revivalproject | ♤ More Than Fine, More Than Bent on Getting By

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♤ More Than Fine, More Than Bent on Getting By

WHO: Cayde-6 and all'a you
WHERE: ~~IN YUR SPACE~~ Here, there, anywhere! Ugh, just tell him to go home
WHAT: Someone is totally not having attachment issues and just wanting to hang out because that what u do
WHEN: Post-Billicity, through June
WARNINGS: N/A I think
NOTES: Prose to start, will match as preferred.

♤ Fancy Meeting You Here!
For the lack of adrenaline Cayde had still found himself able to go along as though nothing had happened, because things being 'normal' acted in its own way like an energy boost, just being in familiar territory with people whom not only did he know, but that knew him back. He knows it's not nearly so simple, of course, but that's a different sort of problem that he knows he can't personally fix for everyone. Not that it means he won't try to make things a little better.

He certainly hasn't been particularly shy about popping by the more frequented places of the town to begin with, and now it's like he's doing so with a vengeance. The greenhouse, sure. The diner? Of course. The hangar? You bet. The Deep End? Absolutely. He may even be there more often than usual, if only because he knows it's a sure place people come by, if not for the hard liquor then maybe for some coffee. Thought you were about to have a quiet drink? Well, look alive, you've got company. Maybe he'll even try picking out a tune on that guitar there that's practically become a communal instrument. And then there's the amphitheater, because he knows some people use that as a place to blow off some excess energy.

For people he's more familiar with, it shouldn't come as a surprise to find him just there in their space at some point, invited himself in, made himself at home. It's fine, we're all fine. Yes, he's terribly clingy (even though he will attempt not to make it obvious) because being in a busy city and yet finding yourself able to still be isolated is an experience he could have done without. No, he's not going to outright admit it, but it's been a long month. Let him have this. Please.

♤ Great Googly Moogly!
It never fails; you're just going about your day like usual and then you turn and suddenly find yourself startled by a pair of googly eyes staring at you. Unless you're Ikora, in which case this will probably not startle so much as prompt an arch of a brow. But there they are.

Helmets are a prime target, especially on the back. Doors, trees, Jon's chair, someone's mug, a random wrench, Ophiuchus, glasses (I mean, how can you not?!)- free game. Sky's the limit- although if Cayde had the means, he might have very well tried that too.

Not to worry. This too shall pass. Probably.

Or at least it will when he runs out of googly eyes.

♤ Not-Home-Away-From-Not-Home-Away-From-Not-Home
The days and nights in the city facsimile had been more like regular days back on Earth and yet they still had felt incredibly long. Staying awake most of those nights just lent to the impression. He's sure that the exhaustion he feels is more mental than physical, but he's been most determined to make his rounds.

The old Agrii furniture store is one of Cayde's more random haunts, a place he enjoys poking around for supplies and random knick-knacks when he's bored or to sprawl out on one of the many beds. At the moment it's the latter, and should anyone happen to wander into the bed section, they'll find the Hunter lying across the end of a bed on his side, an arm tucked under his hooded head, optics shuttered, hand cannon still holstered at his side. Exos don't need to sleep, but in keeping with the habits of their formerly fleshy selves they can if they wish, and low and behold, it looks like he's doing just that, finally given in to all the running around.

Hovering watchfully nearby is his Ghost Sundance, and should they suddenly find themselves with company she'll swivel around to look at whomever might come upon her sleeping Guardian.

♤ Aces Wild
((AKA if you have any other ideas or something you want play out, toss down a starter or bother me to hash out some deets, whichever!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cayde bounces down at an angle so that by the time he reaches the level Jon's at, he doesn't need to take more than a few steps to get any closer. He grins as he catches a glimpse of the recorder, glad that for all the overload of eyeballs, the googly ones are apparently well-received.

Flopping near the Archivist, the Exo stretches out, lying with his arms folded behind his head as he stares upwards with a sigh. "Eh, if I had one you know I would have. I'm guessing these are as jumbo-size as they come," he snickers.

"Feeling great, really! Things're all back to the weird normal that is Temba, everything's pretty much as we left it. My one regret is the food. Was that even real, what we were eating? That is going to keep me up at night now."

Cayde's confirmation gets a little chuckle from Jon. He knows the Exo has tried all he could to find the largest false eyes he possibly could. Which is an oddly refreshing thought to have among their daily doom ad gloom.

"The food was real." Jon offers with a little nod. "Billy wields some incredible magic. He literally reshaped part of reality to create that city. The people weren't real, though. Which is- Comforting. Magic still doesn't simply create life..." And he didn't bring harm to more innocent people. Only his friends...

"I'm sorry for how I acted. And for attacking you."

He'd been pleased when the Agrii had delivered upon his request. After hearing about the mysterious 'Ask' box, the Exo had mainly treated it as a new potential venue of entertainment, treating it like a scavenger hunt for the Agrii while being all too eager to see what sort of things they might end up sending.

"Yeah. It's pretty crazy stuff. I mean, after figuring out his connection I guess it start to make more sense. The kid made a whole festival ground for everyone the last time, after all."

His expression sobers a little as Jon goes on. He remembers the screams. Jon's not the only one thankful that the people hadn't been real, but it had still been pretty horrifying. The grin comes back in full force as he shakes his head when the Archivist offers his apology.

"Hey, you were hardly the only one not acting like yourself back there. It's fine. I'm sure things could have gone a lot differently so..." He shrugs. "Anyway, things just got more messed up before they got better so at least it all turned out fine in the end."

"I may not have been the only one, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't take responsibility for my actions." Jon returns, but not without an appreciative smile for the words offered by the Exo that will have no choice but to accept his apology.

Jon's attention shifts back to the recorder and tapes in front of him again. Familiar items for sure.

"It's strange to think I only just returned to Temba mere days before we ended up in this new city. Being back on my Earth has been... Very different from what I expected it to be. And now I don't believe I will ever return there."

It's not that he doesn't agree with Jon. But he still knows that there's no beating oneself up over it. But if it's just an apology, that's acceptable. There's plenty of those to be going around, but Cayde's just relieved that everyone remembers what they're supposed to. He hasn't lost anyone. Not that he'll say as much.

"Definitely a Warlock," he says instead, still smiling a bit, even with the sigh that follows. "That must've been a whiplash. From home to here and then...something else? Not that the something else was realized right off the back." He tilts his head, glancing past his horn at Jon. "...somethin' happen back home?"

“A lot.” Jon nods at the question, then shrugs. “I ended my Earth. Summoned the apocalypse like tool I was set up to be. No one was permitted to die, though. But everyone suffered.” He falls silent for a moment, recalling how he felt once he realized what he had done.

Then he shakes his head.

“With luck we undid it. But at the same time we cast the Fears out into the multiverse. And.... As the Archivist, I... Got dragged along. I don’t know where they are now. Not here, I believe. But going back is not an option I have any longer.”

No one was permitted to die, though. But everyone suffered.

The Exo tenses at that, remembering his encounter with the Archivist back in that city, a giant eye looking down upon them, buildings collapsing. He shuts his eyes for a moment, then abruptly swings himself up to sit, pulling his legs around to set down over the bench-ledge.

"So you saved your world, but sent something out elsewhere." He looks at Jon. "Were you brought back by the Agrii? Or is ending up here the result of your being dragged along?"

“I don’t know.” Jon answers honestly, but not without another sigh. “Which is strange. Not knowing... During the apocalypse I knew literally everything. I could see, know and understand everything and everyone, but now? It’s different.”

He pauses there for a short moment. “I didn’t mean to release them and endanger everyone else’s worlds. I... Had hoped to contain them. To keep them isolated and starve them. Sacrificing one world rather than...” Another pause there. “It’s too late now. I can’t see them now, though. I... don’t know where they are.” And that’s bothering him.

Cayde's not sure whether that's a significant point or not. Surely it hints that there's a possibility to bypass whatever the Atroma's technology employs to bring people in, or at least that's what he'd like to think. Of course it only brings up other questions, like many things, and he figures it's not really the thing to focus on at the moment, not as he watches Jon.

The Exo lifts a gloved hand, resting it upon the man's shoulder. "Tough choices. Worrying about what's happened if there's nothing to be done about it won't make things better and it'll just give you a headache." He smiles roguishly. "If something comes up, we'll figure it out."

The Exo's hand feels heavy on his shoulder and yet the gesture makes Jon smile a little despite their current topic. "Thanks, Cayde. I know it's a moot point, but it remains hard not to dwell on it. I still worry about the friends I left behind. About Martin... Was he swept along the web of tapes or left behind when everything fell apart..." He is silent after those words, but then his mind returns to Cayde and the hand on his shoulder. "Sorry. I really need to find something to distract myself."

Which he may have been trying here. Though for the most part Jon has just been wandering Temba, checking on buildings and places - And people. Finding the Countess and her litter fine has been a relief.

That's exactly the reason Cayde doesn't just say to forget it all. It's impossible not to worry about what you've left behind, what you haven't done. In Jon's case it's real-time and Cayde's got even less by way of reassurances. False promises aren't about to make anyone happy. Distractions, however, are something he can do.

"Well! That's easy. Have you made all your rounds? Get any new books? Spontaneous refurnishing something? Ooh- fishing! You any good at fishing?"

"Fishing?" Jon echoes the suggestion, which feels alien to have directed at him. "I... uh... I used to watch the fishermen of my home town every once in a while growing up, but- Never tried it myself. Read plenty of books about it, though." Which isn't the same, of course. But at the same time the one way he had been able to interact with the subject. His tone turns a little sheepish as he adds: "And then I went to the harbor and tried to berate the fishermen on how to do their job." He was an annoying child, but he won't deny that fact.

"Have you done any of it here? Quite a few of the local fish are edible after all."

The Exo is very quiet for a moment as he soaks this wonderful new information in, but Jon's final addition on the matter makes him burst out with the laugh he'd been trying to hold in. "You went and told them...heehee! Oh, man. I can just picture it," he snickers.

"I've done a little. But like you I've only gone off of watching people. Or being creative. I set this other little tank up in the bar, see? Apart from the big ol' window-wall of stuff swimming around. Thing is, the little green kid treats it as a snack bar."

Jon shrugs at Cayde's reaction, but he also smiles a little. These are still memories of easier times and he doesn't mind sharing them.

"I noticed the tank and its fluctuating amount of inmates." He notes on the tank in Cayde's bar becoming an open buffet to Grogu. "Do you plan on acquiring more snacks for the kid?"

"I think he's the only one who really enjoys the thing," the Hunter laughs. "I also think that if he's gonna be grabbing fresh food from anywhere it's better to have him inside than out by the lake, wouldn't you agree?"

Cayde's not even sure what all's in the water apart from whatever might have been mentioned, and even in that strange little isolated body of water between the buildings where his bar lies, he couldn't say for sure that there might not be anything big just settled down near the bottom levels where things are murkier.

"There is also the option to simply feed him sufficiently. He likely doesn't know which creatures are poisonous for him." Not all animals on Agra 10 are harmless, and Jon doesn't necessarily need to know that little detail.

"Have you considered putting some of the green lobsters inside? There are plenty of them at the beach and we know they are, indeed, edible."

"That. Is an excellent point," Cayde is forced to concede. He's just thankful that so far nothing's proven inedible.

"I'm running a bar, not an aquarium! Would they fit? Have you seen how big they get?" He still has to laugh at the thought. "Anyway the idea's not to have a buffet. Or at least that wasn't the initial plan. If we want fresh catches at least the beach isn't that far off that someone can't bring something in daily if it was needed."

Cayde's argument has Jon chuckle lightly and he has to shrug. "Fair point. I was merely told they are rather tasty." He obviously hasn't tried any. Or actual lobster back on Earth, for the matter. That sort of meal has always been far out of his price range and he never particularly felt like he was missing out.

"So what do you want to go fishing for? Any particular spot you want to try?"

"We'll have to cook one up and find out the truth to that then," Cayde suggests. Not that he has any idea how to cook a lobster.

"Oh, I was figuring from the roof of the place the bar's at. Or maybe the lake? Those're the obvious two off the top of my head unless there's a nice spot by the beach that isn't all sand."

Jon knows how to cook a lobster. But he has zero experience in it. It's all theoretical knowledge provided by the Eye. "I believe they are used for certain dishes at the diner."

He raises a set of curious brows at Cayde's suggested fishing spots. "Rooftop fishing? I mean- We have seen some of the creatures living between those buildings, but I am certain there are different ones further up."

"Given people have been squeamish about roasting glownies, I'm not surprised. The lobsters are maybe the next biggest commodity. Aside from the squirrel-things I've hunted out in the woods, not that there's a whole lotta meat on 'em."

Cayde grins. "You know what this means? More exploration time!"

"Christ, how can they be squeamish when these animals are their one reliable source of meat!" Jon points out with a mild tone of exasperation. "I mean- I see where it may be difficult to butcher an animal, but don't we have some survival experts around?" And he pauses there, abruptly very quiet and maybe a little flustered at his own reaction. No. He may not really be eating actual food, but even Jon appreciates the occasional steak.

He clears his throat. "I- I mean. You're right. W-we... We need to explore more of this planet. Even I can't simply look what's past these woods surrounding Temba." Seems like even the Eye can't see everything. At least not without some effort.

The Exo holds up his hands. "Some might have valid reasons, as you said, but yeah. When you have something and not much else there's not much room to complain. But I think figuring out the how's might also be a factor. I can hunt but I don't know my way around chopping up meat. I think Vanth said he's willing to try though."

He tilts his head at the Archivist then. "Bad reception or something? There might be the possibility that there isn't anything worthwhile out there. Too bad when we came back from our space trips we didn't get a chance to really look around while we were still airborne."

"Bad rec- You know what, sure." Jon relents with a sigh, not too sure he wants to try and figure out the actual reasons.

Instead, he shrugs. "There still are these train tracks that have to lead somewhere." Jon makes a little gesture with his hand. "I actually had hoped those speeders Tony has been working on were meant to be used to explore further parts of this world, not merely for something as senseless as racing them into a crash pile." And he gives a small, disappointed huff.

Cayde snappoints at the Archivist then. "There is that. I was talking with that Ezra kid about it. He was suggesting a whole expedition but I don't think it needs to be so big, especially with no guarantee of actually finding anything on the other end."

He does wince subtly as Jon mentions the speeder accident, glancing away awkwardly as he scratches the back of his hooded head.

♤ More Than Fine, More Than Bent on Getting By

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