open mingle post;

[payback]

Who: Everyone on the waystation!
Broadcast: n/a
Action: open to everyone to tag into
When: October 11, 2014

[It sure is a lovely day actually pretty much indeterminate time period out here in the vast darkness of space, isn't it? I bet everyone's enjoying themselves, getting a chance to get off their dinky little ship and stretch their legs. Even on this shitty, empty little waystation.

Where are you, droot flooters? What are you up to? Stay out of trouble, now.]

[ooc: hi everyone! I thought I'd give this a try and see how the game liked it. What we have here is a mass mingle post. Rather than everyone making a bunch of different posts about landing on the station, everyone is invited to post a parent comment with their character out and about, doing something. Everyone else is invited to look at who's posted, tag them, post their own parent comments, thread jack, tag around and generally have a grand old time! It should hopefully be a nice low-pressure way to do some action tagging with each other.

Please tag in if you feel so inclined! Don't be shy to tag around!]

Comments

[proteusmoon]

Ah, great.

[ The time it takes him to respond at all because he's too busy looking her over (yes, she notices) does strike her as a little strange, but considering he's part of the fleet and doesn't do anything that's threatening, she lets it roll off her back and she sets down her few bags to take a couple steps closer to him. She brings up a posting on her communicator and presents it to him, showing him the list from concerned hopefuls asking for their friends that she started yesterday. ]

My name is Cecil, I'm on the Wonderduck, and I was wondering if you've seen or heard from anybody matching these descriptions.

[theboogieman]

[you know, despite his unfortunately unfriendly demeanor and how uncomfortable he is with the close proximity, he does look at her communicator. he remembers this network post, so it doesn't take him long.

he shakes his head, though. hasn't seen anyone.]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil hums thoughtfully, her lips fixing into a small frown as she considers the implications of his answer, seeing how it's rather consistent with the answers she received from just about everyone else she asked. Because of that, she doesn't wonder if he's really given it thought. It's not a surprising answer. ]

I see.

[ She sighs deeply and puts the communicator away, picking up her bags again. After a brief moment, she manages to smile at him. ]

Thank you for taking a look. You're not the first to say no, so I'm hoping that means they're all safe and sound at home.

[theboogieman]

[he... nods, a little, perhaps in agreement? it's very strange to him.

and he's still a little weirded out that this girl is even talking to him.]

[proteusmoon]

[ It's probably even stranger to him then that she isn't even put off by all the silence. In fact, it really just makes her a little more curious about him.

That's because the lack of actual verbal communication kind of reminds her of an experience she had the other day. ]

Anyway... I haven't seen you around the network, have I?

[theboogieman]

[he shakes his head again. which is technically not a lie--she hasn't seen him around, just read his messages.]

[proteusmoon]

[ Undaunted, Cecil nods as though she really does accept that answer, but she still goes with her instincts and her expression becomes visibly a bit more serious. She really hopes her hunch is correct, otherwise, this is going to be really embarrassing. ]

Ah, so you aren't Z... right?

[theboogieman]

[...okay, by the way he looks away from her, mouth pressing into a thin line... she might have caught him. gosh what is that very interesting thing over there that's not Cecil seeing right through his misdirection...]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil presumes he would have just shaken his head if she'd been wrong, so she can't help feeling a little smug when he reacts the way he does. Somehow, she genuinely finds it endearing and she smiles brightly, amused, as this revelation fills in the details of their last measures conversation.

An idea occurring to her, she takes out her communicator and begins typing something — albeit, very slowly — not saying one more word to him.

In a little, he'll have a message alert on his communicator:

It really is good to meet you in person, Z.

How did she do it? MUN MAGIC. ]

[theboogieman]

[it is with great reluctance that he actually reaches down into his pocket to look at the message that's appeared, but when he does... he only has a soft sigh and more averting his eyes.

he hasn't stepped away any, but he might just be bad at this.]

[proteusmoon]

[ She types out another message to him: ]

If you want me to go away, you can say so. I just thought you could use some company that wasn't the greatly enthusiastic Hange.

[ Thank you, Red Fish, for supplying that bit of info. ]

[theboogieman]

[his frown deepens. he's mad that he's being forced to acknowledge her text. he's mad that she found him out that easily. he kind of wants to hit something, but that's, you know, childish and not nice to do around women.

and she's right about Hange. he... well, it's not a sigh, exactly, but a frustrated seething noise as he thinks about it...]

[proteusmoon]

[ At that, she does nothing more and she doesn't even say anything else. She rests her communicator down against her thighs and drops her eyes to the floor, simply waiting for him to actively make a decision. The noise he makes doesn't sound good, of course, but the fact that he isn't doing anything else in response is just a little hopeful.

So she waits. ]

[theboogieman]

[that's no good. he needs her looking up at his face.

so after a pensive moment, he taps the end of her shoe with his boot to get her to pay attention to him--and when that's established, he shakes his head.]

[proteusmoon]

[ That definitely does cause Cecil to look up into his face, but if his intention was to drive home how frightening his visage is by making her stare at it, it doesn't work. Instead, she gives him a sort of lopsided smile and apologizes very quietly. ]

[theboogieman]

[no don't APOLOGIZE. he rolls his eyes. he shakes his head again. he doesn't want to talk right now.]

[proteusmoon]

[ Cecil sighs, but obediently falls silent, just staring back at him quietly. Truthfully, she doesn't like being snapped at like this, regardless of whether or not he's said a word, but he's intriguing and she, being the mildly competitive sort, can't help but see this exercise in wordlessness as a challenge now. She's steadily growing more determined to banish whatever half-formed and likely incorrect presumptions of her he's in his head and learn something about him in return, so she steels her resolve and taps into her inner wealth of patience to not push anymore. ]

[theboogieman]

[he's still considering walking away, to be honest.

but she's listening to him, at least, and quieting down, so he figures he might as well try--he signs something, spelling it out very intentionally, just in case she can understand.]

[proteusmoon]

[ She doesn't and she tells him so with a simple shake of the head. ]

[theboogieman]

[that gets him to... sigh, softly. he misses his friend. he hates "talking" to all these people he doesn't know. but she's insistent enough that he finally gives up, finds somewhere to sit around all of the loading equipment, and pulls out his communicator.

FINE HE'LL USE TEXT GODDD.]

[proteusmoon]

[ After some hesitation, Cecil follows him and decides to curl up by his feet, communicator in her lap, knees drawn up to her chest, bags beside her. Again, she's quiet, but this time she doesn't really seem to be waiting so much as simply relaxing in his silent company. ]

[theboogieman]

[and that, to him, is creepy and weird.

but he doesn't move away. he crosses his arms, defensively, but types with his one hand--and eventually a new message appears on Cecil's communicator:]

you're persistent.

[proteusmoon]

[ She reads it, smirks a little and then answers: ]

So are you.

[theboogieman]

[his frown deepens. he texts back.]

am not.

[proteusmoon]

Are too. Persistent in your silence, yes.