OPEN ● ● ● Every Christmas is Last Christmas

[lateness]

CHARACTERS: the doctor (12), the doctor (11), clara oswald, river song, and all of you
LOCATION: the mess hall, the kitchens, the simulation room
DATE: december 24th, 25th
CONTENT: team tardis throws a big christmas party for the station
WARNINGS: none for now, will warn as needed (no fires!!!)

PART I
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ...

1.0 Inside the kitchen and mess hall, Orbers will find the entire place decked out to the nines (Or elevens! Hohoho). No one knows how this all came together, but you will find almost everything Christmas related decorated along the walls and tables.

Hanging all around the walls are blue Christmas stockings! Each stocking will have the name of Orber etched in gold knitting. Inside each stocking is an array of personalized treats (if your character is a smoker, for example, then they will find a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, etc.)

On the tables at each place setting there are various coloured paper crowns for Orbers to decorate on their head – courtesy of Clara Oswald and her assistant, the Doctor (the chinny one) – and Christmas crackers to share with friends. Go on, then! Pull that cracker, see the assortment of sweets and surprises you’ve received. As far as refreshments go, there is plenty to share amongst everyone! There is eggnog, "naughty" eggnog, cookies, cakes, candy canes and sugar gumdrops. It is a downright delightful spread of treats to indulge and tide you over for before you feast with your teammates.

2.0 Before the main feast is prepared, there are plenty of activities to keep you (or a friend or two) occupied. Do you see those Christmas trees on almost every corner of the station? Yeah, the Doctor(s) got awfully distracted (something about if a hot dog is a sandwich) and these bare trees could use some decorative love. Or perhaps you can express your creative talents in the kitchen, where you may want to test out a new recipe to share with the rest of the class. Whether it be a savoury or a sweet dish, there is sure to be at least one person who might like it.

There is also a magician’s kit lying around if you want to take a crack at learning a few new tricks to show off to others! Or if you wish to partake in any group activity, there is a stack of board games and a deck of cards to play a friendly game of Go Fish! Who knows? The game-world’s your oyster.

3.0 By evening, the mess hall will be set up with napkins and plates and cutlery of varying Christmas-y colours. It isn’t perfect, but nothing ever really is, is it? Especially after the Doctor (the cross Scots one) might have very nearly burned the kitchens down a little earlier – something about improving the heat for the roast. Still, it’s finally time for the Christmas feast! And oh, what a smell there is wafting through the large space. There’s plenty of delicious food to go around – especially using much of the ingredients that had come in through the last supply drop. There are varying plates of savoury and sweet dishes, some recognizable, some a little more ... eclectic (you use what space ingredients you’re given, after all), but all of what the hosts have prepared look ... surprisingly edible, some of it even delicious. Roast veg, gravy, stuffing, biscuits, gingerbread, hot cocoa, marshmallows, something mulled, and sweets!

Of course, the more food, the merrier! If you’ve taken part in the cooking and baking from earlier, arriving with your own special Signature Dish, the Doctors (yes, both of them!) will be so pleased to see it join the rest of the feast.

And for those who might have run across the Doctor’s enthusiastic ramblings on Jammie Dodgers at one point will finally get a chance to try them. They’ll be stacked up to resemble a tree on a plate, sprinkled with (edible) glitter in blue and silver.

PART II
SIMPLY HAVING A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME

4.0 Christmas Morning finds everyone with an open invitation to the simulation room to attend a very merry Christmas morning. Step inside and be taken away to a warm and cozy living room that is elaborately decorated for the holiday. You’ve been decorated for the occasion too, decked out in pajamas and a robe. With slippers to match, everyone that’s a part of Christmas morning will look like they’re ready to play their part in the festivities. There’s a fire crackling in the fireplace, the smell of cinnamon and clove in the air, and the distant sound of traditional Christmas songs playing on an antique radio over in the corner of the room. There’s also a tree, of course, one that almost seems too large to be in such a quaint place. It’s fully decorated, absolutely covered with a variety of kitschy ornaments like Santa Claus on a T-Rex or bears in tutus. There also happen to be ornaments of every single orber present on the station, presented in the form of ridiculous looking little elves.

Around the tree and scattered around the floor are opened gift boxes, wrapping paper strewn about. Toys from the boxes are discarded on the floor and around the room, plastic dinosaurs and robots that come to life when you wind them up. There are ridiculous looking squeaky alien toys, marshmallow launchers, and even a giant stuffed giraffe. Who could all of these toys belong to?

There also happen to be gifts beneath the tree for everyone. There aren’t any labels on the gifts so feel free to choose whichever one you like (but only one, there won’t be any greedy Scrooges here on Christmas!). No matter what size package that is chosen, big or small, there’s a sweater inside: an ugly Christmas sweater for everyone. One that can be put on over your pajamas to take part in an ugly sweater contest once everyone has unwrapped their gifts.

And of course no Christmas morning is complete without some sort of breakfast. Set up in the corner of the room is a small table with pastries and cocoa, with a big bowl of mini marshmallows. There’s coffee present too, for those that prefer their breakfast with a little less sugar. There’s plenty of seating around the living room to grab a leather chair or a spot on the fluffy couch. Or maybe sit in one of the red velvet chairs over by the windows to watch the slow and steady snowfall over a picturesque view of the British countryside.

5.0 As the events of the morning slowly come to an end, the simulation shifts to a quiet little town. There’s snow on rooftops and colorful lights lining buildings that manage to glisten and glow even in the daylight. The entire street is completely over the top with decoration; fresh garlands that smell of pleasant pine, miniature christmas trees decorated from top to bottom, and vibrant red bows are just about everywhere. There’s no hustle and bustle here, just a relaxed afternoon in the most Christmasy town ever.

The smell of cider and gingerbread baking are in the air, brought on by a bakery that’s open for a visit. Want to make a gingerbread house? There are materials set out to do that. There are things for gingerbread people too, if that’s more your bag.

There’s a bookstore filled with all kinds of books. If you’re not from Earth and are curious about Christmas, there’s plenty of children’s books on the matter waiting for you to enjoy. They’re set up on an elaborate display up front, though anyone is free to browse around and look through what else they have to offer.

A toy store, magician’s shop, and a boisterous pub round off the shops found on the street. There’s street vendors selling chestnuts that have been roasted over an open fire, wassail, and marshmallows for roasting. There’s also a band playing live music, Christmas carols of course. Join in and sing along or don’t. No one’s going to judge you either way. Take your time to enjoy everything or rush through because it’s too much Christmas, all in your face at once. Either way, the marketplace is present for hours in the afternoon and leading into the evening hours.

6.0 As night falls everyone is guided out of town and down a candle lit path that leads to a frozen over pond. It’s been set up for ice skating, with skates set aside for anyone that wants a pair. There’s baubles of lights set out all around the area, and the moon hangs high overhead. No seriously, the moon looks incredibly huge tonight. It’s blue glow reflects on the ice along with the warm yellow glow of all the lights. It’s a welcoming atmosphere, inviting anyone that’s brave enough to put on skates and take part.

The band from the Christmas market earlier are back to play throughout the night, playing quieter songs mixed in with lively pieces that are meant to get people speed skating around the ice.

Set a short distance away from the ice is a long table, with plenty of mismatched seats. Fairy lights twinkle overhead, and are also glowing from inside glass canisters that make up the centerpieces on the table. There’s dark blue galaxy dinnerware at every place, and a small feast spread out so no matter where someone sits there’s plenty within reach. It always manages to stay warm, and nothing ever seems to run out. It’s a perfect place to take a break and grab a quick meal, or just sit and chat with someone while you both enjoy a drink.

The area around the pond can be explored, so go crazy playing in the snow or whatever it is you want to do there. Just don’t wander too far off from the group. There may or may not be razor-toothed snowmen keeping you from going too far. They may hiss or blow snow in your face, but they probably won’t try to bite anyone.

🎄 After all of that is said and done, Orbers may find themselves drawn towards a small bonfire billowing from the center of this quaint little town. But it isn’t just the scent of warm Maplewood dancing underneath your nose. There sitting on top of a milk-crate is The Doctor (12) playing a jaunty little tune from his electric guitar. Orbers are more than welcome to sit around the bonfire and reflect on these past few months and where they might find themselves in the future.

If you find yourselves by your lonesome fear not! The Doctor (11) will be there offer you a hug (or smooch if you’re feeling saucy).

No matter what strife you have been through this year, just remember ...

Each and every one of your lives is a story. So best make it a good one.

Comments

[blackfire]

（ #clubdead. somebody forgot to tip the caterers, and now here we are. ）

I have no personal objection to fun.

（ on principle. as a rule. other people can have their fill of it, it's simply not for him. he has always been too deeply entrenched in other things to really have much time for it, but he does not abhor its existence or seek to ruin other's experience of it. ）

[petsthedog]

[Isolating. It surprises him to think on that and realize Itachi is right. Ironic, how one can feel lonely while going out of their way to stand back and apart. He hasn't really tried to make friends; has a few acquaintances at best and a complicated relationship with Erik that relies more on pain they remind each other of than shared experience.

But it is unnaccountably strange, to suddenly find himself in a space where the distance between himself and others isn't one he intentionally created--simply one he hasn't worked particularly hard to bridge.]

Hadn't really thought about it like that before now, honestly. Always kinda figured it'd be better not to get too close.

[Still does, but continual proximity has ... chipped at his resistance to it some, over time.]

no problem <3

[winscenario]

[ Jim's eyes flutter closed at the touch, exhaling softly and leaning into Erik's tender touch. ]

You're distracting me. [ He smiles. ] Again. Come on.

[ He takes Erik's hand again, kissing his knuckles before leading them out the door, headed to the simulation room from here. ]

[blackfire]

（ in a normal person, that crestfallen expression may be enough to merit the pity and compassion necessary to change tack. unfortunately, itachi has by needs cultivated a cruel streak that — upon seeing a fracture — has more a desire to press upon it than to mend it.

he waits for the moment to pass, his red gaze passing over a nearby coterie of (innocent) snowmen.

also, what is all y'all's obsession with fun. ）

It is not the fun that concerns me. I understand the motive in wishing to present the opportunity to bond, but it may be that not everyone wishes for merriment of this nature.

（ and it has been made rather difficult to avoid, has it not? ）

[morethan084]

[Reaching for it, Daisy doesn't bring the joint to her lips right away.]

It looks ridiculous,

[Smiling, Daisy lifts the joint to take a long drag from it. Holding it for as long as she can before slowly exhaling.]

But you somehow pull it off.

[Now seems as good a time as any to give him his gift. She hadn't brought everything with her, but she knew that Kovacs was going to be here so she hands the joint back to him and reaches into her back pocket.]

I've got something for you.

[She left the three bottles of whiskey for him back in his room, but hands him a pack of cigarettes and a ridiculous lighter. None of it was wrapped.]

There's something else in your room, didn't feel like lugging it around. Merry Christmas.

[business]

( aha, clearly someone knows how to befriend the fairies of the world. rhys accepts the offering in a way that, biologically, he can't exactly resist — the lure of sugar and sweets and chocolate far too strong to fight. sliding back into his seat, rhysand turns to face the doctor completely, munching happily at his given treat.

though, he arches a brow at the name, head tilted curiously. )

Green? You mean like ... goblins? Or dryads, maybe. ( he pulls a face. ) Or trolls, but they're more gray and — ( his nose scrunches, unpleasantly. ) more chomp than bite.

[morethan084]

[Daisy's lifting a forkful of her food when Andy tells her one of the worst things she's eaten. Nose wrinkling in disgust, she puts her fork back down for now.]

I didn't even think people ate flamingo tongues. I kinda forget they're even real.

[homeostatic]

You can't, ( he shrugs 'cause it's true, ease filtering into his frame, ) Wouldn't be the decent thing to do.

And speaking of decent things, ( McCoy continues, honest and upfront with Degar, ) Thank you for the pharmacology center, it's been a real help for a lot of people here.

[winscenario]

Jim smiles a little. "It's common to the whole of the Federation, for what it's worth. So that's about a hundred and fifty member planets," he explains.

"It... required a world war, the near extinction of the Human race, and yes, a number of different revolutions. It was a culmination of many issues that led to us changing, gradually but permanently, in many ways."

[peasant]

I can tell. But this might be your most dangerous adventure of all.

[ unlikely, alina thinks, with how heedlessly the doctor seems to rush into the eye of a hurricane. in all the time that she's known him, she's never known him to retreat from a flash of danger up ahead — from trials and tribulations that would make a lesser man shake and stumble. it's enviable, to alina — that boldness of behaving as though he can conquer any storm, where she often feels swept along by the chaotic wind of her own life. fearful of what's ahead, while the doctor always races toward it.

their approaches to dancing mirror that: her tentative steps, his disregard for the confines of any rules. the heel of alina's foot nicks his shoe for a second before she bends to unlatch the straps of her own. the red tip of her hat wobbles as she shucks her flats off, skittering across cobblestone. ]

What's the point in having steps if you're going to ignore them? I'll look ridiculous.

[ on the other hand, she's much too alight to care if she's gawked at tonight. she straightens, perching her hands back on his shoulders. well, if he's going to give her lessons — ]

You should lead by example, Doctor.

[blackfire]

（ distance is a valuable tool. the ability to withstand it moreso. but nevertheless, as itachi stoops to clean up the mess made by the cracker, bits of paper confetti on the floor he corrals with a hand — ）

But is it your preference?

（ shinji seemed to him to be someone desperate for connection, and simultaneously one who gritted their teeth against it, resisting the very natural human desire to surrender to a sense of community, togetherness. yet, though itachi has met him only once before he had gone considerably out of his way to include him, at no benefit to himself. and he is here as well, when he could have remained in his room. something in him, then, must yearn for this. ）

[peasant]

[ focus torn toward yamato, alina's creations wink in and out of view — an unappreciated reminder, to alina, that her invested practice isn't enough. that there is still a steep hill to climb in order to gain control of her light and all of the possibilities that glow within it. it's not a weakness she wants to be open with, for the scrutiny it might invite; her fingers curl inward on her little constructs, vanishing them into nothingness.

yamato seems nothing but kind, but alina's wariness is a relentless beast she can't stop feeding. ]

It's me. You could say light is my ... [ domain feels wrong to say, like a tyrant queen ruling over a kingdom. her mouth rolls, searching for the words, and settles on a smile and: ] Specialty. I draw from the world around us.

[ her hand opens to an orb, this time. above them, the fairy lights seem to fizzle and fade, electricity absorbed and transferred to pure light within alina. it's a simplified answer, not so mystical as mentioning small science or the myths beyond it — the heart at the making of the world, the ties that bind them. it's too heavy to navigate, for the mood that alina's in. ]

It's not that special. [ okay, liar. but she doesn't want the prestige of the sun summoner to follow here, among gifts that could outshine hers. make it seem normal, in comparison, rather than a revered talent. ] I've seen all sorts of magic that would make this look like a parlor trick.

[peasant]

[ silently, she wonders to herself how many promises she'll make. clara's request is another to add to the collection, asking alina to forge it in fire, wrap it in the steel of her conviction. for clara's sake, for takeshi's sake, she can't afford to make it brittle and breakable. i'll be there to remind you, she had vowed, and now that she knows what his heart had been protecting —

i'll be there to save you, she thinks, bumping her nose against the top of clara's head. saints, what a web she's woven herself into, endlessly tethered to the oaths she's made to two divided hearts. ]

I already made him that promise. If he thinks he's stubborn, I'll be worse.

[ that mumble muffles itself in the tawny curtain of clara's hair. deliberately so, in her uncertainty over clara's reaction. it feels wrong to speak of her friendship with him when clara's still bleeding out fresh heartbreak in her arms, like — like alina's taking up space she shouldn't. a hole in takeshi's life that should be occupied by clara, instead. don't be angry with me, part of her wants to beg, irrationally afraid of that possibility.

but there's no fury inflaming clara's voice. only what sounds close to defeat, like she's the one close to giving up — on herself, maybe. her head dips toward clara, forgetting at the last moment that the other woman likely doesn't want her hurt on open display to alina's eyes. she settles for peering at the fire, instead, chin perched atop clara's head. ]

But Clara ... [ she trails off, a soft waver. ] Who's going to be there for you?

[petsthedog]

Huh?

[He doesn't think anyone has ever asked him that. Growing up in the orphanage, the children were largely left to their own devices. He'd made friends with another boy and his sister, and those two had been enough to leave him content. After what happened the night of the fourth...he stopped thinking about having connections at all. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say he'd stopped living, more or less.

But Shinjiro's difficulty with distance has always been his inability to cut off his own compassion at the knees. The urge to help those in need of it is not one that he can resist. Takeba had noticed it in him, called him out on his kindness the first time they met.]

I dunno.

[He prefers to deny it. Looking off to the side, he shrugs a shoulder, the deflection too artless to fool someone as well-versed with fronts as Itachi.]

Doesn't really matter, does it? I mean, we all gotta go our separate ways at the end of this. If we even all make it to the end of the road.

[That's not a foregone conclusion; several of their number have left the station throughout the time he's been here.]

[peasant]

[ part of her wants to protest that's the point. her dullness, once the gilded shine of her powers wears off. but takeshi had never known her before. before, when she had been as quiet and overlooked as a mouse. when escaping notice had been less dangerous than drawing attention to the shape of her face or her mother's heritage, feared and distrusted on sight. she can't imagine the first army had looked at her differently, either: the half-shu girl cloaked in mud and dirt, scuttling through the camp like vermin they had learned to tolerate.

or had simply enjoyed kicking, at other times.

still, despite how she wants to argue otherwise, something floats in her chest. some stupidly elated bubble, to hear he doesn't look down at her and see her as drab and dreary, as unappealing and unwanted as a somberly gray sky. it dulls the edges of her (pretend) offense, a wrinkle to her twitching nose plucked there by his playful fingers. a huff leaves her and gusts over his cheek, though it sounds suspiciously like a laugh at her own expense.

after all, those aren't the worst things she's ever been called. ]

Yeah? Well, you're — [ she punctuates it with a tug on his ear, as if ensuring he hears her fully. a tap against his cheek, and then she's reaching to tug open the front of the book he's pulled away, frowning when she finds it to be a self-help guide, neatly blaring its title at them: F*CK NO!: HOW TO STOP SAYING YES WHEN YOU CAN’T, YOU SHOULDN’T, OR YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO. ] — One of those dark, brooding poetry books. The absolutely miserable ones you read on rainy days.

[ her voice lowers, a mockingly dramatic reciting of ravkan prose. ]

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

[peasant]

[ she nods, an absent-minded lolling of her head, drifting along with the pretense that she knows what daisy's referring to. only to pause for an awkward, uncomfortable beat — deciding she does not, in fact, have any context clues to puzzle out what british means. ]

What's British? [ no, that isn't the right question. the corners of her eyes crease, trying to summon her concentration to cut through the floating fog swarming in her skull. it's difficult to ground herself in this conversation when she hardly feels grounded to the floor, at risk of drifting up toward the ceiling, but — ] Who's British?

[ and why would they be strange? she blows away an errant strand of hair sweeping into her eyes, discomfort nicking at her veins. judging any group as weird is an uneasy thought, as the target of so many unfair perceptions — so many insults that have fastened themselves beneath her skin like barbed thorns.

she forgets it quickly, dislodged by daisy's riddle. her lips purse through the sharp edge of her focus, rolling it around in her mouth until she hazards, ]

The ... outside? Is that a trick question?

[peasant]

[ cringing, alina braces herself for much worse than a word such as surety. the twisting pinch to her expression, as though listening to him recite flowery passages is the painful equivalent to stubbing her toe on a table corner, is damning in its own right. telling, to how filled with romantic filth that book truly is. ]

That shows how little you understand pirates.

[ but her expression hasn't uncrumpled, quite aware she hasn't escaped into safe territory. drift's fingers are still locked around that book like he's seized a prized captive, after all, though alina's certain no amount of ransom could get him to release it back to her so soon. ]

Obviously it's a bonding exercise between a captain and a valuable member of his crew. [ ... well. that's not far from the mark, really, though it's a questionable technique. all things considered. alina sniffs, bridge of her nose scrunching. ] You can't lead anyone if they aren't certain about you.

[blackfire]

（ a curious reaction. he has the unselfconscious desire to pick at it like a scab. ）

Only you can know if it matters. However, there is little benefit to concerning yourself with futures that may or may not come to pass.

（ which is hypocritical. he is aware. the trajectory of his life was mapped out for him from cradle to grave — he could only ever follow it. but he is aware that it needn't be the same for others, that his is a singular case. ）

It is natural to lose bonds — death and separation are not avoidable. If you cut yourself off from the possibility of the changes they make wake in you, it is only ever a disservice.

（ he is thinking of shisui when he speaks. there is no universe in which he would ever refuse the possibility of their bond despite the agony of loss at its heels. he would, in fact, endure it a thousand times to have only ever been his brother once. ）

[laviny]

Oh, it was the flailing.

[She's teasing, but it's also entirely true. She skates a little closer to him and grabs his arm to steady him.]

Try bending your knees a little. And lean forward, not back.

cw suicidal feelings, drug-related self-harm

[petsthedog]

[Shinjiro is an awkward person; he frequently looks less than confident in social interactions, even relatively casual ones. But this is perhaps the first time in this interaction or the last that he has looked genuinely uncomfortable, like they've stumbled upon a topic that strikes too close to home.

He had cut himself off, yes, but not because he had feared the pain of loss. He simply felt it would be easier for others if he quietly disappeared, faded out of their lives like so much nothing when the Persona suppressants eventually took their course. Even here, he does not know what it will mean to undo his regret. His natural life has already expired--he might simply fade out of existence once the contract is fulfilled, or the orb might send him to craft the outcome he desires with his own hands, and face the notion of living. If he is honest with himself, he would prefer the former.

It seems unwise to allow himself to form bonds with others when his desire to continue existing is entirely rooted in guilt and obligation.]

Eventually we gotta go back to take care of what we came for, right? People die or leave all the time, sure, but seems kinda shitty to go into crap knowin' it ain't meant to last.

[aurable]

[ The way Alina's face implodes in on itself, Drift could have been forgiven for thinking she was currently having her teeth pulled. A shame he couldn't deny it was entertaining to watch her take in every passage of her bodice rippers read aloud with the ease of another breaker wave on a stomach prone to seasickness. ]

Obviously very little, [ Drift agrees as if he was deferring to an expert on the subject. ] I'll trust your judgment on what can really...make a crew come together in the embrace of leadership.

[ If he said anymore, Drift was going to crack. To spare his and Alina's sanity, he put the book down and started to rifle through his coat pocket. What he pulled out was a lumpy package roughly the size of a large hand wrapped in brown paper and held together with red felt ribbons. A present wrapped only by someone who understood wrapping as a recently introduced concept rather than a skill. ]

Before I run the risk of a botany lesson as well, [ He held out the shoddily wrapped present with sudden self conscious hesitation. ]

I know we're both strangers in a strange land with this, but—Merry Christmas, Alina.

[blackfire]

（ he busies himself finding a place to set those marbles down. he has no use for them, after all. perhaps someone else will enjoy them. ）

My point is that nothing is meant to last. Returning to our own worlds is functionally no different than death to those remaining. We will have no way of knowing each other's ultimate fate or if we have succeeded in what we wished to do.

（ itachi is already well aware that having an ease of familiarity with his allies here will improve his chances of changing his regret. he will use any and all of them ruthlessly to get what he wants, and kill them if necessary. it is not the first time he has stepped over corpses to achieve a goal. he may not have a natural inclination towards cruelty but he has stitched it to his shadow just the same.

changing tack slightly — ）

Given the kindness you have shown, I do not think your concern is for yourself. Yet, you would ask others to endure this place bereft of connection because they may miss you when you leave?

（ it is not said judgmentally — more curiously, and blunt. ）

[groupiedrifter]

Really? You could've fooled me.

[But he seems to be teasing more than anything, judging by the look he gives her. Honestly, though, he's over concerning people. In fact:]

I'm over it, anyway! Enough of you guys worrying about me, huh?

It's Christmas! There's some kind of hard and fast rule to stop being concerned in general. Leave that for the first of the year, where all the Americans are depressed that they have to get through another ten months until the fun holidays happen again.

... Mostly Halloween. We're all just waiting for Halloween again.

[aurable]

[ Drift lets their hands float a hairsbreadth apart as she pulls away with new fawn-like grace that gradually becomes more confident. Wanting to leave her to it, Drift moves back half a pace. Only stopping himself lurching forward when she falters then regains her balance. ]

I don't think anyone would mind. [ A smile breaks across his face to mirror her own. ] There you go! You'll be doing circles around the rest of us in no time.

[petsthedog]

[It is somewhat comical what occurs the moment Itachi calls him out; he flusters, eyes distinctly widening for a moment before he ducks his head to hide them, shoulders unconsciously drawing inward.]

I ain’t done anything much.

[Which is perhaps half a lie; to his perspective, he really hasn’t done anything significant. He is not a scientist, not one of the medics or healers, nor has he been responsible for coordinating info gathering attempts or the retrieval of any of the first three orbs. He’s just a high-school dropout with a monster in his head and a chip on his shoulder.

But it is a sort of willful ignorance, a denial borne of self-loathing. He does not want to be seen as kind, reliable, or anything worthwhile. It is only that he is unable to follow through on the traits he’d prefer others to assume. When being unapproachable on a surface level fails, either due to his own actions or another’s earnestness, there is nothing left to serve the facade save stubbornness. He shakes his head.]

Nobody’s hurtin’ for connection without me. This is like the third party in as many months. Don’t got much to offer, anyway.