vatheon | Mind of a child

Entry tags:

Mind of a child

Who: Sola and OPEN!
Where: Around town
What: Groceries and thought bubbles
When: Monday morning
Style: Action but I'll follow if you choose to change
Status: TOTALLY OPEN

[Sola feels great.

Living with Signless and Psiioniic makes him happy, Ion visiting and sometimes sleeping over makes him happy, and even the novelty of waking up to this strange bubble that lets him see what he's thinking is incredibly neat. He experimented with it a bit on discovering it. He tried to pop it with a pin but the surface just caved under the point and sprung back when he removed it. He tried squishing it with his hands but all that did was distend and warp the images that appeared inside. He even tried to melt it with water but aside from the images inside it becoming runny for the time it was in the spray of the shower, nothing really came of it. Still, being able to see his own thoughts visually, even as they were displayed in rudimentary crayon drawings, is so cool.

More cheerful than he'd been in weeks, Sola decides to show his gratitude to his roommates/caretakers and sets out to get groceries, calling farewell to those still in the hive so they know where he's going and colorful crayon thought bubble in tow.]

((ooc: feel free to run across Sola in the plaza, the store, or enroute to either of those places!))

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[Shizuo kind of wants to practice cooking, just a little, before he cooks for Izaya. Instead of visiting one of the restaurants, Shizuo decides to pick up some simple ingredients from the store and cook his own dinner.

He's thinking about how he might need to invest in a cookbook at some point. His bubble reports this, and begins narrating in simple black text, I wonder what I should cook. Should I start with something simple? What would Izaya like? His bubble is occupied with those thoughts when he comes across Sola -

and stops before approaching him. Immediately, his thought bubble is filled with the words jump, building, blood, bones, and various other terrible things. It's good that his bubble can't recreate images. Shizuo takes a moment to school himself and returns to thinking about Izaya and meals. Only when he's sure he has control over himself does he step over to Sola. Now, his bubble is rambling about food and cook books and so on - but each word wavers, as though under pressure.]

Hey.

[Sola's bubble, in contrast, just has a very simple crayon drawing of an eggplant, flicking back and forth as if someone was waving the paper it had been drawn on. He'd completely forgotten to pick that up when he'd been to the store earlier, feeling a little stupid for doing so since, well... the dish they'd wanted to try and make had been eggplant parmesan and how can you make that without the eggplant?!

He looks up when Shizuo says hello and the eggplant is abruptly replaced with a doodle of the blonde, a stick figure in a vest with overlarge sunglasses and a perpetual frown.]

Hi! How are you?

[Shizuo laughs at that image. That's actually...kind of cute, and his thought bubble echoes that sentiment, before it wonders about that frown. Not that he is trying to stare down Sola's bubble. That's rude. He tries to focus on Sola instead, but keeps his thoughts careful, and right now they're focused on running through a spur-of-the-moment grocery list.]

I'm fine. How have you been? I wanted to message you and ask, but...

[I didn't want to upset you.]

I've been good! Ion comes to visit me every day and I get to help Psii with his bees!

[His thought bubble reflects this, first with a preschool doodle of Sola (with GIANT ears) and Ion (who's wearing a little princess crown) holding hands and laughing, and then another of Sola (still with the ears) and a tall troll with four horns and eyes one each of blue and red surrounded by little buzzing bees.]

How about you? Are you and Izaya getting along?

[His bubble flashes to something else but it's quickly and inexpertly covered by a big crayon squiggle before Shizuo can see what it was. Sola looks a bit uncomfortable; can't say the kid is that great at hiding things.]

That's good.

[Shizuo gives him a small smile, and works very hard not to think of things that are not Sola's suicide. He focuses on thoughts of bees - and on wondering about Psii, whom he has never met.]

We are. Really getting along.

[He's just going to avoid any thoughts to that night where Shizuo decided to accept Izaya and what followed, instead focusing on how he and Izaya had watched a movie a couple of days before.

Unfortunately, he catches sight of the crayon squiggle and it makes him wonder - his thought bubble broadcasting a question mark. But at the same time, Shizuo doesn't want to know what that is about, because it could mean surfacing thoughts he doesn't want to appear in his bubble.]

We watched a movie together the other day.

[He doesn't know what else to say.]

A movie? Is that like tv? Signless and Psii watch it all the time but they keep covering my eyes and it gets annoying.

[The scribble is gone, replaced by two Troll stick figures, the one from the bee thought and another with two small horns, sitting on either side of Sola on a couch with their hands over his face and a little angry mark over the Hylian's head. Clearly this behavior isn't welcome. He wants to watch too, damnit!]

It is like TV. Just...longer.

[That little drawing makes Shizuo smile again. He likes Sola's bubble. His thoughts explain this, and then begin to ramble about the movie.]

I like the kind of movies where you don't have to close your eyes.

[He says it that way, since he doesn't want to elaborate on the things of things that would make the trolls cover Sola's eyes. Of course, he has an idea on what those things are and his bubble isn't afraid to ramble about violence and sex, but Shizuo ignores it.]

The one we watched was about a robot.

[Luckily for Shizuo, while Sola can read, he can't read quite as fast as the blonde's thought bubble is scrolling.]

A robot? What's that?

[Despite there being a few robots around the bubble, Sola's never seen one, and as such his bubble is simply a large question mark until it fades into another crayon picture of Shizuo and Izaya on the couch holding hands while the tv is on in front of them. Izaya is smiling and though Shizuo is still frowning, his eyebrows are upturned and there's a heart above their heads.

Sola, seemingly unaware of what his bubble is showing, smiles as well.]

I'm really glad you guys are happy. I wish I could be too, but...

[He sighs, the image changing again to a simple drawing of Zelda and Sola facing away from each other.]

She likes someone else.

[The drawing changes again, to a boy drawn exactly like Sola but with blonde hair and a blue tunic. It gets scribbled out promptly in disgruntled red swaths of crayon.]

It's okay though, there's other stuff besides that, right? Having friends is good too!

It's...a machine. That does things. Kind of like a computer.

[Yeah, Shizuo isn't the most articulate, nor is he great at explaining things, so he's perfectly happy to focus on the topic change - until Sola thinks of Zelda. Shizuo doesn't even have time to appreciate the little cartoon him and Izaya in Sola's bubble. His own bubble quickly flashes through a series of words related to Zelda and the Incident, but he quickly forces himself to think of anything but that.]

I know.

[He focuses on thinking about friends, instead of that whole mess, and the names of the people with whom Shizuo has become acquainted since coming to Vatheon begin to cycle through his bubble.]

Having friends is really good. You get to do fun things with your friends. And they care about you. A lot.

[Even if you try to say goodbye.]

[Sola's bubble is bright and happy, picturing him surrounded by Ion, the two trolls from before, Laharl, Shizuo, and a few other figures, though one suspiciously without hair or features.]

And I care about them too! Friendship's really great. They still like me even though I messed up really bad. I wish I could say thank you somehow.

[Lucky for Sola, Shizuo isn't really interested in over-analyzing his bubble or prying into his thoughts. He notices the figure without features, but shrugs it off - who knows what kind of strange people are in Vatheon, anyway.]

Maybe you can do something for them.

[Maybe I need to do something too. After all, Shizuo had messed up a few times.]

Hmm... like what?

[Sola's bubble just shows a question mark. He really has no idea!]

You could make something for them. Or do something for them. Like cook.

[His bubble reports that he'll be cooking for Izaya sometime soon, but then it questions whether Sola can cook.]

[The Hylian looks a little sheepish.]

I don't know how to do much besides solve puzzles or play music, but I'm sort of learning to cook. Maybe I could learn to make popcorn...

[His bubble turns to a scene of himself, Ion, Laharl, and that same blank figure as from before all in sleeping bags (though they look more like fat, multicolored worms in his crayon-vision) around a bowl of popcorn, laughing and clearly enjoying themselves.]

Playing music is really nice, too.

[Shizuo isn't the most observant person in the world, but it's hard to not pick up on things when they are right in front of him. Those wormlike colorings look a little like Izaya's roommates - and that figure -

Shizuo's thought bubble questions if it is Izaya, but if there's one thing Shizuo knows, it's that he better not ask questions unless he wants to handle the answer. He doesn't really want to know.]

A lot of times, it's just doing something nice that makes people happy, even if it's something small, like making popcorn.

I could bring my ocarina when we have the party!

[The Hylian, realizing what he said, looks uncomfortable for a moment. But really, Izaya trusts Shizuo, and so does Zelda, so that makes him a good person, right? And he wouldn't tattle on Izaya, he cares about him, so... he can tell Shizuo, he'll keep a secret.]

Um... D-don't tell, because I don't want people to be mad at him, but... I'm still friends with Izaya and we're going to have a slumber party and you should come too!

[The blank figure in Sola's bubble is suddenly filled in, with black hair and that tell-tale fur coat lining. Shizuo also gets added to the picture, his sleeping back wormed right up next to Izaya's.]

But promise you won't tell, okay? It's a secret.

Oh.

[Well, that's exactly what Shizuo did not want to know. Why would Sola bother being friends with Izaya after what he went through? Not that Shizuo needs to ask that question - he knows Izaya well enough to know the answer. His thought bubble scrambles through illegible words as he wards off any memory of that event, and finally settles on thinking about a slumber party.

Shizuo's never been to a slumber party before. He holds onto that thought instead of thinking about other things.]

I won't tell. I promise.

[And he won't. He isn't interested in compromising Izaya or Sola, however uncomfortable that tidbit of information makes him. Shizuo looks away from Sola's thought bubble and toward the aisle of groceries, trying not to focus too deeply on anything in particular.]

A slumber party sounds fun, though.

[Even if his tone isn't particularly enthused at the moment.]

You're not just saying that? 'Cause you look grumpy. Though I guess you always look kind of grumpy...

[Sola's thought bubble is taken up with Shizuo's big grumpy head, though there's little eggplants dancing in the corners as the Hylian remembers why he was here at the store in the first place.]

I wouldn't just say it.

[He sounds even grumpier at the suggestion, his bubble reporting that he doesn't lie - unlike...others...]

I won't tell. And I'm not always grumpy.

[His thought bubble begins to make a list of things that make him happy, including Izaya. And cake. And milk. And Zelda, though that only flashes in his bubble for an instant.]

Okay not always but you're grumpy a lot!

[Thoroughly distracted now because his stomach his rumbling, Sola peers down at the vegetables, eggplants dancing all over in his bubble.]

Uh... how do you pick a good eggplant?

[Is he really grumpy that often? Shizuo's bubble wonders if Sola's biased because Shizuo hit him with a park bench before. But then it starts musing over the question.

Shizuo probably isn't the best authority on eggplants, but there are a couple of obvious points.]

Look for one that isn't too soft and that isn't brown. No holes or anything like that. Want help?

[He starts walking in the direction of the produce.]

[Sola takes Shizuo's hand without thinking, tugging him towards the produce that much faster, bubble still dancing with eggplants.]

Yeah! Show me which ones are good, okay?

[Shizuo doesn't expect Sola to take his hand, but he doesn't pull it away. Instead, he allows himself to be pulled to the produce.]

Okay, sure.

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Mind of a child

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I feel like this is about done, you?

Sounds good! And aww the cute