i got the feeling that something ain't right [OPEN/CLOSED]

[circumitus]

Who: Rey and You!
What: Deathclaw tango and the aftermath, along with maybe any other general whatnots for the month of July. ¯\(°_°)/¯
Where: The City, Rey and Nick Valentine's Home (House 1401), wherever your heart's desire.
When: Post-Intro log.
Warnings: Violence, language, and mostly violence.

---

I. The City [OPEN]

It's that time of month again. Equipped with her Exurosuit, Rey is already prepped when she heads out. Though seemingly unarmed (she had been training with the sword, but wouldn't nearly consider herself adept enough with the weapon to feel confident bringing one into combat), she isn't what you would consider helpless.

Some things not even Rey can prepare for, however. She doesn't get the chance to make it to the Colosseum, before halfway there she is stopped by the sound of an animal growl. And not belonging to something fluffy and/or cute.

She ignores it at first, attempting to act like casual, unsuspecting prey. Having been here long enough, she's since anticipated the appearance of new creatures accompanying the arrivals.

What she couldn't anticipate was the walking death machine skulking the city streets.

Rey doesn't move, gawking at the creature for a moment. It isn't much different from the others she had contended with here, but something about it screams more predatory and deadly than anything like overgrown spiders or chests with teeth.

Perhaps it's the sword-like claws, which it bears with a threatening poise as it locks its red eyes on Rey. She isn't going anywhere, the legs of her sturdy armor holding her in place as she gaps at the creature. If she runs, it'll surely follow. If she fights, who knows if it'll be something she can tackle on her own?

Before she has the chance to calculate such a gamble, the black and scaly beast sprints towards her on its massive hinds. It's a lot faster than it looks. Rey stumbles back, curling her fingers into fists as she braces herself for impact. It makes a clean swipe towards her head. No doubt it would have lobbed her skull clean off her shoulders in a matter of seconds just then, had she been a hair slower. She stumbles back, nearly tripping over her own feet when the beast is quick to recover and swings its massive arm again.

This time, its colossal claws tear into the chest of her armor. This sends her reeling backwards, crashing her sideways into one of the walls of the building.

"Der'mo," Rey curses under her breath, tasting blood in her mouth from where she had bit the inside of her cheek. She rolls in time before the creature can lunge towards her, cornering her up against the wall.

The light indicators of her armor flare up then, as she turns and faces the creature. Many times before had she gone up against synthetic creations much larger and greater in numbers than this. She had combated whole platoons to a battalion of soldiers who were trying to kill her.

This? She can do.

Heatwaves ripple in the air around her, as the light indicators on her armor brighten. Sparks inspire flames, casting at the tip of her fingers. She can do this. She just has to be ready, and hope like hell that no defenseless individual finds themselves cast into the middle.

II. Home (House 1401) [CLOSED to Nick Valentine]

Pieces of armor peel off as Rey staggers through the front door of the place she calls home. Bruises riddle her arms and chest. Cuts and scratches and gashes pour blood down the side of her face, a trickle dribbling from the corner of her lip. The metallic taste fills her mouth as she collapses into the couch, not caring to change out of her underclothes before dropping her armor on the coffee table.

"Think you could've been a little more help?" she says aloud to no one in particular, and no one answers in return. Rey's head tilts back against the cushion of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with blurry vision. She squints, shaking the senses back into her.

Though no one had answered her rather specific query, the response of Safronov's echo, the Russian sniper she had once been, seems to scoff at her from the recesses of her mind.

Rey huffs, bringing a bruised hand up over her eyes. "You've no room to talk."

She doesn't know if Nick is around to hear her speak with the ghosts that live in her head. It isn't something she is oft to do unless she's alone, at the risk of looking like a crazy person talking to voices that so rarely talk to her back.

It's probably better that way, anyway. Though it had been those echoes that helped retain Rey's sanity during those long weeks of isolation at the sky prison, she can't imagine the impression her old habits would leave on anyone who isn't aware.

"Fuck you, too," she mutters to the smug, silent phantom.

III. Wildcard

[ooc: I might add more prompts as they come to me, but feel free to hit me up if you want to do something or choose your own adventure here!]

Comments

II.

[synthedick]

It's late when Nick finally makes it home, but he's lucky he made it home at all.

It was lucky for others that he'd been at the Colosseum. Despite the fact he'd told Rey he'd stay out of the fray that usually accompanied those brought through the Door, he couldn't help but get involved when he saw what monsters made it into the city.

Deathclaws. Of all the Commonwealth's horrors, it had to be the ones the size of a tank that packed enough punch to easily bring down an entire group of settlers, raiders, or even a Brotherhood patrol -- whichever was unfortunate enough to come across one. He'd only seen them up-close when with a few others, and they'd usually known better than tangling with the gargantuan beasts; when he was alone, he'd kept his distance from the creatures, deciding some things were not worth risking life and limb over.

There was no option this time -- he had a job to do, and there were people who needed help. They had no idea what they were up against. And so he'd pulled out his pistol and fired a few rounds at one's face. The bullets hardly made a dent, but they got its attention, and that was good enough.

Nick was also lucky, at that moment, that he's a synth. He had a few close calls as he kept distracting the beast, his glowing eyes watching the rest of the Colosseum. Some people escaped, running to safety; others fought more deathclaws that wandered the arena, keeping those who couldn't defend themselves safe from harm. There were too many to handle them all -- once he had a moment, he'd run for himself. He just hoped the repaired connection in his leg held out.

It did: Rey did a good job. Hopefully, she could do the same for the rest of him.

There was only so long he could dodge the beast, evading its horns as it charged, ducking under its swings, avoiding the lashing tail that followed behind it. Eventually, it managed to catch him, its massive hand slamming into his side, its claws cutting through his coat as though it were made of paper. Nick was knocked off his feet, flipping like a rag doll as he tumbled across the ground and landed in a heap. The deathclaw pounced to him, upon him in an instant -- it picked him up with one hand, its sharp claws glistening as they pinned his right arm to his side, feral madness in its eyes as it stared him down.

As Nick struggled in its grasp, his gun lying on the ground below him, he thought it would impale him right there, as he'd seen the do to others. He could picture, in that second that it held him in the air, his middle being torn apart, mechanical innards spilling as his primary processor lost power. He'd helped others, people he didn't recognize, newcomers to the city with no idea what they'd been thrown into... but at what cost?

But Nick Valentine was lucky. Instead of stabbing him through, it grabbed his free arm and pulled.

He'd only been vaguely aware he'd been tossed again, barely recalled a second deathclaw arriving and knocking him from the first. Things got hazy when he hit the ground as the two beasts started fighting, forgetting about the ruined synth lying only a few feet away. He couldn't say how long he was out, but by the time his systems rebooted from their emergency shutdown, the monstrous creatures were gone. They must have thought he was dead.

Hell, he'd thought he was dead too. But as he picked himself off the ground -- literally, in this case -- and tried to ignore the warning messages blaring through him, he realized how lucky he was. He might not be so lucky next time.

And so it's late by the time he limps toward the home he shares with Rey. His coat is in tatters, his mechanical body trembling with each step, his left arm completely torn from him... but at least he's coming home.

[circumitus]

The least Rey can say is that she made it back with all of her limbs intact. Which is more than what one could claim for Nick when he approaches the steps to their humble abode that belated evening.

Rey's head snaps in the direction of the front door, her mind immediately torn from her thoughts and the phantoms that plague her when she hears someone outside. It had been a while since she last saw Nick. Since that morning, if she recalled right. While Rey had been holding her own, she hoped like hell that Nick would have better luck than she did. It was the only thing keeping her from going back out there in her current state.

But now, she can't help but worry if her hope had been misplaced. That perhaps she should've been out there despite her injuries, looking for him and keeping an eye out for others.

Hand grasping over her ribcage when she stands up, Rey hobbles towards the door. She doesn't need to give him a once over before an expression of abject horror washes over her face.

"Nick?!"

He looks to be in even worse shape than herself, for one thing. She rushes forward, ready to take his remaining arm and help him inside.

They can nag at each other over their folly later on. Right now, she's more concerned with the fact that her roommate looks like he's on the verge of a literal shutdown at any second.

[synthedick]

Nick doesn't even bother holding onto his disconnected arm as Rey opens the door; he drops it at the threshold, using the hand he still has to hold on to the frame of the door. Even in his damaged state, he can tell Rey is straining herself to help him in -- she's injured, too.

He leans back onto his own legs, declining her help for the second. It seems the deathclaws weren't kind to either of them. "I can walk," he utters as he stumbles to the easy chair, his voice modulating unsteadily as his body keeps trying to run through emergency diagnostics, his mechanical systems fighting against his stubborn nature.

[circumitus]

As Nick makes his way inside, Rey steps out of his path and lets him walk. But not without her trailing beside him, making sure that he makes it to the chair without collapsing into a heap.

She doesn't immediately go to sit back down, hovering over him instead. She glances to the arm he just dropped, and then back to Nick. There's no point in asking him what happened, since she figures his answer is probably going to be the same as hers.

Rey moves to shut the front door that she neglected a moment ago, not wanting to risk any unwanted visitors coming inside. Once that's done, her arm instinctively curls over her ribs again when she turns to him.

"Are you okay? You look like you just walked through a grinder."

[synthedick]

"You've seen better days yourself," he cuts back, sliding into the chair. He gets a prompt to shut down certain systems to conserve power -- no, bad idea. Don't do that.

He straightens up in the chair as he continues, motioning for her to take a seat on the couch. "Those things that came through the Door are from my neck of the woods. Deathclaws. Got to say the name is appropriate."

[circumitus]

Yes, Nick. Rey has seen worse days than this, too. Don't turn this back on her.

At his gesture, she just stumbles a step back, shaking her head. He's clearly in worse state than she is. Her injuries can wait. His...

She has to take care of this, and fast.

"Shit. You actually know what those things are?" Rey says as she goes to limp towards her room. Grab any tools and whatever she can find that'll help.

House 1401 [CLOSED to Muscovy]

[circumitus]

Now that Nick has been tended to, Rey really does take a load off.

Unfortunately, she would do much better having someone actually taking a look over her injuries. No such luck, though. Not only could she not make it much farther than a few feet before flopping face-first over the ground in her bedroom, everything hurt too much for her to move. Even grabbing for her phone now seems like a herculean effort.

She coughs, rolling onto her back so that she can turn to the ceiling and breathe easier. Her ribs are still sore. She brings a hand over her chest, and feels that a bone may be cracked or broken. While her body has a way of mending itself faster than the average human, it still takes some time.

Time that she isn't sure she has, if her sole remedy is laying on the floor while waiting for it all to go away.

Another cough escapes her, and a metallic aftertaste fills her mouth. Not blood, but it's something pretty close.

[muscovy]

A knock at the door echoes through the rooms. Half a minute later, a series of knocks follows, and then Rey can hear the front door being pushed open.

And then nothing, and then another door being opened and closed.

Muscovy saw Rey when heading home from the collosseum, and while he couldn't follow her at that point, he did observe quite clearly that she would need medical attention after. So once he was done with the person that he was currently dealing with, he dropped by the clinic to hear if she came in... and she hadn't. He's almost not surprised, if a bit annoyed because really, Rey.

But he knows where her house lives, and thus he fills up his backpack with various supplies ranging from lots of bandages to aspirin and heads towards her house.

And when nobody comes to open for him, he tests the door. And then he pokes his head into every room that he can get into to see if she's in there.

[circumitus]

Luckily, the front door is unlocked. It's so quiet inside, one would wonder if anyone was home at all. Nick has shut himself down into some sort of low power state, and Rey isn't that much better off.

So no one answers to Muscovy's presence. Rey herself doesn't move far from her spot on the floor, turning her head only slightly towards the open door to her room. She struggles to get up to respond, but the world spins and throws her back down with a heavy thud.

If Muscovy decides to venture into the house, he won't have any trouble spotting Rey sprawled sideways on the floor, in the first room closest to the front door.

[muscovy]

He's lucky, the second room that he checks already very obviously contains a Rey. A very bloodied Rey, but at least she still seems to be breathing. That is good.

"You should have come to the clinic, yes?"

Not caring much about being invited in - he is not sure if he would be, so not asking means that she can't say no and he cannot act against her will - , he comes over and takes his backpack off to set it onto the ground besides him before crouching down and rolling up his sleeves before digging (probably) sterile gloves out of the backpack.

[circumitus]

She's breathing, albeit with some difficulty. Doesn't help that she's on her side with pain in her ribs. Real smart, Rey.

While she isn't bleeding profusely or anything, she may have taken a few blows to the head too many, knocking her senseless. The world continues whirling and her vision of Muscovy can't seem to stay still long enough. So she squeezes her eyes shut and just hopes for it all to stop soon.

"Too far," she mutters. "Just needed some rest, is all."

No. Falling asleep is probably the last thing she should be doing right now.

[muscovy]

Considering that she walked around after her injury... No, he won't chance any guesses based on that.

"How were you injured?" A blunt object causes very different issues from a pointy one, but there are a lot more differences. And while he will be able to conclude the most important things from the wounds, it will be helpful to know what to look for and how to interpret things. Plus keeping her from passing out, even though speaking will be hard for her.

He immediately gets to work, even while speaking. This time, he will have to damage her shirt - even without her saying anything he can tell that her chest has been hurt. For now, he moves around her. A small hand is run over her spine, from the back of the head to her butt, using just a spark of magic to feel out capillary fractures or anything else that could compromise her spine. It seems to be fine, though, so he peeks around the room, grabs her blanket from the bed and spreads it out behind her back, and then kneels down again, placing his hands under her shoulder and hip to support her if she follows his next instruction.

"You need to lie back, yes?"

He figures that the risk of infection is similarly high on blanket and ground, and at least the blanket will be more comfortable and protect her injured body a bit. Specifically the head.

I

[unvein]

Thanks to a very strange man, Vida made it out of the Colosseum alive. She had looked back when he told her to run, and it didn't seem like he was getting himself killed, so she has to tell herself that she didn't just leave a man in an extremely lethal situation. He was very muscular and had very pointy axe, he's probably fine. Though she wishes she had at least gotten his name.

So far she's only gathered that she's on another world, one she hasn't peeked at through the portals of the Nexus' control room or she may be more prepared. Not that she had time to pack up before ending up here, anyway. Or that she had weapons to pack up in the first place. A lot of the other kids and parasitized adults that lived in the gardens of Tirazis carried knives, but she never had the stomach for it, and she witnessed more than a few of them get in serious trouble with the guard and their weapons and leave worse for it anyway.

She grips her plastic baby leg close, imagining it as a knife in her hands. Those creatures are so big, though... There's little chance she'd come out of an encounter with one of them alive. She has to find someplace safe, a shelter. A bed, food. Anything to tide her over until she can figure out how to alert the Tetherer to the fact she's no longer in the Nexus.

She's found shops nearby and has grabbed a couple pieces of food she's going to save for once she feels she's safe again -- some of it looked strange but she found some familiar things, lavash bread and cheese which should last her a while and is in fact more than she could count on when she was living in the gardens. She's stuffed it in a cheap sack, not too bulky since she doesn't want to be weighed down at the moment. Stealing is a lot easier when no one is manning the shop.

It's when she ventures back outside to wander some more, carefully creeping between buildings and not staying in an open area for too long, that she hears a horrid thud of someone impacting against a wall. Not one to leave well enough alone, she peers around the corner in the direction of the sound and finds someone in strange armor fighting barehanded against one of those awful beasts. She doesn't know what to do, they're surely going to be killed even with their armor, but Vida is even less prepared to take on a monster.

But then the stranger summons fire from their very fingertips and Vida gapes at the scene before her. Is this a trait of this world, or is this a Nature? Is this Destruction?

They could be the third god the Tetherer is looking for! And that means she would be one step closer to fulfilling her purpose as Separator! Swallowing hard, Vida winds up the plastic baby leg and chucks it at the deathclaw. If the only thing she can do to ensure the third god is alive is distract a horrible beast, she'll have to do it. If they have fire at their disposal, they can take care of the rest.

[circumitus]

The creature bears its claws, a primal growl rumbling through its teeth. Rey is ready for it, her fingers balling into fists while the flames ripple around her hands. It starts out small, but over the seconds the fire gets progressively stronger. The heat surrounding her more intense.

Just as the deathclaw crouches, ready to charge, something is hurled towards its head, bouncing off the side of its face.

Nonplussed, Rey just blinks. The deathclaw does not; only snarls as it turns its head towards the pitcher of the unusual object.

That's new. Rey has had to resort to various manners of resourcefulness, but never can she say that someone has attempted to aid her by chucking a baby leg at a living tank before.

Apparently, the deathclaw is just as confused, but no less furious as it shifts its attention to the other woman. Rey doesn't recognize her, so whatever reason she could have to intervene in such a pitiable way is beyond confounding.

Behind her, pieces of material from the wall start crumbling from the cracks she had made upon impact. Rey doesn't turn to look at the brute strength that caused such property damage before she launches herself forward, towards the distracted creature.

Its tail lashes out like a whip, nearly throwing Rey off her feet if she hadn't dodged a second sooner. Ignoring the throbbing ache in her chest in favor of adrenaline pumping through her veins, she throws herself towards the creature's back. The heat in her own gloved fingers amplify, sinking into the deathclaw's armor with all the ease of a knife slicing butter. A lot of heat goes a long way.

The deathclaw roars in pain and fury, swinging in attempt to throw her off its back.

Whatever happens, the least she can do is buy whoever is trying to help her some time to escape. That's the idea, anyway.

[unvein]

Rey may intend for Vida to escape, but when Vida disappears, she only reappears at another corner of a different nearby building -- enough to hopefully escape the Deathclaw's notice, but not letting the battle out of her sight. She fully intends to ensure this armor-clad woman's survival, by any means necessary, even if Vida has no means at all.

Well, she has some bread in a sack. She could start throwing that as well, if it came down to it. Or rocks! There are rocks about. The one benefit of being underground, apparently.

And honestly, when it comes down to it, Vida is entranced by the fact that the potential third god wields fire as a weapon, at her very fingertips. Thanks to Vida's incredibly helpful baby leg, she appears to have the upper hand now, at least, but both sides have clearly been injured. And Vida's lost the element of surprise. Maybe she can aim for its eyes? But she could hit the other person now, with how close they are and how much the creature is thrashing.

She'll have to wait and see if another opportunity to help arises, or is needed at all.

[circumitus]

Whoever threw that surprisingly effective distraction, Rey sees no sign of them now. Perhaps they got away. It's hard to tell. At least she's got the beast's attention back on her, finding her to be more of the immediate threat. Her fingers curl inward inside of its skin, heat melting and burning flesh until she wraps her hands around what feels to be the bone of its back spine or ribcage. Gross to anyone else, but perfect for a tight grip to Rey, and most certainly painful to the deathclaw.

As the heat radiates from her skin through the armor, the stench of cooked meat burning from the inside permeates the air. The smell is potent enough that even Vida may be able to detect it from her position, indicating that the creature is experiencing the slow and agonizing process of burning within.

This, naturally, causes its survival instincts to kick in. In a flash of fury and pain, the deathclaw reels. Throwing its back at the building wall near Vida's hiding place in an attempt to either throw Rey off or crush her to death.

The armor absorbs much of the damage, but the heft of that impact is still very real. Fortunately, her grasp is unrelenting, with cauterized flesh keeping her hold firm.

[unvein]

When it comes crashing against the building next to her, she jumps back and away. It's still fighting back... If only she picked up a weapon. Assuming her flimsy sack with bread in it won't do much to help, Vida hesitates... then decides to just go for it and run up to the deathclaw and start kicking it as hard as she can before it can keep trying to crush the armored woman, aiming for its face.

It predictably doesn't like that, and starts slashing its claws at her. It catches her leg in its swipes and she stumbles back and falls over, crying out. She hurriedly drags herself back away, hoping it won't be able to just rush at her and gore her while Rey is still burning it from the inside.

I

[sisterincrime]

On Pandora you see a lot of monsters. Rakks, Skags, Hyperions - but the Deathclaw is a definite contestant to trump all the regulars Sasha's seen. And when she sees it approaching a young woman, she's quick to switch her Maliwan SMG out for her coveted Atlas instead - elemental damage is great and all, but something this big needs actual damage.

Sorry Rey, but she's using you as a distraction to keep the Deathclaw from noticing her until she can get behind it properly, and then she's shouting.

"HEY! Big, Tall and Scaley! How about some actual meat?!"

And she opens a tight burst of bullets at the thing, each hitting its mark and if she didn't have the Deathclaw's attention already, that oughta do it.

[circumitus]

All things considered, Rey is pretty okay with being distraction bait.

What she isn't okay with was the deathclaw turning its attention on someone else. But she could make use of this. While the shower of bullets doesn't seem to do much more than piss it off, its back turned to Rey offers the perfect opportunity.

Ignoring the fiery pain in her chest and all other kinds of indistinct injuries that have been blurred by adrenaline, Rey hurls herself forward. Flipping to the side to avoid the lash of the creature's tail, before dancing up its spine until she is able to get a firm grip on a couple of its spikes.

As if it doesn't have enough problems being shot at, it hates this. It roars, lashing its claws out to get at her but to no avail. Rey's teeth clench as she holds on tighter, the deathclaw reeling back to expose its vulnerable underbelly to Sasha.

[sisterincrime]

It hadn't looked too big until it was focused on her, and then she gets to notice the claws and teeth, not to mention the it's a solid few feet bigger than her part. There may be some minor regrets to this, culminating in her taking a step back as she draws her gun to eye level and focuses.

She doesn't expect the girl to fucking leap on the thing, but her making it rear back gives her a big open target that it's gonna feel the next morning. No hesitating now: she pumps the entire rest of her magazine into its belly, grimacing at the resulting roar and avalanche of intestines.

[circumitus]

With two targets to focus on now, the deathclaw is faced with determining the bigger threat. Unfortunately, with one fire lady hanging onto its spine and another shooting a shower of bullets in the direction of its belly, the answer isn't so simple.

Its indecision becomes a fatal error, as its insides pour out of its gut.

Nice gun.

In a last ditch effort not to go down without some bloodshed, the deathclaw tips sideways. Rey's hold of the spikes slips as the gloves can't find a firm enough grip, and she's thrown to the ground. While she manages to roll out of the way in time to avoid being mortally crushed--

"Shit!"

--its hefty mass falls over her left leg.

[sisterincrime]

"Shit-!"

The gun gets stowed as Sasha rushes over - that looks like it hurt. She drops into a crouch next to Rey, not even bothering to inspect the damage before she's got both hands under the beast’s side, callouses offering a reasonable grip against its scales as she puts her shoulders into shoving it away.

Her words are a strained grunt. "Are you okay?"

III. DAM-NATION - July 20th?

[verinumeri]

Having long intended to get a close look at the dam, more specifically, the generator. In between projects, Hermann takes the opportunity today, following the road. It's a short walk, the road slightly curved but without any turns needed before he reaches the broken bridge. There he must step off the path to get closer to the machinery, simple but impressive given the limited supplies available.

Simply hearing of it had sparked a curious feeling in his chest, much like hearing of the guard. Newton had toiled at generators in Haven, Hermann assisting, and they had been limited things, capable only of powering single houses, buildings, the scraps of ransacked machines slowly coming together. Newton did have a knack for producing the functional from rubbish. That wasn't the source of his comfort -- it was that here, perhaps in the face of somewhat reduced desolation, there was community, productivity, accomplishment.

Proper hydropower. Brilliant.

He slows as he picks his way along the shore, realizing there's someone there. Before calling out, he watches, attempting to discern just what she's doing. Not sabotage, clearly.

[circumitus]

For the most part, Rey can't even feel her injuries anymore. Not everyone can walk away with sprained limbs and broken ribs like it's nothing. But here she is, barely over a week later, tending to the site of the dam she had helped to construct.

Most of the time it's just her, because she knows this structure better than anyone and she knows how not to disturb it. She is alone now as well, having taken the risk of leaving Nick Valentine behind at home to run her routine maintenance check on the dam.

She hadn't expected company. Though it is a free city, mostly (at least, they bear the illusion of freedom here. At least they're not trapped in cages), and she has no control over who comes and goes around these parts.

Besides, it's a nice view of the river from here.

Rey emerges from atop of the dam to find someone down below. She cants her head, not recognizing the stranger being around here before, and he definitely isn't one of the dam workers. She squints an eye when she decides to call down to him first, "Need anything, or are you just lost?"

[verinumeri]

Hermann's eyes aren't bad, the glasses hanging from his neck needed for small print and electronics. Nonetheless, the woman's high enough that it takes Hermann the better part of ten seconds to be comfortable assuming that the details he can make out, brown hair and he thinks scars, likely identify her as Miss Rey. Spoken of by Miss Tua and Mr. Valentine, responsible for the dam.

It isn't rocket science. (Then again, rocket science is rather simple for him. It is comparably rocket science?)

He jolts, obvious in his stare yet not expecting to be noticed and thus addressed so quickly. His fingers writhe on the head of his cane, mimicking the unevenness of his heart.

"Oh. Neither. I -- You are Miss Rey, aren't you? This was, is your project?"

Is, obviously, as she's maintaining it.

"I, er, meant to be here. I wanted a look. Wonderfully economic, efficient design. How did you manage most of the materials?"

He should introduce himself, but he always forgets that part.