Look, mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky (OTA)

[configuration_birdwatcher]

Who: Bastion and whoever, maybe even you
What: Last call for pre-endgame threads, open to backtags afterwards
When: First week of February, before the confrontation on the bridge
Where: Around the ship
Warnings: General doom and gloom, nothing specific as yet

1. Did did did did you ever wonder why we had to run for shelter

Wayne's been gone since just before the Village. They haven't seen Security or its drones in over a month; its intervention was glaringly absent from the riot, which would have been an opportunity to fulfill its function like no other. Even Maeve, who they hardly ever interact with but with whom they feel a certain mechanical solidarity, hasn't crossed their path in long enough for it to be suspicious. It's making them anxious, and lonely, and the tense atmosphere that's settled over the ship isn't helping. They've taken to wandering the ship, not quite patrolling it, looking for any remotely friendly faces to reassure themself that not everyone they know has vanished yet.

2. When the promise of a brave new world unfurled beneath the clear blue sky?

The rest of the time, Bastion's up on the sports deck, busying themself tending to their mercifully undamaged garden or sitting and staring at the memorial. They've placed Wayne's guitar among the other mementos.

3. Goodbye, blue sky, goodbye

Wildcard. You know where to find me.

Comments

promise of a brave new world

[lovethyneighb_or]

Mulcahy has seen them around before, of course, but... though they were undoubtedly peaceful, judging by the general lack of shooting (aside from the riddled bullet holes on the Promenade during that one day of chaos), war leaves a mark. And besides, they never had a reason to speak.

Now, though, Mulcahy sees them, this battle machine, at the garden. And oh, something in his chest hurts. Isn't this vision the dream of the entire 4077th?

"Hello!" he calls carefully, from some short distance off. "Is that garden yours?"

[configuration_birdwatcher]

They attempted to shoot the curfew-enforcing Rover within their first 24 hours in the Village, which is how they found out that their ammunition had been replaced with multicolored paintballs and got overpowered by a semi-autonomous balloon.

// Yes. Not exclusively; Dedue and Dimitri help with it.

[lovethyneighb_or]

"I don't believe I've met them. What a beautifully unique way you have of speaking!"

He means that with absolute sincerity. Mulcahy approaches and sits down nearby.

"Do... these grow?" Nothing ever did in his old voyage, but so much has changed around here, who knows?

[configuration_birdwatcher]

That's not something they've been complimented on so directly before, although Wayne had enjoyed listening to them talk regardless of the topic. // Thanks.

// They're humans, from the same world. Dedue's very tall. Describing humans to other humans verbally is something Bastion finds difficult, because humans can only process a few descriptors at a time and put a lot of social significance on features Bastion can barely even identify consistently. // You'll likely meet them later.

// No. We took them from a nonstandard excursion and they've remained static. The watering itself might be unnecessary, if the plants can't progress forward in time to grow, but they don't want to damage them testing that theory.

1

[yournewsidekick]

At least one of their friends is still here!

"Bastion! Hey!" A familiar pink bird zooms in a circle around Bastion's head, flutters down, and lands on their shoulder. Nimona grins. "How's it going?"

[configuration_birdwatcher]

// Glad to see you. It's their honest answer to the question, not just a greeting protocol. // I miss Wayne, and Security's gone, and so is Maeve. I'm worried about my friends/the nonhumans continuing to disappear.

[yournewsidekick]

"Oh, crap." Her eyes widen a little. "Seriously? They're both gone?"

Nimona never formally met Security or Maeve, but you get to recognizing names and faces after six months in the same enclosed space. She hops a little closer to Bastion's viewfinder. "Yeah, it -- seems like way more people are getting swallowed up lately, huh."

[configuration_birdwatcher]

// I'm sure about Security. It hasn't been monitoring the ship or attending media-watching parties. Its core function and favourite pastime. If it was here, they're sure they would have at least seen its drones.

// Maeve is unconfirmed. I haven't sighted her in over 20 days, but that could be coincidental, or she could be avoiding interactions. Have you seen her? The ship is an enclosed environment with a few main routes between its features. Even if someone doesn't follow a predictable schedule, Bastion would usually see them going about their business before that much time elapsed, unless they were hiding from other people in general or Bastion in particular.

They tilt their head forward, gently bonking it against Nimona's. // No new arrivals either, but lots of returnees.

It's weird and suspicious and makes them nervous.