driftfleet | one ☂ rain, rain, go away...

Who: Lapis Lazuli & YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: S.S. Huntress
When: 1/10

[ VIDEO ]

[ The very second she wakes, the immediacy of how wrong this is crashes over her like a wave.

Lapis curls upright on a cot on the Marsiva, blinking and coughing - like she's been underwater for too long. Frantically, she reaches out for something that isn't there - a shackle. A connection she had been holding on to with all the strength she had, just moments ago -

She had lost it. She hadn't been strong enough.

She stumbles off the cot like she's still getting her land legs, and slowly moves out of the room, quickly casting glances around every corner as she moves down hallways. This doesn't look like a Homeworld ship, but...it has to be. She wasn't strong enough to stay fused with Jasper, and so she must have gotten free. She was probably hurting Steven right now, and Lapis had been taken prisoner again -

What's the point?

In front of a large window, she slumps down, arms winding around her knees. She her forehead against them until she can't see the harsh lights of the ship anymore. With that blocked out, there's just her, and the tumultuous ocean roiling inside of her. ]

[ ACTION ]

[ Soon enough, Lapis is shuttled off to the S.S. Huntress, and she enters the ship with all the reluctance in the world. She is not happy to be here. She barely minds the fact that she's been assigned to a Security position - rather, she avoids the armory entirely. She didn't ask for this. She didn't ask to come here, to be taken prisoner yet again by an organization she knew nothing about, but who would inevitably find some way to use her to their ends.

She doesn't want any of this.

And so as Lapis makes her way to the bunks, she starts pulling - only partly deliberately - on any liquids she passes. Someone using the toilet or shower may suddenly find the water fleeing upwards and out towards the Gem calling it to her. Water, tea, or any other drink may jump out of a cup or drink dispenser as she passes. She does this until she builds a small river down the hallway, barely glancing at anyone she passes unless - unless, they get a bit too close for comfort. ]

No! Just - just stay away from me!

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[Ah...!]

It's —

Oh, you're the one moving it! Ah, that's a nice trick. Are you a fishman? Or maybe someone like a fishman... You're very blue, so I thought maybe you were like them!

[She stops scrubbing, though. Good call, Lapis.]

A...fishman? [ She's never heard the term before, but she can be fairly certain that's not what she is. ]

No, I'm a Gem. I don't know what a fishman is. Do they...look like I do?

I see. I apologize deeply for mistaking you for a different species! Though I think the fishmen aren't as scary as most people believe. Some of the crew I was sailing with had blue skin l-like yourself.

[She smiles, a genuine one compared to the usual stiff and somewhat creepy one.]

They were going to take me home, to the island I was born on. I was away for a very long time, and I was very excited to go back... b-but it's okay! I'm happy to serve this fleet. I can do any work you'll like of me, if you want.

[ Oh, that smiles warms Lapis. This child...is entirely too charming.

She doesn't like where this is going. ]

You don't have to do anything for me. [ A pause. A question she's afraid to ask, because she's afraid to relate. ] Have you...been away from your home for a long time?

[ She knows the feeling. ]

[Oh, well...!]

Y-yes, miss. For many years now! I — was taken when I was very little and sold. I'm very lucky that I was able to get away and start the journey home, but... I suppose I am not quite as free as I hoped.

[It's a very sad thing, but her smile reflects none of that.

She can't afford to be sad, not in front of anyone but herself.]

[ So, she'd been a prisoner for a long time, too...even before coming here. Just like Lapis had been. ]

...I'm sorry. It's been a long time since I've been free, too.

[ Even when she'd made it back to Homeworld, her freedom hadn't really been hers. Not with Yellow Diamond "recruiting" her. ]

[She blinks, her smile — usually so forced and constant — fading.]

You were taken and kept against your will?

[She very much understands.]

[ A careful nod. ]

...Yes, I was. [ More than once. ] It's...no way to live a life, is it?

[She shakes her head, frowning a little.]

It's... If... If I'm honest, it's horrible.

I just wanted to go home. I always thought about home before I went to sleep, and when I woke up... I wouldn't be there. I'd just be... the slave girl...

[And every day, it hurt.]

Edited 2016-01-24 08:31 (UTC)

...I was trapped inside a mirror for a very long time.

[ Why is she telling her this? ]

I was all alone until...I made a friend. He set me free and I went by to my own planet, but when I got there, I was just captured again for what I knew about the Earth.

...I guess that doesn't matter much now, does it? Now we're here.

[She offers a more friendly and genuine sort of smile.]

Then we will be careful together, so we can keep from getting caught again!

My name is Koala. If you need anything, I can do whatever you ask!

[.......... She's still getting used to having personal freedoms, really.]

[ She can't quite bring herself to smile herself, but her eyes are soft, gentle. ]

I'm Lapis Lazuli. You don't need to do anything for me.

[ ...Except maybe be a kindred spirit. ]

[She brightens immediately; such a kind person.]

Thank you, Miss Lapis. I'll still be around if you need anything, anyway!

D-don't hesitate to ask!

one ☂ rain, rain, go away...

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