II

[notzubats]

Who: Sora Niniji
Broadcast: Text, Fleetwide!
Action: guess
When: Today

Hpyothe-

Hypothetickca-

Hyptoomedical

Question!

if ur in a tree & theres a bear at the bottom. a mad bear.

what do u do?

[a beat before the next part is added]

just curious.

Comments

[sylphystia]

[Hold on a second.]

You can talk to animals?

[That's rare and very interesting.]

[notzubats]

Sure can.

The ship's rats really like you.

[sylphystia]

[Dezel halts for a moment. NO ONE ELSE WAS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT HE WAS FEEDING THEM AND NAMING THEM AND PETTING THEM? WHAT THE FUCK.

After a moment he gathers himself.]

Rats are social animals, and they need companionship to be content. Their eyesight is poor so they use their whiskers to navigate and they never forget a path.

... My augment is tactical. We both know the ins and outs of the ship.

[notzubats]

[TOO BAD DEZEL. Marked for tsundere.]

Really? I guess you have a lot in common then!

[...wait.]

Uh, I mean that in a good way!

[sylphystia]

[Luckily, Dezel doesn't really take offense to that.]

Yeah. We do.

[He clears his throat.] Rats have their own societies right beneath human civilization. People can learn a lot from the animals they live with.

[notzubats]

Well sounds like you've sure learned a lot from them. [Since man you're like a walking nature guide]

I'm still learning stuff. The whole talking thing only started about a year ago, along with some other powers.

[sylphystia]

I like animals.

[He says this coolly and unironically. Just try to make fun of him. JUST TRY.]

You weren't born with the ability? What changed?

[notzubats]

[Lucky for Dezel, it doesn't even occur to Sora to make fun of him. Animals are cool!!]

No, I wasn't. They came after...[He hesitates, biting his lower lip] Well, it's a bit of a long story, really.

[sylphystia]

[10 points to Gryffindor.]

I don't have to know. [He doesn't say he doesn't want to, because part of him is curious. But he knows how humans are about their secrets.

He could just not say anything, and he's okay with that, but he thinks of Sorey and Rose and... he owes it to them to try a little.]

... I couldn't always read the wind.

[notzubats]

[He's relieved by Dezel's response. It's not that he wants to keep it a secret. If anything, he felt like this was a place where people would believe his past. It was more...it wasn't an easy night to talk about.]

[Fortunately, Dezel gives him a topic change before he can dwell on it too much]

Really? So did you have to learn or did it just come to you one day?

[sylphystia]

[Dezel is good at dodging conversation. He just stops talking.]

I've always been able to feel it and use it, but I never had to depend on it. My abilities weren't anything to write home about.

[He glances down in Sora's general direction, not that it's easy to tell.]

And then... one day, something took my sight.

[notzubats]

Really?

[He gives a sad look in the direction of Dezel (thanks floating hat). He knows Dezel has mentioned not being able to see before...but Sora had kind of figured it went along with the whole spirit thing. Like they didn't see in the same way that humans did. But this sounds more like it was something done to him. And even if he did strengthen his ability to read the wind from it....it's still sad to know Dezel went through that kind of pain.]

[Which is he curious what took Dezel's sight? Of course he is. But Dezel respected him about his own story, so he's not about to ask Dezel to share his story if he doesn't want to talk about it.]

I guess...a lot of powers come from bad things that happen, huh.

[sylphystia]

[Maybe later. That whole story isn't something his best friends know. Someday he'll tell them instead of some asshole purple-haired goth girl wearing no clothes.]

Yeah. [That's a good way of putting it.] But I'm thankful for what happened. It made my connection with the wind that much better-- and it spurred me on. [Even if, to a degree, it was for a false reason.] It gave me something to move toward rather than wandering alone in my misery. That wouldn't have helped anyone.

[He still regrets a lot of things. It was his fault, absolutely, but he would lose his sight all over again to keep Rose.]

[notzubats]

[Wow...]

You're pretty incredible, Dezel. [And like everything Sora says when he's not being a little shit anyway, it's sincere.] I wonder if I'll ever think that way someday.

[He doesn't now, that's for sure. He didn't hate his powers, bu...if he was given he choice between his home and his powers? He'd choose to get rid of his powers in a heartbeat.]

[sylphystia]

[omg, he sounds like Sorey. It's enough to make Dezel stiffen, and if he's blushing a little-- well, he's glad he's invisible.]

N-not really. I'm a crummy seraph. I've just... traveled a lot.

[Yeah ok.]

[notzubats]

[Bitch Sorey sounds like him okay. Just you know, a higher academic capability and less prone to murder]

Heh... [Even if he can't see Dezel, he's been around Riku enough to know when a tsundere is blushing. He won't point it out out, but it does make him smile]

That's okay. I'm a pretty crummy Enlightened, so I don't mind.

[sylphystia]

[Thanks for not pointing it out. He might panic.]

Hm. You seem okay to me.

[That's-- about as close to a compliment as he's gonna get. He adjusts his hat.]

A lot of people have powers, whether they were born with them or not. Your situation isn't unusual at all.

[notzubats]

[Hey it's almost like a compliment, so he'll take it!]

Really? Thanks!

[Though, he knows he's just being truthful. From what he's heard about other Enlightened, he had a long way to go before he's anything worthwhile. ]

That's good to know. I wonder if there's any way I could learn from them.

[sylphystia]

[He pretends he doesn't hear the 'thanks' because yeah reasons.]

I don't see why you couldn't. It's just like anything else. If you can do it, you'll learn.

[notzubats]

You think so...?

[there's a definite pause before he asks]

So...any chance I could learn how to read the wind? [ :D? ]

[sylphystia]

[He should've seen this coming. Alas.]

I'm not sure I can teach you how to use something you weren't born with.

[notzubats]

[You really are blind aren't you]

Awww.

[DISAPPOINTING]

What about that really fast thing you did? What was that?

[sylphystia]

Windstepping.

[None of this seems beyond Sora's ability, really. Sorey and the other seraphim had shared similar skills despite elemental differences, though of course there was some overlap in seraphic artes.]

You need to be able to use wind magic before you try any advanced techniques. [He has a rapidly developing soft spot for this kid and he doesn't want to admit it.] I'm... not a teacher, but... if you can manifest some wind, then I'll try.

[notzubats]

Manifest wind, huh...

[He seems to think it over for a moment]

I could try! I mean I'm supposed to be a flying-type, so maybe I could! I can already jump really high and move really fast- not as long or fast as you can, but pretty fast!

[sylphystia]

[He's not totally sure what 'flying type' means.]

I use the wind to support me. That's all.

[They're getting close to the town now, and it makes Dezel think.]

I bet you could get a teacher if you asked over the network.