Starstruck March Mingle Madness!

[theroadwarrior]

Who: People aboard the Starstruck, visitors and crew alike.
Broadcast: N/A
Action: SS Starstruck
When: The month of March!!

[Just your typical monthly mingle.]

Comments

[theroadwarrior]

[His eyebrows raise, as if Kubo is asking an obvious question.]

Probably not.

But I'm good junkyard scrap for people t'use.

[shamisens]

[ That seems kind of contradictory. ]

Doesn't that mean other people think you're salvageable at least?

[theroadwarrior]

Mm...

[How to explain that isn't in car terms. Maybe junkyard isn't helpful enough, because salvaged pieces from a car isn't exactly a salvaged car.]

When a dog dies, s'not salvageable, right? But its body gives back to the earth. I think — some parts of me are still good. To give back.

[He rubs the back of his neck, glancing away.]

Not that dramatic, though.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo scrunches up his face. ]

Yeah. I wouldn't want your dog to hear that.

[theroadwarrior]

He licks his ass daily.

I don't think he cares.

[shamisens]

You never know. Animals can sense that kind of thing.

[theroadwarrior]

[He rolls his eyes.]

Point still stands.

[He licks his lips, hesitates.]

Don't believe I can be fixed. But maybe... [He seems to have a really, really hard time admitting it; he looks at the ground, and his head sort of sways uncertainly on his neck, like this trying to not sound sappy or invested.] I can help with the spare parts I got, sometimes.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo is vaguely bemused by Max's sheepishness. ]

We're all spare parts sometimes. You've just got to find the right match.

[theroadwarrior]

[Snoff. A snort and a scoff, obviously.]

Guess so.

Can at least pilot and collect cans.

[shamisens]

Why cans?

[theroadwarrior]

Food cans.

...

Can recycle them into weapons or metal scrap, too.

[DUH KUBO THEY'RE SO IMPORTANT!!!]

[shamisens]

[ Duh right back at you. ]

I don't know anything about cans, remember? I only saw one because you showed me. My world doesn't have anything like that.

[theroadwarrior]

Mm, well. Think about bladed weapons.

[You got those, okay, that's something.]

F'you have cans and a means to do it, you can make bladed weapons. They're made of malleable metal. Good for keeping things in, too. Or making bombs out of. Sometimes f'you got enough, you can flatten them into tiles for, ahm... rooftop shingles.

[Or use 'em to modify car parts...]

[shamisens]

I guess that's something I could do?

[theroadwarrior]

Recycle cans?

[He considers it, then smirks, just a little.]

Don't suppose you can control sheet metal like paper.

[shamisens]

[ He rubs his neck. ]

I've never tried.

[theroadwarrior]

Maybe you should.

There's more metal than paper, around here.

[shamisens]

[ Kubo shrugs. Paper had always been safer. Harmless. Metal seems less so. ]

I guess it can't hurt to try.

[theroadwarrior]

... Mmm, well, it probably could hurt.

But what's a little pain if you learn more.

[shamisens]

I don't think they have to go together. Pain and learning. At least . . . not all the time.

[theroadwarrior]

Not all the time.

Just most times.

[....

Max's world sucks.]

Shouldn't be that way for you here, though.

[shamisens]

It shouldn't be that way for anyone. It . . . just shouldn't.

[theroadwarrior]

[He considers for a moment.

And for once, instead of giving the answer Max expects to be truth, he relents.]

Who knows.

Maybe someday it won't be.

[For his world. He can't possibly imagine it. But if the kid wants to think it's out there, beyond reach but there, maybe that's worth something to him.]

[shamisens]

[ Kubo still struggles to untangle his life from the disastrous circumstances that took place, that changed everything. And even when he has accepted the end result, the idea that all change is so violent, so determined to rob and take at the same time was too much. ]

Someday.