eluvio | √1 ( video

[It's late afternoon, and the ship's gardens come into view as the video feed starts, a massive topiary tree standing innocently in the background just waiting to be shaped into a work of art. The camera focuses on what appears to be a drone hovering in midair, the words BIRCH PLEASE 2.0 written on the side, identifying the flying object.]

I'm bored.

[Root sighs in an exaggerated manner. The drone flies up to the tree and begins its work of shaping the topiary, but no blades are involved: it's using various targeted laser beams, carefully programmed by the (usually perky) hacker hiding behind the camera.]

Don't get me wrong, it's not my first time being a gardener, and I do enjoy using laser tools and having a legitimate excuse for bad pick-up lines, [she explains, keeping the camera pointed at the beautiful and deadly ballet of various lasers shaping branches and leaves.] But it's just not the same as hacking, you know?

[The drone retreats after it finishes its task: shaping the topiary into an exact replica of the ISC Eluvio. As exact as topiary can ever be, that is.]

So I thought I might as well turn my boredom into something productive. Tell me, space friends, is there an app or program you'd just love to have? Maybe you want an upgraded fitbit that is perfectly adapted to all of your outer space needs, maybe you want to spend your day looking at cat videos, or maybe you just really like puzzles... the possibilities are endless. Just like the vast expanse of space that surrounds us.

Whatever you're thinking of, I can code it for you! [She sounds downright cheerful and friendly now.] For a small fee, of course. I’m a nice girl but I'm not that nice.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( Victor clearly perks up at the mention of a canine companion. )

Oh? What's his name? There's a few of us who've been so lucky, I've seen mention on the forum or whatever you want to call this. Makkachin's so lucky as to have met a few of the other canines here, haven't you been?

( Makkachin pants on, oblivious to the technical details, but happy enough to be spoken to regardless. )

[Completely unaware that Makkachin and Bear (and by extension, Victor and Sameen) have already met before, Root goes on to describe her canine bestie. Like she'd ever miss an opportunity to do so, pfft.]

Bear! He's the cutest Belgian Malinois you'll ever meet. He's about this size-- [she raises her hand at about the same height as the dog in question, illustrating her point.] --and very well behaved.

[No thanks to Root, who spoils him rotten. Thank goodness Bear is military trained.]

Edited 2017-02-07 23:52 (UTC)

( the name more than the description pulls a reaction out of Victor, who leans in toward the camera with a brief look of surprise flitting across his features. )

Bear! Does a woman who goes by Shaw happen to take him walking sometimes? Makkachin and I met a Bear earlier this month, but I don't know if he's the same one. They had a great time playing chase around the lawn we were near in the atrium. I think he's been looking for another chance ever since.

( he gives Makkachin a few affectionate ruffles of face fur, from his forehead to his cheeks to his ears as his dog pants happily in his lap, eventually bringing a paw up to ask for a stop; one that Victor respects with an absent lean in and bop of is own nose against his dog's nose. )

[It's Root's turn to look surprised as Victor mentions Shaw, her expression quickly changing into a wide grin. So this is Bear's new friend!]

If by 'sometimes' you mean 'everyday, like clockwork', yes. She told me Bear had made a new friend, but I had no idea she meant Makkachin! What a wonderful coincidence, [she says with a chuckle, genuinely amused.] Shaw and I are from the same world. You could say that Bear was a vital element of our work force.

[Her expression softens as she talks about Sameen, making it quite obvious that the other woman is far from being a simple coworker.]

( He knows those signs. It strikes a chord in his heart, being able to recognise the affection that speaks of, from Root toward Shaw. Something he doesn't put weight on wondering if it's mutual or not; sharing Bear is at least one mark of some kind of mutual importance.

Besides, with his track record recently revealed to himself, what can he really say? )

Makkachin has been a vital part of Yuuri's cheerleading team for the last, oh, eight? Nine months? How long has it been?

( He glances down to his dog, who simply keeps his eyes closed and lies there, happy to bask in Victor's attention. He strokes a head over the curly fur of his head, chuckling under his breath. )

I'm glad that Bear has two good parents for him here. It's amazing, isn't it? Even our furry companions have been put in such a place as this.

[It is mutual, but not in the way it would be for most people, with romance and public displays of affection. You and me together would be like a four alarm fire in an oil refinery, Shaw said once, moments before being gunned down and captured by the enemy, and she was right: Root's love for Shaw is powerful and all-consuming, like a forest fire. Root almost burned the world to the ground to find Sameen when she was taken away.

Shaw's feelings are muted, quieter, like the sound of an old tape that most people can't pick up on, but that Root has always paid close attention to. The signs are there, like the time when Shaw rode a bicycle from New York to New Jersey in the middle of blackouts and riots to check on her (and the mission), or when she admitted, after escaping nine months of psychological torture via VR simulations to try to break her and turn her to the enemy's side, that she killed herself over 7,000 times to keep Root from getting hurt-- that she would rather kill herself in the real world than to risk Root's life.

Root loves romance, candlelit dinners, and weddings, and she knows she'll never get any of that with Shaw, but that's okay. What they have is so much more.]

Yuuri? [Her eyebrow raises.] The same Yuuri who just commissioned me for an app to keep track of other people during missions?

[Her expression changes from 'curious' to 'absolutely smitten' when Victor mentions Bear having good parents. (See: icon.) She always feels a childlike sort of joy when someone acknowledges her and Shaw as a couple, no matter how subtly they do it.]

Thank you! And you're right, it is quite amazing. I have to admit I was worried about Bear adapting to space, but making new doggy friends has made that transition much smoother.

Edited 2017-02-20 00:28 (UTC)

( That's the immense power of love, isn't it? Not to be what one expects, or what one might even believe one has always wanted; but to be more than that. To be something mutually shared that isn't limited to any one other person's notion.

As it is, he's glad, and interested, watching her expression shift. Smitten is a look he can sympathize with. It's one he wears when talking about things related to Yuuri, off and on. On more often than off, to be fair.

He claps his hands together, making it a soft sound to not disturb Makkachin unduly. )

Yes! That's my Yuuri!

( not to be possessive; meant to clarify that's the Yuuri he's talking about. not that he knows if more onboard are called Yuuri, but just in case. )

Makkachin has been acting younger than ever with more canines to spend time with. He's an old boy, but such a good one, aren't you? ( there's another fond ruffling of fur and then Victor's gently massaging his dog's ears, casting a fond look down as his fluff face. ) Does Bear love the atrium like Makkachin does? He can't get enough of the different things to smell.

√1 ( video | un: ROOT )

i should be punished for missing that oppuntunity

That was pawsitively brilliant, you rise victorious from our pun battle!

okay i made a back joke about victuri here i just want to record that for posterity's sake

gently stamps seal of approval

... bad joke, i meant... bad joke...

there, there. damn it I almost forgot to add this: cw for torture and suicide

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