wing_attack | IC; Pokegear Contact Post

"Uh. It's Tobias. Leave a message."

I can trust him with my life. [Warm and joyful.]

I've known him for... Oh, nearly nine years? Since I was ten. He's...incredibly important to me.

You didn't meet by him tugging on your pigtails, did you?

[He doesn't sound like the guy who would, anyway.]

Oh, no, of course not. If anyone did that'd-- [She falters for a second.] My friend Josh was the kind to. I met Chris through him, or rather...I met them both at the same time. Shy new kid in school, exuberant welcoming committee. That old story.

[... Ah. Josh is a problem, isn't he? He doesn't need hawk eyes to see that falter.]

It sounds nice. They didn't tease you about reading books, I'm guessing. No getting nudged for hiding Lord of the Rings in your textbook?

[Oh, Tobias. You have no idea.]

Nope! Well, no malicious teasing. Poking fun. I did it right back, the more I got to know them.

It's a thing. All my friends are kind of assholes in their own way. [Said matter-of-fact.] But I like them all.

Well, at least you're all assholes together. Marco's like that, too. The rest of us... not quite as much. I... well. Rachel was like that sometimes too, I guess.

[And awaaaaaay from that thought we go.]

But like... Ax didn't get Earth humor a lot of the time. When we were hauling Rachel's family out to safety one of her sisters called him a Pokemon and he had no idea what that was.

[Seems like he's got a hot-button topic too... She won't ask.]

I'd imagine as much. He's an alien, yeah? Different...background, different everything.

Yeah, exactly. He got addicted to soap operas, though. He... also didn't understand that commercials weren't like regular shows, either. But he got better about humor the longer he spent around us and Earth culture. Andalite culture's pretty serious a lot of the time. A lot of emphasis on warriors and stuff like that. They're not warlike, just... serious. They used to graze and travel in herds... kind of like deer.

Soap operas? Of all the things for an alien to get into... I think I understand, though. The uh, more serious culture idea? At least, I've read books with those, so why not...? Are they really-

[Her question's cut-off, however, as the waitress arrives with their food!]

[Oh yay food! He grabs his burger and takes a bite while he thinks of how to respond. ... And swallows before he answers.]

Aside from me and Ax, the rest of the team had school a lot of the time. So he was watching TV in his scoop - that's what Andalites live in, it's kind of like a house - and there isn't a lot on during the day.

[While he talks, she eats, and her eyebrows shoot up at that. Waiting until she's finished her bite, she just-]

Both of you watched the? ...Soooo, you got into soap operas too?

Nah, not really. I usually hunted while he was watching. The thermals were usually good around noon or one in the afternoon, so it's a good time for hunting or just flying around.

Oh. Well, I had to ask.

[Whenever he brings up being a bird... She's not sure how to follow that up. So instead, she eats.]

It's fine. I'm just not interested in that kind of show.

[He shrugs, and keeps chowing down. Mm tasty. It's been a bit since he had a burger like this... he's been trying to eat a more balanced diet than just meat.]

... What kind of stuff do you like to watch?

Edited Date: 2016-05-12 11:43 am (UTC)

Me? Uh... Fantasy shows, some Sci-Fi. And sometimes dramas, or just...things adapted from books! It's so interesting to see the changes between a book series and a TV show.

That sounds kind of fun. I haven't seen a lot of those... I never had cable. Just mostly PBS for me, but Ax had been leeching cable from... somewhere. It involved a lot of science that I didn't understand.

I never had like...big packages or plans? But there's always finding things on the internet...and going over to friends' houses.

... I keep forgetting that the Internet is like... a thing that isn't really slow in the future. I mean, the way you talk about it... I'm used to it taking like a whole minute to load the page if the connection's fast.

And I keep forgetting you're from way back then. It's pretty much a part of culture now. Chris- he's sooo web-dependent, it's cute.

Kids these days, forgetting what it's like to read books, huh?

[He attempts to keep a straight face but fails, using the cover of his burger so he can hide his mouth and snicker.]

[She snorts and rolls her eyes.]

Mmmhmm. I just want to be an author to give culture back to my friends.

Maybe I could...

[Oh. Maybe this is awkward.]

Maybe I could draw your book covers.

Hm? Ohhh... You're an artist, Tobias?

Oh. Um... yeah. I'm not the best, but I'm okay...

That's so cool! I can like...doodle? A little? But I'm crap at real drawing. I'd love to see your work sometime! If, uh, you don't feel weird sharing it.