[003]

[oliverplus]

[when Oliver arrives on the Plane, he starts his common habit of wandering about and seeing who he might run into. he's near the forest on this particular occasion, looking to be enjoying his walk and the view of the starry Plane around him. if anyone were looking closely, they would see that he has some sort of earbuds in, though there is no sign of a cord. behold, the mp3 of the future! no cords, and the music is stored on the datapad in his pocket]

[he pauses, however, when he sees someone else, just obscured enough by the trees that he can't quite tell who it is. being Oliver, he waves with one hand, deftly popping out one of the earbuds with the other. he opens his mouth to call a greeting to the other person, but then he stops mid-wave as absolutely no sound comes out. confused, he lowers his hand, moving his mouth as he tries again to speak. still nothing. distressed, Oliver turns his attention back to his unknown companion, hoping it's someone who might be able to do something about this...whatever it is. he beckons the figure his way, starting to jog toward the person at the same time]

[OOC: Oliver's first experiment! He is currently completely mute, i.e. unable to produce, not only speech sounds, but vocalizations of any kind.]

Comments

[oliverplus]

[gives his arm a comforting squeeze. then an idea occurs to him, and his eyes widen. he shifts Sefton slightly, reaching into his back pocket and withdrawing his black datapad, which has a general appearance similar to that of an iPod touch. he holds a button to turn it on, then presses a few on the screen before he types]

Can you read?

[turns the datapad around so Sefton can see it, looking at him questioningly]

[polarization]

[ It's like a really tiny TV or something...! Sefton blinks, staring at it for a moment before nodding. ]

Uh-huh...

[oliverplus]

[nods, sighing in relief. he'll just have to keep it simple, just in case]

Talked to Chivy. They're on a trip. Home soon. Don't worry :)

[it hurts to lie to him, but he knows he can't tell the truth in this case, and he can't stand to think Sefton feels abandoned by his parents]

[polarization]

[ Some time for interpretation, and he might just be mouthing the words as he reads them. ]

B-but it's been a long time already... How long is soon?

[oliverplus]

[frowns and shakes his head]

Not sure.

[pauses thoughtfully for a moment, trying to think of how in the world to best deal with a kid--it's definitely not something he's used to--then adds]

Can you be a brave big boy? Bet they miss you too. Want to see you smile when they're back.

[polarization]

I can be brave...

[oliverplus]

[smiles encouragingly]

Great! Knew you could.

[polarization]

[ Tiny sigh, and he leans his weight against Oliver. ]

Can we do something else, Oliver?

[oliverplus]

[glances up at him and nods]

Like what?

[polarization]

I dunno... Something else. There's gotta be other stuff t'do here.

[oliverplus]

[thinks about that for a moment, then types:]

Kitchen for snacks. Theatre for shows. Or...?

[polarization]

Um... what do you wanna do?

[oliverplus]

[he wants to speak! ...alas, that is not an option. shrugs]

Hungry?

[polarization]

You're hungry? Then we should get food!

[oliverplus]

[not what he meant, but all right, gotta keep the reading skills of a child in mind. and if Sefton's up for food, it's not a bad option. he nods, hoping Sefton will take the hint and get up. he doesn't want to push him away--not after those tears]

[polarization]

[ Sefton, however, has other ideas in mind. He shifts his arms, moving them around Oliver's neck. Carrying time? :o ]

[oliverplus]

[blinks, surprised at that move. but then he moves his arms underneath to support Sefton and gets up, hoping he can make it at least most of the way to the kitchen like this. he has a feeling his arms are going to hurt later, but if it makes the kid happy, it's worth it]

[polarization]

[ Sefton looks around at the starry world in curiosity while they go, obviously content with being carried. ]