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...Yeah, sure.

[Or kind of. His brain went all fuzzy about halfway through, overwhelmed by the information and the emotions brought on by the possibility of home. He's sure Crow wouldn't make that part up, so he'll take his word for it.

And, admittedly, he just wants to hurry this up so he'll know what Crow's getting at. He's anxious not knowing.]

[Crow is pretty sure he did see that written or spoken somewhere during the announcement, but even if that wasn't the case and he's mistaken somehow, there's no telling whether or not it would help or change anything.

Instead of giving a verbal reply, he looks upward, as if listening for something, and then...starts removing pieces of clothing--his scarf to start with, and then (after a slight moment of hesitation) starts shrugging off that purple technicolor jacket he's always wearing. Once he does so, you'll now be able to see his bare arms. Much like that one glimpse of his wrist you got a long time ago before, Firo will now see more metal, being held together by screws and the like at the joints. The same goes for what appears to be the rest of his body, since the metal extends upward to his shoulders and his chest.

Normally, he would be hesitant to allow anyone other than Seto see that much of what he looks like without the jacket, but he's a man on a mission, so to speak, as he starts pushing aside the purple suspenders he wears underneath the jacket so that he can get to a spot somewhere on his back.]

...On my back there's this thing that opens and has some stuff in there. Look at it and tell me if you've ever seen anything that looks like what's in there back where you're from.

[Sure enough, there is a panel being held closed with some screws, but after fishing through one of his pockets he finds a screwdriver to hand over; however, he's quick to add--]

But don't touch anything, just look and then close it back up again for me.

[Can you guess why he's doing this now, Firo.]

Edited 2015-02-02 01:39 (UTC)

[Firo's pretty shocked to see Crow start taking all that off, but that's not the only reason he's starting in confusion. He's never seen anyone like Crow, except for the Luceti droids. Even then, they're pretty different from this kid... He catches himself and yanks his eyes away.]

O-okay. I'll be careful.

[He takes the screwdriver with some reluctance and walks behind Crow. He's never opened someone up before--well, not in a non-violent way--and he's a little freaked out by the thought. Isn't this going to hurt? He's far more gentle while unscrewing the panel than someone might expect from Firo. He turns the screws slowly, carefully, then eases the panel off.

He's silent for a moment as he studies the insides. Please, please let him be useful somehow...]

I... No, I'm sorry, Crow. But, like I said, I really don't know a lot about anything like this! Maybe... maybe there's somebody else. We could find someone!

[Firo may not look it, but he has resources back home. The men in his Family are smart, and then they know even more smart people around the city.

Whatever Crow's problem is--Firo hasn't quite put the pieces together yet--he must know someone who could help.]

[There isn't a problem--not yet, anyway, but it certainly looks like you'll need someone who has some understanding of mechanics and technical stuff since there's a bunch of wires and what is likely a fancy-looking battery somewhere in there. Crow doesn't say anything, he'll wait until Firo secures the panel back in place before he speaks.]

That stuff in there...I guess you'd say it's what keeps me alive? [Seto insists that he is "alive", but others could argue it's just a source of power for a machine.] There's a battery in there that keeps me going, but if it runs out, my body stops being able to move. I guess for humans, it's like...dying. [Remember that one time they talked about death? At the time, Crow never actually claimed that he couldn't die because of how he is, just that it's "not like how it is for you humans" or something like that at the time.]

Before I showed up, my battery ran out, but I guess those guys were nice enough to give me a new battery here. [Or whatever it was they did to wake him up again.] I don't know if I can take anymore of 'em with me if I try to leave this place, though, so...

[It's also the reason why he and Seto are not looking forward to the idea of going back home. If they go back, then it means Crow is going back home to the moment when his battery ran out. He would be going back home to die.]

[Firo works more quickly replacing the plate. Crow didn't seem uncomfortable last time, so Firo figures he doesn't have to move so gingerly to avoid hurting him.

And, well, his hands are shaking and he doesn't want to risk the possibility that Crow might sense that.

As Crow speaks, Firo walks back around to face him. He hands back the screwdriver too quickly, practically forcing it into Crow's hands so he can hide his own in his pockets all the quicker.

His mouth drops open.]

I thought you--

[Yes, he remembers that conversation. He'd taken comfort in the thought that Crow would be around forever. To learn that that's not the case is a blow to his heart.]

Th-then we'll just hafta find one when we get there. People're doin' all kinds a' crazy things with electricity back home!

[He could live forever, if they had an infinite supply of batteries/something to keep him from running out of energy, but otherwise...yeah. He may not be able to feel pain, or it may be extremely difficult to hurt the outer shell, but that battery is pretty much his weak point.]

Yeah? [He considers it for a moment.] I guess there could be ways to keep me going, but...look, I need you to do something for me.

[And here, he looks Firo dead in the eye, the most serious and determined he's probably ever been.]

You have'ta take care of Seto. I can't let my best friend be all alone again...so, if we go with you back to your place, I wanna make sure that Seto's gonna be okay if something happens to me.

[He's pretty sure he doesn't even have to ask for Firo to look after Seto. They're a family, right? He can trust that Firo would take care of his best friend if things don't work out for us.]

[He'll look at all the help for Crow he can. Even if Firo himself can't do anything, he's sure he and his friends can find someone who can. He doesn't want to think about what could happen if they find nothing.

All the same, he wouldn't dream of ignoring whatever Crow needs to say.]

I'm listenin'.

[The look on his face softens as Crow speaks.]

...Of course I'm gonna take care a' him. Nobody'd be able to stop me. And even if both of us are outta the picture for some reason, he'll have my whole family to take care a' him too.

[Firo can't die, but he can still be eaten. It's also possible, likely even, that he could wind up in prison for a while. But the Martillos and Ennis and Czes will be okay. And they'll make sure Seto's okay.]

Well I'm trusting you with this, so...

[Don't talk like something might happen to you too. But nonetheless...]

...Thanks. I'm glad we can count on someone for this. [Before meeting Seto, Crow didn't trust anybody. Even after meeting Seto, his best friend was the only person he truly trusted in this place for the longest time...but now that we're reaching the end, he's realized that there are a few people that he wants to be able to trust too, and Firo is one of those people. He vaguely remembers Firo saying that they were a family a long while ago--not just Firo and Seto being one, but that Crow was a part of that too, and he really wants to believe that.]

I know, I know. I'll take care a' him.

[He'll do everything in his power to keep himself out of trouble if it's for family.]

...You can count on me to take care a' you, too. You're both family to me.

[Crow's love for Seto is admirable. But Firo doesn't want Crow to forget that there are people watching his back too.]

[Crow blinks at that, as if surprised for a second before...suddenly having a fit of laughter.]

Pfffthahaha, geez, there you go again saying sappy things! [He grabs his jacket now and starts trying to tug it back on again.] And here I was thinking that maybe you weren't as lame as I thought you were...

[Says the hypocritical kid who was talking about caring of his best friend and some other heavy stuff a second ago...]

Wha--?

[Firo leans back a little, stunned by the sudden about-face.]

L-lookin' out for your family isn't lame!

[His face is burning even as he protests. He rarely allows himself to be so open about his feelings--rarely can be--so saying all that was hard enough without being laughed at.

Despite all that, he's not mad at Crow. Just embarrassed. No matter what Crow says to him, he still appreciates that they were able to talk like they just did.]

I didn't say it was, just that it sounded sappy coming from you.

[Any excuses to try to embarrass you are okay with him, Firo. So you'll have to forgive him for being a brat as he finishes securing his jacket back on and starts looking around for wherever his scarf went so that he can put that back on too.]

I-I'm not sappy... You're the one who made this all emotional anyway! I should be callin' you that.

[He nods triumphantly, as if he actually pulled off a good argument and not an "I know you are, but what am I."

He reaches down to the kitchen floor and hands Crow's scarf to him.

Actually, he throws it at him, because Firo's mature.]

[Crow catches the scarf, giving Firo a roll of the eyes at that comment.]

Yeah, right. When I say or do stuff like that, it's totally different.

[He fixes his scarf back on, and once he's checked to make sure that his appearance is normal again...]

...Like say, if I did something like this, for example:

[Suddenly, Crow is moving right up in Firo's personal space, reaching his arms out towards the other...]

[...to give him a hug. And not just like a one-armed bro hug like you'd expect, like an actual proper hug using both arms to wrap around Firo's chest for a second. The emotional kind you might have seen a glimpse of him offering for Seto once or twice during their stay here, maybe.]

Thank you, Firo. I'm really glad that we're friends.

Edited 2015-02-07 07:32 (UTC)

[...And then he starts to pull away just as soon as he's said that, as if anticipating that Firo might try to shove him away. (Or, do something crazy like hug him back, because why would he make this any more sappy than it already is?)]

See, when I do stuff like that, it's not nearly as lame or sappy as the sort of thing you'd say or do. It's practically an honor to get that sort of treatment from someone as amazing as I am, you know?

[Uh-huh, sure Crow...]

Oh, is it? And why's--?

[Whoa, why is Crow coming towards him? Firo almost draws away when he reaches out, thinking that this is going to turn into a punch.

...

This is not at all what he expected.]

[Slowed by his short-circuiting brain, Firo's only reaching back to hug Crow as the kid's already drawing away. He stands there staring for a moment and it's not entirely clear if he's actually listening to the rst of what Crow says.]

Wha--

...Did you really mean that?

[Well, he hasn't pulled away completely yet, so if Firo really wants to try and hug him back, there's nothing stopping him from doing so right now.]

No, I was obviously just making stuff up and hugging you for no reason.

[Said completely deadpan, too. There's at least a beat of silence here...]

[And then he rolls his eyes, grinning again.]

Come on, you seriously have to ask that? Of course I meant what I said. Why would I say something as important as that if I didn't really mean it?

[So yes, he really meant it, he's glad that you're his friend. The hug was also perfectly sincere, too.]

[Firo's ashamed that his heart skips a beat at Crow's fake--he couldn't imagine that the kid could feign the emotions they just shared... but he's been surprised before.

He reaches out to slap Crow's shoulder, but if he lets Firo's hand sit there, it'll turn into a friendly squeeze.]

H-hey, you never know!

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