This month's wanderings

[killedwithlove]

Who: Cole and anyone who doesn't get away fast enough
Broadcast: No
Action: Everywhere but the Marsiva and Tourist. Sorry Fenris, the Three Twins is fair game again.
When: During this month.

[Cole does this thing, where he parks the Pathstone alongside other ships, and then visits. He does this in a big circuit and then keeps doing it.

He likes visiting. Be prepared to be visited!]

Comments

[killedwithlove]

No. I haven't been near a big enough amount of water since then.

[mikangirl]

So we're starting from scratch. No big deal. I helped teach one of my crew to swim not that long ago-- kinda special circumstances. So I don't mind.

To be honest, it'll give me something to do. You can pay me back the favour some time, okay?

[killedwithlove]

Yes, of course. I help people, it's what I am. I'm Cole. I used to be Compassion, but now I'm Cole.

Cole never learned to swim, so I didn't know either and I never had anyone teach me.

[mikangirl]

[...okay, then.]

You say that like you're two different people.

[killedwithlove]

We were. Are. There was Cole. And I was Compassion. And Cole died. And Compassion took on who Cole was. So now I'm Cole who was Compassion.

[Welcome to conversation with the spirit boy.]

[mikangirl]

[He says it in a way that seems so childlike, but Nami can certainly understand what he means-- though she might take it a little less mystically than the truth of it.]

I see. I'm sorry.

[That Cole died, anyway. If she's reading that correctly. Which let's face it, she probably isn't.]

[killedwithlove]

[He states the blunt facts. It's child like in the simpleness, because he feels no need to add more than there was to it.]

That's why I'm not a mage, but he was. He wanted to not be a mage and I'm his second chance, in a way. I'm the life he never had.

He didn't want to die alone, so I came to him.

[mikangirl]

...I understand.

[Surprisingly, she does. There's something not-human here and she won't examine it closely, but there's pain in that. At least to her.]

Well. It's nice to meet you. Cole.

[killedwithlove]

[He nods slightly and then gives her a faint smile.]

Is it? Good. I'm glad.

[mikangirl]

Okay, so. [Moving away from that-- actually, she moves away from the comms in general, swinging to face him and hitching her legs up on the chair to sit cross-legged.]

You said you nearly drowned. Are you afraid of the water?

[killedwithlove]

[He perches up on a control panel.]

No. Why would I be?

[mikangirl]

A lot of people are, after that kind of situation. If you're not, that makes it easier to teach you.

[killedwithlove]

Oh. I suppose they are, yes. I'm not, though. Death doesn't scare me.

[mikangirl]

It scares me. [But she says that pretty cheerfully. Here's a secondary consideration, though.] I'm guessing you don't own like... uh. Swimming clothes.

[killedwithlove]

No. I had an outfit, but Atroma took it back and I never actually went into the water with it.

[mikangirl]

Oh, so the Atroma aren't very genuine about their gift giving, huh. [Good to know.]

If you've got the money, you can probably find one at one of the waystations. I hear they're like malls.

[killedwithlove]

We were on a beach planet, so they gave everyone clothes to wear.

... I don't know if I have money and I don't know what a mall is.

[mikangirl]

A mall is a huge place with a lot of different things to sell. In normal worlds they get a bit crowded, but I can't see that happening all the way out here.

It won't cost very much. You get some money every week, don't you?

[killedwithlove]

Like a marketplace.

[He knows markets. He's been to the markets of Val Royeaux.]

Do I? I've never had to buy anything before.

[mikangirl]

[........
......Cole do you not know you get money
That you probably have a whole stash of it sitting in an account by now
SACRILEGE]

Well-- uh. Yeah. You've never spent any?

[killedwithlove]

[That would be it exactly.]

No. I took the knives I needed and I haven't needed anything else.

[mikangirl]

[Oh good god. HE'S A GOLD MINE


...there is so much fighting for self-restraint here you don't even know]

Okay, well. You should have an account where the Atroma are putting money for you every week. You can just use that to buy yourself some swimming clothes. What you've got on isn't very practical.

[It'll drag him down. See, look how responsible she's being with other people's money. You know, by not STEALING IT.]

[killedwithlove]

[He knows.

He appreciates it.]

All right. I can do that. Maybe I can find one like the outfit they gave me. I liked that. It covered everything that makes people stare.

[mikangirl]

Yeah, good idea. People do like to stare. It's very rude.

[She's finding the whole thing kinda funny, now.]

[killedwithlove]

Do they stare at your scars too?