Video; un: ilikehorses

[shoplifter]

[The feed opens to Laura looking a little uncomfortable in her own skin — you'd think she was in trouble again or something, forced to give another on-screen admission. But nope! Trouble was totally a few days ago. She's been an angel as of late (or as close to one as a stabby mutant can be). Instead, Linda motions for her to go ahead and start her video broadcast. What for, you ask? She steels herself.]

Prijata is coming up; it is a celebration to give people things. I am not very good at it.

But we had wood-carving for the end of the year art project, so I — made some... wooden dolls for people. [She pauses, looking up again at Linda. She motions for her to continue on.] I am not very good at it yet, so the painting is not perfect. Even so, I have... made... many good friends. Friends I didn't think I would make. So... Quiero agradecer a mis amigos. I want to thank my friends.

[This is clearly something she's not used to saying. At all. And her cheeks are slightly flustered by the time she stops and she's plucking at her tattered shirt sleeve — a new visual compared to the usually cool and collected child who never seems to care enough to be embarrassed. It's just, you know. It's different when it's something you've made for someone else. And it is their faces, a face she had studied in that way of hers over the last few weeks as she worked on the project. Her bed is covered in crafting materials, a sign she'd rushed to get them done in time.

She shows them in detail, don't worry about being left in suspense. Indeed, they're all carved carefully from wooden bits, with little items and clothing pieces glued together.

The kid sits in this earnest hope that she did well enough to not be teased. It's a normal thing to do, right? Something a person does, not a science project.

She hopes it's obvious who is who:]



I can bring them to you, wherever you are... if you want yours. If you do not, I can keep them on my dresser.

[Honestly, knowing how many she made is an eye-opener for her; she didn't realize she cared about so many people here.]

.... Feliz Prijata.

[... Even if it's a bit early.]

Comments

[shoplifter]

[She grins back, looking pleased.]

It's nice up here, too. People do not see you, but you can see them — and from further, too.

[bythehand]

[ Nothing wrong with a good vantage point. If you can get to it.

When he thinks about it, the fact that it's not the easiest to get to makes it even better from a vantage point point of view. ]

You do a lot of people-watching?

[shoplifter]

Sí, it is smart to watch people. You never know what they are up to.

[There are a lot of shitty people in the world.

It's easier to distinguish them when they don't know you're watching, huh?]

[bythehand]

[ She reminds him so much of Cassian. It's absolutely wild. ]

I won't say you're wrong about that. I mean, sometimes I just think they're interesting to look at. Everyone's different. [ He takes a second to verify his own "not about to break this branch and completely beef it" status. ] I like to see different.

[shoplifter]

[She smiles a little at that. You sweet jellybean, you.]

I mostly look for dangerous. But different is good, too.

Different is much more enjoyable than normal. Less boring.

[bythehand]

Normal's nice. Maybe not the most fun when you're up here.

[ He'd try putting something out there like, you don't always have to be on the lookout for dangerous people here, a lot of us would probably do the looking out for you, but he's honestly not the type to discourage a little bit of being on edge. Vigilance is good. It keeps people alive. ]

Everyone I used to know had helmets to wear all the time. Pretty boring. Especially when I started meeting new people.

[shoplifter]

[... Huh.]

We wore the same outfits, but not helmets.

What did you wear them for?

[bythehand]

Part of the armor. They wanted us all to be the same. Said a lot about being unified, but-- you know. I think it's mostly about reminding everyone they're in charge of them.

[ That good old fashioned dehumanizing. From what Poe mentioned about Laura after meeting her, and what he'd mentioned to Laura, Finn figures she probably knows that feeling. Objectively, that sucks. No real bright side to balance that one out.

At least there are people here with a moderately same hat. ]

I wear jackets now. [ You know. NBD. ] Nothing's ever really hit me in the head, either.

[shoplifter]

If you had faces, you would be more human. That is bad to them.

[She says it with a lot of certainty.]

Those who control and use others don't like when they feel like real people.

[bythehand]

[ He knew it.

She knows exactly what he's talking about. ]

No. They don't.

[ The child soldier club sort of booms in Riverview. That's always unfortunate to remember. ]

They can't make us less real just by thinking it, though. And they won't get away with it forever. I know that.

[shoplifter]

[She gives a firm nod in solidarity.]

Eventually, people run — and fight back.

[bythehand]

That's what I did.

[ He's the only one he knows of who has so far. Which he doesn't think about much. Sometimes he also thinks it's not like the First Order would be advertising it. They sure didn't let the word get out when he did it. ]

Is that what you did?

[shoplifter]

[She nods, swinging her feet absently.]

We had to run. They decided we were failures — they were going to put us to sleep.

[bythehand]

I'm sorry that happened to you.

[ What if he just goes home and wins that war and then travels the multiverse collecting all the people who deserve better and helps them get free and collects them in his giant space family. Gonna keep that plan on the backburner. It is being kept. ]

But I'm glad you're out. I don't climb trees for just anyone.

[ He climbed into a tree for a 14-pound cat on his first day here but that was an outlier. ]

[shoplifter]

[She grins a bit more openly.]

How well can you climb down, now?

[bythehand]

[ That, to call upon the spirit of dinguses circa Ducktales 2017, sounds like a challenge. ]

I got up this thing without breaking any bones, didn't I?

[shoplifter]

[Oh boy, this oughta' be good.]

Please do not break anything.

[She swings around to hang precariously on the tree branch, in a way that would make mothers faint.]

[bythehand]

I'm gonna be fine and so is the doll me. I'd really like it if you didn't do something crazy and break anything, though.

[ HE SEES YOU DANGLING AND maybe it's not his business to boss anyone around, strictly speaking, but he still had to throw that one out there. Finn starts hauling himself back down to prove his point.

It's not graceful. Combat boots are bad for tree-climbing?? Go figure. There are slips. A couple of ominous branch creaks.

Join me in the next comment when I roll a d20 and see how badly he sullies his acrobatic name. ]

[shoplifter]

[Roll that d20, buddy.

Laura will, in the meanwhile, stab her claws into the tree and climb her way down with them.

..... Totally normal kid stuff.]

[bythehand]

[ SHOW-OFF. He knew it.

(He knew nothing. Holy shit. Holy shit.)

It wasn't kid powers alone that got her up there. It was claws. That seems legit.

Yeah Finn biffs it on the d20. Like, he makes some good progress bc this is definitely not how he dies and I'm too lazy to retcon a broken leg, but he ultimately biffs it. Welcome to the ground yeet. He then offers, from his dignified sprawl: ]

Trees.

[ He has to hate them now, he guesses. ]

[shoplifter]

[She hops down to loom over him, innocently blinking.]

Did you break anything? Do I need to call emergency services?

[bythehand]

I'm good.

[ He doesn't need to check and verify his own source when he's his own source. Finn pushes himself into a sitting position with a grunt. And then he's sort of like oh wait, and proceeds to pat down his pockets until he can retrieve wooden doll Finn, who appears to be unscathed. ]

See? Good. I'm just never climbing a tree again.

[shoplifter]

[A smile crosses her face for a moment, as she offers a surprisingly sturdy hand to hoist him up to his feet.

Not bad, buddy. Not bad.]