3rd light - video

[destinyembrace]

Who: Kairi
Broadcast: Yep
Action: For anyone who's on the Blue Fish!
When: Later tonight

[It was just a simple message, asking what he was doing, making sure he hadn't fallen asleep again. But she couldn't find him. Like he hadn't ever been there, his name was gone from the list.

No.

Kairi quickly types in Sora's number, hoping maybe it was just a hiccup. She tried sending the message, but nothing. It couldn't find it. She frantically keeps hitting send, willing it to work, to send it to him. She did everything she could think of to try and fix it, in hopes that she was doing something wrong or the device was broken or there was interference or anything but what the cold dread in her stomach told her.

When her options were exhausted, and her panic turned into sadness, she then finally began to cry. He was gone, wasn't he? There was a chance she was wrong, but something in her told her she wasn't wrong. But she had to try, to ask, just in case. So she stubbornly wiped away her tears and opened a new post to address the network.]

So, um. If a person is gone from - if you can't find them on your communicator...

[This is harder than she expected. She has to fight to keep her voice steady. This is not only the first time someone she's known here that has been sent back, it's one of her best friends.]

Unless something isn't working? Is... anyone else's communicator not showing names? It could be that, right?

[But she doesn't believe it. Her voice cracks at the end, and she quickly ends the feed before she starts crying again.]

Comments

action;

[realhumanbeing]

[Oh, Kairi. Oh, Kairi. Admittedly, he doesn't know her all that well, but how can he hear her voice break and not come to see her? If she wants to be alone, that's fine, he'll leave again-- but as it is, Steven beams over.]

Kairi?

action;

[destinyembrace]

[Admittedly, she's a little surprised to see Steve on the ship. She's sitting in the kitchen, quickly wiping away her tears as Steve approaches.]

Hi, Steve. [She tries to keep her tone light, but she's failing at it.]

action;

[realhumanbeing]

Hi.

[Steven comes over and sits next to her. A beat, and he digs into his backpack until he finds a soda. Carefully, quietly, he offers it to her.]

I'm sorry.

action

[dancingmd]

[There is, of course, no way Beverly won't come find Kairi immediately upon hearing this broadcast. Seeing her on the verge of tears, Beverly doesn't say anything, just crosses over to Kairi and wraps her up in a hug. If Kairi needs to cry more, Beverly will be here however long she needs her.]

action

[destinyembrace]

[Kairi lifts her head, a little surprised to see Beverly coming over to her so suddenly, especially with a hug. But Kairi returns it, trying not to let the waterworks start again, even though it's likely going to be a losing battle.]

...I guess he is gone, then.

action

[dancingmd]

[Beverly strokes Kairi's hair.]

I'm sorry.

video; (private)

[limitstorm]

[ he's quiet, and serious. ]

It's Sora, isn't it?

video; (private)

[destinyembrace]

[She barely manages a nod.]

He's not... you haven't seen him, I guess.

[limitstorm]

Not for a few days. I thought he just was exploring, but...

[ ... well. even sora's not so bad to not check in. ]

Action!

[alwayscomeback]

[Oh. Well, that was thing. Sokka is nowhere near over losing Suki, the pain is still very fresh. Still, he heads through the ship, seeking out Kairi, and when he finally finds her, puts a hand on her shoulder. ]

Hey.

Action!

[destinyembrace]

[She leans a little into his hand, knowing that this is probably bringing up things he'd rather not be thinking about. But he's here, regardless, and she's grateful for that.]

Hi.

[alwayscomeback]

[He offers her a sad smile. ]

Sorry about your friend. I know it sucks, a lot. I promise we'll figure out where he is.

[Where they all are. ]

text

[got_it_memorized]

[Axel knows as soon as she asks that this is either about Sora or Riku. The way her voice breaks clinches it. A quick glance through the names in the database confirms that Sora's is missing from the lineup, and he sighs softly before sending her a message.]

Want company?

[He knows how this feels, and even though he wasn't as close with Sora, Axel will miss him, too.]

text

[destinyembrace]

[There's been an outpouring of support, but it still warms her heart a bit more to see it from Axel.]

yeah, i think so. if you don't mind coming over

[got_it_memorized]

Wouldn't have offered if I minded, Princess. I'll be there in five.

[He fires up the transporter and makes his way over to the Blue Fish. He's not certain where Kairi is, but he figures quarters are as good a place to start as any. Unfortunately, Blue Fish has upgraded bunks, meaning everyone has their own room. And he's not sure which one is Kairi's. Maybe she's got her name on her door or something useful like that! He'll make his way down the hall and check, and... well, if she doesn't, he guesses he'll just have to knock on them one by one and hope nobody thinks he's being a creep.]

video;

[recopy]

[Oh no, and he remembers this person too :c Catching somebody that had been so helpful to him before like this, though...]

Ah...I suppose glitches like that could happen to any kind of computer? If that happens very often here...but--you've already checked anywhere else your friend would usually be, too?

video;

[destinyembrace]

[Ah, yes, she does remember him, too. She appreciates him offering hope, but unfortunately, there's none left to be had.]

I did. Our other friend is - was on the same ship as him, and says he hasn't seen him. He's gone.

[tothefly]

[She knows what faces like that mean. What voices like that mean. Even if Kairi were good at hiding it, which she isn't, Natasha knows immediately what that trembling in her voice is. And so her face on the communicator is perhaps a gentler shade of neutral, her voice moreso.]

They could change the rules anytime. I don't see why they wouldn't. But you don't really think it's that, do you?

[destinyembrace]

[Kairi shakes her head. For all that she's optimistic, she knows when to concede. There's no point in holding out hope, when it's only going to make things worse.]

Riku - he was on the same ship with him - hasn't seen him. He's just gone.

[tothefly]

[She assumes Riku is another friend, one to both Kairi and the one she's lost. At least there's someone else who knows the loss.]

That doesn't have to be a bad thing. We don't know what happens when someone leaves here. Maybe he's back where you came from.

[From her, it sounds less like comforting optimism and more like simple fact. She doesn't do consolation, not really, but she does know tact.]

Text

[save_the_souls]

[He sees this transmission right away, but he doesn't respond to it for a good long while. He knows what it means when a person's name is gone from a communicator. He's seen it happen enough times, he knows Kairi has seen it too. He knows that deep down, Kairi knows what it means. But of course, it's always different when it's someone you're close to. Always.]

[None of the ship's roster has changed. That means, to upset her this badly, it had to be one of her close friends she's spoken about. Riku? Sora? There's a pang of guilt, he never actually got around to getting to know his crew's friends like he intended to. He should have tried harder.]

[He thinks about seeking her out, but he's sure the others are beating him to it- definitely Beverly and Sokka at least.Honestly, they're probably better at it. Allen's long run out of optimistic things to say about people leaving. It feels fake when he tries these days, and Kairi's smart enough to know it's fake. So why try?]

[So, he'll wait until hours later to send a message. When everyone else has had their chance to give her hugs and help her through her tears.]

I found a practise sword.

I know that everyone deals with these things in different ways. But if you're the sort that feels the need to hit something, or just to simply train to get your mind off it...

I'm around. Just send me a message.

Text

[destinyembrace]

[Kairi had mostly calmed down by this point, sans the occasional sniffle. Now the sadness ached like an open wound, and she wasn't sure quite how to deal with it.

Allen's text could hardly come at a better time.]

I'd like to try. I'm not very good, but maybe it'll help. Where are you?

Text

[save_the_souls]

That's alright. We all have to start somewhere.

I'll be in the cargo bay in about ten minutes?

[notmutantbutmiracle]

[Wanda recognizes the face and voice from her arrival on the Marsiva. However, unlike before, Kairi is clearly not her calm self. She is in pain.]

Kairi? Is everything alright?

[destinyembrace]

Wanda...

[Ugh. She is so sorry Wanda has to see her like this on their second meeting.]

No, not really. Atroma... they took one of my best friends away. He's no longer in the fleet.