He smiles as he looks down to his cup, realizing that it's empty. He stands up, talking over his shoulder as he walks to the kitchen. "I bet she'll be happy to see you. What's she like?" he wonders, rinsing out his cup and bringing back a glass of water for himself.
Maybe she would. He likes to hope she would. Cain was far from the first and only teenager to be put away for jumped up charges just to get some riffraff off the streets. He finishes his own tea and puts the cup down but continues to fiddle with it, rubbing his thumb along the handle.
"She's-- fuck, I dunno. She's a mom, you know? Got a sharp sense of humour though."
"My mother wasn't - well, she wasn't the nurturing type," he explains. "I don't think she's ever missed me. So - I guess it's just nice to hear how that isn't the truth all over."
He holds the cup out for Sheehan to take, studying him quietly as he speaks. Just goes to show that sometimes it doesn't matter how good or bad your parent is - you're going to turn out how you do regardless. Cain isn't sure how his mother feels about him right now, but he's sure she'd still love him.
"Why'd she have kids if she didn't want them?" A blunt question, but given what he was just told... "I mean. You're supposed to love your kids, right."
In her own way, huh. Just because Cain gets it doesn't mean he agrees, but then... he had a fairly average upbringing with a parent who made her love for him clear, so he can't really put himself in Sheehan's place.
He watches the man walk away, thoughtfully quiet for a few moments.
"Does it bother you, though? That things weren't different."
"Not particularly," he admits as he returns to the table with two fresh cups of tea. "The way I was brought up was everything I needed to become who I am now. And I don't want anything different."
Cain takes the fresh cup and stays quiet, thoughtful. He taps the side of his thumbnail against the handle and looks down at the tea, his eyelids lowering slightly.
"Guess it goes to show that sometimes it doesn't really matter how you're brought up, huh."
Cain pauses mid-sip, just for a moment. He looks at the man across from him in silence, using the time it takes to lower the cup to decide just how much he wants to say. Or just how truthful he's going to be.
"On the front line of the war with an alien species called the Colterons. Told you I'm a fighter with the Alliance." He shakes his head slightly. "Supposed to have some new tech to beat them, but someone ran off with it. After that, I dunno. Ended up here."
Honestly, Sheehan doesn't mind if he lies. Lying is a form of protection, and Sheehan and Cain are not good enough friends for Sheehan to ask him to take away those protections.
That's not a lie. Cain wasn't given all the ins and outs of how it all worked - his only knowledge of it was the experience of it - and Colteron tech is definitely a very niche specialisation.
"When it first worked, it made a ship disappear and reappear. No idea where it went in between."
Cain shakes his head. He doesn't remember a damn thing about what happened, just that they were there, and then they weren't. Abel looked a bit dazed afterwards. Cain was just thrilled that it worked.
"Didn't look like anything. Instantaneous teleportation or some shit. If we can get it to work reliably, it'll give us the kind of leg up on the 'terons that we need to win."
"Mm. Not sure. They only used it once, so it's hard to say."
He shakes his head, but his thoughts are back on that day and how shaken Abel had looked when they climbed out of the ship. At the time he'd thought it was just adrenaline but now... he's not so sure. Maybe it was something else.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-09-27 01:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-09-28 09:43 pm (UTC)Maybe she would. He likes to hope she would. Cain was far from the first and only teenager to be put away for jumped up charges just to get some riffraff off the streets. He finishes his own tea and puts the cup down but continues to fiddle with it, rubbing his thumb along the handle.
"She's-- fuck, I dunno. She's a mom, you know? Got a sharp sense of humour though."
no subject
Date: 2024-09-29 02:57 am (UTC)"My mother wasn't - well, she wasn't the nurturing type," he explains. "I don't think she's ever missed me. So - I guess it's just nice to hear how that isn't the truth all over."
no subject
Date: 2024-10-06 02:16 pm (UTC)He holds the cup out for Sheehan to take, studying him quietly as he speaks. Just goes to show that sometimes it doesn't matter how good or bad your parent is - you're going to turn out how you do regardless. Cain isn't sure how his mother feels about him right now, but he's sure she'd still love him.
"Why'd she have kids if she didn't want them?" A blunt question, but given what he was just told... "I mean. You're supposed to love your kids, right."
no subject
Date: 2024-10-06 04:26 pm (UTC)He takes the cup and walks back to the kitchen to refill it.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-09 09:29 pm (UTC)He watches the man walk away, thoughtfully quiet for a few moments.
"Does it bother you, though? That things weren't different."
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Date: 2024-10-10 12:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-13 12:00 am (UTC)"Guess it goes to show that sometimes it doesn't really matter how you're brought up, huh."
Shrug. He lifts the cup and takes a small sip.
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Date: 2024-10-13 01:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-13 01:47 am (UTC)"Not what I meant but, sure. Didn't come here to talk about my childhood, though. You got anything else you wanna know?"
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Date: 2024-10-13 01:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-13 02:04 am (UTC)"On the front line of the war with an alien species called the Colterons. Told you I'm a fighter with the Alliance." He shakes his head slightly. "Supposed to have some new tech to beat them, but someone ran off with it. After that, I dunno. Ended up here."
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Date: 2024-10-13 05:36 pm (UTC)Honestly, Sheehan doesn't mind if he lies. Lying is a form of protection, and Sheehan and Cain are not good enough friends for Sheehan to ask him to take away those protections.
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Date: 2024-10-16 07:53 am (UTC)That's not a lie. Cain wasn't given all the ins and outs of how it all worked - his only knowledge of it was the experience of it - and Colteron tech is definitely a very niche specialisation.
"When it first worked, it made a ship disappear and reappear. No idea where it went in between."
no subject
Date: 2024-10-16 01:28 pm (UTC)That's - nefarious. Terribly so. "Was there anyone in the ship?"
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Date: 2024-10-20 06:29 pm (UTC)It's not really a lie, is it? Just telling it from a different point of view.
"They both made it out fine, if that's what you were wondering."
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Date: 2024-10-21 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-10-26 08:27 pm (UTC)"Didn't look like anything. Instantaneous teleportation or some shit. If we can get it to work reliably, it'll give us the kind of leg up on the 'terons that we need to win."
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Date: 2024-10-27 02:35 am (UTC)He's got a big enough imagination to make up for it, though.
"How much does it deviate? Were there any side effects?"
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Date: 2024-10-30 11:40 am (UTC)He shakes his head, but his thoughts are back on that day and how shaken Abel had looked when they climbed out of the ship. At the time he'd thought it was just adrenaline but now... he's not so sure. Maybe it was something else.
"Can't really ask them here."
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Date: 2024-10-30 03:36 pm (UTC)