[action] not-so-secret completely off-season santa

[ahappylie]

Who: Okita vs Everyone
Broadcast: No
Action: Everywhere on the Fleet
When: During the drift

[He was asleep for so long that he had very little time on the planet. But he only needed a little time to get what he needed. Just after the drift begins and the planet is a distant spark on the horizon, he starts flitting from ship to ship and cabin to cabin to find people.

Action for Goldstone
For the members of his crew, he has a little gift for everyone. He'll be coming by crew cabins or finding people at their stations, anywhere they are, so he can deliver a little handwrapped present with a smile.

Action for the Fleet
With his main gifts given out, he'll start shuttling over to ships at random. Wonder what that noise is in the cargo bay? What about that weird banging noise in the kitchen? Well it's the Fleet's resident samurai, piglet in tow, and he's leaving little gift baskets for each ship - candy, non-perishables like dried fruit and canned goods, shower gel, a flamingo hat, random weird junk like these things, etc. Whatever he could buy down on the planet, he's stuffed into baskets and is leaving them on every ship for everyone.

Or you could find him wandering the Iskaulit with Saizou trailing behind passing out brightly colored candies. Who knows what flavors they are - maybe Floot Loops.]

Comments

but after tomorrow!! i finally have a day off

[ahappylie]

[It's odd to find someone who is so honest about understanding, but Okita lets it slide. He isn't sure if he wants to know that someone else is like him on this Fleet. Having just one of him is hard enough.

Instead, he smiles and inclines his head in agreement.]

Yes, unfortunately they are very hard. I miss the days of wooden ceilings. They provided such excellent crawl spaces and hiding spots.

YASS

[ginger_firebird]

[Mantis has cultivated a few public faces to show off depending on the company he's with, though not to the depths and lengths as one of his coworkers. The brief memory of Decoy Octopus sends a pang through his stomach, and he tries picking up Saizou.]

Classically trained, are you? I sneak around a lot in my line of work.

CHRUST I'M LATE AGAIN - my day off was not a day off at all /cries

[ahappylie]

[Whoa, Saizou is not cool with being picked up so suddenly. The piglet squeals and kicks his legs, trying to run.]

Mm, not as such. What did you do for your work?

And Saizou, it's fine. Calm down. [Saizou goes from squealing to grumpily oinking in protest, his legs hanging limp.]

/hug It happens to the best of us. There's always tomorrow.

[ginger_firebird]

[He makes an equally surprised noise and holds Saizou out at a little distance.]

Soldier. Specialist in psychological warfare.

[He sits down on the floor and sets the piglet down on his lap.] There are easier ways to get bacon, I promise. You won't get hurt here.

haha tomorrow is work orz

[ahappylie]

[That catches his interest, but he tries not to let it show on his face. Instead, he moves closer and crouches down, balancing on the balls of his feet, elbows on his knees and chin in both hands as he watches Saizou settle down in Mantis' lap instead. This is far more agreeable to the piglet since he really only lets Okita carry him around.]

He and his family were raised for food, so when strangers pick him up, he gets nervous.

[With one hand, he reaches out and pets Saizou's head right between the ears with one finger.]

It must have been difficult being a soldier. Was your war a long one?

Same here! We can both tag when the day is done.

[ginger_firebird]

[Mantis is a man of practicality, and sometimes practical is sitting with a pig. He's glad to see Saizou settled down after all that noise.]

Oh. Then I stand by what I said. There are far easier ways to get bacon.

[He turns his head to Okita, wondering what else he can see in the man's face and the way he carries himself.]

Never in one war or another. My role kept me on the sidelines both on and off the field. It kept me...safe. Mostly.

hopefully - i work until 10pm orz

[ahappylie]

[Safety was a variable, subjective thing. For himself, he was safest when he was engaged in battle, using his instincts to carve a path through the enemy. For others, that would be the worst place to be.

Okita smiles when Mantis turns to face him, tilting his head slightly to the right as he listens.]

I agree. That's one reason why I took him in as a pet. [He runs his finger from Saizou's snout up to the top of his head and the piglet grunts, closing his eyes.]

But you say mostly - so there were times when you had to enter the fray?

Oh no! That's a long shift.

[ginger_firebird]

[He sees politeness, but also the vague hints that Okita is probably better equipped for fighting than most. He does like to sneak around ceilings. That's a very old fashioned kind of thinking.]

Lucky pig. One day you'll be big and fat. That's what his kind does.

[He nods at the question.] You end up constantly aware of your surroundings, but my strategy has always been to end the battle before it can really start. In the process, I can terrify quite a number of people.

It never endeeeeed

[ahappylie]

I hope so. I'd like to see what happens when he gets big and fat.

[Saizou grunts in protest as if to say he'd never get "fat," just appropriately rotund.]

...Terrify? [That's an odd choice of words.] What exactly do you do on the field?

/fans you survived

[ginger_firebird]

He'll be harder to pick up. Possibly more dangerous when he breaks into a run.

[His shoulders shake at the little snort. It is precisely what a pig should sound like, and yet so ridiculous.]

Psychological warfare specialist. My job is to frighten the enemy so they can't fight back.

NOW I DID omg it finally ended yesterday

[ahappylie]

[Okita laughs. He'll always try to pick Saizou up, even if he gets to be 200 pounds. The laughter is tinged with sadness at the edges though. He knows he'll never get to see that in his lifetime. Saizou will have to live on without him soon and he unconsciously touches his chest with his fingertips as he laughs.]

I do hope so. And is that a specialty in the future? We certainly didn't employ an entire person or persons to do that job for us when I was around.

YASS

[ginger_firebird]

[Mantis notices a bit of those changes in how Okita holds himself up. He's been doing similar gestures since he arrived.]

I always seem to be on the edge of the future. Sometimes I go into battle directly to deal with people, mostly I stay away and advise many others on what to do. In either scenario, victory follows those who follow my advice.

\o/ Just in time for it to start again this week 8D

[ahappylie]

So you're like a good luck charm then.

[He moves his hand once he realizes it's there, resting his chin in it instead, leaning his elbow on his knee.]

If victory were guaranteed for those who followed your advice, you must have been quite popular.

I hope you're sleeping well in the midst of all this!

[ginger_firebird]

An expensive one, too. People would pay good money to have me on their side.

[Mantis is back to smoothing pats down the pig's sides.]

Popular enough that an old friend found me with a brilliant idea. It was also completely stupid, but he promised a lot of carnage to follow if I joined in, and that's good enough for me.

[ahappylie]

[Carnage, huh? That piques his interest and also makes him a little more cautious. It sounds closer to Yoshida's philosophy than he likes.]

So did you win that one, too?

[ginger_firebird]

[Mantis is one to enjoy a good fight, especially when he's winning. Not that he's starting any here...

His voice softens a little as he contemplates what to answer with.]

I don't know. I was pulled onto these ships before I could find out. Probably not well.

[ahappylie]

Mm, that's too bad.

[Okita stands and dusts his clothes off even though there is so little dust to be had.]

But perhaps that means the outcome can still be changed.

[ginger_firebird]

[He nods quietly, focusing on Saizou's expression. Then he sets the piglet down to stand as well.]

It might be better if we lose. Our boss, my friend, he is far too much like his father in ways he really shouldn't be.

[ahappylie]

[Saizou grunts a few times in protest, then shakes himself off and trundles back over to Okita. Before he can even jump up to beg to be held again, his owner scoops him up into his arms and pats his head a few times.]

We are what we learn to be.

[For better or for worse.]

Whatever the outcome though, I do hope you survive it. You're an interesting person.

[ginger_firebird]

[Mantis feels his mouth moving in an attempt to reply right away, but he can't quite find the words. He wraps his arms around himself and shakes his head.]

One can hope. [His voice sounds hollow, even to his own ears.] For my sake and that of others.

[ahappylie]

[He knows that look. He's seen it on too many people in his life - the lost, the worried. His outcome is uncertain and that uncertainty and the fear that it brings, the worry inherent in not knowing can eat a man alive. Having a glimpse of his own future every time he coughs, he knows what it's like to live with a possible death sentence hanging over his head.

Okita's smile softens at the edges with understanding.]

All we can do is keep moving forward until then, yes?

[a beat]

And eat snacks. That's why I brought all of those to your ship.

[ginger_firebird]

[The real trouble is that Mantis knows what happened to him. If even he couldn't crush the blue menace crawling through their base, there's little hope to have for the others.

Still, he does appreciate the understanding coming off of Okita. Knowing his worries aren't unique makes them easier to deal with.]

One foot in front of the other. [He nods.] I might keep the snacks to myself.

[ahappylie]

[One foot in front of the other indeed.

Okita laughs a little and nods.]

You can call it your reward for having caught me in the act.

[ginger_firebird]

I did cheat a little. As much as one can cheat using their own talents.

[He is so keeping the basket. He hugs it to his chest.]

Maybe eating my feelings could have its benefits.

[ahappylie]

[Okita can attest to those benefits.]

As long as you win, hm?

[He shifts Saizou in his arms and reaches into his sleeve, producing a small drawstring bag. This he holds out to Mantis with a smile.]

A little extra to help with your feelings.