driftfleet | (no subject)

Who: Gil and OPEN
Broadcast: Video
Action: Blameless
When: Probably today, but like forwarded to take place when it's super late. It's another 3am type broadcast that he doesn't think will reach anyone when it goes up, but is willing to have people respond to when they are awake at a decent time - or not at all. Insomnia!Gil is the worst.

[The video starts with a model of a ship in the forefront. The name Tempest on the side of it is clearly visible. In the background is the engine room to the Blameless, and then a stock of red hair comes into view before Gil's face follows it.]

You know what we need? More model ships. Of the entire Fleet. You know, you could have one of the Iskaulit which is bigger than most of the others. One for the Marsiva but the rule is you only get to play with it once and then never again.

[He grins at the idea.]

The model of the Blameless would be the cutest. I'm sorry to say for the rest of you lot. That's just the facts.

And this one would be the prettiest. [He picks up the Tempest and makes to fly her around in a single motion of his hand.] But she's one of a kind. And mine.

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You hinted at that before, but it didn't seem like something you wanted to talk about much. I take it that it was something bad that happened?

[His tone is gentle, very much a 'you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to' sort.]

[Felix appreciates the tone. But...he has several friends' voices in the back of his mind. People who have told him that he needs to open up, needs to talk about things.

This one isn't even that bad. It's the very peak of the iceberg. It's the entry level to just how frakked up his life had been. Still. It takes him a few moments of consideration before he nods.]

No, it's fine, really.

[Which is...absolutely why he had to think about talking about it for as long as he did. It's ~fine~.

For a second, he looks like he's just going to start talking. But the communicator shifts a little in his hands as he adjusts his position and suddenly he remembers that despite the fact that it's really early, he's still on the network. This can still be accessed later. Unless--]

[Private]

[Unless he presses the button that shifts it over. Felix kind of knows that a comm officer could still look at this if they wanted to, but it's more about taking it off the public network and less about making sure no one but Gil ever hears it.]

...We needed to find somewhere new to live because our home system had suffered a massive nuclear assault. [Deciding to say it was hard, but actually putting the words out there is...surprisingly easy. Again, maybe because this isn't even the worst of it.] ...Most of humanity was killed. 50,000 of us survived.

[Okay maybe that part was slightly harder.]

Holy shit.

I... Did you want to meet in person? This feels like the kind of conversation we should have over drinks?

[Somehow, that makes Felix smile, even though it is incredibly faint and subdued.]

I think it might be a little early in the morning for that kind of thing.

[Gil probably didn't mean right now, but the faint ridiculousness of the idea of drinking at 5:30 in the morning is probably what has him smiling and he'll...take that where he can get it?

Anyway. It eases just a little of his careful stillness.]

[Gil makes one of those 'ppphft' sounds.]

We're in space. Time is relative. And we're adults.

The important thing is that you told you. It sucks you had to deal with that. But I am glad you're one of the ones who made it out of that mess.

Just to find yourself in what I'm sure was a whole new mess. Messes have a way of doing that.

["I'm glad you're one of the ones who made it out of that mess." That's a different bridge that Felix isn't sure he's ready to cross. But technically, it's not a lie. He made it out of the original attacks. He made it out of so much, really. He survived New Caprica, he survived so many fights, he survived the Circle, he survived the lost shuttle...

But of course, they all left their marks.]

More than one mess, yeah. But I guess that's kind of just life. A lot of shit to survive.

[...That may have been more pessimism than he meant to let slip. It's just...hard to keep it inside sometimes.]

Sorry. It's a little too early for that too.

Then we can just talk, if you need to.

It...was a while ago. I don't really...need to.

[He maybe misinterprets Gil's offer. The Fall of the Colonies still sort of hurts, but not in the same way that other things that came after do. There are still things that actively pain him, things he hasn't come to terms with. The Fall is an old wound that throbs occasionally.

His gaze has intermittently been on the screen, looking into the camera, but now he leans his head back against the wall looking up.]

I just thought you should know, I guess.

[Because this is him, these are his demons. Even if Gil is ever only a friend - and he probably should only ever be a friend - then maybe he should have a clue what's going on with Felix. As his other friends have tried to impress on him.]

Then thank you for telling me. I am here for you though. For whatever you need.

[Felix doesn't respond for a few seconds, until he levels his gaze at the camera again. There's a little smile on his face. It's kind of wry and kind of sad, but also...not entirely unhappy. At the same time.]

Thanks. I appreciate that.

[He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. The smile gets a little less sad, a little more crooked.]

I guess I should get up for the day and let you [actually go to sleep? Felix doesn't actually say that though.] get back to what you were doing.

Yeah probably.

It was good to talk to you though. And to see your face. Gives me something nice to dream about. Hey! Maybe that will even convince my brain to let me sleep.

[Okay well that gets him to pause for a few long seconds. There's a fair chance that Gil doesn't mean that to sound the way it did but also a fair chance that he knows exactly how it sounds.

Either way, the idea that he might be something "nice to dream about" makes Felix at least faintly visibly flustered. He clears his throat, runs his hand through his hair again and glances off-camera. He's still smiling, but...his cheeks are just a tiny bit flushed. It'd still be possible to miss it, though the rest of his behavior probably makes that less likely.]

I hope that's the case.

It was nice talking to you too, Gil.

[Looking back at the camera, his smile genuine.]

[The grin on Gil's face seems to say that he knows exactly what he's doing. He seems to be enjoying how flustered Felix can get.]

Good night, Felix. [Even if it's not night, who's counting.

And he disconnects shortly after that.]

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