[002. basco] when the tomato goes off to sulk;

[outofmykitchen]

[This is the scene that you stumble across when you make your way down to the wreck of the Free Joker: Basco is leaning his head against a fisted hand as a giant space monkey entertains him with antics.]

A canyon? [Basco's elbows are on his knees as he leans forward to decipher his companion's gestures.] No? A cliff then? No? [Laughter as the monkey squeaks out a protest that oddly enough looks like: NO. WRONG. SO WRONG. SO FAR FROM WHAT I WANTED TO SAY.]

[And then maybe you notice that Basco doesn't look so pissed off anymore. Not like earlier during an exceptionally volatile argument with Marvelous ended with him marching out of the galleon in a huff.

You watch him reach a hand out towards the creature; the way it tilts it's head, tentatively approaching until it mimics the gesture.]

Comments

[handsomesempai]

[It takes Sid a while to get to the Free Joker from the Galleon, and he spends the entire trip thinking about the argument he’d witnessed. It had been an ugly one, and he hadn’t even understood what it was about, completely - something about secrets, something Basco had been keeping from Marvelous. The specifics hadn’t actually been mentioned, so Sid has no idea what the secret in question actually is, but it must be something pretty serious, given how ugly that fight had been. It had ended with the two of them storming away from each other furiously, and though some of the crew had gone after Marvelous to pacify him, no one had followed after Basco.

And maybe Sid isn’t the right person to go after Basco. He doesn’t know the real cause of the argument, doesn’t know the full history between Marvelous and Basco. He hasn’t even had the chance to get to know Basco all that well himself. Basco may not have even wanted anyone to come after him; maybe he’d just wanted to be by himself for a while. Maybe Sid is just going to be barging in where he’s not wanted, into something that’s none of his business.

He’s never been much good at leaving people alone when something’s wrong, though. He’d never have met Joe if he’d been the kind of person who could just let it go when he saw someone who looked upset.

When Sid gets to the Free Joker, he’s relieved to find that Basco doesn’t look as angry as he did before. He looks at ease, like the edge of his anger has been taken off. And the way he interacts with the giant space monkey (Sid hardly even blinks at giant space monkeys anymore; that’s not even the strangest thing he’s seen today) is different somehow from what Sid’s seen of him on the Galleon.

Maybe he’ll be more approachable like this. Or maybe catching him with his defenses lowered a bit will just make him raise them that much higher. Either way, Sid has to try.]

Hey, sorry if I’m bothering you, I just wanted to come and see how you were doing. Are you alright?

[outofmykitchen]

[Basco is on his feet with his hand reaching for the pistol he actually set down some three feet away.

He recalls that belatedly, by the by.

He squints a little at the newcomer and oddly enough the first thing that crosses his mind is that the Joker is a mess from the last landing it took -- which was pretty much the same time the person who just interrupted playtime with Sally woke up. It needs some fixing, but he's all but given up on the heap because the way it looks now, it'll run on nothing more than his imagination.]

Oh. [Basco's voice isn't really... okay, maybe it is a little flat. Maybe he was hoping someone else had shown up instead of well...] Sid-san. Hello. [He frowns a little and sits back down, one hand gesturing for Sally to come closer.] Fancy seeing you here.

[handsomesempai]

[Well. Basco didn’t pull a gun on Sid (though not for lack of trying), so it’s a start, right? Sid is considering it a step in the right direction. And that moment of defensiveness seems to have passed, even if he doesn’t seem particularly enthused about Sid being there.

And in all fairness, there’s no particular reason why he should be anything more than ambivalent about Sid being there, as far as Sid can see. It’s obviously not as meaningful for Sid to go down to check on him as it would be for one of the other crew members, someone who he knows better. To Basco, Sid is probably just Joe’s fat sempai, and from what Sid can tell, Basco and Joe aren’t on the best of terms with each other. So Sid doesn’t hold it against him that he’s not overjoyed to see him.

He’d have appreciated it if Basco had actually responded to his question, but it’s not like he has any obligation to do so. Sid’s the one trespassing into his territory, after all. Sid is admittedly unsure what Basco finds appealing about this ship, but he’s sure it must just have some sort of charm that he’s not aware of yet.

But Basco hadn’t told him to leave, either, hadn’t scoffed at him. So Sid figures it’s alright to keep making attempts at conversation, at least for now.]

Look, if I’m intruding, just let me know, and I’ll leave you alone. [He glances around the room, holding one hand in the other and tracing his fingers absently over the metal veins that are now laced into his skin, a habit he’s picked up since he’s been on the Galleon.] I just thought you might need someone to talk to, after what happened with Marvelous.

[outofmykitchen]

[It's the way Sid Bamick unconsciously traces his fingers over those odd metal veins that Basco notes first and foremost. He'd wondered about those the day he'd accidentally discovered that the serum dear Joeface had been emoing over for a good several weeks had kicked in a little late.

It had been a real surprise to find that Special Duty Officer Sid Bamick had been alive beneath that metal shell -- albeit changed in ways that Basco can't help but wonder sometimes... if you know, it bothers Joe at all.

He remembers that the evening of that same day he'd managed to get the Joker airborne. It had been something of a confidence boost, to know that he a had a ship practically falling apart waiting for him outside while he stepped back onto the galleon to declare that if Joe didn't extract his "fat sempai" off his ship then he'd have no choice but to chuck the unconscious man off starboard.

Basco hadn't meant a word of it. Not really. Tending to Sid Bamick had made him think too much on old and buried things. And even if he was still smarting over the fact that Marvelous was looking at him with a gaze that regarded him a stranger and not his brother-in-arms, Basco wasn't that insensitive. Besides, he knew very well that if Gibken found him keeping the older man a secret tucked away in the Joker, they'd have no choice but to put to the test who of them was better with a knife.

Besides. Bamick had been bleeding all over what little upholstery was left on the heap. Blood was very difficult to wash off.]

I'm fine. [Sally's got her stubby fingers around his wrist, but Basco pats her on the shoulder; permission for her to retreat. It hasn't escaped his notice, the way she seems nervous around the other man. As though something of Bamick's former incarnation lingers enough for her to pay attention in fear.] I'd offer you a seat, but [he gestures lamely] as you can see, there's not much by way of furniture.

[handsomesempai]

[Okay, now they’re getting somewhere. It takes Sid by surprise, a bit, but Basco’s response has oddly enough put him in familiar territory - it’s exactly the kind of thing Joe would say. “I’m fine,” in Sid’s experience, often means “I’m not fine, but I don’t want to talk about it.” Which means there’s not a lot of point in pushing any more on that subject, at least for now.

And the way Basco changes the subject as his giant space monkey companion leaves the room all but confirms it.

Sid looks around the room again, noting that yes, there does seem to be something of a lack of furniture. The lighting is poor, probably still would be even if half the light fixtures weren’t broken. The walls are cold, bare metal, hardly any different from the floor. It all feels very familiar, and not in a good way. He feels his stomach turning a little. He’s spent years of his life - some of which he doesn’t even remember - in ships much like this one. The differences in the hull structure, easily recognizable even as derelict as the Joker is, identify it plainly as a privateer ship, but those were never that much different from the military models on the inside. Sid could probably identify the original model, not just the series name but the specific model number, the production run, and the hangar where it had been built, if he really cared to. As it is he recalls more things than he’d care to, unwanted information about the intended crew size and weapons capabilities of a ship like this, what sort of holding cells it has, and what those cells look like from the inside.

He shudders and forces the thought from his mind.]

I have to say, it doesn’t seem like the most comfortable place. Do you come here a lot?

[Because, really, Sid can’t imagine how anyone would feel comfortable in a place like this, with the aura of Zangyack everywhere, impossible to ignore.]