ximilialog | sad things will never end but || open

CHARACTERS: Zhao and OPEN!
LOCATION: Teleportation room, sunlight room.
DATE: Immediately upon arrival back at the station, and the next few following days/weeks.
CONTENT: Zhao brings home some Ciraiwei plants and puts them in the sunlight room.
WARNINGS: n/a this should be pretty wholesome
NOTE: will match format style of brackets or prose, your choice

I. in the end it'll be ok || teleportation room

As they all arrived packed into the teleportation room as usual, Zhao felt a sense of relief that they made it. He knew that they had done all that they could, and even if it hadn't been perfect, rarely anything ever was. Even Viv-chan was proud of them for what they accomplished though.

Zhao was ready to return to his room and pass out from exhaustion but then a thought occurred to him as he began to turn and leave with the mass exodus.

"WAIT! HOLD UP. NOBODY MOVE. Wide berth there, thank you thank you. I need a moment. I NEED A MAGNIFYING GLASS AND A PAIR OF TWEEZERS. YO! Help a guy out!!"

In the meantime, Zhao stood frozen in the middle of the group, refusing to move. He had just remembered he had some left over plants from Ciraiwei he was holding onto... and he wasn't sure how well they would survive if he didn't find them sooner than later considering the jump in size. He...he could use some help finding the tiny plants stuffed into his pockets.

II. see the sun rising again today || sunlight room

The next few days Zhao could very likely be found in the sunlight room tending to the tiniest garden ever conceivable. It all fit into one medium sized pot full of dirt but it looked like there was half an ecosystem all tucked into it nice and neatly. Zhao had gathered many plants for the Hivawei to take with them but some of them had been in his pockets before and remained there after. He had wanted to preserve a few--oh, who was he kidding, he selfishly had just wanted to keep some of the beautiful flora species for himself.

Of course, then he had forgotten to account for the size difference. In the back of his mind he'd always thought the world might be small--confirmed by Newt during the mission but--it didn't really hit home so fully until he'd gotten back to the station. Now here he was cultivating the tiniest bonsai garden he'd ever taken care of in his life. Good thing this was his favorite hobby.

He wouldn't mind company, gawkers of his small ecosystem, or even some helping hands. Although he would watch like a hawk if anyone wanted to help with the plants considering their small and delicate nature. He was willing to teach though if anyone wanted to listen to him ramble on about gardening. Or listen if anyone wanted to talk to him about the planet they had left behind to be destroyed by the asteroid. On approach he was probably whistling an easy tune but his attention would turn to the person and he would offer a wide smile.

III. wildcard

[Hit me with anything else you have in mind! PMs or pings to AisuYoukai if you need me, but seriously...anything goes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Um, maybe?"

Zhao watched Minimus with a little bit of amusement despite himself. The situation was not favorable but somehow this reaction was quite...entertaining. He settled his features into a mask of seriousness as he nodded in acceptance at Minimus.

"Sure thing. I'm not really sure where they ended up... they didn't grow like we did, ya know? So they... they either fell or... I dunno, if we're lucky they're in one of my pockets?"

"Oh dear." The tiny plants stuck at the bottom of a shoe. Squashed in the hallways, lost in the crevices of the walls. The remnants of a lost planet gone forever. Minimus opens up the kit and pulls out a magnifying glass.

"Open your pockets."

Zhao hesitated for a moment. Not because he didn't want to comply but because he had to decide which pockets to show Minimus first. He decided to hope they weren't in his jacket's pockets since he had other supplies stuffed in them as usual. He ended up pulling out his front pants pockets first, carefully, to show them.

Sheepishly though he admitted, "I kinda think they might be in the back pockets if they made it." Since many of the samples had been riding on his back before they'd left.

Minimus sighs. Those back pockets are pretty tight, and reaching into them would take some work. "Loosen your trousers and I'll search them. You didn't put your hands in there, did you?" With his entire attention focused on the goal of "inspect Zhao and retrieve the contraband", he shuffles around Zhao and wipes the magnifying glass.

"I did not imagine I would have to conduct a search on anyone other than a Cybertronian..."

Zhao blinked in surprise. He glanced around at the crowd shuffling out and back to the part of the station where they all stayed, and then back to Minimus. A slow lop-sided smile crept onto his face.

"Maybe if you buy me dinner first, ne?"

Not that he really needed someone to buy him dinner before he had fun with them. Okay, okay, he got out a few chuckles before he tried to go back to seriousness. It was really hard.

"All right, you're lucky I wear layers, my friend. But just so you know, this is really awkward."

What was this all about? What did this have to do with flirting? It's just clothing. Don't humans change their outfits? Did he accidentally say something salacious? Why does this keep happening?

Minimus pauses in his work and pulls his hands away. "Do you want a privacy curtain?"

If only Zhao could hear Minimus's thoughts he would laugh out loud. What a cute, clueless robotic individual. Don't worry, Minimus, he's only teasing.

"I mean, that would probably be the courteous thing to do. Not that I mind, but I dunno if anyone else wants to watch me strip while you poke around my backside."

Minimus decides not to look Zhao in the face, turns to the other orbers, and gestures at them to keep on moving. Nothing to see here, no one allowed to watch. He waits until they all leave (making sure they keep a safe distance from where the specimens may have fallen), before he takes light footsteps to the nearest supply closet.

"This is in case they return," he says when he returns with a short curtain and the closest approximation to police tape to hang on said curtain.

sad things will never end but || open

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