OOM - Edgar

[andinfluencepeople]

There's a lot of stuff to get done with the Jaegers, and usually that means Chuck up manually working on them.

But you can't work all the time.

Chuck's sitting in a folding lawn chair by Tacit Ronin's feet, shaded from the overhead lights by her bulk. He's reading a Hardy Boys' mystery, having carefully cleaned his hands of grease, and finishing up a bologna sandwich.

Comments

[andinfluencepeople]

"I dunno," Chuck admits, and laughs. "I think it's got something to do with how bacteria don't like it? Not a scientist, mate."

Pause.

"D'you know about bacteria?"

[hate_gettin_older]

The word scientist makes him scowl and look away, half-consciously.

"Heard of it, maybe. Dunno much."

[andinfluencepeople]

"I guess they're basically tiny animals, like, super small," Chuck says. "I dunno, really, but they like eating the same stuff we do, and they can make you sick. Like, there's always some amount of them, but your body can handle that. When there's more you get food poisoning -- like...," he suddenly feels awkward. "Vomiting, and so on. Or something worse, and you have to go to hospital."

[hate_gettin_older]

His jaw works a little. "That happened sometimes," he says slowly, "vomiting, but ... you tried not to, you know? Cause you din't wanna waste food."

A beat. "And we din't have much of a hospital."

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck's quiet for a little while.

"That sucks," he settles on, though his mouth twists slightly. He knows he's underselling it, but he can't think of anything better to say.

"This place's got an infirmary. Doctors seem pretty okay, though I've only been the once."

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar nods. Doesn't say anything else.

Doesn't want to think much about the infirmary here.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck sneaks a glance at him, after a little bit, as they're nearing the Jaeger.

"So... what are safe topics?"

'Cause he's going to get pissed off if he keeps stepping wrong for the next few days.

[hate_gettin_older]

He glances at him, eyes widening -- and abruptly snorts with laughter that's only a little bitter.

"Sorry, man. Having a bad week. Probably gonna be fuckin awful company."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Bet I've had worse," Chuck says, with a half-smile tugging at the side of his mouth somewhat. "Nah, as long as you don't hold it against me if I hit something by accident, we're fine."

Pause.

"You sure you don't want any help carrying that stuff back to the elevator?"

[hate_gettin_older]

He shakes his head. "I'm good," he says, "I got it. But thanks."

It's literally all he has in the world right now, with the sole exception of one baby thoat, and he doesn't want to let it out of his hands just yet.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck nods, mostly to himself, and leads the way around.

Once they get to the top, they do divvy up Edgar's stuff for carrying -- it's a narrow catwalk, if you're not used to it, and despite having been here once before Edgar's... not.

"Okay, so," Chuck says, once he's turned on the lights and stepped aside for Edgar to come in after. "There's got to be someplace we can secure the hammock."

The room's much as it was before, but in case Edgar didn't really look at it last time -- there's some free walking space in front of two jaeger drive harnesses, and behind them is the bulk of the room. There's a mattress them with a blue sleeping bag and pillow, an open duffel bag with clothes in it, a box with some wipes and plastic plates and stuff, and a medium-sized white box refrigerator with a smaller box (a microwave) on top of it, with a trash bag (no can) right beside the refrigerator. There's a curtain in a corner, hiding a toilet from view, because people come visit him and it's just weird to have your toilet out there? Everything's lit by a mixture of push-lights and strings of Christmas lights.

[hate_gettin_older]

Well, Edgar definitely didn't look at it last time with an eye towards where to sling a hammock. The two weird structures up at the front have about the right amount of space between them, but ... they look like the sort of thing one's supposed to leave alone, in case of exposed wires or some shite.

"Those're off-limits, I guess?" he asks, just to make sure, with a vague wave in their general direction.

[andinfluencepeople]

Chuck's clearly startled by the suggestion, but he takes another look at them anyway -- he actually walks around, and through them.

"Nah," he says, a little bemused. "I mean, it's not like anyone's going to be driving her for a decade or two anyway. And the Koyamadas haven't shown up yet."

[hate_gettin_older]

"Oh." A bit surprised. "So -- there'd be all right, then? It'd be out of the way."

[andinfluencepeople]

"Yeah," Chuck says. "I just don't really think of them as a-- fixture. They're drive harnesses," he explains. He's been told their purpose is pretty unclear from the outside. "For piloting. You can't send anything wrong by hitting a button or anything, not without the reactor running."

He shrugs, and steps back.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Okay," he says. "Thanks, then."

The word engine floats through his mind for a moment in search of something to connect to.

He thrusts it away, and starts to unfold the hammock.