It's Not a Walk in the Park

[Nimbus Tsura]

"Uh. Because I'm a space robot stuck in a meat sack body?" Nimbus hazards. He wasn't given a past or any fake memories. He has no reason to assume that he should have been given such things. "I don't have parents! I came from the AllSpark like everybody else."

Nimbus does not know enough of humans to ask how Shahar can check that Slade's eyes are dilated while she is blindfolded.

"I have a fake ID, but the INS is after me, anyway."

[Slingshot]

Slade does not worry about little details like how Shahar can check pupil-dilation when she has her blindfold on. She's Shahar. She can do anything. (She probably knows he's Seraph, but he's going to resolutely hope otherwise.)

"I didn't come from the Allspark. I came from Vector Sigma." Slade hisses as Shahar pulls a bit of building debris out of his back. His expression screws up with the effort not to hiss when she applies alcohol.

"Humans have to fix that kind of thing sometimes. How do they do it?"

[Oracle]

Shahar pokes Slade lightly with her tweezers in the shoulder. "You also came from Papa and Madre, don't go forgetting that now that our otherselves past is all caught up." She knows they didn't start out flesh and blood, but the experience gave them both gifts it would be foolish to throw away so easily. Even when/if it came time to walk away. "By the way, painkillers and water are in the front pocket of my bag, should be safe for you to take them." Because she'd have to be actually blind to miss the wincing and sounds of pain.

Being no fool, Shahar certainly doesn't think she can do the 'anything' Slade believes of her, but she does try. And after several moments of quiet thought, she might have a solution here, though she isn't sure anyone will like it. "Sometimes, old ways may still work best, though I do believe usually the 'foreign' spouse is a female. Unless you can think of any objections Nimbus, meet me at the courthouse tomorrow around 2pm. We can have a Justice of the Peace do a civil ceremony there, and that should provide you with a significant amount of protection." Shahar hasn't once stopped carefully cleaning the debris out of Slade's wounds, but now she's paying a significant amount of attention to Nimbus' reaction as well.

[Nimbus Tsura]

"Uhm, what?" Nimbus asks, "I have no idea what you just said."

He stares blankly. He really does not understand what she just said.

"Spouse? Uhm... I mean, you're a very nice looking F-35 and all, when you're a F-35, but I can't get married, if that's what you're talking about? I... there's... I can't exactly take myself... off the market? And I know there's open marriages, but there's usually some degree of commitment, and we haven't even dated..."

[Slingshot]

"Hey!" Slade protests in Spanish. "I'm not going to forget Papa and Momma just because I'm a jet! They're too important! They're-"

He falls suddenly silent as a horrible thought occurs to him. "-they're real, aren't they, Shahar?"

[Oracle]

"Ssssh. They're real, I promise. I would notice something like that, right?" Shahar's arms wrap around Slade's shoulders from behind and pull him gently into a hug, mindful of his injuries.

She hasn't let go by the time she looks up at Nimbus, still holding her brother with one hand stroking his arm comfortingly. "I'm not asking for a commitment Skyblast, I quite agree I don't know you well enough, even were you not already attached to someone else. Consider this a legal maneuver that will help keep you safe from the human authorities. An offer from a friend, that's all." The whole tone is as deliberately stated from the point of view of Oracle as she can make it, without Shahar getting in the way.

---

OOC: Cuddles with permission.

[Nimbus Tsura]

Nimbus is vaguely bothered to discover that he doesn't speak Spanish. He should. He's a space robot. He knows he downloaded it. Why can't he remember?

Bewildered, he asks, "Why do the humans care if you're married or not before they ship you off to the moon?"

[Slingshot]

Slade relaxes into the hug. There's nothing he wants more than to turn in her arms and hold her back. He refrains, just concentrating on the sound of her breathing and listening to her heartbeat. As long as he has Papa, Madre, and Shahar, everything will be all right.

It was like having his brothers again. Except Papa and Madre didn't make him to fight for them, and Slade and Shahar aren't soldiers.

"Porque-" He pauses and switches back to English. "Because she's a US citizen."

[Oracle]

Shahar tightens her grip just a little as Slade relaxes against her. She knows her little brother enough to realize when he really does need comforting. She doesn't mind though, she likes being needed by him.

"My citizenship means you can apply for a green card right away, and not have to wait for an opening. You're considered immediate family." At the thought of family, she winces mentally. Oh, their parents are probably not going to be happy about this at all. Though they would like Nimbus when she brought him home.

Shahar looks down at Slade, "speaking of family, if you could be there as well, it would help. The fact we live together is already good, but having family there as well would be even better."

[Nimbus Tsura]

"Uh. Okay," Nimbus says, blinking. He clearly does not understand what is being discussed, but he is going to assume it works, because Shahar says it does.

[Slingshot]

"Yeah, I know," Slade says to Shahar. "Hey, are we going to tell our parents? Not about the robots, but about you getting married."

They might want to know about that.

[Oracle]

Slade's question gets a groan in response and Shahar lets her forehead thump down lightly on top of his head. She's still mindful of his battered state though, and after a short pause she straightens and returns to cleaning his wounds.

"Can you imagine how upset they would be if I didn't tell them and they found out another way later? They're going to be unhappy enough as it is. And that's even if we explain the wedding as something I need to do as one of my," Shahar waves one hand randomly through the air as though it would help her find the word she's looking for, before she gives up, "...things." Her family may be used to her odd abilities, but this is stranger by far than normal.

[Nimbus Tsura]

"I don't want to get you in trouble with your protoform batch initiators..." Nimbus says, frowning, "I may not understand half of what you are saying, but I can tell you're going out on a slackrope wire for me. Even if you don't do this, even if... I get sent to the moon, I'm going to make it up to you somehow, even if it means my life."

Nimbus is being completely serious here. He is writing a blank cheque to Shahar, and she can cash it in for his death if she wants.

[Slingshot]

"You're going to have to explain it as one of your things," Slade says, twisting to try to look at Shahar. "Otherwise, Madre's going to want to do a big wedding. You're her only daughter, and she knows I've got a snowball's chance in hell of finding a woman who will tolerate me."

He pauses, then looks back and forth between Shahar and Nimbus. "... So, are Nimbus and I switching rooms then?"

[Oracle]

Nimbus can probably sense the seriously intent stare Shahar has just fixed him with. He has just moved himself from someone to be watched over because he's important to others in her life, to being very interesting all on his own. Which is perhaps both a good and a bad place to be in Shahar's esteem. Her silent study ends with an acknowledging nod. She isn't going to make light of what he's said, but she's not going to dwell on it either.

Slade provides the perfect distraction, and Shahar groans out loud. "Madre is going to be upset either way. I had better show up in a dress tomorrow and make sure there are pictures for her, even if I explain it away. Anything else and I'm going to be hearing about it at family dinners for years." She doesn't need to be a seer for that prediction either.

Looking back at Slade she shrugs slightly. "That I'll leave up to Nimbus I think. It might be better in case someone challenges the marriage being just for the purpose of getting him a green card, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable." The last is directed to Nimbus himself.