seen from Malaysia
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seen from United States
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seen from United States
Mark quietly trudges over to the duck, and without so much as a word, he wraps his arms around him and buries his head against his shoulder. His tail feathers are drooping, and it looks like he’s been picking at his neck feathers again. A shuddering sigh escapes him, and finally, he murmurs, “Family’s nothing but trouble.”
@abnerantisocialduck
@abnerantisocialduck gets a starter! | expendable.bin verse
The forest was quiet and calm most days. It was one of the few places Boyd could sit and rest without having to worry about people asking him about the family he doesn’t have, or why a kid like him was out on his own. He’d found an empty burrow in the ground that was just large enough for him to hide in, even-- which was where he stored any supplies he accumulated.
Knowing he was a robot, he didn’t have to worry much in the way of food or water-- while they could be used to fuel his energy banks, they weren’t a necessity like if he were a real bird. The supplies he kept were more in the way of spare parts, wiring, and bandages to hide the patches where his synthetic feathers and skin had worn away.
Today, he’d gotten lucky. He’d managed to find a discarded toolbox, with most of its components still inside! Boyd had rushed back to his burrow to store it away, too distracted by the exhilaration of finding it to notice he’d been spotted. It wasn’t until he’d pushed the toolbox into the hole and replaced the leafy camouflage that he heard footsteps behind him.
“Uh oh...” He whimpered anxiously, cringing as he glanced over his shoulder to see a duck standing there. And he didn’t look like the friendly type. Would he be able to talk his way out of this one? “...Uh... Hi, there..?”
@abnerantisocialduck sent:
"What about... I'm adopting you? Like officially, with all the papers and lawyers and what not. I could be your father. For real! Then you could live in the woods with me and nobody else could meddle with your education. How about that, little guy?"
"...”
How did Abner even find him? Was Dugan that easy to read? Not that the park wasn’t the best place to take off to, but at least he’d let Fethry know where he was heading. No more drama, no more communication slips, no more broken ties, no more talking to You Know Who unsupervised.
The boy got up where he stood, shoulders hunched as he slowly backed away. Unca Abby shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be here. This wasn’t right.
...wait, live in the woods?
No. This wasn’t the time to be swayed. He felt corned. He was scared. This wasn’t right.
“I... N–Not til ya ‘pologize ta Mister Zé!” Heart pumping, ragged breaths, and knowing better than to call him ‘Unca’ around Abner. He wanted answers, and despite the unsung tears that burnt at his eyes, his voice was firm. “H–He didn’t do no wrong, he–I–just STOP!”
And with that, Dugan bolted.
@abnerantisocialduck liked for a lyric starter!
“Oh, you think that I care? Well, life’s just one fated snare-- Welcome to horrible, pitiful, fictional, reality.”
@abnerantisocialduck (unprompted):
He was grinning menacingly, his voice low and fiery eyes glaring like a predator. “You better start running, amigo... Because when I catch you, I’m gonna beat that smug parrot beak of yours to a pulp!”
Oh, no, he was back. He hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with this when he got back. Was that too much to ask for?
He elected to smile the best warm smile he could muster for Abner, but he sounded serious. And he knew from very personal anecdotes that when anyone took that tone of voice, it was best to just run.
That he did.
@abnerantisocialduck continued
Oh. Oh no.
“Grandma? I… I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I really have a lot of work to do, so…”
It was a big fat lie. But Abner didn’t want to open up, and Grandma was getting too close to the truth, so the lumberjack was avoiding her. But even so he would never be rude to Elvira!
“…Sorry, but I gotta go back to the woods…”
"I'm not leaving until we talk." He can't avoid her forever.
"I need to apologize." She hopes those words will keep him from fleeing. Elvira has several things she needs to talk to him about, but this is at the top of her list. "It was brought to my attention recently what your father put you through."
@abnerantisocialduck continued from here
"HOW ABOUT YOU GO BACK TO &@#$@$# YOUR SISTER YOU LOUSY, USELESS, INBRED PIECE OF $#%@!"
“What!? Are you telling me there’s some girl who’s Gladstone’s CLONE walking around? Wow, I really hate this city... Too bad the kid Isn’t his biological daughter, if he was she would probably have killed him by now...” @abnerantisocialduck
"Clone? Do you need glasses? ...or the dozens of newspapers detailing my UN-luckiness?"
Maude isn't at all phased by Abner, especially since she deals with much worse on a daily basis. His ignorance makes his spiteful words sound utterly stupid.
"The universe is already out to kill me, I don't need any help from Hillbilly McLumberjack. Why don't you go back to hiding your shame in the woods like everyone else wants you to do?"
