001 - If I Keep Looking Forward I Won't Fall Back [Vault]

[purplexing]

I. The Armory
Donnie hasn't talked about the last mission. He hasn't talked much to anyone. Not entirely strange, but then nor is his preoccupation with work. At the moment he's taking a break from fixing up the armors that had been acquired during the taking of Hesaeth, working instead on more personal weapons. Or in this case, repairing them.

His staff is in pieces. Normally it collapses into something discreet enough to carry, but some of those pieces have very obvious indentations, damage sustained from the encounter with Lord Gundhir's son. The turtlekin picks up one of the cylindrical segments, holding it up in closer inspection. Repairing it would be possible although he'd likely have to reforge some pieces, but what good would it be if it would still essentially break under pressure?

...

Pushing aside an errant thought, Donnie sets the piece down, pulling out his notebook and a folded sheet of paper from within, flattening it out. The original designs for his collapsible staff, and extra notations for other additions to it. It still needs to be sturdier, but lighter too, especially if he plans to include more capabilities.

He doesn't look up at whoever approaches, only barely hearing the footsteps thanks to the mufflers he always tends to wear, especially down here where there's just so much noise. "Hey, know if there's any scrap titanium I can use?"


II. Subterranean Farms
Tucked away from the main fields and nestled in a smallish nook along the carved out walls, the little garden can easily be overlooked if one isn't paying attention to the strange, spiraling growth of vines dotted with small purple flowers that have started to crawl along the edges of the rock there. That's as far as Donnie's allowed them to grow, always taking care to trim them back before they can get out of hand.

He's rigged his own little light source here, simultaneously taking advantage of where crevices throw shadows across the space to allow for all kinds of plants to be cultivated. At a glance they're definitely more of a decorative sort than to be used for food, but he wouldn't advise eating most of these anyway. There are many flowers and herbs, and even a few types of fungi that grow within the natural rock 'shelves' of the flanking walls.

The turtlekin can be found tending to his beloved plants, removing any dead leaves, carefully watering the flowerbeds or tilling a patch of dirt in preparation for planting something new.


III. The Library
The library's become as much of a retreat as any, and in particular Donnie liked to hide away here because of how much quieter it is compared to other areas of the Vault.

He had come here to do some research but the peacefulness of the area paired with poor sleep has managed to lull him into an unscheduled naptime. Hopefully you didn't need that book he's currently using as a pillow, but be forewarned; he's a drooler.

Comments

[minorinasskicking]

Gohan glances at his watch and then grins sheepishly. "Well, I might have exaggerated just a little bit. But that just means we have more time to clean up here before dinner's ready. I can lend a hand if you'd like."

Fortunately, Gohan also doesn't have much on him. He's got a notebook and a pencil, but no library books. He'd just returned one earlier, and wasn't looking to take another out with him.

[purplexing]

There's a pause at that, Donnie fixing Gohan with a look once he lowers his hand from his face.

"...oh well, guess it can't be helped. Hadn't meant to fall asleep anyway." He rolls his shoulders back, then his neckwith a wince. Books are not the most comfortable of pillows.

"Ugh, I didn't get much done. If you can put those books on the cart?" he asks, nodding towards the small stack. After some brief consideration, he closes the one he'd been sleeping on, slipping it onto the pile.

[minorinasskicking]

Gohan sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. If nothing else, at least he can make it up to Donnie later.

"Sure!" Thankfully, there's a cart nearby. Gohan goes to grab it and roll it over to the table, then lifts the stack of books and places it on the cart. After mulling it over for a moment, he then divides the stack in two and places the other one on the cart as well. That way, the books are less likely to fall off and cause a mess.

"Anything else I can do to help?"

[purplexing]

While Gohan's doing that, Donnie's getting his note stuff together. He glances over as the books are being placed, shaking his head then once Gohan's done.

"Not too much else here, I've got it," he assures as he slides his folding straightedge into a pouch with his writing utensils. "-although I guess you can roll my schematics up if you want." They had been under everything else, featuring detailed images, lines and numbers, designs for his collapsible staff. There's also some sort of folding grapple, several versions exploring different ways to fold it up, so that it could be housed into the staff as well.

[minorinasskicking]

"Oh, sure." Gohan steps over to the table where the schematics are laid out. He begins to roll them up, then stops briefly, taking a closer look at them.

"Wait a minute. Did you come up with these? This is interesting stuff here!" Gohan generally doesn't use weapons, but that doesn't mean he's unable to appreciate good or inventive ones. "Is this a grappling hook?"

[purplexing]

Donnie smiles a bit at that. "Yeah. I've been working on upgrades for my staff. I thought that might be a nice addition if I can just figure out how to balance it right." One of many problems, really, not that he's put off by the challenge.

"Getting the right materials is another thing," he sighs.

[minorinasskicking]

"Wow, that's really neat! I had no idea that you made your own weapon. And you're even trying to improve it. That's impressive!"

Gohan finishes rolling up the schematics. "I can see how materials would be a problem. You'd need something light enough to hold, but sturdy enough to strike and defend. Have you been to the mine since we captured it?"

[purplexing]

The turtlekin brightens considerably. Such words go a long words go a long way with him, and he can tell Gohan means them.

"Exactly," he nods. "I've been considering titanium, but Angelika makes it sound like we're in short supply. I know it's used for Commander-class armor since it's light and more ideal for flight capability, so it sounds like the perfect solution."

He finishes packing his bag with the rest of his things, holding a hand out for the schematics. "I have, but mostly to help with reinforcing and preparation for the inevitability of Imperial retaliation." He makes a face, but he knows the Empire won't let something like this slide.

[minorinasskicking]

Gohan hands Donnie the now rolled-up schematics. "Well, I guess it's all the more reason to keep pushing forward. If we can make more gains, we'll have more supply, right? Or maybe we can discover a new source, one the Empire overlooked." He knows the odds of the latter bit happening are slim, but he'd also argue that the odds aren't zero.

"Still, that's good. Even if we can't hold the mine, if we can make it hard for the Empire to recapture, or even set it up to blow, we can still deny it to them. I should probably pay a visit and see if there's anything I can do to help with the defense."

[purplexing]

Donnie tucks the roll in with great care, nodding. "Right." He's not going to disagree about the possibility that there are untapped resources the Empire hasn't yet exploited. Harder to find, most likely, but worthwhile if they can. Still, taking from the Empire is just so much more satisfying.

"I hope we were able to get something out of it at least. But you're absolutely right, better they don't have it at all." He pulls the strap of his bag over a shoulder, stepping away from the table as he gestures for Gohan to lead the way.

"I'm sure you'd be a big help though. There's a lot to do."

[minorinasskicking]

Gohan steps ahead and takes the lead, heading for the exit of the library. "I bet there is. I've never really prepared a defense like this before, so I haven't been sure how to help. I could move heavy objects, but I wouldn't know how to handle the automatic weapons."

He had meant to say "automated," but his grasp on the local language still has some kinks to work out.

[purplexing]

"Honestly, this is probably the biggest sort of preparation I've ever helped with so you're not alone there. It's too easy to get overwhelmed with what all there is to do."

Donnie tilts his head as he follows along. "Automatic..? Ah, well, I'm glad that Harlock and I took care of getting the cannons set up when we did. But no one'll expect you to do things- it's all very much a matter of going and doing what you think you're able to. No one's going to turn down an extra pair of hands."

[minorinasskicking]

"It's that big, huh? Is that why you were tired -- from doing so much work?" Gohan can speak from experience on this one. He knows how it feels to be completely tired after demanding work, whether it be from sparring or proper labor. Some of his best nights' sleep came after intense physical training, both under Piccolo and his father. "In that case, I'm definitely heading over to see how I can help. I won't feel good unless I know I've done my part."

[purplexing]

"Compilation of a lot of things, really," Donnie admits, rubbing at his eyes as though the reminder's enough to tempt him back to sleep. Not that stretching himself thin is anything new. It just feels like things are never done and his workload remains the same for the things that keep adding onto it. It's not entirely something he dislikes, not when it helps him keep his mind off of things, like the less pleasant happenings on their last missions.


"Probably still a lot to do, so..." he says, trailing off with a nod.

[minorinasskicking]

"Too much work to do, and not enough time to do it, huh?" Gohan frowns slightly, pondering that over. He's been down that road before, and it's not one he enjoys -- getting sufficient rest is really important to feeling his best. Even when he trained with his father, he always had time for rest.

"If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know, OK? I'd be more than happy to share some of the work load so that you can get more rest."

[purplexing]

"Always," Donnie says, looking a bit annoyed at that. "The mines weren't exactly very well-kept to begin with. Harlock and I had to do some extra work just making sure the primary defense line would be functional." Basic maintenance would have cut down on a lot of their work, really.

He looks at Gohan, managing a weak smile at that. That's the most anyone's ever offered.

"Thanks. If anything comes up, I'll be sure to let you know."