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[arnhaid]

There anyone out there hearin' this? We got some major water problems in the apartments here!

I'm gonna grab as many people as I can, get 'em outta here. Is there anywhere I can get 'em to that ain't underwater?

Krok, Spinister, Bucky. That means you guys too! Chromia, you hear me?

Comments

[arnhaid]

Good to hear.

[He can't help it -- looking after people is what he does. If someone was bothering the kid, he'd probably try to take care of it.]

[Operative word being TRY.]

... that's true. Didn't really think of it like that.

[heismymission]

[It makes him wonder. He guesses this place really was dying before they came, but why? Did the miasma really prevent people from procreating? This magic stuff makes no sense to him.]

There aren't any children. The population must have been shrinking the past century.

[arnhaid]

Children?

[Sorry, Bucky. You're going to have to uh. Explain that one a little bit.]

[heismymission]

[Oh, right. Robots... don't grow, do they.]

Humans are smaller when they're younger. When we grow up, we're adults, but before that, we're children.

[arnhaid]

Oh. I gotcha. Newbies.

We don't got many of 'em either, from what I hear.

... 'cept we don't go around abducting people from other worlds to fill in the gaps.

[heismymission]

If they don't solve whatever's keeping them from having children, it won't matter how many of us they bring here.

It's probably connected with the miasma.

[arnhaid]

Unless the humans they bring here start doin' it for 'em... I know we're not gonna be makin' any more of us while we're here.

... You ever find out anything more about that?

[heismymission]

[He frowns slightly as he recalls what he's found so far, his mouth a thin line.]

A few things. [He doesn't know how much of it is relevant to the more current situation.] Only four people who were at the center of it when it happened survived.

[arnhaid]

Four?

[That's... alarming. He was under the impression there were a lot more people involved here.]

This somethin' we should probably talk about when the weather ain't trying to drown us?

[heismymission]

[Bucky looks out, watching the rain.]

Up to you. [He doesn't know what good any of the information he has will do them in the long run, honestly--it's not like he can do much but fight, and even then, Burns being involved limits that.

In any case, there very well might be more people who need their help right now.]

[arnhaid]

We should probably wait. I don't wanna leave someone in trouble while we're here chattin'.

But I wanna know. Anything that might help.

[heismymission]

Right. I'll tell you what I know when we have time.

[So... off to help more people they go.]

[arnhaid]

Thanks, kid.

... for the info. And... for stickin' around.

[heismymission]

I'm not going anywhere.

[Maybe he doesn't know that for certain, but like hell he's going to entertain the possibility--especially not if it means leaving would cause his friends any distress.]

[arnhaid]

Good.

[He reaches over to rest a hand on Bucky's shoulder. The metal one.]

That's good to hear.