Sixty-Fourth Theory [Action/Voice]

[i_speak_softly]

((First part is backdated to yesterday, November 10.))

[Would it really be so difficult for John's droids to just bring Don home?]

[Apparently, because they instead leave him in a side room of the barracks. On their way out, they drop his journal on the floor, just beyond his reach.]

[He can't feel his legs.]

[He woke up this way on John's table, and while part of his brain tried to assess the situation rationally and offer the mitigating factors that it's just for a week, thank goodness he didn't get this as his death loss, the rest of his brain was screaming too loudly to notice or care.]

[And now he's back in the village, half-paralyzed, still uncertain of his speech, and completely alone.]

[It takes a while, but he pulls himself together, drags himself a few feet across the floor, and painstakingly constructs a filter in the journal.]

Voice to Beast | Unhackable

Help. The barracks. Please...

[He closes the book when he's done. Beast won't get any reply from him through the journals, but will find him prone on the floor of the barracks, just wanting to go home.]



Voice for Everyone, November 11

[By the next day, Don has rediscovered his voice, and wants everyone else to hear it too. Being couchbound, he has nothing better to do than broadcast his every thought over the journal system.]

EVERYONE. Citizens, denizens, residents and inmates of our village of Luceti. Those of you who have just arrived, please find adequate shelter, because this is miserable weather to be out in. You're fortunate, though, to have missed our recent tornado. Also an infestation of ghosts and some messy business involving zombie viruses. Never a dull moment. I advise reading the guide, which can be found in your journal.

Those of you who are already jaded by such events, please entertain yourselves on this dreary day by suggesting a topic of interest: a fascinating subject, an intriguing project, or a hypothetical occurrence that you would find truly surprising. Jokes and stories are also welcome.

[He'll stop there. Finding words is still difficult and tiring, and like exercising any other faculty that hasn't been used in a while, he should take it slowly. Full recovery will come from patient practice, not from exhausting himself all at once.]


((Initial action is locked to Beast. Friends of Don are welcome to handwave hearing of his return and come visit, yesterday afternoon or any time during the week. Today's voice post is open to all.))

Comments

[i_speak_softly]

Please. [He finds Robert's hand, and squeezes it reassuringly.] We'll talk when you get back.

and then I skipped time

[semper_cogitans]

... Y-Yes. If... if you need anything, please call me.

[Robert bundles his journal into his arms, makes certain Don's journal is within easy reach (as well as other things he might need), and then reluctantly heads out the door.



Perhaps forty-five minutes or so later, he returns, his cloth bag full of precious medicine, a box of sterilized needles which he felt very strange for collecting, and a certain book, carefully folded in its confines.

In his hands, he carries a container of still-warm okonomiyaki.]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don's first interest is in that steaming white box. He seizes it, breaks apart the chopsticks inside, and starts inhaling the food. It's delicious.]

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert is perfectly content to watch Don eat all of the food, even if he meant to sample some of it himself.

It at least smells good though. Robert makes a mental note to attempt cooking it himself. Possibly with meat for Don, though who knows...]

[i_speak_softly]

[Don has noticed the lack of meat.]

[In a somewhat disappointed tone:] This is vegetables. Um. Vegetarian.

[semper_cogitans]

[Oh. Well, shit. Um.]

... I meant to eat some myself, but... [Well. Don just sort of devoured all of it.

Yep. Though Robert is now looking like he just committed the Worst Mistake Ever.]

[i_speak_softly]

[With a sigh, Don hands over the last pancake. He's more upset about this than might seem reasonable, but he's trying not to show it.]

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert just deflates. Mistakes are things he shouldn't be making at this point.]

... I will... bring s-separate containers next time. So it is not an issue.

[Suddenly the okonomiyaki no longer seems as appetizing.]

[i_speak_softly]

Just eat it. [He won't continue to more important topics until someone has finished that pancake.]

[spohkh]

[Spock can obviously see that he has upset Donatello...]

My apologies Mister Donatello, I was merely curious and did not mean to upset you. Perhaps you would be amenable to meeting in person?

[i_speak_softly]

[Would he be amenable to meeting in person. Ffff.]

I can't walk right now, but you're welcome to come over.

[voice]

[wise_maiden]

[With all of the grimmer news that seems to have been on the network lately, hearing Don speaking like his old self again is a nice turn of events.]

Sounds like you're ready to jump back into things. How are your winter preparations coming along?

[voice]

[frost_jewel]

I'm fine, thank you for asking.

[She's a bit taken aback by his casual remarks about the draft, but he wasn't there, he doesn't know. Entirely forgivable.]

It sounds like you don't have to worry about entertaining yourself.

[voice]

[justicereigns]

Not especially.

[Aka: not at all.] Since it usually means something drastic.

voice;

[bluemikan]

[ Dryly. ] Go home?

[Voice]

[pherae_hope]

[Well that's certainly helpful, and now Roy experimentally pokes at one of the appliances.]

How do they operate?

[Don will hear a couple beeps in the background and then a thrum of energy as a microwave comes to life. And in the next moment a thud as Roy is startled and drops his journal.]

[spohkh]

Very well, if you inform me of your location, I can be there momentarily.

[Spock is actually eager to meet Donatello in person...]

[Video]

[song_princess]

[She blinks for a few moments before smiling and nods her head.]

If you will not be burdened by my presence then I would like to come over.

[semper_cogitans]

[Robert sighs quietly, but does as he's told. One of these days he needs to get a backbone when it comes to dealing with Don.

Despite everything, though, the food manages to be tasty, so it's definitely worth a repeat sometime later.]

[Voice]

[i_speak_softly]

Scientifically or functionally?

[That did not sound good.]

Are you okay?

voice;

[i_speak_softly]

To go home. That actually happened once. But in this hypothetical situation, anyone who wanted to go home first had to ...?

[Voice]

[pherae_hope]

[Roy picks up the journal again as the microwave continues to run in the background.]

I'm fine. I wasn't expecting it to glow and make noise. But um... functionally.

[Video]

[i_speak_softly]

It's no trouble. [A pause, as though this thought just occurred to him.] There's a human here, but he's all right.

[i_speak_softly]

House 55. It's south of the village.

[i_speak_softly]

[That day needs to be soon, as they will probably discuss shortly.]

[Don waits until Robert is finished eating before he speaks again.]

Listen. There's a lot of things I've been waiting to say to you, and it's going to take a while to get through all of them. But first, I want you to know how grateful I am that you've put up with so much for me. I love you, and none of the things I want to talk to you about will change that. Okay?