Deerington inbox

[droptheious]

FROM: SUBJECT: FERN Ooo slang part the second FERN i think we just shared electrons, because i'm feeling a covalent bond between us LANCE Pidge, I need your help. I gotta send a meme to Chloe but ... DIPPER Hey Varian. You know those crazy alchemy bombs you used... PETER Hey Varian, this is Peter. Um, Peter Graham. USAGI Soooooooo~ How'd the date go? MAKO Varian— Checking in. SHIRO i think one of us put a chicken patty in my toaster EDDIE Hey. We need to talk. MELIUS 𝐻𝒾. 𝐼 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓉 𝓁𝑜𝑜𝓀𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝒾𝓇𝒹 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓇𝓉 EDA Hey, kid. I... owe you an apology. LUZ Valentines MAUL I have a proposition for a project I think you'll be interested in USAGI I LOVE YOU FERN DUDE you still have your bandana! BUZZ Morning. I heard from Fern you wanted to go out into the blizzard. FERN dude your profile changed USAGI Ruby told me about the breakup. GLITCH Varian, I'm gonna go live somewhere else for now MAKO A "nerd" is somebody smart... MAUL Gifts FERN heeyyyy quick question FERN Christmas is coming up!!! CHLOE god who the FUCK ever thought emojis were a good idea??? KRISTOFF Varian,It's getting colder so I thought you could use this FERN heyyyy Variable RAPUNZEL okay not to put you on the spot but... EDA Potion time NEO Dude, I can mine antidote shit here! GLITCH Got this in my basket. EDA hey smart kid TEN Hallo ADAM Hey, k-- uh, Varian. I just wanted to check in USAGI I'm sorry I worried you and fainted on you yesterday. AMARA i lived, bitch NEO Debatably good news, asshole USAGI Hey Varian! It's Usagi OSCAR I'm sorry, Varian. Tell me what you need FERN a dark past huh MAUL Varian. I am in great need of your assistance FERN Varian VARIAN I CAN EAT FOOD USAGI How much moon essence do you have? USAGI VIVI-KUN, VIVI-KUN GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT! RICHIE well I promised FERN A TOTALLY INCOMPLETE LIST OF OOO WORDS 'N SLANG GLITCH VARIAN ARE THERE BUGS IN THE WATER?! USAGI To help with restless nights and the... VIRA-LORR Little alchemist. I have a gift for you. MARTIN Hi, Varian. This is Martin. I wanted to reach out... USAGI Hi Varian, sweetie! I have a question for you. GLITCH varian I need to talk to you. it's important. USAGI I need you not to panic after what I tell you. FERN dog you have so many vests IRONHIDE HONK HONK USAGI ... I'm sorry I couldn't help you better, Varian EMERALD Hey, V. Not that I care that much or anything... FERN tell me when you're alive FERN Varian i stabbed two people AMARA hey weirdo i have something for you FERN is the Rapunzel in town your Rapunzel? PENNY Salutations!! You do not know me, but my name is Penny Polendina YANG Hey, is this Varian? I think we've met once before. FERN hey can we talk FERN you told ruby MAUL Surviving another year is always an occasion worth celebrating USAGI Hey I wanted to apologise USAGI VARIAN-KUUUUNNN!!!! FERN birth MAUL Look what just arrived for me. KATHERINE Do you want to get paid to make more purple goo things? FERN ok i know you're good with plants but what about animals FERN dog interested in means girls or guys

TO: SUBJECT: USAGI So. Maul dropped by, he's got his memories back. ADAM I'm worried about Shiro FERN Hey handsome OSCAR You've been weirdly quiet lately FERN Guess what I haven't told you lately? USAGI Hey. I'm back from the dead and I feel like trash. FERN I made meatloaf that may or may not poison us! Emerald Hey. I know you probably don't want to talk to anyone right now... BELLA Hey Bella. You've dated someone who's a different species to you right? BILL Hi, Fern mentioned you were interested in interdimensional portals... FERN Aw, your pictures are nice! KURT Hey. Are you around? RICHIE Is it just me or is Eddie acting weirder than usual? QROW Hey. Checking up on you. EDA Hi Eda. Hope Ruddiger found you okay. GLITCH Hey. What happened between you and Maul? LUNA Luna- I uh... I think I need your help EDDIE So hey, I finally worked out how to replicate the Antidote OSCAR So, I noticed Ozpin has shown up. ROGUE Hey, I managed to replicate the Antidote KURT Hey. We're back. None of us are dead. QROW Uh... hey. How are you guys holding up? PETER You gave Ruby the haunted dolls GLITCH Hey, Bud. Sorry I tried to murder you with a robot KURT I'm probably the last person you want to talk to... JON I'm sorry I attacked you JON Stay away from Fern. FERN Hey you still haven't got me those baking ingredients FERN Okay so the Betties are upping their war... USAGI Hey. So. Update. NEO You tried to bury her alive? SERIOUSLY? USAGI Emotions are really difficult FERN OH MY GOD YOU HAVE ONE TOO FERN Okay this better be to Fern this time. WYNONNA So guess who got into the fridge and ate literally everything in there.

code by cawaii

Comments

[droptheious]

Sure, we can take a look. Run some tests. See what's up with them.

[Hopefully, his theory is dead wrong and it is just town weirdness.]

Ok, I'll hang out on the porch for you.

[clickclickbloom]

Look at that! You have something to science too! That's two good things for one trip outside.
Everything's coming up Varian today!

[She isn't particularly thrilled they aren't working, they had been an incredibly useful way to get to the people she cared about. She was certain those feelings for Varian hadn't changed.

About ten or fifteen minutes later strolls down the road toward Varian's. A gym bag slung over her arm and the slippers dangling from her other hand.]

Hey, Sorry about the wait!

[droptheious]

Lucky, lucky me.

[IS he though? He's not sure on that one. He smiles when he sees her, getting up from the swing-seat and raising his hand in greeting. He still... deeply dislikes exercising, but he has to admit, it is something nice to bond over with her. And she puts up with a lot of science crap from him. It's a fair compromise. ]

No problem. Sounds like it was out of your control anyway.

[clickclickbloom]

[She knows he's not exactly a fan but she also knows it's good for him. If he has to run away from any monsters it'll be good if he isn't completely wheezy when the moment arises. More so if she's lost her fastest way to show up at his side.

She returns the wave and drops the slippers and her bag down on the bench beside him.]

Yeah, really weird. I gave them a solid try but I ended up showing up like everywhere but here.

[She shrugs and lifts her arms up in a stretch.]

Ready for some good old fashioned torture?

[Look. She knew he wasn't the biggest fan of this and she felt totally entitled to poke fun at him for it.]

[droptheious]

[She's doing him a favour really, as much as he bitches and whines about it, he knows this is for the best. He needs to learn how to be able to book his scraggly ass away from trouble if nothing else.]

Oh. So you could still go to other places?

[That... gives a little weight to his theory and that doesn't settle easily in his chest. Maybe he can just focus on running and push it all back for now- try and think of something that might not be his worst fears.]

I don't know if ready is the right word, but I'm here.

[clickclickbloom]

Just around the house really. Ended up spooking out my roommates and family, but didn't end up anywhere else.

Kind of defeats the point of teleportation, right?

[Just around the place she called home filled with all these people she felt incredibly safe around. No big deal.

She'll probably feel awful when she actually makes the connection.

She offers a hand to help him up.]

That's about as ready as you'll ever be with that attitude.

[droptheious]

I guess so. We can see if you can go further afield later on. See if it's a... distance thing or a- a here thing.

[Which he's starting to realise is more and more likely. He takes her hand to stand up, but something awful crosses his features as she says that. Like she inadvertently stepped on a nerve, which is of course exactly what she has done. That, coupled with his already growing concerns over the slippers doth not a happy Varian make. ]

...Yeah. Guess I am.

[clickclickbloom]

Yeah. Sounds like a plan. Let's test it out when we're done maybe?

[Concern and confusion are pretty quick to fill her eyes at the sudden shift in his expression. She turns and looks around as if to try and catch whatever had upset him. No idea that she had used some terrible word choice.]

Everything okay?

[droptheious]

I'm fine.

[He says in a tone that's about as far removed from fine as it can possibly be. He's had far too many reminders of his dark and sordid past in the last few months, he's about at his limit. ]

Let's just go. It's... nothing. Don't worry about it.

[clickclickbloom]

[Yeah. She doesn't buy that tone at all. Normally she might be okay with the idea of letting it slide but they had just made a promise.]

It sounds like more than nothing.

If you don't want talk about right now that's okay. But I'd appreciate it if we could try later on?

[droptheious]

[They had made a promise, and he knows if he says nothing it will eat at both of them until he does. He lets out a soft, sad little sigh, closing his eyes.]

It's something I said [sang] just before my final assault on the Kingdom. Ready as I'll ever be.

[clickclickbloom]

[Part of her thought it might take a bit more prompting to get him to talk about it. It's why she was willing to let it slide for the moment. She can't help but feel a pang of guilt when he explains what was bothering him. His past kept getting slapped in his face and she had done it herself without meaning to.

She rubbed her shoulder nervously.]

Hey. I'm sorry. You didn't need another reminder after everything that's happened.

[droptheious]

[He'd made a promise to her, and he's not about to go back on it now. Not after the big deal he'd made about her hiding the truth about dying from him. He doesn't want things to be unsaid and hurtful between them. ]

It's...it's okay. [It's not, but he doesn't want her to feel at blame for his own minefield of hangups. He offers her a small smile.] You didn't know. It's just been a long couple of months is all.

[clickclickbloom]

[She does feel bad about it but she realizes it isn't something she could have known or even guessed.]

I know. It hasn't been easy and you've been stuck with a lot of reminders about what happened.

[She reaches up and let's her hand rest on his shoulder.]

I couldn't have known but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt you all the same. I can still take responsibility for that

[She couldn't have known her decisions would get Clover killed either. She knew her actions could have reaching consequences.

And just like with Clover she could work to make things better.]

...But why don't we go have some fun instead? Take our minds off awkward missteps.

[droptheious]

That's been the theme of the last month. Being stuck with reminders.

[The last two months, if he's honest. ]

You don't have to. It isn't on you.

[He doesn't want her to blame herself for this if he can help it. He takes hold of the offer to move on quickly. He doesn't want her to feel bad, and he's very tired of feeling bad at this point. For once, a run might be a welcome distraction.]

I don't think exercise counts as fun, but yeah, sure. I'm very okay with taking out minds off it.

[clickclickbloom]

[She gives a faint nod to show she acknowledges that. She didn't want to beat herself up too much about it either, she had a made a misstep but she knew better for next time. She could live with that.]

Okay. Maybe it's a little like torture, but it's fun torture.

[Right. Moving on to something else. She leads him over toward the sidewalk and gives one final stretch before she starts off in a jog.

She's ran with him long enough now that she knows the pace that he tends to run at. She's good to adapt and slow down enough to more closely match his pace. Their run was to help him improve, not leave him in her dust.]

[droptheious]

I'm pretty sure that's an oxymoron.

[Still, he'll jog after her, ugh exercise. Still, he guesses she is right. He's probably better off being at least able to run away from something that might kill him. Probably.

If the exercise doesn't kill him first. That's possible. ]

[clickclickbloom]

Are you sure?

[Ruby fortunately wasn't going to let him die by exercise. She didn't think it was fair given he didn't have an aura or a semblance.

Still... She had missed doing this with him. Not that jogging during July with all the heat, pesticide and death robots would have been a good idea even if they weren't at each others throats. She just appreciated any time they got to spend together and it made her feel good to see him get better as they went along. No matter how small that improvement might be.]

So what's new? What have you been working on lately?

[droptheious]

Pretty sure yup.

[It is nice to spend time with her, and if he was absolutely pressed into admitting it, he'd say the fresh air was pleasant too. His natural habitat might be his lab, but even he needs to see sunlight once in a while. ]

I've been trying to see if I can help Maul out with his eyes. But figuring out how to re-create eyes from scratch is a lot harder than other prosthetics. Especially if I want them to work. You said someone from home had mechanical eyes, right?

[clickclickbloom]

[Luckily he doesn't have to worry too much about being pressed for it. Ruby liked staying inside to read, play video games or work on weapons too. She just didn't often get to do that back at home because she was on the open road so much. She had manage to strike a nice balance between that and training here in Deerington.]

Huh. Yeah. That sounds like it could be tricky.

[Her pace slow downs but just enough to completely match his while she thinks.]

Yeah. My kinda sorta mentor has them back home. Penny's dad made them for her, actually. Same with Yang's arm.

I don't know if she's got the same skill set as him but that might be a good place to start.

[droptheious]

That's true. She might have some knowledge on how they were made.

[A smirk crosses his face a little.]

What with her being a Secret Robot and all. Probably has it stored in her memory somewhere.

[clickclickbloom]

If not I could always ask for some to be delivered and we could try and like alter and reverse engine-

[She stops mid sentence because her jaw has to hang open briefly.]

I-er-uh-blegh. Did I let that one slip? Because I thought I only messed up with that one time and I didn't think it was with you.

[She wracks her brain a little.]

Except I might have let it slip with you one time too but I didn't think it was that bad of a screw up!

And not that I'm trying to keep secrets from you or anything. I'm really really doing my best with the whole cards on the table thing. I just think that Penny and the others while they're here deserve their privacy too and I don't want to trample all over that-

[She takes a second to breath. That all came out in half the time it should have.]

I have no said entirely too much and should probably just stuff my foot in my mouth, shouldn't I?

[droptheious]

[A proper chuckle does bubble out of him as he flaps a hand at her, trying to ease her worries.]

No-no no, it wasn't you this time. I came across her in the Labyrinth. She'd broken her leg right off. Her leg with all the obvious robotic inside it. She tried to pass it off as a prosthetic, but I know what robotics look like. It's fine, this doesn't count as a secret- it's not yours.

[It's Penny's and he respects her enough not to go dragging it out in front of the whole dang town. He guesses she must have a reason for pretending she was human.]

Nothing wrong with respecting your friend's privacy, you know. I get it. And I haven't told anyone. She seemed pretty rattled by the thought I might have worked it out.

[clickclickbloom]

[She's just going to let out one big sigh of relief. Followed by some light laughter.]

Oh phew! I was worried for a second. Secrets aren't exactly my strong suit.

[...They never seemed to go well for her in the long run at least.]

Ouch, oh jeez. That would do it. Ugh. I told her to be more careful around here. Her legs are kind of like a hundred times more complicated than any of the prosthetic you'll see around here. Except for maybe Yang's but even that's not quite as complicated.

[She gives a smile and picks up her running pace a little.]

I appreciate that. I know I say it's kind of complicated for everyone who shows up from Remnant, but I'd say it's especially so for her. She hasn't had much of a chance to really get out there and experience life. She's giving it a shot and I'm just trying to support her as best I can.

I'm not surprised. Did you let her have it in the end or what did you?

[droptheious]

Nah, you're good on this one.

[He nods. Penny's attempts at covering her own nature had been... pretty laughable. But he at least understands why she'd want to keep it quiet, especially around someone she bearly knew.]

I let her have her secrets. It's not my place to push her into revealing herself for what she is. If she wants to keep up what she's got going, then that's her choice. I just hope the town doesn't find a way to turn it against her in the future. We both know it'll do that one day.