forum Space Cult: Nathaniel Made Something And Everyone Regrets It - Spike Roomba Edition (Private RP)

Started June 30, 2020 by @RedTheLoveless

tune

"Wire the what?" Nich asked, raising an eyebrow. Lysander held up the cactus, and Nich did a double take.
"Um, what do you want me to do with it? Make it walk? Sorry kid, but I'm not giving legs to something with that many spikes. Besides," he waved a hand at the smoking room, "I've sorta got my hands full." The landing gear seemed to agree, based on the grinding noise it made.
Lysander's face fell, and Nich felt, to his surprise, a bit of remorse.
"Look, I'm sure someone else would be willing to help you, but there's no way I have the time for that. Or, as much as I hate to admit it, the skill. Say," Nich said, running a hand through his slightly singed hair, "you wouldn't happen to know the time, wouldja?"
"Don't you have a watch?" Lysander asked, incredulous, and Nich flinched.
"Er, not…right now?" he offered, and the landing gear shuddered and smoked again. Lysander's eyes widened, and Nich forced a smile.

Deciding not to waste much time, Ark didn’t spend an extremely long time viewing the storage. From what he could tell - if he was correct, of course; the crew he was dealing with looked to be..pirates. This’ll be interesting, Ark thought, rubbing his hands together.

Oh, you have no idea how interesting this day will get, Ark.

Without another thought he leaves the room and exits off into the hallway. He begins to walk. Ark’s sure it won’t be long before he comes across something or someone.

"You dropped your watch into the landing gears?" Lysander asked, his eyes wide, and Nich cringed.
"I didn't drop it, it fell," he protested, then sighed. "Besides, I'm gonna get it out. But hey, if you really want someone to make the cactus walk, go to the cells. But you didn't hear it from me, in case someone asks."
"You're the best!" Lysander gushed, pulled Nich into a quick hug.
"Huh?" the older man said, "Oh. I guess I sort of am."

From Lysander's head, James cooed and patted Nich, kicking his feet happily as he peered around the engine room, his fingers stuck in his mouth.

Benji hissed at the pestering purebred, ears flattened and canines bared with hostility. Enkidu also flattened his ears, but his more in submission rather than aggression as he slid away from the angry hybrid, muttering a few apologies. The noble had asked about Benji's eye, and then the deformed fins on his tail ("do they work or…?"), and then went to curiously inspect the fins when he found himself slapped in the face by them, and then Benji's long tail whipped out of reach and curled around the smaller male's body.

This was how their usual interactions went.

The only reason why Benji was in Enkidu's cell was that the prisoner had constantly bugged the first mate in his cabin. Git hadn't exactly been too thrilled, the crow's feathers puffing up and that sharp beak emitting a horrendous sound that Benji just had to relent and relocate the two sprites to a quieter spot on the ship. Now he sorely regretted that decision.

The oven finally beeped, and Jax opened it and carefully, using an oven mitt, set the tray on the counter so the food could cool. "Almost done, maybe two more minutes 'til they're cooled, alright? Once you get some food in you, you'll feel a lot better. You gotta eat more in the future, though, without a proper breakfast, you'll have no energy all day."
Once the chicken nuggets were finally cool enough for Nathaniel to eat, Jax piled half of them on a plate, along with some ketchup on the side. She slid the plate across the table towards the angel. "There you are!"

Peregrine had been silently following Lysander and Neige around the ship, and was getting tired of being led everywhere. Not to mention, whenever the swordswoman was around Neige, she had an odd feeling. Not exactly uncomfortable, but it was too much emotion for Peregrine to handle.
"I should go train. I haven't had an opportunity for several months, and I'm afraid I am out of shape." Peregrine quickly ran to her cell, to train and escape from people for a while.

"Mmkay. Thanks so much, Jax. Sorry I'm being such a hassle…" Nathaniel sighed, finishing up his chocolate milk while he waited for the chicken nuggets to be cool enough to eat. "I just get so absorbed in what I'm doing that I completely forget to do anything else, which usually consists of basic necessities… and that's… um… not great for my body, I'm assuming, considering I weigh nothing as is."

Eztli had been wandering the ship for a while, trying and failing to find the captain. Another memory had resurfaced, a glimpse of a face and a voice she could hear so clearly, it felt like she hadn't been alone in that room. It had scared her, at first. Made her drop the little bundle of wires and gears she had been futzing with. But the voice was familiar, in a good way. The voice was safe, reminded her of the memory she had had of a dark place lit with glowing plants. The voice sounded kind of like home.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find the captain. In a last ditch attempt, she had questioned another crew member about the whereabouts of the first mate, as no one else seemed to know where the captain was either. Now, she was making her way through the brig, peeking in each cell to find Benji.

It was not long before Ark found himself being greeted by some of the faint smells from the kitchen. Although Bazur didn’t have as good as senses of smells as other species, he was still able to catch a few scents. Although they were all very unfamiliar to him. Still, new scents, usually meant new people, or that something was going on in the kitchen. Ark had to decide his plan of action.

Deciding not for a very direct approach, he quietly made his walk through the rest of the hallway and up to the open doorway of the kitchen. Halfway in the kitchen and halfway out of it, Ark leaned against the doorway in silence, folding his arms. He could see, quite clearly from his position, two people in the kitchen.

It wasn't hard to find the first mate, though finding him in the cell of the ship's not-a-prisoner was a little bit unexpected. Li knocked on the closest thing she could find, standing just outside the doorway and arching a brow at the two inside. Even with that slight change to her expression, the young girl's scowl stayed in place, leaving her looking almost like she was about to go off on someone, even if her voice didn't match.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" She asked, tucking her hands into her pockets. Down here, her veins began to glow slightly, visible just under the surface of her skin as she became a living flashlight. "Is everything okay?"

Nathaniel turned around at the faint sound of footsteps and noticed an unfamiliar man in the doorway. "Ah! J-Jax!" He fell off the stool he was sitting on, startled, and dazed himself. "Nngh…" Once he'd gathered himself, he cowered up against the side of the counter, staring at the stranger with eyes wide with fear.

Benji looked up at the sound of a female voice, and sighed a breath of relief when he saw the resident flashlight. He ushered her into the cell and scooted over to provide more room for her—while keeping himself away from an ashamed Enkidu—and wrapped his tail around his torso to keep it out of the way. Enkidu did the same thing, flattening the spines so that he didn't poke himself. "Yeah, it's fine. What's up?" Benji asked, tilting his head and peering up at her.

The glowy effect she carried fascinated him, and it almost reminded him of the shifting patterns that covered Enkidu, which expanded in width due to the slight chill the cells carried. Both sprites perked their ears up at the same time, one out of curiosity and another out of interest. Benji didn't know why someone would seek him out, first mate or not.

Li was a bit startled to be so suddenly pulled into the cell, her brows furrowing as she allowed herself to be sat down. It wasn't hard to tell, looking between the two, that something had actually happened. Unfortunately though, it was also easy to note that it wasn't the best thing, whatever it was.

"Ah, I was looking for the captain. I had news to share." Leaving it at that, she turned to Enkidu, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees, the same way Amira did. "How have you been?"

While Enkidu preened at the attention, Benji pouted and flattened his ears once more in distaste, but listened to the conversation anyway. The purebred ignored the pout in favor of grinning at Li. "Alright, getting yelled at for asking questions, but alright." At the specific call-out, the hybrid rolled his eyes. Well, eye to most, as the other was hidden behind his patch and couldn't be seen by others. Enkidu pointedly ignored this in favor of talking to Li. "I'm not really surprised that my parents haven't said anything in regard to my capture. They probably think I'm dead and won't bother looking. I'm just happy that Miss Amira is letting me roam free on the ship."

Well, that didn’t take long.

Removing himself from the position of the door Ark unfolded his arms, but didn’t walk any further into the kitchen. He gave his head a slight shake as he inhaled, then exhaled. “Ah,” he mumbled, after a moment, eyes surveying the room. Although he was well aware he did tend to have a rather threatening or uneasy appearance, Ark made an attempt to come off as calm and non threatening as possible. It was easy enough with his voice, which he spoke evenly and smoothly.

“Hello there. Mind telling me what ship I’m on?”

"Some questions are better left un-asked, especially aboard a pirate ship." Li pointed out, nodding as she listened to the 'captive' talk. They hadn't had many interactions, but had briefly gotten to talk on occasions when she'd been bored or wandering. He was a nice enough guy. It made sense, why Benji seemed to have a small thing for him. What type of thing was up for grabs, but who knew.

"The captain is a kind woman, even if she's scary as fuck sometimes. Should your parents decide they don't want to be parents, there's a likely chance you'll find a home aboard the ship." Her voice had taken a softer tone, even though her expression was visibly not a match. "Have you done much while roaming? I've found the engine room has a nice warmth, on the really cold nights. Long as Nich doesn't mind you hanging around."

"Um… w-why do you want to know, sir…?" Nathaniel asked tentatively, wrapping his wings around himself, though the crumpled feathers could do little to protect him now. "Are you alone? Are you trying to attack us? I-I'm warning you, I— … I-I'm armed!" He pulled a dagger out of his pocket and pointed it at Ark, his hand trembling along with the rest of his form.

“Oh, if I wanted to attack this place, I would’ve done so when I got here..” Ark pulled his left arm towards his face, peering down at a non-existent watch. “..I would’ve done so ten or so minutes ago when I first arrived.”

Ark glanced back up, looking towards the dagger. He fell silent. But within a few moments, Ark raised his right arm - the metal, prosthetic arm - and brought it up to his face, moving it into a ‘shh’ motion. “No need, no need for that,” he said, referring to the dagger. Though his tone still kept calm. “I just need the name of the ship, that’s all, really. Would it help if I told you my name?”

Nathaniel kept his eyes on Ark, still very pale with fear. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he nodded shakily. "W-Who are you? Why do you need the name of the ship? Why are you here?" He asked weakly, hesitantly lowering his dagger and curling up a bit tighter up against the cabinets. His wings were puffed up with fear and he seemed very antsy.

“Calm, calm, calm,” Ark says, lowering himself a bit. “There’s no need to be scared around me. I won’t harm or hurt anyone.” Yet, anyways, Ark added, within his mind.

“My name is Ark.” He gestures to himself, planting a hand on his chest. “I’m just curious, is all. It would be nice to know where I am.” He didn’t bother on asking for the child’s name. He leans down to the point where his knees are touching the ground; essentially, kneeling down.

Nathaniel fidgeted nervously with his dagger, his heart pounding in his chest. He seemed to be holding his breath. "U-Um… you… you're on the BC Orion, sir…" He replied weakly, his voice wavering. He clutched the hilt of the dagger tightly in one small fist, but kept the weapon lowered for now. "H-How did you even get in here?"

“BC Orion..” He repeated, pondering on if he had or hadn’t heard that name somewhere. Probably. Maybe not.

Upon hearing the question, he adjusted his posture so that he was leaning against the wall slightly. “Quite simple, really.” Ark begins. “I just teleported onto here is all.” Even though he’d been speaking for some time, his voice never changes at all. He’s still calm, evenly speaking.

Nathaniel whimpered quietly and pressed himself closer to the cabinets, trying to stay away from Ark. He clearly still didn't trust the man and he was terrified. "W-Why are you here?" He asked tentatively. His stomach growled angrily and he crossed his arms over it, flushing a bit. His food was obviously right above his head, but he didn't feel safe enough to grab it at the moment.

Jax stepped in front of Nathaniel, grabbing a knife from the counter and pointing it at the man. "If you teleported here," the girl said in a surprisingly calm voice, "you can teleport away. And I'd recommend you do that, or I'll call for help."
A grin spread across Jax's scarred face, a contrast to the menacing glint in her gray eyes. "Okay?"

“Well, I’m here because-“ But Ark did not explain, because he stopped upon Jax’s entrance to the situation. Although he did not produce any visible reaction - his voice remained in the same tone as before, as he stood up from his spot. “Well, I can’t say I didn’t expect that to happen at some point,” he murmured.

“Alright.” He accepted, after a moment. “I’ll leave. I’ll teleport. Away from here.” There was a tone to his voice, one different to his calmer one from before - almost mischievous. He fell silent again, looking at them in silence before quickly vanishing as he teleported to yet another location on the ship.

Nathaniel breathed a shaky sigh of relief and tightly hugged one of Jax's legs, noticeably trembling. His stomach growled again, but he tried to ignore it, still not really feeling safe enough to come out from his 'hiding space'. "Thanks…" He whispered, closing his eyes and holding tighter to Jax.

"He's still somewhere on the ship," Jax guessed, setting the knife on the table. "Amira or someone'll find him sooner or later, then you won't have to worry about him anymore, alright? If he comes back, I'll protect you." She helped the boy back to his seat, and refilled his glass of chocolate milk.

Nathaniel nodded weakly and allowed Jax to help him up, still quite shaky once he was on the stool again. He took a bite of one of the chicken nuggets, biting back the tears that were stinging his eyes. He was too upset to really be able to enjoy the food much.