a new arrival

[tinico]

i. december

Nicholas was out for errands, a shopping bag slung over his shoulder with things that he'd been sent to buy, and he was almost back to the orphanage, smile already on his face to be returning to the shade. Then there was an odd shake of the ground, making him stumble, and when he looked up, everything was very different. Where buildings had been standing, now there was much damage, his familiarity the only reason he could recognize them anymore. Where people had been wandering around, laughing or yelling or just going about their business, there was... nobody. Only silence. And there was a strange smell in the air, like something wet had been spilled a while ago.

Nicholas's smile faded, eyes going very wide, and he ran towards his home, only to find the worst of the damage to be around it. He was calling out names - Miss Malanie's, everyone's - but there was only silence. Soon, he could see that there were signs that someone had been holed up in the basement, and then upstairs also but those were more recent.

And nobody was answering. Nobody.

ii.desert walking

Everyone had left. So he had to go somewhere else. He had no idea where, but. He'd managed to find a wide brimmed hat, and had added to his shopping bag whatever supplies he had. And he was walking to the next town he had seen on the maps. Which he'd also taken. There would be someone somewhere, right?

iii. octovern

Luckily for him, before walking in the desert could become too much for him, there had been another earthquake - and then he was among people again. After many, many hours mostly alone, other than some random encounters, he kind of needed a moment to lean in the shade and close his eyes in relief. He had not been to this city, but at least it was alive. He would take that.

Then he squared his shoulders, and went exploring. Even if he knew nobody, he should be able to find people who needed help that he could earn a living with, right?

iv. wildcard

ooc: have another idea? he'll pop up there! brackets and prose all good, will match.

Comments

[rejuvenation]

She can't quite stop the tears yet, but as long as he doesn't seem to be calling for adults, then... then maybe she'll be okay. Maybe she can fight him if he tries something.

The final extra wings and feathers withdraw, leaving her with the normal amount instead, largest ones tightly wrapped around her.

"That's weird. Why does being older matter?"

[tinico]

He's not calling for adults. He doesn't know where any of the adults are, in the first place, but even if he did, in this situation? Unless it's Miss Melanie, he'd not call on anyone else he knows.

"Dunno. I mean, how old you are does matter about understanding some things? You can't tell one of the little ones to watch over a boilin' pot, because they would keep forgettin' it's hot and burn themselves. But an older one would be fine. But as I'm not old enough, dunno why this particular one."

He looks to the side. "'sides. It don't really matter why, not to the kids that've come to us. Just wanna make sure they're all right. That they know they've a family that wants 'em now."

[rejuvenation]

That makes sense, she supposes... but he seems old enough to understand things? Humans aged differently, though. He could be older or younger than her, she really doesn't know.

Tessla is quiet for a moment, glancing to the side and then back at him again. He appears to care about kids that don't have families and nice things like that, but what if it was all just a lie? A test?

"...you're really not going to cut or stick me with sharp things?" She asks quietly.

[tinico]

They both have a lot to learn and they don't even know how much. But they are doing their best.

"I won't. No sharp things, no needles, no cuts. No poison." He considers a moment, and then he sits up slightly.

"Hey, um. I have a couple of changes of clothes. You wanna try... some of them? Dunno if they'll fit or you'll like 'em, but somethin' might still be more comfortable than." Shrug. Clothes she peed in.

[rejuvenation]

She flinches a bit as he sits up, but calms down again when she realizes he was just sitting up. Sorry, Nico. She'll be twitchy.

When he starts talking about clothes she hides her face in her hands, still really embarrassed. "Um... d-do you have any underpants?" That was most important - her dress might dry soon enough in the desert heat.

Clothes where a little finicky when it came to all of Tessla's wings, so dresses with slits for them had been the easiest so far. If the clothes were a bigger size than her own, sometimes that helped, too.

[tinico]

No, he kind of expected that once he reacted, but since he knew he wouldn't be doing anything actually threatening, he figured it wouldn't be too bad.

He is also markedly not mocking her or telling her she shouldn't have done that or berating her. It's what it is. Given everything else about her reaction, yeah, sounds about right.

"Mmm... " Does he have clean underpants....? "yeah, but they're for boys, and can be a little big for you. Wanna try? I'll look away."

[rejuvenation]

Tessla isn't sure if it's a good idea, but her only other option is to run around with wet underwear or bareassed, and when in a dress on a desert planet that's just asking for sand in private places.

"Um... y-yes please." She says, carefully looking at him. She's not sure what to think, this human boy is helping her and being nice and it feels so much like a trap that it's making her tremble. It isn't how things should be.

Can humans really be kind?

[tinico]

"Sure." Beat. "I'll reach into the bag now, don't stress out too much?"

He will reach and rummage in the bag, before his hand comes up with a pair of boxers. He holds them up and shakes them gently, making a show of running his hands over them and then showing first one palm and then the other.

"No needles, no knives."

Then he sets the pair on the sand close to himself, and shuffles away, turning his back towards her.

"Remember to shake them out real well, all right?"

[rejuvenation]

She watches the boy as he digs through the bag, part of her still expecting him to pull a weapon or something to make her go to sleep. He takes out actual underwear, though, and showing her that there's nothing in his hands or in the fabric.

When he turns around, the little girl waits a moment and then slowly gets up, brushing sand away as much as she can and moving over to take the boxers. She shakes those out as well, and tries to figure out how to put them on. Removing her own underwear, Tessla ends up putting the boxers on backwards, and the hole is perfect to thread her hip wings through, even if it's low enough that she has to bend them at the elbow.

She quickly pulls her dress down again and covers herself with all her wings.

"Um... t-thank you."

[tinico]

"No problem." He considers, then digs up the map he has from his pocket, turns around and lays it out on the sand in front of him, so she can see it, too.

"I think I've got it. You don't have to tell me where they are, but if I point out where we are," more or less, "you can tell me in which direction to go? That'll get us closer. And I mean, left or right, up or down. Does that work?"

... there is not much to do with the wet underwear and he doesn't want to put it in the bag with the (mostly) cleaner stuff AND his eating supplies.

[rejuvenation]

He's still being very nice and keeping his distance, and Tessla feels a lot better with new underpants on. (She makes a hole in the sand and buries her previous pair there. Nobody needs to carry them around.)

"Um..." Tessla looks at the map nervously. "Okay...? I-I guess I can try." It's a good idea, even if it's still weird that he's helping her. Thankfully she does know where the house is on a map, or it would all be fruitless.

Wiping her teary eyes again, the little girl points all the marked sand oceans and cities. "Where are we?"

[tinico]

Nicholas isn't a very nice person, at least he doesn't consider himself so. But he is very determined about taking care of kids, and that's what she is. Even if not human.

He nods, and reaches towards the map to put a finger where he thinks he is.

"Unless I'm very mistaken, prob'ly around here." South of December somewhere.

[rejuvenation]

Taking care of kids is a very nice thing to do! Especially if that extends to panicked little angel girls in the sand.

"Um... okay." Carefully, she points two of her many fingers in the direction of her home, trembling but trying her best to not cry.

"It's far..."

[tinico]

Nicholas gives an exaggerated sigh.

"What ain't far on this planet..." He nods, squints at the sun, then at the map again, then starts putting away the map, and slowly straightens up. Holding out a hand to help her up if she needs it.

"Won't get any closer 'less we get started." Beat. "Though I think you might come to that juice later on, after all. Don't have much else to drink."

[rejuvenation]

She doesn't take his hand when he offers it, instead flinching away from it. It appears touching isn't on the menu quite yet, but she does give the tiniest hint of a smile. "...you're really going to help me?"

This is all so different from what she imagined, and Tessla isn't sure what to think at all.

[tinico]

That's all right, he'll take it away carefully, and nod, squinting again at he sun and pointing in what he thinks is the right direction.

"Yeah. There's people who're assholes anywhere and I'm sorry you had to deal with those first instead of anyone else. But there's alright people, too. Humans, I mean, sorry. There's... good ones, too, but those're much rarer."

He'll start walking, but also if she doesn't, will stop to wait for her.

[rejuvenation]

Something Nico says resonates with Tessla better than some Vashes has managed when it comes to humans - that there are assholes and just alright people that outnumber all else, rather than saying that humans have nice people. It's easier to think that most are bad and there are some that are okay.

She starts following him, keeping her distance but not as far as before.

"...I'm Tessla," the little girl finally shares.

[tinico]

That gets her a smile, and a nod.

"Nice ta meetcha. I'm Nicholas!"

And, after a little while. "... uh. Do you want the hat?"

He can pull his shirt over his head.

[rejuvenation]

"Hi, Nicholas..." She says very softly, still trying to figure out how she feels about it. A human boy helping her, now with a name. It all made it seem so much more real.

At his question, she spreads the wings on her head both as an explanation why a hat won't fit her and how she can use them to block out the suns as well. Sometimes it's a practical thing, having a bunch of sisters inside you.