We tried to do our best

[spaghettiinmysoul]

Characters: Rabbit and ANYONE
Setting: Dormitory areas, scattered here and there
When: RIGHT NAO
Format: I'll start with prose, but will match anyone!
Summary: Rabbit got his ass beat by some bloke with green hair. Hindsight is 20/20
Warnings: Robot injuries, robot semi-nudity because you don't walk through frag grenades and keep your pants.

That... that could have gone better. A lot better. Really he was lucky he wasn't dead, or so he should have been telling himself, but in the state he was in perhaps death would have been preferrable.

He found his jaw, flung halfway down the hall, and fumbled with clumsy fingers to try and reattach it to the rest of him. No screwdrivers here and around, he'd have to make due with just attempting to twist the screws back into his face. Dents splayed across his copper face, one eye sparking and blackening every now and again. A hard enough hit had seen to it that the optic would be on the fritz until Rabbit saw fit to get it repaired, and his obscured vision helped little with collecting the other parts of himself scattered throughout the hall.

The robot had weathered blows such as this before. Years ago, yes, but he'd still taken them. Then again, he'd always had an engineer to help put him back together again once he was decimated. Panels were gathered with skeletal hands as he put himself back together loosely, like a half finished puzzle. In the few areas that he could actually experience sensation, he was hurting, badly. His face and core throbbed with pain, alerting him to heavy damages in both areas, and the intricately designed paneling on his hips and upper arms was severely damaged.

Should have known better. Shouldn't have lost his temper. Now he was in trouble and it was all his fault. He slumped against a wall, still holding pieces of himself as he wiped something out of the corner of his eye. No, he wasn't going to cry. Not after that...

Comments

[tohko_amano]

[After sending quite a few letters out and trying to calm down, Tohko had headed back to the dormitory floors..only to be greeted by the sight of a broken and mangled robot. While he looked wrecked, he still looked alive, so Tohko walked over to him, trying to think of how she could help. Technology wasn't her thing most of the time. It had taken her awhile to learn how to even put a filter on the terminals, so her skill here..was horrible.]

Are you alright?! What happened to you?

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[He'd need hammering out to get rid of all the dents, all the screws would have to be put in again, as he had painstakingly collected them from the floor like so many lost teeth. He almost didn't notice Tohko there, fixing his one eyed stare on her at last and wiping oil from his face quickly]

I ma-ma-made a mi-m-mimmmmistake. Sh-shouldnda dooooooo-

[His vocalizer fritzed out for a moment, and he fussed with his neck before attempting to speak again. It might have been somewhat strange to have someone with no bottom jaw talk but he didn't seem to find it too offputting]

N-not s-s-s-ssssssupposed ta fight a-a-a-anymore. It's my fa-fault.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko forced herself to not panic when the vocalizer fritzed out, and when the robot spoke again, Tohko sighed and shook her head.]

Not..it probably wasn't. If you knew that you weren't supposed to fight, you probably got wrapped up in something or lost your temper at someone who deserved it. With everything that's being going on here...I wouldn't be surprised.

[Tohko sighed.]

There's a workshop on the fifteenth floor..I'm bad with machines, but if it'll help, I can run down and get you a screwdriver and a hammer.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[Well, he could certainly say they deserved it, and he did lose his temper. But it had been so long since he'd last gotten in a fight, he was rusty. So to speak. And he had been going against programming too, which was leaving him with a terrible headache.]

L-l-lost my te-temper. Sh-sh-shouldn't have. Shoulda ju-ju-just le-left it alo-lo-lone.

[He normally abhored repairs, but he had to get these screws back in, and figure out what to do about his eye. He nodded glumly, bracing against the wall to stand up.]

I'll c-c-c-c-cccccccome. I can st-st-still wa-wa-walk.

[tohko_amano]

Maybe..but sometimes, things like this happen. Hopefully you'll be able to deal with whoever was bothering you in the future.

[As he tried to stand up, Tohko put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.]

You can, but you're in horrible pain right now! You're in no shape to be walking. Besides..I wouldn't want you to get injured again while running around.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

I ju-ju-ju-just don't wa-wa-want him me-memmmmmmmm-messin' with kids no more. That's all.

[In the future, he hoped it wouldn't come to blows. Maybe he'd scared him with the display before, he didn't know. Rabbit whined as she put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't want to stay here! Sure he hurt, but he didn't want to just sit here!]

Bu-bu-but-

Awww c-c-c-cccccccome on!

[He could easily push her hand off, but decided to slip back onto the floor, rubbing at his darkened optic]

It ain't fa-fa-far is it?

[tohko_amano]

[Messing with kids?! Had someone who wasn't affected by this experiment killed a child? That was horrible..Tohko sighed as the robot slipped back onto the floor.]

It's not..but it would be terrible if a monster came out and attacked you like this. But..who was harming kids? Were they under the effects of Jason's recent experiment?

[spaghettiinmysoul]

I d-d-dunno. He was co-covered with blood though. I'm n-n-new here s-s-so I dunno wha-what ta look out fer.

[He sighed, steam shooting from his vents]

S-s-s-ssssssome kid with gr-green hair.

[tohko_amano]

[Covered with blood and green hair. That could have only been one person..and where he was, another girl wasn't far behind. Tohko sighed. How low could one sink?!]

It's alright..even I have trouble keeping up with everything sometimes, and I've been here awhile..but I know who that was. It was a boy named Toto..and he fights with his own blood, since he has the ability to manipulate it. That jerk..I can't believe he would stoop so low!

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[Oh she knew him.]

Y-y-ya know th-th-that freak? He bu-bu-busted me up g-g-good, all because I was lo-lo-lookin' out fer a kid. D-d-dunno if h-he was in an any 'experiements'.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko sighed and nodded. She was mad..but not at the robot. She knew Toto equated love with violence..but this was horrible.]

I know him, but he's no friend of mine. We talk, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. I'm so sorry that you got hurt..he's really tough. You're lucky to even be in this shape, to be honest. I'm not sure if he was involved with any experiments..but this does sound like something he would do.

Out of curiosity..did he and a girl with white hair hurt the kid?

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[All Rabbit knew was that a little girl got hurt. A little girl that he liked for that matter, he wasn't going to let that slide.]

I ca-ca-can take a lotta hits. I-I-I know what I'm doin'... Kinda.

[He fussed with an arm plate. He just wished he wasn't so easy to take apart]

You'll te-tell me if he messed wi-wi-with ya, wontcha? I don't want anyone ge-ge-gettin' hurt no more.

The little gi-girl- Yotsuba, she said there wa-wa-was a girl wi-with white hair with him. Said they be-beat her ta death...

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko didn't know the little girl, but that didn't mean that she liked the fact that Toto and Wretched Egg had killed one for fun. However, she couldn't help but lightly smile at that 'kinda'.]

It looks like you do..otherwise, you probably wouldn't be able to talk to me right now. And don't worry..he's threatened to kill me, but he hasn't done anything more than that to me. I don't really like my friends..or children getting hurt in this place, especially for no reason.

[Tohko sighed again.]

The girl with white hair..she has two personalities. One, Shiro, is pretty sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly. However, the second, Wretched Egg, likes killing people, and she would hurt friends and other people in order to make them 'stronger'. Wretched Egg and Toto are friends..so they probably killed Yotsuba. If you need help to imprison them, I'll help you.

[pushedaround]

[ It's been a rough week so far, and even though Tavros didn't feel like socializing, he didn't want to stay in his room all day either. He really didn't have a specific destination on mind, but he figured a little walk might do him good. With his head down, and eyes on the ground, Tavros noticed a few pieces of metal scattered around. One little piece here and there.

By the time he noticed the damaged robot, he felt an odd sense of nostalgia. Totally brought back some memories when he had his own pair of robotic legs, but sadly ... it didn't mean he had some experience in fixing anything. ]

Hey, man. [ He inches closer, looking a bit hesitant. ] I hope I'm not intruding, but, uh, you look like you could use some help.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[Which was a shame because Rabbit was in need of an engineer. Or at the very least someone with a screw driver and a hammer. He was just looking at the pieces of himself he held in his hands, trying to think of ways he could reattach them without too much trouble, when he picked up on the fact that someone was talking to him.

He turned his head to look over, the blue eye sputtering black]

.... Y-y-y-yyyyeah. I c-c-could.

[It wasn't sarcastic at all. Just... tired.]

Ya gotta screw dr-dr-dr-drrrrrriiiver, bu-buddy?

[pushedaround]

[ Tavros straightened up and actually started searching his pockets. It took him a few seconds before he shook his head. ]

No. Um.

[ Awh shit, he knew he could probably help out, but he's not really confident enough to take in such a responsibility. Darkleer was kind enough to give him some lessons in building weapons, but he didn't know if he can actually help out this poor robot. There's this uncomfortable look on his face when he finally speaks. ]

Okay, I might be able to fix a thing or two, but I'm not an expert. If you don't mind me trying on you, I can get some tools and well ... see if I can work this out. Maybe?

But, if you think it's too weird ....

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[To be honest, while he was hopeful, he didn't really expect anyone to walk up to him with a screw driver. Usually that was a good thing but today he really could have used the help.]

Ju-ju-just need s-s-some things sc-sc-sc-scccccccrewed back in. Ya d-don't need ta d-d-do anythin' more'n that.

[Though his dented face and head and severely scratched chassis suggested otherwise. Rabbit would have refused to let anyone remove his face plate anyway.]

It a-a-aaaaaain't weird. Really. Yer fi-fi-fine. ... Just d-d-don't t-t-t-tell anyone else, okay?

[pushedaround]

Okay. I won't tell anyone. I promise, bro!

[ Now that is something he can do!

Since Rabbit is down with it, Tavros didn't waste another second before he rushed to the workshop. He grabbed any tool that might come in handy, mainly those screwdrivers. He collected different sets, sizes and some other items before heading back.

He drops everything on the ground; a little short on breath, but he seemed ready to get his ass back to the workshop if he missed anything. ]

You think ... this is good enough for now?

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[He didn't need this getting around anywhere. First of all that he was at all injured (small little girl parties might here and he didn't want to deal with that), and second of all that he could be injured. Rabbit knew damn well about his temper, he'd be picking more fights than this one here.

He stayed right where he was, playing with a disconnected panel, until Tavros came back, trying to knock something in his head back into alignment. Maybe it would fix his eye.]

Y-y-y-yeah, should b-b-be good enough. Th-th-thanks kid.

[He fumbled with a screw driver, picking up his jaw and attempting to screw it back into place.]

Th-th-there... might be m-more of me in the hall. D-d-d-d-didja s-s-see any more pieces?

[pushedaround]

[ He didn't mean to stare so rudely, but it was pretty sick to watch someone re-attach his own fucking jaw. Damn. He snaps out of it when he realized Rabbit was talking to him again, blinking twice. ]

-Huh?

Oh. I think I've seen a few things chilling around. Hold on ...

[ He never thought he'd spend his day searching the halls for pieces of metal, but hey- It feels good to help someone. By the time he returned with the missing parts, there was a smile on his face, and this time he settled on the floor, facing the robot. ]

Here you go, buddy. You will be feeling better in no time. I hope. [ There's a pause before he continued. ] Uh, I kinda want to know what happened to you. If that's okay.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[Really it was just another Friday for Rabbit, the damn thing fell off so often due to old screws and bolts he'd become rather good at just sticking it back on again without any help. And the less help he got the better, he didn't like other people poking around his screws.]

Tha-tha-thanks, buddy. [There's a pause]

Typical Ra-Rabbit, get inta one li-li-little argument an' I go all ta pi-pieces.

[A half hearted chuckle as he got started putting on the rest of his plating. He was quite frightening without it, appearing to be more of a copper skeleton than a proper robot.

He even managed a smile when Tavros came back with the rest of him, though it didn't last, the robot clumsily moving to reattach the plating on his upper arms.]

G-g-got in a bi-bit of a fight. S-s-some green haired ki-kid with some weird wea-wea-weapon thing. Looked like b-b-b-blood. Or somethin'. I don't know.

B-b-b-blew me up a lot. I ca-ca-can take a bit of rough housin' bu-but explosions? Not s-s-so mu-much.

[He hurt. He still hurt. Part of him wanted to crawl away and hide and be alone, but he couldn't very well do that as damaged as he was.]

[pushedaround]

[ Frightening or not, Tavros seemed to be having the time of his life while watching the robot repair himself. It's not that he was interested in mechanics, but it's not something you see everyday! The smile on his face was almost childish and naive, completely insensitive to the robot's suffering, but that all changed when he started talking about the assault.

Now that he thinks about it, he recalls catching Rabbit wiping something off his eyes before approaching him. The Taurus wondered if he was unhappy to the point of tears. If so, it's a bit heartbreaking. ]

That sucks, man. I'm sorry ...

[ Not wanting to look miserable and make things harder on his new friend, Tavros' lips curled up. In a more sympathetic manner, though. ]

There's a lot of bad and scary people in the tower. Some don't like you and will hurt you, too. It's how things goes around here.

[ He picks one of the tools laying around and started toying with it between his fingers. ]

This sounds kinda pathetic, but it's best to stay out of their way.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[Well at least someone here was entertained. Rabbit was starting to mess with his faceplate now, feeling the dents across the usually smooth copper surface. He'd have to press those out, he supposed, and without batting an eye, he set about unscrewing the faceplate from its moorings.

He wasn't going to cry. He wasn't. Especially not in front of what looked like a kid. A gray kid with horns, sure, but a kid nevertheless]

Y-y-yeah... It sucks. I go-go-go-got in over my he-he-head an' messed up.

[It was too late to make Rabbit anything other than miserable, but the attempt to make it better was appreciated. He pulled the faceplate off, exposing the copper and iron skull beneath it, setting about pressing the dents out of the faceplate itself.]

It a-a-a-ain't fa-fair. Just wa-wa-wa-wanted ta protect a kid an' thi-this is what happened.

I ca-ca-ca-can't stay outta the wa-way if they're messin wi-with kids. I can't le-le-let anyone hurt 'em. They're ju-just little kids...

[pushedaround]

[ Hell, Tavros is possibly the last creature in this tower that would judge anyone for resolving to tears. He never really considered it as a sign of weakness, and now that Rabbit was kind enough to explain his reasons, Tavros had a bit of understanding of the source of his frustration. ]

Well, I don't know if it will make you feel any better, but ... I think you're really brave.

[ Whether he was successful or not, it was pretty badass of him to stand up for someone in need. It's a hero quality, and this kid is all about heroes. ]

I mean-

Sometimes you get caught up in shit and all you can think about is saving yourself. It's so easy to grow selfish around here, and forget about others while you attempt to nurture your own wounds. So, yeah. Maybe you got really hurt this time, and blew up into piece and stuff, but I'm confident that you will do better in the future!

[ He throws his fists up, and judging from that grin on his face, Tavros is fully aware of how ridiculous he looks right now. ]

So, don't be sad, okay? You did good. You should be proud of yourself for trying to save someone.

[spaghettiinmysoul]

[He might still break down into tears. It had been a long time since he last felt this helpless. He finished pressing the dents out of his faceplate, and got down to the task of screwing it back in again. The comment of him being brave... prompted a small puff of steam from the robot, smiling faintly]

Y-yeah... real brave.

[Stupid, but brave. At least they could agree on that. The robot hadn't backed down and fled at the very least.]

I d-d-don't think I'll e-ever forget her. Or anyone else. It ain't ri-right, me stayin' s-safe while everyone else gets hurt. Someone's g-g-gotta help 'em. I'm j-just a singer though. Ain't that good with fi-fightin'. Not anymore.

[Well, if it helped, Rabbit didn't think Tavros looked ridiculous right now. The pep talk was certainly helping, if only a little bit]

J-j-just wish I c-coulda done more ta help.