002; Some sightseeing and such

[customplates]

Who: Aaron + You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Iskaulit/Planetside (Bloodsport common room for that broadcast if you wanna)
When: Throughout December (until they leave)

Audio; Broadcast Fleetwide

[Aaron is making his transmission from the common room on the Bloodsport, so if you're around, feel free to stumble upon him.]

Good morning, everyone. At...least I think it's morning. Anyway, I've been all over this ship, a few others, and the Iskaulit and I've found a photography studio, more than one restaurant, a library, two bars, several different times of relaxation and reflection spaces just to name a few, but no place that seems set up to get any firearms practice in. I think it might be important, seeing as a lot of our ship provide crew members with sidearms. Does...anyone know how we go about getting something like that established? Do we just...pick a space and take it?


Iskaulit - Library | OTA

[In his quest to find a place to train with the weapon provided him on the Bloodsport, Aaron finds himself thumbing through the library. If being stuck in outer space has taught him anything, it's that they aren't really pressed for time. Dorian's comments on the selection of the library have him intrigued at any rate, so he takes his times perusing the shelves.

Dorian was right, he thought as he did so. There was a lot of Earth literature here. Some of it was crap (was that really a copy of the 5 Love Languages?) but he stopped at a collection of classic literature and pulled a weathered book from the shelf. Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray brought a lot of memories back, and thoughts of someone he was starting to fear he'd never see again. He couldn't just take it, of course, though he wanted to. Libraries did require their books to be returned eventually, after all.]

...where do they get these books...?

[If he had that answer, maybe he could find his own copy.]


Planetside - In Town | shopping | ota

[It's difficult to visit this winter planet and not realize it's some sort of holiday season. With all the feasts, parades, and gifts, Aaron is first reminded of the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons back on Earth, before the world ended, and that's just fine with him. What he was most interested in, of course, were the shops. Since the world ended, the only way to have new things was to scavenge them. The idea of using what credits he'd been provided to buy things was novel at the very least. His first priority was picking up a new pack, and with it strapped to his back, he's simply wandering the shopping district, looking at windows and waiting for a shop to catch his eye.

And then it does. The camera shop across the way is his destination as he makes his way across the icy road.]

I wonder what kinds of cameras aliens use, even.

[It's murmured out loud, yes, but he's not going to mind if someone wants to join him.]


Planetside - In Town | sightseeing | ota

[Equipped with a new camera and enough digital storage to film the rest of the planet, Aaron, newly excited to explore and document all the unique sights of this place, goes around town, snapping pictures of unique storefronts, trees with particularly intriguing ice formations, and just generally...looking like a tourist. He keeps eyeing that castle in the distance, too. If anyone stops long enough to look over to him, he smiles amicably.]

You want to check out the castle?

Comments

[postocular]

[ It's at this moment he realizes that he really didn't know Aaron all that much. He barely interacted with Eric back in Alexandria. It's easy to forget that they had lives before everything went to hell and after. They did have Alexandria before their group. ] Huh. That's pretty neat, actually.

[customplates]

[Aaron laughs, shaking his head as they continue on their way to the castle.]

Look. I get I'm a lame grownup and I have really lame hobbies. You don't have to butter me up.

[postocular]

I think Beth used to keep a journal. I never really thought my life was worth writing down. I'm kind of boring?

[customplates]

You're one of the few surviving people of a worldwide epidemic, you survived out there for nearly a year...

[You're not boring, Carl.]

Okay. Tell me one thing about you I don't know. There's probably a lot.

[postocular]

Uh.....I got shot? [ Look, comparing himself to other people in the world, he feels boring. ]

[customplates]

[He laughs, shaking his head.]

I said something I don't know about you. I was there.

[postocular]

I was twelve. We were in the woods and this deer came out. I moved closer to it, and it didn't move, just kind of stared at me. It was really cool.. The bullet went through the deer before it hit me.

[customplates]

[His eyes widen slightly.]

Whoa...you're lucky to be alive. Buckshot and hunting rifles aren't to be taken lightly.

[It's his weapon of choice on runs, actually]

[postocular]

That's how we met Maggie and her family. He told me the hunter came over, he didn't see me, but there was a farm nearby. My dad picked me up and ran the entire way there. Her dad Hershel was a veterinarian. [ He lifts part of his shirt to show the wound on his abdomen. ] He managed to get all the pieces out and patched me up. I almost died, but I didn't. That's when my dad gave me his hat.

[customplates]

[Aaron smiles at that, his expression one of awe.]

That's...pretty amazing, actually. [And he looked over to Carl, reaching out to briefly give his shoulder a shrug.] So, I guess you've got a habit of surviving things you shouldn't huh? That's what, twice now? At least?

[postocular]

Heh. At least, yeah. [ That number's doubled by now, but he doesn't need to know that. ]

[customplates]

[He doesn't say anything for a moment, and the lull in the conversation allows his mind to recall a conversation he had with one of the people from another universe, Kitty, when he first arrived.

The events on the space station she'd described were worrisome, and Carl had been around long enough to at least have heard about it. It was weird she hadn't mentioned him in all her talk anyway.]

So...did you hear about a space station going on lockdown a while back? People turning violent, killing each other?

[postocular]

[ The silence between them is different than the silence that falls between him and Daryl, but it's not long before Aaron fills it. The question is innocent enough, but it makes his blood run cold. It's something that he'd never be able to forget or forgive himself for, but it wasn't something he expected to come up. Least of all from Aaron. Carl's never been the kid able to hide his emotions, though having half his face covered at least helps. His brow furrows, frowning at Aaron in confusion. ] Where did you hear about that?

[customplates]

From someone who lived through it. [He knew what it was like to be the concerned friend who meant no harm in what others might perceive as meddling, and if Kitty was a friend of Carl's, he didn't want to strain their friendship at all.

He was quiet for a moment before frowning over to Carl with concern.]

What happened?

[postocular]

[ Carl's jaw clenches as he turns away and continues toward the castle with a little more urgency than they were going at. ] Nothing good. [ His words are cautious and low as glances at Aaron, his expression hard. ]

[customplates]

[Aaron had to admit, at least to himself, he hadn't had much of a chance to speak with Carl. From what he'd seen, though, his relationship with his father and his little sister were by far his closest, and why wouldn't they be? Especially in the world they'd come from. Like Rick, Carl wasn't much of a talker, though neither of them could hold a candle to Daryl, even on a bad day, and when he tried, he could get Daryl to talk, too.

Frowning, out of genuine concern and out of a need to convey without saying that he understands exactly what that might mean, he nods in response.]

I can imagine it was hard if you were there. I haven't even been here that long, at least in comparison, and this place...makes it easy to forget how close the monsters are. It'd be really easy to let your guard down, think you were safe.

[postocular]

Nobody was safe... [ Carl shakes his head, guilt making his gut twist uncomfortably. ] I..I don't remember most of it.

[customplates]

Safety's pretty tenuous at the best of times.

[But his frown of concern only deepens as he watches Carl. Whatever did happen over there was traumatic enough to affect him this profoundly, and he can't even imagine what that could be, considering what Carl's already endured.]

How about you tell me what you do remember, and we can work it out from there?

[postocular]

[ He stops walking, crossing his arms tightly in front of himself. It's been long enough that it shouldn't hit him the way that it is. Apparently, he didn't bury it deep enough.. ] Getting to the station..calling Maggie.

[customplates]

[Aaron doesn't know what to expect from his next question, but whatever it is, he's prepared, reaching out to place a gentle hand on the younger man's shoulder, reassuring.]

Why did you need to call Maggie?

[postocular]

[ He can't find the words for a long moment, trying, but nothing really coming out. Carl looks anywhere but Aaron, the hand on his shoulder making him want to sink even further into the earth. He can feel his heart hammering against his chest, and he knows it's the right thing to do to tell him... but it's hard. ] I couldn't do it... I was scared. I should've stayed on my ship or-- thrown myself out the airlock. Fucking anything else.

[customplates]

[He moves his other hand to Carl's other shoulder, leaning in slightly, searching, empathetic.]

You couldn't do what, Carl?

[postocular]

[ Instead of verbally admitting it, he lifts his shirt a bit higher than he had before to display the prominent scar over his ribs. The one definite sign to know your number was up. Apparently being away from home hadn't helped. ]

[customplates]

[Aaron swallowed at the display of the wound, scarred now but no less angry...or foreboding. He couldn't say he hadn't expected it, not that he knew how a walker might have gotten hold of him here.

But he's been through so much, endured so many things even in the relatively short time that Aaron has known him. This shouldn't be how he goes down...and he knows full well what he couldn't do.

Instead of speaking, Aaron just pulls him close, wrapping his arms around Carl's narrow shoulders and holding him.]

[postocular]

[ Carl tenses briefly before he relaxes his shoulders and wraps his arms around Aaron, too. He lets out a shaky sigh. It helped a bit, admitting what happened, though it doesn't lessen the guilt any. ]