eastbound | un: fox rain

[ There's a muffled sound of someone talking, before a rustle and then Fox's voice coming in clearer over the crystals: ]

Alright folks, thanks to our local resident sorcerer, I've figured out a spell I've been meaning to offer. I just want to say that this is totally voluntary - it involves tattoos, which I know not everyone is keen about, but I think considering where we're headed, and how we've been travelling...

Well.

Let's just say I would rather we don't lose people and only find out they fell off a mountain like two days later.

Okay, anyway, so with all that preamble:

I'm offering small 'emergency broadcast' tattoos. I couldn't think of a better name for them, but you know, hit me up if you can think of a better moniker. It can be whatever you want - I can work the runes into a specialized design - or it can be small and hidden somewhere on your person. Essentially, when you aren't able to send out a help signal to the rest of us, and are in grave danger or are severely wounded, it will message our quartz network directly, and let us know that you're in trouble.

It, um, will also let us know if you're alive or dead or not.

Anyway, I know it's kind of morbid, but considering everything we've been going through... Well.

I'd just rather know that everyone's okay, I guess. Especially when we get separated.

So. If you want one, hit me up. If you don't want one, you can always come find me when you change your mind.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, yeah, you're from like, sci-fi jetpack grimdark future as far as I can tell. Your sword is way beyond anything we have in my time, and this place is well behind us. Droids - like, robots? Weird. I mean, I guess it makes sense, but I'd rather have a person do my tattoos than a robot.

Yeah, that was my thought at least. But I mean, you can get hurt too, right?

... can you get hurt?

[ dryly ] Sadly can't say I've figured out the trick to total invulnerability yet. But I can generally take care of myself in that area. [ generally, anyway. If Fox missed him staggering around for a couple days after the whole disaster with Unhalad's forces, well, so much the better. Though Eleven healed up the major wound he took in that fight pretty nicely anyhow -- sheer exhaustion, and wrangling with the new passenger in the back of his head, was far more the culprit for putting him on his ass. ]

Do you think you have supplies enough? And funds?

[ that's totally not him blatantly changing the subject or anything, of course not. ]

I've been saving up what I've been making, yeah. Though of course any extra supplies I can get would be killer - I have no idea what we're going to run out before we finally make it to the next city.

[ He is not insightful enough to notice the change in topic, especially when it's about work. ]

Why? You have any to spare?

[ in that dry tone again ] I'm sure you'll be unsurprised to hear I don't have tattooing ink lying around. Hm, come to think of it I suppose I have some extra sewing needles, though. But I meant to say I do have funds as well, if you find you're in need to restock on the other end of this trip. You are doing the group a service, so certainly there's no need to pay it all from your own pocket.

Oh! I mean, yeah, sure, that'd be awesome of you, Arche. [ That's better than Archie, right? ]

[ There's another pause, this one a little embarrassed, and then: ]

Oh, and, uh.

Thanks.

For saving my ass. Twice. I - yeah. I appreciate it.

[ there's a second of silence. Could be the thing Fox just said, could be the nickname, who knows. There's no immediately snapped 'don't call me that' this time, though.

When Archeval speaks again at last, he sounds perhaps just a little bewildered by the gratitude. ]

......It's... fine? It's what I do. ...war zone situations, I mean. I'm used to this sort of thing. [ dryly ] Not the being stranded on a backwater world with no comms, hideously inadequate tech and measly supplies, but. It's not the first time I've run ops in non-ideal conditions either. Anyway--...

[ there's a pause again, and he draws in breath as though he might say something else, but finally just -- sighs quietly. ]

--Do get in touch if restocking becomes an issue, yes?

[ Fox pauses next, something else on the tip of his tongue. But Archeval seemed to want to end the conversation, and he didn't really know what he wanted to say, anyway. I'll find a way to save you, too.

Sounded just as stupid in his head as it would aloud.

So after another awkward few seconds: ]

Um- yeah, of course. Will do.

[ he's not sure what to make of that. Maybe Fox is just responding to his own awkward pause. He nearly repeated himself and then thought better of it -- look, everybody really is just doing their best here, okay, surely you can see that. No reason to restart any absolutely pointless arguments over things that are done and can't be changed. Not even Arche likes arguing just for the sake of arguing -- well, usually, anyway.

There's something in the other man's voice, though. He can't put his finger on it, and without Fox in front of him he can't get much of a mental feel. But it makes him reluctant to simply sign off without another word spoken. ]

......ah. And I did-- consider it. The tattoos. [ it sounds hideously awkward the moment it comes out of his mouth, but so be it, he's never been the master of sparkling conversation ]

But I wouldn't want it visible, which seems difficult without doing any undressing. ...nothing personal. I just value my privacy.

Oh- you don't have to explain, it's totally okay. Like I said, I know they aren't everyone's jam.

... But, um, you usually wear socks, right? I could always put it on an ankle or something. Though you don't - I promise I'm not like a perv or something.

[ that actually gets a small snort of laughter from the other end of the line. As sour-tempered as Arche usually is, Fox might not have heard such a thing out of him before. In a familiar deep, wry drawl he goes on: ]

Oh yes, clearly I just don't want your wanton hands feeling up my blushing virgin body.

...I'll think about it, though. The more comms the better and all that.

[ He can't help it, there's a small smile that can be heard in his voice when he replies. ]

Just saying, I know how to keep my eyes where they're supposed to be.

[ A pause. ]

Actually, ah-- do you have one? A comm, I mean. From your-- world, timeline, whatever.

Hm? I have my own comlink here with me, yes. Mostly useless, but it was able to parse your world's tech enough to message Mingyu through it.

Can I take a look at it?

I have mine - my phone, anyway. I hate smart phones. But if I take a look at it, maybe I can come up with a spell to link it in to the thralled network. I mean - I have no idea if it would work, but I've gotta do something to get Karsa to ease up a little.

Hm... I suppose? It works in a good long list of galactic languages, but not yours, though. If you don't think that will be a problem, I can come by.

Been giving you a hard time, has she?

Ah.... I mean, I can't really blame her. I must seem like a toddler demanding treats, to her. But it's nothing I haven't come across before.

[ Or stolen from before. But to duplicate local magic he has to understand it first, and understanding is a far more difficult thing to simply take. ]

And- well, I mean, I'll know when I see it. I might not learn anything, but there's no way to know that until I look.

[ he sounds vaguely amused again ]

Her default mode seems to be 'entirely unimpressed', far as I've ever noticed. Not that I can blame her. Seems as though the males on this world are quite oppressive to other sexes, as if this hellhole needed even more help being awful. [ snort ] At any rate, I half wonder if she even notices herself doing it.

Is now a good time for me to come find you?

un: fox rain

please note fox's dumb ideas on droids do not reflect britt's stance on DROID RIGHTS (TM)

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