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(no subject)

Who: Billy Kaplan / OTA
Broadcast: Yes
Action: On the Iskaulit
When: After all the chaos is settled!

So… all of that was horrible? I think that goes without saying. The less we have of that kind of thing going forward, the better.

Tangentially, but the personnel augment is kind of useless, isn't it? We get an office but not much in the way of marketable skills, we can't do anything with the ships in the middle of a crisis, we're not here for any big damn hero moments. It’s great if we’ve got other skills for that, but we can’t fix stuff, we can’t pilot people out of danger, we can’t arm those who don’t have powers...

...okay, sorry, I'm rambling. Getting to the point! Truth is, personnel - counselling - is meant for the aftermath. Therapy, in other words. If it doesn't exist where you're from, it pretty much means someone whose job it is to listen to you, no judgments, and offer advice if they can. Sometimes it's enough to just have somebody hear you out.

Anyway, I wanted to say that I'm tired of, like… not contributing much. So I'm gonna have an open door policy. Doesn't matter if you're not on my ship, doesn't matter if I don't even know you. You can even use the comm anonymously if you don't like the idea of coming in person. You make the rules.

If you're wondering about my qualifications… well, I've got ears. That's the most important part. But I did also grow up with this stuff- Mom’s a psychologist, I've seen her work, I’ve read some of her books. And I’ve gone to therapy. Kind of a lot. It's not a substitute for the real thing, but it's what I can offer.

Oh, and for the record, this isn't meant to call out anyone with the personnel augment, or steal your shipmates, or anything! This is more of a call to action. If you want in on this we can set up some kind of network.

I’m setting up shop on the Iskaulit and I’m gonna post active hours there. Stop by if you want to talk more one-on-one about it.

[True to his word, Billy’s in a spare room in the Iskaulit - sign on the door - and is decorating the place, though it’s kind of barebones for the moment. He can magic it pretty, but the last few months have been exhausting, so he’s taking it slow.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[And Billy is...... still here! and painting the walls a very zen light blue colour. most of it is done by now, and he's just polishing off the first coat in the corners. the place looks sparse but cozy, a little desk, a couple of chairs, a set of pillows. the desk has a notebook and some scrap paper alongside Billy's communicator.

He looks up, tapping his brush against the paint can.]

Hey, you made it.

'Course I did! I always keep my word!

... Most times, anyway.

[HONESTY.

Takeshi looks around the area with a pleased little smile replacing one that had been more nerves.]

That's a really nice color, mist-- Uh, Billy!

Thanks. I was going for "soothing", does it do the trick?

[god he's so little. the fact that he was asking about such serious things, coupled with his age, makes this extra daunting. but he can't just turn the kid away, either.]

I think so. I feel pretty soothed, anyways!

[He wanders in further. Upon further inspection the kid seemed to be wearing a sweater and jeans over some sort of powersuit -- probably similar to hero costumes in some ways, to someone like Billy. He rubs under his nose with a gloved black hand and plops down on the nearest spot to sit.]

If you need help with anything, though, lemme know; I like helping.

[he's not surprised to hear that; from what little he's gotten from the kid, he's eager to be of use to people, to support them any way he can. it's a bit nostalgic- he remembers those days. not that he doesn't want to help now, but it's mired with caution in a way it didn't used to be, back when he was a clueless innocent.

it's nice, actually. seeing it again. he considers the question for a moment, then gestures to the far wall where the paint looks dry.]

I was thinking that a plain colour might be too plain... can you think of anything to paint on the wall? Something that might put people at ease?

[He taps his chin, thoughtful...]

Flowers, I think!

Flowers always have a nice look to them, right? Really calming! Especially sunflowers!

Yeah, I like that. How about sunflowers? They're big and bright, and they're easy to paint.

I think I've got an extra brush around here and some yellow and black- want to give it a try?

[He looks surprised, actually, eyes widening.]

Me? You want me to do it?

I'm not really... a pro or nothing...!

What, and I look like one? Don't worry about it- we've got lots of paint and nothing but time out here. We could paint flowers over and over until we're satisfied and it wouldn't matter. Personally, I find just the act of painting relaxes me like nothing else.

[he pulls over a can and dips the brush in, drawing a smear of yellow across the blue in the shape of a large petal.]

Tell you what- if you're too worried about doing whole flowers, how about painting the centers? Smaller circles aren't that tough, and you can put them wherever you want. We can start there and work our way up.

... I think I can do that.

[Despite how unsure he is of his skill at drawing... he admits, it's too fun-sounding to pass up.]

I used to have my own room on the last ship I was on, y'know! A girl named Rapunzel painted pandas on the wall for me.

[...rapunzel... like the rapunzel? what the hell is this place, seriously.]

That sounds cute. Pandas are pretty relaxing too, aren't they? They just sort of roll around and eat stuff... very chill.

Yup! And my pet panda Hoi Hoi, he's really 'chill', definitely!

Sometimes he hugs you and never lets go, though; he can be a big ol' baby.

[WHAT THE HECK that's an unexpected twist.]

You have a pet panda?

Yup! He's not super big; they're not letting him grow like he should, I think...

He was with me in all kinds of tricky situations!

That sounds awesome. You'll have to introduce me sometime- I've never met a panda before.

[He laughs, sitting with his feet kicking a bit and hands sitting on the cushions.]

Home was really weird, so I'm not real surprised...!

Hoi Hoi used to be big enough for me to ride his back; that really got people staring!

Does that mean he's not big here?

[he's noticed the trend of animals being on the smaller side here, but it never hurts to check.]

[A shake of the head.]

No... He's not... And he hasn't really been getting any bigger, neither!

Maybe it's because he died on the last ship I was on; maybe he's just cursed into being a baby now...

He... died?

[holy shit kid.]

You've had a pretty intense life...

[He nods, shoving his hands between the the knobby bones of his touching knees.]

Yeah... I was falling really far down, because a guy who thought he was a big cool god threw me off the walking grates, real high up. I kinda broke my leg falling, but Hoi Hoi came and found me and carried me to safety...

But I think he got hurt really bad when we split up. That was back on the last ship I lived on, away from the fleet.

I see... I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm glad he's okay now, even if he's just a baby. And I'm glad you're okay, too.

[poor kid. all this, and he's the captain of his ship? The Atroma are nuts. as if he needed more reason to dislike them.]

... Thanks...! It's been a pretty hard, uh. Journey? Is that the word for it?

I feel like I've been hitting the ground running!

[That one he learned proper. 'Hitting the ground running', that's a good saying.]

Yeah, that's the word.

[He's a cute kid.]

You've got people around you to support you, don't you? For when you need help?

[He considers the question carefully. Very carefully.]

I guess I do... I know they'd all help me, I mean.

... It's just real hard to ask for it. I'm scared they'll be mad at me.

Or they'll think I'm, um — useless.

Mm... I can get that. I've been there before- actually have been pretty useless a few times, and the rest of my team has had to bail me out of it. It's a hard feeling to shake off, especially when you're supposed to be leading them.

[He's quiet for a moment, paintbrush trailing lightly over the wall, long, sweeping ovals of yellow for each sunflower petal.]

You know what, though? They never tell me I'm useless. And they only get mad when I try to do everything by myself, or when I don't ask for help even though I need it. People who care about you, or people who're following your lead- your job is support them, and their job is to support you, too. A team that only does one or the other is weaker than it could be.