Iskaulit mingle

[lord_wizard]

Who: Anyone!
Broadcast: No
Action: Iskaulit
When: Feb. Drift Week (and beyond?)

[The fleet, more or less patched up after their battle, has once again left civilization behind for empty space. Maybe it's a good time to distract yourself and get away from the endless repairs and nothingness, though there might still be cleaning up that needs to be done here too.

Whether you're grabbing a broom or grabbing a drink, this is a fleetwide mingle for the Iskaulit.]

Comments

[dancingmd]

I hope so.

[For Wrath's sake and for his. He deserves to have someone like her in his life. If nothing else, it's a nice thought to cling to, much better than the only image that keeps cropping up every time she thinks of Finrod - a wolf, snarling and bloody, coming to tear him... No, she tells herself firmly, Don't think of that.

She curls into Charles more, burying her face into his shoulder.]

[axiomed]

[ The image trickles by but Charles ignores it. Instead, he keeps his tone gentle because it's important to draw comfort where they can. ]

I believe it.

[dancingmd]

[A quiet sob escapes her.]

I'm trying to.

[She's doing her best to picture Wrath at the school with Charles and the next sound out of her is halfway between a sob and a laugh. She lifts her head to look at him, her face red and streaked with tears, but there is a smile peeking out.]

Do you think the 21st century is ready for her?

[axiomed]

[ He brushes away some of those tears gently. ]

Unlikely. Though I would say no one is ready for my students. I think, no matter where she goes, she'll carry us in her heart. And she'll be fine.

[dancingmd]

[A blush of affectionate warmth runs through her at his touch and her smile dares to grow a little more.]

I know. She'll be fine wherever she is. [If someone told her Wrath had single-handedly destroyed a Borg cube, she'd believe it.] But the problem is that I'm terrible and selfish and want her here again.

[axiomed]

I don't think being selfish is terrible, not right now.

[ The process of grieving is important as well. Charles is hardly going to look down on it. ]

[dancingmd]

[She nods. He's right of course, it's only natural to feel this way when you lose someone so important to you, someone who brought you so much joy.

But speaking of selfishness... she rests a hand on his cheek.]

And what about you? You love her too.

[axiomed]

I do.

[ He leans into it slightly. ] But I'll be fine.

[dancingmd]

[She shakes her head.]

Don't do that.

[axiomed]

I'm not doing it on purpose.

[ He exhales quietly. ]

Out of the many people here, she was one of the few I opened my powers for. Shared memories with.

[dancingmd]

She was always good at that, at getting people to open up.

[In more ways than one.]

[axiomed]

Yes, she was.

[ It feels wrong, to refer to Wrath in the past tense. It was like she was gone and Charles could feel his throat tighten at that thought. ]

[dancingmd]

[Running a gentle thumb across his cheek, she thinks back to that first poker game Wrath hosted on the Windrose, to Wrath's enthusiaism and frankly terrible, if adorable, poker face. To when Beverly and Charles first met.]

And at bringing people together.

[axiomed]

[ He laughs softly, though there's no real humour in it. ]

This place will certainly be a quieter one without her.

[dancingmd]

Mmm. I remember how surprised by her I was when we first met. How open and... Direct she was. Didn't hold back anything, even though we barely knew one another,

[Which admittedly got her into some trouble at first with Beverly, but even with that, Beverly was drawn to her from the very start.]

[axiomed]

We could all benefit from that.

[ Charles certainly could. While he's come a long way in seeing what he means and making his own speech clear, he certainly suffers from pulling back and being deliberately obscure. ]

[dancingmd]

[She smiles softly and sniffs. The steady flow of tears has stopped but the ache is still there.]

Easier said than done though, isn't it?

[axiomed]

It always is. But I believe there is no lack of doing.

[dancingmd]

What do you mean?

[axiomed]

I mean, Wrath has already shown us a lot. Whether we realize it or not, we have changed. And we'll keep on showing those changes.

[dancingmd]

[She nods, thinking back to that time on the beach and… well. Charles doesn’t need those images in his head.]

I think… I think she’s the reason I was willing to take a chance with Daneel, odd as that may sound.

[axiomed]

That doesn't sound odd at all.

[ She certainly pushed Charles far. ]

[dancingmd]

I suppose it just seems that way because they are so different.

[Exceot they are both incredibly honest - almost to a fault - and they both made her happier than she ever expected to be here. She ducks her head, thoughtful.]

I was so focused on going home and not letting myself put down any roots of any sort and she just... Punched right through that.

[axiomed]

[ Charles nods slowly. It's a familiar story. People can try as hard as they want, but sometimes it just happens. You can't help the connections you make. Charles has been to many places like the Fleet, but this was the first place that made steps to accept him. ]

She must have felt the same way. Leaving is never easy.

[ Charles knew Wrath didn't want to be left behind. He wonders if this was a little easier for her. ]

[dancingmd]

No. [She looks back up at Charles with a soft gaze.] It never is. And I want you to know, if I leave first, that I am so glad to have had the opportunity to know you and to be your friend, just as I feel about her.

[No doubt he can already feel how much she cares about him, but saying it out loud is nice too.]