[The Pokemon swarm is brief but fierce. Fortunately, Razor is very insistent on sharing and pecks anyone who tries to get too grabby. She leaves PI alone, although she shoots him dirty looks for stealing the coffee and fluffs her feathers in indignation. So rude!]
[Either way, she manages to get the Pokecchinos distributed without much fuss, then flutters to Mando's shoulder. She's clutching a cup in one birdy fist, and offers it to Mando. Here, he can have this one. It was for PI, but screw him, Mando can have it now! Crest is guarding Razor's, and has taken it up onto the windowsill, away from the rabble.]
No, thank you. You go ahead.
[Mando sits up, giving his head a quick shake. His centre of balance is off again, now that he has his armour back. It's a good thing he didn't land on any Pokemon.]
Do you need me to leave?
[It's directed at the lump of blankets which is presumably Riz.]
[Riz grumbles something into the mattress, probably along the lines of 'yes, let me die here, but tell my mom I died valiantly in battle', before a horrible thought occurs to him.
What if Mando is offering him privacy because he thinks Riz was purposely looking at that stuff and that he wants alone time to finish up? Which. Totally normal to do! Super Fine. No kink shaming here, but also eww.
Oh fuck, oh no.
Riz shoots up, fighting his way out from underneath his shame tent of blankets, his face red-hot and sweaty.]
I swear I wasn't looking at-- at that stuff! It wasn't me! My device totally just started playing that by itself!
[If Riz is trying to be convincing that he wasn't, in fact, using that porn for the purpose for which it was intended, the whole 'red faced and sweaty' thing isn't exactly selling his explanation. But Mando will give him the benefit of the doubt, because that's what friends do.]
Is it malfunctioning? I can take a look at it.
[Mando isn't afraid to admit that he's enjoyed some porn from time to time, and he won't be embarrassed by it. He's also wearing a helmet, so even if he is, Riz won't know! Bonus!]
[At this point, Riz could probably be converted to the helmet lifestyle.]
No. No, it's fine. I shut it off.
[He'll boot it up later, somewhere very private and deal with it if the... the sounds are still playing. Much later. When he's mentally fortified himself. But what he really wants to avoid right now is the possibility of them both sitting in this little room, porn blasting, while Mando tries to fix the gear.]
I'm serious, man. I know there's viruses on, like... websites like that but I really wasn't looking at it.
[Mando is quiet for awhile after that, letting Riz collect himself and calm down. He scolds PI a little for stealing Riz's coffee, then makes a fresh cup for Riz, offering it to the top bunk.]
I mean it. It's fine if you're not interested in that kind of thing.
[He heard what Riz said to the bird, after all. Last time, Mando let him get away with some sparring and a sand fight, but now seems like as good a time as any to actually discuss the issue.]
[All Mando will see of Riz is one small hand snaking out over the edge of the top bunk to accept the offered cup of coffee, before it retreats back to its bunk lair.
Is Riz going to drink his coffee laying down? Fuck off, he can do what he wants!!
And sure, Riz had talked about this to his dad before but that had been basically half a year ago (has he really been here that long already? horrific) and things haven't changed. His dad said they might, that it was okay wasn't there yet, but months later, Riz still doesn't get it. He doesn't get why everybody cares so much about kissing. It just looks wet and a little gross to him. He doesn't want anyone else's tongue to touch his tongue. The very thought makes him feel slightly queasy.
But clearly, that isn't a concern for anyone else! It's not just the bad kids. Even the friends he has made here care about that sort of thing. And people on the network do and talk about who is and isn't hot. And Riz just. Still doesn't get it. Doesn't want to get it, he thinks, but also doesn't want to not get it?]
It's weird.
[The response is soft and a little sulky almost. And it is very possible the only reason Riz is even responding is because he cannot actually see Mando. And Mando cannot see him. Almost makes it feel more like he is talking to himself.]
[One of the benefits of constantly wearing a helmet is that no one can look you in the eye. Mando has found that people tend to talk to him more because of it, and he thinks that's what Riz is doing now.]
[He settles himself on the lower bunk. Mudhorn clamours up next to him and lays his head in Mando's lap, grumbling softly, and Mando pets his new tusks.]
[Though, it's not like it stopped when you stopped being a teenager. Judging by the mess Sandra-Lynn had made of things pursuing Garthy (and his own father's allusions to be, ah, very active in that area as a young adult) it's clear to Riz that grown-ups don't care any less about sex than teenagers do. Which is a problem because it means the rest of the world isn't just going to grow out of being obsessed with kissing either.]
[Mando is actually a little amused by that response. Riz isn't wrong, of course, but it's been awhile since Mando hung out with a gang of teenagers. Riz, little ball of nerves and conspiracy that he is, is the exception.]
But with adults too. I've met intelligent species that reproduce with spoors and never see another of their own kind.
[Intelligent might be a slight oversell, but Sarlaccs are close enough, right?]
[He loves the bad kids, and he's certainly been struck by the impulse to purr when he is very relaxed in their presence (not that it is always very easy for him to relax) but so far, he's clamped down on it. It's just... after so long of clamping down on overt goblin traits, it's hard to let go of it. And even if a logical part of him knows the rest of the bad kids wouldn't mind them (Fig had clearly thought his hissing was cool), a small part of him still worries that being too much of a goblin will be a nuisance somehow, and will have them rethinking their friendship with him.
Which, again, he knows they won't! But insecurities.]
Maybe you'll get a chance someday. I think they'd like it.
[Mando clearly comes from a more egalitarian world, where different species and races are more or less accepted. He also has the privilege of strutting around being a Mandalorian, and only the very, very confident ever try to mess with Mandalorians.]
[Would being a human be easier sometimes? Probably yeah. Humans have to deal with a lot less racism. And being such a dominant group in his world, the world is, quite literally, made for them. They don't have to scramble to get on a chair, or use a step-stool to reach the sink.
But despite that, Riz doesn't want to be a human. Whatever bigoted thoughts people might have about goblins, he likes being a goblin. He likes having claws and fangs and a tail. He likes looking like his parents. He likes being him.]
It's just-- It doesn't feel right, you know? If I look in a mirror and stuff. It's just not right.
[Not that Riz looks in mirrors a lot, not since Baron. But if he catches a glimpse of his reflection here, in a shop window, or from the corner of his eye, it never feels like him. It always just feels like he's looking at someone else.]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-06-10 12:13 pm (UTC)[Either way, she manages to get the Pokecchinos distributed without much fuss, then flutters to Mando's shoulder. She's clutching a cup in one birdy fist, and offers it to Mando. Here, he can have this one. It was for PI, but screw him, Mando can have it now! Crest is guarding Razor's, and has taken it up onto the windowsill, away from the rabble.]
No, thank you. You go ahead.
[Mando sits up, giving his head a quick shake. His centre of balance is off again, now that he has his armour back. It's a good thing he didn't land on any Pokemon.]
Do you need me to leave?
[It's directed at the lump of blankets which is presumably Riz.]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-10 01:38 pm (UTC)What if Mando is offering him privacy because he thinks Riz was purposely looking at that stuff and that he wants alone time to finish up? Which. Totally normal to do! Super Fine. No kink shaming here, but also eww.
Oh fuck, oh no.
Riz shoots up, fighting his way out from underneath his shame tent of blankets, his face red-hot and sweaty.]
I swear I wasn't looking at-- at that stuff! It wasn't me! My device totally just started playing that by itself!
no subject
Date: 2022-06-10 02:08 pm (UTC)Is it malfunctioning? I can take a look at it.
[Mando isn't afraid to admit that he's enjoyed some porn from time to time, and he won't be embarrassed by it. He's also wearing a helmet, so even if he is, Riz won't know! Bonus!]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-11 12:17 am (UTC)No. No, it's fine. I shut it off.
[He'll boot it up later, somewhere very private and deal with it if the... the sounds are still playing. Much later. When he's mentally fortified himself. But what he really wants to avoid right now is the possibility of them both sitting in this little room, porn blasting, while Mando tries to fix the gear.]
I'm serious, man. I know there's viruses on, like... websites like that but I really wasn't looking at it.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-11 02:52 pm (UTC)It's okay if you were.
[Mando gets to his feet, brushing some lost Pokemon feathers off his armour.]
You wouldn't offend me if you wanted the room to yourself for awhile.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-11 04:02 pm (UTC)Riz doesn't always do the smart thing.]
But I don't. This wasn't me.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-12 01:41 pm (UTC)[Mando holds up his hands, palm out. Peace, man, peace.]
I'm saying that if you wanted to in the future, you could. Or not. It doesn't make a difference to me.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-13 01:34 am (UTC)[With all the excitement passed, Riz flops onto his back on his top bunk. He can't see Mando like this, only the ceiling.]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-13 05:53 pm (UTC)I mean it. It's fine if you're not interested in that kind of thing.
[He heard what Riz said to the bird, after all. Last time, Mando let him get away with some sparring and a sand fight, but now seems like as good a time as any to actually discuss the issue.]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-20 01:39 am (UTC)Is Riz going to drink his coffee laying down? Fuck off, he can do what he wants!!
And sure, Riz had talked about this to his dad before but that had been basically half a year ago (has he really been here that long already? horrific) and things haven't changed. His dad said they might, that it was okay wasn't there yet, but months later, Riz still doesn't get it. He doesn't get why everybody cares so much about kissing. It just looks wet and a little gross to him. He doesn't want anyone else's tongue to touch his tongue. The very thought makes him feel slightly queasy.
But clearly, that isn't a concern for anyone else! It's not just the bad kids. Even the friends he has made here care about that sort of thing. And people on the network do and talk about who is and isn't hot. And Riz just. Still doesn't get it. Doesn't want to get it, he thinks, but also doesn't want to not get it?]
It's weird.
[The response is soft and a little sulky almost. And it is very possible the only reason Riz is even responding is because he cannot actually see Mando. And Mando cannot see him. Almost makes it feel more like he is talking to himself.]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-21 11:54 am (UTC)[He settles himself on the lower bunk. Mudhorn clamours up next to him and lays his head in Mando's lap, grumbling softly, and Mando pets his new tusks.]
Not really. Not where I come from.
no subject
Date: 2022-06-22 03:03 am (UTC)What, are there no teenagers where you are from?
[Though, it's not like it stopped when you stopped being a teenager. Judging by the mess Sandra-Lynn had made of things pursuing Garthy (and his own father's allusions to be, ah, very active in that area as a young adult) it's clear to Riz that grown-ups don't care any less about sex than teenagers do. Which is a problem because it means the rest of the world isn't just going to grow out of being obsessed with kissing either.]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-23 06:43 pm (UTC)[Mando is actually a little amused by that response. Riz isn't wrong, of course, but it's been awhile since Mando hung out with a gang of teenagers. Riz, little ball of nerves and conspiracy that he is, is the exception.]
But with adults too. I've met intelligent species that reproduce with spoors and never see another of their own kind.
[Intelligent might be a slight oversell, but Sarlaccs are close enough, right?]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-25 01:52 am (UTC)Really? That sounds nice.
[It really does! If only everybody else just reproduced with spores, then nobody would care about kissing all this much, right?]
I bet Mandalorians don't even kiss...
[Cause. The helmets. Like what, do they just bonk them together?]
no subject
Date: 2022-06-25 04:32 pm (UTC)No, we don't.
[Because of the helmets.]
We might touch the forehead of our helmets together to show affection, but that's all.
[Although those other, weird Mandalorians who take their helmets off probably kiss, but Mando is just not going to mention them.]
You don't need to kiss to show someone you care about them.
no subject
Date: 2022-07-02 12:07 am (UTC)He nods (even though Mando can't see) when he says that Mandalorians put their heads together. Makes sense.]
Goblins purr. Just with other goblins though. You can't-- it's not good to stand out in public.
[Not when almost every other race already looks down on them.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-05 12:13 pm (UTC)[Mando scratches behind Mudhorn's ears.]
Have you ever purred around your friends?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-06 06:41 pm (UTC)[He loves the bad kids, and he's certainly been struck by the impulse to purr when he is very relaxed in their presence (not that it is always very easy for him to relax) but so far, he's clamped down on it. It's just... after so long of clamping down on overt goblin traits, it's hard to let go of it. And even if a logical part of him knows the rest of the bad kids wouldn't mind them (Fig had clearly thought his hissing was cool), a small part of him still worries that being too much of a goblin will be a nuisance somehow, and will have them rethinking their friendship with him.
Which, again, he knows they won't! But insecurities.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-07 01:52 pm (UTC)[Mando clearly comes from a more egalitarian world, where different species and races are more or less accepted. He also has the privilege of strutting around being a Mandalorian, and only the very, very confident ever try to mess with Mandalorians.]
Do you miss being a goblin?
no subject
Date: 2022-07-07 10:52 pm (UTC)[Would being a human be easier sometimes? Probably yeah. Humans have to deal with a lot less racism. And being such a dominant group in his world, the world is, quite literally, made for them. They don't have to scramble to get on a chair, or use a step-stool to reach the sink.
But despite that, Riz doesn't want to be a human. Whatever bigoted thoughts people might have about goblins, he likes being a goblin. He likes having claws and fangs and a tail. He likes looking like his parents. He likes being him.]
It's just-- It doesn't feel right, you know? If I look in a mirror and stuff. It's just not right.
[Not that Riz looks in mirrors a lot, not since Baron. But if he catches a glimpse of his reflection here, in a shop window, or from the corner of his eye, it never feels like him. It always just feels like he's looking at someone else.]
no subject
Date: 2022-07-10 02:36 pm (UTC)[It's not the same, and Mando knows it, but he can relate on some level.]
I'd feel the same if I ever lost my helmet.
[Foreshadowing!]
I think if something feels right to you, it doesn't need to be questioned. It's just a part of who you are.