose against his cheek, a bear kiss. He looks mildly offended.

(distracted from his own misery)

............................. Please don't do that, thanks.]

[ACTION.]

[He can be found boarding the Starstruck with said Kiddo later on (it's all he's taken to calling her, and it's not a Name, but it's something), primarily to make a beeline for the medical bay (yes it's kidnapping, sort of, leave him alone). Nothing serious, the kid just has a runny nose and Max sort of remembers how to treat toddlers with mild illness. A little congestion is normal when you're surrounded by so many germs in one place. She sits precariously on his shoulders watching him shift through the bottles, babyish eyes round and interested. She signs at him something he can't decipher, but he's trying to figure it out.]

Gonna drop your doll. Not gonna pick it up again.

[It's a sulky mutter. He's gonna pick it up again.

He can also be found on the Corona itself, looking for the mother or father or family member who must surely be seeking the kid out. Asking people when you hate talking to strangers is really not his thing, he's totally dying here. Please help him. Pls.]

Comments

[hollystrike]

[She's just gonna assume he's worked it out because nobody in this conversation knows how to use their words, let's face it.]

Have you checked with your neighbours?

[theroadwarrior]

Mmm. Nobody's seen her around before.

[Which is utterly unhelpful.]

You're bigger.

[hollystrike]

You're smaller. [Grin.]

Turns out that the police force is like a roller coaster. You have to be a certain height to play. My stilts are very convincing.

[theroadwarrior]

[PINGED.]

Police force?

[No way, that little curly-headed creature grew up into an officer of the law?

He can hardly imagine it.]

[hollystrike]

It's a group of people who wear a lot of blue and try to enforce the law. They wouldn't take kindly to threatening children with knives.

[/sass]

[theroadwarrior]

[DON'T YOU SASS ME.

HMPH.]

Shouldn't throw snowballs at wasteland psychotics.

[hollystrike]

Shouldn't. It's hard to tell sometimes. [It's a concession. She's amused.]

But if children knew they were wasteland psychotics, does that mean the wasteland psychotic gets a free pass for threatening a child? I'm not too familiar with the law, after all, so I could be wrong.

[theroadwarrior]

Where I'm from, kinda.

[Every kid should know not to mess with the crazies.

But whatever.]

Didn't threaten you. Turned with a knife in my hand. S'different.

[I enjoy that this conversation is happening while he's bouncing a rowdy two-year-old.]

[hollystrike]

[IKR. In her defence she did try to move off topic after... okay sassing him that's no defence at all. WELP.]

Well, now that we have that sorted out. Shall I help find these parents for you?

[theroadwarrior]

Mm.... Finding them's a big priority.

[That's not a 'please' or a 'help me', look how good he is at asking without asking.]

[hollystrike]

[The Mm is confirmation enough. She reaches for her backpack and shoves a few key items inside.]

Where are you?

[theroadwarrior]

Northern Corona Hall.

Was looking for... ah, ships who might know her.

[hollystrike]

Be there in a year or two.

[Or you know. Ten minutes. She'll come wandering up in a long skirt with a duffle bag slung over one shoulder and her hair braided back.

Glory's still here, she sees. Katie ignores her for now, favouring the real child with a wide smile.]

Hullo.

[theroadwarrior]

A year or two goes by pretty fast.

[What, Max can have sassy openers too.

Kiddo just looks super pleased to have Katie there, from where she's pretty much hanging off Max's arm.]

[hollystrike]

Doesn't it? [Breezily.] It's like you blink and suddenly you've lost years, sometimes.

Have you had any inkling this little girl knows what you're saying? [She's shucking the duffle bag off her shoulder and unzipping it. Although-- mindful she's dealing with a wasteland psychotic, she does it kind of slow and casual.]

[theroadwarrior]

[Kiddo blinks up at Max as if she's already expecting his answer — of course, Max knows better from what little experience with toddlers he's garnered years past. A nod.]

She understands English. Knows food and sleep, n' play.

[A sigh, as Kiddo paps him on the mouth with the teddy bear's snout.]

Knows 'bear'.

[hollystrike]

Knowing 'bear' is an excellent start.

[She smiles at the little girl and produces a notepad and a handful of coloured pencils, addressing her directly.]

Can you write? Draw?

[theroadwarrior]

[GAAAASP.

Kiddo is clearly very excited!! She grabs for the drawing material and gets right to work, right there on the floor. Max is unfortunately stuck holding the bear, which just... is so great, thanks. Love this stupid bear that I'd like to throw in a dumpster.

Kiddo gives Katie a drawing with, uh. Well.



Very good, very picasso.]

[hollystrike]

[Katie grins, though. Art has to start somewhere. She plops down cross-legged right there in the middle of wherever.]

That's very good. Is that you? [Fucked if she knows what this is. She looks up at Mr Long-Suffering with great amusement.] I wonder if your friend can draw.

[theroadwarrior]

[Kiddo continues her trail of carnage on the page.

And Max scowls a bit at Katie in the meanwhile.]

I make maps.

[... No, he can't, in other words.]

[hollystrike]

Well, someone has to. [Mildly. Look, maps are useful in some places of the world. And some places not of the world, come to think of it. She draws a childish caricature of a little curly-haired girl with two parents in a few quick strokes with her own pencil, showing it to the...uh, artist here.]

Me and my family. Can you draw yours?

[theroadwarrior]

[Kiddo gets to drawing, so she may have understood enough of what was said.

Max stands, uncertain and brow drawn up, as he watches the kid work. She draws... well, it sort of looks like a woman and man. The mom has black hair and the dad brown, with brown eyes. He thinks. That or those are... supposed to be... moles? He's not sure.]

[hollystrike]

[Hopefully that's actually her parents, or the glamour she's about to use will end up leading them somewhere decidedly odd. She encourages the girl with little sounds of delight all the while, and delicately pulls some of the glamour involved in that art to her. It's not enough to be useful to her, but it is enough to infuse a locating spell.

But she'll be nice and wait until the little girl is finished with her drawing before she summons a tiny ball of white faerie fire-- invisible to Max and sadly also the little girl-- and watches as it bobs gently away from them down the hall.]

I think I remember seeing a couple like this. [She stretches her legs out, then picks up the child gently and offers her back to Max, letting her keep hold of the pencils.] This way.

[Follow that pooka.]

[theroadwarrior]

You can see people in this?

[He stares intensely at the drawing before giving up, following the pooka with a huff.

Kiddo bounces eagerly like she's thrumming with energy. Max hobbles along.]

Slow down.

[hollystrike]

I can see people in everything. So could you, with a little imagination.

[But more she's following the imprint of whoever the little girl was thinking about while she was drawing, so let's hope that's her parents. No guarantees. She slows down obligingly, glancing down at Max's ruined knee.]

I'm guessing that injury is very old by now.