[text/video] un: @skull

[ryuji]

[A few days after gravity is restored to the station, Ryuji returns to the mess hall from Haru's garden to find a small robot flipped upside down, panicking through a series of morse beeps and boops, which- okay, that's kind of cool, and quickly figures out that the paneling and suction entrances of the little guy means it's probably meant for filtration and cleaning.

Looks pretty study, looks... waterproof, maybe? He lends a hand to get him right side up and it starts slowly moving forward. Ryuji takes out his communicator and immediately films this as it happens, because, why not?

He posts two videos on the network- the roomba moving down the hall and one, a few hours later in the fitness center as it crawls from the edge, and dives right in.]

Oh shit! Are you supposed to do that?

Whoa, whoa- I don't know how to fix you if you--- WHOA, COOL.




Hey, sup?

Just lettin you guys know the pool looks crystal clear now. All thanks to this little dude.

I figure I should give 'em a name but uh

Everything that comes to mind is kinda lame

Anyway, I think it's good? Anyone wanna give it the first try?

[Complete with file0033.png - a picture of crystal clear water.]

Comments

un: hinatahajime

[hopefragment]

what, seriously? after all this time, NOW you find a robot that can clean it?!

[ryuji]

You ever wonder that like... some things happen in the order that they do just to mess with you?

[hopefragment]

every day.

[It sounds like a joke but he really does think about that on a daily basis.]

have you seen any tarps or anything that might be big enough to cover it over when we're not using it? in case something happens to the gravity again

[ryuji]

[That... would probably be a really good idea to have around.]

Can't say I have

But man, that would be really useful. If the gravity goes on the fritz again, at least it'll be able to stay in one place

Maybe it's behind one of those locked doors?

[hopefragment]

maybe. in the meantime, maybe we could use, i don't know, the glue gun on some sheets or something to try to make it a little more waterproof.

it's probably not a bad idea to make sure nobody's alone in the pool until we know it's safe, too.

[Just because the one (1) dead body he saw thanks to the pool is alive and walking around again doesn't mean he's in a hurry to repeat the process.]

[ryuji]

OH shit that's right. I keep forgetting about the glue gun. But if it's made outta sheets, won't water just kinda... pass right through it? It's not gonna be like a bubble of sheets floatin' up in the air. I don't think... I'm not the science nerd around here, though.

We should definitely have a buddy system. You're right.

It's... it's way too dangerous to go in there by yourself.

[hopefragment]

that's what the glue gun's for. that stuff should be waterproof, right? if we can manage to cover the sheet in it, that would like... the sheet would be a form for the glue to just cover. it would take up a lot of space because you probably couldn't fold it well, but...

sorry, that sounds kind of dumb, huh? i'll keep thinking

[ryuji]

It's not a bad idea, man. I'm just tryin' to wrap my head around the how.

If you wanna glue the entire thing, that'll probably work... but where are you gonna place that thing waiting for it to dry out?

[hopefragment]

the observatory maybe? or the cafeteria, if i could manage to keep people from stepping on it. or in it

i just don't know what else someone like me can do to keep people from getting hurt

[ryuji]

[And a pause here, because he understands that feeling. Really well, honestly. His heart goes out to you, Hajime. But instead of saying exactly that, he just drives forward with the things that don't revolve around talking about feelings.]

The cafeteria would work if we could move all the tables.

And then we gotta tell everyone to use the fabricators but don't eat in there for a little while.

You can be in charge, I'll help. I'll do whatever you want me to do.

[hopefragment]

[Honestly, the fact that Ryuji's even entertaining his dumb idea is the best thing he could do for him. It means a lot.]

thanks for accepting another one of my sidequests, protagonist-san

[--But he can't come out and say it. What he can do is poke fun at the idea that he might be in charge of anything.]

i'll let you know when i have enough stuff gathered. assuming you didn't use up all the glue in that weird gun

[ryuji]

I'll take anything that doesn't involve collecting effin mushrooms.

What? No way. It was one little squirt of the glue to help get a grip on the handle, there's no way that thing's empty.

[hopefragment]

i'm still waiting on those mushrooms, btw. they're critically important to progressing my storyarc

[ryuji]

Oh yeah? What's gonna happen when you finally get them?

[hopefragment]

i won't spoil it for you

[ryuji]

I'm just sayin you don't need any armor with shoulder pads or anything like that since yours are pretty much already there yknow what I mean?

[hopefragment]

[He's laughing now. Thanks, Ryuji.]

oh, is that what you were saying? i guess my character arc is canceled if i don't need that armor then. i'll just keep all the exp you would have earned to myself

[ryuji]

Here, lemme save you like 20 hrs of gameplay

You go through the forests, the dungeons, you fight some shit, kill some wizards, find out that you're a clone of someone that was supposed to be the chosen one, get a complex about it, then find the strength within you to know what you've always known

That you power is in your ahoge and has been all along.

[Sounds about right for a JRPG.]

I'm saving you the trouble of going through that so basically I'm still your hero

[hopefragment]

hey, come on, don't go spoiling it for everyone

speaking of my hair, though... do you still have those scissors?

[His hair... grows very quickly. Too quickly. It's starting to get in his eyes and lose its cool spiky shape.]

[ryuji]

Yeah. Lucky I didn't cut a toe off in the shower findin' it in the first place.

You need a trim?

[hopefragment]

yeah, i never realized how quickly my hair grows. it can't be that hard to cut it myself, right?

[ryuji]

[Without missing a beat-]

Can I watch?

[hopefragment]

why do you want to watch

[ryuji]

To get special tips and tricks?

[And also to watch this train crash and BURN.]

[hopefragment]

keep that up and i'll test my hair-cutting skills on you first