i've seen it in the flights of birds

[mindtricks]

CHARACTERS: Anderson & Takeshi
LOCATION: Gardens
WARNINGS: cuteness??
SUMMARY: anderson and takeshi are on a date having a picnic
NOTES: n/a



[ the gardens are warmer than usual — hot, even, but not entirely unpleasantly so. at least in the gardens, the temperature seems to make sense, whereas it feels unnatural anywhere else on the ship. (the changes in temperature don't help.)

despite the warmth, anderson is in the ship's uniform, gun strapped to her side. one of the first things she'd mentioned in their lesosns was to never touch her gun, and she keeps a close eye on it even though takeshi seems more than reasonable for a child his age.

(he's been through more than a child his age — or any child, really — should have to go through, and while anderson understands necessity and she understands that life is not always the way it should be, she still hates the thought of it.)

they agreed to meet in the gardens, so anderson waits under one of the trees near the door. ]

Comments

[throwsdown]

[Takeshi's got his scruffy backpack on one shoulder and a basket in the crease of his arm, looking completely excited to be having a day out here to enjoy; the panda Hoi Hoi is wandering behind him, looking for a nice tree to wait at, maybe even figuring out where the closest bamboo is. The little fella is decked out in his suit, but that's it — everything else is too hot to have on. So in a way, they both match. Suit to suit.

He grins wide at her, waving. He lists the basket with on hand effortlessly.]

Hello, Cassie!! Hi!

[mindtricks]

Hi, Takeshi.

[ it's more informal than she'd address most, and she doesn't frown at him calling her cassie, either, whereas it at least gives her pause with everyone else.

it helps that he's six and pretty damn adorable. ] How are you?

[throwsdown]

[He eagerly puts down the basket and starts to pull off his backpack, until he's yanking out a crisp white sheet (likely from one of the beds) and laying it out carefully.]

I'm okay! I made food!

[A+ conversationalist.]

Nederlands showed me, he's a really good cook. He's like my dad.

[mindtricks]

He's woken up again? [ he mentioned that the people looking after him here were asleep, the first time they'd talked.

she watches him lay out the sheet without offering to help. it isn't so much laziness as — well, he seems like the kind of boy who likes showing what he can do, and this is such a tiny thing, but it's still something.

just as preparing the food was.

( anderson brought some chocolate, what little she still had left from the cyllene. ) ]

What did you make?

[throwsdown]

[He nods eagerly at the first question; his parents being awake has undoubtedly lifted his spirits tenfold. It helps that he's having a little free time with Cassandra as well -- it's a good week!]

We made soup! It's good soup. It's got stuff from the gardens in it. Do you like vege-tables?

[mindtricks]

[ he's adorable and — she's glad to see him so happy. ]

I do, yes.

[ with the blanket/sheet on the ground, she settles down, putting aside the small bag she's brought for now. ]

[throwsdown]

[He nods, placing the basket so very carefully in the middle of the blanket.]

I hope it's okay I let Hoi Hoi come! He's a good panda; he just likes hugs sometimes. So if he comes over, he's just hugging you! So don't shoot him 'cause he's not trying to bite your face!

[8D]

[mindtricks]

I've never been hugged by a panda.

[ he better not try to bite her face; she will shoot him in that case. ]

How come you have Hoi Hoi?

[throwsdown]

Oh! Um, it's — he's not my panda, not really... He died and went to the aparpment, too. Remember the aparpment? [He has to make sure; Takeshi forgets stuff sometimes, too, so he wouldn't blame her if she forgot a few things he told her.]

[mindtricks]

I remember. [ but somehow, she didn't think animals would go there, too. ] So he's your — friend?

[throwsdown]

Mhm! [He starts setting the bowls on the blanket, looking completely pleased with himself and with his answer.] Hoi Hoi is my friend. And my teammate! It's important to have good teammates. They protect eachodder.

[mindtricks]

So he looks out for you, and you for him. [ a panda. those don't even exist anymore in her time, thanks nuclear war. ] That's good.

[throwsdown]

[He nods and grins wide, because she gets it.]

In the aparpment, you gotta look out for everyone. If you don't, you might die and stay dead for reals. I had lots of good people on my team — I think you'd like them.

[mindtricks]

Do you want to tell me about them?

[ a question rather than a demand, as it would be with most people. ]

[throwsdown]

... You really wanna hear about my friends?

[And just like that, he's quietly eager, wriggling a little closer.]

Not lots of people ask about my friends... You wanna hear?

[mindtricks]

Yes, I'd like to hear about them.

[ he looks happy, that's reason enough. and she's genuinely interested. ]

[throwsdown]

Well.... You'd like Reika! Miss Reika was super pretty and everyone liked her! But that's not why I liked her. [He folds his legs, hands in his lap, on his ankles.] She was smart, and strong, and she always tried to help me! When I first showed up in the aparpment, I was so so scared, but she tried really hard to make me put my suit on.

[mindtricks]

She looked after you? [ anderson thinks she might like her indeed, if only for that reason. she sounds like a good person. ]

[throwsdown]

[He nods proudly.]

She looked after everybody, just like Mr. Suzuki. When I got shotted she held me and said nice things to me 'til we could leave again. She's a good person; she left with dad and she was gonna go fight the aliens while I stayed in the aparpment...

[mindtricks]

When did you get shot?

[throwsdown]

When we had to fight all kindsa' monsters once! It turned to a big ball and then it shot lotses of liddler ones. And it hit me right here — [He puts a hand at his shoulder.] POW! And I fell.

[mindtricks]

Does it still hurt? [ did it heal up all right, is the actual question there. ]

[throwsdown]

Nuh-uh!

[He smiles and pats a hand where the small black ball had shot through his shoulder.]

When we win, the aparpment takes us and fixes what hurts. Fixes it like I never gotted shot.

[mindtricks]

What about the others?

[ his other friends, that is ]

[throwsdown]

Um... Well... There's, there's Nishi. He acts mean a lot, and nobody really likes him. But when the big spider-monsters tried t'blowed me up, Nishi grabbed me. And he jumped out of the aparpment and saved me...

[He wasn't completely a bad guy. Couldn't have been. Not completely.

He saved him, so...]

[mindtricks]

I'm glad you had people looking out for you and helping you, Takeshi.