[open] i'm wishing on the death star

[shenunigans]

WHO: Dave Strider and OPEN
WHERE: All around Eluvio
WHEN: Various. Present time, mostly.
WHAT: Dave finding his bearings, muddling around and being a nuisance.
WARNINGS: naughty cussing

one: skating.
[Working at a Skateboard store as a clerk has almost little to no perks. People are annoying, nobody knows who Tony Hawk is and he sure as hell didn't sign up for this shit. The one perk Dave has found, is that taking merch from the store is not only allowed, it's encouraged. Why not be a mobile advertisement? What could go wrong?

Of course, Dave doesn't waste time with the snap back caps or the knee pads for toddlers, he just wants the board.

Admittedly, it's been a fucking eon since he legitimately rode one. But it's like riding a bike. Where the break is your foot and your bike is a wooden board that reaches Incredible Speeds. He's rusty enough that he feels self-conscious dicking around in the open. He's found a reasonably secluded part of the ship for practicing and he's picking it all up again pretty fast.

He starts getting cocky, working on tricks. Kick flips, heel flips, grinding, etc. Every so often, he nails it. Every so often, he fucks up spectacularly. God knows at which point someone could possibly happen upon him.]

two: cafeteria.
[The cafeteria is a source of great conflict for Dave. On the one hand, it is a bountiful harvest of delicious food. He's been deprived of decent, palatable food for so long he might as well be at a Lord's banquet every time he steps in there.

On the other hand, a niggling, awkward feeling gets his goat whenever he sees the herds of people in there. It's been so long since he's been around more than five people at a time, it's like he's developed some sort of meteor-deprived agoraphobia. He tries to slink in when there's less people around, but that tends to be difficult.

Dave doesn't realise he's chewing his lip as he looks upon the cafeteria. He has a tray with a large glass of apple juice, three cheeseburgers and an apple pie and a look of determination behind his shades. He scans for an empty table and realises, regretfully, that there isn't one. He'll have to take his chances with sitting at the end of a less occupied table.

He'll slink forward, set his tray on the opposite and furthest side of a table and take a seat. Nope. Not awkward at all.

Fuck man, say something.]

Sup?

three: space view.
[Being in space isn't the strangest part about this ordeal for Dave. He was in space before, assing around on a meteor propelling to some glorious location. The ship is a change, but the thing that bugs him out is the small, near impossible chance that the meteor might actually be in this universe. It's not like he wants to go back. Hell no. He just kind of wishes he could bring some of the contents of that meteor onto the ship.

Now, he's not about to go tug on the captain's sleeve and beg him to keep his eye out for a shitty chunk of rock. Hell, he's not even sure he'll keep the remotest of hopes up. For whatever reason (mostly boredom) he decides to be like the stupid-ass kid who leaves cookies out for santa and starts taping up calling cards.



That ought to do it.]

Comments

( three )

[dudebro]

[ Because Jason hates his job, he spends his time wandering as a mobile seller of lollipops. He knows it sounds fucking suspect as hell, but he's not all that pressed one way or the other. Either people want some candy or they don't. Honestly, he's probably three steps away from getting fired, but whatever. It's cool. Today, though, today is one of his wandering days and he's eating a blue lollipop that tastes like the ocean and regret when he happens upon some...

Well. Something.

He pulls one of the ~calling cards~ down and looks at it, not understanding what it means, but hella curious. Because, shit yeah, sounds like some sort of crazy conspiracy nut and he wants to hear these warnings that... he wasn't really warned about but might have been. Jason looks around, seeing if he can find any more of these that will hopefully lead him to the one behind it.

Of course, when he finally finds the perp, it's... not really what he expected. Whatever. He's still interested. ]

Yo. [ he holds the flyer up, shaking it a little. ] The fuck's up with this, man?

[shenunigans]

[It seems like job satisfaction is at an all time low around here. Hopefully soon they'll all rise up and seize the means of production, but for now it's to be endured.

Dave can smell the sweet, salty smell of regret before it addresses him personally. He's caught red-handed, really, because he still has a few copies in his hand.]

Sup. [Nonchalant. Effortless. He raises a brow and leans in, furrowing his brows and narrowing his eyes behind his shades before he straightens up and points at the flyer.] Looks like paper.

[dudebro]

[ Jason just gives him kind of a blank look before shifting his gaze down to the other copies then back up to his face. ]

Yeah, no shit. Figured that out for myself.

[ But. He's curious, so. ]

What's it about, kid?

[shenunigans]

Flyers are used as a means to distribute a message to a surrounding area. [He nods knowingly.]

I dunno, I just wondered if enlightened beings might get a kick out of observing the Eluvio passing in all its glory and squinting up into the corners to see the face of modern art staring back at them. [It's a big fat lie, but this guy doesn't need to know that.]

[dudebro]

[ Except he totally does know that because as a bullshit artist ( self-proclaimed ), he can smell another one a mile away.

Or, in this case, only a few feet away. ]

Dude, when you're done with your existential spewing of shit, I'll be here. You know, waiting for the real answer.

ONE. —

[bayarm]

[ shiro spends most of his free time on the castle of lions, but his job brings him to the eluvio and getting back to the castle means walking through the corridors to the hangar, some of them usually empty and out of the way. there's a bit of a headache brewing behind his brows because he really doesn't enjoy the job they've given him, but, well. what can you do, right?

so maybe he isn't paying much attention, but when he hears a crash and a curse, he definitely looks into the adjacent corridor to see what's happening and if anyone needs help, only to find a guy on the ground with a skate board next to him, already in the process of getting up. ]

Are you all right?

[shenunigans]

[The only positive thing Dave can take away from this situation is that nobody is around. He might have stacked harder than a deer running on slippery ice, but his dignity is tentatively in tact.

He's content to just lie there for a moment and let it all soak in before he starts to get up to check and see if he snapped his ankles or anything. Naturally, that's when Shiro looks around to find him. God damn it.

Dave lets himself fall back, haphazardly arranging his arms behind his head so it's as if he's resting his head on them. Nothing to see here, nope. His legs are totally not arranged in an awkward, unnatural manner like someone who didn't mean to be on the floor right now.]

Me? [He asks, as if he's not the only idiot lying on the ground.] Yep. Fine. Never been better. Fit as a fiddle.

[bayarm]

[ shiro has seen this kind of thing before. not with the skate board casually and damningly lying next to someone, no, but this sort of attempt at appearing what shiro assumes is supposed to be cool. the unwillingness to admit to mistakes, even perfectly understandable and harmless ones. ]

Right. [ he smiles a little. ] I'll let you pretend that's true if you tell me honestly if you got hurt or not.

[ probably the kid didn't, or he wouldn't be able to pretend so well, but shiro knows how far ego can drive a man. or a teenager. especially a teenager. ]

[shenunigans]

[Dave is unaccustomed to this level of polite concern, so it gives him pause for a moment as he considers how far he wants to take this.

Shiro is, of course, correct in understanding that a teenager needs to protect his tiny, precious amount of dignity as fiercely as he can.]

I honestly don't know what you're talking about, that's for sure. Can't a guy just lie down and enjoy the view. [He gestures up at the plain, unexceptional ceiling above them.

Okay this is getting dumb.] I'm still fine.

two

[yokunaru]

[Despite having been on board the Eluvio for a while now, Yuuri can count the number of times he's actually been in the cafeteria, preferring to visit eateries in the Shopping Centre instead. Today, though, Yuuri makes a point to go out of his way and stop by the cafeteria for his lunch.

Just after he's settled down at a table with his tea and skewers and a book on some basic Aurebesh vocabulary, he hears someone else take a seat nearby.]

Ah. [Yuuri says, caught just as he's lifting his tea for a sip. He offers dave a cautious smile.] Hello. Did you need something?

[shenunigans]

[Despite having been the first to speak, Dave almost didn't expect a reply. Hell, he certainly didn't expect a smile, that's a new one. He doesn't smile back, but he pulls a face that looks like he might be trying to. It's awkward.]

Just the seat, pretty much. [He settles into it, and glances around just to be sure there isn't a free seat elsewhere before he looks back at Yuuri.] Didn't think people would be this into garbage food. Kind of makes McNuggets look gourmet. [God he wants a McNugget.]

[yokunaru]

[While the new batch of anomaly people are pretty friendly, it still surprises Yuuri whenever a stranger suddenly tries to strike up a conversation with him. Being so much more social here is something he’s had to get used to in general. The mention of familiar things and shared interests does make thing easier, though. Like now. ]

McNuggets? [Yuuri perks up with recognition.] That means you’re from some version of Earth, right? We had a lot of those fast food chains back home, too.

[…unless McDonald’s has managed to spread other planets, too, in the future—considering how common they are on his Earth, Yuuri honestly would not be surprised.]

[shenunigans]

Yep. Earth. Homeworld of the McNuggets. America specifically, if that wasn't obvious. [His accent is decidedly American, even if he's forced all the Texan out of it.] Granted, the last time I was on Earth was 2007, so maybe by now America is just one big Drive Thru.

[Give him a minute to contemplate that.] Where are you from, anyway? One of the one hundred and twenty countries with McNuggets readily available?

two

[realimperfect]

[ The cafeteria was, decidedly, much better than a constant diet of a certain number of beans that had once been hr daily calorie intake on the Rabbit. Despite that, Re-L still finds herself wrestling with this whole food thing - mainly due to the fact that she's one-handed, for the moment, and well.. keeping herself in check versus staying on Daedalus' strict diet. Today was, seemingly, a break from all of that diet thought, or she just was really in the mood for something cheesy -

Because it looks like she's got about half a pizza in front of her. In her defense, though, she hadn't quite expected two slices to be so damn big.

So, slinged up Re-L Mayer is currently wrestling with two huge chunks of pizza as she notices a body she isn't really familiar with taking a seat near her, a dark brow immediately shooting upward on her forehead. Part of this is total culture shock - people on the Eluvio (and every damn where else) were just more friendly than her home of Romdeau, or just didn't have the same standards of personal space, but, she just can't help herself as he offers up a greeting: ]

Did you need something?

[ Other than to watch her wrestle with this pizza? ]

[shenunigans]

[Funnily enough, Dave wouldn't even consider himself friendly. Maybe it's years of being stuck with the same people, character building adventures and a desperate need for social interaction that makes him a little less hostile than the average Romdeau resident.

Either way, he kind of wants to abort mission here. She's clearly working through some personal issues with that pizza, and she doesn't seem particularly pleased that he's invited himself to her table. However, he feels like he'd rather sit here and grit his teeth through awkward than tuck his tail between his legs and repeat this conversation at another table.

So he picks up his first burger, just so she knows he's here to stay and means business.]

A seat. [Said bluntly.] Looks like you need help more than I do, to be honest.

[realimperfect]

[ He's bold enough, at least, to just begin digging in, and she resists the urge to put her foot on the edge of his chair and shove him back and away from her table to make a point, but in the end they're both just teenagers trying to find somewhere to eat - and she does have a little more patience than she used to, at least - ]

I wasn't expecting a slice to be bigger than my head, to be fair. It's a little harder to control with only one hand too..

[shenunigans]

To be fair, it looks like they cater almost exclusively to Americans here. [He takes a moment to have a pointed look at his burger.] Greasy, mass-produced and as much food as you can justify as a single portion. If you're lucky they'll start playing America the Beautiful while you keep wrestling with all of that cheese.

[After all that crap, he shrugs.] Maybe you should roll it up and eat it like a burrito.

two;

[firstrebel]

[ Hera doesn't really come to the cafeteria for food. It's not exactly gourmet - not that she cares, either. She's used to crappy space food and eating whatever is available. No, what she comes to the cafeteria for, is the people. There's no better place to meet and talk to people than over a meal in a cafeteria, no better way to suss out information and learn all the gossip.

So, she just smiles at the stranger. ]

Hello. I haven't seen you here before. New?

[shenunigans]

[As far as aliens go, Hera is a new experience for Dave. He can't really say he's experienced in inter-planetary species, but she looks friendly from afar and a lot less ridiculous than trolls.

He didn't mentally prepare for much more than a shrug and a nod, so the extremely simple question seems to take longer than necessary to come out. You can practically see the "loading" screen on his face.]

Uh, yeah. Like a week, roughly. At least I think that's what the tally I've been scratching into the wall of my room is keeping track of. [He pushes at his burger before he finally picks it up, looking over the top of it at Hera.] You been here long? Eons?

[firstrebel]

[ Hera just smiles at him - she's kind of gotten used to people looking at her funny here, so whatever. If he wants to stare, he's welcome to. ]

Not Eons. Maybe six weeks, myself. I don't think any of the... mm, out of worlders have been here more than a few months.

[shenunigans]

Really? [He probably should have known that. Hell, someone probably told him and it went in one ear out the other.]

Do you think it means anything to be in the first herds? Like, are we the juciest cows in the paddock or is it just randomized? First month you have like, the galaxiest best sharp shooter, the finest pilots in the land and then bam, Snoop Dogg. Then the next round you have the guy who bags groceries at Walmart, the guy who has every "buy one get one free" day at Taco Bell marked on his calendar and a sentient pineapple. Right?

one

[stop_apologizing]

[Colette didn't know one could ride a literal piece a wood around like a squirrel high on mana, and even though she knows better, it's difficult to walk past like she didn't see anything. Given the secluded area, maybe the boy wants to be left alone... She's being rude staring like this.

But stay she does, peering from a distance and automatically clapping (at least she tries to be quiet!) when the boy nails a particularly tricky-looking move. Dear Martel, he's amazing. She can't even walk down a hall without breaking something.]

[shenunigans]

[Dave, of course, has literally no idea he's being watched at this moment in time. This is probably why he's managed to make it this far without stacking it and eating ground.

It's kind of cathartic, if not a little depressing, to be fucking around with his skateboard alone. It's been a long time since he's really used one, but even doing sick tricks gets boring after a while. He's starting to increase the difficulty of it, to the point where he impresses even himself when he nails that one.

For a moment, he thinks the clapping is in his head, and he's just coasting along on his board with his hands over his head in a victory pose. He rolls past Colette and realises no, the clapping isn't a figment of his imagination. It gives him pause, enough to make him nearly roll into a wall before he steadies himself.

He's just going to clear his throat and pretend that didn't happen.]

Sup?

[stop_apologizing]

[What's a sup can you eat it--

But even before that, Colette winces upon noting that her presence nearly caused a collision. Whoops, her bad. But she's thankful this new person doesn't seem too upset by the appearance of an audience]

Um, hello! [Speaking brightly, because Colette doesn't possess any other dial.] Sorry, I hope I didn't interrupt you.

[Though she means what she says, her attention is so quickly drawn to that skateboard. Up close, she can see the wheels underneath and seems to delight in how clever an idea it is. She can't recall ever seeing something like this in Sylvarant -- or Tethe'alla for that matter.]

I've never seen anyone ride one of those. You must've practiced a lot.

[shenunigans]

I mean, you kind of did. [It's blunt, but he isn't necessarily trying to sound rude or anything.]

Obviously you've never hung around a mall- or a high school- or a bus station. [That she may not even be from Earth is not a thought that's occurred to him yet.] I guess. For some people it's kind of innate. [He kicks the board up and- to his surprise- catches it. With a slight fumble.]

Probably why they have me working in the skate shop. You wanna try it or something?