AGE PLOT SHENANIGANS

[microbrobotics]

WHO: Everyone and anyone!
WHERE: De Chima, various
WHEN: Around 6 PM EST, March 25th
WHAT: Age plot kickoff!
WARNINGS: Cuteness.

[ LET'S GET THIS PARTY OFFICIALLY STARTED! Opening events so we don't do too much comm flooding (although people are welcome to make their own posts for the event). You're welcome to toplevel with your character if you'd like to have them show up somewhere else for this plot.

Current toplevels:
Spring Festival in a De Chima city park
De Chima #1
De Chima #1, later (Minato)

The age plot will run from March 25th through Sunday, March 29th. More deets available at the plotting post. ]

Comments

[redplainsrider]

Red wasn't scared to hug him, it just wasn't the proper Martian way. Though, if she were an adult she wouldn't hug him, either. That was just the proper Red way. It may be more foolish that she wasn't feeling any fear now that she was out of the hole, however, he had never given her anything to fear, especially now that he rescued her.

She was embarrassed, though, but she seemed to be calming herself down fairly well, the calm way he spoke helped a bit, too. Her breathing returns to normal, and she says in a more even tone that sounds almost robotic, "This was not precisely how I expected to meet you..."

[restingstitchface]

"This was not precisely how I expected to drop in on you either." He spoke in a calm, even tone that mirrored her own - he mirrored her words, too, in a manner that some of his patients had found soothing. The same words, their similarities. They felt secure. Safe.

Till the next time.

He stoops and grabs his briefcase, that's lying by him on the floor. He's not going to comfort her physically; neither a hug nor a friendly, paternal hand on the shoulder. Every person just made him want to cross his arms or slide his hands in his pockets, and having to give social graces was very trying.

"Have you eaten today?" She had been trapped a while, to whip herself into such a state. She seemed better outside that hole. "You must have been trapped for so long."

[redplainsrider]

"I do not know the passage of time since I fell into the hole, nor would I like to know..." She had the feeling it was an embarrassingly short amount of time, like 10 or 15 minutes. "It must not have been long, or else Croach would have come to find me." She perked up as an idea came to her, "I will eat with you, and I will pay for it! That will decrease my onus to you by some amount."

[restingstitchface]

Crane can't think of anything more pleasant. The debt hangs over her, creates a bond, causes her to think of the incident that made it and remember the breathless, panicked feeling of being trapped in that closed space. Why would he let her repay it?

What he finds unpleasant, however, is the offer's selfishness. He hates it, loathes it, would throw it against the wall and let her watch what he thinks of her meal ticket. Like he needs a gift. Or must wait for a sign. It's a slight against his motive and treats him as common. People are such selfish creatures, he thinks. So scared, psychologically and chemically - it's all quite fascinating.

"I'm afraid my stomach's rather full," he says. "I'm sure there's plenty of other means of repaying your... onus."

[redplainsrider]

It was selfish, but what act of an intelligent being, human, Martian or otherwise wasn't? She would be happy to tell about how the Martian onal relationship could be close to perfect, but this was just narration, so unfortunately she is in the dark to his oddly reactive thoughts to her offer.

She nodded in response, and said in all the earnestness of a child, "I understand. Let me know, onus unpaid would only bring shame from the tribe!" She paused, then sighed, scratching her head under her hat in vague frustration. "If they were here. Sorry, this reversal of age situation is very confusing to my memories and sense of reality."

[restingstitchface]

"Of course. The adolescent mind has various stages of development, physically and mentally. Imagine the human brain is a cluster of functions. Those clusters involved in regulating basic functions mature first: those involved, for example, in processing sensual information, and controlling movement."

His hands rise slowly - only to slide into his pockets. He tilts his head slightly, and from the look his eyes are giving tries to put across understanding and concern. He's a doctor, right? A psychiatrist. He knows about the brain and all that grey stuff.

"Those parts of the brain responsible for fine control are among the last to mature. It's the hallmark of transisitioning to adulthood. I understand why it's confusing for you - your brain, what you believe to be the seat of identity and intelligence, has suddenly changed. Not only that, it happened without your permission. How do you feel?"

Crane's not going to let her repay that debt till later, much later.

[redplainsrider]

He was playing the role very well, for she wasn't suspicious of his motives at all. However, he was saying a lot of words again, so she unabashedly let him know, "Human designated as Doctor Crane, you are once again saying many words without saying much." At least she said it with a vague good-natured smile and wasn't being sarcastic. Martians don't know how to be sarcastic, so no one had taught her the art of it by this age. "But I am fine, it just becomes confusing sometimes when I forget something from my more mature age. When it occurred it was very strange, but I just went with it," she shrugged. Out of all stupid things that could have happened to her, deaging was very much not the worst. "It was not bad a bad life as a youngling, and I was with Croach when it happened, whom I had grown into maturity with, so it was quite fun."

[restingstitchface]

Crane can't say he's capable of giving a good-natured smile. He can, however, give a convincing one. His experience is life-long, it's easy to light up his face without suspicion.

"I suppose so." He loses his interest. He can't connect with remembering life as a child. He should feel something, perhaps. Perhaps he doesn't want to. Or perhaps he can't care. "Could it be you need someone to walk you home? To call your friend, Croach, perhaps? Or are you sure you'll be fine?"

[redplainsrider]

She thought for a moment, glancing behind her back toward her townhouse, then forward. She pointed down the sidewalk and looked up at him, "I still need to purchase sustenance, the store is this way. If you were heading in that direction you can come with me." She says it as if an invitation, but something in her eyes says she is hoping not to be alone for awhile longer, even though she knew she could handle it if she was.

OOC: Want to finish this with this tag or yours?

[restingstitchface]

"Come along, then," Crane says softly, and his eyes flicker to the young girl standing on the sidewalk. Then his gaze drifts in the same direction she was pointing, and a turn over his shoulder doesn't hide the thoughtful expression on his face.

He's known what it's like to feel completely alone. He's been locked in closets, he's been mocked by his classmates, and he's been alone in his manor to suffer - no, learn from - from his great-grandmother and bury her in the aviary. This is something he experiences and he is very sure of the fact this person wouldn't understand what it's like to be utterly alone. He turns around on his heel and he just carries off.