july catch-all (open + closed prompts in comments)

[grice]

Who: falco w/ friends, old and new (you)!
What: an open log with a few closed prompts here and there for the duration of july; falco will be going through some changes that have to do with this player plot! i have my plans here and here for reference! feel free to reach out on the plotting comments, liberos or owlie#3609 if you'd like to plot something specific! i can definitely do personalized tls!
When: july
Where: corners of trench!

Content Warnings: this will be updated accordingly! check out the headers for their appropriate cws! here you will find: rituals, possession, body horror, mentions of self harm, child death.

Comments

[grice]

[ the stranger heeds and respects his unspoken boundary, at the very least— it allows the titan's puffed feathers to slowly begin to smooth back onto him. he stays where he is, this far side here, within the cave and keeping the space between intact. he even relaxes enough to more comfortably reside by the wall rather than squeezing against it. K will notice that the bird creature is looking at him all the while, the reflection of eyes behind the bony mask that forms his beak only a shell of what was really behind there— not some threatening looking shine that one would see creatures in the dark have. they were expressive eyes, concerned with a mix and match of bird and human.

to the man's ending words (i haven't seen you here before), falco remains silent as expected, but adds just one thing: a click, the sound of his beak echoing like two rocks crashing together. in this context, it's not exactly threatening— maybe just a way to respond, to get the man's attention.

the titan rests upon his legs and lifts both hands. it may be dark, to see, but he tries regardless. he's using his hands to make gestures— a claw curves upward, close to his head, then the same digit points to himself, adding a drumroll from his throat that conveys a tune of question. he repeats, slower this time:

understand me?

not everyone knew, but it was worth a shot. ]

[obeir]

[ K isn't unaware of the creature's careful regard of him, nor of the clear intelligence behind those strange eyes. And if he still harboured any suspicions about this being a common beast, they're put to rest completely when they begin signing. It's unmistakable.

Surprise is plain on the android's face as he slowly, carefully shifts into a kneeling position. Still not moving any closer, just rearranging himself to fully face the creature and provide the clearest view of his own hands. The first lesson he'd been taught: to "speak" clearly.

Raising his right hand in a fist, he makes a knocking (nodding) motion with it. Yes.

The years of ASL lessons with Wrench have taught him so much nuance that simply being programmed to know a language couldn't account for, and as a result K's fluency has a well-practised, authentic fluidity to it as he signs back while simultaneously speaking now. ]

Did you understand me? [ Just in case the creature might not have been able to hear him, he repeats — verbally and through signing — what he'd said about intending no harm and apologising for intruding. Then follows it with fingerspelling his serial number in order to introduce himself. ]

I'm KD6-3.7. Most call me K.

[grice]

[ have you ever seen a bird-giant do a ❗️❗️ you are. you did! you done. having a coherent sign back despite being able to understand words baffles falco to the point that his head rears, tips sideways, then puffs up the plumage. it's not exactly conscious, but— well! he's pleasantly surprised by more than one thing at a time, and with the man maintaining the distance— falco seems to come out of his shell a little more, actively nodding after each phrase and signing back with a little more fervor. he's almost excited.

F-A-L-C-O. You, Android? ]

[obeir]

[ The way the creature fluffs up in response surprises a smile from K, brightening his tired expression. How adorable. And the surprises only continue when Falco actually recognise him for what he is — such an increasingly rare phenomenon in Trench, and a contributing factor to his growing feelings of isolation and loneliness these days. All the people who knew him best are gone now. Finding this unexpected source of connection warms something in him, and he continues signing and speaking with a similar undercurrent of excitement. ]

It's nice to meet you, Falco. I am. [ He sounds so pleased: ] You're familiar with androids. And you... [ He tilts his head inquisitively. ] Is this how you usually look? [ He's guessing not, because he's sure he would've noticed a giant bird monster Sleeper before now if Falco's always been in this form. He's rather hard to miss. ]

[grice]

[ the sound falco makes following the question can only be described as melancholy. it's a falling whistle in hand with a thrumb from the throat that only descends. it had been nice, to find an android who seemed so much like connor. he wouldn't have been able to tell if it hadn't been for the numbers. but even now— it doesn't make it easy to be here.

he uses the signs for not all the time and stuck. he does add, after a moment, name with numbers. had caretaker androids, once. and, simply because he wanted to share: ig-11 and rk800-51.

it's been a while, but of course he would remember their names down to the decimal. ]

[obeir]

Corruption? [ K guesses as his brow furrows in thought. Falco lacks so many of the typical symptoms of blood corruption, though, at least as far as he can tell. Heavily corrupted individuals he's dealt with before were never so... docile, rational. Coherent. Not even he was, when he was suffering from heavy corruption himself, a fact he knows by virtue of how his biorobotic brainstuff functions.

But if it is a case of corruption, perhaps he can help. It's precisely what he's been trained to do at the Sanctuary.

Something in his expression softens at caretaker. Oh. Is Falco possibly a child? ]

Were they... your family? Or just looked after you? [ Maybe it's a little projection on his part. Wishful thinking. He has wanted a family of his own for about as long as he's been aware that he's capable of wanting things. And he'd even had one, once. The person who'd made him feel that way is long gone, now, and it's unlikely he'll ever see Technical Boy again... but K still wears his ring. ]

[grice]

[ corruption, no. falco shakes his head at that. he didn’t know, exactly, what it was. until now there’s only been speculation about what is wrong and if, when it could be fixed. he didn’t have coherent enough details to offer— perhaps simply denying corruption would suffice, if not already for his discernment.

if only the android could see his smile though, beneath his first set of jaws. he signs: both. like big sibling. love connor. love ig. far away but not forget.

have family? ]

[obeir]

[ If not corruption, it's possible it may be an ailment Falco's had since before coming to Trench... like Bigby. And much like Bigby with his shackles and cage, perhaps that's why Falco's hiding away in this distant, lonely cave. Not to protect himself, but to protect others.

The confirmation that the android pair had been considered family makes K smile to hear it. His smile only grows when the question is turned back on him, even with the pang of deep sadness it brings. It's so good to be able to speak about these things, acknowledge what TB still means to him. ]

Yes. Far away now, but not forgotten. Like yours. [ His head bows for a moment and his voice is soft when he admits: ] I miss him every day.

[ Taking a steadying breath, he looks back up to Falco. ] How long have you been out here? In this cave. [ And because Falco seems young to him, he can't help but ask: ] Have you eaten recently? Do you eat?

[ Guess who's already prepared to try and take care of this giant baby birdmonster. Evidently Falco has a knack for bringing out familial, paternal instincts in androids. ]

[grice]

[ there's a different kind of positivity felt through sadness, and only through sadness— and it makes falco realize just how bittersweet it is to miss all those people he can no longer be with, for one reason or another. he smiles quietly beneath his beak-mask, which doesn't show physically. by sound, there does happen to by the quiet, soft stretch of bone fitting into the right face muscles.

friends bring food. vessel doesn't eat, but need for me he runs the mighty risk of getting out of the vessel one day soon completely shriveled up and suffering malnutrition. or even just— absorbed. worry hits a different angle, and he tries to divert. the perfect way to do that is draw on the sandy floor, with a talon, and closer to where kd sits so he could see. his reach is slow moving— just to show that he wasn't trying anything beyond scribbling.

it's a timeline. JULY 6TH marks the starting "x". the line that comes from it and ends in another "x" doesn't have a date. he doesn't know what day it is, so simply writes down TODAY. ]

[obeir]

[ Leaning forward to watch the slow scrawling in the sand, K nods his understanding. So Falco hasn't been stuck like this for too long, and he's relieved to know starvation isn't an issue. The mention of friends helps put his mind more at ease, as well — Falco isn't facing this alone, that's very good — but it doesn't diminish how oddly protective he already feels... nor his desire to help.

He peers back up, continuing to sign as he speaks. ]

If you need anything, I'll get it for you. Not just food. [ Or he'd try his damnedest to, at any rate. Because who knows how long Falco may be trapped like this? ] I can— come back and visit you, too. If you want. [ Even if the storms continue or worsen. Because he's absolutely going to be making future trips out to check on Falco each day regardless, but just won't intrude in his cave hideout if he isn't welcome to.

And now to confirm his worried suspicions. ] How old are you? [ He hesitates, hoping he isn't going to cause offense. ] You seem young. [ This is quickly followed by an amused smile as he tilts his head, almost in a shrugging motion. ] I'm only about five years old, myself.

[ Or would it be six, now? Time gets a bit strange when one has spent the last several years multiverse-hopping in addition to never aging. But regardless, that silly joke never gets old — despite being manufactured to look the way he does, he's technically the youngest Sleeper by a wide margin. ]

[grice]

[ oh, five. would that count? if it's by years, yes, now mentality and maturity was something else . . . continuing!

13. i older, he signs. he's also making some sort of sound, now, as he continues: a chittering, deep chirping. it almost sounds like a laugh, or at least the shrill of something becoming quite amused. would enjoy visit, KD is kind and funny. have cool rocks, look, and with that, he rests a massive hand on the wall behind him, that upon closer inspection, seems to be heavily chipped away at, and the stone beneath the upper shell looks oddly metallic. ]