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Date & Time: 5th April, evening
Location: Disciple's apartment
Characters: Disciple, Helmsman and Nepeta
Summary: Disciple wants to introduce her descendant to her best-friend-who-doesn't-remember-he-is.
Warnings: None, I think!

"I'm really glad you said you'd meet her!" Di babbles at the Helmsman, clearly excited and a bit nervous over the meeting which was about to take place. When he'd been going to meet Sollux she'd been more worried about how the younger yellowblood would act, but with Nepeta at least she felt reassured that she'd be kind and friendly towards the Helmsman.

She just hopes it won't be too awkward. When she'd first told her descendant about her dear friend and what had been done to him she'd done her best to explain how he was now, and not to expect so very much in the way of friendliness perhaps. That his appearance would scare her is another concern, but then again Disciple has such a high opinion of her young descendant that she feels sure she'll rise to the occasion.

All she wants is for them to get along, and that maybe Psii, what little or a lot remained of him inside the Helmsman, would see how proud she is of Nepeta, and how much it means to Disciple for him to get to know her.

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They've just finished another of their invigorating little rounds of "Take a sip at least!" "System doesn't require nourishment." "Please, Helmsman, just a bit?" and Di sighs as she pours the remaining soup into a bowl, covering it until it can cool off and be safely stored in the thermal hull for reheating later.

She wonders if Dolorosa ever had nearly as much trouble getting a young Signless to eat as she's having convincing the ancient Helmsman that food won't kill him, and is, in fact, a necessity. Thinking of Dolorosa makes her sigh again, deeper this time. She misses her so terribly, her advice, her quiet help, her unobtrusive way of comforting, even her mere presence...

She turns back to the Helmsna, seeking to distract herself. "Do you feel a bit better now?"

If Disciple were able to quantify things the way the Helmsman does, she'll have noticed that he protested for 2.2 minutes less than before, and that he ate 4.4 more grams of soup than usual. He's not stupid, he's made the connection that he needs to eat in this place, as distasteful as the activity might be, but that doesn't mean he has to like it or make it easier on her.

He just stares at her and blinks slowly a few times. He feels an uncomfortable fullness settling between his ribs, and the unfamiliar gurglings of his bodily processes starting up. None of this is pleasant, so "better" is certainly not the word he'd choose.

If Disciple had to think about it, she'd probably guess those exact things. She knows very well what Psii was like - and it's not too much of a stretch to hope that the Helmsman had retained some of that. She has to hope so. It would mean those tiny hints of him being still in there, somewhere, are real.

She waits for a reply from him, sighing when none is given. She'll take that as a 'no', then. "Do you feel like sitting down together for a while? I mean...you can stay upright if you want, of course." Does she ever miss the days she could simply pounce him and curl up into a comfortable position...

Sitting is another activity that the Helmsman can no longer do, and he's actually appreciative that she remembers that. It's nearly impossible to sit when biowires are implanted all along your hips and ass and crawling up your waist.

"System will stay, if thith ith what user Disciple wantth." She doesn't have any exposed ceiling beams in this apartment, so one corner to float in is just as good as any other.

Edited (wtf, that term doesn't need quotations around it) 2013-04-13 11:19 (UTC)

"I'd like it very much if you would," she says. It's always so hard to know how to phrase things so that a simple wish isn't taken as an order. She doesn't want him to stay if he doesn't want to! But she doesn't want him to go either. She's been feeling increasingly lonely here, and it's hard to know how to fill that void.

"Are you comfortable over there?" is asked politely, even though she knows it's hardly possible for him to be too comfortable ever. Why can't there be more she can do for him? She feels like a complete and utter failure at doing anything to make things at all better for someone who used to be such a dear friend - who still is, on her side. She can't begin to guess what he thinks of her.

The Helmsman isn't sure what to think of her, honestly. She doesn't order him around, and asks him questions about his own preferences, and although the eating thing is extremely annoying, he accepts that it's for his own good and she's doing it because she cares. Which is weird. Who cares about the care and well-being of their helmsman? He's consistently befuddled by everyone here who seems to give a damn about his comfort and what he likes.

"System ith operating at forty-three percent." The numbers are climbing because he's eating, but there's still a long way to go before he's back to one hundred percent again. He floats after her; wherever she settles, he'll find a nearby corner to suspend himself in.

"Oh, that's higher than last time! I'm so glad you've been feeling better." She beams at him, curling herself up on a couple of raggedy cushions on the floor - there's no extra furniture in this corner of the apartment, which should make it easier for him to float about there. At least she hopes it will.

"Have you been doing anything new lately? Met any new people?" She's genuinely interested in what he's been up to - and at the same time wants to keep an eye on him. Anyone trying to take advantage of his need to obey orders will be promptly introduced to the Disciple's claws.

"Operationth are improving." He's not quite sure how increased operations relate to feeling better, but whatever. He does float relatively close, although he keeps his biowires away from her; he knows they creep people out and doesn't want to frighten her.

"User Drift taught system a game."

She may find his biowires a bit worrisome and upsetting, but it's not because of the way they look. It's simply because of how they've invaded his body, changed him - that's what makes them hard to look at. They don't frighten her, though. She could never be frightened of Psii, even knowing what he's capable of.

"A game! That sounds like fun. Did you enjoy it?" She grins up at him - it hadn't occurred to her before, but a few strategy games for them to play together could be a good idea. ...if Di could manage to find the wits and patience for them. That kind of thing isn't quite her strong suit.

"System made user Drift'th shanikth run away and then cleaned user'th chronometer." In other words, he gave Drift a run for his money and then cleaned his clock. So yes, he enjoyed it.

"System ith going to program more of user Drift'th gameth at a later point in time."

Give her a moment to figure that one out. "Oh!" She laughs. "Beat him at his own game, then? I'm not surprised. But it's great that you're going to program more of them for him! Would you...would you maybe teach me how to play some of them?"

She doesn't want to impose or make him think he has to. She knows that Drift is a friend he's made on his own and that, although the Helmsman won't admit it, he almost certainly enjoyed playing against him. That's what she wants for him, fun, not any kind of self-enforced duty.

"System can teach user Disciple if user ith interested in learning."

He did enjoy playing with Drift, and he likes the idea of playing more games with someone else. The fact that she wants to learn and play with him is kind of flattering, and although his expression doesn't really change, his posture relaxes a little, and he doesn't look as tense and highly strung as normal. "What kind of gameth doeth user Disciple enjoy?"

"Oh, I am!" That he's taking it well makes her glad - he seems eager for it, if anything, and just seeing him relax that way makes her wish she'd thought of it before. "I know a few card games. And other games that I used to play with my lusus, but those wouldn't work as well. I'd be happy to try any you'd show me!"

"System hath some simple gameth user Disciple could play. Or user Disciple could teach system card gameth." He's not trying to be insulting, really; she just doesn't really strike him as the strategy game type.

"I'd be honoured to teach you a few of the ones I know," she says, very sincere in her words. It already means a great deal to her that he'd ask her at all - and she's pretty sure he'll be winning each and every single match before long. "It was a friend who taught me in the first place," she adds, smiling a little at the memory. "So it only seems right that I'd pass it on to another friend too."

"System ith a friend?" Pardon him, he's a little shocked by that statement. First Drift, now Disciple... he has never had friends before, and now suddenly he has two.

"Of course you are!" She manages to stop herself from feeling bad that he hadn't realized before just how much of a friend she considers him to be - after what he's been through, it's not surprising that it feels like a completely alien concept to him. "A very dear friend," she adds with a soft smile.

The Helmsman ponders this for a few minutes. He's familiar with the concept of friendship, of course, but not so much the practice. Everything he knows about it leads him to one very obvious conclusion.

"System disagreeth. System ith not capable of being a very dear friend. System doeth not behave in thith way."

It's not you, it's him, Disciple.

"That's not true, Helmsman. You just think you aren't, but you are. And I already feel that you are, and I really cannot help it if I feel that way about you." There's a small grin from her, teasing a very tiny bit. "I'm afraid you'll have to put up with an affectionate old cat troll hanging around a little while longer."

He stares at her blankly for another moment or two, then blinks and turns his attention elsewhere. "What game did user Disciple want to teach system?"

She lets it go, thinking over his question. Which game would be fun to play for him? Poker would be impossible, seeing that he has the most impenetrable poker face in history, and some others are just...

Hmm. "Would you like to try Snap?"

Yeah, good luck breaking this poker face. It can't be done.

"How ith the game Snap played?" He floats a little closer, hovering so he can see what she's doing.

"It's quite simple," she starts explaining, hunting out a packet of picture cards from amongst her heap of cushions. "I shuffle the pack and divide it between the two of us, face down, and then we each take turns placing one face-up in a pile in the middle. If the one you place matches the one directly beneath it, the one who shouts 'Snap!' first is safe and the other has to take all the cards in the middle into their pile. Whoever gets rid of all their cards first wins!"

Those rules are very simple, and the Helmsman has no trouble understanding them. There is one thing he's unclear on, however.

"Query: do playerth have to shout?" There are two problems with this: his vocal cords can't withstand extended shouting, and loud noises make him nervous.

"Oh...no, you don't have to!" She's quick to reassure him, guessing what his problem might be. "It can make the game a bit more fun and exciting but what's important is saying it quickly, not loud! There doesn't have to be any shouting."

For Di and Helmsman; later on

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Helmsna wtf was I typing...

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