Video;

[demjiin]

[ The video starts with just a selfie-style shot of Kaz. He already looks irritated though. ]

Ketterdam, where I'm from, isn't nearly this hot in summer. This has left me with a big problem since it was still cold when I showed up here. For all the things other people brought back from Coruscant, I don't suppose anyone thought to pick up a lighter-weight shirt? And if by some off chance you did and are willing to part with it please say so?

[ Kaz already hates the heat of summers in Temba anyway. But for someone who loathes the touch of anyone's skin against his, long-sleeves are a necessity which then makes that summertime wear even worse. ]

Comments

[demjiin]

[ Kaz is mostly sure 'extra' isn't an insult but the remark about his height gains a dry tone; ]

Well everyone is short compared to you.

[ You're a feakin' beanpole, Kyle. ]

[kyley_b]

Not Lauri-Ell. But if you don't care about fashion it's all yours. Hell, you can even cut it or sew it or whatever to make it fit better.

[demjiin]

[ Since she's built like a blue body-builder, that's probably not a great comparison. ]

So you would be fine with cutting and sewing?

[ Kaz is thinking about sewing on some inner pockets and a place he could hide a knife up his sleeve rather than altering the fit. ]

[kyley_b]

Yup. Consider it a gift, dude. It's not really my style, anyway, and I've got short sleeved stuff I picked up.

[Kyle considers Kaz a friend. A bro. It absolutely never occurs to him that Kaz might be hiding weapons on his person.

[demjiin]

[ Calling it a gift would make Kaz wary, but it does seem like Kyle doesn't have an ulterior motive. ]

...is there some catch? Like it stinks or ends up being itchy?

[kyley_b]

What? No. Why would there be?

...oh. Oh, you think I'm being sneaky?

[demjiin]

[ Yes Kaz absolutely does. ]

No. Not on purpose anyway.

[ Ah, paranoia thy name is Kaz. ]

[kyley_b]

[Kyle rolls his eyes. This is a dynamic he is not unfamiliar with.]

Maybe I just don't want to see your nipples all summer.

[demjiin]

[ Kaz's expression looks like a comical mixture of alarm and confusion. ]

Do they show through the shirt I already wear?

[kyley_b]

[Which sets Kyle cackling. Sorry, Kaz.]

No! Oh my god, no, sorry, I meant like... you need a shirt, that's all. I have one I'm not gonna wear ever, probably. You're my friend. That's literally it, sometimes people just do nice things for each other.

[demjiin]

[ Kyle, you will never know how much of a chord that strikes with Kaz. He actually thought that 'sometimes people just want to be kind' when he was a young child. It didn't turn out to be true then, but hearing someone say it again definitely rings a bell. ]

Oh.

[ Aaaand now he's awkward since no one has since done anything for him for no other reason than they wanted to. That actually leads to what might possibly be a lightbulb moment. ]

...you know people doing something nice for others seems to be a running theme here. I'm starting to wonder how literal 'He Rows' actually is. You've talked to a lot more people than I have. Do they all seem like the kind of people that would do stuff for others just because they can?

[kyley_b]

Not everybody, no. I think for some people there's always going to be a running tally of what their help is worth in their minds. And some people don't have the emotional capacity to give too much, I think mostly because they've been hurt real bad. But I don't think I've met anyone actively malicious, at least.

[demjiin]

[ Kaz still noted that pattern, though. It's something he'll keep at the back of his mind. ]

Something a lot more actively malicious happened here. After that meeting that Ezra called-

[ Which is as close to mentioning the Atroma on the Network as Kaz will get. ]

-I can't help thinking that there's a lot more to this whole planet than we're seeing in Temba.

[kyley_b]

You're totally right.

It's concerning.