Making the Rounds [Closed prompts + Wildcard OTA]

[worthallthis]

characters: Bucky and Various (Closed prompts + Wildcard OTA)
location: Around Beacon
date/time: October 19 - 29
content: Catch-all for Bucky stuff
warnings: Just the usual occasional disassociation, swearing, and bickering with himself


I. Closed to Matt

The Soldier stops by the general store once a week to check the level of supplies and, on rare occasions, actually pick something up that someone in the house needs. The remains of the costumes are still strewn about, some on display, some just a mess in the boxes. The Soldier eyes them thoughtfully, something prodding at the back of its brain about scraps and raw materials, but fuck if it can work out what to do with that.

So it's there, picking restlessly at costumes with all the metal-scent and quiet mechanical arm-noises that entails, when Matt comes in.


II. Closed to Daylight

The Soldier has more than once spied Daylight visiting with spirits, and, thinking about its own spirit-friend, approached (somewhat nervously) to offer to see if any of Daylight's friends know Morse Code, in order to perhaps translate more phrases in their musical language to something the residents of Beacon can be taught to understand.

So here it is, following Daylight to the woods, bearing a pot of coffee securely in its metal hand (which can't feel the heat of the pot as "pain") and a bunch of very small cups and dishes it scrounged up, to see if these spirits appreciate its favorite drink. Always best to bring a little peace offering when planning to ask anyone to work on something, right?


III. Closed to Aziraphale

It takes a while to work up the bravery to come to Aziraphale with the request. But the Sergeant swore up and down that Aziraphale had offered, and seemed earnest about it. Seemed like he wouldn't mess with anything they didn't want him to. Like he would be polite and helpful and above all careful.

So one day when Crowley is out of the house and Aziraphale is finishing puttering around the kitchen, the Soldier sidles up a little and says, carefully not actually looking at him, "The Sergeant said. You could see happy memories."

Sucks to have the actual Soldier back, in some ways, don't it, Aziraphale?


IV. Closed to Bruce

There are a lot of odd people around Beacon, for a given value of "odd". Some of them are odd because they aren't human, or have obvious trauma, or particular reasons that they're obvious about telegraphing. The sneaky young man who avoids contact most of the time and visits the general store and Invincible when he seems to think no one else will be around doesn't fit into any of those categories. He hides and avoids people, he moves like he's more well-trained than he should be, and the Soldier is having a hard time pinning down just how old he actually is. He reminds it a little of Eleven, which makes it worry.

So the Soldier keeps a distant eye on him for a few days, or tries to. Occasionally it loses track, but always manages to pick it up again eventually. At least it does work out where the young man is staying, so it waits outside one late morning (ish; for a given value of "morning" in a place with no sun) to intercept him on his way out for the "day" at the time he usually appears. It doesn't do casual well, so it's just sitting on a tree stump within view, obviously waiting and watching the door.



V. Wildcard!

Got something you wanna say to the Soldier? Want to come to one of its classes at the gym? Got some other idea based on his daily routine? Just hit me up here!

Comments

( prompt ii. )

[sunborne]

In all honesty- Daylight is a little surprised that someone wants to tag along with him when he's on these outings. With how... well... things have been turning out, Daylight can understand if people want to keep their distance from the spirits.

But he's not going to complain about company anytime soon. Especially not Soldat's company, seeing as how his presence most definitely saved Daylight from becoming mute or worse if his hallucinations had managed to get him. (His vocoder twitches, the recall fragment remembering the too real pain he felt. Thanks to both the hallucinations and his own actions. Ack...!)

While he quickly shakes his helm to shake the feelings off, he turns his attention to Soldat to ask an important question: "So- How do you want to do this? Do you have someone in mind that we can visit or do we just, you know, go through the usual circuit of mine?"

[worthallthis]

The Soldier isn't blaming anyone in particular for the hallucinations at this point. Punishments and tests and experiments just happen sometimes, that's a certainty in its life. Maybe if it learns more, it can assign some kind of blame and do something about it, but right now, blame seems stupid without more information. (Besides, I don't think that weird owl one would do anything to hurt anybody. Or me, anyway.)

"I already know my friend can understand," it says. There's no Brooklyn in its voice today, unlike the time during the hallucinations, and its sentences are back to being relatively short and to the point. But it seems relatively calm, at least, beyond a vague sense of nerves at having taken this kind of initiative on someone else's time. "We should see if yours can."

[sunborne]

At the suggestion and hearing the explanation for the aforementioned suggestion, Daylight's winglets flicked up in excitement as he nods his helm in agreement. "That's a really good idea, Soldat! Let's hope my friend is willing to talk a bit while we're visiting them."

If they could figure out if Flower Friend could understand them then that's a real step forward to forest spirits communication/relationship building.

"Um- Just a heads up- The friend we're going to right now? They're pretty shy." He recalls the first meeting he had with Flower Friend when Annie was still around. "Maybe it would help if you offered a gift to them? Show you're friendly?"

After saying that, Daylight's optics looked down at the collection of coffee and cups. "Whichever gift you prefer to give, of course." Flower Friend prefers the flowers they got from Daylight in his experience but never hurts to try something new.

[worthallthis]

"That's what the coffee is for," the Soldier says, holding up the pot, though now it's a little uncertain as to whether it'll be accepted. Not with Daylight seeming dubious. "I know they eat. The spirits. And it's my favorite. Yours might not like it, but I don't have any better ideas."

It does take specific note of the "shy" part. "I can be quiet and calm and not scare them. I think. Are they big or small?"

[sunborne]

Daylight now has to pause at the question, trying to remember his past encounters with his Flower Friend. He is, er, having difficulty gauging the size difference between him, Flower Friend, and Soldat.

"I think they're- I think they're tiny...?" He looks back down at Soldat, expression apologetic at the uncertainty of his answer. "They look, at the very least, fragile whenever I meet them. Thanks to all the flowers they wear on their frame, I'm not too sure though. Definitely skittish, especially when meeting new faces from my experience."

[worthallthis]

Tiny probably at least means smaller than the Soldier, anyway. "Then when we get where you usually meet them," it suggests, "I'll sit down. Less threatening that way." Also less defensible, but Daylight has met with this spirit for weeks, they're probably not going to attack. The metal arm is exposed, rather than hidden under a jacket, for ease of access in tapping out Morse Code on the metal-- but in its experience the spirits don't seem to find that particularly threatening. Even the owl-spirit hadn't been particularly impressed at the arm's potential defensive capabilities.

[sunborne]

Daylight is about to make a comment to Soldat - mostly to agree with him, possibly to ask him something else - but when he hears rustling in the distance, Daylight's current train of thought immediately derails because he's been going out here enough to recognise that.

"-Hey buddy!" Daylight's winglets perk up as he jogs forward, confidently motioning for Soldat to meet the spirit Daylight has been so excited to meet:

The spirit is definitely smaller than Day and Bucky. Dainty too, seemingly more fragile than the pair. They're covered in fur and paper flowers - with some being Daylight's creations, evident by the random pops of colour that stems from Day's pastels - and sport a too big mask they need to constantly adjust, only given emphasis to the fragility.

The spirit looks to Day and Bucky with large, glowing eyes that show both trust and a measure of caution thanks to the presence of someone new.

[worthallthis]

Why are the spirits so damn cute. Why? It's really not fair how cute they are. This one might even be more adorable then its owl-friend.

The Soldier drops gracefully down to the forest floor, sitting cross-legged and setting the small collection of cups and the coffee pot down. Rather than pulling out a knife for the Morse, it uses one of the cups to tap our rhythmically on the metal arm: Hello do you understand this?