(no subject)

[mistyday]

Who: Misty Day
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Marsiva
When: January 5

[A woman wearing all black lies face up in her bunk, perfectly still, her arms straight out by her sides. It's impossible to tell if she's breathing or not, but surely she must be, right?

Right?

Watch long enough and you'll see her come alive, shooting straight up with a gasp that becomes a heart-wrenching sob. Tears stream down her face and she rocks back and forth. She's saying something over and over, but the only word that can be heard clearly is "No, no, no." This goes on for a long minute before she really seems to realize where she is.

Or rather, where she is not.]

Cordelia?!

[She scrambles out of the bed and stands in the middle of the room, calling out in her thick Louisiana accent.]

Zoe? .... Myrtle?

[She sinks back on to the bed, clutching her head in her hands, her breathing becoming increasingly labored as she tries to fight the panic.]

Shit, shit, shit. Oh God, please, help me. This ain't right at all.

[Not knowing what else to do, she assumes her prior position, closes her eyes, and starts to chant. Those from Earth might recognize it as Latin.]

Spiritu duce, in me est. [Deep breath.] Spiritu... duce. Spiritu - [Another sob and she rolls over on her side and curls into a fetal position.] No, no. I can't... I can't go back there.

Comments

cw mention of scars

[truthvalue]

[And that's easily the most horrifying thing he's heard in a long time, probably since Adachi told him that Seito, the boy he knew with Souji's face, was a cold-blooded murderer. Shock flashes openly across his face, like he's been slapped, and he shakes his head.]

As far as I know, I'm entirely human. I've -

[Always been human, he starts to say, but doesn't finish, because that's not exactly true, is it? He was a demon once. The pre-crackling of electricity he feels building in the palms of his hands is a sharp reminder of that fact, along with the fact that he hasn't entirely left the demon behind. He kept some of the demon's power, after the Jaunt ended and he returned to himself with a second set of memories; he wears scars on his face and neck and wrist and chest that are remnants of the demon's evil deeds. Frowning, Souji swallows hard.]

What do you think I am, if not human?

[mistyday]

[His reaction, the pure shock on his face, shakes her, makes her wonder. A real demon wouldn't react like that, would it? So for the first time, she looks at him, really looks at him, without the haze of fear and confusion clouding her vision.]

I don't know...

[She closes her eyes, feeling the magic prickling at the edges of her consciousness, and tries to focus that magic on him, but he's fuzzy, too far away to reach. When she opens her eyes she says:]

You been touched by some kinda Darkness, that's all I can tell.

[truthvalue]

[That's certainly a way to put it. Souji remembers what Darkness felt like in his hands, flung toward those he made his targets, dark tendrils of smoke heralding emptiness and soul-crushing despair.

She's not wrong. And he did say he had no reason to lie to her. At least a few people already know about Kingpin, because they've seen him; it's not exactly a secret, although it's not something Souji enjoys remembering, much less speaking about.

So he tells her the truth. He wants to prove he's trustworthy, and lying about this when she's already been able to pick up on it would get him exactly nowhere.]

You're right - I was. This isn't the first place I was brought. I've actually been Traveling for some time now, and in one of the places I was taken, I was changed, temporarily. It was a city in Purgatory called Melasurei, and I was a demon named Kingpin. But that's not who I am.

[This is the truth he tells himself, that he and the demon aren't the same. We're not them. Because if he thinks too long, if he allows himself to believe that it could be him ... everything he thinks he knows about who he is will unravel.]

[mistyday]

[The truth is, at heart Misty is a compassionate woman... and hearing all of that tempers her anger and strikes at her very core, considering where she just came from. Her voice goes real quiet.]

Hard to wash something like that out, ain't it, once it gets in? [Could she - but no, surely it's been too long.]

[truthvalue]

[Souji nods, slowly, mouth pressed together in a thin line.]

It's very hard. I live every day with with memory of all the terrible things he did. [Some of them were things Souji did, as the demon.] But I don't want to be that. So I do my best to be different. Part of that is helping people when I can.

[People like her - lost and confused.]

[mistyday]

[Well now don't she feel like an ass?]

Hey look, I'm sorry I snapped at you. Wasn't fair at all.

[She takes a deep breath, shaking a little. He told her so she ought ta tell him - least he's been somewhere like it too.]

The place I just came from... well, I don't know, seems like these Atroma folks did me a real favor. I was... [The tears are starting again, though they're not the body-wracking sobs from earlier.] I was trapped in Hell. Shoulda never gone down there... shoulda never listened to them...

[She's shaking her head.]

I'm so sorry.

[truthvalue]

It's all right, miss. It can be upsetting, finding yourself someplace you're not supposed to be.

[And if she was in Hell before this ... well, he knows just how unpleasant that can be.]

I'm sorry you went through that.

[mistyday]

[She can't even remember the last time someone said that to her and meant it. I'm sorry. Two words that are more powerful to her than any incantation.]

You too.

[She hiccups a little and wipes ineffectually at her eyes. You'd think she'd be all dried up by now but apparently not.]

My name's Misty.

[truthvalue]

[He nods, forcing a thin smile. Souji doesn't like to dwell on Melasurei, but it's difficult to leave behind, especially when it keeps coming back around to him, like this, or like in the calibrations, when he showed the demon to some of the people here.]

It's nice to meet you, Misty. My name is Souji Seta.

[Which he mentioned before, but is far too polite to remind her about.]

I know this is a difficult situation, but I think you'll find that people here are good at taking care of each other. You're on the Marsiva right now - that's where people always show up, at first - but you'll be assigned to another ship with a crew in a few days. There's a kitchen there on the Marsiva, and the food is probably a little different from what you're used to, but it's not completely awful.

[Says the boy with the cast-iron stomach.]

Is there anything else I can do to help you? Any other questions I can answer for you?

[mistyday]

[Admittedly, she's still a little freaked out by the whole situation but there's a thought forming there that maybe this is where she's supposed to be after all. She certainly doesn't want to go back to hell and if everyone in space is as nice as Souji - even after she threatened him - well, maybe she'll find her real tribe. She never really felt the Salem Coven was it anyway.]

Does that mean I can't leave the Marsiva yet? Til I get my new crew? I don't wanna just talk to people on the computer. Ain't the same, you know?

[truthvalue]

Yeah ... I'm sorry. [He nods again, smiling thinly.] But it's really should just be for a few days. I know talking on these devices isn't the same as talking to someone in person, but at least you're not completely alone.

[mistyday]

Doesn't look like I'll be alone again for a long time.

[Which gets a smile from her.]

Can I come visit you? When I do get my ship?

[The request is both eager and sad at the same time. Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with her now. It's happened so many times before...]

[truthvalue]

I'd be very happy if you did. I'm on the Three Twins. Each ship has shuttles, so you can move pretty easily from ship to ship once you're off the Marsiva. It seems like the transfers usually happen on Saturdays, so you should only have a few days to wait.

[mistyday]

Really?

[And now her face just lights up.]

The Three Twins. I'll remember that!

[truthvalue]

[He nods, smiling warmly.]

Stop by any time. I'm sure everyone else on the ship would be glad to meet you as well.

[mistyday]

Well, I hope they're all as sweet as you!

[truthvalue]

I think they are. My cousin Nanako is on the ship, too - she likes everyone.

[mistyday]

You mean they'll bring more than one person from the same world?

[That's a sobering thought.]

[truthvalue]

Sometimes, yes.

[There's a slight strain evident on his smile. Nanako isn't exactly from the same world as Souji; his Nanako died, and this one didn't.]

I don't think there's really any sort of pattern to who shows up here, though.

[mistyday]

Well, there's more than a few people I hope I never have to see again.

[truthvalue]

[There are a few Souji could do without having to see again, too. Namatame, for example.]

Then I hope you don't have to see them here. And you can change ships, too, if you don't like the crew you're assigned. But I hope you get along with everyone.

[mistyday]

Thank you, I do too.