the veil is thin . . .

[thespaceopera]

[ On the night of the 16th, the feeling of tension and horrid anticipation comes to a head. Everything stops when the sun goes down-- even the ever-present music in the hoppingest part of the city center. One by one, everyone turns their eyes to the skies. The young and old alike pour out of their houses, some in bare feet, and they point to the velvety blanket of stars.

It takes a second to find it, especially if one is unaccustomed to the starscape. But even a casual observer can see it.

A brightly-shining star, larger than the others, and growing larger.

An announcement cuts across all communication channels that encourages people to evacuate to the space station, but it’s clear that these are just people and they’ll need some help. Supplies, equipment, organization, there’s something for everyone to do.

Civilization is disrupted by a panicked stampede of people vying for limited seats aboard spacefaring craft. Within hours, there will be crushed glass, looting, and chaos.

The clock is ticking. Will you help? Or would you rather watch the dying gasps of a Singing Planet from a safe distance? ]

[OOC: Please see this post for plot details. Phase two has begun! Feel free to use this post as a reaction post, mingle, etc. or make your own!]

Comments

[willynilly]

[This feels like a goodbye, she can't help thinking, and the thought causes her eyes to flood, even though she's fighting against the tears with all her might, trying desperately to stay strong. Her hand lifts to grip at his sleeve, the gesture both childish and protective at once. How could she possibly think of herself as a hero if she does this?]

I can't, [she chokes out, struggling for every word.] I can't leave you here...

[Her fingers tighten; one touch and she could make him float, force him on board. But he could stop her with a single look, too. No matter what she does, she can't prevent this.]

[expellerhead]

[he doesn't want to treat her like a child; she's a young woman, a hero in training, and she deserves to hear the whole truth. he should tell her flat out that this is the best option; that odds are that the other shuttle won't come, and it should be the teacher who dies before the student. he should tell her that it's common heroic practice to stay with evacuees until the area is clear, to the last possible moment, and that he intends to follow that protocol to the letter. he should tell her to conduct herself with dignity, to go when he tells her to, should tell her that he's pulling rank so she has to go and that's that.

he looks up into her face, into the way the tears well up, the way her nose runs, as if she were a little girl again, and he knows that even his stony heart couldn't do something like that.

so aizawa reaches up and holds her face; her hair presses to her cheeks, dirty and sweat-soaked like everybody else's, the smudges of dirt on her face dark against the rosiness of her cheeks.] I promise, [aizawa says gently, wonders if maybe this is what a father feels like, decides not to go down that road as he wipes away an escaping tear with his thumb because he's the only one here who can, and she needs that here.]

I promise, [he starts again, holding her gaze firmly, holding her face between his own dirty, calloused hands,] I will catch up, Ochako. You have my word.

[stormfist]

[ Jayden watches them in silence, holding her own emotions in check as well as she can considering... everything.

Ochako is so, so brave, cares so much, and even Jayden can admit how beautiful and powerful that is. Having to see her like this, struggling to be tough, probably telling herself she shouldn't be crying even as the tears stream down her face... Her own heart begins to break. It isn't right. None of this is right. But she's used to there being no perfect way out of things like this. If the best option now is making sure Ochako gets safely aboard that shuttle, she'll make sure of it.

And as Aizawa promises that he'll catch up, gives Ochako his word, she takes a second to closer her eyes, take a deep breath, keep herself together. That was... This is goodbye. They all know it. And no matter how much she wants to remind herself she'd pull the same damn thing given the chance, it doesn't make accepting his call any easier.

So she waits. When it's over, when there's so little time left that there's no choice but to take Ochako and go, leave him behind... she'll do it - while ignoring the cracks beneath the surface. As she knows to do. ]

[willynilly]

[Those words, those hands on her face- she can't tell if it's better, or worse. She knows she's being coddled- she can recognize the signs, the way he touched her, the way he said her name. It reminds her of home, how her father would gently touch her face and brush away her tears as she cried, lift up her chin and tell her how his little Ochako can cry if she wants, but that she's safe, that she's loved, that she'll do great no matter what if she tries her best. That she's a good girl.

There'd been an incident on-site one day years ago; it had been a rushed job, everyone stressed and working too many hours of overtime to get it done on schedule. She'd been pulled out of class, escorted to the office to find her grandmother waiting for her. "We're going to the hospital, Ochako," she'd said, taking her hand. "Your papa's hit his head."

She can remember that fear, the seizing paralysis of no no no, persistent all the way to the car, to the hospital, to his room. She can remember her mother's tears, the bandages and the hidden, faded blood, the words of the doctor reassuring them all that he'd be fine, but close, it had been close.

She can remember the seed planted in her heart from that day on that would eventually grow into a desire to join in rescue efforts more than battling villains, so that no one else's mommy or daddy would end up like that.

She can remember clutching at her father's pant leg, sniffling and sobbing, begging him not to go back to work after he'd recovered, because the echo of close, close was still on her mind.

"Ochako, sweetie," he'd murmured, crouching down, thumb on her cheek, a rough-lipped kiss to her forehead, "Do we give up every time something bad happens?"

No, no, no.

"Daddy will be extra careful from now on. I promise, Ochako. I'll see you tonight. Wait for me, okay?"

She can remember waiting, distracted by homework and books and TV and the night sky until he kept his promise, and he'd scooped her up and carried her to her bed to tuck her in, laughing, alive and well.

She can remember what all of that felt like, and it felt a lot like this.]

...S... sensei...

[She's the first to break eye contact, sniffing loudly, bowing her head and leaning into his hands, her small shoulders helplessly shaking. Even if it's a lie, even if it's the faintest of hopes, she clings to it. He promised. He promised.

Not trusting her voice any longer, she holds her breath, trying to let his touch and presence stabilize her... and finally she nods, ever reluctant, and takes a step backwards into the shuttle.]

[expellerhead]

[it's not until she nods that he finally lets her go, lets her back away from his hands and slowly stands up. he rests a hand atop her hair, briefly, before withdrawing.

it could be a promise he can't keep. it could be a promise true only by the letter of the law, rather than the spirit; it doesn't matter. whatever gets uraraka to leave this planet, he'll do, and if that makes him a liar or damages her trust in him then he'll deal with the consequences later. at least she won't be the one in limbo, suffering from the uncertainty of whether or not she'll come back alive.

aizawa glances over at jayden, lips pursed. she's probably only going because she knows he won't go, and knows he'd want someone to look after his student. these are the times when it's hard, having to choose between the safety of other people and the safety of his students. he hasn't had to make that choice yet back home, and thanks to jayden he won't have to make it here, either.]

...thank you, [is what he finally settles on, knowing there's nothing else he could possibly say. she might not believe he'll be back; she's seen enough death, experienced enough death, to know how nebulous the definition really is. maybe all he needs to come back is for two people to believe he will.] You should go. They're lifting off.

[stormfist]

[ Jayden meets his eyes, her own lips pursed and her gaze steady, as if maybe trying so damn hard to stay calm on the surface will actually work. But she's pretty sure she's not fooling him, at least.

She shakes her head. Don't thank her, it's unneccessary. She's doing what needs to be done, since his mind's made up. This is how it's going to be. Even though some part of her is screaming about it. Angrily. Distressed and upset and pissed off that this is what's happening, and she can't fucking stop it. She always gets her Fireteam out of the fray. They always come home. But this time, that's... not going to hapen.

She swallows hard around a sudden knot in her throat before she speaks. ]

Yeah. We're out of time. [ She's far too practiced in making sure her voice doesn't shake, her tone stays even. ] ... I'll look after her. Promise. So...

[ ... She can't even finish. "Come back"? "Remember you what you just promised her"? Both. Either. Doesn't matter. She really doesn't know if she believes he'll be back - there's a chance, and even if that shuttle doesn't come for him, there's still a chance... but he didn't have to be the one to take it. He doesn't have to do this. Except, yeah, she knows that he does. For the same reasons she'd do it. And she can't completely chase away the resounding echo in her head, It should be me staying behind. ]

[expellerhead]

[yeah, that's the selfish part of this. he knows she'd stay behind in a heartbeat; he wouldn't even have to ask. he'd considered it at first too, for just a split second, knowing that her ghost could revive her, that uraraka needed someone, but then he saw-

crack

-that. the way her head snapped to the side, the way she dropped, he'd heard the way her heart had pounded when she'd come back. saw the way she'd scrabbled at the ground when she pushed herself back up, nearly felt her exhaustion as she resumed the fight.

he'd do anything to stop that from happening again. even if she's used to it. even if she expects it. maybe because she expects it. that 'traveler' thing, her superiors, even her ghost might expect her to die over and over again for some grand cause, but not aizawa.

aizawa's going to make sure she lives.]

I'll see you later.

[maybe.

and he leans down, hand on her arm as he kisses the corner of her mouth. it's dangerous and stupid to get so attached when they're from different times, different worlds, different everything, but he's not going to fight it here and now. there's already too much he has to deny.]

[stormfist]

[ She's still trying to figure out what the hell she could possibly say right now, how the hell she could possibly finish that thought of hers, but she can't. She hates it. But there's no way to just say anything that comes to mind right now. There's too much. And there's no time. But he's the one that cuts the silence. Just, "I'll see you later." ... And she swears to God she just felt something in her chest shatter.

She hopes it's true. Please, please let that be true. ]

I'll be here.

[ And she will see him later. Not maybe. She has to hold onto that. If she's going to let this happen, let him do this, then... He'd better come back.

He kisses her, and she closes her eyes, just so she can hold back against that damned feeling of oncoming tears she's refusing to let happen. Not here, not right now - especially not right now, she needs to get to the shuttle, needs to take care of Ochako, she absolutely can't do that with tears in her eyes.

But she does give into a different response, and lets herself throw her arms around him, stay against him for just a brief moment. She knows she has to go. And, yeah, she also knows it's dangerous and stupid to let this happen. But she doesn't give a damn right now. ]

[expellerhead]

[aizawa hugs her back, hard, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing as he presses his cheek to the top of her head, feels the strength like corded steel in her arms, listens to the way she grits her teeth so hard he can almost feel it before they pull back.

he lets his hand linger on her shoulder before he backs away and nods at the shuttle. go. the sooner they're gone, the more likely it is another will come...however unlikely that is to begin with.]

[willynilly]

[Ochako had known for a while that they were close - pretty much since the ball - but seeing it in front of her, up close and personal, just makes her feel even worse. She'd never seen Aizawa so comfortable with someone before now, as he'd always been distant, almost cold to just about everyone. The rare exceptions earn his peculiar brand of care, but it isn't cheap or free. She's lucky. They both are. If she thought for even a second that he'd take it, she would offer to switch and stay behind instead. At least then they'd have each other.

Instead all she can do is stay close to Jayden when they separate, one hand gripping the edge of the shuttle door, her voice calling over the sound of the engines as they roar to life.]

We'll come back. We'll come get you...

[A stupid offer perhaps - if they're going to come back, why would they be leaving in the first place? - but she can't not say it. She has to believe that there's a rescue waiting for him. This is... just in case.]

[stormfist]

[ He nods to the shuttle, and she nods at him, understanding. She turns and goes, putting duty before anything else. And when she reaches Ochako's side, she holds a hand out for her to hold, or an arm to cling to, should she want either. She can only hope she'll be able to take good care of her, be there for her however she needs, but she's sure it won't be the same. It should be Aizawa, here. But... she's going to try with all of her heart.

She squints against the wind kicked up by the engines, determined not to take her eyes off of Aizawa until those doors close. Because maybe that way, it won't all feel so... final, at least until it has to. She can't bring herself to echo Ochako's offer - she knows that if a shuttle is coming for Aizawa, it won't be theirs - but she nods anyway. Because the sentiment's the same. They will see him again, one way or another. ... Right? ]

[expellerhead]

[aizawa watches the entire time their shuttle ascends, watches until it's just a speck in the distance before letting out a slow, even breath. he closes his eyes for a moment, bowing his head before turning back to the remaining evacuees.]

Everybody who will need assistance getting into the shuttle, please line up on the left. And all of you, be prepared to leave your things behind; our next ride is going to be the last, and we need to save as much room as we can.

[the next ride never comes.

and when it happens, at least it happens quick.]