2023-11-01: A Nice Visit And A Wee Problem
- Log: A Nice Visit And A Wee Problem
- Cast: Eight Orlodhari, Roux Louka
- Where: Eight Orlodhari's Apartment, Magallanica
- OOC - IC Date: November 1, 0097
- Summary: Roux Louka comes by Eight's place with some presents! They have a talk. Then, someone awakens...
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Magallanica has something of a day/night cycle, artificial though it is, and the time for night is approaching soon. The residential bloc in which Eight is staying used to be a place for Vist employees; since most of them left in the wake of the Box incident, the bottom floor had enough free apartments for Eight and her parents both. So that's where Eight's been since the birth, only occasionally making it out to the ship.
Eight's alone with the twins, just now; she's looking at a datapad while they snooze in their bassinets. Lavhi is out on an errand.
But she's easy to find!
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
Technically, the cycle of night and day on Earth is also artificial.
Maaaaan.
Think about it brah
Roux approaches, amply foretold with a text message. When she approaches the door, her outfit becomes clear; a simple romper-type garment with calf wraps in neon blue (cushioned at the soles of the feet, to mix comfort with the sylvan image of just walking around half-barefoot... really, does colonial fashion like shoes?)
She has a shoulder bag with her. Its contents are as yet unclear. As she approaches, she pauses to sweep her hair back, glances at her appearance in a compact, and then --
ALMOST pushes the doorbell--
But she can hear sleeping!
Is that how to put it?
A new text pops up on the tablet: > at the door is it locked?
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
Miracles....
Eight's in long trousers and a red blouse, for her part--the kind of thing she can unbutton easily, because she needs to unbutton it a lot for the babies. She is not wearing shoes, even though she's on a colony.
Eight brightens looking at the tablet, and texts back:
>unlocked, come on in
She waves at Roux when she opens the door, pointing nearby to the twins. "They're likely to stay asleep but if we can talk quietly I'd appreciate it," Eight says of them.
She smiles. "It's good to see you."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
We got a theory.
About magic, and miracles.
Roux opens the door, and sees the twins immediately. She steps quietly, raising a hand to her lips to hold a finger to her lips, winking once at Eight. She smiles back and approaches the nearest table, setting her bag down.
"Hey~" she says. And her voice is very very quiet, but somehow it's not really an obstacle in the quiet room. Roux doesn't really try to do it; it just happens.
"You look like you're doing real good," Roux continues as she reaches into the bag and brings out a ceramic jar and then another clear glass one. The glass one's contents are clear: it's some kind of spicy blend! Hand ground, ti seems.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
The twins are adorable. They're still very tiny, just weeks old, not even a month now. And they are snoozing.
Roux is always good with having the right thing, Eight fights. Eight smiles. "I think so," she says. "I just fed them, so they're down for a bit."
She tilts her head, seeing the jars. "What's these?' she asks Roux. Her voice is likewise quiet, but--it's a quiet room still.
"Lavhi's out," she says belatedly. "He'll be back soon."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
Roux is able to move without rhythm and not attract the worm. (The crying babies.)
"That's spices," Roux says. "I thought you might like something like those pickles and redfish I made. It's going to be a little less pop since the herbs are dried, but it should be good... make Lahvi put it on stuff. It'll go on anything."
"The jar," Roux says, "is pickles." She reaches over to tap the lid, a quiet little pop-pop. "I didn't know what all you'd need, and I figure diapers doesn't show the personal touch. How's he doing?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Ooh." Spices. "I would like that," Eight says, and her mouth waters a little thinking about food that good instead of 'whatever she can snack on that's handy'. "Sounds great. Thank you, Roux. I'll have him do that."
Pickles... "I don't crave them as much, but I still love a good pickle," Eight answers. "That's fair--thanks to Leina we have... pretty much an eternity of diapers. But Lavhi's good. He's tired too, but he seems happy. He's been handling the cooking, along with both of us looking after the twins. He says that since he can't feed them he can at least feed me, so..."
She gestures. "He's really great. I wish we could get a little more time together, but it's been really busy. Mom and Dad are helping, though. So maybe eventually!"
"...How about you? How's wedding planning? Anything exciting going on out there?"
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"Do you? Well, these are part cucumber and part that daikon radish I keep seeing around," Roux continues, before pausing.
"How many diapers did she buy you."
She glances at the twins. How much poop and pee can they produce?
Back to Eight as she moves to set back down. "Mom and dad... from his side or yours?" Her hands fold on the table then and she sucks on her teeth, just a bit. "Mm; well, it's going... in a way you've given me an excuse to drag it out a little bit.~ Since I'd want you to be able to come, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Ooh. Daikon!" Eight is used to cucumber pickles, but daikon are interesting too. As for the quantity of diapers, "She gave us a gift certificate for a couple of years' worth. Just... a staggering quantity of diapers."
The twins are waiting. Sleeping. For now.
"The Yorks," Eight explains. "My adoptive parents. His couldn't make it for that long, though his sister is going to come visit soon." But it's going...
"That good, huh?" Eight smiles. "Well, I'm happy you want me involved. I'm sure I'll be able to get there... eventually... And we still have ours to plan, sooner or later."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"Ahh-h," Roux says, with a longer sigh.
"I really should talk to my parents," Roux continues, folding her arms. Her head droops. Somehow, she's audible with her head hanging like this. "Did Leina tell you about that one, too...? Ahh, she's probably too polite. Still," a glance upwards, "diapers for miles. It's an efficient gift." Then she smiles, faintly. "Like a big formal one? You want the whole pomp and circumstance? I still dunno myself."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"You haven't?" Eight wonders. "...No, she didn't tell me anything about your family situation. She mostly tells me things that are hers to share, I think." Diapers for miles... Eight laughs again, softly. "Yeah."
She thinks about it, and shakes her head. "I don't know. I wanted the white dress and stuff, even though I was going to be doing it at eight months or so, but now I'm not as sure what I want. But that might just be the tired speaking. At the very least the crew'll be disappointed if we don't have some kind of party, I think."
"If you didn't go big, what might you do?"
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"Mm," Roux says. "Well, I don't know if I want a *white* dress but I definitely want an intense one," Roux continues, finally looking upwards. She smirks faintly. "At least you've got time to get your figure back in order, right?" Her legs cross, one over the other, as she leans back.
"My parents are both alive, as far as I know," Roux says. "I pretty much just went from BV3 to the AEUG to the Gundam Team to... Jupiter, and now I'm back. It's kind of funny, honestly. Most of the time I spent on Earth was in the big desert in the OAU."
Then another question. Roux gazes upwards. "... theme adventure," she says, after long enough to get slightly awkward. "I don't know what kind."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Intense is good," Eight answers. Then she laughs, quiet but sincere. "True. I'm told I'll bounce back eventually, but it's pretty rough right now." She looks up to the ceiling. "Docs say a few more weeks..."
Then she looks back to Roux. "I see..." So, alive, but not really in her life. "I guess most of my Earth time's been in Orb, thinking about it. Before that, random parties and events for Londo Bell." She considers. "Is it hard, to have family but not be close to them?"
Then... Theme adventure. That is a little awkward. "Huh."
"...Well, adventures are nice."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"You know, I've always wondered," Roux asks, glancing back to Eight. "When you say that, do you mean it or are you being like ironic? I mean, either is fine," she continues with a shrug of her shoulder. "But I think it'd be fun to do something exciting that *isn't* frightening, you know?"
A beat or two passes.
"It's not that we weren't close," Roux says, eyes turning to the tabeltop, "it was that I wasn't being a good child. You know? I should have kept in touch. Videomail isn't that expensive, even from Jupiter."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"No, intense can be great," Eight answers. "There's a lot of intense things I like. Granted, there's some intense things I don't, but excitement is..." Eight considers how best to say it, "Well. Not that I can do much physically right now, and that's most of my excitement taken care of. But I've been learning more sedentary hobbies. And having people to talk to is nice."
"I don't do that much irony," Eight admits. But... Ah. It's like that. "I see..." Could've stayed in touch, but didn't.
"Was there a big reason? Or just... drifted?" Eight would have to admit; she's sympathetic to the parental end of that, thinking about it in terms of her own children.
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"Heh," Roux says. It is nice, isn't it? To talk.
"... Just drifted, I think," Roux says, glancing to the side. "... My uncle died at home, though, and I guess... hm... I guess that messed me up more than I had thought? I don't know. I keep thinking maybe I should talk to a therapist or something, but you know, there's all these displaced people and actual trauma victims and everything which need it really bad. Like that Shinji kid."
"He's doing a little better," Roux adds.
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
It is nice.
"I see..." Eight nods. An uncle who died. "You should," Eight thinks. "I've done a lot of therapy. I think it can help. There's a lot of therapists out there; it's not like you're taking one away from someone else."
She considers. Shinji... "Glad to hear it. I had him over, the other day. He was delivering lunch for me. I asked him to come by some more. I think he needs people to talk to."
"The things he's gone through already... I hate that I couldn't do anything about it. He's too young for any of this. For Angels, and monsters..."
"But it still happens."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"You say that," Roux says, "but I mean, I can count, you know." HM THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCUSE.
Probably it is.
Even so, sometimes you have to come around to it.
"Aw... yeah. I don't know what happened, it was one of those Angel fights, wasn't it? If you're up to it, tell me what went down, especially if like -- I had this really big feeling I shouldn't mention --"
Roux sort of gestures at her mouth. "You know?"
"... hey, he's about as old as Judau and Elle were," Roux adds, but wistfully. "I wasn't much older."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Heh."
Soemtimes...
"It was," Eight says. "Two of his fellow pilots died against that last Angel. I knew one of them. She was always so angry, but maybe I'd have been angry too, in her place. Anyway... Things went bad after that. He ended up on the outs with NERV, and now here he is."
"He'll talk about it if he gets ready to... or not. We can just be a place for him."
But Roux talks about their ages, too, and Eight shakes her head. "Too young," she says again.
"..." She sighs, then, and Roux might feel it, the insight--the worry, suddenly, that she holds for those sleeping kids nearby. But Eight doesn't voice it. "Ah..."
"The spices. Those should be nice."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
Roux is quiet afterwards.
"That makes sense," she says.
What more is there to say?
"... Maybe. He stopped a colony drop or something, right? ... But that doesn't feel like much," Roux continues with a faint sigh. "I kind of had the feeling, like -- I ran away too -- but I couldn't put it into words."
Her eyes turn towards the sleeping babies.
They look so peaceful.
precious, tbf
Do I want some of my own?
In this world?
"Thanks," Roux says, looking back to Eight.
whichever way I flip it, kids:
I'll try to leave it better than I found it
so grow up big, alright??
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
The fear of it grips Eight for a moment. What could happen. But just a moment, and she's back with Roux again. Back, talking about Shinji, and about Roux herself. "It's a lot," Eight says. "He did a lot, even though he shouldn't have had to. It happens all the time... That people do things they should never have had to do."
She looks to Roux. "...I'm glad you ended up here, at least. For now."
Eight looks towards them, too. She's still looking, when Roux thanks her.
...Then Zaress starts to stir, and then to cry. Aarmi wakes up next.
"Oh--"
Eight starts to stand, "Can you help me? I only have the two hands."
<Pose Tracker> Roux Louka has posed.
"Of course I can," Roux says, straightening up.
SOON
"So I have to make a confession," Roux says. "Only child. I don't know how to do this. Oh my god stop peeing."
<Pose Tracker> Eight Orlodhari has posed.
"Thanks!" Eight is relieved.
SOON
"Oh, uh--like this--"
It won't be pretty, but it'll be done!!
Maybe not as relieved as the kiddo though.