Snow and Space, Gifts and Thefts?

[butterfly_kiss]

WHO: Tae Takemi and You
WHERE: Noth, Agrii Ship Medical Wing
WHAT: and Medical Wing Analysis
WHEN: January 10th - 17th for first two, January 18th on for third
WARNINGS: N/A

I. Is Hair That Interesting?

Winter was never Tae's favorite part of the year. It was cold, there was snow, she couldn't wear the sort of clothes she preferred. Throw in this whole candy land sort of motif meant she was less than impressed. But hey, there was only so much a person could do about the weather. In this case it was about wearing layers she found in the dressers here, but it was something, right?

Still, there was something here that was making her uncomfortable. Which was rather annoying with every time it happened. Like here and now, while Tae was in the mess hall place, trying to get herself a nice replicated traditional breakfast with rice and miso soup and a well made egg. Maybe she should have expected it.

She feels a touch, perhaps. No, not a touch. Something ghostly brushing her hair. Which could only mean one thing.

"Don't," she hisses, turning to glare up at an Agrii. One that clearly doesn't comprehend and is intrigued by her hair. "That isn't polite."

Someone might want to step in before this turns into something bad.

II. Red Envelopes | Closed to He Rows currently 20 and younger

It's not quite the right time of the year, but it feels right. Feels right in a way that has Tae in quite the specific mood. Sure it takes her some time to find the resources she needs amid all of the crafts (and the light begging of the Agrii, claiming she's making decorations), but she does manage it. There was a pointed lack of ink and brushes and other things, so she'd just have to live with what she could manage though.

But with the work done there she was moving through Noth, hands tucked away into the pockets of her new/old coat. And, whenever she sees someone young she lifts a hand free and waves them over.

"Come here, I've got a gift for you."

III. Equipment Envy

Of course Tae found the Medical Wing of the Agrii ship almost immediately after they had access to the ship. Where else was a doctor going to end up? And oh the noise she makes when she walks in and sees it. Anyone happening to be present might think the woman needs to consider being appropriate where minors might show up.

"Who do I have to bribe to just steal all of this?" she asks as she looks into the surgical suite.

And then there's the diagnosis beds. Tae's hands roll over one and she looks like she wants to take it home and wrap it up in blankets and say sweet nothings to it.

"Stealing things is wrong," Tae mumbles to herself under her breath. Dammit. She has to keep back from this. But she wants it so much.

Comments

ii

[thepurpleone]

His standard fingerless gloves aren't doing much for the cold so Donnie's tucked his hands deep into his coat's pockets as he trudges through the snow. Maybe it's not as cold as it was in Temba when he'd first arrived there, but snow is still best enjoyed in small quantities and with plenty of warmth to counter it.

Which is why he's out, hoping to find something equivalent to hot chocolate to bring back to his cabin-thing. If not, well. There's some kind of candy coins there. Maybe he can just melt those down. What a pain, just to get a hot drink!

"Huh?" Tae's call pulls him out of his inner grumblings, and he wanders over. "Hey, what's up?"

[butterfly_kiss]

Right. This one is young enough. Tae reaches into her pocket and pulls out one of her red envelopes.

"I wish to give you something. I'm not sure if it's early or not, but it's as close as I think I'm going to calculate to the lunar new year. Here."

Someone had to make sure the kids got their lucky envelopes for the year.

[thepurpleone]

Donnie blinks. "I wouldn't even know where to begin calculating from, which would be the real problem... Oh wait, I've read about this."

He takes the envelope, turning it in hand. "Traditionally it's filled with money or something, right?" Which he normally wouldn't argue but currency is kind of pointless here.

[butterfly_kiss]

"Yes, but we don't have money," she notes. So that wasn't really the option here. Instead there is a piece of paper in it.

'Tae owes me 1 replicator usage'.

There are terms and conditions on the bottom, including how she can only redeem a maximum of two for any person each month so nothing will be instant. But hey, gift anyway.

[thepurpleone]

"Noted. So then what- oh."

Donnie looks at the coupon with a faint smile. "Well, I guess that works. Cool." Who's he to turn down an extra replication?

"Thanks, Tae."

III

[newmemorywhodis]

That is definitely a noise Link hears. One which Link follows, to find Tae muttering about bribes and stealing being wrong.

"Very wrong," he says, as he comes up next to her. And then he adds, "I'll help."

After all, if she needs it, it can't be that bad. And besides, it's just sitting here. It's practically like taking something from an old chest found in a ruin, surely.

[butterfly_kiss]

What? Tae turns to see Link there and is shocked. Was he really offering to help?

"I don't think either of us can li-"

Wait. What?

"What happened to your arm?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Link raises his arm. Looks at it. With the warm clothes he’s wearing, only the hand is visible. But what's visible is strange enough.

In some ways, Link still isn't used to it.

“Gloom,” he says. “Rauru replaced it.”

[butterfly_kiss]

Oh yes, it is very strange. Concerning. And upsetting to Tae as well.

"Gloom? Rauru? It's a prosthetic?"

Okay, now she looks even more concerned.

[newmemorywhodis]

"Gloom," Link confirms. "It's Rauru's arm."

Nope, not a prosthetic. Just someone else's arm, now apparently attached to Link.

Then Link pauses, and apparently considers that extra context was needed. "He wasn't using it anymore. He's dead."

iii

[pursuitofcappiness]

"Stealing is wrong," he repeats, but then says: "But we could borrow. And you know, it is kind of rude that we don't have supplies like this back on the ground, don't you think?"

Look, he's not trying to encourage this... but he's also not going to discourage it either.

[butterfly_kiss]

Borrow? For a long term period? Without return? Tae could get behind that.

She looks to Steve and smiles.

"Strange, I wouldn't expect such a suggestion from you."

[pursuitofcappiness]

"Well, when I was growing up, my mom worked tirelessly to put food on the table and medicine, and sometimes she didn't have money for both." He shrugs. "Think it's a shame to horde things that everybody else needs, don't you?"

He doesn't really approve of stealing, but he can't really fault people for wanting basic access to things they need.

[butterfly_kiss]

"Not spoken like a lot of Americans I've met," she says, smiling at the pragmatism of the man's comments. How interesting.

"We are putting our lives on the line, and I don't have so many diagnostics tools. Tony can only make so much. It is really tempting."

[pursuitofcappiness]

Steve has a lot of thoughts about that, about how much Tony's doing and how he thinks he has to shoulder so many responsibilities. So any helping alleviate that, he thinks, is positive.

"Yes. I think they kinda owe it to us, don't you?"

iii

[ephemerios]

With a small smile, she asks, “Do you think if you asked nicely, the aliens would upgrade us to this in our usual medical set-up?” Look, probably not, but she has to suggest it. “Not that I'm discouraging shenanigans, but it'd be sad if you got in trouble for stealing.” Sometimes you have to do a shenanigan, though, she knows that.

[butterfly_kiss]

"If they were really wise, they would have given us one already," Tae says, sounding half annoyed now.

Of course people are noticing Tae's fixation on these things and what she could use them for.

Though getting in trouble for shenanigans is going to be tiring.

"We'll be healthier for this."

[ephemerios]

“Maybe so. Unless it hasn't been pointed out to them yet and they haven't thought of it.” She shrugs slightly. She'll give them the benefit of the doubt here, even if it's a little of a stretch.

“So basically this room is what your idea of a perfect afterlife is?” Her tone indicates friendly teasing, but also she wouldn't be surprised if Tae answers with a 'yes' 100% seriously.

[butterfly_kiss]

Yeah, that's a pretty fair point. One Tae thinks she needs to consider pretty seriously. But she still wants one. Badly.

"Hardly. There is no perfect afterlife. Someone will always be disappointed."

[ephemerios]

“Well, maybe your own little corner of one. Which means I'm guessing no even hint of wild sci-fi level medical tech in your world? Just .. normal things?” Despite how 'normal' can vary from place to place, she's using it to mean more of a 'decidedly not sci-fi' kind of normal.

II. Red Envelopes

[daddy_longlegs]

While Peter is well outside the demographic, May is happy to accept the envelop, waving it around to show them both before excitedly sticking the corner of it into her mouth to chomp down out.

"Okay, nope. That's not what these are for-" Peter argues, trying to pry it free. "That's not what these are for, right??" he asks quickly as an aside.

Re: II. Red Envelopes

[butterfly_kiss]

"That is not what they are for," Tae agrees as she smiles at the child. She has far more tolerance for children than she'd ever had for adults. The younger, the better.

"It is a tradition, back in Japan. I can't tell if we're at the lunar new year back there, but this seemed... a fitting time."

[daddy_longlegs]

"May Day-" Peter grumbles, and with some effort he manages to pry it free. "Can we say Thank you?" he asks, over emphasizing the words and looking pointedly at May who blinks up at the both of them and then happily smacks the envelope. Peter's expectant face drop. "Ah, well. Thank you-" he says on behalf of them both.

"May, come on, we can open it, and uh- and what's it for again?" He's sure he's heard about this before.

[butterfly_kiss]

"The New Year," Tae says with a smile. "You may want to handle the opening and holding onto it. Normally we give money to children, but since we don't have money, it's an IOU. For a replication. There are rules written on there about it, about how often I can afford to do one in a month and all of that. But it has to be for her needs. This is a gift for her."

Not for Peter.

[daddy_longlegs]

Peter opens the envelope, holding it so May can see as he pulls out the IOU. "A present May! Do you know what you? Hmm? Aaaaand she's eating the envelope again." Peter laughs and puts the IOU away for safe keeping.

"No, yeah, of course. Not gonna steal her gift away. Though she might like the envelope more than anything else right now."