beneath the stars came falling on our heads

[bumbles]

Date & Time: throughout September.
Location: various.
Characters: Donny Casey/Atlas and assorted unfortunate souls.
Summary: Going to be throwing individuals starters in, but slam me a pm or grab me on plurk if you would like a thread sometime during the month! c:
Warnings: I will add these as necessary!

( Donny's actually feeling pretty good about this month.


But we all know that's going to go up in flames so let's prepare the popcorn. And here is a sly link to his appearance page in case you need to know what Atlas' uniform is like, ohoho. )

Comments

[quackery]

[Meanwhile, she's just come back from the courtyard where the new arrivals are filtering in; curiosity got the better of her, but she'll stay an hour or two later than she normally does to make up for it. She's hurriedly pulling her hair up into a bun as she walks into the clinic, and as she passes by, she sees a boy pulling off a pair of gloves. With a smile, she slows, addressing him.]

Want me to grab you some new ones? I'm headed that way right now.

[bumbles]

( He's a little more used to people talking to him in the clinic than in other environments, although he's really more for listening and following instructions, going where they need him to than really jumping in to conversation himself. It's entirely possible that Ahiru's worked the same time as him before and never really... heard him speak, except very quietly with patients. )

Um.

( Looking down at his gloves, and nodding a little. ) That um, that-- w-would be g-good.

( Le sigh. ) Thank you.

[quackery]

[She grins, nodding, and notes that hesitation as well as the stutter. She doesn't call attention to it, not wanting to make him feel self conscious, as she hurries off to get the gloves. When she returns, her smile is just that much brighter as she hands him the pair.]

Here you go! How's the day been here so far?

[bumbles]

( With the way he slouches, Donny's doesn't loom over her quite the way he would as Atlas. He's still the better part of a foot taller than her, though. It makes him feel like a troll, or something, he notes absent-mindedly, with the way she skims and bounce around, versus the slow, cautious way he takes the gloves from her hands. )

Thanks. ( Just quietly, again. ) It's um, b-been-- hectic? Uh, I think-- all the p-people and the um, the b-bustling.

( Scratching his temple, a little, gaze very much set on the gloves. ) N-nothing um, t-too-- too b-bad, though.

[quackery]

[She's had years of practice at looking up at people who are much taller when she talks to them, so it doesn't seem as strained as it might have when she first left home. She nods, moving around him to see if there's anything he used on his last patient that she can dispose of. That's what she's mostly accustomed to around here, after all; cleaning and helping with small tasks. She doesn't think she'll ever be the kind of person who can tolerate the sight of excessive injury, but she still wants to help out where she can.]

I don't think I've introduced myself yet! My name's Ahiru. What's yours?

[bumbles]

Oh, um.

( As she moves and picks things up, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. He's seen her around here doing the same things before, but he usually tries to clean up after himself, and he looks a little guilty. Even though it's her job, he's chewing at his lip. )

I'm D-Donny? It's uh, n-nice to m-meet you. ( Scratching his forearm. It's easier at the clinic to keep his sleeves rolled back, and his fingers nervously trace over the circle tattooed over the inside of his wrist. ) H-have-- have you b-been here long?

( In the city, he means. )

[quackery]

[She nods as she gathers, glancing towards him every few seconds to let him know she's listening.]

I showed up in February. Unless you meant here at the clinic! That's been around two months, I think. What about you?

[bumbles]

( For a while, before Marissa started teaching him the basics back at the clinic at home, Donny was the guy who just healed out and cleaned, did all sorts. He wasn't quite sure how he got into it, or why Marissa kept him around, but he had and she did. After a second of feeling agonisingly awkward watching her do the cleaning up, he decides to help out, at least until the next person comes through. )

M-May. For um, for b-both? Ashraf and D-Doctor McCoy t-told me about it. Here. ( Words. ) This'll b-be um, m-my fifth month.

[quackery]

[She blinks as he starts to help and looks up at him, surprised.]

Oh, you don't have to do that! I mean, this is one of the only things I can do around here, so...

[She grins, though, impressed.]

You started helping out here right away, huh? Good for you!

[bumbles]

It's o-okay. I-- you, um, d-don't-- don't have t-to do it all.

( quietly, as he picks up one of the pieces of equipment and frowns a little at it, but says nothing, setting it down before going back to cleaning. Just because she's doing the clean up stuff doesn't mean they can't make her job easier if they aren't busy. Besides, he's had enough cleaning jobs that leaving her to do it on her own makes him uncomfortable, like guilt is clinging on for yet another reason.

Excuse him as he stares for a second, fumbling something and catching it before it hits the ground.)

It's, uh-- I d-didn't have anything else. T-to do.

[quackery]

Well, that's kind of my job...

[She doesn't move to stop him, though, instead working alongside him as they both tidy up. She pauses for a moment to look towards him again, shaking her head with a small smile.]

Are you immune to compliments? It really is a good thing, so it's okay to accept it! [Her tone is light and cheerful.]

[bumbles]

Yeah, b-but-- I m-mean, um.

( Just ignore him, he just feels bad, okay? Okay.

And then, deer in headlights. ) Um. It's, j-just. It w-was the uh, right thing t-to do.

( His gaze drops back down. It doesn't seem like something deserving of a compliment, when he knows how to do the job. ) Sorry. ( he makes things awkward. He knows. )

[quackery]

I know it was the right thing to do, that's why I'm saying it was good of you to do it!

[A little laugh, but not really laughing at him. She glances at him again, tilting her head.]

What are your tattoos of?

[bumbles]

( Laughing 8(

He wilts a little. ) Oh.

( Donny glances down. ) This is uh, the T-Tree of Life? It's Celtic. Like um, the d-druids and stuff. It was-- it was p-part of their religion. M-magic and stuff.

( A little sheepish, but a slight smile. )

[quackery]

[She takes note of it with a small frown. Note to self: don't try to joke around with this kid.

It isn't conscious, but she leans towards him a little as she listens, interested.]

I've never heard of that! Can you tell me more about it?

[bumbles]

( People being interested is still weird, but he watches her for a couple of moments, curious. )

Are-- are you from Earth? Or, uh-- d-do you know Ireland?

[quackery]

[She nods, slowing in her work so she can make eye contact rather than pay attention to what she should be doing.]

Yeah, I know where Ireland is. [She doesn't say more, waiting for him to go on.]

[bumbles]

( Okay, cool. He's not exactly huge on eye contact, but sometimes-- sometimes when he gets nudged towards topics that he has a lot of thoughts about, that resonate for him? Even if he doesn't make eye contact all that much, there's more energy in him, more vibrance. It's all wrapped up in shyness and everything else, but it's still there. )

The uh, the d-druids-- they were like the um, the r-religious leaders for the Celts. In the Iron Age, roughly? N-not um, not that m-much is really known about them, b-but-- they were important. And-- the gods and stuff.

( He sort of makes a face, a little-- bothered, by himself, because he can't articulate it all that well. ) They were all t-tied up with n-nature and magic.

[quackery]

[She can tell he's more enthusiastic than he had been a second ago, so she continues on, smiling.]

Tied up with nature and magic? Like how? Does it have something to do with the tree you mentioned?

[bumbles]

Yeah. Um-- trees w-were sacred? And uh, symbolised stuff.

( "stuff." Oh, Donny. )

Like a uh, a link, b-between our w-world, and the n-next. And like--

( God, he is so bad at explaining, and he gets it all muddled around, but he's tracing the tattoo. ) T-trees symbolized everything. Renewal and life and-- shelter?

( He's been talking too much. And he's a little embarrassed, fingers closing around his wrist. )

[quackery]

Mm.

[The noise is thoughtful, and her expression is the same as she stays silent for a moment or two.]

Do you believe in it, or do you just think it's an interesting point of view?

[bumbles]

( Being interested in this stuff, trying to read about it and all-- hadn't made his time at school any easier. A couple of people made fun of it, Phoebe was brutal about it.

The look he gives her is sort of nervous, hesitant, and he licks his lips before dragging at them with his teeth, trying to work out whether he should be honest or just keep his mouth shut. )

Um. ( Well. ) I um, I n-need to-- to l-learn um, learn m-more about it. My p-parents are C-Catholic um, so.

[quackery]

[There's nothing but curiosity here; no judgment, no bias.]

Have you been to the library here before? I bet they'd have something about it! What are your parents like?

[bumbles]

( A little nod, though he tilts his head. )

They aren't um, there's a l-lot of-- ideas? B-but n-not much is um, known for sure.

( But he isn't quite sure what to say about his parents, because every time he thinks of them, remembers them, there are nightmares that crawl their way up his spine, more visceral and real than actual memories, and he has to try and pick his way through them to find the truth. )

Smart.

( That's true. They're both really smart. ) W-what about um, yours?

[quackery]

Well, they sound like really interesting ideas! It's too bad nobody knows a lot about it.

Oh, they're smart? What do they do for a living?

[And she pauses, looking back down at the supplies, a bit hesitant.]

Oh, um, I don't - have any.

[It's said quickly, skimming over the subject as fast as she can. There's a note of apology in her voice; she's found that she's always met with sympathy or pity when she brings this up, and she hadn't meant to say something that would bring such a response.]