expiationnet | Application Download

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Application Download | un: thecapn

[ On the morning of the first of July, a new pop-up greets everyone who logs onto the main network: ]

NEW APPLICATION DOWNLOAD: ADOPT-A-PET

PURPOSE: PET ADOPTION APPLICATION

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ALLOW DOWNLOAD? Y/N

[ Once you have hit download, the app will load itself onto your tablet, and a new message will greet you: ]

Hey everyone, this is Jim Kirk. Welcome to Aldrip's shiny new Adopt-A-Pet app! These lovely puppers are looking for good homes; all adoptions will go through Kakashi. Please reach out to him if you have an interest in any of the dogs you see here. We'll update periodically as dogs are adopted/new dogs taken in; please @thecapn in the help tool to alert me if you notice anything glitching with the application itself.

ARIEL

Shepherd mix

Ariel is hoping to become "Part of Your World". This sweet pupper is ready for her next adventure. Ariel knows sit, down, and takes her treats gently.

CELESTE

Retriever

Meet Celeste, the 1-year-old Chocolate Lab/Husky Mix. She is currently working on skills like "off, "sit, and "touch. Celeste likes to settle down with a nice chew after her training sessions.

SCHNITZEL

Maltese

Schnitzel is an energetic Maltese mix looking to find his forever home. He's a goofy boy who loves squeaky toys and tennis balls. Schnitzel is also very affectionate and will lean in closer to you to get more cuddles.

code

[ ooc: feel free to make up any dog you want, the above is just an example of what the interface of the app looks like! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In part. I was looking for the source of the signal that transmits to all of our tablets. Wasn't able to find it - but the base code does take additions without complaint. Hence the dogs!

Can I entice you to adopt? I adopted one myself, they're all really well-tempered animals.

I don't know.

[ It's not where she expected the conversation to go. Though - given the lack of some deadpan answer - she does seem to be seriously considering it for once. ]

Isn't taking care of a pet supposed to be hard? I've never done it before.

Not hard necessarily, but it is a responsibility. Especially a dog; they need to be walked at least three times a day. A more energetic dog needs exercise, and they need to be fed and groomed, that sort of thing. Cats are more independent.

But they're worth the effort, in my opinion. Have you spent time with a lot of animals, ever?

No, I never have. [ Ange briefly thinks about Bernkastel.

.. no, Bernkastel probably doesn't count. She's way more annoying than your average cat, for one. ]

I spent most of my life at a very remote boarding school. I'm pretty sure any animal life that would have tried to do as much as go near that place would have instantly fallen over and died due to the oppressive atmosphere at that place. No one would voluntarily want to be there.

And most of the animals here have been.. strange. I'd say about 80% of them look like monsters, or some weird fantasy creatures. I haven't really seen as many dogs and cats around, relatively speaking.

[ So.. nope. Very little experience here. Hence why Ange doesn't even fully know what's supposed to be part of taking care of a pet. ]

You're welcome to come meet my dog, if you want. He's friendly, likes to play fetch. Even knows a few tricks, though he performs them as a method of treat extortion.

[ Once again Jim has to ask: WHY ARE ALL THE KIDS IN THIS PLACE FUCKED UP?? Every single one of them continues to tell him the most heart-wrenching backstories known to man. Not that Jim's very well-adjusted himself, but he's had years to bury it under drinking as a coping mechanism, at least.

Still though, maybe a furry companion would help, actually? For as bizarre as Aldrip is, it's also given Jim the kind of domesticity he's never been able to have before. Playing frisbee on the beach with a dog is a slice of the simple life, the very best kind. ]

You might like them, or maybe you're more of a cat person. Depends on the animal's temperament, anyhow. But they're better than monsters, I can promise you that.

I'm not sure about cats yet. Because of personal reasons.

[ Who knows what those could be.

But at least she isn't mentioning them, so Jim doesn't have to deal with more confusion about why Today's Youth Is Like This right now. Treasure it, Jim. ]

But meeting your dog doesn't sound so bad.

If you're sure you don't mind, I mean. It sounds like you're pretty busy.

Have you met any?
The ones around here are all pretty friendly.

[ Believe him, he desperately wants to ask, but he's also aware that nothing will get a teenager to clam up faster. Patience is a virtue. ]

His name is Bones, he's a sweetheart.
Definitely not a problem! Busy with coding projects mostly, but like I said, dogs need three walks a day. Gets me out of a work funk, for sure.
Just let me know when you have some time; I'm usually either home or at the club building, and he usually comes with either way.

[ There's a very slight delay, like the girl had to think about something, but then the next message that arrives is: ]

Do you have time right now? I can head over.

[ Not like Ange is usually all that eager to socialize, but.. for a cute dog? She'll do it for sure. And Jim wasn't really all that bad when she spoke to him before. He at least seemed tolerable, anyway. ]

[ Jim's follows a moment later, but only because he's already embroiled in his next project - building an addition to the house. ]

Sure, I'm just doing some housework!
[ Location Shared ]
I'll be here all afternoon. Just head around to the back, I'm in the backyard.

[ And lo and behold, when she arrives he is - he's measuring a section of the house, just off the kitchen, scribbling his dimensions furiously on a notebook. Bones is chilling beneath a tree, though his ears perk up at her arrival. ]

[ For how calm Ange had been that initial time they saw each other in person, talking about all the weird things here with the world's most stoic attitude, something about her right now seems almost.. awkward. Sure, there's still that layer of calm draped over all of it, but it's much thinner than it was last time around. If anyone were to pay attention, they might be able to notice it somewhere in her eyes, in the way her hands nervously fidget just a little bit as she stands there, looking at the scene she walked in on.

It's easy as hell for her to talk business, after all - even the business of just how this place runs - but having a relatively normal social encounter like going over to someone's house when you haven't before and don't know them that well? It's entirely beyond Ange.

Maybe it's why she just awkwardly stands there for a moment before she inhales a breath and clears her throat a little bit to try and draw Jim's attention. ]

Hey.

[ ... W-What does she say-- Be cool, Ange!! You can't ruin the impression he got from you! ]

I'm here. For the dog. [ B-Bones, save her.. ]

[ Jim is interrupted easily enough, greeting Ange with a wave and a smile. They'd only met the once in person, briefly, but Jim had meant to text Ange with the updates he had promised. The STEM club was working on the problem, and he hoped to have an answer on some kind of plan of action for her soon - while she was here, Jim noted, he should give her a communicator.

Upon closer inspection, there is a kind of...perplexing aura to her person. She's calm, sure, but she doesn't seem comfortable. ] Hey, welcome!

[ Jim snorts and turns to give Bones a quick double whistle, short and sweet - the dog perks up, one ear cocked in their direction. ] I see how it is, I'm just ornamental. Bones, you have a visitor!

[ Another simple whistle, this one a beat longer, and Bones obligingly trots over to the pair of them. Jim reaches down to ruffle his fur fondly, glancing back up at Ange to gauge her reaction. ] I promise you, he's very well-behaved.

[ Oh no. Jim is so effortlessly social.

She hadn't really picked up on it last time, a little too worried about the man's state back then and focused on making sure that he had the necessary information to prepare himself for this place - but now she's in an entirely different setting with him and with an entirely different goal, it's so much easier to notice just how social he is. He speaks so easily, smiles so easily, and Ange suddenly feels way out of her depth.

(She may be contemplating a quick way to escape this situation, but she's pretty sure there's not a single way to do that which doesn't make her look super stupid.)

It means something about her definitely is still looking a little awkward. Jim may notice that Bones doesn't seem to be the cause though, since it doesn't get worse when the dog joins them. Ange even squats down to be on a relatively more even level with Bones, and outright asking: ]

Can I pet him?

[ Look, dealing with a dog? That's the easy part.

Dealing with someone so effortlessly social that it's going to make her own social awkwardness that she usually tries so hard to shove underneath the rug way more obvious? Now that's way harder. ]

[ Jim also happens to be well-versed in Socially Awkward People, and particularly well-read on the chapter of How To Befriend Them. Just look at his roommate, if you need more proof of his credentials.

He does clock it, but it doesn't dim his smile, and he doesn't draw attention to it. He nods, glancing back towards his project - less because he has an interest in continuing it, and more so Ange doesn't feel put on the spot by him staring at her. ] I think he'll riot if you don't. He loves pets, don't you Bones?

[ The dog is just as keen as Jim predicted, turning toward Ange when it's clear Jim is done paying him attention. He moves closer to bump his nose against her hand, a friendly indicator. ]

You can give him a T-R-E-A-T if you want. There are some just inside the back door there, on the counter.

Thanks. [ She replies - not wanting to ignore Jim's clear weird kindness here, but also not feeling sure about how to further acknowledge it than that.

Instead it seems the girl is distracting herself for a moment with Bones, considering the dog is clearly asking for the attention. Ange isn't looking at Jim anymore by the time she's raising her hand to start giving Bones some pets. They're gentle, and kind of warmer than you might expect from someone like Ange, who so often hides behind a poker face.

But-- look, Bones is being such a good boy? He's so cute. Ange seems to soften a little bit right as she's patting him like this..

She's silent for a few moments as she's doing it, but then the girl slowly speaks up. ]

.. He's sweet.

[ And without Ange having given Bones a treat yet! Such a good boy!! ]

You must have been taking good care of him. [ Otherwise Bones surely wouldn't be this polite! ]

[ People can be themselves with animals in a way they can't with others, and Jim totally gets that. He busies himself with re-checking measurements for his project, adjusting some of the specs on the notepad he's working off of. Bones seems all too happy to soak up the attention, tail wagging, tongue lolling, the whole nine. He certainly is a cute little shit, until he's stealing Jim's socks.

If the silence bothers Jim, it doesn't show, and he waits for Ange to engage before he stirs again, glancing up from his paper. ] Yeah, he's a real sweetheart. Loves people, loves to cuddle. If you sit on the couch he just sits right on top of you.

He's also really smart, but I guess a lot of people probably say that about their dogs, huh? [ Jim offers her a friendly smile, crouching down next to her and Bones. He offers his hand and whistles twice in short bursts; Bones takes the cue and reaches a paw up to shake his hand. ] Good boy, Bones!

[ It is something a lot of people say about their pets, sure, but Ange is totally willing to believe it's true about Bones. He really does look like the best and smartest boy around. Just look how he's giving Jim that paw. So cute, so smart!

But now Jim has gotten closer to the two of them again, Ange can't help but look at him for a quick moment, silently thinking about something as she watches the dog and Jim shake paw and hand respectively for a moment.

At least what she's thinking about doesn't remain a total mystery. After that quiet little moment she suddenly says: ]

.. You seem happy.

[ She does mean Jim here, not Bones. Even though Bones also seems pretty happy, but-- well, he's a dog. It probably makes that sort of thing less difficult. ]

[ It takes Jim a second to realize Ange is talking about him, not the dog. He blinks, tilting his head at her from where they’re both crouched - there’s a beat of hesitance where he tries to figure out how exactly to respond. His first instinct, a flash in the pan that he tamps down on, is to deny (as though it were an accusation? It’s not.) But maybe he should examine the truth of her statement for longer than the moment it takes to register. Happy? Was he? Relatively, all things considered. Happy enough to be notable? Interesting. ]

I’m not unhappy. [ Jim finally answers slowly, like he’s deciphering it right along with her. Maybe he is. ] I’ve been stuck worse places.

[ That much, at least, is undeniably true. Jim’s forearm rests on his knee, blue eyes fixed on Ange, now. ] And you? Are you happy?

[ Worse places, he says. Briefly Ange wonders if maybe he's just very optimistic about this place, or maybe he's really been in a situation worse than this one. It's not impossible, she supposes, but.. that does seem like some real bad luck.

There's a moment spent contemplating that, her pets for the dog unfortunately slowing down in the process. She's even pulling her hand back entirely when she has to think about the question Jim is asking her, a complicated frown filling up the girl's facial features. Apparently it's not a question that's easy for her to answer, for one reason or another. ]

.. no.

[ She finally says. It's a little quiet, but considering they're not far apart, it should be audible enough for him. ]

I'm seriously unhappy. [ The girl doesn't look at him. She just stares at the dog, even though she's no longer petting it. ]

[ Oh, Jim's not exaggerating. How he wishes he was, but alas, such is the duty of one hailing from the dark timeline. Whether or not Ange believes him is another matter, but Jim is, at least, telling the truth.

He lets the beat of silence linger, reaching out to pick up where Ange left off when she stops petting Bones and the dog whines, quietly, begging for attention. Typical. Maybe it's easier to be honest with each other when they're crouched in the grass, something else to focus on, but Jim has to tamp down on his reaction to the admission - ensuring his brow barely dips lower, gaze flicking to Ange's troubled expression. ]

That must be difficult. [ He doesn't say I'm sorry, or Sad to hear you feel that way. Platitudes don't get you anywhere, especially with teenagers, Jim's learned. And being unhappy is difficult. He knows as much, maybe not in the current present, but from experience. Jim tilts his head, his own hand still moving calmly through Bones' fur. ] Can you pinpoint why? Aside from - you know, the usual circumstances.

[ Aside from being kidnapped to an unknown place by unknown persons and accused of a crime she may or may not have committed - typical Aldrip. ]

[ Honestly, maybe it would have been easier if he left out the usual circumstances, Ange thinks. It would have been easy to just blame it on that - and it's not like it'd be a lie. Those circumstances really have been making her feel worse on top of it all, and it's a convenient shield to hide behind. It's something they're all suffering, after all. It doesn't make her seem like the weird one.

But with that taken away.. all she can do is refuse to answer, or force herself to open up a little.

Both are difficult in their own way and for their own reasons, and after a moment - once the girl makes her decision - she actually looks over at Jim, though there's something weirdly shy about her gaze compared to their previous encounter. ]

You'll probably think it sounds ridiculous. It's a long story.

[ Precisely why he did it. He was more than familiar with the type, the ability to keep everything to yourself and pretend like all was right in the world even when it felt like it was crumbling - yeah. Whether or not Ange decided to take him up on it...Jim would be remiss if he didn't offer. If he didn't extend the hand, the shoulder to lean on, when he was able. The first step to any kind of resolution is admitting that there's a problem, which Ange had done, in her usual upfront style.

Jim's answering head turn is slow, measured almost, blue gaze earnest and clear when he meets her, dead on. This is a different girl than the one he met on the docks, and definitely different from the obstinately curious girl he'd exchanged theories with over the network. ]

Try me. I think you'd be surprised. [ He's from a future where he maps out the galaxy in a spaceship. Jim tilts his head, empathetic smile turning up the corners of his mouth. ] I've got time, if you want to talk about it.

[ When their gazes meet and he speaks up with those words, Ange holds the gaze for a few moments. It's like she's staring into his eyes in order to find something there - almost as if she's looking for something.

Whatever she was looking for, it seems like she must have found it. Because when she finally breaks eye contact to instead look at the dog again, the girl lets out a deep sigh and actually starts talking.

Despite the fact that it's just the two of them here - well, and the dog, but still - her voice is quiet, like she still doesn't want anyone else to overhear. ]

When I was six years old, my parents and big brother left to go to a family conference. I couldn't come, since I was sick that day. They told me they'd be right back in a few days, but.. they didn't come back. Some mysterious incident happened on the island they were at that killed them all. My aunt was the only one who returned, and since we were each other's only living relatives, she was forced to adopt me.

[ The girl idly reaches out with one hand, her finger drawing nonsense patterns on the ground. Like she needs to distract herself a little in order to be able to keep talking - or maybe to be able to keep talking with a tone that's at least somewhat neutral, without fully dipping into something miserable. ]

She hated me. She verbally abused me every single day, and she hit me too. Aunt Eva didn't allow me to have contact with anyone, so all I grew up with was her doing that stuff to me all the time. Even when I could finally leave the house when I could go to school, she sent me off to a boarding school where all the girls bullied me and the teachers didn't care. They did the same thing as aunt Eva. And when I graduated school, my aunt on my mother's side of the family started hunting me down in order to murder me and steal the inheritance for herself. [ A slight pause, a shake of her head, and then: ] I know. It does sound ridiculous, right? Like some sort of crazy melodrama.

[ Even if it's her actual life. ]

And that's not even getting into all the witches that have been dragging me into their crazy magic games right before I showed up here, showing me all sorts of awful stuff and killing me over and over. And then I got dragged to this place instead, and stuff is so awful there too, and..

[ It's then that her voice finally wavers, like even Ange - practiced as she is at this - can't keep up the effort to fully hide her feelings in front of him anymore. Her voice shakes, like she's about to cry. ]

Sometimes it'd feel easier if one of those deaths would just stick, so all of it would be over.

[ Jim holds her gaze until Ange is the one to break away, silent as he absorbs the information. She wasn't kidding, it sounds - totally batshit. Not that he doubts her for a single, solitary second, but just that every new thing he hears in this place from one of these poor kids sounds like a movie. Then again, he doesn't exactly have room to talk. Jim keeps his expression as openly neutral as possible, even though Ange isn't looking at him - just in case, not wanting her to feel like he's judging her for anything she's telling him. Still, Jim's only human; he can't help the spark of anger in his eyes, the set of his jaw, at the thought of someone treating her so horribly. He listens, one hand buried in Bones' fur, and the dog settles and stills too, as if sensing the shift in topic to something more serious.

Jim only lets it sit a beat, after Ange's confession, before he says: ] That sucks.

[ Was she expecting something more eloquent? More adult, and therefore likely more patronizing? Probably. Jim sits more firmly on the ground, tailor-style, folding his hands in his lap. It's just the truth: it sucks. Whether or not Ange chooses to look at him, Jim's gaze is steady, imploring and even. ] I'm so sorry, Ange. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

It's hard, dealing with all of that. It's so hard, and it does look easier, giving in to it. Grass is always greener, right? [ It doesn't make it better. Nothing can, and Jim knows that much to be absolutely true. He exhales, leaning back on his palms, letting them sink into the grass. Something grounding - it helps. ] I can't imagine what you've been through. But my stepfather was...similar to your aunt, in a lot of ways. My brother ran away because he couldn't take it anymore, but he couldn't take me with him. I went away to school and I thought I was escaping something but -

[ Jim cuts off there, shaking his head. She gets the picture, and he's only trying to show her that he does understand, to a certain extent, not get into his ridiculously awful childhood. He's through it, on the other side, but for her it's real, it's now. ] My point is, things can be bad. Things can be so terrible you can't imagine they can get worse, and then they do. Wishing it would be over...I think that's normal. Wanting to give in, just so you don't have to fight it anymore.

But that's not how it's supposed to be. [ And this is the key point, here, when everything feels hopeless and the world keeps beating you down: it's not supposed to be like this. ] Even if the whole world is treating you one way - Ange, I promise you, they're the ones who are wrong. It's not you. It never was.

[ She does look over at him.

Not even necessarily because of the kind stuff he's saying at the end there. Ange isn't entirely sure how to handle any of that, really. No, it's what he says before it that makes her look. The part about his stepfather, the part about his brother. It makes the teenager turn her gaze towards him, making the fact that there actually are tears in her eyes - though they aren't falling just yet - even more clear. ]

.. is that what you told yourself?

[ Ange asks. Slowly, quietly. ]

When you were going through all that stuff? [ Having to deal with his stepfather, wishing for his brother to take him away, only for that to be impossible. Ange knows what that is like, even though the only place her own brother could have lead her into was death. ]

No. [ Jim's smile is apologetic, but it's clear that he's not lying to her. Not trying to tell her things as a platitude, but just sharing in the truth. It's the number one thing adults get wrong, in Jim's opinion (and damn, he qualifies as an adult now, doesn't he? They really are screwed.) Horrible things happen to kids, and pretending that they're not, handing them platitudes instead of the real stuff - just cheapens it, all over. ] But it's what I wish someone would have told me, back then.

[ The if there had been anyone around goes unspoken, but he's pretty sure Ange gets it. ]

It's harder to see, when you're in the middle of it. [ Bones nudges his head against Ange's leg, wet nose brushing her knee. Jim smiles and leans back on his hands. ] When you're in survival mode, you're just trying to get through the next day. The next hour. It's only once you're out the other side that you can really see how far you've come.

Application Download | un: thecapn

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cw: mentions of child abuse, bullying, murder, suicidal ideation (I'M SORRY.. it's a lot...)

we love trauma bonding!!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH... thanks, jim, for being so good...... ;;

HE’S TRYING…

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