Heron mingle

[exothermia]

Who: Heron and visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: the Heron
When: April

[Hello birdies! We've got new bunks and a quieter engine, and possibly some rumours stuck to the fridge. What are you getting up to this month?]

Comments

b.

[exothermia]

[The kitchen is one of Erik's regular haunts, a place he can engage in a routine activity that he actually enjoys. Even so, he doesn't spend all hours in here... and not even all days. Lately though he's come through at least once a day, to remove offending rumours from the fridge. This one however he didn't see, until now.

Erik almost doesn't notice Nancy at first when he walks in, lost in thought as he opens up a cupboard to review the supplies. But his spatial awareness doesn't take long to kick in, and he turns to see the girl huddled in a chair, staring at the floor. He frowns, uncertain.]

Is everything all right?

[Her pose reminds him distantly of himself, in times he doesn't want to think of now.]

[perfecting]

Yeah.

[ she hurries to sort herself, brushing a hand through her hair, bending down to pick up the note from the floor. ]

I mean. It's just a stupid rumor. It's not. I know they're doing this because they want us. you know.

[ she sniffs and looks at the note. ]

To react to it, I guess.

[exothermia]

[His eyes flick to the note, but he doesn't say anything about it. Not specifically.]

They do, yes. And they'll keep trying until they get one.

[perfecting]

Then we won't give them one.

[ this one is lower than 'nancy wheeler is a good shot' or 'nancy wheeler has 2 boyfriends'. she can take stupid high-school rumors but involving Barb in all of this is trying even her resolve. ]

I mean, what's the point in all of this? The audience?

[exothermia]

So they say.

[Erik leans back against the kitchen bench, folding his arms over his chest.]

Whether it's true or not is another story. It's evident someone is watching, but I've seen no proof there's a mass audience somewhere.

[perfecting]

That's seriously creepy.

[ just one someone bringing them here to watch them? ]

Why do you think they watch us? I mean. They gotta be stronger if they can bring us here so why would they care about us?

[exothermia]

They find us interesting in some way. No doubt it's the reason they brought us here. I wouldn't go so far as to say they care about us - if they did, they wouldn't have ripped us from our homes.

[The most apt analogy in his mind is a zoo. It doesn't seem wise to frame it as such right now, when the girl is obviously unsettled by whatever rumour she's received. He thinks the concept is evident enough, besides.]

Sooner or later, they will probably broadcast a message at us again. Every so often they speak over the communication channels if they see the need.

[perfecting]

They speak?

[ she doesn't know why it surprises her. maybe because she's used to think of atroma as distant and entirely unreachable. ]

I mean, you get to see them?

[exothermia]

[He shakes his head.]

No; we only hear their voices. I don't think anyone has seen their faces. I've only heard the woman myself, but I've been told there's a man also.