mopingjay

[takeabow]

Who: Nova & Friends/CR/passersby
Broadcast: None
Action: the First Breath and the Iskaulit gardens
When: Today

[ It's been days since anyone has last seen or heard from Nova, though her name is still on the ship register. Notably, Stiles' name is not. Any attempts to contact her via the comms have been hung up on or ignored. She hasn't even been out to the kitchen, let alone any of the other shared spaces on the First Breath. If a worried party were to come into her room uninvited, she wouldn't protest. Or move from staring at the wall, probably. There's evidence she's eaten, likely from packs of food squirreled away around her room, but the girl is not exactly thriving. She looks exhausted and frankly could use a shower.

At some point, she somehow makes her way over to the gardens on the Iskaulit. She craves the solace of the woods, but lacking that, this will have to do. She finds an out-of-the-way spot and sits, barefoot and in her pajamas, running the dirt through her fingers. Girl looks rough, is all. ]

Comments

[grounds]

[Octavia won't mention she checked the First Breath before going to the gardens, it's a moot point. It does take a little searching to find her friend, but when she does, it's about as bad a sight as she figured it would be. She heaves a small sigh and makes her way over.]

Dirt's not changing as far as I can tell. Maybe I'm missing something. [Her voice is calm, on the quieter side, and she has on what's hopefully a comforting smile. Octavia crouches down next to Nova, looking at her.]

[takeabow]

What?

[ it's a delayed response, and her voice is creaky; unused. she looks exhausted, this close up ]

[grounds]

Did you hear me? [Her question's not accusatory, but gentle and a little concerned. She goes as far as to put a hand on her friend's shoulder to ground her in a sense.]

[takeabow]

I was thinking.

[ not really an answer one way or the other. she tenses slightly at Octavia's touch but wills herself to relax. when she looks at Octavia, it does seem that she's focusing better ]

You said something about the dirt.

[grounds]

I did, it's not important. What were you thinking about?

[Octavia's hand eventually slide from Nova's shoulder to her hair. It could use a wash, but her own has been much worse. She feels a few strands of it before reaching out with both hands to bring it behind her shoulders and begin braiding. It'll be a little better than when it hangs loose.]

[takeabow]

Nothing.

[ a lie, obviously, to buy time while she tries to consolidate what she was thinking from concepts to words. nova brushes her hair away from her face, not noticing that she leaves dirt on her cheek in the process. she's tense and almost mechanical in her movements ]

You'll think I'm pathetic.

[grounds]

[The remark annoys her a little, so she tugs on Nova's hair, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to get her point across. She can't help it.]

Do you honestly think that? [Because really. She still continues to braid.]

[takeabow]

[ hey :c ]

Ow.

[ she deadpans it. it doesn't hurt at all, but she responds anyway ]

And I don't know. You don't seem like a big fan of Stiles.

[grounds]

We never talked much, but he means a whole lot to you. And that matters to me.

[Another, lighter tug.] So talk.

( gardens )

[partialities]

[ margaery does not mind quiet.

she knows grief when she sees it, had seen it many times before and her way to sooth it is serenity and calm and charm. she sees nova in the gardens and gives the girl an hour or so of peace before moving to sit near her, reading her book in silent.

an hour longer passes and only then she speaks ]

Who are we grieving?

[takeabow]

Everything.

[ it takes her a few moments to respond. her voice is creaky from how long she's kept her silence, and the answer is not direct, though it is slightly dramatic. she could say "stiles" and that would be true, but also untrue. but he was her closest link to Aather, where she'd spent so much time and grown so much, and now she was alone again. he was also her closest chance to get out of her situation at home, get her sister, and find someplace better to live. they had talked about it so much, and then he'd gone and left without her. how was she supposed to get there now?

the tip of her nose reddens as she tries not to cry. ]

[partialities]

I pray each day for my brother, Loras, did I tell you? There is no Sept aboard the ships and I know not if the Seven may hear my prayers from so far but I pray, still.

[ softly, she adds ]

I do not know that those matter but they calm me so. I pray for Loras and Garlan and Willas and for my lady mother and my lord father, the world is so dangerous, you see. I have already lost a good friend who was also my lord husband.

[ and though loras surely misses renly in a deeper sense than her, for her he was an ally and a precious friend, too ]

I know grief, sweetling. Whoever hit is we are grieving for, I am terribly sorry for. Forgive me for not being able to offer more. I am named Queen Above the Stars here, would that I were, I would make you happy forever.

[takeabow]

I wouldn't deserve it if you could.

[ there's a well of bitterness inside of her, along with the sadness. her words come off more nihilistic than she'd probably have preferred, but she can't shore up the energy to placate Margaery. she takes a moment to try to compose herself and looks up, one hand still idly playing with the cool dirt ]

Stiles left. Which sucks. For a lot of reasons, not just because—I mean. We were dating. So. Yeah.

I don't sleep when I'm alone. I close my eyes and it's just Rue. Cato. Marvell. All dying again. Sometimes instead of Rue, I'm holding Prim. Sometimes instead of Cato being eaten by the Mutts, it's Prim.

[partialities]

Shall I stay?

[ she offers, at once, all charm and grace in her blue hair and matching gown of silk, she smiles a little ]

I used to sneak into my cousin's bed at nights. Sometimes, even Highgarden would have looked too vast at night, at the dark. I'd sneak into her room and burrow under her blankets, she never chased me away.

[ she smiles a little ]

I am sorry the one you have loved is gone but there is one here who loves you as truly. Let me stay, I shall hold you until you sleep.

[takeabow]

I wouldn't ask you to do that. Sometimes I wake up thinking I'm somewhere else. I wouldn't want to hurt you.

[partialities]

You have not asked, I have offered. I am not afraid of you, sweetling. We are friends, even here in this odd little world. I can so very little, my love, do allow me to help. I shall return to my ship as soon as you wish it.

[ she inches closer ]

I promise.

[takeabow]

[ she manages a stiff, hesitant nod, not trusting her voice to hold steady. she's already losing the war against her tears as her eyes well up ]

First Breath

[tallasaking]

[He doesn't have to go far to find Nova when he wants to find her. He simply enters her room with a platter filled with food, and a bottle of water. Taking one look at her, he exhales slowly, and then puts the bottle of water in front of her. The platter goes next to her, and he starts to clean up the room.]

Since I am not leaving until you have a proper meal, and something to drink, and a shower ... I thought perhaps you would like someone to talk to.

[takeabow]

[ after looking at the water for a moment, she'll sit up and drink it. she knows better than to turn her nose up at it, though she doesn't touch the food. She sits with her back to the wall and her knees up, watching him. she speaks after taking a big swig of the water, but her voice is still creaky ]

You don't have to do that.

[tallasaking]

Nonsense. I hear this is what friends do, when other friends are swimming in despair.

[Tyrion stated simply, as he kept cleaning.] I know Bronn did it for me, as well as young Pod. Might as well learn how to do it myself.

[takeabow]

Why?

[ she's distant, perhaps run dry, like a river in a drought, left with scrub and cracks. she asks her question, and (perhaps belatedly) realizes that she should elaborate—out loud—for the answer she wants ]

Why did they do it for you?

[tallasaking]

[Tyrion puts a handful of garbage into the trash-can, mulling over the question.]

Honestly, it took me a very long time to realize this -- but they thought I was the sort of person who would do it for them.

[takeabow]

Do you think I'm the sort of person who would do it for you?

[tallasaking]

If there was any doubt, I would not be here.

[Tyrion stated simply, before he went back to cleaning up her room.] I know if my heart was torn out of my chest, metaphysically speaking, you'd be there to tear the bottle out of my hand and toss me in the shower.

[takeabow]

It's not—

[ she pauses as her throat seizes up, voice thick when she continues, not looking at Tyrion ]

It's more complicated than that.