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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 26, 2020 8:27:20 GMT -6
NO REST FOR THE DREARY
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE)
Machines were incapable of rest. Carro didn't need sleep, but now he found himself trying to doze off in his bed. Was it selfish to want a moment's respite after yesterday? Carro had managed to wash the blood and ectoplasm off his hands, but the emotional bloodshed still leaked from his mind. He'd pulled his pillow over his head as if to muffle out the sounds of his own thoughts earlier, but peeked out from under to the digital clock beside his bedside. It was already four in the morning. The sound of hail beating against his window echoed into his mic, causing the poor President to flinch and whimper in shock. Snow and sleet only brought horrible memories with them now. Flashes of red among the white snow echoed in his memories.
The howl of wind and hammer of the hail finally got the better of Carro's nerves as he buzzed in stress and defeat, hobbling out of his bed in haste to distance himself from the sounds. The others were still asleep, probably- he was trying his best to keep his metallic footsteps quiet in the halls, though the clunk of metal was still audible. They deserved to rest instead of worrying over him.
With a flick of his the tail-like cord dangling from his back to turn on the lightswitch beside him, Carro collapsed onto the couch of one of the castle's living rooms. This one was littered with folders and papers piled in the corner- yet another mocking reminder from the universe that every second he spent trying to rest was wasting precious time that could be running out any day now. His problems weren't anything to be worried about, he'd get over it- he didn't have any right to overthink and make a big deal out of his stress. Everyone else was suffering more than him, surely- that was what they had to be worried about, not him! But even then, the heaviness in his chest was impossible to ignore. He wanted to breathe out to try and compose himself, or to finally cry his eyes out. Neither were possible now, but he found himself wiping the projected eyes on his screen anyways.
"hhHHhff-" Carro tried to breathe out anyways, clasping where his heart should have been with one claw. He could hear fans spinning in his torso's workings, but nothing escaped the fake mouth. The steaks trailing down the eyes on his screen weren't real tears- they never would be. He tried again before it devolved into a louder, robotic whine.
Slumped against the couch with his hands still clutching his heart, Carro closed his eyes and mumbled quietly to himself. He was alive, even though he didn't have a heartbeat or breath. He was here- still around to bare the world's burden for his friends and family. That was the best thing he could do for them, though it hurt so much. Carro buried his head in his lap with a quiet whimper, engulfed his thoughts. At least nobody was awake to see him like this, right?
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Post by Sulfur on Mar 28, 2020 16:21:45 GMT -6
Sulfur's PL: 1,000
It’s becoming the new normal in all honesty, with Carro coming back home, all battered and sad. Even whenever he tried to hide it, Sulfur just knew whenever he was in a horrible mood. She knew him for a few years now, so she understood how he worked, even with the fact that he was a robot. The avian had found herself staying up again, having yet slept mostly for Carro’s sake. Since he couldn’t sleep, she felt as if she needed to stay up with him… plus it was hard enough to sleep anyways with how everything is as of late, so that also had a role in her staying up later than usual. She could hear each tap at her window while she sat up in her bed, not doing much of anything. Sulfur would just listen to what was going on outside, sorta finding some peace in just hearing the storm. The woman would close her eyes, letting out a quiet sigh to not disturb anyone, taking in her surroundings and… she’d hear footsteps.
Metal footsteps to be exact. The avali’s eyes would flutter open as soon as she heard them, but she wouldn’t get up just yet. Sulfur would take a minute to listen to where he was going, and after a little while she’d go ahead and get out of bed, keeping herself wrapped in her Mech Wars™ blanket as she wandered out of her room. Sulfur would wander down the halls, rubbing her tired eyes with a hand as she looked around for the saiyan-turned-android. Soon enough though she’d find him, and she’d managed to find him just from a noise he made.
Sulfur would remain silent once she stepped into the living room, frowning once she heard him release a jarring sound. It sounded like a whine if anything, unless his gears were getting a lil’ squeaky… whatever the case was, she was still pretty darn concerned. The avian would soon enough find out that he was on the couch, and with that, Sulfur would just walk over to said couch and set herself down in front of Carro. Sulfur would then try to unwrap herself from her blanket to hopefully surround the both of them in it, which is thankfully big enough considering the two were pretty darn small. “Hey.” She said, reaching her hands out Carro’s robotic ones. “You’re not going to be alone this time around. What’s going on?” The avian asked, leaning herself into the android. “If you don’t tell me what’s bothering you I will wrap us up like a cocoon for the rest of the night.”
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Mar 29, 2020 19:07:41 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE)
Carro's gaze snapped upright when he felt a blanket droop over his shoulders, prying his face out of his hands. "S-Sulfur--?!" The misery faded from his eyes in brief surprise to see Sulfur awake. His expression sunk with guilt again moments later. "I... I'm s-sorry if I woke you." He muttered, wiping his eyes in spite of a lack of tears to dry. She needed rest, and he hated to think that he was responsible for taking that away.
Though his pixellated eyes were still sunken, Carro raised his head back up when Sulfur took hold of his hands. His frown twisted. He really, really didn't want to be alone, but the haunting thought that he'd just be dragging his friends down with him- or worse, putting them in danger, persisted in his head.
Sulfur threatened to wrap them both up for the entire night if he didn't talk, earning a weak laugh from the robot. Even if he did talk, he wasn't against the idea. "I just... A-are you sure? I don't think y-you're gonna like it..." He gripped his head with a palm. Where would he even begin? What if by talking he just made Sulfur feel bad and nothing else? Even if he'd get the expected affirmation from Sulfur that he should talk to her, it felt like a cork had been shoved down his metaphorical throat. He'd hardly talked to anyone about his own troubles ever since he lost his humanity. And yet, Sulfur was one of the only ones he felt the slightest bit willing to lower his armor for, and let her see the scars plaguing him. He still didn't like the thought of that, though. "It's just... I-- well, you see it's like... Urgh--" Carro fumbled over his words like he'd just forgotten half of the dictionary.
"I... I-I'm still... human, r-right?" Carro finally let his bleeding heart do the talking for him. He tightly gripped the glowing green orb on his chest- he wasn't talking about his physical form. "I-I'm not just s-some freak even if everyone looks at me l-like I am one because I am, right!? I-I'm still Carro--! I'm..." Doubt and anxiety leaked from his every word.
Humans didn't crawl out of scrapyards after dying, nor did they have to worry about their faces melting or bolts loosening. They could breathe and eat and smell and feel the wind in their hair, but he didn't. He'd never fully stopped worrying that he was just a metal impostor while Carro was up in the Otherworlds having a well-deserved vacation. Even after months of being trapped in his new, cold body, he still wasn't completely sure that this all wasn't an awful nightmare. Carro slumped back into the blankets, pulling the fabric closer to himself. At least he still had his sense of touch.
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Post by Sulfur on Mar 30, 2020 13:50:57 GMT -6
Sulfur just gave him a smile whenever she surprised him, letting out a chuckle after he went ahead and apologized to her. With the shake of her head, she’d say, “No, no. You didn’t wake me up. I sorta stayed up playing a game, and I sorta heard some noises outside so… you really just interrupted me fishing.” She said in a playful tone, while also pretty much lying to him. After she went ahead and threatened him, the avian would feel a little relieved hearing him let out a laugh, even if it was a lil’ weak. Sulfur was happy either way that he could still find stuff amusing.
Sulfur would nod, “Yes, I’m very sure. Please, just tell me unless you wanna stay on this couch all night!” She said, “I know what I’m getting myself into. You can tell me anything.” Even if she didn’t like it, she’d be happy knowing that she knew what was bothering him and not being left guessing in what’s going on. Plus she could actually help him out hopefully too! She’d let go of his hands, placing her own upon her lap as she awaited for his response. She’d frown seeing that he was having some difficulty trying to explain it, “Don’t try and sugarcoat it. Just give me the full details. You know I’m here for you.”
Soon enough though she’d be given an answer to what was messing with him and… well… “Carro…” She’d sigh, “You’re human. You’re still Carro… MY Carro actually.” Sulfur said before leaning herself into the android, wrapping her feathered arms around him for an embrace. The avian would press the uppermost part of her head against his screen, “You’re the nerd that I’ve loved for two years… or at least we’re nearing that, but still.. I knew you long enough that I can tell that you’re still a human.” Sulfur said, leaning herself back a bit just so she could stare eye-to-eye with the android. “Sure, you’re made of metal and electronics… but that doesn’t mean anything. You’re still the Carro that everyone looks up to.”
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Post by Carro Hofferson on Apr 3, 2020 21:36:31 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE)
Carro's brows furrowed in skeptical annoyance when Sulfur tried to assure him that she was already awake. He'd probably had heard something if she was playing a game with his robotic senses. He didn't comment it aside from giving her an unamused glance- he had been lying to try and spare his friends from worry on a much larger scale, after all.
When he finally caved to tell Sulfur a sliver of what had been weighing his mind in the past months, Carro initially tightened his grip on his knees, which were still curled close to his torso. It sounded stupid when he said it aloud. He was just overthinking things, surely, there were a million other things he had to be thinking about instead for the sake of his planet. Sulfur tried to assure him otherwise. Carro glanced back wearily, but slumped again with a mechanized sigh. "I... don't know about that last part anymore." People, looking up to him? He remembered the collective horror and dismay of everyone at the mountain. Nobody was happy with anything, let alone his choices. President was a thankless title. It was his duty to bare every burden and take every bullet.
Carro buried his face between his knees. "You have no idea," That was because he never told anyone anything, his mind nagged. But it had to be that way, right? Words kept sputtering out of his speakers anyways. "People-- friends, even-- they look at me like they would look at a rotten, decomposing corpse. And I can't exactly blame them when I'm dead!" He threw his arms up, spreading each of the three digits on each hand for emphasis. They looked no less inhuman than they did the day he woke up in this horrible body. No amount of technological innovation, even if he could overcome his fear of being tampered with, could return his lost humanity. How did he have the nerve to expect people to treat him normally when he himself was just as disgusted by his condition as they were? "People h-h-have called me an it, S-Sulfur! An IT! Gods know how the planet's gonna take this when I actually show my freakish face to the public, too. I-I---!!"
"...W-what if I'm l-like this forever...?" Carro whimpered into the blanket, curling himself into an even tinier ball. And to think all of this agony was just the tip of the iceberg of traumas tearing at his soul.
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Post by Sulfur on Apr 3, 2020 22:31:41 GMT -6
Sulfur should’ve expected that he wasn’t going to agree with her, a frown forming on her face. Her ears would pin back a little whenever she saw him look all depressed again, “Well, it’s the truth. You’re still you, and I wouldn’t be sitting with you right now if that wasn’t the fact.” She said, her ears perking up slightly as she attempted to be a little more stern. “If people think otherwise, then they’ll just have to learn that you’re still you; that you’re still human. I-It takes time for some people, if that's what you’re worried about. Some people just-” The avian would stop once she saw him, frowning. “Carro…” Sulfur would sigh, placing a hand on the top of his head. She’d slowly pet it, making sure to avoid the vents of course. “I know what you’re going through is awful and I don’t know the full picture, but…” What could she even say that could really help him? Like really?
He was a robot now, except for the fact that his soul has been sucked into it. Even with that being the case, she still felt like he was a person, even if she knew full-well he was a soul attached to a machine. The avian saw him more as a person; a companion, her lover. He was more than what he is right now… and heck, he is more than he was back when he was alive. The avian’s ears would lower back down as Carro continued, “Carro…” She’d utter his name, her frown growing more noticeable as soon as he threw up his arms. She’d just continue rubbing his head as he spoke, not uttering a single word. In all honesty she didn’t know what to say really. All she could really do was just show pity and maybe tell him advice that he already knew. Sulfur knew how to reassure him back when he was alive, because that consisted of stuff that she could help with. Stuff she could relate to… but being a robot?
With a quiet sigh, she’d give his head a few pats. “Carro, you’re not going to be like this forever. And if you’re bothered about people thinking you’re just an ‘it’, then they’re not worth your time. You have to learn that it’ll take some people to realize that later on… and… and…” Suddenly, a very familiar voice would pop up behind the android. “... instead just focus on the individuals that know you’re a person. Like me…” The voice would pause as Sulfur continued, “... or technically us. And yes,” If Carro decided to look around, he’d see that there were two Sulfurs, all of whom were sitting on either end of where he was. Both of them would then say, “there are two of me. I had this augmentation installed a long time ago, but... that doesn't matter.” As soon as they said that, both of them would then hug onto the android.
The ‘real’ Sulfur would then say, “How about instead of worrying about the people…” The other Sulfur continues, “... that think of you as a robot, how about you…” Then the real Sulfur says, “... worry about the ones that know you’re a person. If you don’t start doing that, then…” At the same time, they’d both squeeze the android in a hug, but also make sure that they don’t, y’know, crush him like a soda can. The real Sulfur would continue, “... you’re gonna be stuck like this for the rest of the night. I’ll love your worries away… how about that?”
Sulfur uses [UT1] Bubble Split! Another Sulfur appears!
Sulfur #1: 500 PL
Sulfur #2: 500 PL
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Post by Carro Hofferson on May 3, 2020 15:04:32 GMT -6
CARRO's PL: 100 (ANTISENSE)
A hushed, pathetic whimper forced its way from Carro's speakers with Sulfur's reassurance. He found himself leaning into her touch on his scalp, like his head was somehow magnetized to her palm. Touch was one of the few senses he had that was left unscathed by his transformation from man to machine.
Just hearing someone else say that he wasn't going to be like this forever made the sorry robot feel choked up again. He felt a moment's ease, but the nagging paranoia and strain on his soul didn't leave him alone for long. "You don't know that." He muttered through his arms, still wrapped around his form. For all either of them knew, Vocado would come back as a vengeful spirit the next day and take Carro with him to the Afterlife. The former saiyan felt trapped in his own body and mind, but he had no choice but to keep moving for the sake of everyone an everything. But he wasn't stuck in his worries for long before his train of thought came to an abrupt stop. Did he hear Sulfur behind him when Sulfur was next to him? Great, either he was starting to hallucinate now or... there was another Sulfur behind him?
"Wh--" Carro uncurled his form slightly, glancing from Sulfur to Sulfur in complete bewilderment. "How does-- this entire time-- what??? Am I--??" Yep, it was official, he was finally going insane with these hallucinations. Except a hallucination wouldn't be able to touch him, and the second Avali was plastered to him in a tight hug now. Carro could hear the fans and cogs turning in his own head to slowly process the facts he'd just seen... On the bright side, he wasn't thinking about his own mortality and fears now.
If he had tear ducts, Carro would be bawling right about now. Instead the touch-starved android could only quiver, leaning closer to Sulfur with another weak hiccup, hastily nodding in response to Sulfur's "threat" of keeping him in a hug for the rest of the night. That sounded nice. The emotional armor he'd been forced to build up over the months was finally starting to crack away.
"I-- I juSt--" His voice cracked with unbottled pain. "I-i-I'm just s-so sCared--!" Carro pulled himself closer. "W-what i-if we c-can't fix this? What if it g-gets worse? W-what i-i-if more p-people die t-that I-I...!" The president had lost so much already, but he was terrified of losing more. "I-- I'm a freak- a murderer! B-but I... I-I just want..." Carro hadn't gone into the details of Mount Frappe- he'd just told Sulfur and the others that Vocado was dead- not by whom, until now. He wanted to be safe, to let himself and his people live in peace. Was that wish really something he had to kill for?
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Post by Sulfur on May 3, 2020 16:11:54 GMT -6
The Sulfur in front of him would just let out a giggle after hearing the android’s confusion, “No, you’re not seeing things. There are two of me, and the second one is gonna ensure YOU feel better.” She said with a toothy grin, “And don’t tell me what I know or don’t know, mister! Otherwise I’m gonna follow up with my threat and you’re never gonna be able to do your presidential duties.” Sulfur said in a playful manner, hoping to continue lightening up the mood a bit. She’d then lean into the android, burying her neck against his shoulder whilst the one behind him did the same to the other. “But Carro, you won’t get stuck like this forever, I can assure you of that. There are the dragon balls… and you’re friends with the creator of them, right? If anything that’s a guarantee you’d be brought back!” She’d continue, “And those bad guys are gone, so… you’ll come back soon, I promise you that. Just believe me… ‘cause if you don’t, you’ll feel stupid whenever I say “I told you so” after you turn back into a saiyan.”
But saying those kind words possibly didn’t do much, for the android would begin to have yet another breakdown. Immediately the two birds would tighten their grip on the android, wanting to provide a sense of comfort while he told her everything that was bothering him. But hearing him call himself a “murderer” was… very shocking, to say the least, with uppermost ears shifting up slightly, thinking he hadn’t heard him clearly. Either way though, Sulfur didn’t care what he did. She knew full-well that the person he killed must’ve deserved it, and she’d tell him that but… well, she knew that it would’ve fallen on deaf ears.
Either way, as soon as Carro had finished, the avali in front of him would lean back from the hug, just so she was face-to-face with the android. “Carro, worrying about it won’t make things better. If it gets worse, which I’m sure it won’t, we’ll do something about it. You have many people who are willing to help… like me, Van-80, Ima, your dragon ball friends…” Sulfur would then lean herself forward and press the top of her head against his, letting out a sigh. “You’re not a freak. You’re not a murderer. You’re nothing like that, not to me or to anyone else that supports you. You’ve been protecting everyone ever since you’ve became the president; you care about everyone on this planet; you’re even willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake for everyone.” She’d move a hand to the side of his face, carressing it gently. “You’re not a freak or a murderer. Not to me, not to anyone else. You might not believe it, but it’s the truth… you just gotta realize that.”
She’d rub her head against his for a few seconds before tilting it up just to give his pixelated mouth a gentle kiss. After a few seconds, she’d then lean herself back, with the other Sulfur doing the same. “You know, I have an idea. Instead of worrying about not turning back into a saiyan, how about worrying about whenever you DO turn back into one? Have you ever given that a thought?” She smiled, knowing pretty well this is a way better thing to think about than what Carro’s been thinking of.
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