(no subject)

[killedwithlove]

Who: Cole
Broadcast: No
Action: EVERY SHIP EXCEPT THE MARSIVA
When: The first half of the month

[See, the problem is, now Cole's augment is a pilot one.

He's lost the room he wasn't aware as his, but he's gained a whole new lot of knowledge. Such as how to move the ship, how to dock it to other ships and that makes his constant wandering from ship to ship much easier.

And it means he can park the Pathstone with the Three Twins and Tourist without ever going on board either of them. He can bring the Pathstone to them, and still give Fenris his safe space and people form those ships and visit the Pathstone without having to take a shuttle!

So, Cole's doing his rounds again. Visiting. Parking. Shoving the Pathstone wherever he feels like going.]

Comments

[serves]

[He doesn't think to go tell Cole what's happened to Elize--the boy, spirit, whatever he is, tends to come and go often enough that Cullen is sure it's only a matter of time before he sees for himself.

He'll find Cullen sitting next to Elize's bed, a book sitting nearby, but it's not proving to be a very good distraction.]

[killedwithlove]

[Cullen's pain draws him.

He comes in silently, drifting to Cullen's side and looking down at her. She's not dead, he can feel her there, but it's not like she's all there.]

Will she wake up? Does she need a prince's kiss?

[serves]

She'll wake up. [He can't think about the alternative. He has to believe this is like with Varric. He spares Cole a glance, shifting slightly.]

Time is what she needs. [Too young for princes and kisses and being in slumbers like this.]

[killedwithlove]

All right.

[He chooses to believe Cullen. He comes and sits next to Cullen, on the floor and hugs his knees to his chest, looking up at the bed.]

Solas left. I don't want Elize to leave as well.

[deshabille]

[When he shows up on the bridge, Mal doesn't blink. She remembers the last time they spoke, in the dark of the too-alive forest, and how he shamed her without meaning to, how small she felt in the face of his honesty.]

[She doesn't hate him, though. Admires him a bit, maybe, for that honesty. So she smiles at him and beckons him over.]

[killedwithlove]

[He comes over, canting his head and placing the feel of her, that he knows her, she matters to Cassandra, echoes of Cassandra touching her.]

You feel better now than then. Hello.

[deshabille]

Hello. I do.

[She's clean today, not covered in engine oil like usual. Practically professional and captainly.]

What about you?

[killedwithlove]

I'm more Cole now than I was then.

You do a good job looking after Caprine.

[thezerothlaw]

[On the Wonderduck, Daneel is sitting, just sitting, in a quiet corner where he will disturb no one. His mind is open, and he's listening to the emotions of his crewmates. Unobtrusively, of course. He does not dig, he does not tamper, but he listens. There's a comfort in it, of a sense. He knows they're well, and he feels something akin to responsibility.

Because, after all, he's a robot and they've been placed (sort of) in his care.]

[killedwithlove]

[Cole wanders in, saying nothing but his senses already telling him confusing things.

Compassion. Not a spirit. But Compassion nonetheless.

He comes over and sits down nearby, hugging his knees to his chest and watching Daneel silently.]

[thezerothlaw]

[Daneel lifts his head, looking at Cole with some curiosity before he speaks.]

I admit I am not certain why you are on this ship.

[survivalistcookbook]

[Being the cook of the Vanquish - and, admittedly, being kind of fascinated with his sudden Matrix-style knowledge dump of the handling of formed and flavored protein - Eugene's been distracting himself by experimenting with the food staples available to them in an effort to make something resembling actual appealing meals. The nature of the beast makes that a tricky thing, and he's already pining for the resources to upgrade them into range of an actual spice rack, but for now he's making progress.

Today he thinks he's figured out something that's basically croquettes, which are currently sizzing in a carefully thin layer of vegetable oil on the range. He's left them to brown while he rests his leg, seated at the galley table and jotting down recipe notes.]

[killedwithlove]

[As is so often the case, Cole doesn't warn that he's come in, or that he's there at all, he just glides up quietly and then-]

The dead should stay still. But they don't always in Thedas, either.

[survivalistcookbook]

[Thankfully, the voice catching his attention is what blunts Eugene's startle down to not much more than an instinctive jolt. Irritation follows on fear's heels, and his face twists into a what the hell kind of expression as he shifts in his seat and settles his crutch to rest against his truncated left thigh.

It's kind of an intimate detail to start a conversation with. Some weird attempt at sympathy, maybe? Eugene realizes he hasn't exactly made his circumstances back home a secret. And that second half, that hook - it works.]

Is that so. [He cants his head, corner of his mouth curling mirthlessly.] Hopefully they're at least not trying to chew you apart, there.

[heresyandlace]

[Tek is a very deep sleeper.

but hearing the foreign sounds of engines jumping to life as they speed up to actually move somewhere, revving up with intent, stirs him out of sleep with the same kind of pang that a storm might. his aura has apparently sunk deeply enough into the skeleton of the ship that this new rumble in its bones shakes him awake.

for a minute, he's somewhere with land and sky, and heavy thunder is rolling in above him. and when he does remember that he is impossibly far from all of those things, he throws on enough clothing to be passably decent, and climbs out of his nest.

one of Pathstone's captains is fast on his way to the bridge.]

[killedwithlove]

[Cole is talking to the ship as he flies.

It's only natural. He talks to most things, and the Pathstone is something more than just his shoes or a door, so he talks to it. And now he knows how to make it move and go faster and stop, he's talking to the controls and ships at once.]

You're being very helpful. Between you and Pilot Augment, I think we can understand each other. It's strange to think that you have these because of Pilot Augment. Hello, Tek. Pathstone grew a pilot control panel for Pilot Augment!

[onlyanapple]

[The ship is moving. Of course, the ship has always moved, but it's been a slow, dull affair. This time, it sounds like actual thrust is involved, and that brings Crowley out of his room to investigate.

He blinks behind his sunglasses, as they park next to...whatever ship it is. The weird ball-insignia'd one. He turns his head to look at Cole. ]

...I really hope you got re-assigned to pilot and this isn't one of your little moments of whimsy. I'd rather us not rupture the hull and float off into space.

[killedwithlove]

[Cole doesn't even look up from the controls, where he's gently coaxing them into synch and dock with another ship.]

Pilot Augment told me how to make the control panel tell Pathstone where I'd like to go. It's much easier than trying to take a shuttle to every ship in the fleet.

[onlyanapple]

[Flatly: ]

How deeply considerate of it. Suppose it's time we're able to dodge whatever bullshit they throw at us.

[redactions]

[ Aboard the Heron Bucky's busying himself with checking that the panels and wiring are all in the right places, and fiddling around with the ones he's not sure about. He's not convinced he's the best candidate to patch all of this up, but that's soothed away by the joy of having something repetitive and mechanical to do. He's not consciously listening for anyone aboard the ship or around him. ]

[killedwithlove]

[Cole comes up and sits up on a console, watching in silence for a while.

Finally, he decides to say something. Not to let Bucky know he's there, but because he's curious.]

Falling, falling, cold and darkness... It was like dying. Have you died before as well?

[redactions]

[ To his credit, he doesn't jump right out of his skin, and instead looks at Cole, trying to decide how solid this ghost is and whether he should really be talking to it. ]

Yeah. I drowned. Or — thought I did, anyway.

[stayinthecar]

[ This time when he runs across Cole outside the crew quarters, Zeta won't be confused; instead he smiles at their uninvited (but not unwelcome) guest. ]

Hello again, Cole. Another visit?

[killedwithlove]

[He's at least not dangerous. Probably.]

Hello. Yes. I can pilot the Pathstone now, so I can visit other ships much easiee. It's good, I like it.

[stayinthecar]

[ well it's not like zee is going to do anything to start a fight! ]

Oh, did you get made a pilot? That's good -- we don't have one right now, actually, I'm a bit worried about that.