You can check out anytime you'd like.. [Hotel Corona Mingle]

[thespaceopera]

Who: The Fleet!
Broadcast: If you want
Action: Hotel Corona or Planet Ikke
When: December 7th onward



[After the mystery and isolation of their last destination, the Marsiva seems determined to head to brighter, busier territory. After a long journey through remote, nebula-painted space, speeding along at a brisk pace for the Host ship, the Marsiva brings her Fleet to a sudden and prominent point of traffic.

It seems that the Fleet has happened upon some sort of vacation destination! Maybe Atroma thinks that the passengers deserve some rest and relaxation... or just wants to distract them with something huge and shiny.

Welcome to Hotel Corona! Feel free to enjoy yourselves and enjoy the sites! If a hotel resort isn't your thing, you can head on over to the nearby planet and explore it's icy wonders.

In order words: it's a mingle!! Everyone get in! ]

[>> Plot Post]

Comments

[exothermia]

[Erik knows Charles, and he also knows that any number of months away from the school is a long time. Because Charles rarely leaves it for more than a few days. He doesn't retort, however.]

Yes. It could be.

[axiomed]

[ He drums his fingers against the metal. ]

Was this present all this is? Just a thank you?

[exothermia]

[Erik blinks, looking briefly at Charles's fingers tapping against the plate.]

It's... I made it as a thank you, for my birthday. And in general. [He glances back to Charles, meeting his eyes.] I thought of it as a starting point.

[axiomed]

A starting point to what?

[exothermia]

[Erik lets out a breath, fingers tensing around his mug before he relaxes them. He's worked on this for a long time, but time and circumstances have changed around him. Now he has to remember what his purpose was, when even he wasn't entirely sure of it at the time.]

Moving forward. Because I hadn't been... for a long time. We hadn't been either. [At least it had felt that way to Erik, and he became all the more aware that he wasn't contributing. To whatever they were.] Everything felt stuck. So I decided to take a step.

[axiomed]

[ That's a feeling Charles certainly has. It's why he wrestles with himself to have these conversations, to ask the questions he's afraid to have answers for. ]

You needed time. We all did.

[ He sighs. ] Not that either of us know where we're going.

[exothermia]

[He merely nods. He hadn't been in any condition to do these kinds of things before last month. And he wouldn't pretend otherwise. He still feels incapable a lot of the time.]

Maybe not. But it's somewhere. [And it's not backwards.]

[axiomed]

Yes, but - you need to know where you're going. I'm not saying to have the answers or even the certainty of knowing answers will come.

[ He stops himself abruptly, the sinking feeling of annoyance and shame coming back and his fingers tighten around the metal. ]

I'm sorry. That was rude of me.

[exothermia]

[Erik had stilled when Charles words burst out, and places his hands flat on the table when he's done.]

It's fine.

[He picks at a chip in the table for a moment, before he keeps talking, feeling out the words as he says them.]

I know what you mean. And... I've felt that way too. About this, and so much else. But there's a reason why they say just starting is the hardest step.

[axiomed]

[ That is an understatement. He can't belittle that and he doesn't want to. He turns to look at the beach instead. ]

[exothermia]

[Erik watches Charles in silence for a while, in the wake of that emotive burst. It seems to be the way of things, at the moment. They'll navigate the turns and twists, before there's a sudden burst of speed and they have to take control of the wheel again. Lest they careen somewhere they aren't ready for.

After a few long moments, Erik reaches across the table and lays his hand lightly on top of Charles's. He looks out on the beach, listening to the 'surf' crash below.]

[axiomed]

[ He looks up, surprised before smiling. ]

You shouldn't indulge me so much.

[exothermia]

[Erik just huffs weakly.]

You're assuming it's just for your benefit.

[axiomed]

Oh? What are you getting out of it?

[exothermia]

Connection.

[It's still a little awkward to say, with so much of their conversation carefully tailored, and his fingers twitch a bit.]

Though I admit this isn't how I thought the coffee talk would go.

[axiomed]

[ He softens at that. ]

I'm curious to know how you pictured it.

[exothermia]

Ah. Maybe the problem was that I didn't really picture it at all.

[axiomed]

You didn't?

[exothermia]

[He has to pause and think on that, as the answer lies somewhere in between.]

Well... I knew I was going to give you the etching, and I had a few ideas about what I might say. But since this was already different to what I was going to do originally... I hadn't really thought about what might come after.

[axiomed]

[ He chuckles. ]

A very thorough plan for sure. But I appreciate the thought given.

[exothermia]

It was more of an idea than a plan, really.

[axiomed]

Well. We all start somewhere.

[exothermia]

[He hums his agreement, and finally withdraws his hand.]

[axiomed]

[ His gaze flickers before turning back to the beach. ]

This would be a nice day for a chess game.

[exothermia]

It would be. Do you want to have a game?