Okay, so I've got flat scrap metal rigged up to some ropes and a basic overhead view of the area we're going to be working with. We should be good to go.
[You know Dirk researched 'how to make crop circles' pretty aggressively for this. And now he is READY! to MAKE THIS HAPPEN.]
[ yeah see dave was just going to completely wing it. and or he assumed dirk would just do that thing he does where he aggressively researches things and comes up with the solution at a later date, which, hey! it worked out. maybe he should have attempted to research some shit himself or even plan what they're going to be drawing beyond "sweet bro and hella jeff" but dave is a firm believer in just letting art happen rather than planning it out way in advance. he barely ever sticks to his artistic plans when he makes them. ]
Sweet. I have...my stunning artistic mind?
[ yeah!!!!!!! okay look it was never a secret which of the striders is more ridiculously prepared for any situation. ]
I'll help haul the shit there, let's do this thing.
[Fortunately, Dirk considers Dave's stunning artistic mind the only thing anyone ever needs to bring to anything! Also he knows Dave doesn't do the crazyprepared thing so he has no problem making up for it on their incredible team ventures of, er, bringing artistic masterpieces to the ocean world. Are they probably about to wreck some habitats? Maybe. Does Dirk consider this reason enough not to do this? Absolutely not.
He decaptchas the scrap-with-rope and offers it out to Dave to take.]
Wiz is going to be coming with us for the overhead view. I'd have put him in my sylladex, but I thought the little guy might enjoy the swim.
What do you call all the raps we've been teaching him? [That's also art! Amazing art.
Dave isn't wrong. The moment they're out of the airlock, Dirk's already swimming along with his route in mind. He is a man with a mission and the mission is doing stupid shit with his brother. It's a great mission. He will fight you if you say otherwise.
Wiz is of course jetting along beside them. Of course Wiz can't actually use telepathy in the water so they'll have to rely on text prompts from the comms, but he gave the little drone some guidelines so that he could operate on his own pretty readily.]
Different kind of art. He's got the musical sector on lockdown - or he's getting better, anyway - but we have to introduce him to the visual medium, yeah? Though I will admit his stickers are pretty rad currently, we can improve on that.
[ dave immediately starts keeping pace with dirk, following his lead without question or complaint. wiz gets a grin that he likely can't see from behind the breathing apparatus, but whatever; the robot is cute and dave adores him to little bitty pieces. ]
[ no he doesn't. dirk has definitely never walked in on midnight rap sessions with wiz or found dave just hugging the robot or giving him headpats or doodling little wiz figures in the margins of anything he's working on.
you can't prove any of that.
dave turns a completely betrayed look on dirk. ]
Whoa, what? And why isn't one of us wearing it right now?
[It's not like they'd gone far out, so it's right back to the airlock because apparently someone has to wear a mermaid suit for proper vacations? He isn't even sure that will help with the crop circle. He has a feeling it will hinder it, a lot.]
The spear that I'm building to go with it isn't finished yet. Sorry, dude.
Retractable, with a laser. The engineer who built it wanted a spear. I'm not going to deny the dude his legacy. [Here, he uses 'dude' in the gender neutral sense. He has no idea the gender of the robot builder. All he knows is that Todd could not stop it from happening.
They get to the suits, and Dirk drags the suite out for Dave to see. If Dave chooses to wear it, he will of course be greeted by the AI asking on boot up, "Ready for a fucking adventure, Todd?"]
[ dave has to. stare. for a little bit here. that is the coolest suit in the history of ever? holy shit? AND SURE DAVE WILL. CHOOSE TO WEAR IT. WHY NOT. ]
Who the hell is Todd. Oh my god mermaid adventure time we need more than one of these holy shit?
[ THIS IS THE MOST ABSURD THING EVER. dave loves you, mysterious todd-harassing scientist. ]
He must've been one of the Aurora's scientists. He did not want this thing built.
[Congrats, Dave. You are now a mermaid. Which. Dirk realizes that Dave is probably not going to have the easiest time leaving the base as this because. No water.]
I can carry you out if you want.
[On the other hand, if Dave wants to flop to the exit, that would be hilarious and Dirk would not stop him.]
[ give dave a minute or two to figure out the controls on this thing. he is thankfully extremely flexible and athletic and pretty quick to learn things, but he'll flop around for a bit just to figure it out.
all right. ]
Sweet, add that to our to-do list. Some of the other fish out here respond to music sometimes, too, come to think of it.
[Dirk waits patiently for his brother to get the hang of it, and he isn't actually left waiting that long. So that's good. Once Dave is moving, Dirk follows after him.]
Which fish have you been singing to.
[Is it something deadly. Did you sing to dangerous fish, Dave.]
And the Magister. But on one of my scavenge quests, I found a recording of a weird song? I tried humming that to one of them and it was kinda weird, how it acted. I'll show you if we see one.
[They have had enough detours for now. Dirk gives Wiz a wave when they're caught back up to him, and the drone moves from its overhead position to come down near to Dave and prod gently at him. Yes, that is the Dave. Correctly spotted. Good work Wiz.
Wiz decides to stay near Dave. Maybe he's worried about Dave handling the mermaid suit.]
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