driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Uraraka Ochako / OTA
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: The Marsiva
When: right now go go go

[So... is the whole stuffing-information-in-your-head somebody's Quirk? Because it's an especially scary one, if that's the case. Ochako can't help poking at the back of her neck, feeling for the augment, with an increasing level of alarm as she wanders through the ship she'd woken up in. The communicator gripped tightly in her hands has been all but useless, too- she's tried to call all the numbers she knows by heart, but they won't connect to anyone familiar. She really does appear to be alone in the middle of nowhere. And- okay, she's always liked space and the sky and stars and whatnot- sort of comes hand in hand with gravity control, she figures. But she didn't expect to ever go there. Certainly not without someone who knows what they're doing.

The communicator keeps flashing at her, though, so eventually she braves sending a message to the masses in the hopes of finding some familiar - or at least friendly - faces. Let's... try smiling...! Yes!]

So, um. That. Sure is a lot of space out there, haha!

I guess nobody out there's got a convenient Quirk that can send me home, huh?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The time frame?

[His eyebrows angle with sympathy again. He's not trying to be unkind, but he's not exactly delicate when he says,] Some passengers leave quickly. Others stay a while longer. There are those who have been with the Fleet for upwards of a year.

That's...

[Terrifying? Yeah, terrifying. Nice as it is to not be lied to, it's still quite the shock when she's still so new.]

And there's no way to go home on your own?

[Despite his social ineptitude, and despite how he desperately wants to stay with the Fleet instead of returning home, he does understand. His smile stays for encouragement's sake, but it's thin and grim, now.]

Not at this time. Atroma pushes and pulls at will. As far as I can tell, there is a group that wishes to leave and a group that wishes to stay... but nothing is guaranteed for any of us.

...Ah...

[She needs a minute to let that sink in. No choice on whether to stay or go, no way of knowing how long she'll be here, and no way to see or even speak to anyone from home? Her friends, her family...

It's a lot to swallow all at once.]

[Probably, this sort of thing is to be expected. Kaworu is practiced only in soothing one particular person, but he can at least try to put it to use here...]

You won't be alone, Uraraka-san. People here will want to help you, and they'll try for your sake. [And, with real conviction,] There is hope. Remember that there will always be hope.

[It's hard not to cling to her miserable thoughts; she'd already had a good freakout and probably a good cry all on her own, waking up in this big empty place. But he's right, of course. And it's also likely that if she lets herself start, she won't be able to stop.]

Um... yes, you're right... I'm sorry, I must sound like a real downer.

No, you're wonderful. You're doing wonderfully. Be patient with yourself. You'll need time to acclimate, and that's fine. But Lilin is wonderfully adaptive.

[He presents himself like downfeathers, gentle as can be. Everything about him promises that things will be okay.]

What's... Lilin?

[The unfamiliar term distracts her, at least, and she scrubs at her eyes to focus better.]

[Once something becomes habitual, you naturally keep doing it, you know? But Kaworu thinks, not for the first time, that he should try to phase Lilin out of his general vocabulary. Here, barely anyone ever knows what he's talking about.]

When I say 'Lilin,' I'm talking about humans. It's a term from where I was before here.

Ohhhh.

[Okay that makes way more sense in context. Noted!]

I guess humans are pretty adaptive... some of us more than others, not gonna lie!

[She can think of plenty who would handle this whole situation much better than she, but alas, they aren't here.]

Everyone starts out with the same potential of the heart, though the heart can diminish over time. [TL;DR he's agreeing with her, he just likes to talk.] But you all have an innate determination which I find quite incredible. The body wants to live. The heart wants to muster.

That's a really beautiful way to say it. So poetic!

[She can dig it. Even if his phrasing is a bit... odd, though she can't quite place it.]

Aha, it's just the something I think about. [He's one to deflect kind comments, but his smile and small laughter are pleased.] Most of all, I would like to be able to say something that could encourage you. That is the important thing.

On the other hand, don't feel poorly if you feel poorly. Right?

[Don't feel poorly because-- oh. Haha, she's caught again.]

Well, I do feel encouraged, so mission accomplished, anyway! And I'll try to remember that.

If you ever need to hear it again, I won't mind saying it. If a good thing is repeated often, its goodness grows. [He's more than a little zealous about the power of practice.]

I'll remember that. And the same to you, okay? You're really good at this, but if you need somebody to give you a good pep talk, I am up for the job! One-hundred-percent!

You're very kind, Uraraka-san. [But it's a bit alarming, and Kaworu can't imagine imposing upon her that way. He's even better at self-repression than he is at making friends with a nice girl like her. His soft expression hasn't changed, though.] I promise you I feel nice and well after talking to you now.

[Poor innocent soul has no idea.]

I'm glad to hear that! Especially after you've done so much to cheer me up.