driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Mikleo + OTA
Broadcast: Voice
Action: Huntress + Iskaulit
When: Today

( a. huntress )

[This place sure is good at getting you complacent and then slamming the door in your face. Mikleo's having a perfectly normal day, playing post-battle catch-up in his room, when Sorey tracks him down to give him the bad news. After that the rest of the day is a write-off; he just can't find the energy to focus on anything but the gut-wrenching loss. Dezel's gone. More than gone home, but rather...

It's hard to think about it, but there's no avoiding the truth. It's something he's been dreading for a long time now- something that's come up in discussions about Zaveid and Eizen. In just a moment, without warning, it could all be over.

Speaking of Zaveid... when he can bring himself to leave Sorey's side, that's his next stop. It'd feel wrong to do this any way but in person.]

( b. voice )

I'm sorry to be the bearer of more bad news- we've had more than our share recently. For those who knew him, Dezel is no longer with us in the fleet.

...while I can't imagine he'd ask for it, if you're so inclined... offer up a prayer in his name. It's how our kind draws strength.

( c. iskaulit )

[Once the hardest parts are done, he starts doing the busy work, so no one else will have to. Step one is to gather up all the creatures Dezel's collected from various planets - the fish, slugs, and lizards - and carry them over to the Iskaulit. The fish go to his water tank, and for a while he watches them flutter about contentedly in their new home amidst the sea greens. After that, he ventures to Edna's mountain to see if they might find a home in all the nature there, though only with Edna's permission. Finally he spends a few hours in the interfaith center, curled up against the seraph altar, idly spinning about the pinwheel. During his whole Iskaulit visit, he's wearing a quasi-replica of Dezel's hat. It takes him a while to get himself home again.]

((resonance permissions))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There were a few identifying things about Dezel, but the hat was definitely the most obvious, and one of the ways Dezel had been able to reveal himself to Keith before Keith was fully able to see him. He'd made the hat visible so they could talk a bit better without Keith feeling like he was talking thin air.

Keith had appreciated the gesture.]

Yeah. I know him.

[He'd also seen a few of Dezel's memories in that calibrations thing.]

You gonna be okay?

...Truly, I'm not sure yet. It's... not so simple as just going home, for some people. Dezel was one of them.

[which is dancing around the issue in an unsubtle way, but it's still hard to say it out loud.]

[Keith blinked, slightly confused.]

I guess.

[He shrugged a little.]

If you need anything, I can try. I'm good at listening, at least.

[Beyond that, probably not in his wheelhouse skills-wise.]

[Bless you, Keith, you're trying. It's not your fault that he's not used to unburdening himself on people, especially not most humans. Lingering hangup due to living in spirit-land isolation, maybe.

Still, Mikleo smiles awkwardly and nods.]

Thanks... it's appreciated. I think I just need some time to sort myself out. This... wasn't part of the plan.

[Keith nodded.]

Sure thing. I don't think something like this ever is part of a plan. It's okay.

[He gave a small pat on Mikleo's shoulder.]

You know where to find me if you need me, though.

Yeah, I'll keep that in mind.

[they really are lucky- even with so few people left, the Huntress really does have a great crew.]

I'm more worried about Sorey and Zaveid, though, so if you spot them, see if there's anything you can do, maybe?

Yeah. I will.

[Keith nodded. He knew both, though he had a closer relationship to Sorey at the moment. But that didn't mean he wouldn't listen. He could offer that much, at least. A listening ear and understanding.]