(no subject)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

[OOM: Sometime after this post: New York.]

Ellen couldn't quite bring herself to go straight home to the Capital area after visiting New York City as Steve Rogers' guest. She stayed at the Bar last night instead. She'll be going home shortly, but for now she has boots to repair (she should probably get new ones but it never hurts to know how to repair your own gear). Might as well work on patching them up here first.

Not that she's so focused on the boots that she wouldn't stop to talk if someone came by, you understand.

Comments

[daringyoungman]

Things that Robin doesn't need to do on a regular basis: repair his own clothes.

Things that Robin, nevertheless, knows how to do because both of the men raising him think that sort of knowledge is important: repair his own clothes.

(Actually, one of the men raising him thinks it's more important to me able to stitch up his own sutures in an emergency situation. Still, it amounts to experience sewing leather.)

Things Robin is glad he doesn't have to do right now: you can probably guess this one.

Anyway, when he approaches her table, he looks at the boots with sympathy.

"Hi, Ellen," he says. "Can't Bar give you new boots to replace those?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh, she could," says Ellen, looking up. "If I felt like spending the caps for a new pair, anyway. Waste not, want not, you know?"

She smiles, and indicates one of the other seats at her table is open. Not like she's expecting anyone else today.

[daringyoungman]

"Oh, right."

Robin hits his palm against his forehead in a show of 'duh I should have thought of that' even as he sits down.

"That would be a problem, yeah. You need help with the other one, then?"

He might as well. Otherwise he'll just be watching her with fingers itchy to join in.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Sure, if you like," Ellen says. "That one's in better condition anyway- I wanted to get the bad one out of the way first. There's a spare needle in the spool there... how have you been? I was out of the Bar for a bit since last time."

[daringyoungman]

"Not too bad."

He pauses for a few seconds as he picks out and threads the needle, pulling her boot towards him.

The first thing he wants to say - met an alternate universe version of my partner, and broke into his secret lair, which made him really mad - he can't, so he goes with something else.

"Signed up for that interdimensional chat client thing. Do you use it?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh, yes," Ellen says as she works. "The Trollian thing? From Karkat's world? I got one of those handsets a while ago. My user name comes up as 'vicarialVisitor'- I don't know where it gets names from, but you could do a lot worse so I'm not complaining. You?"

[daringyoungman]

"I'm 'turbingTurdus.'" He, of course, knows exactly where that one came from.

"Does it really work from your own place and time to Milliways?"

He's not tried it yet. He needs to be really really sure no one can trace him on it, first.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

".... I don't think I know what that means," Ellen says after a bit. "Sorry."

She knows a little Latin from her Vault education, but not enough to recognize the words here.

"And yes, it does. A friend of mine who used to come here and can't seem to open a door any more has one of them, and I can signal him with mine if I need to. If you ever see a message from 'eloquentAdam' for some reason, it's probably him- he has trouble with computer controls sometimes and occasionally misdirects a message."

[daringyoungman]

Robin looks up from his stitching and grins. "'Turdus' is the scientific name for Robins," he explains, indicating himself with a thumb. "And 'turbing' - well, it's the opposite of 'disturbing.' No 'dis,' see?"

Sometimes he's really book smart, sometimes he's a smartalec thirteen year old.

[vance_prime]

It's not often that Alyx is seen in Milliways without at least one of the twins in tow, but she's unaccompanied when she approaches Ellen's table.

"I need to fix up my own boots sometime soon," she remarks conversationally.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I could help with that, if you needed," Ellen says, looking up. "Hi, Alyx. How're you doing?"

[vance_prime]

"Not bad. Things are actually starting to get done, back home." She points to the seat across from Ellen with a questioning look; may she...?

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Sure, go ahead," Ellen says. "Sounds like things've been busy for you- I mean, I'm sure they always are, but- you know."

[vance_prime]

"They are," says Alyx as she sits down. "We've got a perimeter fence built at the Greenbrier, and we've been breaking ground for crops and building... oh, and the twins' first birthday is coming up fast."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh, wow," says Ellen. "I'm going to need to make them something, huh? Or at least get them a ball or something to play with. I know they probably already have a bunch of toys but I don't really know what you give babies otherwise."

[vance_prime]

"Well, they can always use more clothes...but really, you don't have to get them anything. I know you're short on resources in your world."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"There should at least be something," Ellen says firmly. "Even if it's only something small. That's what birthdays are for."

[vance_prime]

"They're going to get plenty of presents, trust me--"

[boston_bruiser]

"Those things must have a couple thousand miles on them by now."

Plainclothes frogboy at your seven, Ellen.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Pretty close," says Ellen cheerfully. "And I can still get a hundred or so out of them before I have to replace them if I'm careful. Hi, Voodoo."

[boston_bruiser]

"Hey, kiddo," he says, leaning against the wall. "You ever think about hanging 'em on your wall when you're done?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"... no, actually," Ellen says after a startled look. "People do that?"

[boston_bruiser]

"Some people do, yeah," Voodoo says, idly jingling the change in his pocket. "You know, for the nostalgia? Places traveled 'n all that?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Huh," says Ellen thoughtfully, and looks at the damaged boot in her hand. "Well, Wadsworth does keep suggesting every so often that I should consider decorating the house. I guess that's as good a place as any to start, right?"

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods. "It's a start, yeah. We call 'em 'I love me' walls - not sayin' you're a narcissist or nothin', but guys put all sorts of stuff on them to remember things they done. Certificates, insignia, photos - my first Senior Chief had a bum landmine that woulda taken his leg off if the detonator'd been working properly."

He takes a seat nearby. "It was defused, of course. Had the explosives taken out by an EOD buddy of his."