Off to the Orphanarium! [Mission] [Closed to Chika, Ed, Espio, Starfire, Riza]

[wrnpcs]

[While Garden proper heads off for the festivities, the Ragnarok and its squad of noble orphan lovers crosses the mountains into Esthar, over the ruins of the OCS towards Esthar City. The transit takes no meaningful time; soon, the airship lands in the outskirts of the City, which is slowly sprawling out to become a suburb.]

[(Yes, Espio got to fly it.)]

[The orphanage is a modern-looking building that resembles a dormitory more than anything, but clearly it has some funding behind it, because the grounds it occupies are, if not huge, at least well-appointed and include a sports field and a playground. The children that come piling out look reasonably healthy and well-appointed, more like a boarding school roster than a crowd of children without family or real homes. Look closely, though, and you might see hints of the latter.]

[OOC: For now this plot is for mingling and general RP. On Monday, December 31st a second thread will be added for plot stuff, so please be sure to look at it then!]

Comments

[rewritethis]

Yeah, maybe I was wearing it under my other glove. What's your point? What's wrong with that?

[This mission was going perfectly fine for Ed right up until, following a relatively lengthy argument about how people's outfits are nobody else's business, a girl no older than ten informed him that actually it is weird to wear gloves indoors, pulled both of his off while he wasn't paying attention, and promptly discovered what she has temporarily decided is the coolest thing ever - namely, his metal hand.]

I already told you, kid, it's not gonna come off! It fits really tight! So just give it back, okay? [His boots scrape on the ground as he follows her.] Didn't you at least want to open your box? Isn't that the whole reason we came out here to begin with?!

[He's making a halfhearted attempt to dig his heels in before she can drag him too far away from the others, but at the same time he's not entirely willing to just yank his arm out of her grasp and send a little kid flying. He looks like he could use some help...

Later on, during a quieter moment, he can be found perched on a swing in the playground, creaking gently back and forth. The kid next to him seems to be much more enthusiastic about it than he is, but that's mainly because he's trying not to break the thing; there's certainly not much sign of his usual grumpy attitude. Given his height, he doesn't even look as out of place as he should.]

[scatterflower]

[Chika can't help but giggle as she looks over at Ed and the ten year old girl who's really really, fascinated with his metal hand. Though that certainly explained why Ed always wore those gloves. Hopefully she'd be able to help him a bit as she moves over to the girl(and Ed) and kneels.]

Hey there. Ed's arm isn't something you see every day, is it?

[rewritethis]

[The girl blinks, radiating good-natured bemusement. She clearly has no plans to take her hands off his automail any time soon.] Arm? [She turns back to Ed.] You said it was just another glove...

Yeah, she means [he shoots an extremely pointed glare at Chika] it's the kind of glove that goes all the way up your arm. You know, like armour. That's all. So would you let go of it already and - open your -

[But the girl doesn't listen, and in fact is already hard at work trying to roll up his sleeve. ...Although she isn't pulling him across the floor any more, that much is true.

Ed lets out a frustrated noise, somewhere between a sigh and a growl. Chika is not his favourite person in the world right now.] You idiot! Now look what you did!

[scatterflower]

... You told her it was another glove? How... how does that make any sense?

[She sighs, turning back to the younger girl.]

Anyway, aren't you excited about your present?

[rewritethis]

[The girl nods enthusiastically.] Mm, it's really nice of you! My big sis is really busy this year, so I wasn't expecting anything. Thanks for coming all the way out here with it! [She smiles at both of them with enough sincere, unreserved joy to melt all but the coldest of hearts - one of which belongs to the guy whose wrist she's still clinging to.

She holds said wrist and hand out towards Chika as if it's also a new toy.] But this thing is really cool too, don't you think? I've never met anyone else with one of these, if it's not a glove. [Suddenly, she looks thoughtful and turns back to Ed.] Oh, I've got it! Are you a robot?

[Ed, already silently fuming in the background (that glare was supposed to be a hint, goddamnit!), has little patience for her wild theorising.] What? No!

[She pouts, disappointed.] But if you were a defective robot, that'd explain why the rest of you doesn't look like... [Then she trails off. From her expression, if she was in a cartoon, a lightbulb would be appropriate round about now.

Hastily glancing at Chika, unsure where this conversation is headed but reasonably certain he won't like it much at all in this winter chill, Ed cuts in.] Okay, how about this? Give me my gloves back and open your stupid present, and then maybe I'll think about letting you look at it. But just up and grabbing people's clothes when they weren't doing anything to you kind of makes you a jerk, you know that? [Hissed, not quite under his breath:] C'mon, back me up here!

[scatterflower]

[Chika giggles, looking between the girl and Ed and doing her best to make sure her giggles don't sound like she was laughing at Ed.]

Trust me, even with that arm, Ed's not a robot.

But he is right. It's not really nice to pull off people's clothes like that. Even if he could be nicer about saying it. But come on, let's see what you got, okay?

[rewritethis]

Aw, but I just wanted to know why he was dressed so weird... [She brightens up.] I know! Could you unwrap it for me? So I can see how the fingers work?

[He bristles. His dress sense is fine. For that matter, he had his suspicions about Chika's carefully diplomatic giggling.] Not if you don't give me my gloves back.

I will! Promise! After you unwrap it. [And then, to his relief, she lets go of his hand.

He contemplates running, but he is more or less on official business. With a small sigh, he reaches behind him for the girl's festively-decorated present and starts to tear the wrapping paper off right-handed, in large strips.

Inside is what appears to be a home science kit - there's a little magnifying glass, a scoop for soil and a few clear plastic containers of various shapes and sizes, among several other things. It might not be the most traditional gift, but there couldn't be a purer look of glee on the little girl's face.] Oh, wow! This is so cool! [Taking the box from him, she promptly sits down on the spot, pries it open and immediately loses herself in the instruction booklet.]

A lot cooler than trying to run off with people's clothes or limbs, right? [His mood seems to have improved markedly now that she isn't hanging onto him, though. He's even smiling a bit.] Kind of makes me wish we had a holiday like this back where I'm from.

[scatterflower]

[Awww, look at the little proto!science nerd. Science stuff wasn't really Chika's forte, but she could appreciate a girl getting interested and wanting to learn more about it.

She turned to look back over at Ed.]

I think she likes it. But you didn't have any winter gift giving holidays back at your home?

[espio]

[Espio decided to come along in human form, as per the official recommendation, though he can't help but feel kids might actually think him being a lizard is cool. Because, well, kids.

Well, at the very least, he can talk about it.

Rather unusually for Espio, he seems really quite cheerful as he chats to a small, bewildered looking boy, even as he pretends to take offense.]

Hey, did I come here to be insulted? How can you not think that's awesome?

[rewritethis]

If you don't like it, I'll trade you this one.

[The kid he's referring to is a tiny girl currently hanging off the end of his right arm, inspecting his fingers with a dinky little plastic magnifying glass and the careful but intense concentration of someone who's done this kind of thing before. A couple of white gloves are quite visibly sticking out of one of the pockets on her dress.]

Or hell, just take her. That would work too.

[espio]

What's the matter? Can't handle a little girl's curiosity? Hah. Should have thought of that before you signed up.

[rewritethis]

[He scowls. The one time he consciously decides to do something halfway sentimental...] Don't give me that! Who the hell goes around pulling other people's gloves off?!

[espio]

Children. Naturally.

[rewritethis]

Yeah, right. I wasn't this obnoxious as a kid. [There are at least two things horribly, heinously wrong with this assertion.

He weakly tugs his hand away. The girl, quite happily, tugs back.]

[espio]

You're that obnoxious now!

[curiouseyes]

[Koriand'r is mingling with the children and has ended up with a young girl following after her. She has a pair of sunglasses on to hide her eyes. She is passing by and hears what Espio says]

Think what isn't amazing?

[espio]

"Giant" talking heroic lizards!

[Obviously!]

[curiouseyes]

Well, I'd think that would be very exciting. [She knows he is talking about himself, partially saying to try and get the children more into it if they weren't already]

It's not every day you see a lizard that will do that.

[solarexalted]

[The noise grows swiftly -- the sound of rotors cutting through the air. Long before it's visible, it is audible.]

[This airship is true to its linguistic roots -- a massive hull like a galleon, and masts that mount blades instead of sails. Still, it seems to be ungainly construction, but the airship cuts through the skies like a dream.]

[Heedless of Esthar's airspace or the propriety that the Ragnarok had observed in landing some distance away, the wooden ship drops from the sky to land almost directly next to the orphanage. It balances on its keel implausibly as supports descend, and then a gangplank.]

[scatterflower]

... What the hell is going on!?

[Chika's not too happy about this, as she's clutching the digivice that Piyomon had been staying in the whole time to not scare the orphans. But she was pretty sure that whatever this was, it wasn't good. It definitely wasn't planned, that was for sure.]

[curiouseyes]

It... it looks like they are invading the orphanage.

[She still has one of the girls in her arm. She's really not too keen on putting her down unless she has to. She doesn't want her to get hurt]

[scatterflower]

... I can see that. But who are they?

[rewritethis]

[Ed's eyes narrow. His attention is focused on the gangplank - better there than wasted on pointless questions like how the hell that giant thing didn't just tip over without the supports, at least for now.] Why don't you ask them?

[He motions a few of the nearest kids behind him.] Get back, all of you. And take your friends with you.

[solarexalted]

[The first man to step from the deck onto the gangplank...]

[Well, to say he seems more present than anything or anyone else might begin to grasp it. Oh, he's tall, certainly, and broadly-built in the shoulders. A guess at his age would be a well-preserved fifty, to judge from the lines that add character to a handsome face, and the liberal white scattered into his short, neat beard and hair. He lifts one empty hand in a gesture of greeting as he strides to the ground, the other at his side also empty.]

I apologize for the alarm.

[...you know how some people have voices that are just bliss to hear? Smooth, sonorous, deep, perhaps very faintly accented to add a touch of the exotic? This is the man those people listen to when they want their brains bathed in auditory pleasure. There is no way to overstate just how good his voice sounds, in the ears, and perhaps the base of the spine.]

[rewritethis]

[There's hardly an exact physical resemblance, but the way this man carries himself reminds Ed of someone else... which doesn't make him more inclined to let his guard down. He steps back, not looking away, one arm still held out behind him in an attempt (ineffectual or not) to stop the orphanage kids from getting any closer.]

But not for what caused it, I suppose. Who's apologising?