driftfleet | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Everyone messed up by the dragon plot, and visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Blue Fish's clinic!
When: All throughout the Solrius dragon plot and through the space flight to the next destination.

[So several RPG characters, a dragon, and two messianic figures walk into a planet.

Everything is suffering and tears, there's a lot of dead people, there's no punchline. But, hey, for the survivors, the Blue Fish's clinic is treating wounds and generally being a decent place to rest and recover and pray you don't see a dragon again. And for those who weren't involved, there's enough people bedridden here that there may just be someone you want to visit.]

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[Nightingale is on some good painkillers, so she can't really think straight. And with the damage to her arms, she can't move those well either.

What she can do is gather the wind as soon as she notices Sorey, putting it into one point like a hand on his back, pushing him towards her.]

Hey. You're yourself again?

[Stumbles forward a big in surprise, but obediently approaches her bedside and takes a seat, leaning forward.] More or less. [Pauses.] More more than less.

[He swallows down the dread creeping up his throat. She probably doesn't know about Mikleo. None of the other seraphim would've told her; they don't even know who she is. Maybe someone in the clinic told her, but...]

Nightingale, [Sorey says gently. He starts to reach for her hand before he stops himself, clenching his fist atop his knee.] I have to tell you something.

[She can't take his hand, but the wind gathers to basically flick him in the forehead.]

If that's going to be anything like an apology, save it.

Ah- [Flinches and holds his forehead, rubbing it.] No, no...I figured you wouldn't want to hear something like that. [Though he'd like to apologize for not coming to her sooner, and for shoving her, and-

Anyway.] It's- it's something serious. [Lord, he can't even bring himself to say his name.] ...about Mikleo.

[Through the painkiller-induced haze, she can tell something is very wrong. And she really hopes she's wrong about what it is.]

... What about him?

[Clenches his hands in his lap. Maybe he should've saved this for when she was well enough to leave but it's too late now. Besides that- talking to her without her knowing just feels deceitful.]

Nightingale... [All these pauses aren't just for dramatic effect. Sorey hasn't said this aloud yet.] There was no way to purify Mikleo. So, in the end- [Presses the back of his hand to his mouth.] The only option was to end his suffering. ...he's gone.

[okay. on one hand, she is pretty sure Mikleo's going to come back. People always come back from dying. On the other... Lailah asked her to keep it from Sorey, just in case. And she's way too messed up to act properly.

So she doesn't seem too torn up about it, honestly, despite just being told that hey, one of her friends is dead.]

... I figured, honestly...

[Glances up at her in surprise before staring back down at his hands shaking in his lap.] ...then he probably knew it would happen when he went looking for me. [Dammit, Mikleo.]

...you might hit me for it, but I do need to apologize for not coming to you sooner. And for shoving you.

I talked to Lailah over the comms... She basically said it was inevitable.

[She shakes her head.]

Can't move, so I won't hit you. But I can still cast, and I will Lightning your ass again if I have to.

You did what you could. It didn't end well, but... You were trying your best. Right? Rather, I'm the one who should apologize. I was too forceful and made you run off, and then I followed you while you weren't yourself and ended up like this, even though you never would want to do this.

[He never would, but like hell he'd blame her for that.] It's really not your fault I ran; I should've- [Stops himself and rubs a hand over his face.] We're gonna go in circles at this rate.

Nightingale, I completely and utterly forgive you of everything. You've got nothing to apologize for, at least not to me.

I'm good at going in circles like that.

[She is. Ask Opal. They do it a lot.]

Same to you, then. I forgive you, and I don't blame you in the slightest. I know what that sort of feeling does to your head, remember.

I remember.

[Shifts his weight.] I can't see it anymore, you know. Malevolence, and what your soul looks like. But I remember you were looking much better.

You can't see it? Why not?

[Nightingale never found out that was part of the pact...]

... I think I am. I have a lot of people I have to thank for that. My team. You and Mikleo, too.

[She pauses for a second.]

Probably Opal most of all, though.

Right. She came to save you. [Offers up a tight but genuine smile.] I'm happy for you.

[Nightingale is incredibly KY, she says shit all the time that she shouldn't. Her feet spend more time lodged in her throat then on the ground, it feels like. And she's on painkillers on top of that.

Even she realizes a minute too late that maybe she shouldn't be talking about how awesome her girlfriend is when Sorey's boyfriend just died.]

... Ah, thanks... I'm just glad it worked out okay.

...hey c'mon, don't look like that. I do mean it. I'm glad it worked out okay too. [seriously please don't even allude to it. Besides, being happy for other people helps, actually.]

R- Right...

[oh god oh god she fucked up]

Don't make a big deal out of it, though? She gets embarrassed easily.

[like you don't you piece of shit]

I'll try not to.

I don't think you have to worry about it though. I don't think we're going to do a whole lot of talking.

[NO THIS IS SAD THINGS STOP THINKING SAD THINGS]

I thought you two knew each other...? You sent me that text when she first got here, after all.

[surely that is the problem???]

That's really not the issue here, Nightingale. The last time she saw me, I was- well, you remember.

... She's seen me do some horrible shit, too. I think... Some of it might even be worse than what you did.

If you don't want to, I won't say anything more, but I think she'll understand if I talk to her.

I appreciate it, but don't force it on my behalf. If she really does want to talk about it, I'm sure she'll approach me. I won't be avoiding her or anything.

She's my girlfriend, I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to meddle at least a little.

[Shifts again. Rubs his arm.] I can't exactly tell you what to talk to your own girlfriend about, so...

Damn right.

[... why is she smug about this.]