Kowalski, Analysis | Daycare Car | (Baby) Jack + Viper

Roadie 🪶Jack

FJack wasn’t well versed in anything musical, so as far as he could tell that was probably just how the song was supposed to end. None of his business, really. He was busy… apparently trying to invent the concept of origami himself. Based on the crumpled mess in his hands, he wasn’t having much success. Still, he just picked out another piece of paper to try again, quietly. No need to disturb the music lady.

Viper

Viper glances over, finally realising that there was indeed someone else here. Ah… at least it was one of the FKids, not one of her fellow passengers. At first, she didn’t recognise the kid, because he was such a far cry than the Jack she knew, but there seemed to be no harm in approaching him, surely.

Getting up from the uncomfortable tiny piano bench, she moves to sit down closer to FJack.

“…Don’t look like ya havin’ much luck there, kiddo.” She surmises, looking at his attempt at Origami. “Need a hand? Or wanna figure it out?”

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper At first, she didn’t recognise the kid, because he was such a far cry than the Jack she knew, but there seemed to be no harm in approaching him, surely.

Indeed! He didn’t even have the face scar yet, and definitely not the green streak either. Or eyebags, naturally. He’s baby.

Viper Getting up from the uncomfortable tiny piano bench, she moves to sit down closer to FJack.

“…Don’t look like ya havin’ much luck there, kiddo.”

FJack tensed a bit at the nearness—he wasn’t in the way or anything, right?—but the music lady seemed like she was fine. If a little critical. Which was, uh. Fair. Even if he could make some nice, crisp creases, they weren’t lined up precisely and definitely weren’t building up into anything recognizable.

Viper “Need a hand? Or wanna figure it out?”

“Oh!” He flushed a little, twiddling at the nearest wonky paper corners. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m just, um, goofing around. I don’t need to make anything.” It may have been cool to, but that didn’t mean he wanted to bug people about it. Talking to strangers was hard. He was probably supposed to practice, but…

He glanced over at the music lady, but his gaze flitted back to the paper again as he fiddled with it instead.

Viper

Roadie 🪶Jack “Oh!” He flushed a little, twiddling at the nearest wonky paper corners. “No, no, it’s okay. I’m just, um, goofing around. I don’t need to make anything.” It may have been cool to, but that didn’t mean he wanted to bug people about it. Talking to strangers was hard. He was probably supposed to practice, but…

“Yeah, maybe ya don’t need ta make anythin’, but do ya wanna make anythin’?” Viper leans onto her hand as she rests her elbow on the table. This Jack was so… little. He seemed so… afraid. What happened? Perhaps this was why Jack was always so… jumpy, just… in a more stabby way. “When I was in school, they showed us how to make these little stars. I can show ya how ta make one’a those if ya want?”

Either way, she reaches for another piece of the paper and begins folding it up into a little origami star.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper “Yeah, maybe ya don’t need ta make anythin’, but do ya wanna make anythin’?” Viper leans onto her hand as she rests her elbow on the table.

Oh okay she was really here now. Talking to a grownup time. Okay. Uh. She still wasn’t a customer, so… teacher? He had some of those, he should be able to work with that. Okay?

Thankfully she kept talking before he had to put together a socially okay response to the question by itself.

Viper “When I was in school, they showed us how to make these little stars. I can show ya how ta make one’a those if ya want?”

“Oh, sure! Thank you.” He smiled brightly. Problems solved! Partly he was hoping to make a bird, but he liked stars, so that was just as good. Maybe better since he was the only one here right now? Hmm. Either way, the music lady teacher seemed satisfied, so that was definitely good.

Setting his latest experiment aside, he watched her movements carefully, standing up on his little baby chair to make sure he absolutely had the best view possible.

Viper

How lucky for FJack, Viper did like the sound of her own voice! She’s unlikely to pressure him to talk too much, as she focuses on working on the little star. She guides him through the steps by moving slowly, making sure he has time to process any of the more complicated folds.

“Ya can ask me if ya want me ta make something else too, ya know.” Viper continues folding, keeping an eye on him just in case he was about to fall from the chair. She’s quiet for a few moments before finally piping up.

“Ya’re Jack, right?” She looked up at him properly now. “Can ya tell me a bit ’bout ya’self?”

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper She guides him through the steps by moving slowly, making sure he has time to process any of the more complicated folds.

While it’s pretty clear he didn’t have any experience with this art in particular, he was good at following instructions! His first attempt could not have been called symmetrical, but it was still recognizable as a star. Good! Just needed more practice. He reached over for another piece of paper only to squint at it for a second. Hmm, different color. Was it still gonna fold the same? Maybe? He gave it a wobble, but that didn’t actually tell him anything. He’d just be extra careful.

Viper “Ya can ask me if ya want me ta make something else too, ya know.”

“Oh, um…” Did she want him to ask for something else, then? “Can I try and get this one better first? Maybe I can get enough for a consa… consul… conta…” Blushing again, he stared harder at the paper. “The—the aminal things. Animal! Sorry.” He knew how to talk, he promised… Assuming no one came to tease him about it, he shook it off pretty quick, though. “Just if that’s okay, though.”

Viper “Ya’re Jack, right?” She looked up at him properly now.

He blinked back. He was a what now?

Viper “Can ya tell me a bit ’bout ya’self?”

“Of course, um…” He clearly blanked out for a second. The easiest thing was always starting with his family, but he wasn’t supposed to talk about them here, he said… Uh. “I go to school a little bit now, but I’m better with helping at the shop. Um… I like climbing, and the sky, and kinda dogs? But the stray ones are scary.” Phew. Was that good?

Viper

Watching him with guided interest as he worked on his own rendition of the star, Viper beamed once she saw his finalised first attempt. Sure, this was far from the rambunctious fun she normally instilled on kids she was tasked to babysit, but it did remind her of babysitting Kanna’s step-sister. She was far more interested in these things than running around getting into trouble like Viper was.

Roadie 🪶Jack “Can I try and get this one better first? Maybe I can get enough for a consa… consul… conta…” Blushing again, he stared harder at the paper. “The—the aminal things. Animal! Sorry.” He knew how to talk, he promised… Assuming no one came to tease him about it, he shook it off pretty quick, though. “Just if that’s okay, though.”

“ ’Course ya can. I’m not th’ best at aminals, but I can definitely show ya a few.” Maybe she was also pronouncing animal wrong to make him feel better. This…kid was so nervous and quiet, she was doing her best to make him feel less like he was burdening him with his mere presence.

“I don’t wanna keep callin’ you kiddo, so…mind telling’ me ya name?” Seemed the kid didn’t know the name ‘Jack’, so she decided to cast out her line and see what she could reel in.

“A shop, huh? What kinda shop? Do ya just sell stuff, or make it?” Viper asked with genuine interest, leaning down a little to try and appear a bit less intimidating. “…Ya know, my mom worked at a shop too. Used ta go and see her when she was at work an’ be generally annoyin’.” Hoo. Talking about her parents hurt, but… if it meant she could make FJack feel better… or get more out of him, so be it.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper Watching him with guided interest as he worked on his own rendition of the star, Viper beamed once she saw his finalised first attempt.

Hahaha, approved!! Not that the vast majority of his work wasn’t, but it was still a nice feeling.

Viper “ ’Course ya can. I’m not th’ best at aminals, but I can definitely show ya a few.”

Honestly he was too busy nodding enthusiastically to even pick up on the mispronunciation. This time he’d actually meant enough stars for constellations, but he did also want to do some earthly animals! Maybe they’d get back around to birds after all.

Viper “I don’t wanna keep callin’ you kiddo, so…mind telling’ me ya name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Why had he assumed she already knew? Because she was a teacher, maybe? Or just because people usually did? “Um, my name’s Jagal.”

Whoops, someone must have overlooked that when threatening the kid’s mouth shut.

Viper “A shop, huh? What kinda shop?

Kind of shop? Huh. “Um, not the grocery or anything. Just equipment and stuff?”

Viper Do ya just sell stuff, or make it?”

He frowned at a fold before attempting to undo it and try again. He just ended up slipping back into the same one again, though. Darn creases. “Sometimes we make some when the stuff doesn’t come in. Mostly rope, ’cause they need lots of that.”

Viper “…Ya know, my mom worked at a shop too. Used ta go and see her when she was at work an’ be generally annoyin’.”

His eyes went wide. “She called you annoying?” Her own mother?!

Viper

Viper is glad to enable him. She reaches for another piece of paper, and starts experimentally folding at it herself, trying to see if she can remember how to make the paper cranes that she had learned to make in school.

“Don’t copy me doin’ this, jus’ tryin’ ta remember how ta do it. Ya can make some more stars if ya want while I figure this out.” She folds the neck of her crane a little wonky and huffs through her nostrils, before unfolding it and attempting again, better this time.

“Jagal, huh? Where ya from? ’S a cute name.” Whilst in reality, she knew Jack wasn’t his real name, she did kind of wonder if he’d just forgotten or if he didn’t go by his name for a reason like she did.

“Equipment! That’s cool! What kinda equipment? Like… rock climbin’? Wood cuttin’?” Rope… interesting. It had to be some kind of survival equipment, surely.

Roadie 🪶Jack His eyes went wide. “She called you annoying?” Her own mother?!

“Not in a mean way, don’t worry! Jus’, like, affectionate? Like ’Oh, you’re so annoyin’, stop it’! But ya can tell they don’t really mean it?” She had a feeling Jagal wouldn’t really. get the concept, but she was doing her best here.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper “Don’t copy me doin’ this, jus’ tryin’ ta remember how ta do it. Ya can make some more stars if ya want while I figure this out.”

Cue more vigorous nodding. Man, everything was working out perfect! If he could remember all the steps. He’d do his best!

He did slip the music lady a few looks as she went along, though. Bird? Is bird??

Viper “Jagal, huh? Where ya from? ’S a cute name.”

“Oh, thank you.” Because cute was a compliment and not just calling him not cool and it’s not like he came up with the name, anyway, so it wasn’t—she was just being nice. Which, a lot of this was being nice, but that made sense because teachers, uh, usually were? Mostly. When you actually did your homework. “It’s supposed to mean, um… ‘loyal,’ I think?” There was a less normal word he was forgetting, but it pretty much meant the same thing, so it wasn’t that important, right? Hopefully not because it wasn’t happening right now.

“I’m just from Hasak. Kinda the northern side?” Because how could she not know where Hasak was and its directional layout? It was pretty much the only place that existed, after all.

Viper “Equipment! That’s cool! What kinda equipment? Like… rock climbin’? Wood cuttin’?”

THERE now he’s cool. Hehe. “Uh… yes? A little bit? Mostly just stuff for the miners, but there’s some herding and travel stuff, too.” Distracted by the star attempts, he had a delay of about two folds before cringing. Oh that was a terrible sales pitch. He just wasn’t used to talking about it somewhere he couldn’t show off the wares themselves, maybe? Was that a good enough excuse?

Viper “Not in a mean way, don’t worry! Jus’, like, affectionate? Like ’Oh, you’re so annoyin’, stop it’! But ya can tell they don’t really mean it?”

“Oh… Okay.” He nodded in understanding. (<- Doesn’t get it at all)

Viper

It is indeed a bird, Mr. Jagal! Mr. FJack! Viper seems to get a little more confident by the time she’s done folding the bird. Once she’s done, she sits it up on the table- it’s a little lop-sided and not the best… but hey, it gets the point across. Viper’s artistic skill focused more on digital mediums. She was trying to pull out archaic knowledge from her school days to make these…

“Loyal! I’d say that suits ya. An’ ya bigger self. He’s kinda loyal, in his own way.” …Loyal is not the word most would describe Jack with, but Viper… firmly believed in him in that sense. “I wish m’name meant something cool like that. Some people say tha’… ‘Viper’ comes from the word meaning ‘Living’ combined with ‘to bring into existence’… kinda like… I dunno. Kinda sayin’ livin’ in two different ways.” She shrugs, clearly amused by said topic.

Roadie 🪶Jack “I’m just from Hasak. Kinda the northern side?”

“Can’t say I ever heard’a it. Know where it is?” Viper tilts her head into her hand. “What’s it like? I’m from Japan…know if it’s anywhere near?”

Roadie 🪶Jack “Uh… yes? A little bit? Mostly just stuff for the miners, but there’s some herding and travel stuff, too.”

“Hey! Tha’s pretty cool too. Gotta have someone who looks after th’ workers. An’ gives ’em some good stuff. From what I know about ya big self, he’s still pretty good at makin’ sales pitches ‘n’ he likes money a whole lot.” …Viper, that’s just making him sound like a capitalist!

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper Once she’s done, she sits it up on the table- it’s a little lop-sided and not the best… but hey, it gets the point across.

He applauded! Not like he’d ever seen a proper formal origami crane to compare it with. Even then, this would still be impressive since he had proof it was really made by hand. “And it stays like that, too? Wow…” Presumably he was used to his own attempts unravelling the second he let go.

Viper “Loyal! I’d say that suits ya. An’ ya bigger self. He’s kinda loyal, in his own way.”

“Really…?” Well. If the scary guy wasn’t loyal, he wouldn’t have had any reason to warn Jagal about talking, right? If he was still looking out for them, then… yeah.

Viper “I wish m’name meant something cool like that. Some people say tha’… ‘Viper’ comes from the word meaning ‘Living’ combined with ‘to bring into existence’… kinda like… I dunno. Kinda sayin’ livin’ in two different ways.”

She came this close to losing him there, but thankfully the words were pretty simple even if he hadn’t completely been aware other people’s names had meanings, too. Living and bring into existence, huh… “So it means you’re a… snake mom?”

Viper “Can’t say I ever heard’a it. Know where it is? […] What’s it like?

“Uh…” He focused on the next few folds with a frown. “It’s pretty far from the capital? And it’s just… normal, I guess?” He had zero concept of other places, sorry, Viper.

Viper I’m from Japan…know if it’s anywhere near?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t heard of there. Sorry. Is it one of the goat towns, maybe?”

Viper “Hey! Tha’s pretty cool too. Gotta have someone who looks after th’ workers. An’ gives ’em some good stuff.

Nod nod!

Viper From what I know about ya big self, he’s still pretty good at makin’ sales pitches ‘n’ he likes money a whole lot.”

Alhamdulillah he got better. Sure everyone said he would, but it was still good to know. Even if it came with… whatever else was going on with the bigger guy. Jagal slouched a little as he leafed through the pieces of paper still at the table. Lots of colors… “He looks like he gets to eat enough,” he agreed.