driftfleet

Who: Uzumaki Naruto & All the people.
Broadcast: Open Network Post
Action: The Hospitality Deck, and maybe the poor unsuspecting people of SS Huntress. (????)
When: 6th February

[Waking up in a place he didn't recognise, but knew instantly was nowhere like back home was unfortunately, a familiar feeling.

Waking up without his right arm, also, happened not to be an unfamiliar sensation. The fact that it had been healed, and all of his clothes repaired however, was as new for him as it was pleasant.

Naruto's understanding of the importance of his communicator, and surprisingly - the way it worked hadn't concerned him in the slightest, but it's several hours after his arrival on board the hospitality deck that he finally chooses to direct his attention to it. Fed, watered, and as clued up on what was going on as he could ever be without someone to direct his questions at left him here.

As soon as he starts recording his transmission, he gets right to the point. There's no familiar smile on his face, in fact - he looks bored. Fed up, probably. Their fight had ended, things were supposed to be getting better but now he's here.]

Know there's gotta be someone out there who can tell me what's up. Ain't Adstring, and it ain't Asgard. Who's controllin' everything? Who do we have t'fight this time? Why's it dark out. A guy called Madara didn't try an' steal the moon or something, right?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He might be on my ship somewhere.

[ asgard. naruto has said that twice now. ]

You're on the Marsiva until you get shuffled -- you can't leave it yet. You'll be able to once they figure out where you're going, if they haven't already.

[ there's a slight pause ]

Did you go to a place called Asgard after Adstringendum?

Your ship? He's with you? Is he--

[Right. Time to listen. For a little while at least. The news that he was stuck here is about as souring as something really sour and it shows, but he keeps on listening...]

That sucks. Why can't I go where ever you guys are?

[Grumpily, he'll give up his news though.]

Not right after. Went home for a bit. Bunch of stuff happened. Then I went to that Asgard place. Bunch of other different people there. Then back home and-- yeah. Guess I'm here now.

Atroma -- the group in charge of this place -- keeps the new people on the Marsiva until they're ready to put them on a ship. It's just how it works.

[ but zuko falls quiet to hear the rest, digesting that. hm. and he sets a filter, because -- again, not dealing with sasuke being salty at him. ]

... Sasuke came straight from home. He's been through everything already.

[ it's important for naruto to know that, though apparently the loss of an arm already confirms it ]

So he's safe.

[ which is good because he's already been enough of a headache tbh ]

[Salty Sasuke??? What is this salty Sasuke you speak of? He's -- no okay, you're right. Do everything you can to protect yourself!]

Where are they gonna put me? What if I wanna go on your ship?

[Huff huff.]

Yeah. I'm glad you're there too. Thanks, Zuko.

You're not living on my ship.

[ automatically, though zuko is not the captain or the first mate and is just the ship's therapist and really has no say in this whatsoever ]

You get put on a random one at first, and you can transfer. Some of the ships are at capacity, though, so I'm not sure where they're going to put you. I think Sasuke has room on his, the last I checked.

[ -- but, augh. naruto showing up is probably the best thing that's happened in a literal month, and even better, it's his version, and naruto actually knows who he is.

so, RELUCTANTLY: ]

I'm glad you're here too.

[ AND NARUTO EVEN GETS: ]

You're welcome.

[ this will literally never happen again enjoy it while you still can ]

Oi. Why wouldn't I? It's different now, right?

We-- don't have to fight or whatever. [Forgive him, he had to look away for a moment there. That wasn't a promise after all.]

Guess I gotta wait and see. Real different from Adstring, huh?

[That is unexpected. Things are really going to be awesome here, aren't they?]

Heh. You an' Sasuke're grown up.

[ he's about to point out that zuko has always been grown up -- but he stops, because that's not quite true. he had been younger, in adstringendum. he hadn't completed his penance, and he hadn't won the war. he hadn't been fire lord.

now, he supposes, it's true. they're both all grown up. sasuke is beginning his next journey, and zuko is beginning his.

he hadn't thought of it that way before. ]

... yeah, we are.

[ finally. it's kind of a nice thought, actually. they both survived. ]

And we won't have time to fight each other -- my sister is here, Azula. Do you remember her?

[It's a wonder that Zuko stays on the communicator and there's a part of him that knows it might not be so safe to say something like that to Sasuke without expecting some kind of outburst, but there are plenty of things that Sasuke can say to him that would invoke the same response and he's sure he's right.

They're all older. Starting new things. It only makes him more desperate to see Sasuke. Had he just lost his arm, or was he even older? ~~damn him!~~]

Yep!

[And all that pride and happiness is so very suddenly whipped out from under him.]

Oh man. You're kiddin' right? Is she-- you know? Gonna be annoying?

She's been fine so far.

[ with a dismissive wave of his hand ]

She's younger... she's still fighting the war, she doesn't know that she's lost. We've been getting along fine, for the most part. She's not a threat to anybody right now, but -- don't tick her off. Or tell her anything about my future, for now. She needs to be kept in the dark for as long as possible.

[ and with the new knowledge of the future, zuko is hellbound and determined to keep it that way.

he pauses, before continuing. ]

No one from Sasuke's family is here, so it could be worse.

[ he and sasuke had a two hour long conversation about how bad that would be it could totally be worse ]

Oh.

[Those always seem to be the worst words to hear. Someone younger. Their lives are so weird.]

I ain't gonna say anything to her. I mean, you know... unless she says something first?

[Or something like that. He probably didn't need to worry - even without an arm, but for Zuko he'll do as he's told. Mostly.]

Some of 'em aren't as bad these days. Don't think that-- he'd want to see any of 'em again though.

But er-- you know, anyway. This place doesn't sound that bad huh?

She won't have any idea who you are, so you have an easy excuse to avoid her. Sasuke already talked with her, and made it perfectly clear that we're friends. Or whatever we are here. So Azula already knows who he is. And probably hates him.

[ fucking moron s2g ]

And it could be worse. It's peaceful, anyway. For the most part.

[ the worst part about being here had been sasuke not remembering him, but they're on good terms, now. ]

Oh. Yeah, guess you're right. Unless I end up where she is.

What ship's she on? What ship are you on? Where's this station everyone's going on about, too?

[It's boring here. That's the point he's trying to make here.

Also, he'd love to talk about that peace too. How long is that supposed to last?]

She's on the Pathstone. I'm on the Blue Fish.

[ luckily, azula and zuko had not wound up on the same ship. that would have been a disaster. ]

And the station is the Starlight. We're docked here until they let us go.

Oh.

The Blue Fish...?

[Because what.]

Why are you on a fish?

It's the name of the ship, and where my friends are. I transferred when I got here.

[ zuko doesn't remember the first ship he was on, to be honest, because he was literally there for three days and left ]

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