Oh, Molduous Me..... [OTA]

[abrightboy]

Who: Moldy!Malcolm Bright and YOU.
When: During the time of the moldening.
Where: All over, but especially B1, local coffee shops and ADI
Summary: Malcolm has succumbed to the mold and he feels GREAT, if a little itchy on his left side, just under his ribs.
Warnings: Aggressive attempts at friendship, mold, the worm game.


Malcolm doesn't know what this stuff is on his left side just below his ribs. Maybe he'll get it checked out at some point; it's a little bit itchy. But not right now. He has things to do. Like BE YOUR FRIEND.

OTA
He's been in his room most of the day, after a stop at the craft store. He's made a whole bunch of friendship bracelets in different colours.

He immediately gives one to each of his roommates, Tim and Meredith, and he's got one in his pocket earmarked for Neal. And he thinks he would quite like to give one to Jeff. He's put two aside for Gil.

You know, he'll just put all the ones he hasn't given out yet in his pockets. Just in case. People have been nice here. Maybe, unlike at school, they will want to be Best Friends Forever!

Tim Drake
Malcolm does knock, but he then walks right in to Tim's room without waiting for a response. That should be a red flag on its own, but he's smiling broadly, too.

"Hey Buddy! I have a present for you. What are you working on?" he asks curiously, casting around in his pocket.

Meredith Idlewild
Malcolm finds her in the kitchen in the morning. He grins.

"Mere!" He fishes around in his pocket. "Making something to eat? You should definitely have something to eat; you always make sure we have stuff to eat."

Neal Caffrey
Malcolm texts him. Neal. Meet me at the cafe down the street from ADI?

Comments

[bossyboiler]

Kate walks into Any Beans Necessary with the intent to order a latte to go. It's her lunch break. She could drink the coffee that ADI supplied but instead, she chooses life.

"Hey Malcolm." Kate greets as she gets in line to order. "Didn't want to drink ADI's coffee either?" She asks in a good-natured tone.

[abrightboy]

“I mean it’s basically police station coffee,” he replies. “Makes me nostalgic for home but you can meet so many more different people out here don’t you think? Plus Neal comes here sometimes, so maybe I’ll run into him. Oh, hey, I met someone at Thanksgiving - well, I met him once before but there were kelpies, no time for pleasantries - but we were talking and he said he has a roommate that makes everyone food and I thought that could be you is it you? He seems like a nice person; he cut me a very small piece of pie and I wasn’t going to have pie but he cut it really small and it was really nice of him. Honestly, everyone here is nice, I hope we never leave. Do you ever get nostalgic for home? The coffee at ADI makes me nostalgic for home.”

[bossyboiler]

Malcolm speaks so quickly and says so much more than Kate is accustomed to hearing at once. She blinks once and then twice. How does she respond to that? She had not expected word vomit from him. She decides to focus on one thing at a time. "If he had a metal arm, that's Winter. He is my roommate and he is nice." She says slowly.

"I miss home. I would go back if I could."

[abrightboy]

“Yes, it was Winter! That’s him. It’s an interesting name. I didn’t ask about it, but there’s so much to know. Like, is it his first name or his last name? Maybe I’ll ask him next time; he just seems easily spooked. Not by monsters or anything, just by socialization. It’s probably PTSD. He looked like he knew how to fight and he lost the arm somewhere, right? I’d suggest severe physical and emotional trauma leading him to withdraw socially and now he’s not sure how to approach it. Anyway, you must come from somewhere nice to want to go back. I miss my family - well, most of it - but there was just… too much of the same crap there, you know? And I have more friends here. People are nice,” he explains.

[bossyboiler]

Kate feels an immediate need to protect Winter from Malcolm. "His name is Winter and that should be enough. You will not ask him more." She means it. It's not that Malcolm is wrong. He is probably correct but Winter (for all of his strength) is delicate. He doesn't need Malcolm barging up to him with the intent to lay his psychological problems bare.

She is quiet for a moment. Is her world nice? It's food for thought at any rate. "I miss the familiarity of it," is going to be her final answer. "You mean people here treat you better than back home?" She can't disagree with that. His father isn't here.

What is Malcolm's deal? Is he on something? He is not exhibiting his usual Malcom Bright dourness. People are nice. That's his comment that does it for her. "Are you feeling okay?"

[ployboy]

The bulky old desktop he keeps in his room is suspiciously showcasing the home screen, all apps closed, the pointer hovering over the menu. Tim himself is sitting rigid on the chair, counting to five as he breathes out.

Buddy.

He turns, faux-casual and appropriately wary despite the fact that it's... pretty nice, in a homesick kinda way, to bat away a distraction that is an upbeat Malcolm Bright.

"A present." He repeats, kicking absentmindedly at a shirt that had balled up under his desk somehow. Tim tries not to think of how mortified he should be to be found out to be a... slob. It's difficult. Anyway. A present?

"Why do I get a present?"

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looks at him like the answer is obvious.

“Because we’re friends!” he replies. “And it’s a friendship bracelet!” he adds, whipping out a blue and yellow one and holding it out. “Do you need help putting it on?”

[ployboy]

The whole... worm thing hasn't been going on for so long. But Tim works IT. They got the memo. He hasn't... put 2 and 2 together yet, despite that. --look, he'd like to think Malcolm being so full o' pep is because of something good having happened to him, okay?

Like, maybe something with Neal.

Tim's brow furrows and he automatically catalogues the colors-- blue and yellow: success, responsibility. Youth, loyalty. Cowardice, sadness. He grunts like teenagers do and reaches out gingerly for the bracelet. "When did you learn how to make friendship bracelets?"

...don't answer that.

"It's... nice. Thanks. Are you feeling okay?"

[abrightboy]

“I feel great! There was a book at the craft store where I bought the string. So. Now that we’re definitely best friends forever…” It said that on the cover of the book. “Maybe I can help you with all the work you’re always doing so you can finish up and we can go out and have fun! They have hot chocolate at the coffee shop, you know.”

[cacophonish]

Jeff's in a pretty good mood-- in an actual cheery, high on life, kind of way, not a brain-eating mold way, thank you very much.

Not that he knows about the mold issue yet. Yeah, he saw the message from Reyes (and felt an immediate stab of vindication because he always hated Hermy) but he pretty much brushed it off after doing a thorough check of his body and confirming: no mold, no problem.

Anyway, Jeff's bounding out of the music store just as Malcolm's heading for the coffee shop at the end of the block.

"Malcolm, hey!" he calls out, before bounding over to the other man like a lanky, cheerful golden retriever. He slings an arm around his friend's shoulders. "What's up?"

[abrightboy]

“Jeff!” Malcolm returns brightly. “Oh my god; I’m so glad you’re here! I have something for you!”

He fishes in his pocket and comes up with a green and pink friendship bracelet, holding it out to Jeff. “Here. Do you need help putting it on?”

[cacophonish]

"You are?" Don't act so surprised, Jeff. Sometimes people really do want to see you!

"Oh, what's--" Huh. A friendship bracelet. He remembers these from when he was a kid. Well, he's not too cool for a handmade friendship bracelet. "Yeah, sure, man." He holds his hand out. "Thanks! Uh... I didn't know you were into crafts. Do the colors mean anything?"

[abrightboy]

He starts tying it on carefully, but pauses to stare at it at the question.

“I just picked ones that look nice together.” He looks at Jeff. “Are they supposed to have meaning? The book didn’t say that.”

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Aelwyn, also mouldy at this point.]

Aren't you a little old for friendship bracelets?

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looks at the bracelet on his wrist, then looks at Aelwyn, blinking.

“What do you mean?”

How can you be too old for friends?

[aelwyn_aberration]

"I mean that normally friendship bracelets are something little girls grow out of at the age of twelve," Her smile is a bit sharp, and her words are sharper.

[abrightboy]

He was starting to feel silly, but something in the tone of her answer snapped him to defiance. It reminded him of all the bullies at all his schools.

“Oh. Well, when I was twelve I was catatonic from trauma for months and then finished the year in home schooling, so I probably missed that,” he informs her matter-of-factly. “But I will say that being constantly bound by arbitrary societal norms is exhausting. I don’t recommend it for anyone.”

THAT LAST ONE

[conning]

Neal stares at the text a little while, his stomach turning with a mix of anxiety and guilt. He doesn't want to admit he's been trying to avoid Malcolm since the encounter after Halloween. To himself or to Malcolm. He could easily brush off the text, tell Malcolm he's busy at the moment. His throat tightens and he clears his throat.

Be there in ten.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm is sitting, fidgeting, at a table in the corner, hands wrapped around his cup, but he almost knocks it over jumping to his feet when Neal comes in. He smiles, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in his place behind the table.

[conning]

The smile is genuine, Neal can tell that much. It's warming and a relief and stop it, Caffrey, he shouldn't be smiling like that at the person who said he didn't want a relationship then went on a bender.

Even if the bender does support the image of someone who doesn't want a relationship.

"Hey," he says, a little awkwardly. Neal gestures at the table, then at the counter. "Mind if I grab something?"

A pause, before something occurs to him. "Are you okay? Is everyone else okay?"

He doubts Malcolm would be smiling like that if things weren't okay, but the worry is always there now.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm nods, then turns his smile towards the table.

“Everyone’s fine as far as I know.”

He sits back down a little less clumsily than how he stood up.

ME!ME!ME!

[henchgal]

"I'll eat, I'll eat. It's harder to feed you two than it is to feed me, most of the time, so I spend more energy worrying for you."

She's dragging a little this morning, limping somewhat. One of her hips is misbehaving, but she would rather not draw too much attention to it. You know, even while she's leaning hard on the new cane Tim got her.

"You, especially."

[abrightboy]

“I should be the easiest; I eat the least,” he points out cheerfully. He pulls an orange and royal blue bracelet out of his pocket and holds it out to her. “I made this for you,” he informs her, quite proud of himself.

[henchgal]

"Where'd you learn how to do this?" She's confused, but more delighted than she really ought to be. Like, of course she knows how to make friendship bracelets, she was a girl at summer camp at one point. But Malcolm sprung from the ether as a traumatized man, he'd never been a kid, right?

[abrightboy]

She’s correct.

“I got a book at the craft store! Do you need help putting it on?” he offers, gesturing at her wrist.