LOG | DAY 003 - 006

[lonelynotforsaken]

WHO: Martin Blackwood, Jet Link, Kokichi Ouma, and Lalo Salamanca
WHAT: Jet arrives to save Kokichi from a drone and discovered a severely dehydrated Martin and unconscious teen. Later, Lalo arrives with a cooler of water and food.
WHEN: Day 003-006
WHERE: VII.C.25 and the surrounding areas
WARNINGS: extreme physical distress, unsanitary conditions, potential character death
NOTES: None

Based on the search by Jet on Day 003 and everyone's later searches on Day 004-006.

Comments

[salamanca]

Lalo, too, is trying, in his own way. Caretaking people isn't his strong suit, and he doesn't know how much is too much. He's also used to wealthy people, people accustomed to being weighted on, hand and foot, who take an offer to bring them their food or their essentials as simply their due, rather than as condescension.

Fortunately for Lalo, he's good enough at reading people to know what it means when someone's smile doesn't quite reach their eyes like that. He can feel the tension in the tightness of the smile, too.

"Sorry, ah," he says, reacting almost immediately to Martin's expression. "I, uh... guess I'm piling it on a bit thick, huh? Yeah. Sorry about that." A sheepish laugh. "I'm used to kids. Civilians usually like it, the 'nice guy' thing. 'Can I get you something'. Puts 'em at ease. I'll try to lay off for you though. Let you take care of yourself."

The compliment to his mustache makes Lalo light up with genuine, earnest joy. "Really?" he says, with unfaked delight. Lalo, it turns out, is slightly over the top by nature. He can't hide the natural exuberance of his personality even when trying to pretend to be someone else and being as soft-spoken as he can. "Hey, thanks, man! I worked hard on it. That means a lot." He pops one grape into his own mouth, then gets ready to toss one at Martin's, if Martin is so willing as to open the hatch. "Ready?" he asks.

He keeps talking as he tries to start the game. "I pictured you shorter," he says. Bluntly, but it's not intended to be offensive. Just the truth. "You know what I think, Martin?"

[lonelynotforsaken]

The seemingly honest delight at the compliment does soften Martin's smile to something a little less forced. "I'm just not used to being taken care of, that's all." He puts a hand up to stop Lalo tossing the grape. "Um... and-and I don't really want to waste any food. P-probably better not to do... that." Also, he has known you for less than a week, sir. That's something he might have suffered from Tim several years ago, but they'd been actual friends.

He will pick up another grape to show that he's eating in the hopes it will dissuade the other man from tossing anything. "But, um... s-sure? What do you think?"

[salamanca]

It is honest delight! Lalo loves compliments. Lalo loves lots of things. Including sitting and talking with people, though Martin is a bit harder to get a handle on talking to than most people he's used to. That's okay, though. He can be patient.

For instance, Lalo doesn't understand the concept of needing to be close to someone to toss grapes into their mouth - he would ask someone to toss a grape into his mouth two minutes after just meeting them at a bar. Truly, two kinds of people in this world. But Lalo can respect Martin's stated wishes. He shrugs. "As you like it." He does toss a grape into his own mouth, though. And grins, honestly delighted by his flawless aim, too.

He considers offering to feed him like Cleopatra, but if Martin didn't like the grape-tossing, he really won't like that. So that suggestion, Lalo keeps to himself.

He realizes that, for once, he's at a loss though. He looks down awkwardly, then back up to shoot Martin an uncharacteristically shy smile, motivated more by genuine unsureness than by deception (this time).

It's rare that Lalo feels like he doesn't have an 'in' with someone. Most people who meet him like him immediately. But it seems like every attempt to ingratiate himself to Martin doesn't seem to go quite the way he'd envisioned, and he's not actually trying to make an enemy right now. The concept of removing himself from a social situation is a foreign one, but sometimes knowing when to fold 'em is important too. That, he's more familiar with.

"I think..." Whatever he was going to say, he changes his mind. "Uh, look. Never mind. I can go back and sit at the computer. If that's better." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the machine. "Don't wanna disturb your beauty rest. Heh."

He adds, a little hopefully, "Hey, wish we had a deck of cards! Maybe we could play a game." He can think of games that can be played without any cards, but he's waiting to see if Martin takes him up on his offer to go back to the computer first.

[lonelynotforsaken]

"No, no. Sorry. It's okay. Sorry. I'm just... dehydration, you know?" His expression is a little pained as he smiles again. "N-not at my best. Sorry." He's really not. And Ben seeming to be fine is confusing. He'd expect that sort of masking from a teen like Kokichi. Less so from a cop who looks like he's well past 30. Then again, Tim had used clowning as a mask for his trauma.

You can never tell for sure in the end.

"You don't have to leave me alone." Yet. "But I get I'm not great company."

[salamanca]

"Yeah, yeah. I get it." He doesn't get it. But he waves off Martin's 'sorry' with his signature hand wave anyway. "Don't worry about it. Just trying to do what I can to make you comfortable, that's all."

Lalo, who just walked for twenty-fours straight with no sleep on a wounded leg while carrying a lot of heavy gear and equipment, still doesn't feel especially tired or drained. Two hours of sleep, and he's ready to go again! His energy is a little more muted, sure, because he's on investigative mode and not party mode, but he doesn't feel drained.

But he tries, really tries, to wrap his head around what it would feel like. To be tired. To not have energy.

He can't picture it.

He does get up but only briefly, and comes right back. With a piece of fish jerky. He tears it in half. One half for him. One half for Martin. Too much food, too soon, on an empty stomach, won't be good for him. No point in feeding him if he's just gonna throw it back up again. Intellectually, Lalo does understand the physical mechanics of recovering from starvation and dehydration, even if he struggles to empathize with Martin's emotional state.

"Here," he says, handing one piece to Martin. "Take that. Protein helps. Hey, did you know when that you're dehydrated, you need to replenish salt, not just water?" Lalo smiles. "Science fact!" He sounds very proud of himself for knowing that.

[lonelynotforsaken]

"Yeah, I, uh... I looked into that a while back for something." He accepts the jerky and nibbles at it. His tongue feels like it wants to curl away from the saltiness, but Martin makes himself chew slowly. "Think it was some research I was doing for someone in the library. I worked in a library," he adds, just to be clear. "I thought it was a weird info request, but they were asking about a lot of stuff related to being trapped in a desert."

Probably for a Statement, if he had his guess. "I, um... I guess they might've been thinking about a worst case scenario for a holiday. You mentioned you knew someone who was lost out in the desert once. How did that happen?" He's been curious since he the other man had said it.

[salamanca]

Lalo snorts out a laugh when Martin clarifies that he worked in a library. "Yeah, I got that," he says dryly.

He takes a bite of his piece of jerky, enjoying the way it snaps in his mouth. "Ooof. That's a long story. But, if you really wanna know" - another bite of jerky - "I'll tell you!"

He scoots away from Martin just a little, so he has room to gesture without accidentally invading Martin's bubble. "So, this guy, this friend of mine - he was a lawyer, right? One of the best lawyers I ever knew. Not shitting you, man. But he was involved in some real bad stuff. Criminals, murderers, drug cartels.

Anyway, I didn't know it at the time, but this guy, he was talented, but he was greedy. Desperate for money. Desperate to feel respected even more than that, though. So he got involved with the drug cartels at some point. I still don't know how. It's a damn shame.

Anyway, he went to pick up bail money for this cartel slimeball and he says" - Lalo emphasizes his skepticism on the word 'says', as if to make it clear to Martin he considers this to only be the man's claim and also a probable lie - "that his car broke down in the desert. Crazy, right?"

[lonelynotforsaken]

It's easy and familiar to fall into watching quietly while someone else talks. And he supposes it's natural that a policeman would know criminals... and lawyers. Lawyer criminals? He wouldn't usually think of one getting in trouble with a cartel.

"It sounds scary, for sure. Also not sure why you'd want the respect of a drug cartel. That- I mean, they're not good people. I'm sorry your friend fell into that sort of thing. It must have been hard watching him go that way. Is that part of why you wanted to be a police officer?"

[salamanca]

A criminal lawyer! Emphasis on the criminal.

"Yeah, that's what gets me too, man. Beats the shit out of me. Not the kind of people I'd be looking for approval from, that's for sure..." A wink. "But I think he was just wanting to be recognized by somebody, anybody."

To the question about if that's why he become a police officer, he nods. "Mmm, yeah. One of the reasons, anyway."

apologies for the delay! rl moving is nearly complete. Think we can wrap this up.

[lonelynotforsaken]

Martin nods, gaze sliding away and into the middle distance as the exhaustion grips him again along with stomach cramps. "I've known people like that. Never ends well. I-I'm not feeling so good. Sorry. I know I said you didn't need to go away, but I think I need to lie down again. I can listen if you want to talk?

"I-I'm really sorry. I promise I'm not usually such bad company." Mostly. He didn't used to be terrible company, anyway.

No worries! I think so too.

[salamanca]

Lalo brushes off Martin's concerns with a few lazy waves off his hand. "Please. Don't worry about it! Say no more."

He winks. "Nothing to be sorry for. You need your rest." With a soft hum, he picks up to give Martin some room to stretch out in cell, and goes back to the computer at the desk to keep messing with it. He'll try to be quiet while he does at least, so Martin and the others can sleep.