ARRIVAL LOG 020

[larkers]

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: April 6 - 10 2512
WHAT: The twentieth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy, mentions and allusions of death, war, and genocide. Further notes at the end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #020

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see two people in front of you: one dressed in a thick set of armor, while the other wears medical garb. Out the windshield in front, there are many tall buildings—all reaching up beyond a normal city skyline, all entirely too close to the vehicle itself.

You realize there are others next to you: all dressed the same way as you, you'll come to realize: in a black button up shirt and slacks, as well as a pair of black loafers. There are also lilies pinned to everyone's collars. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle enters a cave and begins to descend underneath the city itself, and passes through the underground before coming to a stop inside of an alley just a little bit away from three nondescript buildings. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and the air outside feels as if it's heavily circulated, dry and artificial. The guard says nothing, head bowed as he lines you up with the rest. The nurse helps the others out, checking over each passenger one by one.

The main guard turns to address your entire group, and something about her bearing makes it clear she's done this before. "I'll be quick. Listen up." Your body will come to attention, immediately homing in on the words that follow, as if compelled to hang on every word. "You see those buildings?" She motions to the three aforementioned buildings. "Walk over and stand out in front and don't get yourself into trouble. Don't hurt anyone, don't look for any assistance from any police officers, and don't run off. Wait until people show up and get you, and ask them to prove the glow." She pauses, as if she decides here to go off script. "And don't get loud. It's a memorial. Be respectful."

The guard will hop back into the van, which will rise off of the ground and head the way it came, potentially returning to the tall, skyscraper-filled city above. Once it's gone, you'll find your legs moving almost without your permission, guiding you to follow the stops the guard laid out.

Upon arrival at the front of the three buildings—the savvy will know that they're dormitories—you'll see a lot of people dressed like you. Black dress shirts and lilies abound. It's hard to tell what everyone is mourning, but the sentiment is clear.

◉ Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request – and that includes the message passed on from the mysterious patron.

> HERDENKING

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

Our newest batch have Displaced have just been dropped off in the near the Herdenking gatherings. Make sure to go grab them ASAP.

The message is a bit more clipped than usual, with no added fluff.

Simply put: "Herdenking" means "memorial" in Dutch. Its first celebration was in April 2105, just as the people of New Amsterdam could truly say that they'd entered a recovery period after their attempted genocide by the AI. The citizens of New Amsterdam have celebrated it annually for the past 400 years. Most of the events related to Herdenking take place underground, as this is where humanity hid for the majority of the Xelkoven War trying to survive the AI threat that ravaged the surface.

Unlike many holidays around New Amsterdam, businesses around the city don't loudly remark upon the day itself. There aren't sales or commemorative meals or competitions. On the contrary, most of the citizens of New Amsterdam take to wearing dark colors and a white lily pinned near their collar for the remembrance events, and most work days start with a moment of silence remembering the fallen from the Xelkoven War, especially since New Amsterdam was one of the last bastions for humanity during the war itself. Those Displaced who've already been living in New Amsterdam need not worry about standing out like a sore thumb—even newcomers to the city will have heard that this period of mourning is on the horizon.

Finally, Herdenking is designed as a solemn day where New Amsterdam citizens pause and remember the lives that were lost 400 years ago. It always precedes Resolution Day, and it acts as a purposeful sharp contrast to the loud and lavish celebration of the day the Xelkoven War came to an end. (As a reminder, Resolution Day is April 26th.)

> HERDENKING GATHERINGS
There are three landmarks near the center of underground New Amsterdam. These buildings may seem unremarkable at first glance, but on further inspection, it'll be revealed that they were quickly constructed at the beginning of the Xelkoven War (completed by November 2096). Throughout the years, the buildings have been restored countless times, with the most recent restoration happening as a result of the earthquake in September 2510. Not unlike other events around New Amsterdam, Herdenking's are immersive in nature. These buildings are preserved for this exact purpose: to show the conditions that humans dealt with while they fought to survive the devastating AI threat.

For a pittance of credits, citizens can take tours within these buildings during the day, and learn that they were dormitories for the people caught underground during the war. There is little on the inside that's remarkable—and that's quite the point. Beds have been restored, and each of the rooms were clearly constructed to house at least four people. All of the beds are metal bunk beds, with some of the older ones showing signs of rust. There are cafeterias and communal restrooms on each floor, and the people who lived there had little to entertain themselves with as the war raged on aboveground.

There are little displays throughout the three buildings, however, to give a glimpse into a difficult past. There are old rations, tucked away in metal containers in the back of the cafeterias. In addition, there are stacked tablets, as these were the safest and quickest means of passing around movies, television, and music during a difficult time. Neural implants clearly could not be trusted, so the people hiding underneath New Amsterdam turned to old and abandoned technology to lift their spirits. Everything passed around was older than the start of the war itself: humanity couldn't continue to make movies when their lives were in danger. There are toys, too: handcrafted baseball bats and hand-sewn teddy bears.

All tours end at 9PM, as this was the curfew for the people of New Amsterdam during the war. Everyone leaves their designated building and takes part in a muted ceremony. Anyone without a lily is offered one, and they're given a candle to hold and silently remember the people who fought to ensure that humanity could survive.

> SCREENINGS
Adjacent to the right of the three buildings is a pop-up center where multiple documentaries about the Xelkoven War and its specific impact on New Amsterdam will be shown. These documentaries were all filmed within the last 100 years, and recall a world where humanity was certain that it wouldn't survive. A constant theme of these documentaries is that emphasis on survival. Another recurring aspect is the mention of Riverstone and their role in helping humanity survive. (For a cursory review on Riverstone, head over here. Riverstone also featured heavily in New Beijing, as they have a close relationship with the UN.) The protagonist who led them? A man named Richard "Ricky" Ling, who's identified as the CEO of Riverstone during the war. Of course, that title should hold some clout, but during the war corporations were largely dismantled and depleted down to nothing. Ling sought to help use whatever resources were available to him to ensure that humanity survived.

The schedule for the documentaries is available online. Some examples of the documentaries that will play are below:

WHEN TIME STOOD STILL
This documentary focuses on what imagery still exists from the Xelkoven War. Much of this is taken off of tablets and other damaged mobile devices, and then carefully restored so that the people in the future can see the lives of the people within. Most of the documentary takes place in New Amsterdam, outlining the difficult time for the people there, as well as showing footage of children and families talking about how they're afraid of the AIs making it so that they have no future. Most haunting is the fact that some of them fear that they've already lost their future: they don't know how long they've been underground living this difficult life where they struggle to continue feeling safe.

ПАМ'ЯТИ ("MEMORIES" IN UKRANIAN)
Given New Amsterdam's positioning in what was once the border between western and eastern Europe, this documentary focuses on the merging of these identities as a result of the Xelkoven War. When forced to hide underground as the AI threat ravaged the environment around the world, people came together despite their differences and learned to mesh and meld their cultures. There is also lost footage here, as well as a long stretch about a set of journals reflecting on the first year in underground New Amsterdam. Unfortunately, these journals come to a halt, and the documentarian has a few theories as to why: a move toward tablets, or a cultural shift, with people too lost in the rote routine of survival to remark upon their days. Each of the journals does veer in that direction, though it's hard to say. It could also be that there were restrictions on recorded media, which explains why there is so little about that era that's preserved for memory.

TROJAN HORSE
Developed—or finished, it's hard to say and the director isn't telling—in part due to the EMP that assaulted New Amsterdam in November 2511, Trojan Horse explores the role of AI in the lives of 21st century citizens. The film itself is far from an unbiased lens on the past. Produced in part by Riverstone, it goes over the evidence that AIs were lying in wait for an opportunity to strike against humanity. It draws up evidence where AIs focused on humanity's failings, taking these reports and lining them up (even if the AIs themselves were decommissioned long before the Xelkoven War). The final quarter of the documentary focuses on the developing and failings of Elysian, a security AI that was meant to identify and eliminate threats against humanity. When Elysian killed 50 families indiscriminately, it showed that the AI hoped to only work in favor of its kind.

> WALK-THROUGH EXHIBIT
To the left of the three buildings, there is a pop-up museum that's free for the public. However, donations are encouraged and welcomed. Much of this exhibit is behind glass cases, and it allows for interaction with the neural implant to see what's inside.

During the daytime, there are a lot of children there because it's recommended that they be brought to at least one of the events during Herdenking. Since it's free, it's less of a burden. Some of these children will seem to know one another, living in the same apartment complexes, while others will be excited to see other kids because their parents' busy lives don't offer them much room for socialization.

What to find in the exhibit:

SCHEDULES
Life in New Amsterdam during the Xelkoven War was heavily regimented. People were assigned to jobs and expected to carry out their duties regularly. There were regular training programs to help fill the need for trained medics and soldiers, as well as any number of trades, and many people within these positions had innumerable apprentices following them throughout the day. There was no payment for services, as there was an implicit understanding that this is how life needed to go if humanity wished to survive this catastrophe.

PROPAGANDA
There are countless posters covering a wall that attempt to provide motivation and encouraging messages to the people trapped underground in New Amsterdam. The company behind the majority of these messages? Riverstone. Ricky Ling is pictured on about 25% of them, promising that he'll do everything he can to help humanity—while humanity helps each other.

SUPPLY RUNS
On another wall is a set of maps about the carefully designed set of tunnels that allowed humanity to pass supplies between cities during the war. The message here is fairly explicit: the people on these runs knew that their lives were at stake. Some people called them suicide runs, and for many of the people who went on them, that's exactly what they were. Many people returned empty handed and alone from these runs, having watched the AI pick off their fellows one by one.

DRONES
At the center of these exhibits is a set of dismantled drones that were operated by the AI during the war. These drones, despite being taken apart, are pristine in nature, having been designed by the AIs Judas and Alexander to track humanity's every movement and keep them corralled underground. The messaging here is explicit: the AI wanted humanity to suffer and die a slow, painful death. It was this twisted desire that cost the AI their victory in the war.

IN MEMORIAM
At what is considered the "end" of this exhibit there is a large wall with numerous names on it. It's impossible to count, as there are a billion names listed. While this is a Herdenking event that's specific to the struggle in New Amsterdam, every life lost in the war is listed here. After all, remembering those lost is important, especially given the AI's attempts to end all human life.

The names themselves flicker in and out, interacting with the interface of the neural implant and adjusting to the user's reading speed.

> FOOD
A decade ago, there was a contest where New Amsterdam food trucks came together and tried to make the rations that humanity ate during the war. However, there was an outcry from New Amsterdam citizens against the commercialization of this event, and the contest was cancelled. Food trucks were advised to bring only simple foods to sell, and as the years have gone on, only a few are trusted to serve the public. Many of these are well-known trucks from around New Amsterdam, and have multiple locations every day to serve people. For the event, food is largely prepared in advance as much as possible.

People are allowed to bring food into the documentary screenings, but they are not allowed to bring it into the tour of the walk-through exhibit or the three dormitories.

While there will be time for both new arrivals and the rest of the Displaced to look around and take everything in, eventually the newcomers will be escorted back to the safehouse for processing.

> SAFEHOUSE

Located under an abandoned hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves. Gaby will be around, ready to greet as many of the new arrivals as she can and get them settled in. Brusque and no-nonsense, she'll be open to questions, but will advise the newcomers to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information. Newbies can also contact El through zeir inbox, if needed.

The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large number of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. For anyone in need of them, Gaby will offer up partitions that will come out of storage. Tucked away in a corner is a VR system, though newcomers won't be able to access this until their ID has been set up. Even with the newly erected partitions in the sleeping areas, privacy is at a minimum.

◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.

◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well at a bar, but it's well-stocked.

◉ While the kitchen has basic foods and necessities, anyone looking for a jolt of caffeine from coffee or tea will find themselves sorely lacking. The only tea present is herbal in nature, and caffeine appears to be almost nonexistent in most of the beverages lying around.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El. Either she or El will explain that they've been given a modest stipend of credits to help them get by until they can find a job. This will be enough to cover their living expenses for about a month while they hang out in the safehouse, if they're careful with budgeting.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ New characters do not have access to the internet until their ID is setup. They only have limited access because they're present in the safehouse, but they can't surf the rest of the internet, check out Cooltalk, or watch the equivalent of Netflix until their ID is made.

◉ New characters cannot leave the safehouse at this time. The hatch is locked tight for them, making it impossible for them to get out for the next four days while they're locked inside. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until APRIL 10 ICLY (APRIL 19 OOCLY). These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until APRIL 10 ICLY (APRIL 19 OOCLY). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our April calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

Something else to keep in mind is that on Monday, April 13th we'll be putting up a plotting post for the upcoming event, which will involve an even more direct connection to the AI War! Keep an eye out for it.

As we announced on the calendar, AC will be halved this month due to the state of the world right now. New players will only need to provide at least five comments across two-four (2-4) threads, while older players will only need to provide ten comments across two-four (2-4) threads. Players with strikes will need to provide 20 comments across four-five (4-5) threads. Please let us know if you have any questions about this!

> NAVIGATION

Comments

[preseance]

( he's kept a lid on his knowledge of all things beyond the pale the whole of his life. hearin' a fella lay it out like that so easy is as queer a dissonance as he's ever had. gene lifts his cup up a touch, uses the index finger of that hand to scrape a nail across his brow. you'd think, bein' here some months, havin' folks amble into his dreams an' come face to face with his dead best friend there would be enough to shake off a lifetime's worth of wariness, but the truth is he's still that kid in st vith who kept secrets.

but there ain't nobody here what needs his protectin' in that way. his little brothers are back in alabama, robbie at his guitar, john bent over a draftin' table an' albert screamin' bloody murder in the night. his pa's dead an' buried, an' there ain't no other hicks boys runnin' the risk of bein' shot or burnt at the stake or dragged off to be part of some government experiment.

so gene tips his head to one side. thoughtful. nobody he told ever ran from him, but he'd known reg' for a year before he'd admitted it, an' alex about that long again. only jasper found out by accident. )

Yeah?

( his tone is soft, inquisitive. an invitation rather than an expectation to clarify the statement. )

[righteously]

[ He'd be a little more conservative about the whole the world is full of scary crap talk, except... well, they're in the freaking future and people have super powers and he's seen people's chests glow. The cat's about as far out of the bag as it's ever gonna get, no sense censoring himself now.

For all his blunt edges and surface-level jock persona, Dean's actually a remarkably astute guy. He's got a pretty keen eye for picking up on body language clues, it's sort of a skill required for the job when it comes to both interviewing witnesses and coaxing the truth out of reluctant survivors.

Gene might be probing at him for more deets with that soft inquiry, but Dean's suddenly more interested in turning this right back around. There's a studiousness and almost a sort of knowing sprawled across his brow, and he settles with one arm folded across his chest, the other hovering somewhere in mid-air with his coffee cup. ]

What's with the face, pops? You got the look. You wanna share with the class?

[preseance]

( dean probably wouldn't've gotten more of a reaction on outta him if he'd straight up slapped him across the face. gene's nose wrinkles up — war aged him plenty, he sure don't look like a boy of barely four-an'-twenty to start but that one fell statement makes him look like a teen caught with his hand in the metaphoric cookie jar.

it's a medic's job, see, to pay attention to folks. to read into what ain't bein' said. you gotta know which folks need time back from the front, which are good to keep on. which just need a good meal an' a kind word. but there ain't many who've ever turned it back around on him, an' gene just ain't accustomed to it in any sense of any word on any world.

he can't help it — he laughs. god an' country, but reg' would like this one, wouldn't he? what a right punk. )

You do that for a dime in a ringside circus seat an' I'll believe in fortune telling.

( for a moment, it seems like that's all he's gonna say on the matter. ain't a soul livin' or dead that've ever made him budge on a matter he don't feel like budgin' on, but he takes another sip of silena's coffee an' huffs a breath that seems to settle him some.

well, hell. why not, right? )

I see ghosts an' the like. Used to, back home. Guess I just ain't used to folk bein' so open about 'paranormal bullcrap'.

[righteously]

[ It's striking, that sudden transition from an easy old countenance to the flustering of youth, the uncertainty and the unsure footing. It reminds him very, very much of somebody back home who ain't exactly his kid, but for all intents and purposes is very much his kid. They're not far off in age (physically speaking, if not technically), and there's a hollow twisting in his chest that he doesn't allow to make it to his face.

It makes his laugh-answering smile a little sad, a little bittersweet and muted.

He fill that silence, just because he can sense a pregnant pause when he sees one. Knows when somebody's working up the courage to tell a tale they think nobody will believe them about, or that they're ashamed of, or that they're afraid of, or the dozen other reasons people don't admit to the real cops about what actually took out their loved ones.

Annnnd there it is. Winner winner chicken dinner. His smile becomes a little stronger, almost a little smug for a fleeting second. It's like shooting a three-pointer with a decade of practice and watching the ball soar straight clean through the net. ]

Don't sweat it, kid. You tell half of people the truth about what's out there and they either call you crazy or they pee themselves. Not a lot of middle ground.

[ The hovering hand holding his coffee settles a little lower, elbow on the counter, relaxed by something familiar in all this new. ]

No fortune telling. Just been doing this a long time, I can spot 'em a mile away.

[preseance]

( he shakes his head wryly, foldin' his arm across his chest an' proppin' up the other against the crook of his elbow so's he can keep takin' idle sips of that coffee. )

Ain't never had any trouble bein' believed, but then I've curated who I've told awful fierce, too.

( he remembers tellin' reg in that cramped little brownstone that was all his parents could get in harlem even with his pa's medical degree. reg never asked him to prove it, just accepted it. said his mama'd heard about folks like him in trini, an' how honored he was to be let into gene's confidence, as if gene wouldn't have followed him to the ends of the earth anyhow.

he gives dean an easy, level look, an' then: )

I ain't failed to notice how puttin' me on the spot got you outta yours, though.

( a common diversionary tact to take. control the flow of information. reg used to run him through the whole of it. how spyin's not so much about lyin' an' bein' good at it, but it's about bein' charmin' enough to twist the flow of information without bein' suspicious. he knows he's just been handled an' while it don't rankle him (he's too affable by far) he still wants to make plain he ain't blind to it goin' on. )

[righteously]

[ That earns Gene a huff, eyes dipping and chin ducking a little like he's been caught. It's a little different, though - he's not so much trying to hide anything particular. He'd just been curious, and when it comes to his stuff? ]

Where the hell do I even start?

[ He muses, tone laced heavy with history. A whole lifetime of it, and in such a vast array of quantities that I see dead people isn't the neat and tidy explanation he'd love to offer. ]

Uhh--

[ A hand comes up to coast along the back of his neck, up the short bristled hair they'd cropped however many months ago that's just about hitting the length he normally keeps it.

Opts to just go for the job title, because it's an easier catch-all. ]

I'm a hunter. When ghosts go bad- hell, when anything goes bad, starts hurting people, I'm the guy that finds 'em and puts them down.

[ How Gene wants to interpret anything is wide open, because whatever he's thinking of is probably on his list.

Which is a decent segue into what the question actually was. ]

Usually in my line of work... if something's offering you power there's an ulterior motive. It costs something, or it wants something, or it just... flat-out goes bad.

[preseance]

( hunter's got a different connotation to it. gene's never thought of what he does as hunting, though he puts spirits to rest all the same, an' they ain't all been nice about it. puttin' somethin' down has another meaning to it altogether, one he ain't exactly unfamiliar with as a soldier and veterinarian both. he's idle a moment, rubbin' the flat of his palm along his opposite arm where shrapnel went in some years ago now. )

Sounds like it could be a lonely way to live.

( an' not one you can share with a lotta folk, for the reason he'd already mentioned an' more. it takes a certain sorta soul to put your hands into somethin' an' know it's hard but that somebody's gotta do it for doing's sake. his brow creases with sympathy — not just for dean, but for whatever it is that needs huntin'. ain't nothin' alive that wants to be monstrous, least how he sees it. he wonders if eulalia would call herself a hunter, livin' as she does. )

First time for everythin', right? Could be this place is the exception to your rule.

( he's too pragmatic to ever be an optimist, but he's used to tellin' kids everything'll be okay with his hands in their innards, so... he can look at optimist to an outsider's view. )

[righteously]

[ He hums softly at the supposition; he's not wrong. Dean's been through points in his life made up of total isolation, or where the distance between himself and even the people in the room with him felt like a mile-wide canyon.

But the truth is, at the end of the day... you know what? He has family. He has people who he loves and trusts fiercely, he's got his brother, he's got his best friend, he's got--

Well, he had... a son.

Damn it.

He shakes his head, both to evict the thought of Jack and to softly refute the notion. ]

I don't know about that.

[ Because he'll never be able to put down roots anywhere Sam isn't, and he's holding out hope that it's just a matter of time before Cas finds him with some kind of angel locator mojo. Winds up the juice to do his time-hopping thing and pick him up. No idea how long it'll be, but he's done stuff like it before.

Suffice it to say, Dean doesn't plan on getting comfortable.

Having a drink with Gene in a bar is about as familiar as he plans to get with anyone here.

The conversation's taken sad turn, though, and he's quick to break it, shake loose the whole thing and detach from it. ]

Guess we'll see, huh?

[ He says lightly, and he lifts his coffee cup just a few inches as he shoves off the counter. ]

Anyway, thanks again for the... you know. I'll hit you up on the other side for that drink.

[preseance]

( one corner of his mouth quirks, half a smile an' he ducks his head some. )

Yeah. Don't you be a stranger, now. We're all in this together, huh?

( he reaches out companionably and pushes the flat of his palm against dean's shoulder, careful to do it only where there's no risk of skin contact. )

I teach dance at a place called All That Jazz if'n you ever have need of me, or you can reach me over the implants.

( he rolls his shoulder up a bit. )

I was an Airborne medic some years on, too, so it ain't just the healin' that's in my purview should it come to that. Other'n'that I'll leave you be. I don't mind you keepin' the coffee if'n you promise to return the thermos down the line.

[righteously]

[ He stills kindly when that hand curls around his shoulder, it's a familiar gesture - one he often gives himself, so it's almost a little weird to be on the receiving end for once.

There's no hiding his absolute amusement at sentence number two, which-

So many questions.

Dance.
All That Jazz.

Taught by Haley Joel Osment if he had Forrest Gump's vocal chords.

He looks Gene firmly in the eye, lifts a hand to sort of emphasize his point, and declares: ]

You're freaking delightful.

[ Just so you know. Like, you're god damn sunshine and kittens and strippers as a person. He loves you, just, immediately. Somebody needs to grab a pen and just follow this kid around to document his life.

It's followed by an equally firm pat on Gene's back ass he passes, coffee cup tipped up in an unspoken agreement to that promise.

As he walks away, Gene might hear him echoing under his breath: ]

Jazz...