HELLO, PLANET

Ah... – maybe he should have read the quest through more thoroughly. To his credit, the terminal was a lot bigger than Voyager was, and he hadn’t been able to see the screen that well. He thinks he’s supposed to destroy some of these bugs? And there sure are a lot of them.

They’re kind of cute, really? Voyager doesn’t really want to have to dispose of them, even though they’re all swarming around him right now. They aren’t really, doing anything to hurt him? They just seem like they might be a nuisance, because there – again – are a lot of them, but they don’t seem to be bad?

“Hmmm, hmmm!”

He’s just kneeling himself down in the middle of a bunch of them, not doing anything to try and make any progress in any sort of bug extermination whatsoever. And –

–oh! There’s a pretty lady not too far away. Voyager raises his hand to wave at her. He hopes she doesn’t plan to do anything to hurt the bugs around him? She might think he’s in trouble, but he isn’t, so...

[ @sunboyallowed​ ]

“Hey. Hey kid. Hey.”

“I need your help. I need practice to deal with her over there,” she said, gesturing with her thumb behind her shoulder at an Ofiuclone that was just… standing there. Menacingly. Okay, no, not menacingly, but looming for sure. Utage was previously engaged with her, before breaking off to come bother Voyager instead as he was the closest around.

“Okay. Ready?” she said, though without waiting for an answer she was already holding up a hand and fist in the classic ‘about to play rock-paper-scissors’ stance.

That sure was one of the Ofiucos just hanging around, huh? Even with this lady stopping to get his attention, Voyager first lifted his hand to wave at the clone instead. She stopped looming for a moment to wave back, and then went right back to looming. Voyager beamed.

“Okay!” he finally responded. Though – maybe exactly what he was supposed to be doing had, much like the Ofiuclones in the city, flown right over his head. Voyager stared at the stranger’s extended fist, and then... slowly reached his own up to bump it against hers.

“Do your best,” he added, in a suddenly much-more-serious voice, like he was mimicking a motivational speaker.

     “ Ha ha ha. No, I’m afraid not, my friend. If nothing else, it is merely the face I choose. ”  Voice dances with amusement, for his laughter leaves the words buoyant, mirthful. Children always have a way of being honest, he finds. It is a trait he admires, as it is one typically lost as one ages.      Nevertheless, the boy’s eyes alight with wonder, and so eager is he to share what it is that he is fond of. Space, hm… Zacharie believes he may have something fit for him after all — since his most recent arrival, he’s collected the few odd or in for encounters just like this one. The backpack is shrugged from his shoulders, and he begins to rummage through knickknacks one after the other… 

     “ And what is it you like about space? ”  he asks, the words accompanied by a sing-songy hum. His fingers meet the object he seeks between conversation, though he waits in bringing it out and presenting it. He’d like to give the boy a chance to talk.  “ The stars are a fantastic sight to behold, wouldn’t you agree? I’ve seen them seldom before, my first having been in this very city… Surely there is nothing else like it. ”

What does he like about space? Voyager stops to think that over for a bit, rocking back on his heels while he does. That’s... a lot. There’s A Lot that he likes about space, but he isn’t sure how quite to say the words. Things like forming sentences with that much meaning are still really hard for him to do. If Erice was here, or maybe if he was with Ritsuka right now... either of them would probably know what to say to get what Voyager meant across. He purses his lips for a moment, then gives a dramatic, “Hummm...”

“I... think,” he finally continues, softly, and it’s obvious he’s still doing his best to find the proper words to convey his feelings, “I like space... because, it’s hope. It’s... vast, and in that vastness, is... ambition. I think that’s, beautiful.” Because humanity is small, just a pale blue dot in the distance, but their dreams are big, and Voyager is those dreams. The comment about stars has him break out into a smile, though, and he claps his hands together.

     “ My mask, you say? Ah ah ah. I wear mine for no reason in particular, little one. Rather the simple fact is that I like masks, nothing more. ”

“ Surely you must have something you like just the same. I’d like to hear of it. Perhaps I may have something for you. ”

✖.                           @sunboyallowed​​  ❤‘d  for  a  starter!

“I kinda just thought it was your face.”

Voyager laughs, but in all honesty he’s – really relieved that it’s just a mask. Someone having a face that looked like this, without it ever moving, would be really scary. He doesn’t think he’d like that.

“ A lot of things shouldn’t be possible. “

From his perspective anyway. There was a whole new sense of mundane in this world. This weather was an anomaly on it’s own but looking at similar events in the past it was simply one of the many large scale disasters.

“ … help? “ he repeats. 

Appearance being deceiving is all in accordance to the new norm, too but childish eagerness to help isn’t exactly out of ordinary either. Still, he isn’t the type to shut down potentially useful assistance.

“ Do you have something in mind then? “

That’s true, too. Voyager tried, a lot, to try and make sense of the things that happened in this city, with what he knew of the world (a lot) and what he knew of Servants (considerably less). It was instinctive, really, that every time something changed, no matter how brief, Voyager would try to come up with a reasonable conclusion to it.

He... never really succeeded.

He wasn’t succeeding now, either. Voyager hums a little and rocks back and forth on his heels. Diamonds falling from the sky and building up like snow... they couldn’t be damaged by anything else... he’d spotted chunks of diamonds breaking apart from each other, hadn’t he? And this man had said he wanted to try a coated bullet. Voyager hums a little louder, then stops.

“... you could try taping pieces, to one?” In fact, he’s all but hopping a little closer to the wide open space away from the awning. “Or, finding a bullet-shaped chunk, and... reload!”

“Hmmm... hmm!” He gestures the basic size and shape he has in mind with his fingers. “... do you think, that would work?”

The building he chose to keep from the harsh wind is of course standing against it, leaving the cold rushing forward from where he’s sitting. Ogata’s out to procure some filling for his and his cats’ stomachs but that’ll have to push until the weather eases up. He just has to hope the storefront doesn’t get too rained on by the diamonds.

It’s not much of a surprise that someone else would pick the place, Ogata figures. He’s got his hood over his head so he doesn’t see the kid coming, especially since he’s on his blindside but he does hear him and so recoils but only slightly as he turns to look at him. Blue eyes in open stare meet his own. Ogata can only return the courtesy of silence. Where did this kid come from? 

“ ….it doesn’t but “, he replies when he asks but then moves his hand to the bullet lied on the ground a touch away from the awning.

“ I was thinking of testing out if I can use one coated on it but…. “

Since it’s a plan of many imperfections there’s only a few of them laying on the ground. While he does have something to cut break them off the ground it might be impossible to get them out intact. Then there’s if he can pull them off intact and if they’ll fit to the gun and won’t break it. 

At the end of  the day  it a never ending string of ‘maybe’s, so  he’ll need to see if any of it goes well at all.

“ The rain is? “ 

It doesn’t? That’s... well, things have been pretty weird here in general since Voyager first showed up, huh? Still, even if it wasn’t likely for diamonds to fall like snow in the first place, he would have at least thought a gun could make some headway on them. He lets his gaze fall to the fallen bullet. He can’t see any impact points on the diamonds nearby to it.

“...uh-huh. Rain.”

“I don’t think... weather like this... should be, possible?”

Voyager almost wants to talk out loud for a moment to get a better grasp on his thoughts, and opens his mouth like he’s going to say more, but ends up not following through. It’s just observations, anyway – he doesn’t know if that’s something other people are interested in? Not without them saying so, at least. Should he ask...?

No, maybe not.

(It is curious though, isn’t it? That something like this should be impossible? So much of this... Voyager wonders what it could mean.)

he absolutely pauses when he starts wagging his finger at him, but he doesn’t ask for clarification on why so he can give voyager time to think. he seems to be thinking pretty deeply on it, so.. waiting isn’t the worst. eventually, he starts talking again, and what he says takes hanako wildly off-guard. he stays paused for a couple more seconds, too.

“Is that so?” isn’t pointed or said with negative undertones, because hanako’s not upset with it; it’s almost like he’s trying to wrap his head around whether or not something like this would be okay, even with hanako. he thinks he knows what photo voyager is referring to, too, and hanako wishes he could have seen it.

“Weeell if ya still think it’d be important even with me in it, then I won’t argue with you. Hey—are you.. on your way anywhere? Do you eat human food?” … he kind of imagines this is what it’d feel like to babysit? he doesn’t think voyager needs that, but wanting to take care of someone is still… … he doesn’t finish the thought.

“I’m gonna go get something to eat, so, do you wanna come with me?” he doesn’t admit that he doesn’t actually need food, but he’s still not entirely sure if voyager needs it either. it’s entirely a possibility, if he’s wandering around as something like this instead of remaining a space probe. it’s just easier to ask, ultimately.

If he still thinks it’d be important?

“I do!”

It’s spoken with a sudden burst of energy (though, really, his voice doesn’t get much louder than usual at all) and Voyager spreads his arms wiiiide, or as wide as he can manage, which truthfully isn’t very. He stretches them almost a little too far, and gives a soft “ow” before letting them fall back down to his sides. Should have thought that one through a bit? Oh well. He felt like it was what he needed to do, so it isn’t that he regrets it other than his arms feeling a bit stretchy now.

“Oh... no!”

He wasn’t going anywhere in particular. Voyager was adaptable, anyway; going anywhere and everywhere here was a new chance to explore. He beams, widely, face all alight with pride. He can probably mention some of it to Hanako, if he gets the chance (he hasn’t realized Hanako never introduced himself, but it doesn’t matter much).

“I, eat. Yes!” He can! Sometimes he was prone to forget if no one told him to, though. Going somewhere... going somewhere... oh! He raises a hand and loops his fingers with Hanako. That’s how people lead one another to the same place. He knows. “What do you like? I want... to try it.”

    gorgeous, one may describe it. inspiring, even, with streets and housing holding such an aweing sparkle. to be able to cast such a view upon a naked canvas would hardly do the sight justice, but to capture the invoked emotion would be another matter. one which yusuke would be more than pleased to create – were he able to obtain that which he required.

  yet, with torso lodged halfway between a gap in the diamond a hand fruitlessly reaches for a barred door. fingertips ghost over the handle bringing forth a grunt as efforts increase a moment longer. hypothesis being, if he were able to throw open the door there’s a chance he may manage to squeeze through, but it’s an idea met in vain. 

  “ – no use.” a breathy mutter; a thought spoken allowed as the teen dislodges himself from the diamond. as things stand his apartment would be inaccessible, as would any art supplies he may have left over from a previous stay… or a proper jacket, for that matter.

  a sigh carries through the air as arms come to cross over his chest, a few steps backwards to create distance from self and the trapped door. curious eyes scaled the building top to bottom, head shaking away what ideas came to mind and forcing attention elsewhere; to something else. 

  with a gentle clatter on the ground beside him, followed by another, a quickened pace lead him to another building and beneath its awning. occupied as it were, hopefully his company would be tolerated. “ .. what a time to be locked out.” this island kept its strange reputation. “ah–” he turns to the awnings occupant, “– i assume you’re in a similar boat, being out here?” 

              @sunboyallowed​ / event sc.

He’d been watching, actually. He was good at that – observing, learning, he was supposed to do that – so, had they looked around a moment sooner, actually, they might have seen a little head of radiant golden hair peering around the corner of the building down the street to where they were failing quite miserably at tugging open the apartment doors. Only when the stranger gave up and started hurrying down the block did Voyager pop back out of sight with a surprised little “ah!”.

– oh! They were coming this way anyway. Voyager hadn’t really expected that, and for a moment his brow furrowed in thought, but it didn’t last very long. He had to really crank his head up to look at them, though. “...uwa...” He’d just take a few steps back. Made things easier.

“... hello.”

“We aren’t... in a boat.” He didn’t comment on it any more than that, though (even if he did spend a moment trying to put two and two together with being in ‘a similar boat’). But – ‘what a time to be locked out’, they’d said. Voyager nodded. “Oh... yes. I, saw you.” His hands moved up, mimicking tugging at the handle of the apartment. “I couldn’t get in, either. But, it’s okay. The outside... it isn’t so bad.”

And he smiled, softly.

He hadn’t been too concerned about the state of affairs yet, at least not in the ways everyone else had been. Voyager had definitely watched more than a few people scurrying about and fretting about getting back indoors, but... uh, definitely did not seem to share their sense of urgency. It was more common to see him almost a little too nonchalant about it all, peering in or up at this or that thing.

Right now, though... surprisingly not? The constant pelting of diamond had gotten too much for him, which finds Voyager currently hiding under a particularly strong building’s awning. The wind isn’t blowing the shards this way, not right now, and it’s a welcome reprieve.

When someone else joins him under it, he doesn’t raise his hand to wave or anything – just stares for a moment, eyes wide. He even seems blissfully unaware of how strange it is when he finally does lift a hand – to point directly at the rifle the new guest has.

“Has that, worked?”

Voyager doesn’t have any weapons of his own to have tested out, and his hands alone hadn’t done anything (other than causing him to go “ouch” and pull them back as quickly as he’d tried). He blinks once, then gazes back out at the persistent diamondfall.

★ : she’d just figured they’d moved right to talking about the heavenly bodies and not, you know, all that stuff in-between. space. space. marisa had spent so many restless nights at the telescope back at her home in gensokyo, observing the night sky and sketching planets and stars — but she’d never really focused all that much on the space between them all.

and to hear this strange little boy talk about space like this had her wondering whether or not he was actually a little kid after all. not that that would be surprising, given the sheer amount of youkai she knows from back home that look absolutely nothing like their actual age.

‘oh, that’s wild. where were you goin’ out there, anyway?’ he seems a little flustered by the notion of anything contrary to his knowledge, and perhaps that is the most childlike of tendencies she’s noticed, but this discussion is otherwise completely out of this world. she’ll drop the line about the lunarians for now — they’re pretty secretive anyway, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone else hadn’t happened to have even heard of them, much less seen them for themselves.

‘now i wanna know. like, what do you do out in space, anyway? doesn’t sound like a fun vacation if you ask me. didja see anything else besides planets and stars?’ she is, admittedly, dying to ask more questions.

Where was he going? He hums in thought for a moment, just trying to properly come up with the words to say. It was obvious to him, anyway, what his purpose was, but he doesn’t know how obvious it might be to anyone else? Or how much sense it might make. That’s the thing, about being here, is nobody seems to really understand that he’s saying things as obviously as he can. No metaphors, not really.

“Away,” he finally says, after a moment, and nods in agreement with himself when the words sound right. Because there wasn’t really much more than that? He didn’t have a solid destination. They hadn’t sent him off with well-wishes of ‘well once you land on Gliese 667 Cc, sweetheart, send us a message’. “Just away.”

“... I... voyage?” And that’s a bit obvious, too, at least to him, so he doesn’t have any better way of explaining it. Two words is all he really needs to explain that much, anyway. With his fingers he acts out a little scene of a plane flying, though it probably doesn’t look like much outside of his mind. “Vacation...”

He shakes his head.

starter call for voyager for the event!!

“A photo—us?” it.. could make sense? it feels like voyager’s probably, in a sense, recording whatever he can. something about getting plopped in a random island means he’s probably used to being outside his element by now, maybe.

a photo would be.. pretty par the course. some aspect of record, and he kind of wonders how much it is he’s allowed to learn? as much as he can carry, maybe? regardless, he’s still.. very excited to be talking to some manifestation of the space probe. even if he’s circumstantially skeptical, this doesn’t feel like a trick. maybe there’s just some part of him that’s being too hopeful.

while he mulls it over, voyager reaches and wraps his arms around him and hanako ends up pausing another second. he raises his arms to wrap them around him, too, and he lifts him up so he can spin around with him a few circles. kids liked stuff like that, right? even if.. voyager probably wasn’t technically one; and it seems hanako’s finally come to an answer.

“Yeah, sure! I have a lotta time to give. And you’re good company, so… let’s take one.” in another unspoken ‘someday’, and he lowers voyager so his feet touch the ground again.

but - oh, “Wait, I don’t think that I’ll show up. In the photo. I mean, I’m dead, after all. Ghosts don’t tend to.. uh… show up in photographs. We’re more vague dark shadows? I don’t think that’d be very memorable.”

Oh!

He doesn’t expect to be picked up and spun around, and the initial movement catches him off guard; after a startled noise (and he clings a little tighter to Hanako, but it’s just for a moment), though, Voyager seems to realize that... yeah. He likes this! A laugh bubbles up and out of his chest. It seems like Hanako had fun with it, too? He hopes!

“Ehehe.”

He’s almost disappointed to be set back down, because it felt a little like flying, but he knows for the time being he’s meant to have his feet firmly on the ground. And that’s okay. That’s what he needs to do, right now, so he won’t complain about it. And he’s still hung up on the someday-photograph more than anything else, anyway, at least until Hanako tries explaining it away.

Voyager dramatically wags a finger. “Uh-uh-uh.” And then he’s silent again, but his brows furrow in thought, trying to formulate the words in a way that he thinks might sound meaningful. He knows what he wants to say? He just isn’t fully sure how to say it. Not right away. “... hmmm...”

After a few more seconds, his hands clap together.

“Earth was... very, very small.” His head lowers slightly; his gaze softens. “But, it was still... an important photograph. For me. For everyone. Even if... you’re barely there... that doesn’t mean, it’s something any less important.”

it was strange, this hub of people    &    creatures alike. towering buildings full of homes where once such mortal creations would have been for the gods alone    (    forever reaching higher    &    higher towering towards the heavens    &    desperate for their approval    ).    then, it truly was no surprised enkidu had    (    eventually    )    made their way towards something more…   familiar in nature. fingers gently brushing along the foliage of this overgrown place; plants climbing buildings    &    the soft murmur of their contentment in the air. it was beautiful. 

there was not much thought given to that which was inhuman back in their home. such things seen as lesser now a bright cacophony of pleasure amongst the man made.

but, that was not all this place offered. expanse of green turning to offer a smile towards the one before them, one hand brushing back the cascade of grass    (    slow footsteps tracing the earth below them on the servants meandering journey through their new    —    perhaps temporary    —    home    );    the bright sunlight a reflection of joy. this one, then, was like them    ?    even without a master no drive for conflict.     ❝     ah, I am not going to change like the leaves. that is for the trees to sleep    &    I will not be joining through the winter. they speak, though, of their oncoming slumber. but I don’t think that is what you were asking    —     ❞     laughter in their words, continuing forward after a momentary pause.

❝     I am not one of the plants; they are familiar to me in the ways, I am sure, there are things familiar to yourself. that speak of home   &    your purpose without the questions people bring    (    but they are young in comparison    ).     ❞

He listened to their words intently, not interrupting. They talked like they knew of the trees’ feelings, of what they were saying, and even if that wasn’t a language that Voyager understood, he believed that they did. They weren’t like the trees, then? That was okay. They were taller than him and very very green, but not a tree. Voyager liked the thought of that green staying, bright and vibrant, all through the cold winter months.

“I hope they sleep well.” His silence was finally broken by that thought alone – something more idle than anything else, a soft and earnest thought, because he did. Winter was long and cold, after all. Animals and trees would go to sleep and wake up when it was warm again and the world would burst into life anew. That was something beautiful about Earth, Voyager thought. Earth, and anywhere like it, out there in the universe. Like here.

Voyager nodded, though, after that. He’d humanized the planets a little more than he should have, because they never spoke to him, never told him of any slumber or storms they had to weather.

“It’s nice.”

He mimicked the gesture they’d done earlier, bringing his fingers across the blades of grass, only to suppress a noise and draw his hand back at the sensation of them tickling across his skin. He still wasn’t quite used to feeling, like this.

“I want to learn… about the flowers.”

It wasn’t a question, but Voyager gazed up at them again nonetheless. Had they been here long? Maybe they knew other places. Maybe they could show him! (Out of curiosity he raised his hand to brush it against their hair. It tickled, like the grass.)

it was, per usual, a night the demigod would outright avoid if he had been home. the easy way with which monsters could hide in plain sight making someone such as him rightfully cautious    —    percy was a walking homing beacon. his existence alone reeking a bright, neon message of “demigod here, come eat    !”    to anything nearby. this, even when most knew the consequences of stalking him down. it was exhausting. 

though, it was hard to keep such paranoid thoughts with some of the kids running around seeking candy. the joy echoing through the crowded places of people dressed up in all manner of spooks. debating, himself, if maybe a thematic snack was in order    (    thoughts lingering on candy apples    &    bags of miscellaneous blue candy from his mom’s old job at grand central; missing days where she was a phone call away    ).    almost caught off-guard    —    flipping between more melancholy thoughts in light of the holiday    —    when the voice came running up with the customary scare.

bright gaze turning to look at the other with mirthful laughter barely contained, reaching out to pluck at the loose sheet    (    a ghost, straight out of the old cartoons he would watch with his mother; it’s the great pumpkin charlie brown    !    )    off the ground    &    carefully drape it back over the trick or treater in question. crouched to look them in the eyes.     ❝     ah, you’re correct. tonight is supposed to fun    !    lots of places to go visit.     ❞     almost taken by surprise from the…    more inhuman part    (    was the kid an actual ghost because honestly, not right now    ).     ❝     I don’t suppose you were on your way anywhere    ?     ❞     also, honestly    ?    please don’t be dead.

“Oh!”

It was only as they draped the costume that Voyager realized it had fallen; he didn’t act sheepish at the realization, though, but instead just hummed. He appreciated the gesture a lot – trick or treating would be no fun without the costume if he just went and lost it here for when he needed it then, after all. Or, at least, that’s what he assumed? He thought he’d been able to work out that much so far, even if he didn’t quite get the intricacies of it.

On his way anywhere? Voyager hummed again.

“Not specifically.”

Maybe they knew more than he did, though? His hands popped back out from under the costume to adjust it a little bit, and he glanced around, trying to gauge both if his assumption was correct but also how to ask what he wanted to.

At least they seemed a little more… not sad, now. That was nice, because it felt wrong to be sad when everyone else was so happy.

“I just… was, going.” Nowhere in particular, with nowhere in mind. “That’s why I have this on. I was, wondering.” Wondering, wandering…

oh, that was adorable. djeeta suppressed the desire to fuss over him like a big sister, instead she enjoyed his reaction over the rod. 

at his question, she pointed at the line and hook. “We cast this out into the water and wait for a fish to bite…then fight it since it won’t want to come out of the water by trying to pull it out.”

djeeta smiled at his request, more than happy to show the boy an example. she doesn’t come to any conclusion on how he thought it worked. facing towards the ocean, she does a simple flick and casts the line out, albeit somewhat short. there’s a satisfying plop–a small splash from her shiny makeshift hook. it might not be impressive, but she’s proud of it regardless. the job gets done and the fish get caught. “Just like that,” the skyfarer declared, flicking the line back to her and catching the hook in her hand. 

“Now you get to try,” she exclaimed while she offered it to him, a hand higher on the rod so he could grasp it. djeeta pointed at where he should grasp it, offering small bits of instruction along the way, only letting go once he gets a hold on it. 

“And…now just try it like how I did.”

Oh! It made sense now that she had it laid out like that. Voyager gestured lightly as she explained, trying to further wrap his head around the concept. It – was a little misguided, though. ‘We cast it’ – so he pretended to wave a wand – ‘then fight it’ – and then balled his hands up into fists.

“Hmm! I understand!”

... until he realized that he might have gotten the details a bit muddled when she actually demonstrated. Still, he watched intently, not budging from his spot at all until the fish was tugged out of the water and brought safely to shore. Voyager’s eyes were wide, brightly lit up, and he looked from the caught fish to the rod and back again.

“Okay.” It took him a little bit more time than he would have liked, but with Djeeta’s instructions Voyager was soon able to get a comfortable grip on the rod (or at least, as comfortable as he could – he was a good deal shorter than her). He gave it a few little test flicks first before giving it a proper attempt with a little, “... hup!”

The feeling of the fish when it finally bit was obvious, but he still seemed enamoured by it nonetheless. Voyager planted his feet a bit firmer in the sand, attempting to reel it back in like he’d watched Djeeta do, only to still manage to lose his balance when the fish finally got drawn in close enough to pop a little too fiercely out of the water. Both the fish and Voyager went tumbling backwards.

Even lying in the sand, though, he still had his hands firmly on the fishing rod, and he was laughing. He can hear the fish flopping nearby, having landed somewhere in the sand beside him, too.

★ : this kid is funny, that’s for sure. marisa can’t tell if he’s just approximating what he’s seen adults do — because that’s what kids do, right? — but his over the top gestures are hilarious, and she can’t help but giggle just a bit at his gestures. maybe he really is just a strange kid, even if she does still get bits and pieces of that otherworldly vibe from moment to moment.

up and out, though… she’s still not sure where, exactly, he means, aside from the obvious. the sky? or what lay beyond that horizon, perhaps? certainly if he was just a child, that would be impossible, but if that sneaking little suspicion she had was correct, then —

‘yeah, the people that live on the moon. you know, lunarians.’ she waves a hand dismissively. ‘they’re not all that interestin’, though, so don’t worry about it. they don’t like people from outside the moon like, at all.’

something clicks, and then she throws all disbelief to the wind as she leans in.

‘wait, were you talkin’ about space?!’ she’s briefly floored by the possibility, but if he’s not human, then she could probably begin to comprehend it. ‘but… i thought there were loads of stars and planets out there. how’s it all empty, then?’

People live on the moon... in her home? That can’t be right. Not for his home, anyway. Maybe there. Maybe here. Voyager purses his lips together and really stops to think it over. No – there definitely hadn’t been, for him. It would’ve been nice if there had been, though, but humans weren’t capable of doing things like living on the moon like that, and they were all there had been. It’s why he’d been made! Because he could go where they couldn’t.

“You’re wrong,” Voyager says then, after a beat. It isn’t spoken with any sort of malice, though. His face remains as interested and vibrant as ever. “At least... for me? There was, nothing.”

“Waah?” Of course he’d been talking about space. It’s only when she mentions the stars and how it can’t all be empty that Voyager seems to clue in to how she’d misinterpreted his words. He waves his hands lightly, in a sort of haphazard dismissive way that doesn’t quite work as well as he’d hoped, because it’s more of a situational mimicry rather than something he understands. “Oh! No, no.”

His hands fall back down to his sides, and Voyager starts rocking idly back and forth on his heels.