voice

[deem]

Hey guys, can you hear me?

[YoRHa unit 9S, forever uncertain as to whether he's thinking at people properly]

I just wanted to let you know that 2B and I are doing renovations on that old house on the western side of the island. At the moment there's no water or electricity so it's probably not the most hospitable for humans...

But once it's in working order, this'll give us an outpost in this area.

Also we were discussing some hands-free lights for working in the dark. Devices like that would come in handy, right? Are there any other types of equipment you could use? Seems like during our downtime, that's something to work on. Maybe we can also establish what resources we've got at our disposal, too. We're a team and all, right?

[Now that they're not dealing with invading hostiles, it seems to him it's time to put his technical skills to work]

[ooc: Feel free to thread-hop/jack, let's get geared up]

Comments

[talim]

[ he doesn't know.

he doesn't know.

jude's secret is safe. he breathes out a shaky sigh and forces a smile. ]

No, I'm not, and no. It doesn't.

[ and despite his current emotional state, there's nothing but honesty in his eyes. ]

It... I...

[ jude can't bring himself to elaborate, so he just shakes his head, releasing the grip on his wrist. all he can do is repeat himself. ]

It doesn't. I promise. I wouldn't lie to you.

[deem]

[So it's not that. On the one hand, 9S finds himself relieved he's not causing that with Jude. On the other, that means he still hasn't figured out what it is that's prompting that change around him. Is it just around him? Come to think of it, he hasn't been around Jude and other people that much at the same time.

Maybe that's something he'll have to watch for, in the future. As it stands, he can't say for sure whether it's one way or the other.

But if it is just him, then...

Something to address later]

...Okay. [He finds himself unsure, still, but he puts that aside. He'll take Jude at his word] Should we head inside then?

[talim]

Y-Yeah. That's a good idea.

[ jude is all too quick to swing the door open and step inside, and what he sees is—

the place is practically sparkling clean compared to the last time he saw it. sure, they tidied up a bit together, but it was nothing like this. jude looks completely stunned, standing by the door and gaping. it looks like a different place altogether. ]

You cleaned all this up by yourself?

[deem]

I've had 2B around too, so I can't say it was all me...

[Although he did try to handle as much of it on his own as possible. It was a project he'd decided to take on, after all.

And he'd gotten a solid start to it all with Jude, so that helped]

Couldn't get started on repairs if the place was a mess.

[talim]

You're really dedicated, you know that?

[ jude strays into the kitchen and lets his eyes roam over the shining clean counters and the table large enough for more than two. the next room over, what he presumes to be the sitting room, looks just as cozy. ]

Wow. I don't know what to say. What did you need my input for? The place looks near perfect. More than comfortable.

How many bedrooms are there? Can I see? Don't worry— I'll stay out of 2B's.

[ the mental image of the dusty bed they had rested on while jude healed his ankle is still all too clear. ]

[deem]

[9S trails after him, quiet for a short time. Dedicated... It's nice to hear something like that]

Well, that's the thing... I'm not sure if one of them is a bedroom. We didn't exactly furnish things this way in the Bunker.

[And so, he finds himself unsure of what the actual bedroom count even is. He doesn't know the functional purpose of certain rooms, and although he can theorize on most, there's one that just eludes him entirely]

Not sure how to make the most effective use of the space, either.

[talim]

[ the room they had stayed in looks just fine. neat and tidy with fresh sheets. but the room 9s leads him to afterward...

it's clearly a bedroom, but it's different from the others. the bed is much bigger; big enough to have room for two, and it looks even more comfortable, although the others looked almost just as good compared to the cot jude's been sleeping on.

there are unlit candles on the nightstand and a bathroom attached, the door creaked open enough to reveal a clean bathtub and some cabinets. ]

Huh. You're right. This one is much fancier... but it's definitely a bedroom. I can tell you that much.

[ that bed really does look awfully soft. ]

Well, you should certainly make the most of it. There's still no electricity, right? The candles are sure to come in handy.

[deem]

I'm working on some portable lights, actually...

[It seems a waste to use something as finite as candles, or at least he thinks so. The dark was limiting in terms of work, so he's already devised a prototype of the lights he and 2B had discussed, although it needs testing as all new little gadgets do]

But at least now I know what this room is.

[Well, room and adjoining bathroom. The water doesn't yet work but at some point it will. For his part, 9S had chosen the smallest bedroom for himself, because it was far more like what he was accustomed to in terms of living space]

[talim]

Right, right, I forgot you mentioned it earlier. My bad.

[ to be fair, jude has been through a lot in the span of almost an hour or so. cut him some slack.

jude glances over to the large window in the room, adorned with red curtains that are pulled aside. immediately jude notices dark grey clouds are rolling in, a sign of even more rain to come. it's been raining a lot, and the weather here can go from sparkling sunshine to a downpour in a matter of minutes. ]

Ah... Looks like more rain again. It's always so sudden.

[ and this poses the problem of getting jude home. ]

[deem]

I don't mind reminding you.

[About anything, really. 9S doubts he could ever find it in him to mind.

The comment on weather prompts him to follow Jude's line of sight, watching the window, or rather what lies beyond it. Earlier the skies had seemed clear enough, but that seems to be how it is around here.

He's so accustomed to a world that often felt static, trapped in eternal, dusky day]

Makes me wonder what we should expect around here, at different points in time.

[talim]

[ a beat of silence. he can't help but wonder the same. ]

Do you think we should start preparing for raining fish again... ?

[deem]

[The first and best answer for that is a snort]

Probably snakes, knowing this place.

[talim]

[ a shiver visibly runs down his spine. snakes he can deal with, but what if it started raining bugs? he'd die. ]

Yeah, no thanks.

[ jude rests his arms behind his back and shifts side to side. ]

Is it alright if I stay here and wait it out?

[deem]

[And just for that, he pokes Jude's nose]

That's a silly question to ask.

[Seriously]

Of course you're welcome to stay as long as you want.

[talim]

What a graceful host.

[ jude laughs out loud. ]

Thanks. If I'm done surveying the house— passing grade, by the way— can I rest here for awhile?

[ his company would be nice, but he doesn't ask 9s to stay; he can go off to do his own thing. jude is sure there's plenty he's occupied with, after all. like those portable lights. ]

[deem]

Oh, you're tired?

[9S lets his hand drop, looking at Jude a bit more closely. Mercifully, he doesn't lean in this time around]

If you want to rest, you can go ahead. Everything's clean now.

[So no sleeping in dusty sheets or any of that]

[talim]

More like I'd like to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep on something besides a tiny cot.

[deem]

[9S wouldn't particularly mind the cot himself, but then, he can't deny a proper bed is more comfortable]

Well, it's not gonna run away from you or anything.

[talim]

[ it's been hurting his back. jude is an old man at the tender age of sixteen. ]

Good.

[ he shrugs out of 9s' coat, hanging it over the doorknob, before making his way over and rolling into bed. immediately he sighs with relief, hugging a pillow to his cheek with a wide smile. ]

Much more comfortable...

[ he feels bad complaining; at least he has a place to sleep at all. still...

he sits up to look at 9s, eyes already lidded. he's more tired than he thought. ]

Don't worry, I won't disturb you. Go ahead and go back to whatever it is you were doing before I got here.

[deem]

Couldn't disturb me if you tried.

[Not when he enjoys his company as much as he does. Still, there's one thing he needs to attend to here.

And for that reason he crosses the room, approaching the bed. He leans right over Jude...just to tug some blankets over him. Without that coat on, he'll need to stay warm, after all.

Once the blankets are settled into place, he pats the newly-formed bedlump that is now Jude Mathis]

There we go.

[talim]

[ .....

jude has to turn his head into the pillows to snort with laughter again. ]

You didn't have to tuck me in. I could have done that myself.

[ but he is a very comfortable lump. it's hard to keep smiling when he yawns, but there's still amusement clear in his tired eyes. ]

[deem]

I know, but I felt like it.

[Besides, it seems to him that Jude might well have dozed off without bothering with blankets at all.

Those cots really must not be very good for restful sleep, where humans are concerned]

Sleep well, okay?

[talim]

Mm.

[ more comfortable than he's been since even before they left aimintas, jude curls up and allows his eyes to flutter closed with another sigh. he waits to hear what he's sure will be the inevitable click of the door when 9s leaves. ]

[deem]

[9S does leave the room to let Jude rest, having a list of projects to work on as he does now. But eventually he returns simply to jack in and make sure everything is okay. He knows, of course, that it ought to be. There's really no need for any concern, but still.

The hour is late patter of rain on the roof drowns out his footfalls when he returns, careful not to make much noise. Just as expected, it seems that Jude is sleeping peacefully. He takes a moment to tug blankets back into place and decides to sit beside the bed, deciding he's fine with sleeping right there.

He's got his own room, so there's really no good reason...but here he is anyway, back to the bed as he settles in to sleep right there]

[talim]

[ jude is too... well, asleep... to protest 9s sleeping on the floor of his own place— or anywhere at all, really— until a low clap of thunder causes him to stir and awaken.

he's about to slip back into slumber before, vision blurry, he notices a shock of pale hair and a back to him.

of course, this is not something jude can allow. after a long, catlike stretch, jude rolls over closer to the side of the bed to tap 9s on the shoulder. ]

Hey, what do you think you're doing down there?

[ his voice is little more than a murmur, thick with sleep. ]

C'mon. Up here.