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[darkov]

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latest status update 3/6/2018

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[h2no]

Yup!

[he holds the bag out a little more, shaking it slightly. the small gina carving and a few books are inside, though they're wrapped up in glittery wrapping paper. the kind that doesn't shed everywhere.]

Uh... you can open them now or wait until the actual day. I don't mind.

[darkov]

[well, he...he came all this way, didn't he?]

I mean...I didn't finish what I wanted to give you or Mightyena...Is it really alright?

[h2no]

For sure, [he says, putting a hand on martin's shoulder for a much gentler squeeze.]</small. There's no rush. No rules, either. You just take your time with it all, alright?

[darkov]

Then...

[he wavers in place with Archie's hand as anchor until he decides to move, digging through the bag while still standing there by the door. he turns one of the wrapped-up books in-hand before giving Archie a look.]

It's alright to take the papers off, right? Or does it get kept this way?

[h2no]

[he nods happily.]

That's right! You wrap stuff up in paper just to make it more of a surprise, even if you can sort of tell what they are already...

[the particular book martin's holding is a pop-up book of the little prince that had ended up in the pile from duo to d33; the rest were meant to be from d33, but... well. at least d33 had thought to include audio readers of the book for martin, should he ever get overwhelmed or if he wants to listen and read along. archie swallows a little awkwardly, then points at some of the ones left in the bag.]

That one and, uh, these were going to be from D33.

[darkov]

[so the bag gets set down at his feet so he can open up this book and marvel over it quietly -- carefully turning it over as if it were made of porcelain. opening a page to expose one of these pop-up items paints a surprised, fascinated look on his face.

it's strange...and beautiful. he almost doesn't hear what Archie says right away, but when he gets it, he does a double-take.]

From...Dee...?

[h2no]

Yeah.

[he swallows awkwardly a little, looking away. d33's port out hurt, of course, but he doesn't want to show that in front of martin.]

He would've wanted you to have 'em. So here they are.

[darkov]

Oh...

[that leaves a...strange ache, one that grows a little more as he turns a page and sees things unfold the way they do.]

I won't be able to thank him...

[h2no]

[archie watches martin, sympathy clear in his expression.]

Hey... Martin. [he says quieter, sincerely.] He got these for you because he wanted you to read them and enjoy them. As long as you do that, then it'll be like saying thank you to him, even if he's not here.

[darkov]

[his eyes stay fixed on the pop-up page as Archie speaks, swallowing against another beat of melancholy. simply reading them seems unsatisfactory as thanks, but what else can he do when things are like this? all D33 got in return was a stupid bead.]

...I'll read them. [he closes the book slowly, watching pieces fold back in on themselves. it's one of the strangest things he's seen, and no doubt he'll be opening and closing it again and again to see how it works.

he crouches down and carefully sets the unwrapped book back into the bag, hesitating when he sees the not-book shapes inside.]

There's more...? [picking one up and standing up again, turning it over in-hand.]

[h2no]

[archie nods, seemingly happy with that response.]

S'all you can do, now he ain't here no more. [anyway, he watches martin take the carving he'd made for him. only a couple inches tall, not painted, but good smooth wood. the best approximation of what he thinks gina would look like based on martin's descriptions, with special attention given to the braid.] Ah! Yes, that's from me to you. I made it!

[he rubs the back of his head awkwardly.]

I, ah, dunno if you'll like it, but I had the idea and thought I'd give it a go...

[darkov]

[Martin is quiet for a moment, turning the little figure over in his hands, carefully gliding his finger along grooves carved and smoothed over.

softly:]

It looks like Gina...

[he doesn't connect that it's supposed to be right away.]

[h2no]

[ha HA victory in itself!!!!!!!!!]

It, uh, it's meant to be her. I tried to go off what you described of her...

[darkov]

[he looks back up, eyebrows raised. really? just from that little?

or that much? he's not sure how much is too much when he talks about things.

in any case, he looks back down, regarding it with even more thought and care than beforehand, a warmth filling up in his chest where the sadness is, mixing it up. his mouth quirks in a faint smile.]

This is really nice...

[h2no]

Ah... I'm glad you like it! I didn't know all the details or anything...

[mostly why it isn't painted and there's no real facial details, but... he did his best. that's all he could do.]

I was lucky enough to get a duplicate of a picture from home from an imPort power last year. It's... nice to have a connection like that, no matter how small.

[darkov]

[he murmurs a soft sound, eyes still on the figure in hand.

he still really misses her. out of everyone still back there, she was the one who mattered most, the one whose memory makes him ache with guilt for wanting to stay far, far away and safely here among people who aren't even his blood.

quietly:] Thank you...

[h2no]

[archie smiles a little, glad the gift didn't turn out to make him sadder than anything else, though he doesn't doubt it's dredged up some bad feelings for the poor kid.]

No problem, I'm glad you like it. [...] Uhm, y'know, if you wanna talk about home or anything then I'm here for it. I know it's hard when you get told constantly that your home is weird or-- or there's stuff people think they know more about than you.

[he puts his hand on martin's shoulder, rubbing it gently.]

I know how hard it is to be here alone when nothing lines up with what you know.

[a bit of an exaggeration, but he still struggled and does struggle with some things and figures martin is probably still experiencing culture shock.]

[darkov]

[the touch draws Martin's eyes away from the figure, up to Archie. the way he says what he says makes his chest ache a little, a bit of that pain crossing his expression before he looks back down, tightening his grip on the figure.]

...The longer I'm here...the less I understand about it. About home. I don't think I really knew anything about...anything.

[h2no]

This world is confusing. [he feels like he doesn't know anything about anything either, even more so here.] Not to mention your experience at home was short with your age and what you went through.

[he shakes his head, shrugging a little.]

The only knowledge we have of home is what we know... there's nothing else here.

[darkov]

[he thinks about that for a beat.]

Maybe that's a good thing. That there's no more of it here. [he looks back up, frowning.]

I don't want anyone else to have to be like that. The way things are there.

[h2no]

[he nods, somewhat understanding. he hates what he put the people of his world through.]

Are you... okay, feeling like that?

[darkov]

[confused:] What--what do you mean? Feeling like...?

[h2no]

Badly, about home. You're not wrong to have those kind of feelings, but it can beh hard to reconcile with when you're not used to them.

[he smiles lightly.]

Trust me, you're not wrong. It's very compassionate of you to feel so strongly for other people like that.

[darkov]

...

[he thinks about that for a beat.

then:] Does it ever feel alright, then? Ever?

[h2no]

You're not going to like this, but... I can't answer that one for you. We experience being here so differently, there's no way to know.

[though... he hazards a guess being away from family like gina will always hurt. even if martin is here for years and forgets her face and voice.]

There's no right or wrong way to feel about it, either. It's just... how you do.