tenthstreetbred | IC Contact!

[Ren is here to ruin your lovely day. Hello. Enjoy the sound of an excitable kid coming to you live from the nearest iStone. Take her phone away. This has gone too far.]

I found a pretty treasure for you!

[Shepard hasn't talked to anyone on these stones before Lup. So to hear a voice that isn't hers come piping through the... rock? Is a bit of a surprise. But a happy one.]

Didja now? What did you find?

[That's right!! It's a horrible child with unlimited minutes and free time. This won't be the last rockprise poor Shepard has to deal with.]

It's a leaf-a pretty one. You can put it in your hair.

[Shepard smiles gently, moving around her shack and sits down on a pile of leaves that she uses as a chair. She picks up her old coconut gun and sits on it, gently cleaning it. It's a pretty simple machine, of course, but old habits die hard and she takes it apart to put it back together again.]

Oh? Where did you get it? What does it look like?

[This is inviting all sorts of trouble, Shep. Just hang up on her.]

I found it by the tree-

[SO DESCRIPTIVE!!!]

And then I found pretty seashells, but you can't put those in your hair. I have to borrow Taako's glue for that kind of thing.

[Feeling adventurous?? How about some glue braids?? Try the best kept secret for humidity resistant hair today.]

[never. this rock call is going until one or both of them pass the fuck out.]

You can put seashells in your hair. If you drill some holes into the top of them and put a string through it, you could make a seashell crown. Or glue them to some sticks and make a beret. And find a way to clip them, somehow.

[Shepard is... not good with this but like. Sure give her glue braids, she'll just chop it all off and get new hair if it doesn't work maybe. Does hair grow on the island? Good question.]

[Commander Shepard, those are words that reach her small, tiny raccoon heart in an incredible way. She could do all those things. Magnus is a hammer, sometimes. Apparently. There's some kind of stipulation to be the hammer that she has yet to figure out, but she will and humbly request he smash a hole into the shells. She could find string, somewhere. She can make a crown.

In fact, she's going to make this for the lovely commander that came with the idea. The fate of her hair is up in the air, but at least it's temporarily safe from a sticky future.]

Okay, that's something I'll do for you. You'll look pretty with that kind of crown.

[That gets another gentle laugh out of Shepard, with a few awkward undertones.]

I don't think I'm the kind of person who could pull off a crown. Don't go out of your way for me.

[It's already Done in her mind, sorry Shep. And since there's a 0% chance she won't look dashing in a beautiful seashell crown, she takes that statement literally. She could absolutely pull off a crown? It's easy. That's what arms are for. Reach up and take the crown off when you sleep, put it back on when you're awake. Simple. ]

If you can't 'pull it off' I'll help you. I know how to take off crowns. So it's okay.

[Shepard laughs for about 20 seconds straight at that. There's a murmured "shoulda seen that comin" and another little chuckle before she returns to the conversation proper.]

Well, I should be fine in your capable hands. Thank you, Ren.

[That's right, expect her to go down the dumbest possible path. The gratitude is appreciated, the laugh a welcome sound, and this combination of factors fuels her with a determination unlike any other. She will make sure Shepard never gets anything stuck in her hair. Ren is Here.]

Do you live on the islets? In those houses?

I do, yeah. Islet 5. Do you live on the islets?

[Thank you Ren, you're her Hair Savior.]

[Giving Ren this ammo is something Shepard will regret one day. Can't take it back now, enjoy a cursed child randomly popping into the shack at all hours.]

No, we live on the big island.

[With recent events in Ai'tuoh having provided everyone more than enough stress for a while, Muffet is enjoying the peace and quiet- at least for however long it lasts.]

[One pleasant side effect of this brief lull is that she's actually had enough time to do some proper baking instead of throwing food together en masse to feed those in need of it, and has used some of the (carefully-rationed) flour the Storyteller had given her to make a wonderfully fresh, fluffy loaf of bread.]

[She considers it thoughtfully for a moment, then wraps it up and puts it in a basket, along with a bowl of berries and a couple of hard-boiled pterax eggs.]

[By instinct and tradition, she knows that this is the kind of breakfast that ought to be shared with someone in order to be appreciated properly. Mentally reviewing the list of people she knows who could use a good meal, the choice is obvious.]

[Which is why Shepard will be hearing a polite knock at her door sometime this morning, courtesy of Muffet having arrived with a small basket of delicious breakfast food.]

[She's already up when Muffet arrives, knocking and deviating from Shepard's norm very quickly. She doesn't get visitors at all, especially after so many people left her islet. She spends a mostly solitary existence here, and fills the time with a strict routine. It makes her feel like she's actually doing something while trapped on this island.

The knock is investigated immediately. When Shepard opens the door she's wearing her casual Alliance wear, dog tags hanging around her neck freely.]

Muffet. This is a surprise.

[Oh good, she had briefly been a bit worried that she might be disturbing her by arriving too early, angels know the poor woman could probably use more sleep.]

[Muffet smiles warmly and holds up the basket for Shepard to see. The delicious smell of fresh bread is probably noticeable from where she's standing.]

Good morning, dearie. I do hope I'm not being rude by dropping by unannounced, but I wondered if you might like to share some breakfast with me.

[Oh the smell of real bread… that’s something she hasn’t had in awhile. Her mouth starts to water.]

You’re not rude at all. What’s the occasion?

[She opens the door and gestures for Muffet to come in. She wishes for a brief moment that she was dressed in something better than her Alliance fatigues but it’s not as if she has many options.]

[Aw, Shepard, you look fine. Just because Muffet is somehow still managing to be all tidy and fashionable while living in the island wilderness doesn't mean you should too.]

Oh, nothing in particular- simply that I'd had the time to make a proper meal and wanted to enjoy it with a friend.

[She steps neatly into the room, looking around for an appropriate spot to set down the basket.]

Admittedly, it would be nice if that wasn't an occasion, but given how messy it can be in this place... Well, I thought it better to appreciate the calm while it lasted.

Edited 2018-05-27 18:54 (UTC)

[tbh if it weren't for Alliance training in keeping herself hygienic she would have become a swamp creature by now.

An appropriate spot for the basket... well there's a large stump in the middle of what could be a kitchen if you squinted hard enough. It seems to count as a table, as evidenced by left over food detritus here and there, though not enough to look unseemly. Mostly it looks used and lived in, which is good because it is used and lived in. There are actually some cups here, which is a surprise, but at least she has something. Supplies of fruit and other food items are stored in what seems to be the remains of what was a cabinet at one point.

On the other side of the little shack there's maybe one room that seems to count as a living room/bedroom, sporting a sort of pile of long grass that's been tucked into some long line that a person could sleep on. Shepard's clothes are folded neatly beside it, but other than that (and a series of tally marks scratched into the wall) the shack is almost uncomfortably bare. Shepard still continues to look sheepish.]

Welcome to my, uh. House I guess. I'm glad you want to eat with me.

[Her smile turns up just a bit more, some warmth dancing in her eyes.]

In a place like this, calm, happy moments are precious, I agree.

It's my pleasure, really.

[Muffet places the basket carefully on the stump, taking the distressingly acetic state of the shack smoothly in stride- looking surprised would be rude- although she privately resolves to get this woman some decent bedding at the bare minimum. And perhaps some baskets to keep things in, goodness knows Connor has enough to spare.]

As much as I like to keep busy, sometimes even I need to take a moment to breathe and appreciate the small things.

[She unwraps the contents of the basket, revealing the bread, eggs, and fruit inside, and adds:]

I do hope you like blackberries.

[The sight of the fresh food makes Shepard's mouth water and she watches eagerly as Muffet puts out the spread.]

I don't think I have had food this fresh in literal years. Before coming here all I had was ship rations and the occasional burger on shore leave.

[She looks around for anything that Muffet could sit on so she's not awkwardly standing and she eventually pulls over a rather large rock that she's used as a chair in the past. She gestures for Muffet to sit and for herself she pulls over another little pile of hay and sits on it.]

How long did it take you to make this?

Well, we certainly can't have that. Please, take as much as you like.

[Muffet does not approve of your military diet, eat a fresh fruit. She gives Shepard a polite little nod of thanks and seats herself neatly on the rock.]

Oh, not too long- I already had all the ingredients, I only needed a bit of uninterrupted time to make it properly.

[Muffet sits down with such proper manners and Shepard increasingly feels like a cavewoman as she reaches for the food hungrily. She’s not gonna stop herself that much though, since she literally has not seen anything this appetizing in months.]

Thank you, Muffet, really. This is… wonderful.

[This feels more like home, she wants to say, but she bites her tongue.]

You used to cook a lot back home, yeah?

I'm very glad.

[Regrettably, Shepard is not the least-mannerly person Muffet has seen eating in recent memory. She's learned to accept that not everyone has her commitment to proper dining etiquette while in the middle of an unknown land- though that doesn't stop her from eating properly and delicately, even now.]

Oh yes- I might have made my living as a baker, but getting too wrapped up in my particular specialty would have done my skills no favors at all, so I made a point of cooking other types of dishes when I could.

Besides, someone had to feed all my cousins. I come from a rather large family.

[Shepard's attention is piqued at the mention of Muffet's family. She looks up from the plate of food, her cheeks a bit filled out as she tries to speak. She then quickly chews and swallows and tries again.]

Did you have a lot of siblings too? How many cousins did you have?

[Muffet's smile is, briefly, a little sad- not the look of fresh grief or pain, merely a momentary wistful sorrow, some passing melancholy.]

No, I'm afraid I was an only child.

[And then the moment passes, and it's gone.]

But quite a lot of cousins- I suspect we'd be here all day if I tried to list them all. My particular subspecies tend to lay eggs in batches, so you see where we might be inclined to end up with large households.

Oh.

[Muffet seems... sad at this thought.]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[When she elaborates, Shepard can understand the sadness a little more.]

I see... that must make you being an only child pretty troubling.

[She's not sure what the implications there are, but they can't be good.]

I may have been an only child myself. I don't really know.

[Honestly, she's entertained the thought of maybe having siblings somewhere out there, but if she thinks about it too hard the ache in her chest threatens to overwhelm her.]</small.

[She shakes her head gently- calm and understanding, not hurt even though she's discussing something sad, something that did hurt her once, a long time ago. It's not now. She's grown.]

Not troubling, precisely- merely rare. Not every egg in a clutch survives, that's simply the nature of things. For there to be only one viable hatchling instead of five or six is... very uncommon, yes, but not completely unheard of.

[More akin to a stillbirth, in human terms, than anything else.]

[It's hard to say she mourns her siblings, exactly, because how can you miss someone you've never met? But there's always going to be a part of her who would have liked to meet them, to have the chance.]

"May have"? [She tilts her head, curious.] That's an interesting turn of phrase- though you needn't elaborate if you'd rather not. If it's painful, I won't pry.

Yeah... I'm sorry that happened to you. But I'm glad that you seem to be handling it well.

[It's a breath of fresh air, honestly, to hear about something sad that happened to someone and seeing how it just... doesn't crush them.

She wishes she was like that.]

No, it's fine. It's old news for me.

[She sighs a bit, sitting back from the table, taking a break from eating.]

I was an orphan. My mother, presumably, abandoned me on the doorstep of an orphanage when I was a couple of months old. So I never knew my parents. Or any siblings, if I had any.

[Muffet nods solemnly, sad for her friend but appreciating how much it means for Shepard to tell her about this.]

[She can't imagine not growing up surrounded by family, the people who love and care for you. She's not unfamiliar with the idea of family that isn't blood-related, her relatives being prone to cheerfully adopting loved ones into the fold of their already-large family tree, but the idea of not having those relatives around is still depressing.]

My condolences on your loss, then- or perhaps hers, for never truly coming to know you. [She smiles gently.] Certainly, she missed out on someone wonderful.

[Shepard laughs a bit, shaking her head.]

I don't know about that.

[But the warm smile on her face and the slight blush on her cheeks speaks volumes.]

She never went looking for me in the end, even when I became a well-known name in human households so... who knows what happened there. Same with my dad. Never heard from him. I always wondered if I went back to the mega-city that I was raised in if maybe I would find them after the war but...

[She shakes her head.]

It doesn't matter, in the end. If they were alive when I grew up, they're probably dead now after the invasion.

[She looks at Muffet, curious.]

How were your parents? Kind? Strict? There for you or no?

[Muffet sees that blush, but has the tact and mercy not to point it out.]

Well, family isn't always blood. I'm certain you found those who mattered to you, regardless of relation.

[She looks wistful, the gentle nostalgia of recalling happy memories, as she replies.]

Oh, always kind- we had our arguments from time to time, as anyone does, but we never quarreled for too long. They were always there when I needed them, and on those occasions when they couldn't be, one of my aunts or uncles was there in their place, just as they did the same for my cousins. We... all looked out for each other, really. We knew we were stronger together than apart.

[Shepard's eyes soften at that comment and she nods.]

Yup, I did. Found a whole crew of family. They're an eclectic bunch, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.

[Shepard listens, a bit enraptured by this beautiful picture that Muffet weaves.]

That sounds so wonderful.

[Maybe when she was younger this sort of story would make her feel bitter, sparking anger and resentment in her heart at her own circumstances. But she's older now, more experienced, and all she can feel right now is genuine happiness that her friend had a good life.]

So you grew up in that... Underground, was it? On Earth? What was that like?

[She smiles warmly, seeing Shepard's obvious fondness for her crew.]

They sound like lovely people. I'd rather not wish this island on anyone, but I'm certain I'd have enjoyed meeting them.

[A brief nod.]

The Underground, yes. I'm not entirely certain how to describe it, since I have rather little to compare it to... It was a small place, compared to most nations. Overcrowding was an issue, and we had to be careful about growing food with the lack of sunlight in most areas. But we managed well enough, we took care of ourselves and each other.

What about you? What was it like where you lived, when you were young?

[It's so early in the morning. Ridiculously early. Like barely sunrise early and Shepard's stone is going to ring out with the sound of an extremely Awake and Happy kid.]

Did you see the pretty colors in the sky?

[Once again Ren catches Shepard while she is awake. It's been another sleepless night, filled with nightmares of giant metal ships tearing through Earth and watching her loved ones die. The shadow of a certain robot chatters so loudly that it shook her awake and she woke up, gasping.

So here she is, cleaning her shotgun for the millionth time it seems when her iStone goes off and Shepard answers rather gruffly.]

Yes?

[When her mind registers that one, it was a question and two, it's Ren, she softens up her tone considerably.]

Mmm maybe... tell me about them though.

[Shepard, unfortunately, is proving to be quite the morning person and one she will likely bother often because of it. She's run into a number of others who aren't so eager to talk this early. This is a pleasant change of pace.]

It was yellow and pink and every color-they were all the in sky together to say 'hello' to the sun. Which color did you like?

Hmm.

[Shepard takes a moment to think about it.]

I liked the vivid orange when the rays were peaking above the horizon. It reminded me of my home back on Earth. Did you have a favorite color?

IC Contact!

3/31 iStone

3/31 iStone

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WELL IT SURE TOOK ME FUCKING LONG ENOUGH TO GET TO THIS, HUH (I'm so sorry)

DON'T BE SORRY IT HAPPENS

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Shepard Doesn't Even Know

The sad backstory headcanon comes back to get me once again...

yes it does :3c

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early july iSTONE

early july iSTONE

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feel free to drop this, I just want to clear my inbox