driftfleet | A Rose by any other name...!

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A Rose by any other name...!

Suddenly, the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose begin to move on their own... slowly, calmly, they drift to into the same direction, away from the other ships of the fleet. Slowly, they move until they side by side.

Over the two ships' intercom, an old song begins to play. And that is all the warning there is before the engines engage -- full speed ahead.

Like a pair of rockets, the ships torpedo forward. As they move, they start circling around each other, like a synchronized dance. They move with incredible grace and skill, far more masterfully than the average pilot augment. Except, each time that they pass each other, they clearly get closer to one another.

And closer...

And closer...

No matter what buttons the crews press, no matter how much they might panic, nothing is going to stop the inevitable. On the final pass, it becomes clear there's not enough room between them to avoid a collision. Any impact alarms on the bridge are blaring at full blast. 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 looks completely new, but yet is reminiscent of both the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose.

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On the bridge, the crews of the SS Three Twins and the SS Windrose 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 Twin Roses!
Happy Fusion!"

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he holds her like they've been apart for years, not minutes, breathes her in, reassures himself that she still feels the same in his arms, that she hasn't been replaced by some other fake kitty. ]

Hey - [ is voice is so heavy with emotion he can't seem to manage any more words for the moment. ]

[~~It's a Kitty/Vash hybrid! That would be something.~~]

I see I was more important than shoes. Brushing fingers through his hair.] I love you. [That he cares so much and also in apology for scaring him even if this wasn't what she had in mind.]

Hmn?

[ oh - right. his eyes wander down to his feet. he completely forgot. ]

I should probably get a pair before I head to the engine room...is your room still the same?

Let's find out. [She steps back, taking his hand if she can't just hug him the whole way.]

[ he squeezes that hand and walks close to her, eyes darting around, noting every difference. ]

I checked things out and I'm still the captain but so is Vash. Hopefully our stuff is still here. I never heard about those details from the Goldstone. [She really wishes she'd checked all that out more closely.]

From what I saw there's still only one Captain's room, but I'm not sure how it's decided whose stuff stays there.

[Walking along she counts.] There are more rooms than the Windrose had.

D'you think this is gonna happen every week now?

[ he thinks of the ships remaining in the fleet. he'd be okay if they merge with the blameless, or the starstruck. but what if they get the heron? the bishop? ]

...Maybe. [She'll be more surprised if it doesn't next week now. She squeezes his hand.] Might have been nice if it had been with the Tourist. [Not that she had anything against the Three Twins at all, but she's still processing it. And of course the thought of being on the same ship with Winn is a nice one. One they never fully embraced because they came to love their crews. And her crew is still here. Just smaller than before with recent losses.]

[ with the loss of margaery, he can't help but worry that his own crew will go the way of hers. he squeezes right back. ]

Yeah. [ they could live together without leaving their homes. it would have been a perfect solution. ]

This'd make bothering Ravi easier, though. [ trying to cling to a silver lining. he can't sink back into despair. ]

True. [She does like Ravi.] And we have a lab now. Weirdly, not because of the doctor, but hey, it's an extra room. Still no engineering or security personnel though. [Which wouldn't matter to her except for the recent attack.]

That's what you got me for. Well, half of that, at least.

[Which is great after a battle, but not during since it means no shields but she kisses him on the cheek.] I would have you even if you had a lame augment. Let's try some doors.

Hopefully that won't get tested.

[ he nods, gesturing for her to go ahead.

hey, it's her ship. if he starts trying doors, he could end up beaten up or something. ]

[She opens what should be the captain's room and judging from the size of the bed it is, but that stuff? That is not her stuff.] Well...that's not promising.

Guess we got degraded.

[ their stuff had better still be in a room! ]

Yeah... But stuff is here. That's good. [She's thinking of the picture of her parents. She has copies now in her locket, but she doesn't want to lose the large one. She doesn't want to lose the dresses or uniform Winn made her either. The rest of it would be hard just because she's been gathering things and the bedding was Winn's but it could be replaced. She gives his hand a squeeze and peeks in a few more doors, recognizing some of the stuff as she goes before getting to the right door.]

There it is. [Relieved.]

[ he breaths a sigh of relief at the familiar sight. he also keeps notes here, not all of which he had a chance to copy, and books.

he takes out his spare pair of shoes and puts it on, giving her time to make sure her stuff is in order. ]

[She reaches out to touch her parents' photo just to make sure it was real and solid beneath her fingers and then a quick look to her Winn-made things and a glance around. It was basically the same room she remembered without too much to give away any great change. Well, except that it was smaller, but she'd spent more time in a room like this than the other.] Your stuff okay?

I think so.

[ he nods and stands back up. the shoes don't fit quite right around the thick socks, but he's already committed to this. ]

Yours?

The important stuff is. [She slides her arms around him because he's part of the important stuff.] I think it all is.

It'd be weird if they left all the big stuff and just stole half our socks.

[ he wraps his own arms around her. she's all that really matters to him right now. he's nowhere near past the fear he felt when he saw that crash. ]

[She rubs his back and holds on to him.] Did you see it happen? [Not sure if someone called him or went to his room to tell him.]

[ sudden lump in his throat. ]

I saw.

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