Early in the morning

[cowgoesmoo]

[ Just before dawn, anyone monitoring the low-band station that Rem's transmitter is usually set to might hear the following short message from a child who is clearly trying not to panic. ]

Blades, this is Feathers-home, Feathers-home calling Blades, what's your twenty? Where are you!?

[ There's a pause of about a minute, then the message repeats three more times, and finally the transmission ends with: ]

If anyone out there knows who this is and you see my brother, tell me right away!

Comments

[cowgoesmoo]

[ Delphi? Alba Scutum? Vash quickly pours over the nearby map, getting more and more worried as his search radius takes him further and further from July. But finally he spots it! Alba Scutum, way far away to the southwest.

His heart sinks. It's way too far to walk, he can't fly, he can't reach the pedals in Rem's car... how can he get there? ]

Uh, Delphi? This is Feathers-home. Please confirm identity, repeat, can you please confirm that you really saw him?

[aplantandherboy]

Delphi's my plant! Or I'm her human. I'll pass all that on.

[There's delays. He's doing his best but radios are really best left in the hands of people who know what they're doing.

She says she hasn't actually seen any of you except for two, but that you feel samey and that sameyness is now over there except different and a lot younger. She says it's a plant thing and she can tell, and I should think about it like petting a soft blanket, or a different soft blanket.

Does that make any sense? It doesn't to me.

[cowgoesmoo]

[ Plants have humans? ...Like pets? ]

That doesn't make any sense at all! How're people like blankets?

[ Well, okay, maybe Helpful Vash is like a blanket. He's always around the station being, well, helpful and thinking love thoughts at everyone! That's kinda like a person being a soft blanket? Maybe?

Or maybe Delphi's human is nutso. ]

An' how're you her human?

[aplantandherboy]

I don't know! Maybe you're soft and fuzzy and warm?

[Maybe it really was a plant thing, except if it was, then this kid would know, right? ...Maybe Feathers isn't a plant.

Hm.]

Well. We live together. And I take her places she wants to go, because she can't get out of her bulb, and she only likes me carrying her around in case other people might drop her. And I know what her hand shapes mean so she can talk without the button board and nobody else can yet.

[He sounds proud of himself about it.]

[cowgoesmoo]

[ Oh, she's a bulb plant. That's even weirder! ]

Hey, you shouldn't say too much on here, about plants. It's open band, which means humans could be listening in. [ Isn't he a human though? ] Other humans. We shouldn't say too much about plants to them, 'cause they're, y'know. Mean about it.

[ He's never heard of plants and humans living together like that before though! The only plants and humans he ever sees together are all the Vashes and their gross stupid human boyfriends. This guy doesn't sound like one of those! He sounds really nice, actually! ]

You seem nice though!

[aplantandherboy]

Aw, let people try anything! We're tough, and we protect each other in this town, all of us, no matter what we are! You hear that, everyone eavesdropping??

[He's definitely a human, and an enthusiastic one too.

But there's a long pause, and then a cough.]

We'll be alright, it's mighty kind of you to worry though. Hey, besides that, Delphi says she'll try to set up a relay to point you in the right direction. Not sure exactly what a relay is, saying it that way, it doesn't sound like a nice running race.

[cowgoesmoo]

[ Yeah! ...Wow! A tough human who takes care of a bulb plant, and even can talk to her? They're already friends. ]

I dunno what that is either, but tell her thank you! I'll tell R... some of the grown-ups here about it, and I bet they'll know what to do!

[ If she couldn't send the message directly because it'd go all beeps and boops, then is a relay like a relay race, maybe? Is she going to talk to the furthest away plant that she can, and have them pass the information along? Is that even possible? It'd be neat, if it worked! ]

Oh hey, what's your code name? Like I'm Feathers, except that's not really my name, right? What should I call you?