Korvo was on the ship as usual; repairing and replacing things. Things that would never stay fixed for long, and he'd have to redo the process all over again. Though... He wasn't exactly complaining. It was therapeutic for him in a sense. It was silent. He was alone. The two things he loved most.
On his hands, he had thin, black, rubber gloves that came up to his elbows and a toolbox at his feet. He worked in an open compartment full of loose wires and faulty switches. When they crashed, it had caught fire.
He tried to concentrate, desperate for his work to be crowned. Desperate to get off this planet. The incessant screaming of the neighborhood kids made concentrating hard. He cut the wrong wire and it took him forever to remember the sequence of flips for the switches. Things he normally kept securely in his memory. But the background noise disturbed his attentiveness. He sighed, exasperated. He would have put them into the replicants' enclosure by now, but he was feeling off today. His normal desire to terrorize annoying humans seems to falter just like his accuracy.
Maybe it was him being off his game due to distractions, or that something inside felt bland and stale today. And just as he contemplated entertaining that thought, a loud voice swatted away the clouds, causing him to wince.
"Korvooo~!" A singsong voice chirps as the ship's door opens with a gentle whirr and click.
He knew better than to suspect he'd ever get some peace and quiet to work on the ship.
"Damn it, Terry! You messed me up!" Korvo scolded, stomping his foot in frustration as he ended up cutting the wrong wire. He takes his face out from the electrical box, wiping the smoky ash from his face.
"Well, I needed your full attention!" He exclaimed. That stupid big grin on his face. Korvo, with less than reluctant attentiveness, glared at him, scowling. "I don't have time for this; I'm busy. Go away." He buries his face into the dust and ash-infested electrical box once more. Terry walks up, slamming shut the small panel, his dumb face on the other side. Korvo gave him daggers, wanting to strangle him.
"Sorry, Korv. No can do. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. It's not optional." Terry stood with his chin held high. Korvo watched him begrudgingly. "Now now, you can go back to sweeping raccoons out of the ship later," he pulled Korvos's gloves off, gently tossing them aside. Putting his hands on Korvos's tense shoulders, he guided him along. Korvo looked over his shoulder, his feet anchored to the ground. "But right now, everyone is waiting for you." He spoke from the side of his mouth.
"I've told you, Terry. I'm going to publish my book soon. It's just not ready for the public eye yet!" He dryly informed, to which Terry halted. "Nooo, not that! C'mon, I know you like acting like a big grump, but this is important." He spoke as if the words meant anything to Korvo. "What the hell are you talking about then?" Korvo raised an eyebrow in utter confusion. Was today something special? If it were, it would be marked on his mental and physical calendar.
"You seriously don't know what I'm talking about?" Terry had a suspicious tone in his voice, eyeing him. "No, Terry, I don't. If it were something that actually mattered, I would have remembered it." Korvo retorted. Terry frowns, "C'mon man.. 'Family Day'? We spent a whole week planning it?"
Korvo was slack-jawed.
There it was! An old memory flashed in his mind: He was sitting at the dinner table, eating his special homemade spaghetti. (It was store-bought). Terry was beside him, spewing on about how they should have a day to celebrate when they became a real family - at least semi-real -. And Korvo mindlessly agreed, just wanting to eat in peace.
Fuck. Why didn't he listen to Terry for once?!
"'Family Day'.." he repeated in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. Maybe that's why he's felt so off. For once, he had forgotten something. Something important. But the feeling didn't subside like he thought it would after discovering it. It made him feel uneasy.
