ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏ/ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ | time to get REALLY smashed

[sylphystia]

Who: Dezel and you
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Malum only.
When: Evening.

[audio;]

[The voice that graces the communicators isn't a frequent one. It's low and rough, belonging to a man who has lost something dear to him yet again. Even so, the consonants are clinical. He doesn't sound like the sort of guy who wastes time.]

For those who knew him, Sora's gone.

[He's checked every asteroid, the party, god, even some other ships. He came up empty. He runs his thumb invisibly over the wayfinder Sora made for him way back when-- a good luck charm for the seraph with incredibly bad luck.

There's never enough time.]

Maybe he'll be happy at home. Who knows.

[He doesn't know what else to add, so he just shuts off the feed and goes to work.]

[action; Malum]

[Even on his worst days, Dezel doesn't burn food. He works his shift but he lingers afterward with a few bottles of bootlegged wine. A lot of people can't see him so he sits out of the way, hoarding a whole table to himself. Sometimes the little glass moves by itself, if someone's looking. But most people just pretend they didn't see anything.

He drinks instead of serving for the first time in a while, and he doesn't taste a damn thing. It's adult time now. He can't afford to think of children.]

Comments

action

[brothersboots]

[She doesn't normally bother with the communicator but she did catch Dezel's little pity party while she was bored in her office. (Hey, sometimes it offers up communications from the other weirdos stuck on these ships with her.) And if he thought she wouldn't know his voice from anywhere, he is so, so wrong.

And it doesn't take long for her to get to the Iskaulit on a shuttle set on autopilot. After a few moments of curious exploration, she enters into the bar where she knows the idiot Wind Seraph works. And while a lot of people in the bar can't see him, she can. And she makes her way to him, scowl on her tiny face as she watches him.]

Charming. Are you going to sit here pathetically all night?

[sylphystia]

[He never asked for anyone to come. And he sure as hell didn't tell Edna where he works, but word gets around apparently. It's true that he's one of the best cooks in the Fleet and probably the most illustrious one currently employed by Crowley, but he doesn't really think about that. He's happy just having something to do besides think about how much of a colossal fuckup he is.

Edna is, of course, here to remind him of this.

He knows her before she speaks. The wind always slows down a little with an earth seraph around.]

Edna.

[He lets out a slow sigh.]

What do you want?

[brothersboots]

[Please. It's obvious that he needs someone to watch him so he doesn't do something Dezellian. And who's better to babysit the dumb baby seraph than the crankiest of cranky grandma seraph?

And who can say no to her? She can be cute when she needs to be. Plus, all the others are so damn guilty around her that they tell her things without fighting.]

I came here to make sure you don't do anything dumb again. Been there, done that. I'd rather not repeat it.

[sylphystia]

I'm not going to do anything stupid.

[Edna is caring for him in her own way, he knows this, but it miffs him a little to be treated like a kid. It... makes sense. He knows she's totally justified. But he's not a child (except, well, compared to her). He isn't stupid enough to throw his life away without thinking of the consequences.

He's had a long, long time to think about the first time he died.

He sits up a bit. He'd pour her a drink, but... she probably wouldn't like what he's drinking.]

He was just some kid. [Well that's a fucking lie, judging by how he tucks his hat down and looks away.]

[brothersboots]

Of course you're not.

[She takes the seat across from him and looks over the bottle on the table with an uninterested eye before turning her attention about to her friend...like person. It's not her favorite thing, which is hot chocolate, so she's going to ignore it on sheer principle.]

I doubt that this Sorta kid was "just some kid". You're not really that kind of seraph. So, try again.

action

[airily]

[ He saw the post and, straight away, he knows what he has to do. He's not an idiot - he knows, too, that the kid meant a lot to Dezel, that he was important and, now, he's gone. Zaveid hadn't made that sort of connection with someone, not really, but he knows what he has to do.

What he wants to do.

He makes his way over to Malum and slides in without hesitation, looking around until he sees the familiar sight of his... Of Dezel in the corner. It doesn't take him any time at all to stride over, sitting down beside him and reaching to wrap an arm around his shoulders, to draw him close and give him something to lean against. It's an unspoken thing; I'm here. ]

Yo.

[sylphystia]

[Zaveid walks in and slips into the booth beside him, and it's like any other day, really. Zaveid isn't an uncommon sight here and Dezel never really chases him out. Sometimes he's distracting while Dezel tries to work, but afterward it's always worth it. He doesn't say anything at first, not even an acknowledgment, but it's all in his body language: the way he leans into Zaveid and doesn't shrug off the arm; his other hand, the one not wrapped around the glass, slipping beneath the table to touch Zaveid's knee.

He doesn't say hello, but he pours another glass and pushes it in front of the other seraph.]

[airily]

[ It's not like Zaveid doesn't come here often enough - even if they both know the reason why he comes and stops by the bar more often than not. He doesn't come here for the food or the drink; he comes for the company, and the man beside him. Right now, though, he doesn't have any words and he doesn't think he needs to offer them, either. He's felt his fair share of loss and heartache and talking about it doesn't make it any better.

He leans close instead, letting his hand drop down to link his fingers with Dezel's, to hold onto him and give him an anchor. Sometimes, more than anything else, that's what you need. ]

What're we drinking?

[sylphystia]

[Dezel hesitates when he feels Zaveid's fingers wrap around his, but then he returns it. His grip is tight, warm, wanting. He's thankful that Zaveid is here. It always feels like the first time, but they've been like this for a little while now. He's not ashamed-- just convinced that the other seraph will one day move on.

Dezel is dead, after all.]

Some wine from the back. [A wry scoff.] It tastes awful. [He takes a long gulp anyway.]

[airily]

[ There's no pushing or expectation; Zaveid opens himself up to whatever Dezel wants to take from him, whatever they want to share together. They're still settling into what they're sharing now and he's not going to be the one to break the gentle happiness they've found. He's happy anyway, content to just hold on for as long as Dezel let's him, as long as he can manage.

He's a curse, after all. All the people he love suffer. It would shock him if Dezel wanted a quick exit to protect himself. ]

Nothing good left over today, hm? I guess I'll live. [ Then, because he can - ] Bet it'd taste okay on your lips...

Action

[onlyanapple]

[Crowley, if quizzed, would say he absolutely doesn't care about the people in his life. And he really doesn't care about his staff, so there.

And yet, here he is, placing a fresh glass down in front of Dezel. ]

So. That happened.

[sylphystia]

[It's rare for Crowley to do any work around here, but Dezel doesn't take it for granted. He lifts his head, blinking sightlessly for a moment, and then he takes the glass.]

I must look awful if you're helping me out.

[onlyanapple]

You look like you got run over by a truck.

[Subtlety is just gonna get thrown out the window at this point.]

Sorry about the kid.

[sylphystia]

[... What's a truck?] I've already died once. Maybe that's what you're seeing. [He hasn't been crying or anything. He's an adult.]

He'll be all right. He's tougher than people give him credit for.

[Dezel drains the glass Crowley gave him in a few seconds.]

... hell.

[Pretty much.]

[onlyanapple]

Right. A rewind of a horrible death, that works.

[Crowley shrugs, letting out a sigh. ]

Nah, they're not this inventive enough for so much misery. Even though he'll probably be okay. He didn't come from a shitty world, did he?

audio

[tempredmental]

We can always think he is.

[Honestly, Keith had actually been looking forward to helping Sora become a pilot.]

audio

[sylphystia]

I think he'll manage.

[He did so much for Dezel, after all. His thumb brushes over the shells of the wayfinder, again and again.]

... He really wanted to fly.

Re: audio

[tempredmental]

I got that impression.

I was going to help him learn.

[Though, Keith had a feeling his patience would have been severely tested in the process. He wasn't great at just letting someone else control something, and had previously been called on "back lion driving" by Hunk. But, he'd at least been willing to try.]

You guys were close?

audio

[sylphystia]

Yeah. He was a child of the wind. Not in the same way I am, but... he could manipulate it.

[He could sail on it, like a little bird.]

We got here around the same time. [Keith is going to learn very quickly that Dezel doesn't like to give straight answers about personal things.]

Re: audio

[tempredmental]

[Keith wasn't much of a person for sharing personal stuff openly, either, so Dezel was in good company. Keith also wasn't much to pry, either.]

He definitely liked flying. I kind of wish I'd gotten to know him a bit better.

How long have you been here?

audio

[monolike]

Oh, Dezel.

Do you want to be left alone?

audio

[sylphystia]

[He doesn't respond for a while. He's... not sure what to say. This isn't like Rose, where he has a definite beginning and end to her life, a promise that it ended well. This is--]

I'm fine. I just don't want to be on the ship for a while.

[He's not sure he can really describe why, but it's Sorey, so he tries.]

... His room still smells like him. I keep thinking I'll turn the corner and he'll be there.

audio

[monolike]

[Oh boy, can Sorey ever understand that.]

Yeah. It's easy to fool yourself like that.

Let me know if you need me for anything, okay? Anything at all.

audio

[sylphystia]

[He never said he wanted to be alone. But it keeps happening anyway.]

He was your friend, too.

[There's a soft tapping, fingernails on something hollow and small.]

... If you can get to the Iskaulit, there's something I can show you.

audio >> action

[monolike]

[Yeah...not like he was for Dezel, though. They acted almost like family.] I'm on my way.

[Once on the Iskaulit Sorey follows their connection over to Dezel.] Dezel?