[001 - Video]

[nowyouseeit]

Who: Kuroba Kaito and YOU!
Broadcast: Video - Fleetwide
Action: The S.S. Blameless
When: Today! (Oct. 21)

[VIDEO]

Oooooi! Anyone out there?

[the video feed flickers on to show a scruffy looking teenager casually strolling down the scorched hallway of the S.S. Blameless. he's covered in confetti, bits of colorful paper nestled in his hair and flaking off his shoulders, and he looks pretty unfazed, all things considered! in fact, he's got his communicator in one hand and an open, half-empty pudding cup in the other. someone has decided to help himself to the celebratory treats, because why the fuck would he not?]

Nice ship ya got here, yeah? Reminds me of something straight out of a cheesy sci-fi flick, heh. Could use a li'l bit of work. . . [he tilts the communicator so the video feed pans to the black marks on the walls] I'm not sure I wanna meet whatever or whomever did that, but hey! At least your lives seem-- uh. Interesting.

[the feed pans back to Kaito, whose demeanor is still totally casual and not at all concerned about his potential safety in the future]

Anyway, I haven't got a clue who I'm talking to here, but who doesn't like to meet new strangers in space who may or may not be human? [his grin widens, cheeky and a bit sly, but he really does enjoy meeting new people] Whoever happens to get this, give me a shout, all right? Name's Kaito-- Kuroba Kaito, but just Kaito's fine.

[he's not really one for formalities, after all. after a brief pause, the teen raises both eyebrows, and his words suddenly thicken with forced niceties. starkly different than his genuinely cheery introduction earlier]

And if any of you watching this just so happen to know a redheaded woman who goes by the name "Iota," please let her know that Kuroba Kaito would like to have a little. . . uh. Chat with her.

[another pause, and for a moment it looks like he's about to cut off the feed, when something suddenly hits him]

By the way--

[the feed pans lower to show a ton of pudding cups tucked underneath Kaito's arm. a ton of pudding cups. possibly all of the pudding cups that came with his new arrival, tbh]

I'm keeping the pudding. Finder's keepers!

[and the feed ends]

[ACTION]

[anyone on the S.S. Blameless can find Kaito wandering about the above mentioned hallway! he sure is scrutinizing those burn marks, brows furrowed, expression curious. wtf even happened here. . .]

Comments

video; THIS IS RUDE

[noprophecies]

[. . . he's so incredibly ridiculous that she isn't sure what she's supposed to feel, but all she knows is that she isn't about to break down in public like this. But it isn't fair; she had no warning to prepare for this, when she'd already settled long ago with never seeing him again.

She swallows, eyes darting off screen for a moment before she huffs, and the annoyance in her voice is forced]

Knowing the kind of nuisance you are? Absolutely.

[. . .]

I am on the Golden.

video; YOUR FACE IS RUDE

[nowyouseeit]

[Clover certainly isn't the only one who wasn't prepared for this!1 but Kaito's poker face had always been sound, and he isn't letting it fall to pieces just yet]

Oi! Keep callin' me a nuisance and I might change my mind about the pudding.

[he won't. at the mention of "the Golden," his brows furrow]

You're gonna hafta explain what you mean when you say you're on "the Golden." Is that another spaceship?

video; YOUR FACE IS THE RUDEST

[noprophecies]

[this is the worst best day ever]

I don't want your bloody pudding, you know I do not like that sort of thing.

[she rolls her eyes, huffing again]

Yes, it is another ship. Where are you? Perhaps it is better if I come there.

video; YOUR FACE IS THE RUDER RUDEST

[nowyouseeit]

[he laughs, because he finds her huffy demeanor to be oddly comforting. it's so typically Clover, and gosh, he had missed her. it's been so long. . .]

[at her question, glances at the burned walls, then back at the communicator. then back at the burned walls again. uuuuuuuh. . .]

The spaceship that looks like someone took a flamethrower to its walls?

[he. he doesn't have a name yet, okok]

video; NOTHING EXISTS THAT IS RUDER THAN YOUR FACE

[noprophecies]

[being huffy and annoyed is the safest option, otherwise something gross might happen, like showing real emotions or something ridiculous like that.

She gives him an unimpressed look]

I do not know which one that is.

video; except your face OH SNAP

[nowyouseeit]

[he knows how to read between the huffy and annoyed lines]

Well, that's not helpful.

[he sulks]

Hang on-- lemme find signs of intelligent life who are actually here in person. Someone's gotta know, right?

video; DO YOU WANT TO GET SET ON FIRE

[noprophecies]

I would hope so, otherwise I'd say you've got some shite luck ending up on an empty ship.

video; . . . NO 8(

[nowyouseeit]

[oh my god]

That can happen?

video; >:(

[noprophecies]

[she just shrugs.

What an asshole]

video;

[nowyouseeit]

[MEAN!!]

[ALSO YOU'RE NO HELP]

I don't really have that much experience in piloting space ships by myself, but--

[but when he actually thinks about doing just that, the idea doesn't sound too daunting. . .? in fact, he can run through exactly how to pilot said spaceship in his head like he's done so a hundred times by now. he frowns, thoughts drifting away for a moment, before he shakes his head and decides to return to his unexpected gain of knowledge later]

[he opens his mouth to say something, glances up, and then cuts himself off]

. . . hey! I found a cow!

[a cow. really]

video;

[noprophecies]

They made you a pilot? [whatever she mutters is in Elvish, but it sounds very much like "God help us all".

. . .

He found a what]

A cow.

video;

[nowyouseeit]

[. . . did they make him pilot? is that why he suddenly knows all the tiny little details he needs to know to fly a ship? he makes a face]

Who are "they?"

[the important thing he got out of her statement]

And by "cow," I mean a guy from Gulgallana. Hang on! I'm gonna ask him where I am.

[brb talkin' to Hank]

video;

[noprophecies]

The Atroma. The people who brought us here.

[she tilts her head, confused for a moment, before it clicks and she's suddenly on the move]

The tall boy? I know what ship you are on.

video;

[nowyouseeit]

Atroma. . .

[he'll have to ask a lot of questions about them later. but for now: Clover reunion. he straightens when she starts to move]

You do? What ship is it?

video;

[noprophecies]

The Blameless. I am friends with someone on your ship.

I will be there in a few minutes - do not get yourself into trouble.

[and with that, she ends the feed so she can hop a shuttle over.

. . . it might take a few minutes. She has to prepare herself for this horribly emotional reunion]

video;

[nowyouseeit]

Oi! I'm not gonna get myself in trouble in the span of a few mi--

[and she's gone]

[. . .]

[he sucks in a deep breath and slumps against the nearest wall, head bowed. he slips the communicator into his pocket and rakes his fingers through his hair as he waits for her to arrive]

--> action;

[noprophecies]

[she keeps him waiting a good twenty minutes - ten of those spent pacing her own ship's shuttle bay, trying remind herself that breaking down will not do her any good.

The other ten minutes is spent taking her time piloting the shuttle over there. Because she doesn't want to seem like she's in a hurry even though she is.

When she finally, finally sets foot on his ship she steps out and takes a look around before taking off to find him. It's probably both surprising and not to see her not wearing a single bit of Tiamat's uniform - but instead, some pants and a zip-up sweatshirt]

action;

[nowyouseeit]

[it's really not surprising at all; Kaito only wore team colors back in Kyriakos because he had no choice. as much as he cared for his team, purple-red wasn't his color]

[he hears Clover approach before he sees her, and he immediately pushes away from the wall and swivels on his heel to face her. there's another long moment of silence, another long moment of him just staring as he make sure he isn't just imagining all of this]

[. . . and then, instead of running up to her and giving her a hug (because that wasn't his style, it had never been his style, would never be his style) he holds out another pudding cup]

Sure you don't want one?

[noprophecies]

[she doesn't run down to give him a hug, either; it isn't her style, and she's try not to let this just immediately collapse into emotions she still doesn't like showing in front of other people. It had been easy to go back home and fall back into old habits, even if she hadn't gone back home alone, and - she couldn't let go of that. Not here, not now, not yet.

She huffs and crosses her arms instead, pretending as if something far more important caught her attention down the hallway]

I am certain. I don't like sweets.

[nowyouseeit]

[his mouth twitches, and he starts to walk forward, tossing the pudding cup in his hand as he does so]

I remember.

It's not really about the pudding, you know.

[noprophecies]

[she glances back as he moves and frowns, watching the cup in his hands]

Were it about the pudding, I would not have bothered coming over here.

[nowyouseeit]

I kinda figured.

[sssstops a foot or two in front of her, and bows his head]

. . .

I missed you.

[noprophecies]

[deep breath in, deep breath out.

She can do this]

I missed you, too. It has been a while.

[nowyouseeit]

[. . . okay]

[now it's hug time, pudding cups be damned. steps forward to draw her in a tight embrace, said pudding falling to the ground at his feet. oops]

[noprophecies]

[nooooo she thought they weren't doing hugs.

She hugs him back, sort of limply at first, before her arms tighten and she hugs him back just as fiercely.

JERK]