Look - up in the sky...!

[thespaceopera]

Suddenly, the SS Pathstone and the SS Golden begin to move on their own... slowly, calmly, they drift to two different points, a certain distance apart, away from the other ships of the fleet. Then, just as slowly, they turn to face each other.

And that is all the warning there is before the engines engage -- full speed ahead.

Like a pair of rockets, the ships torpedo toward each other, perfectly lined up for a head-on collision, and there is nothing to stop them. No matter what buttons the crews press, no matter how much they might panic, nothing is going to stop the inevitable. Any other ships watching will not have time to attempt any sort of interception.

CRASH!!

As if to shield spectators' eyes from the horrors of ships colliding in space, there's a blinding light upon impact -- and once it gradually fades, the results can be clearly seen by all: There is no wreckage. Nothing is broken. But where there were once two ships... now there's only one.

One ship that is... very clearly made up of parts from the SS Pathstone and the SS Golden, but somehow seems well put together, at least!

-----------

On the bridge, the crews of the SS Golden and the SS Pathstone arrive, along with the usual pop! of Atroma confetti and ridiculous jingle music upon a successful shuffle. Sitting in the captain's chair is a round cake, just large enough for everyone to have one slice. There's a single candle, and the following message scribbled on top in yellow icing:

"Congratulations - SS Goldstone!
Happy Fusion!"




... What, did you think you were going to die? Sorry about that.

Comments

[ahappylie]

[He gives an exaggerated sigh and drops his hand dramatically.]

Fiiiine, if you insist. I thought it would be a good way to get to know each other since we're apparently going to be crew now.

[If that's what a fusion means, rather than a "smash together until you're dead."

He's also trying REALLY HARD not to laugh at the way she puffs up.]

But I'll get you to try it someday. And that's my promise to you.

[experiencepoints]

Absolutely not. That's more Sparrow's thing than mine, anyway.

[She relaxes. Slightly.]

So, what do you like to eat?

[ahappylie]

[Such interesting names - Nightingale, Sparrow. He wonders if there's a Crow or a Thrush, too.]

I prefer fish and vegetables with rice, but it isn't often found here. Rice, we have some rations of on the Golden.

[He glances around him.]

If it is still there.

But if not for meals, I prefer anything sweet. What about you?

[experiencepoints]

Fish and vegetables with rice... I can do that. Crane and Swan liked that sort of thing.

[She shrugs.]

... I guess I like beef stew, if I had to pick a favorite? Fish, too. I'm not picky.

But come to think of it, I definitely need to check out whatever happened to the kitchen.

[ahappylie]

[He's trying so hard not to laugh - he's getting closer to the Bird Bingo.]

You cooked for all your friends at home, too?

[Come onnnnnn]

I've heard of rabbit stews, but not "beef." But if you'd like to investigate the ship, I'd recommend going with someone. We still don't know what happened down there.

[experiencepoints]

Huh? I did, and for my team in my last interdimensional shithole, too.

[She looks at him weirdly.]

... I was planning to, since that's obvious, but first... You don't know what beef is?

[ahappylie]

[Damn, no more names.]

Your last what? And no, we didn't eat whatever that is.

[Although they had cows, they were manual labor, not food.]

[experiencepoints]

Meat from cows? Bulls? Auriochs?

[how have you not had beef.]

Last interdimensional shithole. Like this place.

[ahappylie]

You mean the beasts of labor? No, it's forbidden to eat them.

[Sort of - the Buddhist laws are in place, but there are a looooot of ways around them.]

And you've been traveling like this for awhile then? From...place to place.

[He's not going to try saying "interdimensional." It trips his brain up just to think about it.]

[experiencepoints]

... Forbidden? Should I avoid cooking it while you're around?

[She shakes her head.]

Not willingly. This place is only my second. I've heard of more. I was an adventurer back home, anyway.

[ahappylie]

[He laughs and shakes his head.]

I appreciate the gesture, but no it is fine. It was a government law that many followed. I'm sure there were those who did not, especially when their beast grew too old to work.

[He just never ate it himself as far as he can remember.]

Do many people here come from...other places from which they were taken? I thought everyone here was like me, ripped from their homes only once.

[experiencepoints]

[She nods.]

I'll make you some beef stew tonight so you can try it, then.

But... No, a lot of us come from other places like this. Some are... a lot worse than here. If you're going to end up in any of these places, this is a good one to.

[ahappylie]

[He motions at her sleeve.]

And cake~ please.

[Then he smiles.]

Well, that's good to know. I'm sorry that others had to suffer in a different place for so long though.

[His smile falters and he tilts his head to one side.]

How long has it been since you last saw your homeland?

[experiencepoints]

Cake is going to wait until I go down to the ring thing and pick up more ingredients.

[... She sobers at that.]

... My world doesn't use Earth's calendar, and the last place... Wasn't a good place to try to keep track of time. I spent a lot of it in a drunken haze, honestly.

But... It's been over two years now, at least.

[As she admits it, her shoulders sag, and she looks at the ground. She's homesick. She misses her friends. She misses a world that works the way she understands it. She misses not having to explain every little detail of how she works. She misses adventuring, fighting monsters, exploring dungeons.

She misses her life, and it shows.]

[ahappylie]

[He could tease her about the cake again, but seeing her suddenly fall inward makes him frown slightly. Two years is a long time to be away from the familiar, to miss her friends and family, her life before all this.

He isn't sure if he'd survive two years here knowing what was going on in his homeland.

He isn't sure he'd live that long anyway.]

You're stronger than I imagined then, surviving so long here and elsewhere.

[He tries to smile at her, trying to reassure her and not sure if it's working.]

Perhaps soon you will win this silly game of theirs and return home at last.

[experiencepoints]

[She smiles, but it's bitter. There's no joy, just grim amusement, like a horrible joke he's not in on.]

... 'Surviving', huh. I... would like that. I'd like that a lot.

[ahappylie]

[He doesn't like making people sad. He can see it in her posture, her smile, everything. The memories of home are too far away, too painful.]

So shouldn't we amuse our captors a little to earn you your ticket home a little faster?

[He reaches out to try and tug her sleeve hem. Cough cough, give him the cake!!!!]

[experiencepoints]

[She tugs away from him and takes a step back, guarding her personal bubble.

(Now that her focus has shifted, the fire fades from her staff.)]

If we're part of the same ship now, you're part of my crew, and I'm not going to let my crew kill themselves just because it benefits me.

["again", she almost adds, but stops herself.]

[ahappylie]

[He pouts and pulls his hand back, making a big show of rocking back on the heels of his geta.]

Fiiiiine. I wanted to help, but if you'd prefer we do it the hard way, I suppose I can help you gather whatever you need for making one.

We never had them in my country, so they're very interesting to me.

[experiencepoints]

You never had... cake?

[She seems very surprised.]

[ahappylie]

I had my first taste with the one they gave me when I first arrived on the Golden.

[Can you see why he wants that thing so badly now, Nightingale?]

I thought it was poisonous at first, too, but when it seemed no one else was afraid of it, I tried it. I've wanted one ever since.

[experiencepoints]

It's... Well, they're pretty unhealthy anyway.

[All this talk of cake is making her think of someone in particular, while her mind is already on the people she misses. But she doesn't want to dwell on that.]

I'm not sure how well any I make will turn out, since I never regained that skill, but the implant should help, I hope.

[ahappylie]

It's alright.

[Because he's dying anyway and the one person he cared about sticking around for isn't here. He's likely to be dead before he gets a chance to go home, so why care, right? Right. Wooo....]

I'll just exercise a little harder afterward.

Does the thing in your head make you better at cooking? Because mine makes it so I can shoot a gun, but I dislike them.

[experiencepoints]

I'm... also not a fan.

[Of guns, or having things in her head.]

No, but that's because I was a damn good cook before we ever got here. I have enough stored ingredients that I don't use the sludge they give us to work with, too.

[ahappylie]

You've spoken of that twice now.

[First it was inventory, now it's her storage.]

Where do all your things go?