driftfleet | one ☂ rain, rain, go away...

Who: Lapis Lazuli & YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: S.S. Huntress
When: 1/10

[ VIDEO ]

[ The very second she wakes, the immediacy of how wrong this is crashes over her like a wave.

Lapis curls upright on a cot on the Marsiva, blinking and coughing - like she's been underwater for too long. Frantically, she reaches out for something that isn't there - a shackle. A connection she had been holding on to with all the strength she had, just moments ago -

She had lost it. She hadn't been strong enough.

She stumbles off the cot like she's still getting her land legs, and slowly moves out of the room, quickly casting glances around every corner as she moves down hallways. This doesn't look like a Homeworld ship, but...it has to be. She wasn't strong enough to stay fused with Jasper, and so she must have gotten free. She was probably hurting Steven right now, and Lapis had been taken prisoner again -

What's the point?

In front of a large window, she slumps down, arms winding around her knees. She her forehead against them until she can't see the harsh lights of the ship anymore. With that blocked out, there's just her, and the tumultuous ocean roiling inside of her. ]

[ ACTION ]

[ Soon enough, Lapis is shuttled off to the S.S. Huntress, and she enters the ship with all the reluctance in the world. She is not happy to be here. She barely minds the fact that she's been assigned to a Security position - rather, she avoids the armory entirely. She didn't ask for this. She didn't ask to come here, to be taken prisoner yet again by an organization she knew nothing about, but who would inevitably find some way to use her to their ends.

She doesn't want any of this.

And so as Lapis makes her way to the bunks, she starts pulling - only partly deliberately - on any liquids she passes. Someone using the toilet or shower may suddenly find the water fleeing upwards and out towards the Gem calling it to her. Water, tea, or any other drink may jump out of a cup or drink dispenser as she passes. She does this until she builds a small river down the hallway, barely glancing at anyone she passes unless - unless, they get a bit too close for comfort. ]

No! Just - just stay away from me!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Undyne isn't doing anything with water at the moment, but she'd be stupid if she didn't notice a new arrival or the sound of water. That's... interesting! She pokes her head out of a doorway.

Someone who obviously isn't human, and blue at that! And obviously not having a Good Day, if the way she snaps at everyone is any indication. Undyne tries a softer approach, namely by appearing a few yards ahead of Lapis. She's so far unarmed, but she gives the impression she is much stronger than she looks.]

Hey. You look upset, and I don't blame you, but you've dragged all the water out of where it's supposed to be. Take a deep breath. Let's talk about it.

[ Lapis doesn't move any closer to her, but neither does she move back. Not a Gem, but not a human, either. That much is obvious. What's harder to tell is why she's trying to talk to her like this.

Why...why would she try to help? The gesture almost makes her more defensive, like she's expecting a trap, and Lapis crosses her arms tightly over her chest. ]

I can't - I can't talk about it! I have to get back to the Earth!

[ She can't be a prisoner again. She has to finish what she started. ]

[Her expression softens, which is pretty funny considering she has big sharp teeth, but Lapis doesn't seem like the kind to judge.]

So do I, but... we're stuck here. There's shuttles in the cargo bay but they don't go very far. Even if you could breathe out there, you'll probably end up getting zapped by something or pulled back.

[She doesn't move closer since Lapis is on the defensive.]

But! I've been doing some reading, and it seems like the people we left behind don't notice when we're gone. I think it's some kind of... time thing. I'm not sure how it works.

[ Eyes widening, voice barely a murmur: ] There's...no way to escape?

[ But then she shakes her head, determined to stay resolved. She has to at least try. If she didn't try, after everything she'd done, after everything Steven had done for her... ]

I have to try. They can't keep me here! I was fused with another Gem - of course she'll realize that I'm gone!

[ And take full advantage of her absence, too. ]

[She doesn't understand half of that but Lapis seems very determined, so Undyne has to give her credit.

She crosses her arms.]

You're new, so maybe you have an idea we haven't tried before. What do you want to do?

[ This is unexpected. Everyone she's talked to so far has been adamant that she can't leave and she shouldn't even bother trying. Someone actually offering her the opportunity to suggest an idea catches her off guard. ]

I - if I can get outside the ship, I can fly away. I was told there's a barrier, though...has anyone tried attacking it to break it?

[ If she had enough water at her command, maybe she could do it... ]

None of us can breathe in space, so... no, not really.

[She looks at Lapis up and down. She doesn't seem too inhuman...]

Would you be safe out there?

[ Lapis nods. ]

I'm a Gem. We travel through space all the time.

[ Well. Not her so much, until recently. ]

I can show you how to open the airlock so you can step outside.

[Her lips press into a line.]

Just promise me you'll come back if things get dicey, okay? The last thing I want is someone dying because they threw themselves into some kind of impenetrable barrier.

[ Lapis nods, a look of determination on her features. ]

I won't be of any use to anyone if my gem's shattered. [ It'd take a lot to do that, but at the end of the day, Lapis has a reason to want to stay alive. She had an unfinished job to do. ] I'll be careful.

All right. I'm counting on you.

[She turns to lead Lapis down the hall towards the shuttle bay.]

What's your name? Mine's Undyne.

[ Lapis follows a few paces behind, her step cautious and uncertain.

What if this doesn't work? ]

Lapis. Lapis Lazuli.

[If it doesn't, then they'll just push forward. That's all Undyne knows how to do.]

So, you're not just named after a gem. You... are one. [The thing about fusing went straight over her head. Call her curious.]

There's all kinds of monsters at home but I don't think I've ever met one that was a jewel. Ghosts, fire, volcanoes, airplanes, skeletons, lizards... we've got the works. No gems though.

[ After a moment, she nods. ]

That's right. We're the physical manifestations of our gems. [ Lapis Lazuli, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Rose Quartz...and then some. ] It might look like I have a body, but what's me...what's really me, is my gem.

[ She understands that's quite different from humans. A gem could survive if their physical form was damaged, but that isn't true for all life forms. ]

What's a...no, I don't think I know what any of those are.

one ☂ rain, rain, go away...

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