DEPLOYMENT 12: Seasonal Holiday Observance

[walking_nuke]

[ACTION (847 Goldberg Street, Morning, CLOSED TO HOUSEMATES)]

[It's officially Christmas Day, now, and the horrors of the month for the most part appear to be over. Virginia no longer looks or feels like a vile replacement, and neither does any of the "erased." It's all been the town rewiring people's heads. Bakin should be happy that it's over,

Comments

[commentboxtroll]

[Caesar eventually wakes up, but when he does he passes right by the living room, unerring from his usual routine of grabbing something from the kitchen after dragging himself out of bed. What do you mean there's a bunch of gifts under a gaudy tree? He doesn't particularly care, even if he did notice it.]

[walking_nuke]

[Hearing Caesar's footsteps, Balin looks up from that one big present. From where he's standing, it looks more like his head is poking out from the top side.]

Yo, Caesar, you seein'is?

[commentboxtroll]

[He's in the middle of yet again checking the cupboards in the slim hope of finding tea when Balin asks that. He'll stop the search long enough to answer.]

No. I'm in a different room. Is it going to kill us?

[This is always a valid question.]

[walking_nuke]

[Ooh, good question. Balin's now finding himself unsure.]

... Yanno, I really hope not.

[A beat, then he calls back.]

There's like six presents here addressed from Santa. Does'a town normally do'is?

[Balin never actually learned when it was Caesar came to Mayfield ...]

[commentboxtroll]

How should I know? This is the first time I've ever had to deal with this particular holiday.

[Well, no tea. He should actually track some down... someday. He'll wander out to the living room to see what Balin is going on about instead.]

Six of them? Well, we won't know if they're safe until someone opens one.

[walking_nuke]

[That one present Balin's standing behind is easily the size of a small couch. Or rather, he was standing behind it, but now he's crouched down looking at the other presents ...]

Seems like there's two for each of us. Different sizes ...

[He glances back at the big one.]

... An'at one's addressed to me.

[Balin looks like he doesn't have a clue what it ought to be, either.]

[commentboxtroll]

[Yeah, don't mind how Caesar is going to linger back a distance from Balin and that giant present.]

So are you going to open it or do I have to open one addressed to me?

[Though for all they know, that big one contains a pack of rabid... cats... or... who knows.]

[walking_nuke]

Yeah, might as well.

[Glancing over to Caesar for a moment.]

Uh-just in case, you might wanna duck behind'a couch or somethin' if it's a bomb.

[If something this size were a bomb, though, it'd probably ... take out the whole house.]

[commentboxtroll]

I'm not sure the couch would help me much with that.

[So nah, he's just going to stand here and wait. He's a little curious as to what exactly that huge thing is, anyway.]

[walking_nuke]

Guess not. Let's open'is sucker up.

[Balin gets right to work tearing open the wrapping paper, to reveal ...]

[This. Even before Balin's done it's clear he knows what this is, and he looks not only amazed that it managed to fit inside the house, but that nobody broke any doors, windows, or chimneys getting it indoors.]

... Hot damn ...

[The furniture-machine is easily as big as a large writing desk, although it's presently powered down. The Allied Free Sentients logo is clearly visible on one of the panels, with a word in English labeling it as a "workstation" along with some serial numbers.]

[commentboxtroll]

[He senses another impending explanation of technology far beyond anything he'll ever truly comprehend coming. He might need coffee for this after all.]

I take it that means it isn't going to explode and bring the entire house down.

[walking_nuke]

So long as this ain't some kinda stupid fakeout an'ey just disguised a bomb to look like'is.

[Stop giving Mayfield ideas, Balin.]

[Nevertheless, Balin takes a step back to get a better look at the station, putting his hands on his hips. He seems very pleased.]

Oh, I can work some wonders with'is baby.

[Although his smile falters momentarily, recalling what Caesar told him earlier this month about things made with regains/powers vanishing when a person is permadroned ...]

[commentboxtroll]

Is it that thing you've mentioned before? The one that you need to make your explosives with?

[So the gifts are only items from home. He can deal with that. He'll walk over to investigate, though his eyes are drawn first to the ridiculous red stocking with his name sewn into it.

What even...

So he checks that out first.]

This is... [Caesar squints at what fills the stocking.] Why is this full of coal?

[walking_nuke]

Yeah. Among other things.

[A beat passes while he looks around the workbench, as if checking for something.]

Though I'm gonna need schematics for most of it.

[He's ducked behind the worktable looking for the "on" switch while Caesar heads over to check the stocking-but Caesar's reaction to his stocking's contents causes him to poke his head up again.]

Wait, say what?

[commentboxtroll]

This sock is full of coal. [To prove it, he oh so helpfully overturns it and dumps the whole lot of it out in front of the mantle.] Is that normal?

[walking_nuke]

[Balin stares at the coal as it dumps out. And blinks a few times ...]