he's got that dog in him

[friendsfordinner]

Who: Hickey & OPEN!
What: tracking training! couples talking! dog??
When: throughout the month.
Where: in Milton and the surrounding wilds.

Content Warnings: usual Hickey warnings apply (possible talk of violence, cannibalism, starvation, Terror's everything)

( catch-alls and closed starters within. hmu if you want one! )

Comments

[edamamepon]

"Can't really blame you there. I'd go back home, of course."

Makoto says it confidently, but what follows is a heartfelt sigh. The sort that someone would reserve to express longing for someone they love.

"...Man, I really miss good coffee." is what wistfully comes out instead of any pining for a spouse. A moment later, he blinks and snaps out of that reverie.

"Oh. Hey, if it was ever possible, would you and Mr. Gibson want to come to my world instead? Probably not going to happen, but who knows? My world might have its flaws, but it's way better than this place."

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey's immediate answer is no. Why would he want to go from this place, which is hard and tough but he didn't have laws and rules and other people's judgement over his head, to somewhere else where he'll have to abide by societal rules that he doesn't even know?

But the sensible part of his brain takes over and points out that he barely knows anything about Makoto's world. So he might as well ask,

"I'm not making any promises. But tell me about it. I don't know much about where you're from, after all."

[edamamepon]

"Well, I'm from Earth like you. Only it's the year 2020. Or, it was when I left at least."

Makoto glances over to Hickey again with a little laugh, gauging his reaction to that much. But he goes on, openly sounding equal parts proud and reminiscent.

"Anyway, I don't think there's a perfect world out there, but mine is the kind of place where you can worry more about living rather than just surviving, if you know what I mean. Plenty of countries are safe with nice people and lots of opportunities. Of course, there are places that are more, um, adventurous if you're into that."

A shrug, tone going pointedly flat. "We've also got more technology and you wouldn't have to worry about starving anymore. Anything else you want to know?"

[friendsfordinner]

Yeah, Makoto says that. He says you won't have to worry about starving. Hickey won't have to worry about starving and the voyage will just be a year long and we have enough provisions for the trip, everything will be fine. Sure.

All that tells Hickey is that Makoto never had to worry about starving. After all, there's nothing certain in life. Food, shelter, health, all of those could vanish in a moment's notice.

"You've got technology like this place, yeah? Cars and televisions and all that."

[edamamepon]

Hickey would absolutely be correct in that assessment. Though Makoto now knows what it's like to genuinely worry about where his next meal is coming from, it's only served to make his home world seem all the easier through comparison and nostalgia.

"Oh sure, but even better. Especially since it all actually works most of the time. There are cars, planes, televisions, cell phones, video games, vending machines where you can buy almost anything. All sorts of cool stuff."

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey already has a feeling like he'll know how the rest of this conversation will go when he points out,

"Right, what's an electrical plane?"

[edamamepon]

"Well, actually most are still fuel powered. But whether they're electric or not, planes really are amazing --an artistic fusion of chemistry and engineering. Jet engines work by compressing air, mixing it with fuel, and igniting the mixture to produce a powerful thrust that propels the plane forward at incredible speeds."

He rattles off in a genuinely excited tone that says Hickey has stumbled upon a topic that Makoto is confident in.

"They can even travel thousands of miles without stopping. And inside, hundreds of people can ride in comfort."

"But electric planes are a little different..." He hums a beat, before he snaps his free fingers and points to Hickey, "So, what do you know about batteries? Or telegraphs?"

[friendsfordinner]

Oh good God, he's gonna listen to someone talk about something he knows next to nothing about. Hickey's eyes start to glaze over, only slightly paying attention, jolted back to life by Makoto's question.

Fortunately for Makoto, Hickey knows about telegraphs. Unfortunately for Makoto...

"I've heard of telegraphs. That's a fairly new piece of technology where I'm from. You tap out a message and it's somehow transmitted over wires to a different telegraph, yeah?"

[edamamepon]

"Yeah, you got it. But the somehow is actually little pulses of electricity. That's what transmits those messages through the wires. Electric powered stuff is the same. Well, kinda." Makoto clears his throat, but recovers and continues on just as confidently. It's easy to hear his smirk, "Anyway, with modern stuff, the power is continuous. And they usually have batteries, which store all that electricity and release it when it's needed."

After what he seems to consider a clearly brilliant explanation, he beams at Hickey, "Pretty cool, right?"