starlogs | [Closed]

[ Lucas is in a very serious situation.

He needs to have a shower... but he has no idea how to use one. They'd never mentioned how to use one in the orientation film so it was probably common knowledge to everyone - everyone but Lucas.

Lucas finds himself in the communal shower area on the same floor as his room, stripped out of his clothes, staring up at the shower head he's under with a look of bewilderment. It seemed like the water came from the contraption above him... but how? He reaches up to tap it with his hand but nothing comes out. He grunts his frustration to himself, the noise echoing throughout the room. Where were the damn baths? If he wasn't in space, he would have bathed in a river. It's not like he can keep avoiding washing himself either. Frankly he stinks.

He needs to figure this out. If only he had help... ]

[The shared bathroom isn't usually one of his stops during the day, Yuuri preferring to use the shower in his own room. Today, however, Yuuri's willing to make an exception.]

Makkachin, come here. [Fond as he is of the poodle, Yuuri can't help but shake his head when Makkachin comes padding over to him, panting happily and wagging his tail. He's also covered in dirt. Yuuri has no idea why Makkachin decided to go rolling around the Atrium's flower bed, but there's no way he's taking him back to Viktor like this.

They stop by the showers, Yuuri pausing when he spies Lucas there.]

Oh! [In the poor lighting given by the emergency lights, it's hard to see him too clearly. Yuuri shifts nervously.] We're not bothering you, are we?

[ Lucas turns his head when he hears the sound of footsteps and a voice to accompany it. ]

Don't let me stop you. [ They seem harmless enough. Lucas smiles a little at the sight of the dog. Meeting a dog almost makes him miss the presence of Toto, Dorothy's dog, as much as he liked to act aggravated by him. ] Looks like someone's been having fun.

Too much fun. [Yuuri murmurs in response, though he's obviously amused as he leads the poodle over to a shower head slightly further away.] Don't worry, we won't get any of the dirt in your area.

[Having realized that Lucas isn't a threat, Yuuri smiles at him as he detaches the shower head and starts to fiddle with the handles.]

It's fine. [ He's dirty more than he is clean, to tell the truth.

The shower head detaches? Lucas observes him from afar for a moment before he realizes he's staring and should probably look away before he makes the other man uncomfortable. Copying the stranger, Lucas detaches the head of his own shower and tries mimicking what Yuuri does with the handles.

Water finally comes out but it's far too hot when it touches his skin - it's enough to make him yelp out loud unexpectedly. ] Is the water always this hot?

[The yelp makes both poodle and human look up sharply, Makkachin even wagging his tail slightly. Yuuri, on the hand, just looks surprised.]

Not always. [With a quick look at the handles, Yuuri spots the problem.] Ah, look, you've turned the hot water handle way up and left the cold one really low... [Yuuri hesitates, then turns off his shower and walks over to Lucas. Normally, anyone familiar with the shower system would know to fiddle with the handles until they got the right temperature, but... hmm.] Have you never used showers like this before?

[ Lucas shakes his head. ] This is my first time. [ It's probably going to be his first experience of a lot of things. ]

There aren't showers where I'm from. There are baths and rivers, but not these. [ He gestures to the shower head. He feels the temperature of the water and it's a lot better. ] Thank you-- [ He's about to say his name when he realizes he doesn't know it. Yet. ] What's your name?

That explains a lot. The technology here must be really confusing to you, then. [His smile turns sympathetic now. Lucas wouldn't be the first person from way back in the past that Yuuri's met on board. He knows how difficult adjusting to the Elvuio can be.] It's Yuuri. What about you?

[Pausing before he fully steps away, Yuuri points to the bottles lined up in the shower nook just in front of him.]

Those are the soaps you can use while you're washing. There's some specifically for the hair, but... [Did they even have shampoo and conditioner where Lucas is from? Probably not, he guesses.] Um, you can just use the soap bar if you want to keep things simple.

[ Lucas hesitates before giving his name, not because he's reluctant to give it because he's not sure which name to give. He's been going through an identity crisis lately. ]

My birth name is Roan... but some people like to call me Lucas. [ One person, really.

Lucas examines the bottles in front of him. Perhaps he'll use them in the future but for now, he sticks with the bar of soap. He puts the shower head back in its former place because it doesn't seem like he needs to hold it in his hand, only to reach certain places. ] Thank you, Yuuri.

Are there others like me not used to this technology? [ He hopes he's not the only one. ]

You're welcome. [His answer is soft as he turns and walks back to Makkachin, who has miraculously stayed right there the whole time. The handles squeak as he turns them back on again.]

There are a few others like you. The anomalies aren't really picky about which worlds and times they take us from. [Once the water's warm on his end, too, Yuuri uses the detached shower head to wash the dirt from the poodle's curly coat. All the while he keeps half an eye on Lucas in case he needs help again.] So it's either Roan or Lucas... which one do you prefer?

I'm not sure the anomalies chose wisely with me. [ He has so much to learn and he's feeling a bit useless. He doesn't like feeling useless.

He thinks for a moment, soaping into his arms and hairy chest. ] I don't know. [ He admits somewhat ruefully. ] The second was given to me when I lost my memories. Ever since my memories were returned to me I've felt... conflicted.

You can call me what you want. [ He adds. Back home he refused to let Dorothy call him by the name she gave him, but Lucas is past that now. Maybe he doesn't want to be either. Maybe he'll make a new name for himself. ] Whichever you see fits.

How did you lose your memories? [That gets Yuuri to look up from Makkachin with a frown.] Ah, that was probably sort of rude to ask. You don't need to answer that if you don't want to.

[Knowing that, though, it's easier to pick between the two names.]

Roan. Let's go with the name you had first. [Yuuri says, a touch gently.] If you decide later that you prefer Lucas after all, you can just tell me.

[ Lucas doesn't think it's rude to ask. It might be odd for him to be answering personal questions naked though, but Lucas is the one who brought up his amnesia. It's only natural for Yuuri to be curious. ]

Magic. My wife is a witch.

[ Lucas nods at the name Yuuri decides upon. It's a very thoughtful response. His kindness reminds him of someone, and not his wife, but he distracts himself from thinking about said someone by asking Yuuri a question. ]

Do you have magic in your world?

Your wife? [Yuuri's eyes widen, even as he looks confused by the answer.] Wait, are you saying your wife used magic to make you forget?

No... [Yuuri shakes his head without hesitation.] I don't think we have anything like that in our world. Real magic, anyway. There are plenty of stories about magic, though.

Yes. [ In the form of a pill he swallowed. ] To protect me... and our secrets. [ He tells himself that it was for them, not just for Glinda, because the more he thinks about it, the more he starts to think Glinda was only looking out for herself. And that's not a good thought to have about your wife. ]

The leader of where I'm from despises magic - has even killed those born with it. [ He rubs soap into his scalp. ] He banned magic but my wife has a plan to fight him with an army of witches.

[It's a good reason in theory, but Yuuri can't help but feel bad on his behalf anyway.]

I'm sorry. [His voice can just barely be heard over the sound of running water. Yuuri looks over at him as he reaches for one of the bottles of soap. He's hesitant as he asks the next question.]

What happens now that you remember?

My duty as a husband is to be loyal to my wife. [ If it sounds like he's been telling himself this over and over, it's because he has. ] Now that I remember, that's all that matters above all else.

Whatever happened when I had no memories - whatever inappropriate bonds I made - must be forgotten. [ He committed infidelity - but he didn't remember his wife existed at the time, so it's not really his fault. ]

Sometimes I wish I could go back to not remembering. Things seemed simpler back then...

Glinda would think me a fool for telling you so much. [ Lucas realizes out loud, wanting to kick himself, but a lot has happened to him which he ought to talk about with someone for the sake of his mental health. ] Please don't share what I've said with anyone.

[Some part of him probably expected that things would get complicated, but this is even more so than he would have ever guessed.

"Sometimes I wish I could go back to not remembering." That Roan had said something like that to begin with is incredibly telling, in Yuuri's opinion.]

I won't tell anyone, I promise. [Yuuri says, as serious as he's ever been.] It sounds like... you needed to get all that out, though. It probably hurt to keep all that to yourself. [Says the person who also tends to clam up when it comes to personal matters. It's always easier giving that advice to people rather than following it himself.]

Thank you. [ Yuuri doesn't seem like the type of person who would share his life story, but he feels better knowing nothing will leave these walls. ]

I'm familiar with hurting. [ Too familiar. That much is evident from the amount of scars that litter Lucas' body. ]

What about you? [ He's spoken enough about himself, he feels. ] Please, share with me your simpler life back home. Let me be envious.

Doesn't mean you have to bear it alone. [Yuuri says quietly, after a beat. But he's not as insistent as some of his friends might be; he knows when he might be pushing too hard at boundaries.][Yuuri rubs the rubs the foaming soap into Makkachin's coat and then begins to rinse it all off.] I guess it's pretty simple compared to yours. I was a professional figure skater back home.

Figure skater. [ Lucas repeats the term inquisitively, pausing to think what Yuuri could be talking about...

The poor man hasn't got a clue. No doubt Yuuri would be happy to explain it to him. ]

What does that entail?

[Closed]

beginning of March (Lucas' first day)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject