Chocolate-flavored Dessert Cream on the House

[thespaceopera]

[The bunks are filling up, but the new faces just keep appearing!

Are you a travel-weary passenger having trouble keeping your crew roster straight? Perhaps you are a fresh new recruit, finding themselves dumped into a new (and much less shiny) home. Or, maybe you've been around for a little bit and just haven't bothered meeting the other weirdos on this ship yet--what is their problem, anyway?

Well, this is the place for you!

All new passengers from the last few Shuffles, especially those who haven't met their crews yet, are welcome to post starter-comments here to invite those living on and visiting your ship to come and interact. Newbies could be just arriving on the ship, busying around where others can find them, or you can offering multiple options for interaction--however you'd like to set up your thread is fine. Just make sure to include the name of your ship in the header, so your crewmates can easily find you!

Everyone else-- go meet those newbies! Whether they are new to your own crew, or on ships you frequently visit, now is a great time to bump into them.]

Comments

[paraclete]

I am not, Captain Barnes.

[Still totally at ease. Still an intruder. Kaworu's holding the blankets to himself like they're precious cargo.]

[redactions]

Bringing these for someone, then?

[ He nods down, to the blankets. They do get a lot of visitors — he's a paranoid old soldier. Likes to know who's coming and going. ]

[paraclete]

That's right. My friend — [He cradles the blankets like they could break. Like they mean everything. If Kaworu can make anything easier...] — has recently been assigned here. So, I brought these for him.

[redactions]

Just a moment.

[ He scrolls through the communicator, looking for the announcement. ]

Shinji Ikari?

[paraclete]

That would be him.

[Kaworu's features are as soft as an angel's wings — not that Angels have wings, where he comes from, but there's the religious ideal, the white down feathers he's seen in art. He matches them well, when he talks about Shinji.]

I'm happy to meet his new commanding officer.

[redactions]

He'll be treated well.

[ Kaworu has nothing to go on but Jim's word — but he knows a caregiver when he sees one. A lifetime ago this would have been him, for Steve. ]

This is a quiet ship, but it's not getting warmer anytime soon.

[paraclete]

I'd be happy if that were the case.

[It's not a threat. It's too gentle to be a threat. Kaworu so rarely means any harm. But, yes, the ideal is that Shinji won't be mistreated...]

He isn't feeling well lately, [Kaworu confesses, an explanation.] I'd like to help where I can.

May I ask something of you? As Captain?

[redactions]

[ Gesturing to the blankets, ]

Thought he might not like the cold much. [ a beat ] Sure, name it.

[paraclete]

[Yes, the cold. Space is cold. Kaworu remembers its terrible temperature, though it always washed over him without freezing his blood or his bones — for Shinji, more care must be taken. He must be treated well. Captain Barnes said, He'll be treated well. Kaworu looks up at him with deep, worried eyes.]

I intend to be here often, but when I'm not... If something were to happen...

Would you keep me apprised of his circumstances? He's been entrusted to you.

[redactions]

[ A friend is not entrusted. A gift is, like a precious jewel, or part of one's soul. Jim's expression blanks briefly, in thought, then, ]

What should I expect?

[paraclete]

He is... [Hesitation isn't a common thing for Kaworu; he's done a lot of waiting in his life (lives), and has learned to take opportunities when they are available. Now, though, he does hesitate. It's difficult to navigate these words.] Distressed. I... [All friendliness and good cheer drops. Kaworu now looks nothing short of pained.] ...put him in distress.

[He remembers not to look miserable. He schools himself. The shift in his expression to something soft again is the equivalent of a man awkwardly clearing his throat.]

I made a mistake, and it left him feeling very poorly. [That's a fucking understatement, but Kaworu's specialty is vague.] Right now, he's easily confused and distraught. It can be difficult for him to know what to say or do. He feels lost.

[redactions]

[ Understatement? Yeah, no fucking kidding. Sounds like PTSD to him. ]

I see. Does your friend need any medication?

[paraclete]

[A wealth of it, yeah, but Kaworu doesn't understand human psychology well enough. Also...]

I don't believe so. But I don't... know enough about... Lilin bodies. [Internally, he's cringing in on himself, hating that he couldn't read and understand a thousand more pertinent medical texts.]

[redactions]

[ Eyebrows up. ]

What's a Lilin?

[paraclete]

[With caution,] I use that word to mean 'human beings'. [This could be another person who isn't from the sort of world that Kaworu's come from. He may not have suffered under Impacts and Angels. Kaworu can hope, anyway.]

[redactions]

[ Fair enough, and Kaworu attaches no hostility to the description. Jim nods. ]

All right. Never heard that word before, was curious.

[paraclete]

People have come from many different places, I'm finding. [The relief he feels at the acceptance Captain Barnes displays feels like cool cotton.] Though it seems some of us come in groups, as well. Shinji-kun and I, and another from that place.

[redactions]

They bring a lot of people in groups. Not always friendly.

[ If they're worried about something coming here from there, being in a different universe isn't always a guarantee. Just see: Loki. ]

[paraclete]

[Kaworu's not sure he'd call Shikinami friendly, but she's not a foe. Not these days, anyway. But does this mean that Kaworu has to worry about being outplayed even here? He ducks his head to look down low, frowning.]

I suppose I should be glad he came with a friend, then. Someone who wants to look out for his best interests.