voice;

[monolike]

Who: Sorey
Broadcast: Huntress only!
Action: Iskaulit & Huntress
When: 9/16

Huntress crew, this is your first mate, Sorey. ...due to certain circumstances, we are currently without a Captain. I'm acting as Captain now to fill the role, but if there are any interested parties, please contact me at your soonest convenience.

In the meantime, if there's anything that requires tending to, please don't hesitate to let me know. Any supplies we're short on, any concerns you may have about the status of the ship...I know we're at full capacity now, so if we start taking on extra passengers again we'll have to double up. And I'm also the ship's engineer, so please bring any technical problems you have to me.

...thank you...to everyone who has been looking after the ship for the past couple weeks.



[Sorey can be found both in engineering on the Huntress and at the Interfaith center on the Iskaulit. If your character can sense spiritual power and has run into him before, they may notice him lacking his usual protective/cleansing domain.]

Comments

[hearsthesea]

[Grateful for the support, Shirley gives him a little smile. It's hard to look completely confident right now, but it seems that it's helped Sorey at least a little bit so it was worth it.]

It's something I've thought about many, many times. I was ashamed of myself after my friends saved me. I had to think long and hard about what I'd done, and what I needed to do to avoid repeating the same mistakes. That's how I was able to start moving forward again after everything. And...I want to help you do the same, if I can.

[monolike]

To be honest, it's hard to think about right now. [Sorey holds her hands as tight as he dares, aware of how small they are in his. Just like-] I-

Shirley, I- [Sorey clenches his jaw hard.] Because of what I did, M-Mikleo-... [He can't imagine a world where he recovers from this. He can't imagine a future where he forgives himself for this. How is he supposed to move on without Mikleo? How is he supposed to want to live, to move forward, without him?]

[hearsthesea]

I know.

[Shirley squeezes back, bowing her head towards him. She can relate to Sorey on a lot of things, but this is one thing she doesn't know how to help him with. The best she can think of is Fenimore or life without Senel, and - well. That's bad enough.]

I...I'm sorry.

[monolike]

[Sorey shakes his head, though he can't say anything just yet, and keeps his face turned down so she can't see the way he's fighting with his expression. He knows there's nothing to say to something like that; he can hardly think it. Every time he tries to consider what it means, living a life without Mikleo, his heart feels like it's going to give out.

He takes a deep breath before slowly picking his head back up.] Thank you...so much, for coming to check on me. And- and I know you don't want an apology, but...but I'm sorry. For not taking your warnings as seriously as I should have.

[hearsthesea]

And I'm sorry for not being able to help you two more.

[That sounds scarily enough like a goodbye when Shirley doesn't want to leave just yet. She can't fix anything that's happened, but she doesn't want to leave him alone either. Shirley remembers how much that hurt with Fenimore, and they'd only been friends a day.

Of course, it's Fenimore who gives her an idea of what to say next.]

I'm not mad. I know what it's like, a little bit. And because of that...Sorey, we're friends, aren't we?

[monolike]

Yes, of course, we absolutely are. [Sorey squeezes her fingers again, though he keeps his head bowed. It isn't fair of him to be like this when Shirley is trying so hard, but he just- he can't find it in him to look her in the eye. Even if she's not mad, he still feels the shame in his heart, pulsing sick and hot like a fever.]

[hearsthesea]

My first friend told me something, once. She said - it's good to have friends. We can talk about silly things, or we can talk about love. And when we're sad...we can cry together, too.

[Her voice is a little shaky, because of course she misses Fenimore a lot. But when Shirley imagines her there with them, it's a little easier to get the words out.]

I don't know how to make things better. I wish I did. But if a friend to cry with will help, I can do that much.

[monolike]

Shirley...

[Sorey stops himself. He hasn't spent enough time listening to people; that's the first thing he should rectify. And though just hearing her offer her friendship and comfort just makes him want to cry all over again, he bites his lip to hold it in. Half because he's sick of crying, and half because he wants to get this out.]

Thank you, [he whispers instead. He can't read her heart like this, bereft of all his Shepherd powers, but maybe he's gotten a little too comfortable with that. Maybe he's forgotten how to just trust people.] I'll...I may end up relying on you a lot, but...thank you.

[hearsthesea]

That's all right. That's what friends are for.

[Right, Fenimore?]