driftfleet | ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ | rats are people too

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ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ | rats are people too

Who: Dezel and you
Broadcast: Yes
Action: The Golden
When: Now

[video]

[A group of ship vermin are all sitting in a circle, waiting patiently for... something. A bowl full of scraps appears and seems to float in the air before it sits down in front of them. The rats make cute happy little noises as they dig into the food.

... And then, the greatest evil comes.

The roomba.

One of the tiny maintenance robots comes screaming around the corner at high speed. DIRT DETECTED. [...] PESTS DETECTED. It heads straight for the the poor rats. They all scatter save for one really fat one, who's too focused on the food to notice what's coming.

But what's this-- the droid is scooped up by someone invisible! Dezel's voice might be familiar to some; it's the "don't sleep in my room" guy.]

Leave. The animals. Alone.

[A thin wire appears. With a hard jerk, he shreds the cleaning droid into pieces. Imagine if that had been someone's neck.]

It's all right. You can come out now. [And then the rats come scurrying out of their little holes again. A couple of them crawl over Dezel's invisible shoes, then go back for the food.]

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[That was dangerously sassy, Mr. Shepherd.]

They're fine. Mikleo is giving me all of yours, so I guess I can come visit.

[GOTTA CHECK IN WITH MOM]

Mikleo's giving you our rats? [how did he wrangle them] Well- I mean, if you want them! Koala's probably worried about what to do with them anyway. You're more than welcome. [also get over here so mom can look you over]

Rats are social creatures. The more, the better. And they won't be a nuisance on your ship.

[Slight change of plans later-- he's going to put all of his on the Huntress, but only for a day or two.]

... You haven't gotten sick, have you?

[He's hoping that what made Mikleo and Dezel sick didn't magically get transferred over to Sorey via their pact.]

Not even a sniffle. And you're sounding better. That's a relief. [Because the idea of this being permanent or even fatal was absolutely a worry on his mind that he shared with nobody.]

[Sorey was worried... for no reason, in Dezel's mind, but he's a little embarrassed about it anyway.]

I didn't think it was permanent.

[He totally thought he was dying, same as Mikleo, but he just didn't tell anyone. ACTUALLY DYING WAS WAY WORSE.]

Hey, it's hard to tell! Sometimes when you're sick for a long time, you forget what it's like to be well. I got sick this one time when I was really little, for almost two weeks. I didn't think I'd ever get better.

But I'm really glad you and Mikleo have recovered. Seeing you guys sick, that was definitely weird.

[He shakes off a memory of following a sick-addled tiny Rose around to make sure she didn't get into any trouble.]

I'm surprised it didn't get transferred through the pact or something. I guess it was physical after all.

It's not an experience I want to repeat. I don't know how you humans deal with it.

It makes sense, if it was just physical. Wounds don't transfer through the pact either. [But that something in the environment could affect seraphim to this degree...they can feel cold and heat and the elements, but this poisoning of the worlds must run really deep for it to make them sick. No wonder Mikleo was so upset.]

Hey, Dezel? Do you mind if I ask you something? In person?

Yeah. I healed up just like when I lose a fight.

[It really did run deep. Literally.

-- That's an odd question, but he rolls with it. It must be important.]

You can talk to me when I come over. Or is it something that can't wait?

No, no, it could wait... [no it can't]

[A pause, and a sigh.]

I'll be over there in an hour. All right?

[That is probably... the gentlest he's ever sounded, honestly.]

Actually I'm in the Golden's docking bay right now, if you have the time. [look he's just a go-getter ok]

What.

[How did he-- when did he--]

I'll be right there.

[Off to windstep his way to the docking bay, more than a little worried but mostly just trying to dodge his asshole captain.]

[Sorey's getting a lot of use out of that doggy hat you gave him, Dezel.

Truthfully, he'd only wandered over with the vague desire to check up on Dezel and make sure he's okay. He does an awful lot of that, mothering a seraph several hundred years his senior like Dezel is someone who needs to be babysat. Maybe it's to feel more useful, like even though this universe has no need for a Shepard, he still has things he can do. Even if it's just look after two people.

Still. A bit suspicious that Dezel wouldn't notice his arrival. Is his domain weakening?]

Ahhh, you didn't have to hurry. I did kind of just show up unannounced.

[That is alarming... he's pretty sure he didn't break the pact again.]

The captain threatened to kill the rats. It's only a matter of time before she starts killing people, too.

[Dezel. And then, as if he didn't just call Hera a goddamn cold blooded murderer:]

... Are you all right?

[bro how could you hera is so solid]

Wh- Me? [Sorey looks genuinely surprised he asked, at least. So maybe he's fine.] I'm fine, I'm not sick or anything. I just had a question, I thought maybe you might have some insight.

[That's something. Sorey isn't given to lying. At least, he's an easy tell.]

Me? [He's flattered and... troubled.] I'm the last person you should ask for advice, but... I'll try.

It's just. [sighs, folds his arms and leans against one of the shuttles] I'm worried about Mikleo. It seems like he has so much on his mind, and it's a lot of seraphim stuff that I don't think I understand properly. I was wondering if he's been able to talk to you about it.

[He figured it would be about Mikleo. Who else would Sorey worry about?]

... No, he hasn't. What'd he say to you?

Well. [Maybe he shouldn't go into too much detail...Mikleo doesn't like other people knowing his business. But it's Dezel, and Dezel might be able to help.]

I think he was kind of startled by how much he connected with the water on that moon. Or not startled, but...more like he didn't realize how deep those feelings could go? He talked about denying his true self and not wanting to do that, but I think he might have just been considering my feelings too much. Which was my fault, I kind of got a little selfish.

I'm just not capable of telling him anything from a seraph's point of view, so I don't know how helpful I can be to him when he's thinking so hard about that sort of thing. Like, I can feel corruption and all, but only through the rest of you. I think maybe I can't grasp the scale of it.

[Dezel is quiet for a moment, thinking on Sorey's words. At first he doesn't really get it-- then the corruption is mentioned and it clicks into place.]

He doesn't need you to see from his point of view, exactly. The nutball's probably worried about you feeling alone. [Whoop, there it is.] You two are close, but there are some things that just can't be changed.

[The divide between human and seraphim is huge, but with Sorey and Mikleo, it's not insurmountable. Even Dezel can see that.]

That doesn't mean you can't be thick as thieves. You just have to keep talking to each other. That's what Lailah was always saying, right?

[Maybe he should take his own advice once in a while.]

Ah...yeah, of course... [Sorey folds his arms, fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt. That's...well, not bad advice, and certainly true, but Sorey still feels like nothing's been solved. Mikleo still won't have someone to properly understand him. And Sorey will still fail to comprehend something so important to Mikleo that it drove a wedge between them.

The last time that happened, they ended up splitting up for a few days. It took them almost getting torn apart by hellions to change that, and Mikleo had just gone ahead and done what he'd wanted anyway. Is this going to be more of the same? Is this something Sorey should just bend himself to, like last time?]

Wouldn't this be something better suited to another seraph, though? Someone who can understand how he feels?

[He grunts. Talking to people? Like that actually ever solves anything. God, Sorey, this isn't a Tales game.]

Maybe. I can talk to him.

[But.]

It won't solve everything. You still have to work it out between you two. [A pause, and he doesn't quite look at Sorey.] ... Everyone has disagreements.

Oh- no, no, we're not...it's not like we're fighting over this. Or anything. You don't have to worry about that Dezel, we're fine. He just- He could use someone like him to talk to. It can't always just be me. That's all.

[Dezel lifts the brim of his hat and stares. It doesn't do much since he can't see, but it will certainly give Sorey the impression that Dezel isn't believing him for an instant.]

Right.

[Still, it's none of his business.]

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monolike - 2016-06-18 06:26 (UTC) - Expand

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