i_speak_softly | Forty-Eighth Theory [Accidental Video/Action for Housemates]

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Forty-Eighth Theory [Accidental Video/Action for Housemates]

[It should be immediately obvious that Don didn't mean to turn his journal on, and isn't even aware that it is on. He isn't looking at it. He isn't saying anything. In fact, he might not be awake. He's just sitting slumped in a chair, his head on the desk-like counter before him.]

[If you look past Donatello to the background of the scene, you might be able to identify the setting as a subway car. A very strange subway car, though - it's stuffed with technology that might look futuristic even to someone from the same world and time as Don.]

[Do you quietly look away, Lucetians? Or do you intrude on the private moment?]

((Backdated to a little earlier this morning, thanks LJ.))

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[Robert admires the Shell Sub's exterior. It is a labour of love by his skilled partner, and as far as he's concerned it's something worthy of respect given to a work of art.]

I wonder if it would... operate within another simulation... though I doubt we could take it out of this one.

It fires up, but the tunnel doesn't go anywhere.

[Don moves out of the train car, towards the pool where the Sub is floating.]

You can look inside if you want.

I would love to. [Robert falls into step next to Don, his gaze constantly moving around - taking in this part of the Lair. His partner's life, before him - before he even knew Don existed.

... It just sharpens that feeling that he doesn't want to go back to a time where he didn't know Don existed.]

I wish I could show you places from Terra as well... some downright beautiful parts of Linden have shown up.

[Don moves around the pool, to the side of the Sub with the hatch, and casually leaps to the floating vehicle.]

I'd love to see them.

["Casually" and "leaps" are not words Robert would put in the same sentence. He looks uncomfortably at the pool, as if trying to gauge how the hell he's going to get to the hatch without taking a dip.]

... Well, I did get holophotographs and holovideo, in the event you do not get to see them during this debacle...

... Er... how exactly do I get inside? [Preferably without being soaked?]

[Don looks down at the hatch. Over at Robert. Down at the hatch... He hits the button to open it, and watches it fold out. It's still about five feet from the edge of the pool. Did he expect something different?]

[... Over at Robert.]

Um...

[... Derp. This is a moment where not being able to jump five feet is a severe disadvantage.]

... Erm.

...

[He shifts awkwardly, staring at the gap that's nearly as long as he is tall with consternation. How in the world does Don jump this sort of distance so easily?]

[Sigh. Don hops down to the open hatch, crouches, and slides off into the water. Stretching out on the surface, he grabs the rim of the pool with his hands and hooks his feet over the edge of the hatch.]

[Turtle bridge, Robert?]

[... Best bridge ever.

It takes Robert a minute to realize what Don's actually doing.]

... Are you c-certain this is... safe for you? [Because accidentally hurting Don is far more important than slipping, falling and simulatedly-drowning.]

[Sure, as long as Robert doesn't step on his wings.]

[Of course, Don can't say as much, without causing himself severe neck strain. So he just blows some encouraging bubbles.]

[After a moment, Robert decides that, were there a problem, Don wouldn't be sitting there blowing bubbles. So... going to carefully try to walk over Don now.

... No, actually, screw that. Too slippery. Changing plan to crawling, here. ~~This doesn't look awkward at all.~~

Robert is not good at this. Buuuut eventually, hideously awkward or not, he will be on that platform.]

... Sorry.

[That was - even more awkward than Don had imagined. He's patient about it, though, holding steady until Robert has crawled off him and onto the hatch. Then he folds up and dives under - easiest to circle the Sub and resurface on the other side.]

No problem.

[He perches on the upper edge of the hatchway, gesturing for Robert to precede him.]

[And Robert does so, still a little flushed from the magnitude of failure he just demonstrated. He hauls himself up as best as possible and peers into the submarine.]

... Amazing. [He has to keep reminding himself - Don built this. Out of scrap. He built it with less resources available to him than most hobbyists on Terra, with sub-standard tools, without easy assistance.

... It makes this a lot more impressive than even the mechanics involved alone would have made it.]

[Don leans forward, looking inside with Robert.]

Watch your head.

[Careful. Robert twists to avoid smacking his skull off anything and carefully works himself inside the submarine.]

... What is this for, primarily, if I may ask? [He glances over the consoles, some of them evoking faint recognition from him. So very curious.]

[Don flips down and follows Robert into the cramped space, jammed as it is with consoles and equipment.]

Exploration. Mike and I had a pretty amazing adventure with it once.

What happened? [Robert's tone is curious, though he doesn't know if he should be asking things like this with Raphael's recent disappearance. He'd hate to make Don feel bad.

... Knowing him, it'll end up happening anyway, though.]

[This one didn't involve Raph, so Don doesn't mind talking about it.]

We were taken prisoner by an overgrown trash collector and destroyed an underwater city.

...

Are the two things related?

[Because those are the two most unrelated things Robert has ever heard of.]

And... why did you destroy a city? [Don, your life is mind-boggling to Robert.]

Well, it was his underwater city. He was sinking ships and using the salvage to expand his operation. [He examines a console idly, then continues:] We had met him once before. He was kidnapping homeless people and making them work as slaves on his junk island.

[... What. Yeah, Don, Robert doesn't know what even.]

... Your life sounds... even more fascinating than I thought it was.

[Just... junk island?]

What exactly was the point of that endeavour...?

He was trying to build some kind of empire of garbage. [He shakes his head.] I think something was wrong with him...

... Empire of garbage.

... That sounds... odd. Very odd. And... not exactly conducive to... much of anything.

[Then again, Terran garbage is relatively... rare in the first place.]

[Don just shrugs.]

That kind of thing happened to me a lot.

[Robert shuffles a little closer to Don. He's missed this, and it's a rare calm moment during this experiment.

If Don doesn't object, he'll rest his head against his plastron, listening to that familiar heartbeat.]

... Luceti isn't much different for you then, I suppose. In some ways, at least.

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