voice ⚙Oct 19th

[missfunction]

Huh-za-what? What-what-what is this?

[The mechanical voice to stutter over the network is riddled with clicks and whirrrrs as the unseen automaton inspects her new device curiously. There's the briefest huff of steam hissing as it spills from her crooked mouth, but then she's continuing.]

Th'Spine? Is this some k-kinda joke, big guy? [Her voice drops down for an impossibly low and robotic HA. HA. before returning to normal.] I thought humor had been left outta yer programmin' co-completely. Pappy had to m-make room for that s-shinin' stick-in-da-mud personality of yers, didn't he?

...Spine? [Nope, if her brother were here, that would have gotten a response out of him for sure. Rabbit lets out an irritated huff at that realization.] Th' backbone on that guy...

Okay, so if it ain't you on th' other end of this t-t-telefone conversation, then just who is?

Comments

[missfunction]

[There's not much fact or evidence in his words, but there doesn't need to be. Héctor speaks with a sincerity that even a robot can recognize, and beyond that, it's the answer that she needs to hear. That these seventy-two years since his death haven't been as empty as they sometimes feel. That would mean his sons that she helped raise would be with him in that afterlife too. And their children as well.

Funny how much time passes by when you don't age.]

Great! That's r-r-real slifty. Betcha he's b-b-bb-bored outta his mind without ol' Rabbit there t' keep him on his toes! S-Say! If you popped in over f-from that place, maybe he will too! I dunno if I'd recognize him as a s-skeleton. People types kinda all l-l-look th' same after awhile. M-maybe it won't be so bad with skeletons.

[vagabone]

[Funny indeed. One day you wake up and realize your little four year old darling is now one hundred years old, singing with grandchildren of her own...

And you keep on waiting, because it's all you can do. Cling to what sanity you have left, and wait.]

Hey, maybe he will. And he'll recognize you! He's your... papá? What's his name?

[missfunction]

[yo thanks for making a girl cry up here in this thread

Maybe there's a lot more in common between the two than occasionally falling to pieces. Héctor may end up being a good influence on this bot. Just having someone to talk to who understands her situation would be such a breath of fresh air. Not that her brothers aren't going through the same situation too, but they don't quite get it the same way Rabbit does. They've grieved and moved on forever ago, but she's still so eternally stuck in the past.]

Pappy! My Pappy! He created me! B-b-built me up outta spare parts an' everythin'! All o' my clockwork internals are handm-m-mm-made by him, which is why I'll n-never replace 'em! [take that, the spine] His name's Colonel P-P-Peter A. Walter th' First!

[vagabone]

[He's aching for Coco--he's always aching for her, but more than the norm, just thinking about it. Daughters and their papas. Damn this island, honestly. Thought it's not all bad, for some people.]

Sounds like a smart guy. Me, I can screw in lightbulbs and turn on the radio and that's about it. [He... shouldn't and can't be trusted with technology. Ever.]

I don't think he'd want you to wear out, though.

[missfunction]

[A girl desperate for the reunion with her father and a father waiting to see his little girl. What a pair they make.]

Oh shore! S-s-smartest guy I know! I'm shore ya'll get along with him j-just great when he f-finally shows up!

[The rest is easy enough to brush away. Her father made her the way she is for a reason, right? Why change his original work? She's good enough as is.]

Don't worry s-so much, pal! I'm good as new! R-right as rain! [There's the slap of her hand against her chest, thudding loud enough to he heard.] Runnin' poifectly. If anyone needs a tune up, it's you! D-don't wanna lil' dragon t' take off with yer head or anythin'.

[vagabone]

No, don't worry about me, I'm fine! [It's not a lie, right?? He'll be getting better once he's off this island, where time seems to stand still. No one ages. No one stays dead. He's not recovering, though he had been since that eventful night.]

We're supposed to fall apart, it's what skeletons do. And I know how to make it hilarious. [Or incredibly disturbing according to some!] I'd miss being able to if I had to quit being a skeleton.

...wait, wait, you still have the dragon?

[missfunction]

Hey! F-f-fallin' apart like we do? That’s part of havin’ character! We're r-r-rollin' in character!

[people who don't fall to pieces as easily as they do clearly could do with a little more character]

An' I ain't seen her around, but she couldn't have gone too far, r-right? I'll find her.

[vagabone]

[He's snickering on the other side.] Of course! The island can't take much more character!

But, ah... [Gotta break some bad news, he hates that.] I'm not sure that was real. I think we might have been dreaming.