(no subject)

[deviances]

Who: Eithan Paine and YOU!
Broadcast: fleetwide
Action: the SS Blue Fish - proceed with caution
When: After the latest shuffle

( video - fleetwide )
[ He wants to stick to text. He's been crying, sobbing okay he'll admit it, since he found out. but... they deserve better than text. So Eithan sucks it up, collects himself long enough to turn on the video feed, and addresses the fleet. His eyes are typically red because of the whole demon thing, but well, now they're a completely different kind of red in addition. ]

For those of you who knew 'em... Belthazar Spellscry and Allen Walker are gone now. Looks like Atroma sent 'em back.

[ He looks like he wants to say more, but... He doesn't know what. Aside from: ]

... Miss 'em already, honestly.

[ Okay. That's probably enough. He turns off his camera, but leaves communication open, just in case anyone has anything to say. ]


( action - ss blue fish )
[ Eithan is very, very, very far from okay. First they take his best friend, then his other friends, then his crew and his boyfriend? Goddess...

Anyone who manages to find him near his room will get to see him moping, for very obvious reasons. He keeps picking up his guitar like he's gonna play something, anything, to take his mind off it, but he never manages to play anything for long. And with frustrated cursing, he'll just put the thing down and curl up on his bed instead - or pace through the hallways.

He stops by Belthazar's former room quite often. And he'll stare at the closed door, for longer than he really should, before he can bring himself to look away - usually with tears in his eyes all over again.

And for those who catch him in the cargo bay, he's currently got a bottle of rum, and he's sitting on the floor with his back against the ship wall, drinking straight from the bottle. There's a pack of cigarettes at his feet - for later. And he'll share, if anyone wants - booze or smokes. Or just company. ... Fuck, company would be great right now. .... Fuck. ]

Comments

voice

[monolike]

[Sorey's noticed, of course; and he noticed Clay gone, a stack of his maps and notes addressed to he and Mikleo sitting neatly outside his door. Belthazar's collection of tools missing from the kitchen, and Allen's ever-powerful domain vacant, making the inner halls of the Blue Fish ring hollow.

So many people. After Stefan, and Nightingale, and Opal and now Kirito, too...]

Eithan...would you mind some company? I- If I'm being honest, I could use it myself.

voice

[deviances]

[ Stefan, Opal... Misty, Beverly, Nightingale... Allen, Belth... He's been holding his grief in for months now, pressing onward - and he should've known better than to try that, yeah, but he didn't. And now he's hit his breaking point.

Sorey offers company, and he can feel tears stinging the corner of his eyes again. He takes a deep breath before he answers. ]

Yeah, man. Company sounds... really great, honestly. Come on over. I'll be in the Blue Fish's kitchen. [ Small pause ] D'you prefer coffee or tea?

voice

[monolike]

[Eithan could probably use something to do. Losing people you hold dear who you know you'll never see again is the worst feeling in the world; disappearances here are sometimes just as devastating as death.] Tea's great, some of the same stuff that we have in the Center maybe?

I'll be right over.

voice -> action!

[deviances]

Oh, yeah, I've got some of that, actually. I'll have it ready for you.

[ And sure enough, when Sorey arrives, he'll find Eithan in the kitchen. He's brewing some coffee for himself - black, and as strong as he can manage. But there's a kettle of tea waiting for Sorey. He's made it just the way Stefan showed him, but there's of course something missing - the kind of something you just can't replicate, that you can only associate with memories. ]

action

[monolike]

[Sorey's been having the same problem, but Eithan's attempt smells closer to Stefan's usual than any of Sorey's have. It helps settle his nerves the second he gets close enough to smell it, shoulders slumping from their half-hunched position.] Hey, [he offers as he makes his way over to the kettle, bumping Eithan's shoulder with his own as he rummages around for a mug.]

video;

[sylphid]

Allen's gone? That sucks.

[And she pauses.] Sorry about the other guy, too.

voice;

[deviances]

[ He doesn't turn the video back on, but he doesn't mind talking. ]

Yeah. Me too. [ Beat. ] Sorry. Just... I keep losin' my closest friends. And my best friend, and my crewmates, and now my boyfriend... [ Another pause, and a sigh. ] Fuck. Just. Sorry.

voice;

[sylphid]

Hm. [She changes her settings to voice only as well.]

I had a friend from home here for a very little bit. He left.

[It's actually her first time talking about it since Jusis left.]

voice;

[deviances]

[ He gives a sympathetic hum. ] 'm sorry. I know that sucks. A lot.

video

[touchallthebooks]

[He feels like he's been punched in the gut. Not a fun feeling, especially since he's been gagged by an orc, his shield smashed by a golem and knocking him out, or a demon-possessed mage trying to kill him. It ranks with them somehow.

Khadgar probably looks like he got punched too, when he turns on his video, scarred face slack.]

Belthazar-

He's really gone?

video

[deviances]

[ Eithan looks absolutely brokenhearted. He nods, takes a deep breath, voice still shaking a bit when he answers. ]

Yeah. Yeah, he is. ... 'm sorry.

video

[touchallthebooks]

[Khadgar just shakes his head. Belthazar probably has more confidence in his skills than he ever did, benefit of being from the future he supposes.]

Don't be.

Are you going to be alright?

video

[deviances]

I... yeah. Eventually.

[ He nods, pretty clearly trying to convince himself that that's even true. ]

Thanks. But what about you? You gonna be okay?

Text;

[onlyanapple]

[Not again. Not again. Crowley's lived through Allen leaving once before. Hell, he knows, logically that if places like this didn't grant effective immortality, that he would outlive the guy anyway, eventually. He knows this, but the loss of Allen still cuts deeper than most.

He doesn't speak. He doesn't trust the video, instead, he texts:]

I'm coming for Tim.

[No ifs-and-or-buts about that one. He's going to take this one living remnant of the closest thing he's ever or will have to a son and then he's going to drink himself into a coma.
]

Text;

[deviances]

[ Goddess bless text, honestly. ]

ok.
hey - i gave him one of allen's cigarettes. he had a pack hidden away.

[ They lit up together in Allen's name. ... So. Hope that's alright jfdksl ]

Text;

[onlyanapple]

[Text is the best.]

Yeah sounds like him. He probably appreciated that.

I'll come by the Blue Fish to pick him up in a bit.

Text;

[deviances]

sounds good. we'll be in the cargo bay. can't miss us.

[ Damn right you can't, it's pretty hard to miss a sad, drunk redhead sitting against the wall and holding an open bottle of rum by its neck. And Tim's nearby - safe, but obviously just as sad. Eithan's glad that Tim gets to go with Crowley - it'll be good for them. And he figures Allen would have wanted that. ]

Action

[alwayscomeback]

[He hears the broadcast first, and his heart sinks. He and Riona had talked about this. About how after Robb, they couldn't be sure if it wouldn't happen again. That one of their own would just vanish. But it's worse. Two. Two of their own. Just...gone.

His heart breaks a little more, and his desire to find a way to beat them back- to get Atroma and fix all of this grows stronger. Still, he balls up his own grief and moves on to focus on the crew he has. He has to be there for them, it's what he does best.

So hey, Eithan, he'll head over to your room, standing by the doorframe knocking gently. ]

Hey.

Action

[deviances]

[ They can be heartbroken together. They can fantasize about trashing the fuck out of Atroma, too. Because Eithan absolutely wants to set them on fire. Blow them to bits. Detonate their hearts - if they've fucking got 'em - right in their chests. Whatever would fix all of this bullshit. Anything... anything.

Eithan looks up from where he's sitting on the floor, his back against his bed. He tries for a smile, but fails miserably, so he just nods instead. ]

Hey. ... How're you holdin' up?

[ Stupid question, but... one he's gotta ask anyway. Because Sokka may be here for him, sure, but Eithan's gonna make damn sure that Sokka gets his time to grieve, too. ]

Action

[alwayscomeback]

[One day, buddy, one day they are gonna kick Atroma's ass and it will be the BEST day.]

Hey, bud. [He offers a tired smile. ] I'm- holding. How about you, or is that a stupid question?

[deviances]

[ He returns that tired smile with one of his own, for about a second. He shakes his head. ]

Heh. Nah, not stupid. But... Yeah, not quite holdin'. At all.

Action

[bryces_pup]

[Riona doesn't announce herself when she walks into the cargo bay. She's got a bottle of... something in her hand. Definitely alcohol of some kind, Maker knows what. All she does is sit down nexto to Eithan, pop open the bottle, and takes a long drink from it.

Yeah.]

I'm sorry. I know you liked Belthazar a lot.

[She wasn't close to him, but it still stings. And it's easier to focus on that, then the wound Allen's departure has left.]

[deviances]

[ No announcement needed, honestly. He looks to her as she settles down next to him, and when she pops open that bottle and takes a drink, so does he - almost in perfect sync. Fucking cheers, man.

Her comment does get the faintest exhale of a would-be laugh out of him, and he cracks a sad smile. ]

Heh. Yeah. I was... pretty infatuated, huh?

[bryces_pup]

You two seemed sweet. It was nice to see.

[She can't imagine what it must feel like, almost having something so good, only to have it ripped away so callously.]

Is there anything I can do?

[deviances]

[ He has absolutely no idea what to say to that, but he does smile a tiny bit more, for a second. He can feel tears stinging at his eyes again, and he just... lets it happen, takes another long drink followed by a deep breath. ]

Honestly, just... hangin' out and not bein' alone for a minute helps. So... thanks. [ He nods to her. ] What about you? Anything I can do for you?

[ Crew is family. And he's already protective of family, but fuck if that hasn't been ramped up tenfold after all this. ]