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[hymnals]

Who: Adrasteius
Broadcast: Everyone
Action: the Golden
When: Now

[Oh, Light; Adrasteius is exhausted. He's barely slept for the last however many days, a product of his campaign to avoid the calibrations as much as possible. Even then, the memories of what he intruded upon dog him (especially in Coil's case), and--despite his discipline--he's drunk from sleep deprivation. But today is an important day. An important time.]

I don't know about the rest of you, but --

[His speech is a little slurred. He blinks a few times, sighs, and goes on.]

-- but back home, we have a tradition on this day. 'S called Pilgrim's Bounty. There's ... typically ...

[He makes a bunch of vague gestures.]

You know. Feasting. Turkey and pies and everything. We all sit around outside the capital and just--jump from table to table. And we're thankful. That's the key bit. More than the food.

We're thankful that we're still alive. That the Light, or --

[He exhales slowly.]

-- or the elements, or pure happenstance ... that it's preserved us. For this moment.

[He runs his hands through his long hair, his fingers tangling in his feathery bangs.]

And even though I'm here, and I miss my home, I'm still--grateful. Because I don't have my whole family. But I have my son. I have the grace of the Light. And I hope that, despite everything, you all can find something to be thankful for, too.

[He rests his head down on the kitchen table. He mutters.]

Light be with you.

Comments

video

[shoujoreject]

... We call it Thanksgiving, where I'm from.

[He hasn't met Adrasteius before, but that seems immaterial in this moment. It doesn't matter how he looks, or how the elf looks, what they know or who they know.

It hadn't been near Thanksgiving when he left home. To realise that it is... it kind of hurts. He hasn't been here but a handful of days, and yet it's more than that - how long can he think back since the last time he spent much time with his family?]

It's much the same - though maybe a little more intimate. Family and friends, people who brought you to where you are today.

[That it's preserved us. Somehow, it sits perfectly and it hurts in a way that makes him feel guilty.]

... Thank you for sharing this.

[hymnals]

Thanksgiving, huh.

[He mutters sleepily, opening one eye.]

Pretty straightforward. Seems about the same as how we do it. I always made dinner for my family, once the public feasts were done.

[He yawns, opens his other eye.]

'S important, taking care of people. 'S the most important thing.

[A brief silence.]

Glad to help.

[shoujoreject]

[He doesn't let his immediate reaction show. He can't, no more as a newcomer here nor as himself.

Instead, his smile is vibrant and light. It's the face of someone genuinely touched by the words as they're spoken. It's not a complete untruth, either.]

It is, but taking care of yourself is almost as important. [A beat, and he glances away briefly.] I should like to speak with you more, but it should be after you've rested.

[hymnals]

Hmn. I'm perfectly lucid right now.

[He stretches languidly.]

Just ... a little tired.

[shoujoreject]

... 'A little tired' doesn't typically set one to laying their face on a table, you realise. Being lucid is irrelevant.

[He's like an ornery cat. Or Qing's mother when she doesn't want to let him alone. Jeez.]

video;

[arcanepower]

An'da. [He's embarrassed, so he ducks his head a bit.] Are you okay? Have you slept? ... Have you eaten?

[hymnals]

Mmmm ...

[His eyes are shut, and for a moment it seems like he hasn't heard. Then:]

No.

[arcanepower]

[He wears a scandalized expression, not that Adra can see it.]

What?! Honestly! I spent all this time preparing a big dinner for today-- I am sending you a plate. And then you are going to sleep. This is not a negotiation!

[hymnals]

Light help me ... am I being parented right now? Is that happening?

video;

[princessia]

[ She'd comment on the tradition first, especially with how much she loves food. But first, she's distracted by the mention of his family. ]

Your son? Are you related to Belthazar?

[ Because rappig ears. ]

[hymnals]

[Squinting. Something familiar about this girl, but he's too exhausted to place it.]

... Not by blood. But in every other sense.

[princessia]

[ Something about him seems familiar too, but she's guessing it's just because the ears remind her of Belthazar. ]

...oh. I think I understand. You're not blood-related, but you're still family. I have someone like that too!

[hymnals]

That's correct. He's as much family to me as any blood I have, though.

[He leans forward, trying to force his eyes open. His ears droop, though.]

Yeah? Who's that? Are they here with you?

[child_of_bhaal]

Adrasteius, you should sleep.

[And the viewers at home shout the word "hypocrit" at their screens.]

You look exhausted.

[hymnals]

[He looks up from the table blearily, his cheek resting flat against his elbows.]

I'm perfectly fine.

[child_of_bhaal]

No you're not.

[hymnals]

[He taps his chest.]

Breathing.

[He taps his (drooping) eyelid.]

Seeing.

[He taps his ears, his throat, etc.]

Look, it's ... [yawn.] ... all here.

Video

[preformthisneigh]

[That would explain the twitchy ear he's had all day. ]

Well, you know there's nothing stopping us from having a celebration anyway! We can totally put some tables together and fill it with food, get anypony who wants to come and be thankful! That's absolutely, one million per cent doable.

[hymnals]

[He waves his hand, not dismissively, but more in a 'don't worry about it' kind of way.]

'S not the food, my little pony man. It's just the message. Which has been, presumably, received.

[preformthisneigh]

Well, if you ever want the food, you can. I mean, to add to the feeling?

[hymnals]

Y'know--[He trails off for a second. Then, shaking his head, he goes on.]

Y'know, I love to cook, but I'm not much of an eater. My son has the food situation on lockdown, anyway.

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[unfulfilledpotential]

[That broadcast was hard to ignore, but a sleepy crew member - that's even harder, and all Shawn wanted was something to eat. He purses his lips at the guy before he decides to go ahead and pour them both glasses of water.]

You know what I'm especially grateful for? The fact that we can sleep now, without worrying about the weird dreams we'd run into.

[He brings the water over, sliding it just in case. Shawn can't tell if the other guy's sleepy or drunk or both - and if the guy's drunk, some water might help.]

[hymnals]

[Adra looks up at Shawn blearily. He takes a grateful sip of the water, and then sighs; sleep deprivation symptoms do mimic intoxication, and he's certainly feeling it.]

Yes. Thank the fucking Light for that. I didn't realize what was happening at first, but when I did ...

[He makes a disgusted face as he takes another sip of water.]

Anyway, thanks for this.

[unfulfilledpotential]

["The Light," huh? Is that what he calls his creator? Shawn makes a mental note to ask later, because now definitely does not look like the time.]

No problem. We've gotta look out for each other, after all.

[There's a hesitant pause, like he's afraid to ask,] You ARE gonna catch some sleep soon, right?

[hymnals]

['What a nice child,' Adra's thinking, inasmuch as he's still capable of complex thought at all. He drinks a little more of the water, because he might also be dehydrated. The body is such a nuisance.]

Yeah, yeah. Eventually. After this water, right?