001 - anonymous text/action

[justlittle]

[Bean waited a long time before posting to the Network. At first he was unsure who exactly was watching. Is this like the desks at school? Would he have to make a fake post to prevent whoever is in charge from learning anything he did not want them to know? Or was it innocent, just a means of communication or entertainment? Either way, Bean saw no real interest in it. From what he saw of the recent posts, the people here seem obsessed with clothing and amenities. Nothing he can relate to. Besides, the terminal in his suite has been acting oddly all day. He decided to explore the city instead. He hasn't been in a city since Rotterdam, but he's sure he can get back into the swing of it. Being a rather large city, there's sure to be street gangs of abandoned kids somewhere-- maybe not in the wealthy-looking metal sector, but somewhere. Maybe he'll find them, restart his old life. Maybe not. For now he's just exploring, gathering data.

At some point he happens upon a café with anonymous hookups. This, he decides, would be the perfect opportunity to give the Network a try. He hangs around the café for a few hours, looking in, buying something to drink, but never signing on. Then finally, he makes his move.]

So they have us on the back of a turtle. Slow and steady wins the race, they say, but where is the rabbit? What shore are we swimming towards, and where was the starting line? And what happens when the turtle stops swimming?

[He signs off, satisfied with his post, and waits to watch the responses. It's as much a fact-finding mission as anything, and he's interested to see who will respond and what they might have to say.]


[ooc: feel free to either respond to his post or see him around any of the sectors. A scrawny looking seven year old can only be so inconspicuous.]

Comments

[imaginate]

What on earth gave you that idea?

[justlittle]

I think you mean what on turtle.

[imaginate]

This soldier offers the counter argument that the turtle is on a planet of some kind.

[justlittle]

This soldier counters that that planet still likely isn't Earth.

[imaginate]

Unfortunately there is no proof that it is or isn't, so it seems this remains undecided due to lack of conclusive evidence. However, the objection is noted, and this soldier will attempt to be more accurate in the future, provided there is no comedic value in being otherwise.

[justlittle]

[Bean could go into statistical probabilities and the like, but that would be too far. I stead, he sticks his hands in his pockets and keeps walking. The smile stays, though.]

[imaginate]

[Kyle's smile stays too, and they walk towards Water. The streets become narrower and most of the space is taken up by the wide canals. The water is only starting to cloud slightly, but otherwise looks normal. The area is mostly quiet this time of day, and a few people are standing around the fruit shops. He points to one.] Sea prunes. Unadvisable unless desperate. Everything else tastes like fresh fruit that one can get planetside.

[He wonders just how long this rationing is going to last, and how long it might be before they receive anything as fresh.]

[justlittle]

Wait a second, okay?

[Bean runs over to a fruit shop and buys whatever looks ripest. Not a prune. He's not hungry, but it's been years since he had fruit, and a part of him still remembers how good Achilles' raisins tasted. He bites into it immediately, not bothering to wipe the juice from his chin. Mmm, it tastes so good!

Finally coming back to himself, he returns to Rayner.] Sorry. [Bite, chew, swallow.] You were saying?

[imaginate]

[Kyle watches, uncertain if he's been allowed to see this side of Bean because he's earned trust, or because he simply had the good fortune to be here at the right time. He takes out a small square piece of cloth that he usually treats like a handkerchief and will wait for Bean to finish eating before handing it to him to wipe his mouth.] I was saying. Sea prunes. Bad idea.

[justlittle]

[Bean was going to use his arm, but okay, handkerchief. How fancy. He wipes his chin and hands it back, trying to be more careful with the fruit from here on.]

Understood. [Sea prunes bad. This thing good.]

[imaginate]

How long has it been since you ate something fresh?

[justlittle]

Almost... three years. I've been in space.

[imaginate]

Where I'm stationed, it's next to impossible to import anything from Earth, so we have to make do.

[He puts the handkerchief away - he'll wash it later - and starts walking again.]

[justlittle]

[Bean follows.] Where are you stationed?

[imaginate]

Oa. In my timeline, it's strategically located at the centre of the universe.

[justlittle]

That's convenient. [He pauses.] What... year are you from?

augh comics timelines!!

[imaginate]

I've found century and planet of origin is a more accurate gauge here. [Beat.] I'm from early twenty-first. What about you?

i feel you

[justlittle]

Mid 22nd. [There goes his theory Rayner is from the future.]

[imaginate]

Hm. [He studies a fountain as he thinks.] Some of the alien species across worlds have startling similarities. It's possible that the invaders you encountered evolved from ones I'm familiar with.

[He knows Bean is sick of fighting but, if the danger is still present, Kyle may as well attempt to help counter it any way he can.]

[justlittle]

[That's an interesting thought. Bean never stopped to think where the Buggers came from. Still…] Regardless of how they evolved, they're gone now. All of them.

[imaginate]

I see. [He doesn't need or want to say anything else on the subject. Complete genocide. To save Earth. Kyle knows he'd do it in a heartbeat if it was the only way, despite several reprimands regarding favouring his home planet. It was still home. It needed defending.

He walks nearer to the fountain and gestures at the juulans in it, glinting in the sunlight.] Make a wish, if you want.

[justlittle]

[He doesn't want. Bean always thought this tradition was stupid. Throwing away money for something that won't come true. In Rotterdam, the bigger kids would go through the fountains at night, taking all the coins, and Bean's sure the same thing must happen here.] No thanks. I'll keep my juulan.

[imaginate]

[Honestly? He hadn't been sure what to expect. Bean, like Damian, was very much a child in some ways. Not this particular way, clearly..

Kyle makes a soft 'hmm' and looks into the fountain to see a pile of juulan still there. With the wage cut, Bean probably has the right idea.

He heads towards Metal, the skyscrapers steadily growing larger and more imposing.]

[justlittle]

[With Rayner not looking, Bean reaches in and grabs a (small) handful of juulan, shaking off the water before stuffing them in his pocket and running to catch up.]

[imaginate]

[He doesn't notice. Even if he did, he wouldn't have had any outward reaction. Kyle was no stranger to hardship.

As they approach, he notices some of the lights flickering and points to them.] Was that happening earlier, when you arrived?