03 ❀

[princessia]

Who: Elize Lutus and... YOU, maybe?!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: SS Huntress
When: 7/19

[ When Elize awakens from cryosleep is when the network decides to record her panic as she sits up with a jolt, like she'd just woke up from a nightmare. It felt like a dream, but she's certain it wasn't. Before she even acknowledges the fact that she's back on the fleet, away from Rieze Maxia, she's searching around her bed frantically, patting at the sheets for something that should be there. ]

Teepo... Teepo?

[ She clasps her hands near her chest where she would normally hold her doll. It's the almost exact behavior during her first days on the fleet. Although she knows the full truth about the toy now, old habits die hard.

As she sits in her bed, she looks around at the metal walls of her room on the Huntress, taking deep breaths to calm down. She reaches up, gently running her finger around the augment behind her ear and confirming where she is. The memories are beginning to sink back in. ]

It's this place again.

[ A pause. ]

...Cullen?

Comments

action

[serves]

[He'd dozed off, just for a second, sitting upright in the chair next to Elize's bed. It was only at the insistence of others that he even left the spot on occasion, and only shortly then, to pretend to go get some proper rest or stretch his legs.

It was beginning to catch up to him.

It's the sound of his name that has him all but jumping out of the chair, heart pounding. Elize. Awake, still there, not gone and suddenly everything is better.]

I'm here. I'm right here, Elize. [Maker, he wants to hug her, but he doesn't want to overwhelm her with his relief. So he settles for touching her cheek, tentative with his movement towards her.]

Are you all right?

[killedwithlove]

[Normally Cole doesn't notice broadcasts, but he notices Elize's voice and he promptly jams the Pathstone up to the Huntress so he can get over there.

He gives Cullen time, though. He waits outside, sitting on the floor, hugging his knees and in a small ball, letting other people miss that he's there until either Cullen comes out on his own or he sees Elize.]

[princessia]

...Cullen.

[ Elize wants to reach out to him, but she can't seem to budge her hands that remain clasped in front of her where Teepo would be. A lot had happened and some of those events had revealed the truth of her past. About her family and where she was raised.

The touch on her cheek brings her thoughts back to her parents, Jiao... and now, how much she saw Cullen like a father. She should feel relieved to see him again.

Yet, she stares back at him with a hurt expression as she tries to bite back tears. ]

I don't know.

[serves]

[That's certainly more than enough to get him moving from the chair to the edge of her bed so that he can pull her into a sure, protective hug. Maker, he's missed her.]

That's all right. I've got you. [There's no rush to be okay.]

[princessia]

I...

[ She's having a difficult time putting together a string of words. Maybe she just needs a moment to cry. Once she's brought into the hug, she can hardly hold back her tears and bursts into quiet sobbing. It's almost a lot like the first time she met Cullen in person. She cried back then too. ]

My parents... I know what happened. [ Before she continues, she leans further into the hug. ]

They're gone. Murdered a long time ago.

[serves]

[He's not sure what's worse--the thought your parents abandoned you, or the knowledge that someone took them from you. Cullen more easily holds her this time compared to when they first met, hugging her close, a hand stroking her hair.]

I'm so sorry, Elize. [There's not much else he can say. He knows how it feels to lose parents, losing them at her age, but he knows all he can do is be there for her. And he will be.] I'm so sorry.

[princessia]

[ There's more to it. It's a complicated story. She finally reaches out to wrap her little arms around him in return. After a few seconds of more sobbing and gasping for air, she continues. ]

The man who killed them... he died protecting me. And now I'm here again.

But why'd he do that? [ She doesn't expect an answer, merely thinking out loud. Through all the sobbing, there's a hint of anger and frustration in her voice. Not even Jiao would tell her when she asked and now he's dead, buried with all his secrets. ] I don't get it!

[princessia]

[ It might take awhile until Cole actually sees Elize leave her room. Crying can be tiring and she'll take a moment to try napping in her room, a normal rest that won't leave her sleeping for weeks. When she does finally appear from her room, she's still in the same long, plain nightgown that she had her long slumber in.

She immediately spots Cole, looking down at his place on the floor with eyes reddened from crying. Her greeting is tired and weak. ]

Hi, Cole...

[serves]

[She's going to wear herself down, crying and gasping, so he does his best to soothe her, though he doesn't try to shush her. She should cry. Maker, if there's ever a time to cry, it's after whatever she's experienced.]

Some things can't be explained. [Like why she had to sleep for so long only to learn such terrible things.]

[princessia]

[ The crying is already quickly draining her. She relaxes against him and it doesn't look like she wants to move away at any moment. Maybe she can get a proper rest where it doesn't involve having to sleep for an unusual amount of time. ]

I'm never seeing any of them again...

[ No father, mother, or Jiao. Not even a bit of a fond memory of her parents when they were still alive remains. They've been gone for a long time and that's all she knows. ]

[serves]

[Cullen tucks her under his chin.]

I lost my parents when I was not too much older than you are. [Maybe a handful of years, he never asked when exactly they were killed. But those aren't details she needs.] It's cruel, and unfair. I don't know why these things happen. But I do know that your parents would be proud of you, and want the best for you. You're their legacy.

[princessia]

I hope you're right.

[ Elize would never know for sure, but she wants to continue holding onto the belief that her parents were the kind and loving people that would be proud. Just as kind and loving as Cullen is to her.

She's realizing how much she missed him, now that she can properly recall her memories within the fleet. ]

What am I supposed to do now? What... did you do when you learned about what happened to your parents? You have your siblings. You still have a family.

[ Her words only sound like a tired reminder. Not a hint of bitterness or jealousy in her voice. She once snapped at her friend Leia by saying the same thing, but she's not the same person back then. ]

[serves]

[He threw himself into his training, into being a Templar. He didn't write back to his siblings. He felt guilty, for not being there, but being spared the horrors of the Blight meant... he didn't probably cope as he should. He has a family, but he's not been good to them.]

I... was away from them, when it happened. I wasn't a very good brother or son in years that followed. [Cullen presses a kiss to the top of Elize's head. She's not alone.] Perhaps I'm not the best to give advice, but you'll have me. Anything you need, Elize. I'll take care of you.

[Nothing new there. But the reassurance sounds like it's needed.]

[killedwithlove]

[Cole waits.

He's good at waiting. Even with linear time being a thing, he doesn't mind waiting when it's important.

When she comes out, he gives her a pained look, nodding slightly and taking off his hat, reaching to put it on her instead.]

I'm so sorry. People dying is always awful.

Video

[wolfuncaged]

[Ah, good. He lets out a sigh ot relief, even offering her something of a smile.]

Elize. It is good to see you're awake again.

[That sure was a lot of panic though.]

...Are you alright?

[princessia]

Fenris... hello again.

[ Her reddish eyelids are evidence she cried earlier, but she's calm now. Somewhat. She just looks tired and sullen. Despite being so far from Rieze Maxia now, she can't stop thinking about recent events.

A small shrug in response. ]

I don't know. I keep thinking about my world.

video;

[arcanepower]

Elize! You're awake.

[He closes the book he's been reading so he can pay complete attention to the monitor.]

Are you-- are you all right? Do you feel sick or-- should I talk to a healer?

[wolfuncaged]

Ah. I see.

[Clearly not happy thoughts, there.]

Is that what happened? Did you return home for a short while?

[princessia]

Because you're a soldier. Was that why you were away? [ Not even going to wait for an answer of confirmation or some better explanation here. ] It's not your fault! You're a good man.

[ She almost sounds offended. Nothing new from her either. Her adoration for him is strong. It's difficult for her to see him as anything else but good.

A few small sniffs, then she breathes out a sigh. Her gasping had lessened somewhat, almost like the kiss atop her head puts her at ease. Just moments ago, her world felt so frightening. Now she's beginning to feel safe again. There are questions about Jiao that still plagued her mind, but it's no use finding those answers now. ]

I think you'd be a good father...

[serves]

[Maybe, if he had a daughter like her. It's always been difficult to imagine having children, but even more so now--he feels as if he already has one, and there's not much more he could want in that regard, is there?]

... Maker's breath, I've missed you. [The hug is a little more for his sake, now.]

[princessia]

[ She missed Cole. And a lot of other people. But recent events make it hard for her to express happiness over seeing anyone again. ]

Jiao...

[ Her voice cracks as she suddenly speaks out the name of her former caretaker. When the hat's on her head, she places her little hands on the brim, tempted to hide her face just in case she starts to cry again. ]

I don't know why he died for me.

[princessia]

[ The feeling is mutual. The time she spent back on her world was even longer than a mere two weeks. He can hug her as much as he wants. She missed being able to hug him every day. ]

I've missed you too...

[princessia]

Yes.

[ It didn't feel so short for her though. She might've been back on her world for a little more than two weeks. ]

It feels like I just woke up from a bad dream. But I know it was all real...

video;

[princessia]

Belthazar...

[ It's good to see him again, though she isn't really smiling. She's sitting up on her cot, hands propped on her lap. There's some faint redness on her eyelids, a clear sign that she was crying moments ago. ]

I'm not sick or hurt.

[serves]

[He'd been terrified of this idea that she might disappear. Back to her own world, back to a place where she knows her parents are dead and has to deal with all the terrible feelings around it. Honestly, he wouldn't have known what to do if that happened.

So perhaps he can afford to lower one of his carefully constructed walls. If there's a time to let Elize know how much she's cared for, it's now. He presses another kiss to her hair.]

I love you, Elize. [He says it quietly, gently. It's obvious that he's come to see her as family, but saying the words is always a little terrifying.] Things will get easier. I promise. [You never get over losing your parents, but the pain subsides over time.] Anything you need, just ask. I'll be here with you.