backyardbbq | call me out RP post

You're half my age, you have time to figure it out. [And, if they're lucky, if they're the luckiest people in the entire world, Stein will actually be able to get Shiro out from under Mephisto's thumb and give the boy the chance to figure out how to live.]

Don't say that like you're an old man.

[Sure, Stein is probably in his thirties. Much older than Shiro, at the very least. But he's not old and as scary as this whole 'running from the order' thing is, it would be a million times worse if Stein weren't here.]

[That wasn't an exaggeration, Stein's almost forty and he feels a hell of a lot older, aged by everything he's seen and done. He's lived too long, longer than he ever expected.]

Flattery will get you nowhere, kid. [He says, even though he knows Shiro was just stating a fact.]

I'm being serious!

[And he's a little annoyed at Stein being cheeky.]

Don't even think about dying on me, I wouldn't know where to go or what to do.

[Shiro's annoyance just gets more of a smile (smirk, really) from Stein. The next few months are going to be interesting.]

Oh, don't worry, I'm not planning on dying of old age before I get you settled.

[He's not planning on sticking around either. He'll set Shiro up somewhere, give him a place and a job and enough support to be safe, and then leave.]

You better not! I'd starve.

[No really, he would. He has no concept of money and can't cook. If he didn't starve then he would end up poisoning himself instead.

Also he's. Scooting a bit closer to Stein now. Gradual trust~]

Where are we going anyway?

You'd figure something out. Humans are amazingly resilient. [He says, his smirk softening somewhat, from both Shiro's comment and that scoot. He isn't going to move at all, just keep sitting and smoking until he's gotten the kid tamed enough for sudden movements.]

But since I'm not planning on dying, I'm working on getting us on a boat to Australia. We have to keep moving until we've shaken them off. Just putting distance between us isn't going to be enough, we have to take a convoluted path. And since you don't have a passport and I can't use mine, it's not going to be a comfortable trip.

[He's like a nervous cat. You have to let him come to you.]

Australia? Aren't there giant spiders there?

[He has a basic knowledge of geography, thank you very much.]

And what, are we going by boat?

Right on both counts. [He says, with something that should be a grin if he weren't so exhausted.]

I've got an old friend with a lot of experience hiding kids when demons want to find them. She'll be able to give us some help and a place to stay for a week or two before we head out again.

Edited 2018-02-11 18:13 (UTC)

Yeah? Who is she?

[Shiro is curious now! Well he was always curious, but he wants to find out more about these people Stein knows.]

I'll tell you after we go back inside, [Stein says, standing slowly.] You've been out in the sun too long already, you're starting to burn.

[Shiro's group wasn't exactly designed to go outside without being augmented by demonic healing, and Stein isn't looking forward to how much he's going to have to monitor the boy's sun exposure.]

[Yeah, that's going to be a problem in Australia especially. Even a little bit of sun is turning this boy's cheeks pink.

Speaking of which, Shiro is blinking a little and looking confused.]

Burn?

That's right. [And Stein taps a finger against his own cheeks.] Do you feel your cheeks starting to feel warm? They might sting a bit as well. That's your skin telling you to find some shade. You'll need to remember to wear long sleeves and pants when you go outside, as well as a hat. There's a lotion you can apply to protect your skin as well, but you'll need to reapply it frequently.

[There's something he's forgetting...]

Oh, also, you may need sunglasses to deal with bright light. How's your vision right now? [Stein doesn't remember how photosensitive Shiro is, but albinism generally leads to problems seeing in bright lights.] Your eyes might not be able to handle the light, so let me know if it's too bright, if things look washed out or lack contrast, or if you're having any other trouble seeing.

[Shiro reaches up and touches his cheek with a hand. Yep, it feels warm to the touch. But he was only out here for what, thirty minutes? if that. And it didn't feel like the sun was hurting him.

He did notice that the sun was pretty bright, though. Luckily there were clouds that it hid behind at times, making it so he could see outside, but sometimes he did have to close his eyes to protect it from the brightness.]

You mean it's not supposed to be like that? All bright and hard to see, except when the sun's behind a cloud.

For you, it's normal. There were a few errors that cropped up as a result of the process, and your batch wound up with a benign genetic abnormality. It's a condition called albinism, a lack of pigmentation throughout your body. Your skin burns more easily because it lacks protective pigment and your eyes are photosensitive because the irises aren't dark enough to block light. I'll have to do some research to determine the best way for you to manage it. It's not fatal or progressive, it's just going to be something you deal with.

[He offers a hand to help Shiro up of the grass. He's expecting refusal, but it's still polite to offer.]

[That sure was a lot of science-talk to basically say 'genetics fucked you over'.

And Shiro is regarding that hand with caution. He's still very skittish, and probably will be for some time. But Stein is helping him, right? Stein did just sacrifice everything for his sake. Even if Shiro thinks Stein chose wrong, that he should have picked one of the other kids to save, the fact still remains that Stein is trying to help. So maybe Shiro should give him a chance.

After a moment of internal debate, he finally takes Shiro's hand and pulls himself to his feet.]

It shouldn't be any harder to deal with than everything else, right? So I'll manage.

[Up until he gets his first real sunburn, that is.

Also be prepared for motion sickness on that boat ride.]

[Shiro if you think that was a lot of science talk just wait until Stein stops giving the most basic, dumbed-down explanations possible.]

[He helps the boy up, and let's go of that hand as soon as possible afterwards, walking inside and assuming Shiro will follow. After a brief explanation of who they're going to meet in Australia (a friend of Stein's, someone he worked with as an exorcist, a good person, and someone he's very clearly fond of despite the sadly nostalgic expression he wears when he talks about her), and an application of some aloe to Shiro's face, the two of them turn in early to get some sleep (or, Shiro gets some sleep while Stein continues to work out a plan).

They leave well before dawn the next morning, walking under the cover of darkness until they manage to hitch a ride to the next town, where Stein grabs more protective gear for Shiro (including a slightly floppy sun hat) and then hitchhiking their way to the coast. It takes two days, giving Shiro his first experience sleeping outside and seeing the stars, as well as a lot of other firsts.

Their boat is... sketchy to put it mildly. It's an old tramp freighter, headed to Australia with a cargo of mixed goods. Their passage is unlisted and none of the freighter's crew comments on their secretive arrival. There isn't a cabin for them, just a single mattress shoved behind massive boxes in the hold.

Stein is... less than impressed with the accommodations, but he drops down onto the small mattress anyway.]

I need to sleep. [That's been obvious for a while now. He hasn't slept at all in six days, minus a few moments of unintentional drifting off, and he's been barely functional for the past two days, despite his normal endless reserves of energy.]

Wake me up if you need something.

Sure, will do.

[Stein looks absolutely exhausted, so Shiro's not going to push the issue. He could use some sleep on an actual bed too, even if that bed is a mattress on the ground, but he can wait until Stein has had some rest.

In the meantime, Shiro carefully explores his new surroundings. The boat is dank and dark in this area, and it's more than a little creepy. And since it's daytime, he can't go above ship either. Even if he used some of the sunscreen first, he's sure the crew would ask too many questions.

So instead, he walks among the loads of cargo, trying to read their contents. His reading skills aren't the best- the clones never had a reason to learn anything beyond the basics- but Shiro's got a brilliant mind and is picking up stuff quickly.

It's mostly cars, Shiro finds out quickly, along with some manufactured goods and a couple containers full of dvds and games. So nothing he could use at the moment, he notes with disdain. He hopes the boat ride won't be too long, it's going to get boring fast.

Then the boat lurches and starts to sway in the way a boat would out on the open ocean, and Shiro quickly finds his stomach not agreeing with him. By the time Stein wakes up, Shiro is sitting nearby looking paler than usual, with a bucket in arm's reach.]

[Stein wakes up, groggy and aching and confused, but he's slept... almost enough. He sits up, takes in his surroundings, and is suddenly confronted with the realization that Shiro is... going to throw up on everything in their little space.]

Don't you dare throw up on me, kid.

[That look on his face is saying that he's really, really trying.

Also he just. Indicates to the bucket. He's got it covered, he's not totally helpless.

This is going to be a very long trip though. Good luck getting him on a boat after this.]

[Stein doesn't like sea travel much, it's slow and confined and he tends to get seasick himself when the seas get heavier, and he's really not looking forward to this. If Shiro can't even talk at this point, things are going to get worse pretty quickly.

He should have given Shiro something for motion sickness before the boat left port, but he passed out too quickly. He digs in his backpack and pulls out a bottle of dramamine, then passes two of the pills to Shiro and takes one himself.]

This should help your stomach. It might make you drowsy.

[Shiro hesitates, and for a moment there is a flash of fear in his eyes. Because he remembers all the sketchy drugs that he had been forced to take in the past, as well as how he would sometimes get sick for days because of them. He remembers the way they never had a choice, how the pills would get forced down their throats if they tried to resist.

He remembers the way some of the clones stopped moving after taking some of these pills, and how they were taken away and never brought back.

He remembers Stein doing this sometimes, telling them all 'it's for your own good, it will help'.

Before he even realizes what is happening, Shiro is breathing heavily and starting to tremble, his knuckles tight and white with how firmly he is gripping the bucket.

For three terrifying seconds, it looks like he might scream.

And then he just throws up in the bucket instead.]

Edited 2018-02-23 05:46 (UTC)

[The reaction is about what Stein expected. Good. He would have been pretty damn impressed (and concerned) if Shiro had managed to take the pills.

Stein doesn't approach, just puts the pills away and leans back against a crate. He observes.]

[That's just one small taste of everything Shiro is going to have to unlearn. There's a lot of trauma in there that isn't going to be pleasant.

When Shiro is done heaving into the bucket, he sort of just curls in on himself and sits there on the damp floor, trying to keep from shaking too much. It's not audible, but he is crying, with two wet trails going down to his chin.

It's Too Much and Shiro is going to need a moment to recover. Sorry Stein.]

[Shiro gets as much time and space as he needs. Nothing about this will work if the kid tries to run every time Stein makes a move. The crying is certainly unexpected, but he can't remember if Shiro has a known history of breaking down like that.]

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panic attack (and vomit) incoming

Re: panic attack (and vomit) incoming

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