ss_noanga | A Day in the Life of... [OTA]

A Day in the Life of... [OTA]

WHO: Donnie and you-ie
WHAT: Mall'in and ship things
WHERE: Space Mall, Spaceship
WHEN: Uh...during space mall days
NOTES: Will match tag format preference!

I. Too Good a Thing (space mall)
Given he doesn't know how often they're likely to come across a good mall, Donnie doesn't want to waste the opportunity to grab anything and everything he can. He's loaded up on books and found a very nice percolator. He's even found some rather sumptuous coffee grounds. He's found a better plant shelf and a few pieces of furniture- namely a desk and chair, and a bookshelf to house his findings.

And once he finds a nice out-of-the-way spot, he activates his holoform disguise so he can set up an account at what he deems a renowned space-bank. Unfortunately the only disguise he has loaded is a certain tiefling one, but he uses his favorite moniker: Othello von Ryan.

Although it does start to dawn on him that it seems the mall is rather dominated by elves. Is that...weird? Are they in elf space or something? He tucks that thought away for later research.

What all else was he needing? There's a pharmacy but he's sure there's a few items on Leo's list that aren't over-the-counter. Well, time to falsify patient information. Clothes? Oh, definitely. Tools, right, he'll need more of those...

If his crewmates don't catch him shopping, they might also find him at one of the food courts. They may not call it pizza, but there's no denying what it is, and no one should at all be surprised when he later brings a sizable stack of boxes of it back onto the ship.

II. I'm Onto You (around the ship)
No, he doesn't trust it at all, that suddenly the replicators have magically decided to work. That's really the problem, that he's sure magic or something must be involved. He's been in the guts of those machines. He knows their inner workings make no sense! So they shouldn't magically decide to work without question one day, save by exactly that reason: magic.

Ugh, he hates that reason, even if he's by now had more than enough experience with it.

Perhaps one will find him, elbow-deep in wiring and whatnot as he decides to delve into one of the machines again, just to see if there's been any visible changes.

Alternatively you may find him pulling a cart towards a room that has glitter tracked all over the floor by the doorway. Or you might catch him walking away from it, glitter sparkling off the wheels and the bottom of his space Chucks as he pulls the cart down the hall, laden with an assortment of technical equipment. A trained eye might deduce that they seem to be for a computer.

III. Anything Else?
((OOC: Have anything else you'd like to do with Donnie that's not covered here? Tag away!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh..."

It's still hard to really imagine how it would be in a world where your people were constantly at war. It had been difficult to imagine even hearing it from the Cybertronians, many of whom seemed to know nothing but a time of war, or were still fighting one, and considering their average lifespan was over millions of years, it made it harder still to wrap one's head around.

But then you never really considered what other people did who weren't actively fighting, because the fighting part of wars is the main thing anyone tends to think about when you hear the word.

Every time he thinks of his own father, it's always some deep, clawing feeling that grips his gut. He misses Splinter terribly. Prior to being dumped out of a space bridge, he'd never been apart from any of his family for longer than a day or two at most, and he hardly counted the times he'd locked himself away in his lab or workshop for days on end to complete a project he was hyperfocused on, because he knew that if he really wanted, his brothers and father would be on the other side of the door and down the corridor.

He feels Illex rumble against him in that way the mimic always tends to when he tries to offer comfort. Donnie's not sure how much the little guy picks up or how in general, but he figures it probably has to do with how tightly he starts squishing the mimic in pillow mode.

At least his fathers death wasn’t his fault and long enough ago that most of the sharp edges have worn off. Day tugs out his pendant, the coin encased in cheap metal scraps, smiles a little as he talks on. “He’d always bring back interesting things. A coin from when we were still an united country. Pamphlets from the colonies, that we’d have to burn after reading. ‘Too dangerous to keep, but too important to be forgotten’, he called it.” His father had been a smuggler or otherwise involved in dangerous activities. He’d just been too young to understand.

“And he’d talk about the cities full of light, just across the border. Lights that staid on all night, no matter how bad the fighting got.” The wonder of some strange, enemy country being able to waste electricity like that. “It’s why I tried so hard in school, to get a pilot assignment. So I could see them, someday.” Even if it meant being told to drop bombs on this very cities. But perhaps he just wants to prove to Donnie that he has some good memories.

Donnie listens, chin half-buried into his mimic-pillow.

"Sounds like he had adventures. That's kind of cool..." If Day's father had been closer and able to directly support his family, how much of an impact would that have made? Splinter's parenting style had been very hands-off as they'd gotten older, but they'd still been very influenced by him and his movies, and he'd still taught them important things. And even if on occasion Donnie scolded him more than the other way around, in the end dad is still dad.

"That's how New York is. It's often called 'the city that never sleeps.' Full of so many high-rise buildings and lit up all through the night. Times Square's especially bright when you're in the middle of it- it's got massive screens that cover the sides of buildings down those streets. On New Year's Eve that area's one big party, and my brothers and I like watching from the rooftop when hey do the ball drop for the count down."

He misses it, those little things you don't really think about until you're just not there to do it. Not home. Nowhere near it, and in the other universe, no hope of going to Earth because it simply no longer existed.

“He was.” If he’d been home, maybe he wouldn’t have died. Day would’ve trusted his father to try and hide him, to find a way for them to be together, even with his Trial results. No point to ponder that though.

“Sounds nice. Only had one New Years before and it was… well it was nice, once Bartimaeus put up a barrier to keep all the firework noise out.” He had enjoyed the bright colored lights, but the sound of explosions, small as they were, had been too much of a trigger for him. Go figure. It annoyed him at times how his own reactions could ruin such events. “Forest’s never really asleep either, though it quiets down a lot in winter.”

"That's the problem with traveling through space, in and out of different solar systems. Who knows how long a day or a week or a year is, or even if they have any days or nights to go by? So I've just been keeping track by Earth standard time on my equipment."

It's still kind of depressing to do so. He'd never even bothered bringing up birthdays since it only reminded him that his brothers were closer to adulthood and none of them seemed to want to be reminded of that anyway.

"Oh. Guess I missed the ball... Around the end of an approximate year cycle, we'd always have a fancy sort of celebration. The theme would always be different, and it'd be fun to see what the big guys wear to be all fancy. Capes seem to be the go-to for giant robots, I would've never thought."

“Yeah. I’m counting too, so I know what time it’s back home.” So that when he gets back he can check if the time actually passed or if it was just him living it, like Jack dreaming up a weeks worth of adventures in an afternoon.

“We didn’t really do christmas, because only Rosa was a little religious and Xopi outright hated it. But we had a party at midwinter, with gifts and all. That’ll be again in about a month.” Day doubts they’ll be home by then and it hurts in a way he didn’t expect for something he only experienced once. And then there’s the matter of his birthday shortly after, but that’s a bad enough date he doesn’t want anyone here to know it. “Jerry once arranged for a whole fancy dress party just so I’d see what that was. Even got Palmer into a wrap-dress, despite his complaints that dresses on boys were only for toddlers.”

Home. Donnie's still not sure how it works. He'd think it far too convenient for time to stand still in his absence, only to pick right back up if and whenever he were to be returned to it. The most that makes sense is that there's some bifurcated time branch in which things go on without Donatello Hamato, and he doesn't want to think about how much he's worried his family. The other would have picked up where he'd left off, once the space bridge decided to spit him back into his own world. Except he's been uncertain about whether he'd be able to go back. Would he be with his arms or without? Would the magic carry over? Or maybe he was stuck in that universe, linked by Prime magic...

Except now he's here, somewhere completely different, and the magic has somehow carried over or changed- of which flavor, he's not sure.

He blinks, tuning back in. They hadn't particularly celebrated holidays but Mikaela had made an attempt to make things festive in the bar at certain points, and that was the closest thing. He snorts a laugh.

"Fancy dress parties don't specifically mean you have to dress up in a dress usually. I think that guy got played," he snickers.

"It was for me." he clarifies softly. "Because I wouldn't wear a suit." Too close to uniforms for him. And they'd picked up on it and simply pivoted to an all-dress party, so he wouldn't feel left out. "Dresses are nicer anyway."

By now he has a good selection of music together, a mix of classical concerts, some ambient singers that are more made-up sounds than words and also one long recording that just says 'beach, no seagulls'. "So pay for the ones that cost money - I'll give you that back later - and then how do we get it from your tablet to my player?"

Donnie makes a face. "Eh, depends. I can't agree with all the layering and they are difficult to run and fight in. But give me an excuse to dress all fancy and I will knock it out of the park in a three-piece suit."

Ah, guess he won't be doing that this year though. Or...whatever it is now. The ball's probably long passed by now. It's one of the few consistent things he's had to look forward to on the R2. He squeezes Illex again.

"Oh, I'll have to look at your device and see what it needs to transfer. Did it come with a cable?"

"Exactly. They are meant for times when you are safe. When there is no fighting." A signal to himself, in a way. Something beautiful that needn't have another use. And now he will have one here too, once Genta finishes adjusting it.

"I'll get it." Just a short trip to his room, dropping the skateboard and gear off while he's there. Returning with a simple mp3 player that only got buttons, no touchscreen, no Bluetooth, but a matching cable at least. And some nut mix, so they both get a snack.

What strange things you say, Day. No fighting?!? Donnie can't imagine not fighting, even when knowing he's safe.

"Nah, I think it's just a skill issue. Some chicks can kick some real butt in a dress and heels. ...or maybe that's just in movies and video games, but I'm sure it's possible with proper motivation and a high enough leg slit."

Donnie relaxes his position, resting Illex in his lap so he can better set things up once Day returns with the cable. He takes the tablet back, setting it on the pillow while he pokes around the MP3 player to find its setup menu. After plugging the one end into the player, he looks at the cable and his tablet before transmuting the other connection into a size and shape that will fit.

"Okay, so we just tap here and start the transfer, and look over here and hit 'okay', and it should start up- yep, there we go. So all we do is wait."

Might be different because Day never had a choice in it, every encounter one where his life was at stake. "I can still run and climb fine in a good skirt." Perhaps next time they stop at a mall he can look for some.

"Were you always this good with tech?" he asks, settling down.

"I guess? I've been interested in stuff like this since I was old enough to start taking things apart." Which...was probably still too young for anyone to be trying to take apart things like the toaster. But it's how he learned, and eagerly tried to figure out how things worked.

"Maybe not always good, but I learned how to be. Fixed up whatever things we found from the junkyards or lying in the trash. Started putting new things together from old parts. It's just been my thing."

"Eden was the same. Always tinkering or drawing up schematics on the walls with crayons." Donnie reminds him of his younger brother, a little. Of who he could've become.

"I just got in trouble. John would pick me up from school almost every day, because I got into arguments with the other students." Day picks at the hem of his shirt. "He worried I'd be a bad influence for Eden. That I'd get myself killed."

Donnie chuckles a little as he watches the upload bar on the tablet. "Oh, I'm sure if all of us went to school, we'd probably get into trouble a lot too." He can't deny it; he and his brothers can be menaces when they want to be. And if anyone messed with one of them, they'd have to deal with the rest.

"Closest I've been is sneaking in to help with my friend April's computer homework. I invited myself to join what I thought to be was a cool elitist tech club but turns out they were just genius delinquents that were trying to hack the national bank, go fig."

He sighs. So much for finding like-minded peers.

"Not genius enough for you?" he teases. "Sometimes I just... wonder what would've been. If I'd gotten more training." Day taps the edge of the tablet. "It feels like I'll never catch up to all of this." And maybe he didn't need to, had other things to be good at, to enjoy. But it was hard to tell when he never got the chance to try.

"Not really, no- they stole my tech to pull off their heists so clearly I'm still superior," Donnie snorts. He'd really hoped he could finally rub elbows with like-minded people though. Unfortunately they were just aspiring criminals who used him for their own means, and he's ended up with rivals rather than friends.

...wow that feels like another life though. He wonders how the Purple Dragons would react if they found out he's been to space and met actual sentient robot people so much cooler than the mech they'd built to try getting revenge on him.

"Was it something they taught? It's cool and all to learn stuff like engineering but it's not for everyone I guess. Oh, it's done."

Donnie picks up the MP3 player, tapping through the menus to make sure things are there before he unplugs things and hands the device over. "You have headphones?"

"Oh, I've no doubt there." What Donnies does is impressive, for all he barely understands it. "I'm sure the colleges had engineering. Not that I could've picked where I get assigned." And right here he was years behind in any basics, too much to try and get right into it.

"I do." Simple earbuds that probably won't give him the best quality, but he didn't feel like finding headphones that don't clash with the antlers.

"That sounds like the worst. Some major control freak issues there." Donnie shakes his head. "I don't think there's much point in going to college if you're not allowed to study what you want. If you had a choice, what would you have wanted to learn more about?"

He nods though, winding up the cable before handing that over as well. There's no further questioning in regards to the headphones situation since Day says he has some. Donnie would have lent him the ones he had, but they were his only pair and had become something of a security item that he can't quite explain, or perhaps would rather not explain.

"I don't know. Something where I wouldn't have to kill people. Or at least not see them die. Something that still would've brought in enough money for all of us to move into a better sector." He leans back against the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Now? Biology, maybe. But there's no college near the gas station, I'd have to move away. And take the highschool exams first and I... I can't." Wasn't a question of learning all the necessary things, it was the exam situation itself that had him freeze up and panic.

"Well, schools normally don't teach that sort of thing so far as I'm aware, at least back home. Killing people is pretty illegal and frowned upon in general."

Of course this isn't during some crazy militant post-apocalyptic setting like whatever nightmare of a timeframe Day's from.

"Biology's a good one. Are there like...normal schools in your world then? Exams seem pretty standard for any schooling. But taking high school exams would mean you'd have to go through high school first, get through the classes and then finals every semester. Or are you talking about college entrance sort of exams? They don't have those in the U.S. anyway. At least, when I'm from."

"Republic? Don't think so." If you were in college you were in the military, no way around it.

"The gas station is normal enough from the outside. Like your sewers and most living there never knowing about you. Jack signed me up for homeschooling and there's some test I could take to prove I'm up the same standards highschool would get me but it's just... I panic. Forget everything I learned. Bartimaeus can't even grade my homework."

Donnie frowns thoughtfully as he sets his tablet on the bed, collecting Illex in his arms again.

"Well what if you weren't aware it was a test you were taking? Then you'd be able to do things, right?"

"Yeah. I know Jack is checking over my work to make sure Bartimaeus sticks to the curriculum, but I don't know which and he doesn't tell me the results, so it's alright." He was too smart to be fooled by 'this isn't a test, it's just for practice'.

"Guess it only does so much good though," Donnie shrugs. "Even if your homeschool tests are just slipped into regular sessions, that wouldn't be how actual schools operate. Maybe you just have to reconfigure your thinking. In a school setting tests are basically review to make sure you actually understood all the things you learned. Otherwise there'd be no point in advancing you to something new."

A Day in the Life of... [OTA]

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Ending it here