thisavrou | audio | locked from Riptide

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audio | locked from Riptide

Okay, yeah, I know, bad timing Sideswipe, and we've got bigger problems, Sideswipe.

But... a lot of Not So Awesome stuff is going down with a friend of mine. And ... I...

[Some of the flippant nonchalance in his voice cracks. He goes quiet. This is really hard to admit, and yes, he KNOWS there's a lot going on right now. But it's been beyond him for a long time.]

[Too long.]

I don't know how to help. I wanna.

But I don't know how.

So if anyone's got a sec? Appreciate some feedback here. Y'know, anyone who isn't gonna yell at me for bringing this up right now. That'd be great.

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For you? I've got a whole minute.

Big problems are overrated. What's the hubbub, Red?

[Wellp. Mom #2 gets a whole video of the noodle bot hunched up on the sole remaining bed in his quarters.]

... so. Um. My friend, yeah? Kiiiiinda went through the smelter. I mean, really bad.

Ever since, he's. Not him. And nothing I do helps so -- haha! Kinda at the end of my cabling here! Just a little.

Bad stuff plus friend equals I need another adult.

... hold on.

[PRIVATE]
Is this okay?

No sweat, kiddo.

[The switch to a private feed suddenly gives Sans the impression this is not a quick phone call problem. He's holed up in his room with the lights out, but the MID does a decent enough job of illuminating him.

His expression, for once, shows something akin to genuine concern.]

Riptide?

[It's not a hard guess.]

Thanks, dude.

[He's a little surprised to see the sudden video, but less so than if he actually knew what a skeleton was in relation to humans. Normally he'd be delighted, and say something to the extent of that is so cool.]

[Not now, though. He'll tell him later.]

... yeah. Is it that obvious?

Smelter? [It takes a moment, but things click into place. Smelting, melted down — wringer. Riptide. Probably.] Ok, I think I follow.

Okay, what have you been trying to do? Give me a few examples.

[They've hung out enough in person, his skeletal appearance is the furthest thing from Sans' mind. Instead, he seems a little more preoccupied with how muted Sideswipe seems. A far cry from what he's used to.]

Call it a hunch. [His perpetual smile quirks into something more thoughtful.] What happened?

Sorry, I... get all weird when I say it direct and stuff.

[Saying My friend was tortured and murdered brutally is harder than saying he needs help.]

To get him to talk, or... distract him or... He won't tell me when something's bothering him anymore. And then he snaps at me if I do stupid scrap.

It's not him.

Heh. If it wasn't, I'd go get mad at Tailgate for spilling stuff.

[He rubs at his neck, awkwardly.]

... Tarn happened to him. He won't... tell me any details. I don't blame him, though. And then he got... something bad in a box from the Importer thing.

[With all the warring he knew their race participated in, it was hard for Sans to guess exactly how someone like Riptide would react. Particularly when, well, he only really knew Riptide through Sideswipe's highly biased lens.

Not the best way to understand a person, but it was a start.]

Going through resurge can scramble a person. It's not exactly what I'd call a walk in the park. Mostly the dying part. [He cocked his head to the side.] He tell you about the box or did you just... find out about it?

It... yeah. He was scared of Tarn, too. Way before this happened... really scared. Enough to tell me to keep away from him.

[He shrugs a bit, drawing himself in tighter. He doesn't know the details. He hadn't asked, because... well. He'd been shaken too. Much less than Riptide, but--]

Both, sort of. Told me not to look in a box, because there was something bad in it. Later he... freaked out.

More than he's ever done before. Something about a spine, and... it was moving. He thought.

... pretty sure somebody's in there. Or... something that was somebody.

Ah.

[It's a grim picture. Things that came through the mail made about as much sense as any of them arriving on the ship in the first place, but that didn't make their presence feel any less prophetic from time to time.]

Y'know... sometimes people yell and hide things because they're scared, like you said. But sometimes it's not because they're just scared for themselves, but scared for the person they're yelling at.

I think he wants to keep you out of trouble, kid.

... Yeah, I. I get that.

But he doesn't have to be. And -- and it's not about me! I'm fine! I'm not the one who ... who had all this scrap happen!

[No no no, don't start the waterworks, do not let yourself get emotional -- come on Sideswipe you can do this.]

[Despite his best efforts, though, there are a few cracks in his voice.]

So I gotta help, don't I? I'm fine... so I've... gotta help.

S'why I'm asking. 'Cause I'm scared for him too... but I don't... know what to do for someone who's been hurt this bad.

It's fine. I'm on the same page.

[There's a pause of a few beats as she thinks, expression thoughtful. Finally, she looks up at Sideswipe, and pulls a wry smile.]

I've got a suggestion, but you might not like the sound of it.

[There's a little part of Sans, the part of him that's reminded of Papyrus whenever he talks to Sideswipe, that physically aches to hear his voice break around the edges.]

Yeah, I know you're fine. [He says, genuinely. The last thing the kid needed was to have his confidence eroded by people pointing out just how obviously untrue that statement was. He would need all the confidence he could get, if this was as bad as it sounded.]

There are lots of ways to help. Sometimes, the best way? Is just... being normal. [He holds up his hands, as if aware of how much of a cop out that sounded.] Don't confuse that with doing nothing, either. Showing someone things can be normal again, that they can get through this and have their old self back? That's everything, kid.

Edited 2016-06-23 07:39 (UTC)

[Ratchet's feed clicks on and there's a long moment where he's quiet, but he does finally speak.]

You wanna tell me what this is about, kid?

[He's not an adult in any regard.]

--Woah, wait! What happened?

Go ahead and shoot. I'm pretty desperate.

Be... normal? Like... act like nothing happened? Like nothing's different?

[Sorry, Sans. He's listening, he really is, but he can't help but sound a little incredulous.]

[It really does just sound like doing nothing.]

Just... keep trying to do movie nights and stuff?

Long as you're not gonna lecture me.

Cause like, at this point? Preeeeetty sure there's nothin' you can say I haven't already heard.

[Or said to himself, whoops.]

... Okay, if I tell you? You keep it a secret. Got it?

No telling anyone. Top secret, life or death stuff in here.

Cross my spark! What's going on?

Nah, nah. Not act like nothing happened. [For all that was his usual go-to, Sans had been around the block enough times to know how routinely avoidance backfired.] Like you're still his friend. Like you're still gonna be there. Like... yeah, like movie night.

And if he's having a bad day, y'know. You can be there. Everybody needs a little sunshine -- you can be that for him, man.

[Sans pauses for a second, thinking on that. On sunshine. Reminds him of something he read from the library, once.]

Have you ever heard that story about a bet between the wind and the sun?

I know other people have offered, by now, but... I figured, it's worth pitching in, too. I'm willing to help, if I can.

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