can you spot the drama queen

[noctiphile]

Who: Mattias Larnaca
Broadcast: video; fleet-wide
Action: marsiva so NO ONE
When: 2/17

I don't understand. [The screen is black, the voice is ragged, raw. Wet with sobs that gasp and hiccup out of him. The comm scrapes against the floor of the ship and a glimpse of space can be seen ] I-it's dark. She-[He chokes, splutters, coughs.]-She's gone. Is this... [A deep, bedraggled breath. The screen brightens, adjusting to the color of fluorescent lights and a young man's weary face, wet with tears. Despite his appearance, he's smiling. The kind of smile seen at births, marriages, a baby's first step. He's overcome with emotion, excited and battling it, fighting disbelief in order to confirm that this, any of this is real.]

This is a communication system. I don't-[He swipes a hand across his face, wiping his eyes clear.]-I don't know how I know that but... [muttering:]... it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Whoever's out there-[He chokes again, this time laughing.]-Goddess. I really am. Above the clouds. In her domain. I never-[He swallows, trying to contain his excitement again.]-I never thought this would happen. I could never even imagine it. Not like this. Not-Goddess.

[Falling back to one hand he sighs, pulling a hand through his tired hair, loose waves spilling between his fingertips. After a few minutes, he seems to remember that he's broadcasting. Eyes glimmering with elation, he leans forward, unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face.]

Please. Anyone. Tell me. [He turns the comm quickly and presses it against the glass. The screen fills with the void of space, stars glittering in their myriad.] Has night finally come?

Comments

[noctiphile]

No, I'm certainly not complaining. Indeed, I was... saved more than anything else. I'm grateful.

But I was never really into acting.

[onlyanapple]

Well, lucky for you they don't want us to act. This is more...fly on the wall, Big Brother kind of stuff. Generally, we're expected to be ourselves.

[noctiphile]

And they expect that to be entertaining? Goddess, I used to read books all day. They can't expect amusement from that.

[onlyanapple]

I think in that case, they will just put you with interesting and/or annoying people. See how to tolerate them disrupting your book time.

[Aziraphale would huff. Maybe send a strongly worded letter. Something like that, he's sure. ]

[noctiphile]

They'll be sorely disappointed. I'd likely just lock the door. Provided they... have locks. And rooms. Did you know there's only a single room on this ship? It's strangely eerie.

[onlyanapple]

You won't get much better when you got to your assigned ship, believe me. And it doesn't matter where you hide, their cameras will follow you everywhere.

[noctiphile]

You can't be serious. Even to the bathroom?

[onlyanapple]

...Probably?

[noctiphile]

And you're fine with that? You sound fine with it.

[onlyanapple]

After living in a sentient castle that was out to get me for five years, this is perfectly workable.

[noctiphile]

A sentient castle was out to get you. [Right.] Dare I ask why?

[onlyanapple]

Not just me, everyone it kidnapped. It wanted to eat out emotions...or something.

[noctiphile]

That's not a why. Interesting, but not the answer.

[onlyanapple]

That's about as much of a why as we got.

[noctiphile]

How anticlimactic.

[He sighs.] Did you ever find out how it ate your emotions, at least?

[onlyanapple]

Tell me about it.

Nope. Maybe they eventually found out after I left. I dunno.

[noctiphile]

Maybe it's for the best. After a wait like that the answer might just be a disappointment. An accident or something or the sort. [He chuckles.] How horrible that would be.

[onlyanapple]

I think everyone left behind would rather it be a disappointment than anything else.