(Untitled)

[mend_and_defend]

There's a dark-skinned, dreadlocked man walking through the bar. His movements are slow; he seems to be in a daze.

Some of the other patrons might recognize him. Then again, they might not.

After all, he was rather more... blue the last time they saw him.

Comments

[sime_channel]

As soon as she zlins him, Suzi angles toward the tall man with enough force that the puppy goes "Yip?" when her basket swings. "Bob?"

[mend_and_defend]

"Suzi?"

He turns toward her, looking utterly lost.

[sime_channel]

She sets her baskets down on a table and offers him her arms. Her nager is projecting safe as hard as she can, and she can project very, very well. "Yes, Bob. Its Suzi."

[mend_and_defend]

He gladly accepts, and hugs her tightly. Her presence is steadying him a bit, although he's not sure why. He never did understand the whole 'nager' thing.

"Suzi, I... I don't..."

[sime_channel]

That's alright. Most people don't. She's fine with that. "Its okay, Bob." She says softly, putting a hand up to his...okay, that's weird. It feels like hair-hair. More important things to worry about right now. "It'll be fixed."

[mend_and_defend]

"I don't know."

He's not saying he doesn't know if it'll be fixed. He's saying he doesn't know, and that sudden not-knowing is more profoundly frightening than any enemy he's ever faced.

[sime_channel]

"What happened, Bob?" She runs her fingers (and tentacles) down his hair in a soothing motion.

[mend_and_defend]

"I... I was going to help Danny in his world. He n-needed to hack a radio station, I t-told him I could help... but when I walked through the door, it..."

He has no clear memory of what happened next. All he remembers is pain, so intense he could hardly breathe.

"I d-don't know what happened, but... I woke up like this."

[sime_channel]

She nods, and says softly, "Come sit on the couch with me?" It'll be easier to keep touching him, giving reassurance, without getting neck cricks.

[mend_and_defend]

He nods mutely and lets her guide him to the couch. Right now, he's happy to go along with whatever she says.

[sime_channel]

She picks up her puppy in her free hand, her other arm gently around Bob's waist so that if he does fall, she can catch him. She settles him down, gently, on the couch, "What can I do?" She asks when she's sitting next to him, drawing his head to her shoulder so that if he needs to cry, well. Its already there.

[mend_and_defend]

"Tell me what I'm supposed to do. Tell me what I'm for."

[sime_channel]

"You're Bob." She says after a second of blinking, and (finally) she realizes he's human to her senses. The grief, its overwhelming her. "You are still Bob. Your function is to take care of people and fix things. Just like it always was."

[mend_and_defend]

Bob is already shaking his head before she's halfway finished talking. "I can't--I don't--it's not there anymore, Suzi."

[sime_channel]

"Shhh." She says, rubbing his shoulders again, "It is. You just have to listen harder to your heart."

[mend_and_defend]

"You don't understand. It's supposed be right there, but it isn't, it isn't anywhere, and now I don't know what to do..."

His voice is rising as he speaks, and the last word comes out as a sob.