welcome to the party, pal

[branchifer]

Who: Branch, Miguel, Tim, Boba, Dan, and Stacia
What: The supply and prisoner exchange
Where: The emptied out workroom floor
When: After all of Branch's chaos.
Warnings/Notes: Some blood, eventual cw mentions of cannibalism probably when Branch is hashing it out with Dan and Stacia, I'll put warnings in the subject.

[It's going to plan. And the heightened chaos is making it exactly as distracting and chaotic a situation as he was hoping for. The floor is cleared and there are people leading Elves and yetis to areas they've cleared, but traps can still be heard going off, sometimes randomly. Occasionally there's the angry argleblorgleblorg of a yeti getting chili powder exploding out of an air cannon to their face.]

[In some areas where traps were already set off and cleared, somehow (read: thanks to his 14-year-old secret accomplice) they've been reset, only to go off again.]

[It leaves things nice and unsettled and distracting.]

Comments

Time skip: the next day

[orivodika]

[It took a while to convince Boba to eat, he wasn't feeling very cooperative, but once he did, the adrenaline crash hit him hard. He practically passed out onto the empty plate.

He hasn't claimed a place to sleep yet, he hasn't even slept since he got here, so Miguel carried him to an unoccupied room and left him there for the time being.

Boba wakes up alone in a bed he wasn't in when he fell asleep, in a room he's never seen before.

He doesn't open his eyes or move. He tries to keep his breathing steady. And he listens. It doesn't sound like there's anyone in the room with him, so he risks opening his eyes a little.

All clear. He risks turning his head.

Still clear.

He slips out of the bed as quietly as he can. His body is aching, he pushed himself too hard for too long, but that won't stop him now.

He explores the room, making note of potential hiding places and weapons (there aren't a lot of the latter, someone must've gone through and baby-proofed the place), before trying the door.

Boba tries to test the handle as quietly as possible, but he can't keep it from rattling a little as he checks to see if it's locked. He hopes nobody heard that.]

the aftermath continues.......

[ninjavampire]

[ A familiar Someone is at the other end of the door. Though, he doesn't immediately turn to acknowledge the kid. Miguel has his head and forearms buried in a server rack-like cabinet that he was constructing for a work space. The noodly aluminum sliding racks took time to assemble together and align correctly, so he was doing them one at a time from the top down. It was painfully archaic and time-consuming compared to what he could put together in Nueva York, but it'll be necessary for their missions.

In the meantime, it appears that he was assigned to be the local Lucky-Wrangler, since he can't stop himself from being the Guy Who Steps Up. Especially not after seeing how Boba knocked the fuck out the instant he got something of a meal. However, unable to stay away from his work for too long, he found a compromise. Keep an eye on feral boy, get necessary work done.

So, outside of the room was a scattered amount of supplies around his space. It was organized chaos - the tools all in one area and building materials in another. Screwdrivers weren't as effective as knives, but maybe they could be useful in a pinch. ]

[orivodika]

[Boba cracks the door open to see his guard, and it looks like he's settled in for the long-haul. He was really hoping that he wouldn't have to try the window, but it looks like he may not have a choice.

Maybe he can sneak around and come back in through another door to find a new hiding place? Just until he figures out how to get his hands on one of the globes. It would be risky. He knows how to handle the wet and the cold, but he's never actually had to deal with snow before. He'd only seen it in picture before he was brought here.

There's a hydrospanner-looking tool sitting close to the door. He could probably reach it, but it would risk exposing himself. It doesn't look like Miguel's noticed him yet, and that would give him both a tool and a weapon.

He decides to risk it.

As quietly as he can, barely daring to breathe, Boba crouches down and reaches out for the tool. He carefully lifts it with his fingers before getting a firmer grasp. Hopefully Miguel is too focused to look over his shoulder.]

[ninjavampire]

Don't.

[ Miguel had already known he was awake when he heard the shuffling around in Boba's room. If it sometimes seems like he has eyes in the back of his head, it is from the spidery enhanced hearing and simple parent instinct.

His head appears out of the cabinet, looking stern but not angry, as seemed to be his default state around the kid. ]

How are you feeling? Still dizzy?

[orivodika]

[Boba freezes. The tool slips out of his grip and clatters onto the floor.

The question makes him take stock. How is he feeling? Not dizzy. Tired, ache, and his head throbs dully. His brain feels like it's stuffed full of swirling clouds, like Bespin. The meal and a night's rest did Boba good but he needs more of both before he's going to be back to baseline.]

Fine.

[He wants to go back in the room and hide. Maybe make for the window.

He want to know what Miguel wants more, so he doesn't move. The crouching position isn't the most comfortable, but he can deal with it.]

[ninjavampire]

[ In a very deadpan tone: ]

Here. Food is a thing you need to do semi-regularly.

[ It appears that Miguel came prepared.... with a deli sandwich. He was wearing a coat over his suit, since the latter lacked pockets and the interior of pockets was where many of his tools were sitting. And so, out of his coat came a plastic-wrapped breakfast for him.

He lets Boba have a little forewarning before tossing it over. If he can get Lucky the kid to eat two meals, even if its sequestered in his room somewhere, it'll already be better than whatever he was doing before. ]

[orivodika]

[Boba scowls. It's not like he wasn't eating on purpose. He just... forgot. It's hard to remember when he's so used to having his meals given to him at scheduled times.

He catches the sandwich. It gets squished into a pocket for later.]

What do you want?

[It's a genuine question and an accusation in one.]

[ninjavampire]

You shouldn’t wait too long to eat that. Cold deli can make you sick if it gets old.

[ it’s possible that the Boy’s dimension does not have cheese and ham. He shouldn’t skip the meal either, so it works both ways. Anyway, as for the question: ]

And what I want is to finish this rack to start installing hardware, but I have to keep an eye on you, clearly.

[ so he is doing both! ]

[orivodika]

[Boba reluctantly pulls out the sandwich. It got a little smushed. He unwraps it and takes a bite.

It's... weird. Different from anything he's eaten before. Almost overwhelming, considering how long he's been living off of the bland slop they serve in prison.

Once he's finished he crumbles up the plastic wrap, shoves it into his pocket, and hesitantly steps forward. Not enough to leave the doorway, he can still quickly duck back into the room if he has to, but enough to get a slightly better look at what Miguel's doing.]

You wouldn't have to keep an eye on me if you just let me leave.

[ninjavampire]

[ Lucky's been awake for ten minutes and already goes back to that. ]

Why not give it a few weeks? At least get yourself up to speed before you decide if you want to leave.

[ Myths functioned differently from your regular baseline humans, but the kid was still recuperating. Miguel would still rather he get taken care of until he was back to full health.

As for what he was working on - it was at least a peculiar object. Solid wood and sculpted details mixed with more industrial-looking brackets used for computer hardware. The project had clearly involved some amount of creative crafting to merge together. ]

[orivodika]

[Yeah, like he believes that. It might be a good idea to go along with things for now. Just until he's gained enough trust that he's allowed more freedom.

If they allow him more freedom.]

...Fine. I guess.

[Boba doesn't really know who's supposed to be in charge here, but it looks like Miguel's taking responsibility for him. He doesn't understand it. Boba doesn't have access to any of his accounts, or his ship, or his weapons. Unless Miguel wants to use his training and experience to fight (and he's really not sure if that's the case), Boba has nothing to give him. Why is he investing so much time and energy?

He takes a few cautious steps further and lets the door shut behind him. He might as well start earning some of that trust.]

What are you building?

[ninjavampire]

[ Well, Lucky clearly doesn't like the arrangement, but its a start. As much as he resisted wanting to get too attached to the kid, it looks like he would be taking responsibility... for now. ]

A computer. The technology here is lacking compared to my world, but if I get enough hardware together... It should be enough for what we need.

[ dimensional travel, eventually. ]

[orivodika]

[Boba starts examining the parts from a distance. He's trying to be subtle, but probably isn't succeeding.

Some of parts look completely foreign to him. Some look more familiar. He spent a lot of time taking apart and rebuilding all of the systems in Slave I. Plus all the times he helped his dad repair his gear, or slice into comlinks and datapads, or build weapons and gear from leftover parts.

Boba knows a lot about how to build things. Especially ships. Back on Kamino he filled a lot of hours with every technical manual he could get his hands on. And every book he could get his hands on. And every hologame he could get his hands on.

He had a lot of hours to fill on Kamino.]

What's the computer going to do?

[ninjavampire]

I'm going to be studying this dimension.

[ he does notice the kid's interest in what he was working on. It's not unwelcome. It's better to have him curious about computer parts rather than fearful and trying to stab people with screwdrivers. ]

With some luck, I'll be able to gain some insight into this end of the Multiverse and find a way to stop the threat here before it spreads.

[ eyebrow quirk. ]

Would you like to take a closer look?

[orivodika]

[Boba's mind starts going over the possibilities. With easy access to tech he may not be as trapped and defenseless as he thought. He could start collecting stuff, building stuff. Maybe even his own blaster...

Yeah. Yeah, this sounds like a good plan. If Miguel is going to keep a close eye on him, he might as well be productive with it.

Boba picks up the screwdriver, walks up and sits on the floor near Miguel. He's out of immediate arm's reach with a straight shot to the door of the bedroom. But he's close enough to be able to see what the other man is doing.]

...Yeah.

[His answer is a little late considering that he already sat down.

He holds out the screwdriver as a peace offering.]

[ninjavampire]

[ Miguel pockets the tool! This is a good development to him. He is not interested in having to sit in front of Boba's door and stare at him forever.

Ideally, he can be given more freedom over time. ]

This is more of a frame. Not very exciting, yet.

[ With the tool he was using, he points out the little screwholes in the aluminium rack. ]

Computer parts will be mounted on here, eventually. It should enough to run scans and simulations, once it's all connected.

[orivodika]

[Boba just sits and watches, not saying anything as Miguel works.

It may not be exciting but even the simplest-looking tools are unfamiliar to him. He needs to start learning. He needs every advantage he can get.

After a while the question that's been sitting like a rock in his stomach finally gets voiced. He's quiet, as if hoping Miguel won't even hear him.]

What are you going to do with me now?

[Because punishment is coming. But the waiting and not knowing is sometimes the worst part.]

[ninjavampire]

[ There's a certain gloomy recognition that the boy was expecting to be punished despite giving him some space. ]

Nothing.

If you avoid a repeat incident like before, then you can go about as normal. I don't think anyone will hold it against you for being scared and disoriented. I don't plan on it.

[ Miguel can't see him as a perfectly innocent kid. He is clearly capable of being violent, but only when backed into a corner. So, some railguards would be needed, but he still believed they could talk it through. ]

If building things interests you, I could use a hand.

[orivodika]

[Boba doesn't believe him. Even if Miguel doesn't think he needs to face consequences, someone else might feel differently. But he will believe that nothing's going to happen right now. Probably.

He scoots a little closer to the frame Miguel's building.]

I'm good at building and fixing stuff.

[It's a quiet offer. He's trying to suppress the nervousness in his voice, but isn't entirely succeeding.]

I'm the one who takes-- [No, Aurra crashed it. He doesn't have a ship anymore. He doesn't have his dad's ship anymore. He clenches his fists.]

Took care of my ship.

[It was one of the only times he knew he would be left alone back on Slave I. Aurra, Bossk, and Castas were always breathing down his neck. Doing repairs and upkeep became an escape of sorts. A moment to breathe and forget about all the osik* going on around him.]

(*Shit)

[ninjavampire]

That takes an impressive amount of technical proficiency, kid.

[ Given the amount of teenage tech geniuses he bumps into in his jaunts into the multiverse, he believes it. He'll just have to see it with his own eyes. ]

Working with Yeti carpentry won't be as sophisticated as that, but it needs focus just the same. Want to give it a try?

[ he flips the tool he was using so the handle was facing Lucky. A return peace offering for him! The cabinet itself still needed a few shelves to be locked in place. ]

[orivodika]

[Boba cautiously takes the tool and examines it closely.]

This isn't-- I don't know how to use this.

[His ears burn in embarrassment. Why can't he just have a hydrospanner like a civilized sentient?]

[ninjavampire]

[ Kid's maintenance of the ship must have involved more electronic components... ]

It's simple enough. The tip of the screwdriver matches the screws you put into the holes.

[ he pinches one of the silvery screws between his fingers, demonstrating for him. Miguel is able to twist in the first few threads with his fingertips. ]

Turn right to tighten, left to loosen.

[orivodika]

[Boba makes a face.]

I know what a screw is. I just didn't recognize the bit.

[Screws aren't multi-universal, apparently. Just because he doesn't have the same tools where he comes from doesn't mean he can't put together a shelf. Now that he knows what the screwdriver is supposed to do, the rest is easy.]

[ninjavampire]

[ the defensiveness over his knowledge of screws was endearing. Almost like the kid didn't stab him and was just some regular kid. ]

Well, now you do. Wood and aluminium is going to be a bit softer than spaceship parts, so just be patient with it.

[ He sits back on his haunches, giving Lucky some room to maneuver in there. ]

[orivodika]

[That almost is doing a lot of work.]

What are your computers going to do?

[Boba works pretty quickly. When he has a little trouble keeping things in place by himself he grumbles and swears under his breath, but doesn't ask for help.]