Forty-Third Theory [Mostly Action]

[i_speak_softly]

((General post for the next two weeks or so. Preemptive tl;dr, find him anywhere, though suggestion of day/place/activity is appreciated.))

[As May begins, and as a fairly large percentage of May goes by, Donatello can be found doing the following things:

-Jogging through the woods, tracking down any signs of life detected by the departed Mr. Scott's not-really-new-and-not-exactly-improved-either tricorder. ((New Feathers, feel free to jump in here.))

-Hauling huge loads of books to and from the library.

-Studying these books - in and around House 55, at the library itself, by the fountain, at the coffee shop, alongside the river... pretty much anywhere.

-Copying diagrams from the books into his journal.

-Working at the smithy, trying to create physical equivalents of these diagrams.

-Digging through bins at the item shop.

-Practicing wind magic or good old-fashioned ninjutsu in various open areas around the edges of the village.

And a few more specific actions:]


[Don needs a few minutes of your time. If you don't dare to approach him while he's working, he'll come looking for you.]



[Some rainy evening, Don will show up at Robert's door with a duffel bag and a goofy grin. You owe him a nanocomputer demonstration - and he brought you a gift.]



Frederic, a question, if you have a minute...

Comments

[Action; rainy day (more distinct date when calendar's released?)]

[semper_cogitans]

[Boyfriends randomly dropping in is the best thing ever. Though Robert is definitely a little surprised.]

... Ah, Don? Is there something the matter?

[There'd been some awkwardness after the last major experiment, yes, and that had kept them apart for awhile. In the meantime Robert had had his thoughts and his analyses and his reports... no surprise that he'd go a little introverted after such a crisis with relationships. That, and Helios was avoiding him.

But he's still happy to see Don, even if he thinks there's a problem, until... he remembers.]

... Ah, oh yes... you did mention wanting to see my nanocomputer during a rainy evening...

[That explains the visit, then. Robert ushers the probably-slightly-damp turtle inside his apartment.]

Fine, mods, don't give us a calendar

[i_speak_softly]

Raph's still missing, but no new disasters, at least.

[He follows Robert inside, the rain rapidly evaporating from his skin.]

I brought you something.

WE'LL HAVE OUR OWN CALENDAR okay not really

[semper_cogitans]

Ah... [Robert's face falls a bit. He's actually genuinely worried about Raph, and hopes everything will be okay.

Whatever rain that hasn't evaporated will be getting sponged off as soon as Robert can find a towel.]

... Oh? Whyever for? [Not that he isn't thrilled to be getting something...] ... But, of course, thank you for thinking of me, regardless.

/invents two new months

[i_speak_softly]

[Don will trade that towel for his duffel bag, though it probably won't occur to him to do anything with it.]

Because having the right equipment is critical. Go put these on.

[In the bag Robert will find a swim mask, a pair of flippers, a snorkel, and a proliferation of inflatable water wings. Don has no idea how many of those it takes to make a Robert-sized human neutrally buoyant, so he just took a pile of them.]

*makes time metric*

[semper_cogitans]

The right equipment...? [Robert studies the contents of the bag right there. Swim gear?

It occurs to him suddenly that Don had wanted to teach him to swim.]

... I am going to look absolutely ridiculous.

... [He shrugs slightly after a moment.] But I suppose there isn't any harm...

Of course, the point is to remove one's clothing before getting in the water, I'd assume. Otherwise one would be quite thoroughly waterlogged.

[And without any fanfare whatsoever and right in front of Don, Robert proceeds to strip out of his clothing systemically, folding it with an obsessive neatness and placing it nearby on the table he'd placed the duffel bag on.

He only hesitates briefly with his shirt - and Don will notice his obvious discomfort around his chest, but he doesn't seem to react too visibly beyond that - but doesn't even seem to register taking off anything else. That's what happens when you have no nudity taboo...

In short order, the skinny little scientist is entirely naked, with no evidence that this state is any kind of problematic. And why should it be? Robert is with his partner, who seems accepting of his body as it is, and he is in his own house. This is completely professional in Robert's eyes, and the only reason he's awkward at all is because of how scrawny he feels next to Don.

He then starts to actually put the various swimming paraphernalia on, failing miserably in the process because he doesn't know how they work... and only then does he actually look embarrassed.]

... Confound these devices. They're... entirely ridiculous.

... Bah.

/converts

[i_speak_softly]

[Don does not notice anything, because he turns around as soon as Robert starts stripping. He is well-versed in the etiquette of privacy in close quarters. He is, however, a little surprised that Robert is getting naked right here, when he could just as easily go into the bedroom.]

Do they fit?

[... Do water wings come in sizes?]

SOON I WILL CONVERT THE WORLD

[semper_cogitans]

[Privacy? What privacy? And who needs it? Certainly not Robert.

Also, Robert could go to the bedroom, but that would a. waste precious time that could be used to scowl at the flippers and b. leave Don all by himself.]

... I honestly would not know how to tell.

[And Robert pokes frustratedly at the water wings at this, feeling like some kind of intended-to-be-amphibious clown.]

[i_speak_softly]

... Do you mind if I look?

[It's hard to help without looking.]

[semper_cogitans]

...

... Why would I mind?

[Robert stares over at Don with a completely quizzical expression.]

... Is there supposed to be a reason that I should?

[i_speak_softly]

I don't -

[He stops short because, Robert, you look ridiculous. Humans are just not built for the water, and adaptive equipment only makes them even more ungainly.]

[The parts of Robert that are sheathed in half-inflated water wings provide a handy distraction from the parts of Robert that aren't covered at all.]

Um...

[semper_cogitans]

...

[Yeah, Robert was afraid of that. He shakes his head with what might be despair on a more dramatic person.]

See? I look completely imbecilic, don't I?

If only there was Terran aquatic equipment here. That looks far less inane.

[He crosses his arms lightly over his scrawny chest, glowering down at the entirely-ridiculous flippers some more and flushing fairly intensely.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don looks at his own built-in flippers. This was a bad gift. What was he thinking?]

I can take it back...

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert looks up at Don, stares for a few seconds, and then breaks into a dorky, self-depreciating smile.

Hell, he actually chuckles softly at himself.]

It may look ridiculous, but... the point is for it to be functional, correct?

...

Though it remains to be seen whether it actually is functional... [Robert looks suspiciously over at the half-inflated things attached to his arms.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don glances up, and grins back.]

You'll bring them to the mountains, then?

[semper_cogitans]

Most likely, if you still want me to attend... [Robert blinks thoughtfully a moment.] But I'd probably need some sort of protective gear for my body, too... I would rather reduce the number of foreign pathogens colonizing my mucus membranes.

[Such a pleasant thought, right? Not that Robert sounds completely terrified of the idea, but still.]

... I think there are kinds of waterproof clothing that specifically exist for that purpose, but... I am not sure how common they are here.

[i_speak_softly]

I don't remember seeing any... [But he wasn't really looking. Seriously, Robert, you're worried about getting an infection from the water? It's a mountain hot spring, not the outflow from a lateral.]

[semper_cogitans]

[BUT THERE ARE EXTREMEOPHILES IN THERE, POSSIBLY.

AND... AND... Yeah, Robert's being paranoid for no reason, honestly. Which probably means he will end up being naked in public.]

... I suppose it doesn't make a significant difference.

[And Robert is going to take off the water wings, now, because they're still one of the silliest-looking items in the list of stuff attached to him.] I wonder if it would be possible to swim without this, though...? It won't do me much good if the only way I can maintain neutral buoyancy is with assistance.

After all, I hardly had any assistance when I fell into the river the one time.

[But he was a turtle then... As a human, he probably would've drowned. Or started drowning anyway.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don will not let you drown. He will be your turtly life raft, with or without the silly-looking equipment.]

You don't have to use it if you don't want to...

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert is thoroughly in support of this idea.]

The flippers seem somewhat helpful... as does the mask and breathing apparatus...

...

[And Robert thoughtfully stoops a bit to check the flippers more closely. All of this probably makes it obvious just how thin and delicate-looking he is... especially naked.]

I... really do appreciate this, though, Don. I did want to learn this, if only for your sake...

[i_speak_softly]

Ah... I think it's called a "snorkel". [Such an odd word. Can that really be right? Ah well.]

I really hope you like it. Swimming, I mean. It's so different from anything else... [He's discovering that in some ways, he's glad you've never been underwater before. He can't wait to see you experience it for the first time.]

[semper_cogitans]

"Snorkel". [Robert repeats the word with the same incredulosity. It does sound like a strange word.]

...

I think I will like it, provided you are there to teach me... [If he can hang on to Don's shell, Robert will probably be happy.]

I just hope that I don't entirely shame all amphibious biota by my attempts.

[i_speak_softly]

[He smiles, already looking forward to it.]

But in the meantime, weren't you going to teach me something? I'll try not to be an embarrassment to your century.

[semper_cogitans]

Oh, yes... Right. Certainly. [And there goes Robert off to get his nanocomputer off the nearby, well-used desk that it's on.

He's, uh, forgotten that he isn't wearing clothes. Don might want to remind him on that.]

What with your aptitude, I think you won't have much trouble learning to use it...

[i_speak_softly]

[When Robert turns around again Don will be holding out his pants and wearing an awkward smile. You might want to put these back on?]

[semper_cogitans]

[... Huh.

... Oh yeah, clothes. That's what he forgot. Time to be sheepish.]

... Ah. Should I replace my clothing...?

[Wait, does this mean he's discomforting for Don to look at? Robert is suddenly a little awkward.]

... I apologize if my body is strange...